an exquisite pain...

Happy monday, dear friends! It's among the most bittersweet of days - we only have one week left here in Johannesburg before we set out to debrief. I am so looking forward to being able to see everyone back at home, but the thought of leaving is hard for me to swallow.

This morning in our last team meeting, Phyllis described the sacrifice of a missionary as an "exquisite pain." No matter how humbly we may have to live or how many comforts we have to give up, the greatest sacrifice comes each time we board a plane. It is never easy to leave those you love. My departure from the States was difficult, but I knew that I was going to return. As I am preparing to leave South Africa, my heart has grown so heavy knowing it is highly possible I will never see these people again.

The pain of leaving can be described as "exquisite" because it's accompanied by a certain beauty - knowing that somehow you will never be the same because of the people you came to love and the lessons you learned in the most unexpected of places. Leaving is definitely going to be difficult, but not devoid of joy or blessing.

Please continue to pray for us as we say our goodbyes... Pray that we will be able to have good closure, pointing others to the God who lives in us. Pray that we will be able to remember that we are one link, just one small piece, in God's plans for the lives of the people here - ask God to help us to trust him to continue to grow them and keep them strong long after our departure.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Jarah

oh, how I'm going to miss these endless games of peek-a-boo

...a new set of stars...

Hey everybody! We got back from our 3-day holiday to Pilanesberg late last night. We had an amazing trip... it was so great to be able to escape the noise and busyness of Johannesburg for a couple of days. Pilanesberg is absolutely gorgeous - it's very mountainous but still has the african plain feel. I cannot justly describe how beautiful this place was. The night sky was one of my favorite scenes - the milky way is so brilliant and the constellations are all new to my eyes. Every night from about 6 p.m. on, my gaze was fixed on the sky.

We were able to see a wide variety of wildlife: zebras, giraffes, lions, elephants, kudu, impala, warthog, hartebeest, waterbuck, rhinos, wildebeest, hippos, baboons and monkeys (I'm sure I'm forgetting something...). I left feeling so blessed to have had that experience! We had an amazing trip - thank you for your prayers!

from an awed heart,

Jarah

you never said it would be easy, you only said i'd never go alone...

Happy Monday! We had another very full week... it's been difficult emotionally as we are trying to balance intentionality and boldness in our relationships with good closure. There have definitely been days where my heart has been very heavy, but God is good and has been covering me with His grace.I am short on time but here are some quick highlights from the past week:

• One of the security guards from our apartment complex came to church with us on Sunday night... we have had a great time getting to know him. You can pray for us as we continue to reach out to him (His name is Matthew).
  
• We were able to visit Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton
  
• One of our older youth, Iswamo, led the Sunday morning Bible study time. It was awesome to see his excitement for learning how to facilitate and teach a Bible study. He taught on Moses and did a great job. I am so proud of him!
• The kiddos at the orphanage singing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Rise & Shine."
• I had some great one-on-one time with some of the girls in our youth group... I cannot tell you how much I enjoy mentoring them!
• Melodie's goodbye party
• Sushi with Stacie and the Greenstone girls (Nikki & Amanda)

Here are some pictures... we were finally able to bring our cameras to the orphanage, so I included a few shots of their sweet faces.

Amanda, Melodie & myself at Nelson Mandela Square

Brandon

Tiny

Nompele (I want to take her home with me!)

We only have 3 weeks left at Lyndhurst before we head out to debrief. Please continue to pray that we will finish well and continue to keep our eyes fixed upon Christ. I will probably not be able to write next week... a group of us are taking a 3 day trip to Pilansburg (a game park a few hours away).

Wishing you the happiest of weeks,

Jarah

p.s. Happy Birthday, Kaitlyn & Josh... Happy Mother's Day, sweet momma

Hebrews 12:1-2

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith...