hello!
:) wish i had time to write lots; i will before the week is over. but at the moment, i am headed to thanksgiving potluck at the Baptist mission. :D anywho, have a great weekend and i'll talk to you later! to my church folks: i wrote a new prayer letter. it'll be out sunday. :)
<3 love y'all!
Sarah

just wanted to say hi since i haven't written in a while. :) will write more early next week.
love you guys! <3

LMCO

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good evening. :)
it's summer in johannesburg! sunny and hot. not quite the same as november in NC, eh? :) ah, i hope you are all splendid and keeping warm. only four weeks left, i can't believe it. i love you all and will write more soon, i promise. for now, please continue to pray for youth camp preparations and that i would know how to pray. later, friends.
cheers,
Sarah

Psalm 42:10

one last thing-
i posted new pictures from vacation. :) link # 3.

love you all. <3
Sarah

beautiful.

good afternoon from johannesburg! :)

hope you've all had a wonderful week so far. we are definitely in the home stretch; i will be home in less than five weeks! i cannot believe it is mid-November already; where did the time go? i am really feeling the crunch; it's a wild emotional ride at the moment. anyway, i'll have lots to tell come Christmas. :)

we spent the beginning of this week on holiday, around two hours away from our home. we packed (or squished) seven people and their luggage into an SUV-type thing called a Condor. and off we went. :)

we stayed in a nice little chalet, complete with rain spiders (four inches across, common here) and monkeys wrestling on the roof. :) it was great fun. we went on multiple game drives, both morning and evening, and saw all sorts of wildlife. This included giraffes, all types of antelope (kudu, impala, springbok, steenbok, riverbuck), rhinos, an elephant, hippos, african birds, turtles, and LIONS. :) we got up at 5am both mornings, so i came home and slept half a day. :D it was absolutely amazing! ... but the animals were not the greatest thing God showed me on our trip. to share that, i'll give you a bit of background info.

Pilanesberg National Park is situated in an extinct volcanic crater, and is quite large. i'd venture to say we drove several hundred kilometers through the park, and only saw a small part of all that was there. there are savannas and lakes and forests and mountains; it is beautiful! as i've told some of you, Africa has more of a 'dry and rainy' season than summer and winter, which means we had no rain for two months but now have storms almost daily. these are not quiet rain showers; the electrical storms here are intense! these, added to dry terrain, make it easy for fires to begin and spread quickly. such an incident recently happened at Pilanesberg, as a fire burned through acres of grassland and trees in no time. this was in August, only around three months ago! yet, as quickly as the fire cleared the land, life returned. the burnt land is chock full of nutrients, and the ground is quickly covered in a bright green blanket. but, more astonishing than that are the trees. trees on the grassland are thin and small for the most part, suited to their environment. they're not particularly hardy-looking, they look scrawny! but they are the most awe-inspiring green things i have ever seen. <3
the skinny little trees were black- for the most part. though they had been burned and 'oppressed' and beaten down, they refused to give up. through the black branches, sprouts of green popped out. some even had a whole side that was green! it was amazing. i took several pictures, so have a look at one.

the moral of the story is: God can restore anything. No matter how much something (or someone) has been hurt and abused and rejected and persecuted, God can bring her back to glory. what a wonderful God we serve. <3

alright, well it's nearly time for Friday night youth. i hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and i will write more soon. :)

to end, the words of Isaiah:

“Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you. I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done this wondrous thing. Shout for joy, O depths of the earth! Break into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel. This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer and Creator: “I am the Lord, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will live here again,’ and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be rebuilt; I will restore all your ruins!’ (chapter 44, verses 21-26)

This is what the Lord says to his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. This is what the Lord says: “I will go before you and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. (chapter 45, verses 1-3)

:)

just a quick note to say i won't write again till late next week, as we'll be out of town. :) have a great weekend!

