Celebrating our Saltiness

On Friday we held our final Hand in Hand conference of the year with more than 80 church leaders in attendance. Our theme has been “Being Salt and Light” and we’ve learned so much together!

At this final conference, Pastor Abram taught us how being unified as a church body helps us to be Godly examples and effective witnesses to others. Next we spent time in worship and prayer, and sharing amazing testimonies of how God has worked in and through us this year. The goal was to not only learn from and encourage each other, but also to celebrate!

Amy Riep ended the conference with a powerful teaching from The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. This passage just precedes Christ’s calling to be Salt and Light, and teaches us the attitude we need to carry it out.

Humbleness. Godly sorrow over sin. Repentance. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Mercy. Peacemaking. Endurance.

She also gave an interesting fact about salt – that the Roman armies would pour salt out on their conquered lands to basically render them unusable and prevent them from being taken back by their enemies. As salt, not only do we season the earth with the hope of Christ, but we also claim territory for His kingdom that Satan cannot take back.

What a great day! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to equip and strengthen local leaders, and to also be strengthened and encouraged myself.

Outreach Season Celebration

Yesterday we celebrated with our interpreters the end of our 2010 Outreach season.

Abram began with a powerful teaching on knowing and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives, and how we each are uniquely gifted with skills, talents, and experiences for the specific work we’re called to. It was great to celebrate our callings and giftings, and also to reflect on how God has used each of us over the year.

We’re so thankful that God has called this amazing team - men and women who are strong in their faith, bold in sharing the Gospel, and such encouragers as mission teams stretch themselves to be used by God.

And what would a party be without gifts and chocolate cake with sprinkles? Yes, I attempted baking again and it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!!

Summit Celebration

This weekend we celebrated our 2010 Leadership Summit program, thanking our coaches and enjoying a fun day together. As the coaches each shared testimonies from the year, there was a common thread – how thankful they were to have grown in their own faith and leadership. As one of our coaches, Busisiwe, summed up “God changed each of us so that we can change others.” That’s definitely something to be celebrated!

Leadership Summit is our AIDs Prevention and Leadership Development program offered in the public schools. We employ and equip a team of nationals who in turn teach classes for grades 7-9 reaching thousands of students each week.

The class topics are tough ones, and ones that are otherwise not talked about - living a life of purpose, God’s design for saving sex for marriage, and open discussions about other sensitive areas such as drugs, alcohol and peer pressure.

Imagine talking about sex and marriage with a room full of teenagers!! Our coaches are awesome!!

This weekend it was such a blessing and privilege to spend more time with our wonderful Leadership Summit team, and to celebrate the countless ways God has worked in and through each of them.

Please pray with us as we plan for an exciting and impactful 2011.

Lessons Learned

One thing mission trips have in common is how the Lord teaches some pretty amazing lessons. We recently hosted our Thrive Adult mission team. As the team served in Intabazwe doing relationship evangelism and children’s ministry, many lives were changed including their own.

When asked about what the Lord had taught them during this trip, here is what a few had to say.

"God taught me to trust Him completely - that even when I can’t see things with my human eyes, with my eyes of faith all things are possible! I just have to keep pressing forward to do all that He has for me to do, even the hard stuff, even when I don’t understand, and especially when it seems like something that I can’t do because with God ALL things are possible!” – DawnMarie

“God has opened my eyes to so many things. But I think the one thing is how I just need to always follow through on what he says. God has also opened my heart to ministry, more than I ever thought I was going to do…knowing that this is the start of my life in ministry is so exciting! I just need to be patient and wait on Gods timing. That’s the only way things really will work out.” - Christian

"God let me know that I need to stop trying to box him in with my own thoughts and preconceived notions. I could not really imagine going to a house and being received the way that I was. Even in the hospital, I couldn’t imagine us having such an effect on the patients. God reinforced in my mind that at need to get rid of my preconceived notions, focus on spreading the love and good news of the gospel, and let God do the rest.” - Chike

Please pray for these folks as they return home, that they continue to step out bodly for Christ.

Great Expectations

Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip? If so, what were your expectations? And did God meet them, exceed them, or change them completely?

Our Thrive Africa mission team arrived this weekend. Folks from NY, OH, TX, and CO - all with diverse gifts to share and diverse expectations for this trip. I love seeing how God builds the perfect team to use for his purposes.






Here are some of the things we all are expecting from this trip.

