A note from a friend..

One of the wonderful ladies that I was able to serve along side wrote about her experience here in Cape Town. She explains things beautifully and honestly. I'm so thankful for her insight! Be blessed:

Did you know that if you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world? Did you know if you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world‘s wealthy? Did you know if you have never experi- enced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or tor- ture, or the horrible pangs of starvations, you are more blessed than 500 million people alive and suffering? Did you know that if you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read at all? 

Keeping these facts in mind, imagine an area the size of the church building of Harmony Grove. Now add make shift homes (no larger than 10 x 10) made of anything you can find - pallets, scrap metal, cardboard boxes, blue tarps. Each home is closely connected to one another with narrow walkways to get in and get out of the community. There are dirt floors, no electricity, and no running water. Each home has an extended family living in 1 or 2 rooms. One particular home that I am aware of has a mom, dad and 4 daughters living in a 10 x 10 space. There are roughly 100 men, women, and children living in this par- ticular community. (It is interesting to note that the South African government can only estimate how many people are living in these townships. It is extremely dangerous for census workers to travel into some of these communities. There is one township called Khayelitsha that has over one million people living in it.) Now add desperation, hopelessness, and addiction. The result is just one of the many townships that dot Cape Town‘s landscape. This particular township is called Woodville. As we pull up to Woodville, I am immediately struck by its location. Although a vast area of Cape Town is extremely poor, we pass by a busy cityscape- stores, restaurants, bumper to bumper traffic, and people walking along the sidewalks. And there in the midst of this commercialization is an area of extreme poverty. We park in a small vacant lot that serves as the entrance to the township. There are 2 cars backed into the lot with their trunks open so you can hear music. In front of the opened trunks is a portable table with 2 pots of soup on it. To the right of the tables are the 2 toilets that serve the residents of Woodville. Coming out of the side of the building that houses the toilets is a water spicket- the only source of running water for these resi- dents.

As we exit from the van the smell from the toilets hits you. The smell is so overwhelming that even if you breathe from your mouth you can taste the stench. There is a line of men, women and children waiting with their bowls and sippy cups for warm soup and bread. For many this is their only decent meal for the week. Their bowls and cups are filthy, and caked with dried food and dirt from past uses. Many of the bowls look as if they have never been washed. Their bowls are containers that I would throw away at home. 

The people in this line are un- desirable people. Many of them are drug addicts or alco- holics who would rather sell the clothes off their children‘s backs, and the bread they re- ceive tonight for another drink or another hit rather than their children being warm and fed. At first glance at these people, I think they aren‘t worthy of hearing the gospel. They aren‘t worth my time if they aren‘t willing to take charge of their lives. But Jesus spent much of his ministry with the undesirables- lepers, prostitutes, the unclean, adulterers, tax collectors, the Gentiles. Jesus sees worth in everyone. He didn‘t say go make disciples of people from only wealthy neighborhoods, or disciples from clean people. Jesus clearly said Go therefore and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20). And that‘s despite their race, economic status, health, addictions, or religion (categories that we label people by, not Jesus). It‘s the people standing in line for warm meal. At some point in your life you have thought that some- one was less than you. But in all honestly, whether you will admit it or not, you were also undesirable at some point in your life. You were once covered with the stain of sin. But Jesus saw past the dirt and grime that covered us, and made us new creations. Why do we so clearly see the faults of others, but Jesus sees worth. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (I Samuel 16:76)

Are you willing to look past outward appearances? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get people in the presence of Jesus? Take the men who brought the para- lytic man to Jesus and lowered him through the roof! These men were willing to look past this man‘s outward appearance- his undesirableness- so that Jesus could heal the man‘s heart before his physical needs. So instead of the residents of Woodville seeing disgust and contempt on my face when I arrived, they should have seen love, goodness and kindness. They should have seen the Holy Spirit. They should have seen that I was willing to do whatever it took to get them in the presence of Jesus. The people should have saw that they were not undesirable, that they are loved. 

Orphanage in Guguletu!