<3

this side of the world. :)

hi again! :) early updating this week; it's only friday! hope you all are fantastic. i wanted to write a bit about life on my continent, since i haven't done that in a while. so here goes, have fun. :D

life has been busy and crazy here lately, but wonderful! :) God is absolutely rocking my world, and changing my life in the most amazing ways. two young girls have accepted Christ at our orphanage, which is a huge praise! :D please pray for them as they begin their walk with Jesus; that they would find Him more all the time. we have been consumed with work for the Lord, :) preparing for youth camp and engaging the community more all the time. i am so looking forward to camp; you'll be sure to have me talk your ear off about that. :) continue to pray for fundraising and prep work with the youth; we have multiple events coming up soon, and that is what much of our time is filled with. the next several weeks are going to be a blur; we have a million things on our schedule. we are taking a holiday next week, Monday to Wednesday, to visit a game park (:D) and relax a bit before everything ramps up. pray for our safety and for good fellowship with my team.

another awesome thing God is doing in our lives is wrapped up in a wonderful new friend of mine: Stacie. :) Stacie is here on a two-year program, after already spending two years in Botswana, Africa after college. she is amazing; and we love her. <3 God is using her as a light here, as well as a coordinator for our program in the entire region. she's a pretty awe-inspiring person. please begin to pray for her now, and continue as time goes on. i know she's going to do great things.



as i said before, God is teaching me and changing me every day. i wish i could just pour out what He is showing me; hopefully, i will be able to in the future. i have never experienced His love and faithfulness the way i am now; i will not come home the same person i was when i left in August. i literally cannot put it into words, i will just have to display it as best i can. :)

to close, i'm adding a few scriptures and a song or two that have spoken to my heart recently. i love you all, and am praying for you with all my heart. keep seeking our King. <3

In You
MercyMe
I put my hope in You.
I lay my life in palm of Your hand.
I'm constantly drawn to You, Lord-
In ways I cannot comprehend.

It's the Creator, calling the created.
The Maker, beckoning the made.
The bride, finding what she's always waited for-
When we find ourselves, that day.

In You- the hungry feast at the table.
the blind frozen, find colors in their view.
the lame will dance, they'll dance for they are able.
and the weary find rest,
oh, the weary find rest, in You.

It's no secret, that we don't belong here.
Those set apart by the grace of You.
And we look for the day, when we go to a place,
Where the old becomes brand new...

In You- the hungry feast at the table.
the blind frozen, find colors in their view.
the lame will dance, they'll dance for they are able.
and the weary find rest,
oh, we will find rest, in You.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. I John 4:4 (NLT)

"Yours is the Kingdom. Yours is the Power. Yours is the Glory. Forever!" Chris Tomlin

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:11-14

God of Ages
Hillsong

God of ages! Bringing glory here!
You are good, You are good.
Son of righteousness, You are all I see;
With all my heart.

Giver of life, hope for the lost is in You!
All of the earth, shines with Your light, Your glory.

You are the God who lives, You are the God who heals!
You are my hope; my everything.
You brought salvation to us; offered Your peace to the world.
You are my Lord, my everything.

In Your promise, and Your faithfulness,
I will trust all my days.
King forever; great in majesty.
Be glorified!

Giver of life, hope for the lost is in You!
All of the earth, shines with Your light, Your glory.

You are the God who lives, You are the God who heals!
You are my hope; my everything.
You brought salvation to us; offered Your peace to the world.
You are my Lord, my everything.

I'll trust in You, I'll trust in You,
I'll trust in You with all my heart. <3

culture day. <3 18 october.

the little guy, Mubonga, was just baptized this past Sunday. :)

hello again. :)

ice skating in Africa. <3



a call to the nations: Greg style. :)

never mind. :D

okay, since africa's internet doesn't like me today, we'll be waiting for the rest of my updates. :) i love you all. talk to you soon.

happy tuesday! :)

hello again. hope all is splendid where you are. :) i'm going to post videos now; new pictures are already up. might write more if time allows. :D
have fun! <3