- To be used, and to become bolder in fulfilling the Great Commission
- To serve people in need as the hands and feet of Christ
- To grow in our own faith as we pull out of daily distractions and focus solely on God
- To develop deep friendships with each other, and the people we meet here in South Africa
- To sharpen and encourage each other, as we each have unique gifts and experiences to share
- To expect the unexpected, after all God has more in store for us that we’ll ever know

Based on experience, I know that God will far exceed these expectations as he works both in and through each of us. How exciting!!

Confession

I have a confession to make. I am a missionary who owns 71 ½ pairs of socks – 35 black, 32 ½ white, 3 tan, and 1 funky striped pair for sleeping. Inventorying them is part of my therapy, quantifying the problem. Some are new; some are old; some are holy, dingy and stretched out; one is missing its mate (why am I saving it???); and somehow they all came with me to South Africa. I put half in my drawers, and half in zip-loc bags for later – whenever that is…

When I moved here, I patted myself on the back thinking I did so well in sacrificing all my “stuff”. Selling things super-cheap. Giving a lot away. Traveling light. Trusting in God’s provision.

Looking at this pile I realize that I struggle with a scarcity mentality, rationalizing about what I “need”. I want to be a good steward by hanging on to what is necessary and practical, but according to my own definition.

When I moved here, the Lord did miraculous things – taking care of my house, raising financial support, providing me with a vehicle during an economic nosedive. I was just teaching at Hand in Hand that as we trust God and he proves faithful, our faith grows stronger and we’re able to trust him with bigger, riskier things. Yet strangely I fall short in the small day-to-day things. As if God can’t meet my need for new socks when these wear out. Or as if he doesn’t care about the little things and someone has to…

Ouch.


So I confess that I’m falling short of trusting God 100%, but I’m working on it. I’m now down to 40 pairs of socks. (I like even numbers…) And I know God isn’t done with me yet. Eish!

Beauty for Ashes

Has anyone ever told you you are beautiful? And did you actually believe it? So often we feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, unworthy of such a compliment. The moment of flattery quickly dissipates as counter-arguments creep into our minds.

Yesterday I attended a women’s conference at Show-Tell Bible church in Qwa Qwa. The theme for the day was Inner and Outer Beauty. The conference was an extra special treat because my roommate June gave the first message and my colleague Amanda interpreted for her. They were a dynamic duo!

They taught how in Bible times people wore ashes when they were in mourning. It was an outward sign of their inward turmoil and grief. Mourning is natural, and an important part of healing and moving forward. But it’s also something that can keep us from feeling loved, beautiful, or worthy of either. The enemy would prefer we remain in mourning, stuck, paralyzed, “processing”, wallowing…

Isaiah 61 tells us that the Lord wants to be right there with us - binding up broken hearts, freeing us from whatever is holding us back, releasing us from darkness, comforting us, even avenging on our behalf. Do you need any of these things? I know I do…

The Lord also wants us to end our mourning, and give up our ashes for the crown of beauty he wants to bestow upon us. Since we put the ashes on, I feel like we have to take them off for God to do his thing. We need to allow him to work and trust that he is. Only then will we be considered oaks of righteousness, displaying his splendor, able to rebuild, restore and renew whatever has been devastated.

Has something been devastated in your life? Whatever it is, God wants to trade you beauty for ashes. Sounds like a pretty good trade to me…

Louder Than Words

As we all know, actions can speak louder than words, and this week was no exception. This week our mission team from First Baptist Church in Canada completed a project on our base, blessing our farm staff with fresh paint, tile floors and new windows in their homes. Earlier this year our interns had painted inside their homes, so it was wonderful to be able to continue with the improvements.

They team did a great job, and it was such a blessing to serve alongside them!

The houses look great, and our farm staff is so appreciative. At the end of the day, they expressed their gratitude in a beautiful note thanking the team for their loving hearts and caring hands. Through the team’s hard work – including fundraising for supplies – our farm staff experienced the love of Christ in action.



Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NIV)”

May our actions continue to speak louder than our words!

Godly Stewardship

On September 6th more than 130 leaders came together to learn how to be God’s salt and light “From the Inside Out”. The topics we taught included Godly Stewardship and Kingdom Living – things we need to model in our own lives before we can effectively witness to others. Based on the responses, God was clearly at work that day.

God was at work in me as well, as this was my first opportunity to teach such a large group. It was a challenge and a stretch outside of my comfort zone, but I really enjoyed it and would like to teach more in the future.

My two messages were about Godly stewardship – God’s design for stewardship and the practical ways we can live according to His principles. It was such a blessing to share what God has been teaching me through His Word, and also draw from my personal and professional experiences.

Did you know that the Bible has well over 2000 verses related to money? Money is definitely a popular subject in the Bible. I think this is because it’s an area where we’re so often tempted. It’s where we are humbled. And it’s where we struggle the most to trust in the Lord.

