So much to be thankful for...

Happy Thanksgiving! I just wanted to quickly post given that it has now been almost three months. Man, I am so terrible at this communication thing. Today is Thanksgiving, but in Port Elizabeth, it is just another day. Last year that was pretty difficult for me. I missed my family and home very much. This year is different. I still miss my family and home today, but I have so much to be thankful for, that it is hard to get bogged down with sad thoughts. I am sitting in my coordinator's sun room surrounded by my family. Family that now consists of four of my original team, five new teammates, and my cherished coordinators. Today is family day. This morning when I woke up, I began to think of all that I had to be thankful for.. a little cliche I realise, given that it is Thanksgiving, but something that I wish I took more time to think about. It goes without saying that the people in my life are by far what I am most grateful for. I truly believe that life couldn't be much sweeter than it is right now. I am surrounded by people who love God with all of their hearts and fight daily to be more like Him. The commitment to Christ that I see in my team blows me away. They are so young, yet so faithful. We are clueless at times, but realise that it is God who is working in and through us. We are being transformed. I can't think of anything to be more thankful for. As the time seems to be slipping through my finger tips,I have come to the conclusion that I can never thank God enough for the time that I have had here. I will never be the same. I have learned lessons that I struggle to explain. I have been loved and hopefully learned to love in a way that I had not experienced before. I have witnessed God at work daily in the lives of those around me, as well as learning to recognize His hand at work in me. I pray that today as you take time to reflect on the blessings in your lives that you are overwhelmed with all that God has and is doing for you.

Happy Thanksgiving from Port Elizabeth, South Africa!

Luke 10:2 and Sarah Jane

As an AIM class, we were able to spend a week or so in Mexico City, learning the ropes from seasoned pros. Our team was blessed to spend the majority of our time being led by James and Erin Henderson. They were both a huge encouragement to me and I was able to pick up a few things that I have tried to implement here in South Africa. We spent one afternoon on the university campus in Mexico City. Our aim was to spend the afternoon praying over the campus and it's students, etc. Before we split up to pray, James shared with us something he and his teammates were doing as well as the AIMers he was working with. James encouraged us to daily pray to the Lord of the harvest ( Luke 10:2 ) to raise up workers for His fields in that specific place, then Mexico City, now Port Elizabeth. I have not forgotten this advice and have tried to be faithful in praying that prayer here. Despite my short comings in prayer, God is raising up workers in South Africa and Port Elizabeth specifically!
I have spoken of my good friend Sarah-Jane before, but I want to take a minute and share a little bit of how God is working through her today. Sarah Jane is my closest friend in Port Elizabeth. We met through a mutual friend and haven't looked back. She is also Jess' best friend from school and still is today. Sarah Jane is a brand new Christian, not even a year old yet. She was most influenced spritually through her friendship with Jess. Now, when Jess left for school, it really challenged Sarah Jane to take her spiritual life in a new direction. God is doing amazing things! What I want to brag on now is somthing that I think is just so cool. Two weeks ago while I was in Cape Town, Sarah Jane initiated and led her first small group and taught her first lesson! I can not tell you how proud and excited I am for her. She has begun a girl's small group with the university students of the Port Elizabeth Chruch of Christ. Her vision is to create an environment that they will share with one another in community and grow in their love and knowldge of Christ. I am absolutely gutted that I wasn't here for it, but I have a feeling, God used that time for her to be brave and give this teaching thing a shot! When I spoke to her afterward, she told me that she felt so special, so honoured to be doing what she was. Although she was incredibly excited, I believe humbled is the best way to describe her. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for Sarah Jane's life and the lives she will touch along the way. Please pray for her continued growth and zeal for the lost. She is being transformed right before our eyes and it is such a priviledge to witness. God IS raising up workers for His harvest.

Jess is 21

Well, turning 21 in South Africa is a big deal. My good friend Jess Trollip turned 21 yesterday and I was blessed to be apart of it. She is studying in Cape Town, so the celebrating took place here. A true South African 21st consists of a party with a theme, speeches, food and a lot of fun. It is in short a rite of passage celebration. Along with being invited, I was also asked to speak. I am incredibly honoured, but still not sure I am deserving. Jess' party was held in Darling which is a small farming town outside of Cape Town. It was heaven for me. Darling is the hometown of her boyfriend, Hanco and was the perfect place for her party. She chose not to have a formal scene but rather one with hay bales for seating and finger foods. Jess isn't the "formal" type which is one reason we get a long so well! I went as Superman complete with a cape and all. This came about because I lovingly call Jess "Superman". She is an incredible inspiration to me and I am so thankful to have her in my life. We have become great friends in a short amount of time. We will actually only spend a little over three months in the same town together my entire field time due to her studying in Cape Town. That to me is a little bit crazy, that while we don't have daily time together, we are as close as we are. We are just very similar in several ways which makes it easy. Part of my speech included the fact that Jess is the friend that I prayed for before coming to South Africa. She is someone who is a sister in Christ and who pushes me to be better. God has blessed me through Jess in unimaginable ways. I could go on for pages about this friend and sister who I cherish so much, but don't worry.. I will wrap it up. I just wanted to quickly write and share with you a bit of South African culture in the form of birthdays and ask that you keep Jess in your thoughts as she embarks a new chapter in her life as an adult. Please pray that she is able to continue to serve God whole hearted and grows in her love for Him daily.

