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

Merry Chirstmas from Africa!

Hello friends and family. I just wanted to say Happy Holidays and let you know you are in my thoughts and prayers constantly at this time. We are having a good holiday season, though it is quite different obviously being away from you. On top of that, it is Summer here so we are having a "Warm Christmas" rather than a "White Christmas." The past two months have been FILLED with excitement. I apologize for the delay in updating this blog as well as my newsletter. I have wanted to write when I could include all of the months happenings, yet they continue. So briefly I will share yesterday's activities. On Saturday I was spending the day with Anthea Jaffa and her girls as they were having a joint birthday party... one in which I spent the night with 10, nine to eleven year old girls who had a "stay awake" party. Anyway, on Saturday I was suggesting to Anthea that we take the kids Christmas Caroling on the following Tuesday as most of the families were getting ready to leave for Christmas. We agreed that we could get on the phones and make it work. I had recently introduced the children to Christmas Carols in our Wednesday night class. Some funny things; First, these children don't sing songs about snow and cold weather. You try to find a Christmas song that doesn't! Second, I experienced my first "cultural barrier" due to words. In the song Jingle Bells, the second verse sings of Miss Fanny Bright sitting by his side. As I taught the children this song, suddenly their eys got huge and they began to mumble. I didn't think much of it until I got home that night and Carolyne asked me if I realized that I had asked the kids to say a "bad" word. I quickly said "no" and then she pointed out Miss Fanny Bright. In South Africa "Fanny" is not a nice word, not a terrible one, but still not one that the people use. So... I felt terrible and when putting song books together I changed Fanny to Maggie. I told Anthea about it and she just laughed. It is nice to have the parents on your side in situations like that!
So, back to caroling. I made a few calls and the ball was rolling for Tuesday. I planned to take the children to a nursing home that a member of the church is very active in as well as the government hospital down the road. When I spoke to Judy my coordinator's wife about what was planned she suggested that we make some props for the kids to use. Our team had a prior engagement out of town Sunday night and were not returning until Monday late afternoon so the prop construction began about 7:30 PM on Monday night. We made reindeer antlers, Santa hats, Christmas trees, Frosty the snowmen, jingle bells, and two "packages" for the kids to wear. They loved it all! We had about 30 kids and several adults who helped spread some Holiday Cheer to Port Elizabeth. We also bound 15 Christmas Carol books that the church will have for the future.
I was so proud of the kids. They showed amazing courage as they sang songs they didn't know all that well and visited the sick. Visiting isn't easy for everyone and especially children, but they jumped in head first and visited with the people at both the nursing home as well as the hospital. In the hospital, we visited the children's ward, as well as the men's and women's wards. This hospital is government funded and quite honestly not some place that you want to find yourself. The smells of sickness lace the halls and are a constant reminder of the poverty and disease that plague South Africa. I pray that everyone has a better appreciation and thankfulness for their own health after visiting yesterday. All in all, I would say that the launching of Christmas caroling was a success. Thank you again for allowing me to be apart of such an amazing work in South Africa. My prayer is that you all come to know and love these people as they are the fruits of your efforts by sending us here. They love you and appreciate you though you've not met. I will post the pictures of the day! Hope you enjoy them. Have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

With love,
Lindsay

Proud to be South African

As some of you may know, South Africa played the English for the Rugby World Cup Title Saturday night and WON!!! South Africa 15 England 6. There was no doubt about it, we were South African through and through that night! We as an AIM family had invited anyone and everyone from Gelvan Park to watch the game at our house. About 20 ended up coming. There is nothing like sports to bring a family together. We had food galore and an amazing time together. The four of us girls had painted our entire face as the South African flag and were very ready to cheer our team to victory. As people arrived we had the opportunity to continue the face painting on nearly every woman and child; the men were not quite as eager to have their faces coloured. Must be something about wearing makeup everyday that inspires the ladies! Shockingly, we did have a few outsiders who were routing for England. Thankfully, God spared their lives as we watched the game together. :) As always, there are a few ladies who are avid sports fans and Saturday night was no exception. Auntie Ann, Auntie Bridget, and Anthea, who says she is way too young to be called "Auntie," were our most entertaining Springbok fans. I don't think they sat down for the entire game and were hooping and hollering through it all. If you get a chance to look at the pictures I've posted, you will know exactly who they are! What a blessing it was to see family together enjoying one another's company. The world cup for me emphasized how much I love this country and it's people. As the title reads I am proud to be a resident of South Africa and will always see this nation as a place I call home. Thank you for all of your prayers for myself, my team and this nation. I love you all. GO SPRINGBOKS!!!