Have you ever struggled in trusting God for provision, whether for yourself, your family, or your ministry? Wondering how the bills would get paid or the work would get done? I know I have. Losing my job, raising support for missions, living on a small fraction of what I used to, depending on God and others… The Lord often uses our financial circumstances to test and refine us, to teach us to trust Him, and to ultimately strengthen our faith.

How we handle our money – whether we have a lot or a little – reflects our relationship with God. It can be a source of life and blessing when we’re fully committed to God. But it can also be a trap that Satan uses to separate us from God. We can avoid that trap by knowing what the Bible says, obeying it, and walking in the freedom it provides.

A God-thing

What are you listening to right now? What do you hear around you? Birds singing or trees rustling? A cool song? Kids laughing? Your boss? (If this is the case, stop reading this and get back to work!!)…

I can’t even imagine how challenging it would be to have a disability – not being able to see, hear, speak, or walk… Things I need to be thankful for and not take for granted. As difficult as it must be, how much more difficult is it when someone doesn’t have access to helpful resources?

Our Sunbreak mission team had the divine opportunity to minister to a family of deaf people. I know it was a divine appointment because 2 of the team members have deaf people in their families as well.

They shared with us how special their time was together, and what a blessing it was to get to know the family, share the love of Christ, and leave them with a long letter of encouragement. They were able to communicate by writing in English, which I also think was a total God-thing.

The family isn’t able to attend church, so the Lord brought church to them. He knew what the family needed, and loved them so much that He sent people across the world to tell them.

See what I mean about being a total God-thing?

I don’t have a picture of the team with the family, but I thought you’d enjoy this one. I call it “Jumping for Joy”. What do you think makes God jump for joy? We do.

Meet Pastor Maria

Meet Pastor Maria - beautiful woman of God, pastor of a small church, committed leader, hard-working business owner, Godly influence in her village. I love this lady!!

Our recent mission team from Sunbreak Church in Washington served in her village. After their first week of relationship evangelism, 8 people came to church with us that weekend. And after service, Pastor Maria met with each of them to tell them about her church, encourage them in their new faith, and welcome them to come back again. We pray that they do.






That’s one of the great things about partnering with local churches and pastors. As the mission teams serve in an area, the local church follows-up with people afterwards continuing to water and sow the seeds that were planted.

Another great thing is how encouraged our pastors are as teams reach out in their community, joyfully and sacrificially serving on behalf of the church. Over and over again, Pastor Maria told me and the team how thrilled she was to have the team visit her area.

Please pray with me for Pastor Maria and Lighthouse Ministries Church – that her church continues to thrive and to be a light in her community.

All About Relationships

What exactly is Relationship Evangelism? It’s all about building relationships with people, serving them in tangible ways, and sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

As our team from Grace Community Church served around World Fellowship Church, they impacted many lives. One young man had been raised with traditional Basotho beliefs, but didn’t agree with them because he felt we should be able to talk directly with God rather than through ancestral spirits. He also investigated Islam, but didn’t find the truth he was looking for. When the team met him, they found him hungry for truth and seeking a direct relationship with God. They introduced him to Jesus Christ and his life changed forever.

But it didn’t stop there. The team continued to disciple this young man through the rest of the week. They visited his tuck shop, taught him from the Bible, and answered his many questions about God, Christ and life in general. They invited him to World Fellowship Church where he was connected with other Believers. And they invited him to our Launch Pad discipleship class held at the church where he will continue to grow in his faith.

As the team said their goodbyes, they found that this young man was already witnessing to others. He is well known in the area and people often hang out around his tuck shop.

It’s all about relationships. Our personal relationship with Christ. Building relationships with other Believers. And stepping out to reach people in need of the hope that Jesus offers.

17 Again

What were you doing when you were 14, 16, 17? Stepping out and stretching out to grow as a leader? Sacrificing your time and money to help others in need? Boldly sharing Christ with others? I don’t know about you, but I was pretty focused on myself at that age…

We thoroughly enjoyed our double-portion of God’s grace this month – a student team from Grace Christian Church in Michigan, and another student team Grace Community Church in California. These young leaders were such a blessing and an inspiration!

And as they stepped out to boldly to share the love of Christ it was evident that many lives were changed - including their own.

When we asked folks about their favorite part of the trip, here is what one of the leaders had to say…

“My favorite part of this trip was being able to lead the students from our church, and watch the amazing growth that each of them went through. God really strengthened and matured each of the students spiritually and it was wonderful to see. He’s also done an awesome work in my life.”

