the 'big reveal'

Happy Monday! I don't have much time to write today, but I thought I would post of few pictures of Tshepi's office. We spent all week finishing up the renovation of the kitchen-turned-office. We had a lot of fun painting and finding those last minute touches... On friday afternoon we picked Tshepi up and handed her the keys. She opened the door, looked around for a minute, sat down at her desk and started to cry. She was absolutely speechless! It blessed my heart so much to see how excited she was over her new space!

Before:

after:

The office took up most of our time this week. Our Daniel study is going really well and we are getting to invest in the lives of our youth more and more. Another major highlight of the week was our lunch date with Miss Liz and Mr Kenny (a couple in our complex). They had us over on Saturday, we ended up staying there for five hours and I think they ended up feeding us 3 meals. It was so lovely to sit and chat with them, we talked about everything, but nothing at all. I love the pace that this lifestyle affords... I have really been learning so much about slowing down and simply being with people.

That's all the time I have for today... Know that all is well with me! I love and miss you all!

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace...

Jarah

"It takes a lot of guts, but you, oh Lord, are the giver of guts... we ask for courage today"

... a direct quote from the prayer of one of the ladies in my Wednesday morning Bible study. Not exactly what I expected to hear coming from this proper, 80-year old South African woman. The earnest heart with which she asked the Lord for courage will be forever stamped on my memory...

Wow, I cannot believe another week has come and gone. I have officially been in Africa for one month... time is flying by! This week was incredible! We spent lots of time preparing for the big sleepover on Friday. Amanda and I planned a ton of activities for the girls and made about 12 dozen cookies! It felt like we were baking all week long!

I was able to have lots heart-level conversations with our youth throughout the week. It's so great to finally be at the point where we can start talking about real things and discipling these young people. I talked with one of our young men, Vollie, about the book of James for a good hour after cell group on Wednesday. I also had lots of sweet time talking with the ladies in my Wednesday morning bible study. They are all so wonderful and have really gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and at home.

The sleepover on Friday was insane! We had such an amazing time... definitely the highlight of my week. We decorated cookies, did crafts, sang and danced for hours, and watched movies. We also had some good teaching times. The theme of the evening was identity... we talked a lot about who we are in Christ versus how the world defines us. I was in a group with a couple of sweet girls. My heart absolutely broke to hear about their struggles, but it was great just to talk about about them and how God is there in whatever they're facing. I felt like I got to know a few of the girls really well! Thank you all for praying over that night!





Amanda and I spent most of Saturday just catching up on sleep (we didn't sleep at all Friday night). On Saturday evening the group of guys at Greenstone decided to make us dinner. They grilled steaks and made mashed potatoes, greenbeans & corn. It was delicious and so sweet of them to serve us girls on Valentine's day. We finished up the night with a little put-put golf. I played terribly, but we had a blast!

On another note, Amanda and I have been battling a stomach bug over the last couple of days. It is no coincidence that I started getting sick just hours before our Friday night sleepover. I slept all day yesterday and am slowly starting to feel better. I would really appreciate your prayers for speedy recovery...

Until next week,
Jarah

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13

you never know what you're gonna get...

I don't even know where to begin... this week has been super busy. I am pretty sure that my time here will never be characterized by normalcy or routine... we're always doing something new and different!

A big part of our time this week was spent remodeling the youth office at LBC. The youth minister (Tshepi) has been working from her home... Phyllis, Amanda and I thought it was time that she have a place of her own, so we've been renovating the kitchen in the old building into an office for her. We have spent long hours fixing walls, decluttering, cleaning, taping, painting, fixing bookcases, fabric shopping, thrift-store hopping etc... etc... Amanda and I have been joking all week that we feel like we're working for Extreme Home Makeover. It's been really fun to see it all come together. We're praying that this room is a comfortable and safe place for Tshepi and the youth (I will post before/after photos when we're done).