My First Combie Ride

Hello from Port Elizabeth,
Thanks to you all who leave comments, it really encourages me. Life has been busy as usual, but that is a good thing! I have now checked off one of the "to do" items for my time here in South Africa. I have taken a ride in a taxi. Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it is something that I have really wanted to do. Combies or taxis are the main source of public transportation in South Africa. They are typically large van type vehicles that rule the streets. They drive around cram packed full of people looking for more to pick up. On man hangs out the window looking for passengers who are waiting to be picked up as well as yelling our the destinations of the particular taxi. Looks like fun to me! I have made it known to several people that I wanted to have this experience but both our coordinators and the locals made me promise that I wouldn't take on this venture alone. They were quite serious as they said this and wanted me to understand that being foreign as well as white this might not be the safest form of transportation for me which is why we bought cars when we moved here. I have respected their wisdom but finally got an opportunity when I offered to help Charmaine Domingo a local member at Gelvan Park C of C who works at a Kresh or Pre-School. I met her at her home early Friday morning about 7 and from there we took two taxis to school. It was great! I loved travelling that way as I was able to see how the majority of the people we know travel daily. Charmaine was quite selective about the combie we took as they are often packed full and play extremely loud music. She said that we are paying our fair and we deserve a seat to ourselves and to not have our ears damaged by the booming music! I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, but none the less enjoyed my trip to school that morning. If you are ever in another country or even culture within the nation you live I encourage you to experience the local events. It will help you to better understand them and appreciate more things about their lives. I pray that you will be blessed this week and know how much I appreciate your being apart of my life!
In Him,
Lindsay

Good Days...

As many of you know from my newsletter and other correspndances, I have had my share of up and down days since being here. I wanted to share with you how good God really is. I have had a wonderful week and it is all because of the people here who God allows me to spend time with! Last Saturday we had a "Ladies Tea" at our house. Tea time is a new thing to we Americans, but is something that I will be bringing home with me! We invited all of the ladies from church to our home Saturday afternoon for tea and biscuits (cookies, cakes, etc). I would say about 15 ladies came and we had a ball! Judy had baked almost the entire day prior to the tea and we had an amazing array of sweets. The ladies simply enjoyed being together and one another's company. Transportation is a huge hinderance for the members of Gelvan Park as I would venture to say only about 20% of the congregation have a car. This prevents people from spending as much time together as they would like. That afternoon we proposed and established a "Ladies Day Out" that will occur on the first Saturday of every month. We will meet and simply spend the day together. 3-4 ladies will rotate turns organizing the day. Everyone has expressed how excited they are about this time we will get to spend together. On Sunday we had our regular meeting that morning and then a city-wide sing a long that afternoon. It was a busy day as our team was invited to Auntie Jayne's home for her birthday. We went directly from church to her home for a braai and then spent the afternoon with her family until the sing a long. African gatherings often include tea and sweets and the sing a long was no exception. After singing I believe we served about 150 people tea and sweets. The coolest part of the whole day for me was after all was said and done. As you can imagine, a pretty good mess was left afterwards and we jumped in to help clean up. The young kids from church also joined us. Together we did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen allowing the ladies who usually do it a chance to sit and enjoy visiting with each other. Africans love to sing and boy did we sing! We sang everything from church songs to Christmas carrolls while cleaning that kitchen! At the end, the kitchen was sparkling and a good time was had by all. Times like this with our family make me wonder how I can even acknowledge the bad days that come. God is so good to remind us how much He loves us through those around us if we'll just open our eyes and see. After three months the new is wearing off and I finally feel like I am getting to know my family here. This to me, is what I am enjoying the most. I am so looking forward to sharing the next year or so with people I am falling more in love with every day! I would encourage you to spend time with the people around you, not simply in passing or for an hour twice a week but really make time to share in one another's lives. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Schools