Oh, to be 17 again! (cute movie BTW)

Please pray for that these young leaders continue to live lives of impact.

Absolutely Yes!

It was so much fun working with a bunch of fellow-Michiganders! We recently hosted a youth team from Grace Christian Church in Sterling Heights - right where I grew up.

I was so amazed at how this youth team stepped out of their comfort zones - boldly sharing the love of Christ, sacrificially serving people in need, compassionately praying with the sick, enthusiastically pouring into kids during children’s ministry. It was a blessing to see God work in and through these young leaders.

People often wonder if the 2 short weeks they spend serving can really have a lasting, even eternal, impact. I say absolutely yes! And the congregation at AFM Paballong church whole-heartedly agrees!

After the team shared many incredible testimonies, the entire congregation was encouraged and overjoyed. Pastor Thito thanked and encouraged the team in return.

“Thank you so much for your testimonies. They are such an encouragement. Please know that we as a church will continue to pray for the families you’ve met, and the children that came to children’s ministry – that they know the Lord, come to this church, and become our next generation of leaders. Please also know that the seeds you planted will bear much fruit. Even if you don’t see it because you are returning to America, when you go to heaven God will be so excited to introduce you to the ones who are there because of the time you spent in Paballong. When you meet them, you will say Wow! Wow! Wow!”

Please pray that the seeds planted in Paballong continue to grow, and that we meet new brothers and sisters in Christ someday.

1 - The Call

Missionaries are called into the mission field in unique ways – I’ve haven’t heard the same story twice. For some it’s a dramatic event, but for most it’s just a journey of steps fueled by a desire to obey God and a heart to help others. So here’s a little about my journey and my heart:

I was raised in a Christian home. I’ve believed the Gospel and was assured of my salvation as long as I can remember. But somewhere along the way I missed the part about having a personal relationship with Christ and living for Him on a daily basis. My faith guaranteed that I would go to heaven when I died, but it didn’t really impact how I was to live, if that makes sense.

It was during my adult years, when circumstances in life through me for a loop, that I started looking for answers, meaning, and purpose in life. After several unsuccessful attempts, I ended up back at church. Hmmm, what would things have been like had I pursued God with the same energy and determination that it took to search everywhere else? I guess that’s a whole other story…

When I plugged back into a church the Lord opened my eyes and softened my heart. Then in 2002, I stepped out on my first mission trip. I’ll admit - I was scared. I didn’t feel “Christian enough”. I didn’t think God could use me to help others. And my persistent prayer was that I wouldn’t be called on to pray out loud. Can anyone relate? Fortunately, my excitement outweighed my fears and I went to Ecuador.

...to be continued…

2 - On Foreign Soil

When I decided to step over my hesitations and board a plane to Ecuador for my first missions trip, the Lord knocked my socks off!

While on foreign soil He showed me so much: First, that He loved me just the way I was, but didn’t want to leave me that way. He stretched me and surrounded me with an amazing team of people to help me learn and grow. I’m always in awe of how the Lord builds mission teams with the perfect mix of strengths, weaknesses, personalities and gifts to share. Second, He showed that not only could He use me, but that He wanted to use me as well. That was so shocking to me because, like I said, I felt like a pretty wimpy Christian. Third, He revealed His heart for the nations, the suffering and the poor. I’ve often been asked

If God is all-powerful, why are so many people poor and hungry?
If God is loving and compassionate, why do people suffer with diseases and disabilities?
If God is merciful, why are we losing an entire generation to HIV/AIDS?

These are tough questions that have even tougher answers… You see, WE are His answers. The Lord demonstrates His power, love, compassion, and mercy when He sends us out as the hands and feet of Christ. God chooses us and uses us when we choose to step out and follow him. And when we do, the blessings are incredible!!

On that first mission trip, the Lord also gave me a glimpse into His unique purpose for my life. From that point on I felt called to serve others around the world, and it was that calling or passion that fueled my hunger for the Lord and for spiritual growth. I knew that someday I’d be a full-time missionary, and set out to prepare and pray for the Lord’s timing.

...to be continued…

3 - Yikes, What was I thinking?

As I mentioned in my previous blogs, it was during my first mission trip that the Lord filled me with a passion for missions and a calling to serve others around the world. I wanted to be a full-time missionary someday, but I didn’t yet know the Lord’s timing. Over the next few years, I remained active in missions, leading short-term trips to South Africa, Malawi and Palestine. It was during those trips that I met Thrive Africa and was deeply moved by their vision and their heart to change South Africa by training up Godly leaders.