Wednesday marked the beginning of our Daniel study. We are probably the youngest in the bunch by 40 years... but the ladies are SO wonderful! They welcomed Amanda and I with endless hugs, cups of tea and kisses on the cheek. I am really excited to learn from their experience and pour love on them. As I mentioned last week, there exists a big disconnect between the older church members and the youth. We really hope to see these women become mentors and prayer warriors for the kids. You can continue to pray that these women will become heartbroken for our young people and that they will join our vision to invest in their lives & reach them in Christ.

It's really exciting to be at the point where we can start building relationships... We have lots of tea dates and dinner invitations. There is a girl in our youth group that I am going to start discipling. Our Wednesday cell-group study and Friday youth night were both awesome this week. Amanda and I are also taking on the Sunday morning youth time... it's really small right now, but it has huge potential. Yesterday was our first time teaching - we taught on listening to the voice of God. The kids were really receptive and we even had some pretty good discussion.

We're going to start working at the orphanage in the next few weeks (just waiting on them to finish some construction), but our days are already filling up quickly! We're learning to be flexible and to be willing to serve in whatever capacity is needed. It is my hope that we will have more time this week to invest in our apartment complex... pray for divine appointments in the coming days.

I apologize that this post has been so scattered... too many things to cover! I am absolutely loving my time here, it's been amazing to see the hand of God at work. Know that I love you all very much and think of you often.

all glory to Him,
Jarah

Psalm 34:8 - "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"

for you praying types...

happy monday! just thought i would post a few specific prayer requests...

• The church we're working with (Lyndhurst Baptist Church) is losing their pastor. We're coming in at a very vulnerable time in the life of this church. You can be praying for us, as we stand in the gap, that we will be a blessing to these wonderful people. Also, be praying for a new pastor!
• Amanda and I are going to be joining the older ladies in the church in their mid-week bible studies. We're going through Beth Moore's Daniel study. You can be praying for us as we seek to connect with these women... We really want to see the older generations join with us as prayer advocates and mentors to the youth.
• Pray for us as we begin to make relationships in the apartment complex... Amanda and I are going to start water aerobics with one of our neighbors! We want to be very intentional and meet people where they're at.

Thank you all for your consistent prayers! Much love.

new adventures...

Goodness, there is so much to write about. This has definitely been a full week! I will try to give a few highlights for each day:

wednesday (1/28)
Amanda and I had our first experience at our home "cell-group." The church congregation is divided into different groups that meet throughout the week for fellowship and bible studies. Our group is very diverse. Despite the differences in age, race and walks of life; this group is incredibly cohesive. It was such a blessing to witness how they shared their lives together - they were honest with their pains and struggles and joys. Their deep love for each other is so apparent... I am still chewing on this one.

thursday (1/29)
Spent the day cleaning our house & doing laundry - definitely a challenge to do laundry here!

friday (1/30)
We experienced our first missionary meeting in the morning. Afterward, Amanda and I had lunch with Miss Phyllis at a cute little tea room a few miles from our apartment (you would've loved it, mom). Then, the three of us stopped by the church to do some prayer walking. The biggest highlight of the day was that night at youth... we finally got to meet the kids we've been praying over for months. We played games and then had a worship/teaching time. I only remember a handful of their names, but I think they've already stolen my heart. I am REALLY looking forward to getting to know them...

saturday (1/31)
Where to begin? It was Stacie's (one of the full-time missionaries) birthday, so a big group of us set out for a day of adventure. Here's a short recap:

• Lion Park: I got to feed giraffes, play with baby lion cubs, and drive through the lion camps (definitely the best part of the day... pics below)
  
• Crocodile Farm: held a baby crocodile, a very large python and a tarantula
• Lunch at a local Thai food restaurant (amazing!)
• Concert - really fun to hear a local jo-burg band!

sunday (2/1)
Today was our first Sunday at Lyndhurst Baptist Church. We were introduced to the congregation - they were all super sweet and welcoming. It was so great to see how they worship and pray and teach - it's very different, but so beautiful! The youth time was small, only about 5 kids showed up... Amanda and I have our work cut out for us, but we see so much potential in this group!

A big group of us are staying up to watch the superbowl tonight (from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m our time). We have another busy week ahead... I am excited to see what it will hold.

may God's grace and peace be with you,
Jarah

Isaiah 26:8 - Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart's desire is to glorify your name.