...show me how to love like you have loved me...

Happy Monday everyone! This week has been amazing. Hard, but nonetheless amazing.

Monday (3.23)

• Monday meetings with Mama Phyllis
• Half way evaluation with my "boss"
• Lunch date with Stacie (ate some yummy Indian Food)
• Sleep over with the Greenstone girls (Nikki & Amanda Holliday)

Tuesday (3.24)

• A group of about 10 of us went to Gold Reef City, a theme park in Johannesburg. We basically had the entire park to ourselves, so we got to go on the rides as many times as we wanted to. We all had such a blast together... definitely one of the most relaxed experiences I have had at an amusement park.
  
• We had a really good day off, but I think that it left us feeling tired for the rest of the week - not exactly the most restful day.

(the group getting ready to go on our mine tour)

Wednesday (3.25)

• Daniel Study
• Played with the kiddos in our apartment complex
• Did some housework, grocery shopping and watched American Idol with the Tadlocks

Thursday (3.26)

• Amanda and I got to the orphanage pretty early... They are just finishing up some construction on the new addition, so we were assigned to do the initial cleaning. We were on our hands and knees scrubbing floors from about 8am to 4:30pm... It was a ton of work, but not devoid of joy. The two of us had a great time talking and waving at the curious kids outside who wondered why we were not there to play with them. I was so exhausted by the time we left and my arms were so sore, but I am really glad we had that experience... I feel humbled, i guess you never know what to expect as a missionary, but I can say with confidence that scrubbing floors at the orphanage was one of the most profound things I have done in Africa.
• Slept over at Stacie's

Friday (3.27)

• Regional Team Meeting at Chuck and Alicia Barrett's home
• The elders at LBC decided to kick off the "holidays" at youth on friday night with a big braai. We have been praying that God would begin to unite the different generations in this church and we are really starting to see Him do it! The elders have started to get excited about investing in our youth and building relationships with them. I cannot tell you how much it spoke to the youth that these men and their wives were willing to spend Friday night serving them... Praise God for answered prayer!

Saturday & Sunday (3.28-3.29)

• I woke up on Saturday morning feeling so sick... I am pretty sure that I am getting the flu. Except for church, I stayed in bed all day Saturday and Sunday. For those of you that know my hyperactive self, i guess that says something. Please be praying for my achy body and sore throat as we have a very busy week ahead.

We are currently on a "school holiday" so the next two weeks are going to be super busy! We literally have a youth event of some kind every day... We are having 15+ girls over to spend the night at our small apartment on Friday, so you can be praying over that. Also please be praying for God to give us strength to keep up with our hectic schedule and for him to do big things in this time that we have with the youth.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen (Jude 1:24-25)

May God Bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and bring you peace,

Jarah

p.s. here are some pictures of our time at Fisher's Ridge

(trying to get a piggy back ride)

(the greenstone guys & chuck)

(view of Johannesburg)

(me, stacie & amanda)

cry, the beloved continent

Happy Monday, dear friends! Here's a recap of my week:

• Fisher's Hill - we went up on a hill that overlooked Johannesburg... this city is absolutely enormous! It really put it in perspective for me to overlook the city up there. We had a lot of great time to pray over the city and its people.
• Madagascar party - my teammate was dying to watch Madagascar I & II so we made a party of it!
• Daniel Bible Study - always a joy!
• Thursday at the Orphanage - this week Nomonde (the director of the orphanage) told us the stories behind each of the ten babies at the home. It was so difficult to hear about the heartbreaking things these babies came out of. Some were found abandoned on the roadside, under bridges or outside hospitals; some were brothel babies; some were very badly abused, raped and left for dead and others were found in drug homes. I've been at the orphanage enough to start to feel somewhat comfortable. It's easy to displace yourself and your feelings, but God shook my heart through their stories. Some days I leave feeling hopeless and burdened, but it is a beautiful thing to know the hope that they have in the Lord. Oh that I may be a tool in God's hand to help these little ones understand His heart for them...
• Youth on Friday night was awesome! We have been breaking into small groups and studying the book of Nehemiah. We are challenging our youth to be servants and reach out to the communities they live in. They are starting to catch the vision that we are called to be God's hands and feet in this broken world... what an amazing thing it has been to see!
• Saturday we took a group of about 12 youth prayer walking around Lyndhurst... we met and prayed over the needs of this community. It was such a joy to hear these young men and women crying out to God about the brokenness of their world. We sang and prayed as we walked... more Zulu songs, of course! God is the God of this city and he has great things for this place and these people! I feel so blessed that he has allowed me to be a part of what he is doing.
• A prospective pastor spoke on Sunday... he did an awesome job! Continue to lift up the search committee in prayer as we determine God's will for LBC.