Meanwhile, I continued working full-time in the Automotive Industry. Looking back I can see how the Lord used my career to develop me as a leader, strengthen my faith, and prepare me for His future calling. I also continued to pray that dangerous prayer – “Lord, send me.”

After years of dreaming, praying, and wondering about full-time missions the Lord closed one door and opened another. I was laid off. What? That wasn’t the way things were supposed to “go down”. That wasn’t at all what I had planned. I was shocked, angry, sad, a bit embarrassed – all mixed together. But I was also intrigued, cautiously optimistic, even hopeful and excited about whatever was to come next. And I knew that I was getting the Lord’s answer about the timing, just not in the way I had expected.

Did you ever pray for something, get it, and then go “Yikes, what was I thinking?” That’s what happened next, doubts and fears came crashing in …but what about fundraising, but what about selling my house in a tanking economy, but what about moving overseas alone, but what about leaving my family…but, but, but…

That’s when the Lord reassured me that this is what I had been praying so fervently for, what had been on my heart for so long because He Himself put it there, and that He loved me and would take care of the details if I’d just trust Him. So I took a deep breath, a couple a small steps, and then a giant leap halfway across the world.

...to be continued…

4 - A Big Change

In some ways making the change from the corporate world into full-time missions was easy. One reason is that there are many similarities. Like any organization, we have a vision, a mission, objectives and goals. We plan our work, steward our finances, develop ourselves as leaders, and strive to lead by example. We value integrity, excellence, and teamwork – core values common to successful organizations. In these ways, I felt right at home. It also helps to love the work you’re doing and to feel like you can really make a difference in the world.

The big change also came with its challenges. One such challenge was financial. Moving from a steady paycheck to having to depend on the charitable contributions of others was a big step. It was scary for me. I hadn’t realized how much I valued my independence until God “forced” me to depend on Him and others. But the blessings are greater, the rewards are sweeter, and my faith is so much stronger as a result.

For me personally, another challenge has been the reaction I get from people. Many think that this is a great, noble thing I’m doing – whether they attribute it to me, or to God where the glory really belongs – they think it’s admirable to dedicate my life to helping those in need. But then there are others who view it differently – that I’m throwing away a masters level education, a career that took 20 years to build, a much needed retirement package, my very future. I’ll admit, in my weaker moments I wonder the same thing. Thankfully, that’s when the Lord reassures me that he will take care of my every need. And again, my faith grows so much stronger as a result.

It’s hard to express how wonderful it is to do what you feel called to and created for by the Lord Himself. Awesome, blessing, rewarding, amazing… My words seem so cliché and trite, but they’re true nonetheless.

...to be continued…

5 - Ring a Bell?

What began with a small step of faith was met by a huge revelation from God, and it’s been an amazing journey ever since!

During my first mission trip the Lord revealed His purpose for my life, giving me His heart to help others. From there, the Lord guided my steps as I prepared, provided for my needs, and strengthened me when doubts crept in. I’ve now been with Thrive Africa for more than a year, and it has been a joy serving here in South Africa!

So, do any of my experiences ring a bell? If you are wondering about stepping out, serving on a missions trip, making a big career change, or even becoming a full-time missionary, here are just some of the things I learned along the way…

First, make your relationship with God your top priority. Study the Bible, reflect, pray and listen to God. We need to hear from God in order to do His will. We need to love what He loves, hate what He hates, and exchange our worldly perspective for an eternal one.

Second, begin with small steps as a way to learn and discern God’s direction for your life. I did this through short-term mission trips, volunteering through work and church, and taking classes - but it will look different for everyone. Keeping seeking answers until you get them.

Third, trust God in all things. If God calls you, He will equip you and meet your every need. That doesn’t mean everything will come easily, but it will come together. Each time I trusted God with one of my “…buts” He showed up big-time strengthening my faith and further confirming His will for me.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28, NIV

Laff-a-lympics

Does anyone else remember the old cartoon Laff-a-lympics? The Scoobie Doobies, the Yogi Yahooeys, and the Really Rottens? I Googled it to get the name of the teams and boy, am I getting old!!!

Anyways, we had our very own Laff-a-lympics when we hosted about 30 kids from Leratong Children’s Home. Our interns have been working there for the past several weeks, and they did an amazing job with setting up this day of celebration and fun!!

Divided into teams, the kids competed in games such as soccer drills, paintball shooting, video game racing, and other relays. It was such a blessing to see the kids light up as they tried new things - like video games which are so common in the US that we take them for granted. I was like a kid again as well when I got my hands on a paintball gun!

At the end of the day, everyone left with a great prize, a huge smile, and the assurance of how much they are loved by us and by Jesus Christ. It was a very special day for very special kids!