Hello again,
So much has been going on it is hard to know where to begin. As of now we are officially busy. We, as in the entire team are doing various works including several at local primary schools. We are working with two currently and are looking to add one more if our schedules will allow. While we are at the schools we are doing various things from reading with the kids, teaching them multiplication tables, teaching them art and music as well as trying to produce a yearbook for them. Logan is busy as always will his many skills and talents on the technology end. We are currently taking individual pictures of all of the children, something they have never had before. We will use those pictures for the yearbook and also for the school to keep on record. Two children were missing two weeks ago, and the school had no way of identifying them. It is a very exciting opportunity. Brittney and I are still helping Lisa with the clothing ministry which is going very well. We have spent the last two weeks sorting clothes, washing and sorting various articles. We have also gotten involved with the youth from the congregation that they attend and that has been a real blessing. Abraham is one of the youth's older brothers, but has turned into a regular at our house. He and Johnathan get along really well and are becoming good friends. He just seems to fit around here which is great! School is back in session at the universtiy which limits the time we spend with our friends who are students. They are good about letting us know when they have off and we do our best to catch up with them then. Erin had become one of my best friends and someone I really enjoy spending time with. Having friends outside of the team is good, it makes us feel normal and that we are actually living here. This past week we made a presentation at a school for "Women's Day," a national holiday. We made a video that spoke about some of the emotions women/girls experience and then interviewed some men that we respect and took their view on how women should be treated etc.. It went well, although was a little too mature for the audience. We were attempting to reach the mothers, but even so it may have been a little much. A lesson learned. This coming week, the boys are presenting a lesson during assembly time at the high school where Erin's mother teaches. They actually get to do a biblical lesson and then are able to spend the day teaching the gospel to rotating classes. I am really excited for them!
It seems like things are starting to fall into place. It is starting to feel more like home. We miss everyone tremendously, but are falling in love with the people here. This week has been challenging for me, I am actually sick. For those of you who really know me, that is no surprise I'm sure. I have a sinus infection, and both of my ears are infected. Bummer. I made my first trip to the doctor and while I was a little dissapointed, I was also relieved that he wasn't a witch doctor! I felt very safe and had a very plesant experience. I am on some good ol' antibiotics and am beginning to feel better. Please keep our team in your prayers as we seem to pass sickness to each other. Please feel free to ask any questions about what we are doing or send suggestions and comments. I love to hear from everyone! Also, the new AIM class begins today, please keep them in your prayers as their adventure begins!

With Love,
Lindsay

Picasa Web Albums - Lindsay

Picasa Web Albums - Lindsay

Off and Running

Hello Everyone!
I am sorry that it has taken me so long to write. Life in South Africa is off and running. We are finally settled and doing great. This past month has flown by. We are each beginning to find our own niches in the community. I have come up with several things to fill my week up. We are all busy working on producing and packaging the curriculum which we will be distributing to the primary schools all over the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The photo outside of the parliment building was taken when we met with the "MEC" of education. Basically, he is the head honcho over the education department for the Eastern Cape and works under who we would call the governor. He is making it possible on the government side for us to present Biblically based curriculum to the school systems. What an experience to meet such a man of position. Our participation with the schools has been on hold as the civil workers have been on strike since we arrived. They are demanding a pay increase. The strike includes teachers, medical workers, and now a possibility of employees from the electric company. Please keep this nation and it's people in your prayers. So far, there has been no reported violence due to the strike, and we pray it stays that way. As for me, I have been blessed to have met several people who are putting me to work! I am going to be working with an American woman who is here with her husband and children as he works for General Motors. Lisa has a clothing ministry which she provides out of her home. She takes in donated clothing, washes, mends and then distributes it to those in need. She also takes request for clothing all the way down to color. She is wanting to give people something they may have never had, a choice in what they get to wear. She asks them for their favorite colors so that she can hopefully provide not only what they need, but also something they will enjoy. She also asks for prayer request and devotes a day to those prayers. I will be helping her with this, possibly a couple of days a week depending on what's needed. Some other women from the congregation she attends are helping as well. This gives an avenue of fellowship between congregations which is scarce here in Port Elizabeth. I have also made arrangements to work in a senor citizen's building where elderly people come to do occupational therapy as well as play games, sing and do crafts which they then sell for the maintaing of their building. One morning a week I will be helping at a pre-school reading to the children who are learning in all Africaans. This will help their English and we have permission to read Bible stories. I have been asked to help with a modesty lesson /slumber party for the teen girls by Lisa, as well as teaching the 8-10yr. olds on Sunday mornings where we are attending worship. As a team, we are going to be helping with two upcoming VBS' which are going to be held on the same day. We will work at one and then go to the next one! We are also helping regularly with a soup kitchen on Wednesday mornings as well as attending local small groups on Tuesday nights.
Things are busy here, and the work is abundant. We have been able to spend some really good time with the university students from church as they are approaching their winter holiday. The new pictures are of today, which we spent hiking with them along the beach about 15-20 minutes from home. We have spent 2 days this week with them. They love to sing and fellowship and have really encouraged us. Today, Reidwan, presented the devotional thought for us. He was very encouraging in reminding us what an amazing God we serve and to stand strong in Him when the world around us encourages everything but that. I am really excited about what God is doing and will do through this group of young adults in Port Elizabeth. I need to go now, I am taking a break from my lesson preparing for tomorrow morning. I love you all and thank you so much for helping make it possible for me to be here!!
In Him,
Lindsay