Overall, we had another amazing week! We have officially passed the half-way point... This week brought about the strangest mix of emotions. I miss home and all of you so much, but it is hard for me to picture myself ever leaving this place! I feel like my heart belongs in two places! God has blessed the first half in amazing ways and I am praying that he will do glorious things in the remaining time we have.

I finished a book this week entitled, Finding God In Unexpected Places, by Philip Yancey. This book contained a chapter about AIDS in South Africa that I found so poignant that I must share it with you... it's a bit long, but I hope you take the time to read it

"... But who wants to hear about AIDS in Africa? Relief agencies such as World Vision and World Concern face that question while trying to raise funds to fight this world health catastrophe. Americans, overwhelmed by the magnitude of problems in Africa, wonder if anything can help. Though they may not say so directly, many American Christians also can't help thinking "They deserve it." After all, doesn't AIDS in Africa spread mainly through sexual promiscuity?

Indeed, the visitor to Africa finds a different sexual landscape. Adolescent boys celebrate their rite of passage into adulthood with a public circumcision ceremony; in major cities you can see plastic "circumcision tents" near airports, inside expressway clover-leafs, or wherever open land remains. Later, the new "men" may celebrate their adult status with sexual exploits. The continent has a long history of polygamy, and in places like South Africa, the practice of separating male workers from their families further broke down marital ties.

No one is exempt: in confidential surveys by World Vision, 72 percent of South African pastors admit to having had extramarital affairs, with an average of three to four partners each...

Yet a finger-wagging approach does little to help the problem. Bruce Wilkinson stirred up a hornet's nest when he lectured African church leaders about the sinful aspects of the AIDS epidemic. In Uganda, some evangelical churches require mandatory HIV testing and will not marry a couple unless both test negative for the virus - thus driving young couples away from the church.

Nor does denial help. In South Africa, which has the world's largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, President Thabo Mbeki has openly questioned the link between AIDS and the HIV virus. Recently he declared that he personally knew of no one who had died of AIDS. That may be technically true (AIDS lowers the body's resistance to other diseases, which do the killing), but his attitude has set back the work of AIDS educators who are trying to alert Africans to the urgency of the crisis.

By any measure, Aids workers face a herculean task. In parts of Africa, life expectancy has sunk from sixty-five to thirty-three, a level not seen since the nineteenth century. I heard many statistics about AIDS in South Africa, and none more stunning than this: researchers predict that in some areas, half the youngsters under fifteen will die within ten years. Imagine a teacher walking into a classroom and looking at eager young faces, knowing that half will soon be dead.

World Vision workers in southern Africa told me that self-stigma is their biggest obstacle, which keeps infected people from getting tested or seeking treatment. When Botswana (with a 38 percent HIV infection rate, the world's highest) offered free medication for those with AIDS, only 1 percent of the population responded, due to the sigma.

An HIV-infected worker who got the virus through a blood transfusion told me, "To those who lack compassion for Africans because 'they deserve it,' I remind them that half the infections come about when a promiscuous partner infects someone 'innocent' and unsuspecting." All too often, HIV gets passed on to the resulting child as well, or else that child may become one of the millions of AIDS orphans who are now growing up in Africa.

