how to speak like a south african...

Ag Man! ..... Oh man!
Aikona! ….. No way!
Bakkie ….. Pick-up truck
Biltong ….. Dried mean/Jerky
Biscuit ….. Cookie
Boerewors ….. Spicy sausage
Bokkie ….. Sweetheart
Bonnet ….. Hood of a car
Boot ….. Trunk of a car
Braai ….. Barbecue
Cherry ….. Girlfriend
Cozzie ….. Swimsuit
Doff ….. Stupid
Dorp ….. Small town
Fundi ….. An expert
Hash key ….. Pound key
Hooting ….. Honking
Howzit? ….. How are you?
Izzit? ….. Really?
Jersey ….. Sweater/Sweatshirt
Jolling ….. Having Fun
Just now ….. Sometime soon
Lekker ….. Great
Miggie ….. Little flying bug
Mozzie ….. Mosquito
Muti ….. Medicine
My bru ….. My brother
My China ….. My mate (boyfriend/girlfriend)
Now now ….. Very soon
Robot ….. Traffic Light
Sammie ….. Sandwich
Serviette ….. Napkin
SMS ….. Text Message
Tekkies ….. Sneakers
Tsotsi ….. Thief
Yebo ….. Yes

Hey all! It's been a good week... i don't have much to update you on so i thought I would just write a fun post. Things went fairly well with the elections this week... there were a few isolated cases of violence, but overall, things went down peacefully!

sending my love,

Jarah

John 4:34 - "Then Jesus explained: 'My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.'"

I got accepted...

...to the University of Utah's nursing program! I am so excited! God is GOOD!

Psalm 115:1 - "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness!"

for in Him we live and move and exist

Sanibona! Hey everyone! I am sitting in the business lounge at the conference center where I've spent the last 5 days. We have been in meetings all week long for the IMB's Annual Mission Team Meeting (AMTM). It has definitely been an interesting week - I have learned a lot about this organization and the restructuring that's currently going on. So much of the financial and logistical information is over my head. It has definitely opened my eyes to the reality of being a full-time missionary; it's not as romantic as one might think. I truly have been so blessed and encouraged to be able to spend some quality time with the other missionaries serving in southern Africa. It has been incredible to be able to hear their stories; both their struggles and victories are a beautiful testament to God's provision and faithfulness. I have been blessed by their humility and the strength of their faith.

It's also really been beautiful to see the sense of family that is evident among the missionaries here. It seems as if I have had a small glimpse into what Christ was talking about in Mark 10:29-31 when he says, "Yes, I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, property - along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be greatest then."

Overall, it has been such an awesome week! We have been able to catch up with our Hands-on friends that we met at orientation. It has been great to hear about what God has done in their time in Botswana and Pietermaritzburg. Sometimes the stories that we hear from the mission field can become commonplace, but I have found myself overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord and what he's doing on this continent. I truly stand amazed!!!

My time here is so very short... I only have 6 weeks left! That does not at all seem possible! Please continue to pray for us in these remaining weeks - we definitely have some tough things ahead. Pray that we will continue to walk in the Spirit and look to the Lord in all things!

Sizobonana!

Jarah

p.s. The elections are being held in South Africa this Wednesday. Our safety should not be a huge concern, but please pray for a peaceful and calm election day!!!

i love you all.

and he became their Savior...

...in all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. (Isaiah 63:8b-9a)

Hello everybody! What an insane week this has been... our days were full of some pretty amazing experiences:

Monday (04.06)

The youth were all still on their holiday break from school, so we decided to do community outreach projects. A big group of the guys went out into the streets of Lyndhurst to pick up trash. They ended up meeting a lot of people throughout the afternoon - it was really cool to hear how excited they were that God used something as ordinary as picking up trash to reach people. The girls and I stayed back at the church and we made encouragement cards for the local police department and the staff at a nearby hospital. The things we did were very simple, but it was a really good afternoon.

Tuesday (04.07)

We took our day off to get some much needed rest. We relaxed in the morning and then went to see a movie later in the afternoon.