PS- I have added a link to Logan's blog, he has been named the "team photographer" and has posted hundreds of pictures from our time here. I would encourage you to read his thoughts and take advantage of his wonderful ability to capture moments through a camera.

Life In South Africa after 1 Week.

Hello,
Well, it's hard to believe it has been 1 week since I left Miami on my way to South Africa. Carolyne and I flew out of Miami on the night of the 28th. I stayed with Jazmin Rodriguez who was a student in AIM with us, but decided not to go to the field. It was so good to see her and meet her family! She took me to the airport where I met Carolyne before heading to London, where we were to meet our team. We had a very nice flight and arrived in London on schedule. About two hours after we arrived in London, we ran into Logan in a shop at the airport. It was good to see him and the rest of our team. We had about a 9 hr. layover before heading to Johannesburg. That time was taken by sleep and boredom. When it was time to board we all went through the line....well, not all of us. Carolyne and I found out as we handed the attendant that we would not be travelling on that flight as we had thought. We were apparently booked on a earlier flight that had already left and didn't know it. The team booked our flights with an agent and a mistake was made. So... we re-booked our flight for the next day while the rest of our team headed to Africa without us! It turned out fine. We got hotel room and were able to go into London and see the city the next day before our flight left that evening. We got to see Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, and Big Ben. We also made it in time to see the changing of the guard at the palace. It was wonderful. Once we arrived in Port Elizabeth our team was there and happy to see us. Our home is amazing. We all have our own rooms except Brittney and Liz who chose to share. Our coordinators have been wonderful in getting us settled. They are feeding us well, and loving on us pleanty. We got to go to a local gathering of all the congregations the first 3 nights we were there as a retreat type thing was going on. It was nice to be able to meet so many brothers and sisters right away. We already have a particular friend, Andrew who is spendig the day with us today. He is 18 and very excited we are here. Yesterday we were able to go to a local game reserve where we were able to see elephant, kudo, wart hog, tortise, and several other local critters. By the day we were shocked that the animals seemed "old hat" to us. Unbelievable! Our internet situation is not quite as we expected so far, but we are hoping to improve it shortly. Currently we are paying by the data used, so we are using air time cautiously. I will try to post pictures soon. Sorry. I love you all and look forward to hearing from you and posting more soon.
-Lindsay

Africa Bound

Hello,
I have recently been figuring out this whole blog idea and think I may have a better handle on it now. I would like to use it while I am on the field to make photos and videos more accessable. I'll give it a try and appreciate your patience. I leave for the field in less than two weeks now and I am filled with several different emotions. I am anxious to get there and very ready to leave on one hand, but on the other, I am pretty nervous about saying goodbye to what is familiar, people I love, and Dr. Pepper. Call me crazy!! No really, I am so excited about the opportunities that God has given me and pray that I will have eyes to see them as they arise. I am always floored when I take the time to reflect on where He has brought me, and the path I took to get here. I would have never dreamed that I would be headed to South Africa, but here I am, plane ticket in hand ready to go. Please continue to pray for me and my team as we take these steps of faith, as that is all that they are. We have no idea what is in store for us, only that God will take care of us and that somehow, He is going to change people's lives through us. Love you all and look forward to posting what God is doing in South Africa soon!

In Him,
Lindsay

Hello All, I am creating this blog in hopes of providing a place that I can share my AIM time experience more adequately. Please bear with me as I figure the world of blogging out. I hope you are all well, and look forward to hearing from you all.

In Him,
Lindsay