I visited a Christian care facility in Johannesburg for those in the advanced stages of the disease, and saw children with matchstick arms and vacant eyes who lie in beds all day awaiting the next seizure. Volunteer "mothers" visit to hold and rock them. New advances in treatment offer hope for some children, but meanwhile many are dying. One nearby community used to average two funeral per week; it now has seventy-five. A Christian center in Cape Town that teaches young people printing skills used to specialize in wedding invitations; it now supports itself by selling funeral programs.

Of all countries on the continent, South Africa is the one where you will most likely hear the words hope and transformation. Larger-than-life heroes such as Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela still inspire the nation with the power of grace and reconciliation. AIDS presents a wholly different crisis from the one posed by an entrenched apartheid government. That was a crisis of theology and justice. This is a crisis of compassion, requiring not a change in laws and government, but of hearts.

We can look at the children with stolen futures, at an entire continent whose future hangs in the balance, and ask questions of God. Or we can look at the same problems and realize that these are God's questions to us. Who cares about AIDS in Africa?"

I hope that all is well with you! I love you and miss you. Know that you are all in my prayers!

Sending my love,

Jarah

Psalm 72:12-14

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will redeem them from oppression and violence for their lives are precious to him

Usithethelele Baba, Usithethelele Jesu

Usithethelele Baba, Usithethelele Jesu means, "Be merciful, Father, Be merciful, Jesus" in Zulu. We sang this in our worship time on Sunday morning. Sunday's service was the most traditional we have experienced. Amanda and I had such a fun time learning some Zulu songs and seeing the people at church get up and dance! I absolutely love to see how joyful people are in their worship. It blesses my heart.

Another incredible, heart breaking, and joy-filled week has come and gone... Things are continuing to go beautifully! Our halfway point is tomorrow (can you believe that?). Here are some highlights of this past week:

• Tuesdays adventure at the African Flee Market

• Meeting and planning with Tshepi

• Tea dates with Liz & Kenny

• Thursday at the orphanage

• Saturday morning work day at the church

• Hanging out with Nomathemba and Tricia on Saturday

I thought you would like to see some pictures of the groups I have been talking about for months now... The first picture is the group of ladies I am fortunate enough to spend every Wednesday morning with (aren't they precious). The second picture is the group that Amanda and I get to teach on Sunday mornings (they too have stolen my heart).

I am super tight on time, but I thought I would write a quick post! Love you all and miss you!

Cheers,

Jarah

Psalm 68:19-20

"Praise the Lord; Praise God our Savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Our God is a God who saves! The sovereign Lord rescues us from death!"

our hearts ache, but we always have joy...

Happy monday! Wow, this week has been a total blur... our days were long, but good, SO good! I'll try to give a quick recap from each day:

Tuesday (03.03)

Tuesdays are our days off... Amanda and I had a sleep over with Stacie (one of the full time missionaries here). We spent the day learning how to play squash and getting some much need rest in...

Wednesday (03.04)

We had our Daniel study in the morning with our beloved ladies from the church... they have completely blown me away with their kindness and support. It is such a blessing to spend time with them every week! There is a sweet old Scottish woman that has started coming and there is not a week that goes by where she doesn't tell me, "how good it is to have a young american lass in the group." It's been beautiful to see these sweet ladies become prayer warriors for our youth.

After bible study, we took Tshepi out for lunch at the tea garden up the road from our flat (it has become a favorite lunch-date spot). We had really good conversation about God, what He's doing in her life and the vision He has given her for the youth in our church. She is really becoming a good friend! God is blessing her leadership and ministry in awesome ways. On our way back from lunch, we got a call from Nomathemba (one of the girls in our youth group). We spent the rest of the day chatting, watching movies, and making bracelets. She recently immigrated here from Zambia and really opened up to us about her life and struggles. It absolutely fills my heart with joy to be able to spend time with and love on our girls (Lord, thank you for allowing me to be here!)

Thursday (03.05)

This day was definitely the highlight of my week! We FINALLY got to go to the orphanage! Nomathemba came with Amanda and I - we were there from 8:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night. We spent the first part of the day with the "bed babies" (meaning those under 2 years). We fed them breakfast and took them outside to play on the grass. They are SO cute... we had a blast playing with them, holding them, and helping them learn to walk. They are so desperate for love and human touch. I wish I could bring each and every one of them home with me!