True Love Waits

I wanted to take a few minutes and thank those of you who were able to make Joey and my trip to Mozambique possible back in February. If you don't know, we were able to spend two weeks in Mozambique, a bordering country to South Africa working with two missionary families where they shared the True Love Waits study/ program with us. This study promotes and teaches sexual abstinence using biblical principles. Something that I love about this study is that it teaches people that they can truly relate to the Bible because each example or story told is from Scripture. It is cross cultural and reminds listeners that God has a plan for their sexual life. Joey and I are about to leave within the hour to return to Archadia Primary where we will be making our second appearance teaching the True Love Waits study. We invite you to join us in prayer as we try to educate the youth of South Africa. We have been able to speak with over a hundred children at Archadia alone. I have taught the study a few times without Joey to girls around Port Elizabeth and am excited about the upcoming opportunities. God is opening doors all over Port Elizabeth through the schools. Our only set back is time. I leave for Cape Town on Friday for two weeks where I will be able to teach in several schools there as well. Joey, unfortunately will not be able to join. Please pray for hearts to be open to God's message for the youth we meet and that we will be able to relate to and influence some. Our vision is for leaders to emerge from the larger groups we meet with and that we might then mentor them on a more personal level, with the hopes that they will then influence their peers. Thank you for being apart of our lives and the confidence we have that we can come to you and count on your for your participation through prayer.

In Christ,
Lindsay

Oops....

Ok, I am trying to figure out how to delete the second picture of Logan and I... have no idea how I put it on, therefore, removing it is a problem. So, now my thought is to leave it in hopes of bringing you all a smile at my lack of techno abilities. Have a blessed day!

Logan

I just wanted to quickly post and ask that you keep Logan Smith in your prayers today and for the weeks ahead. He is ending his time here in Port Elizabeth and returns to the US today. His flight leaves in a matter of hours and for me, it is a hard thing to wrap my mind around. I can't believe that we are at this phase of our journey together. The cliche of time flying when you are having fun is an understatement. Logan has been a part of my entire AIM experience. By that, I mean he has been a significant part. He has been one of my closest friends throughout. I have to smile as I write this because if you know Logan, you know how quiet he is. This came out over and over this week as church members and friends from Port Elizabeth bid him farewell. They all seemed to say that while he is a young man of few words, he touched their lives. It is true, Logan Smith has touched my life. From August of 2006 until today, Logan has literally lived within a matter of steps of me. We shared a backyard fence in Lubbock, a home with our teammates on Southport Rd. and now we are about to be separated by an ocean. While this chapter in our lives is coming to a close, I pray that Logan and I will find a way to continue the friendship God began, over the next chapter in our lives. Today, I ask that you take time to honor Logan in your prayers for the sacrifice he made to spend this time away from his friends and family serving our Lord.

Life is Changing..

Hello Again,
So, I have realized what an incredibly awful blogger I am! Props to those of you who are able to maintain your blog, which the rest of us enjoy so much. In my defense, the internet in South Africa can be a little tricky. I suppose "mission term" proved to be a useful tool in training. I am happy to announce that I have purchased a new cell phone which should allow for more consistent internet. All of that aside, things are going very well in Port Elizabeth. I think most of you know that I was able to take a trip back to the US in April and was blessed to see many of you. I didn't know how much I needed that trip until I arrived. We, as a team have had our share of challenges working in Port Elizabeth, and the encouragement I received while home was invaluable. I have to admit, I did encounter some confusion during the trip... not hard to believe if you know me well. :) I am now totally confused as to where "home" is. Both, the United States and South Africa now feel like "home." I apologize to my family, as I am sure that is not what you want to hear. For me, while it is complicated and confusing, it is also a really neat feeling. God is so good.
Upon my return, my grandmother was able to join us in South Africa for three weeks. It was an amazing time for us both. I am still in shock that she would make the sacrifice to come to the other side of the world to see "my world" as she puts it. I am constantly humbled by this amazing woman and her love for me. There is no doubt in my mind, I have the best Gran in the world! After her departure, we jumped right into moving, preparing for the new AIM team and maintaining our regular schedules. Life has been crazy, and unfortunately still is! We are officially moved out of our "Big House" and living on our own. Our coordinators are about 20 minutes from Carolyne and I, who found a flat on the beach front not far from where we were living. Brittney, Liz and the four girls on the new team found a house that suits them perfectly. Logan, Johnathan, and Joey also found a flat on the beach just a short walk from Carolyne and I. The two boys on the new team, Tyler and Mike will be living on the other side of town. Our family is now spread out, but I am excited to see how God uses us in our new environments. I actually need to go now, we are in the middle of VBS, a youth rally, and gospel meetings all week long. I will try to update again this week. PS- I will post pictures soon, as I am not using my own computer now.

With Love,
Lindsay