This weekend I had the honour of helping out at a local "orphanage" in Guguletu. The reason I put orphanage in inverted commas is because many people recognise it as an orphanage, but in all honesty it's not. A Pastor and his wife live in Guguletu, a local township, and run Barcelona Baptist Church. They are also the parents of 22 AIDS orphans. Yes, that's what I said.....22 children ranging from young adults to infants. Prepare yourself for this.... 18 of the 22 children are AIDS positive. No, not HIV positive but AIDS positive, meaning they currently have the disease. Heart breaking, isn't it? I cried for an hour straight when the Pastor shared their story. They have had heart breaking situations come upon them time after time, but through it all they trust God in a way I would have never ever imagined. Some of their children have been left in burning houses to die. Some have been dropped off at the gate of their home. Yet, these children LOVE their adopted ma and pa. They called them mama and papa and they don't know anyone else who fits into that category. These people are living the gospel. I had the privilege to play with these kids, work in their garden pulling weeds, serving the kids lunch, and helping the "momma" in the kitchen. A group from Athlone Baptist Church did work in the gardens also, weed-eated the high grass, cleaned the rooms for the children, and brought many many non-perishable food items for this family.

Please pray for them!
Pray for provision which comes from God alone.
Pray for safety in the area as there have been many riots because of political issues (people burn tires and block the roads with rioting).
Pray for the children's health and their parents.
Pray that these kids would know the love of Jesus through their parents love.
Pray that God would continue to raise up people to help in their area and to meet their needs.
PRAY!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Teaching me new games on the trampoline.

 Working in the garden.

Measuring the new carpet for the house they are going to build.

 A place where some of the kids sleep.

The items Athlone Baptist brought.

A shop in the township, and a momma with her baby on her back.

One of the local water sources.

CTBS Practical Assignment

Find out what the first year students are doing for our children's and youth ministry classes :)

Soup Kitchen

Tomorrow evening we will be going back into Woodville (a small township) and we are distributing bread, soup, other non perishables and some of the towels that the HGBC team left here in SA. Pray for the follow up process as these people and children will realise that I am staying here for good and that they can allow themselves to trust me. Pray that their stomachs won't just be full with food, but that their hearts can be full of peace and love if Christ is their Lord. Please pray specifically for 4 little girls whom we made close relationships with at Holiday Bible Club, "T" "C" "N" and "Z" as they realise I will be coming back to visit and help them regularly. Pray they open up to me and that they can understand God is bigger than their circumstances. Pray that their parents will know that Jesus can break any addiction that is in their lives. I would love if you could also pray for me and others in Bonteheuwel Baptist church tomorrow evening as we do our weekly drug outreach ministry. From 10 p.m. to around 2 a.m. we will stand at different places in the streets and invite people in for warm tea/coffee and hot dogs or soup. Pray that people won't be afraid to come into the church and that we can simply build relationships with them. Pray that as we build relationships and initiate conversations, that Christ can be presented to them in clarity and that their addictions and any bondages over their lives will be broken by Jesus' blood if they would simply ask of Him. I will do my best to post photos when I get home! Thank you for your prayers!

Dear you, once again...

Dear..... you,


God has really been speaking to me a lot lately about you. The funny thing though, is that He is showing me more about myself so that I can get my act together for the life He has planned for...me, you, us. You see, I've been waiting for you for a while now. But my waiting has been useless, because I've been waiting on God rather than waiting with Him. I've been stagnantly waiting with high expectations of when you will come rather than waiting actively and preparing myself for you. Do you see what I'm saying? So, my darling, even though this is extremely weird that I'm writing you a letter and posting it on the internet, I want you to know that this is how much I love you. I'm not going to dream endlessly about you or make future plans for us, but I'm going to involve myself in God's plans for my life. I will wait with God until you come and I pray that you are diligently preparing yourself for the life and mission God has for us. I love you, whoever you are.


Love, 
Corina


Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; Psalm 37:3-7a


Trust, do good, dwell, enjoy, delight, commit, trust, shine, be still and wait WITH God! Place your delight in Him and He will transform your heart for His desires. Do these things and He will allow your life to shine for all to see His glory!


^.....so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe  as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Philippians 2:15-16

Homesick for Heaven.