The second half of the day we spent with the "big kids." I think that we played duck-duck-goose for two hours. The biggest fascination of the day was my hair - I guess the kids have never seen long hair, they were playing with it ALL day! Echoing what I said about the babies, they all are looking for love and tickles and someone just to hold them. Toward the end of the day a 4 year old little girl climbed into my lap and I just rubbed her back as she fell to sleep... I wish I had words to describe what that did to my heart!

It was such an incredible, yet draining, day! I think that I will be processing the things I see at the orphanage for months to come. I cannot tell you what it does to your heart to look children with HIV/AIDS in the eyes, to hold them, to see their sweet smiles and vibrant personalities... I have seen faces behind the statistics, beautiful and bright faces, and I will never be the same. I left the orphanage feeling so full, but so broken. I don't know that one days experience has ever reached to the depths of my soul like Thursday did...

Friday (03.06)

We went to the World Wide Women's Day of Prayer with the ladies from our Wednesday Daniel study. They thought it would be a great idea to have some young faces represent Lyndhurst at this prayer meeting, so Amanda and I were volunteered. The meeting was held at a beautiful Catholic Cathedral in Maryville (about 20 minutes away from where we live). I read a passage from Romans and Amanda prayed... all in front of a very large crowd of people! It was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I really enjoyed it. I mean, how often do you get the chance to pray with hundreds of South African women?

Youth on Friday was amazing! The kids had an energy and a spirit that I have not yet seen in them. They shared praises and prayer requests for about an hour. Tshepi gave an awesome message on Isaiah 61:1-3! Man, it was such a fun night...

(Nomathemba, Gele, and Zippho at youth)

Saturday (03.07)

My sweet teammate was really sick, so we spent the day at home... we prepared for Sunday and just hung around our flat.

Sunday (03.08)

We were gone from 8:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Church was great... our study is really going well! We went over to Aunt Liz and Uncle Kenny's after for our first African Braai (aka Barbecue in the states). They made SO much food for us! We had such a fun time sitting on their porch, chatting the afternoon away. They really do feel like family! We went to the evening service and then came home and crashed... What a crazy week!

Points for Prayer:

• Amanda and I have both had many sleepless nights - pray that God will give us rest and help us to sleep!

• Our work at the orphanage

• Our relationships with Liz & Kenny (and their son, Gary) as well as Yusef and Asma

• The search for a new pastor (Lyndhurst Baptist Church)

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered. All I am is yours..." -Hillsong United

Sending my love from Africa,

Jarah

p.s. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you and miss you!

Isaiah 61:1-3 - The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory.

"I've been waiting for you..."

Wow, can you believe that it's March already? Time is absolutely flying by...

This week has been pretty low-key. It rained all week so most of our plans were canceled. It was really cool to see how God filled our days. We spent a lot of time with the people in our complex. We have really started to build good relationships with a young muslim couple, Yusef and Asma. They made us briyani on Sunday, it was good, but SO spicy! Amanda and I ate our way through the heaping portions with smiles on our faces. Needless to say, I have not been able to taste much today.

The kids in our apartment complex have officially discovered the girls in #11... They have been knocking on our door all week! We have had SO much fun playing with them. They never tire of playing soccer - I think we played for 6 hours on Saturday afternoon! On Sunday, Amanda and I were walking out of our flat to go to church and little Biballo was standing outside. He looked up at us with his sweet little brown eyes and said, "Where have you been? I have been waiting for you..." Here are a few pictures:

meet Biballo (he's my favorite!)

This is Carabbo and Biballo (Biballo calls acorns "coconuts")

This is Jo-Jo, he's the "bad boy" of the complex... I'm not sure that I believe that

Wish I had more time to write! Thank you for keeping me in your prayers... It's been amazing to see how God is at work here.

Love in Christ,

Jarah

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. - Isaiah 1:18

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