I really shouldn't be writing a blog right now since I have tons of assignments and exams to study for... but I know I won't sleep until I get this written so I'm doing it now. Oh boy I've missed home so much the past week. I've obviously met many many new people in the past 2 months, and every time I meet a new person it reminds me of the people I've left at home. I've been able to go out and spend time with people my age, and getting to know them is a blessing from God. I truly am thankful for them and the new friendships I've made, but it makes me think about my BEST friends who are oceans away. I moved onto campus Sunday and by Tuesday evening I was sick with a tummy bug. Other students who live on campus came and took care of me, checking up on me and making sure I had everything I needed. It was so genuine of them, but it made me miss home, my own bed, and my mommy.


Sometimes I feel so foreign. I feel as if I'm on another planet, miles and miles away from people who understand me and know me. That has been the most difficult part of all of this, is the fact that no one really knows me here. No one truly understands who I am. Not yet at least, and I realize I must have patience. It's still difficult.


And then God reminds me yet again who He is. He tells me, "I KNOW YOU." He knows my laugh. He knows why I giggle and that I giggle at everything and anything, even when things aren't funny. He knows how my toes spread out when I stand up and how insecure I am about them. He knows how I have a tan line on my right arm under my Passion 2012 bracelet. He knows how half of the time I don't understand what people are saying to me, so I politely nod and act like I understand. He knows every hair on my head. He knows my thoughts before I think them, yet listens to me day in and day out. He understands what I mean when I talk about being awkward. He knows the deepest parts of my past, and I love that He knows. He's the only person I'm completely comfortable talking about it to. He knows my dreams and I trust Him completely with my future.


From the perspective of a young woman, I know how my heart desires to find the man I will marry. And this is simply because that man will stand by me until death parts us. My husband will be my absolute best friend and will know me like no other person on earth. Even God says it's not good for man to be alone, so He made Adam a helper. But the friendship I will have with my husband is just a shadow of the relationship Christ desires to have with me now. Death will never part me from Christ but bring us closer. I can't even describe how I am so in love with this man. I'm amazed how He loves me. He understands me. He wants to talk to me. He listens to my every thought and the cry of my heart. And you know what? He wants to know you. His heart longs to speak to you daily. He can fill any desire in your heart and bring you to complete satisfaction and contentment. He will stay by you faithfully and always care for you. So, even when the world doesn't understand you completely or know your true self, Christ does. He so desires for you to know Him too.


I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19


Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. Psalm 73:25

Hand Written.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

I may not be sitting next to you and you may not be able to hear my voice, but you are hand written into my heart by the Spirit of God. Please, never forget that.

I can feel my baby brothers arms around my neck. His whole body hangs as he giggles and wiggles with me. I can feel his big slobbery kisses all over my face. I can hear him running up to me saying, "Sissy missed you, sissy missed you." Or running up the stairs to come pester me. I can see him sleeping next to me with one eye open or tossing from his dreams.

I can hear my Dad's laughter from downstairs. I can feel his hugs and his kisses that always reassured me that I am his and that he loves me. I can see him sitting next to me at the dinner table, leading our family in prayer. Or the way he would pull me into his lap and just sit with me in comfortable silence.  I can hear his silly jokes and his stern voice. I can remember the long conversations we'd have and the times we snuck out of the house to get ice cream.

I can see my Mom sitting across the room from me. I can see her big smile and goofy faces she'd make at me. I can feel her laying next to me in my bed when I just needed a friend. Or listening to me talk for hours because life didn't make sense to me and I wanted her wisdom. I can smell her perfume and see her sitting on the opposite side of the church, the both of us looking at each other and knowing exactly what the other was thinking. I can see her tripping or knocking into something and laughing for days about it.

I can feel my brother sitting on top of me and ticking me until I was about to pee myself. I can hear him mocking and making fun of me, showing me what a big brother is all about. I can remember feeling his absence when he went to boot camp for the army. I can feel letters in my hand and my excitement that he signed "I love you" at the end of his letters. I feel his arm tightly around me, protecting me, and showing that I am his sister, no matter what.

I can remember long car rides with my big sister. I can hear her voice giving me advice in life of how to not settle for anything. I feel the impact she's had in my life and I know I'm where I am today because of her. I can see her beauty inside and out and admire her as a little sister. 

I can hear the kids upstairs playing while the adults are downstairs. I see my Pops wearing his famous tie die t-shirt and red and green sneakers to Christmas dinner and hear Grams calling me Sabrina for 3 months straight. I can see and smell my aunt cooking in the kitchen. I can hear the men laughing at commercials and yelling at the football game on t.v. I can see everyone filling their plates with food and sitting together. I can feel every kiss on the cheek, every hug, hear every giggle and each voice saying "I love you" and meaning it.

I can feel the wind in my hair as we drive to church with the worship music as loud as possible, belting out the words and singing like nothing mattered. I can see a beautiful girl come from death to life and witness Jesus change her life. I can feel the awkwardness between us as we break down every wall we've built up. I can feel the laughter in my belly as we lay in her bed late at night and joke about anything and everything. I can hear her words, her tears, her hurt, her joy, her ambitions and her love in her voice and laugh. 

I can remember meeting a little girl who is now grown into a young woman with influence in her peers lives. I feel my best friend's arms around me at awkward moments. I hear all the silly things she's ever said or moments when she doesn't understand something. I hear her deep laugh that sounds like a man. I see her heart and her compassion for people. I hear her voice reading the Bible to me and telling me what God was doing in her life. I can see her rolling around in the snow, or racing me on the sleds. I felt her pain as she faced one of the hardest times of her life. I see her love, genuine and pure love towards me.

I can hear her sweet soft voice all around me. I can see her family gathered together in the living room, including me in everything they do as if I was their own daughter. I can hear her mom's laugh, her daddy's southern accent, her sisters giggles. I can feel her hand in mine as we pray for one another together. I hear her sing in the car. I can see her get shy and play with her hair. I can hear the country music playing in the car, and I can see the sun setting in front of us as we talk about the desires of our heart and God's will for our lives. "You'll never not be my girl.." runs through my head when I think about her.

I can feel the Spirit in me and all around me, His presence makes me light headed as I stand to worship. I see a group of men and women standing before me, committing themselves to praise and worship in our church. I hear the congregation behind me, some sitting, some standing, some singing and some clapping, and some in silence. I hear the Pastor preach the word of God with power and I am amazed to watch my church family respond to God. I see people who have spent their time with me. People who have prayed for me. People who have LOVED me. I see their faces. I hear their voices. 

I AM.

i am small. i'm frail and weak. i'm quiet. i am loud. i am confused. i am broken. i am insecure. i am fearful of everything. i am not brave. i am not confident in myself. i am not beautiful. i am not strong. i am not a leader. i am not smart or wise. i am sinful and useless. but most importantly, i am Christ's. see, that's what makes all the difference. i'm nothing, but HE is everything. i can't boast in my courage to move to Africa. i can't boast in my education or my possessions. i can't boast in my deeds or my salvation. i am absolutely nothing.

oh, but my I AM is big. my I AM is strong. my I AM's voice is quiet and loud, soft as wind and loud enough to shake me. my I AM is constant and always. HE is never confused or double-minded, but concrete and sure. my I AM is secure. HE is everything and HIS perfect love drives out all fear. my I AM is the definition or courage and braveness. my confidence is in I AM. my I AM is beautiful and majestic. my I AM is my strength. my I AM is powerful and perfect to lead. HE is wisdom and HIS word is knowledge. my I AM is perfection and sinless. my I AM uses the useless. HE is everything; the I AM.

you may think i'm special because i've moved to south africa. don't. you may think i'm brave because i'm living in a completely foreign place. don't. you may think i'm strong because i left all of my family and friends to do what Christ asked. don't.

i've done nothing special or courageous. i've not done something that is unreachable or unattainable. i simply did what GOD asked me to do.

brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  but GOD chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; GOD chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. GOD chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before HIM. it is because of HIM that you are in CHRIST JESUS, who has become for us wisdom from GOD—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. therefore, as it is written: “let the one who boasts boast in the LORD." 1 corinthians 1:26-31

but HE said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 1 corinthians 12:9

you can do this too. simply boast in your weakness and in the LORD. HE will change the world through your weakness. be weak, then Christ will be strong.