Wednesday (04.08)

Wednesday was probably the busiest day that I have had here. I woke up early to get ready for our ladies cell group. We finished up our Daniel study - it was such an awesome study! I feel like I learned so much from being in with that group of women.

After our Daniel study we went to the orphanage for the afternoon. I brought a big bag of beads so we could have a craft time with the kids. It was so cute to see them squeal with delight when they would finish one of their little bracelets or necklaces. They would put on their jewelry and model it for us all. Some of the younger kids had a really hard time understanding the concept that you had to hold both ends of the string so the beads wouldn't go flying off. We had a few "tragedies" accompanied by big alligator tears, but by the time we were done each child had a new treasure and they wore them proudly. Even some of the care givers at the orphanage came and joined in with the beading festivities. It was a sweet time at the orphanage...

We left straight from the orphanage to go feed the homeless with our youth in downtown Johannesburg. We got there about 6p.m. and when we walked into the church we were overwhelmed by the amount of people sleeping there. There were people in air ducts, cupboards and hallways. It was a little overwhelming at the beginning, but God gave us the grace we needed. We met as a large group to pray over our evening and then set out to deliver the food. We made five different stops throughout the night. At each stop a line would form behind the food truck and we would give each person a cup of soup and 5 pieces of bread. After the line subsided, we each took a meal and went looking for people who were too ill or weak to make it to the line. We met a lot of people and were able to sit and spend time talking with them. Tessa and I had a really good conversation with a man named Alfred. We were able to spend about a half an hour talking with him on the sidewalk. The whole time we were with him little mice were scurrying around us, but again, God gave us the grace we needed. It was a really cool experience; most of all, I enjoyed seeing our youth serve other people. Like I've said before, they are really starting to see that God had called us to be His hands and feet....

Thursday (04.09)

We woke up really early to go to Wits University (pronounced "vits") with a couple of missionaries that serve there. We spent a good part of the morning prayer walking around the campus and then we met up with some students. Later in the afternoon we went to the Christian Club's weekly meeting. It was really encouraging to see how passionate many of the students are and how God is moving on that campus. We had a really good day there and we were able to link up with a few of our youth that attend Wits.

One of the hand-on missionaries in Edenvale, Nikki, had a birthday on Thursday so we spent the evening celebrating with her!

Friday (04.10)

We went to the Good Friday service at LBC... The service was really unique - there was no sermon - instead they read many different passages about Christ and the crucifixion. We sang a lot of worship songs and then shared in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's supper truly has taken on deeper significance in my time here. It really hit me again on Friday how truly amazing it is that our God came to this earth and died for our sins so we may KNOW HIM! Wow!

Saturday (04.11)

Saturday was the first day that we did not have something going on at the church, so we were going to try to get some rest in. However, we ended up spending the day with a couple of other missionaries. We were able to go to the lion park again, I don't think I will ever get enough of playing with those baby lion cubs! And then after we went to see High School Musical on stage in Joburg. Amanda was dying to see it, so I went along.

Sunday (04.12)

What a memorable Easter! Church was really good... the interim pastor gave a really good sermon about how the gospel is not, "come to Jesus and everything will be better," but rather, "come to Jesus - life will still be full of challenges - but he will be with you!" It was really cool to hear him talk about the abundant life available to us in Christ. There were 2 baptisms... The two men that were baptized told their stories in front of the congregation. It was really amazing to hear how seriously they were taking this step in their faith - they both spoke about how when they were lifted out of the water they were making a commitment to walk with Christ in new life!

After church, Phyllis and Tad had a big Gumbo party. We helped them cook and set up to feed 25 people. They had a bunch of the missionaries here in Joburg over! It was such a good afternoon - it really felt like we were able to celebrate the day with family! I don't think I will ever forget this Easter!

We are leaving tomorrow for 6 days. We will be at a meeting, but I will try to write again as soon as I can!!!

With Love,

Jarah

"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." John 20:21

cupcakes, buttons & fingernail polish

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post... I am short on time today, but I thought I would give a quick recap from this past week:

I was still very sick at the beginning of this week. I thought that I was snapping out of it, but my fever spiked up to 104 on Monday evening. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and he told me I had a pretty severe case of tonsillitis. He put me on a strong antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. I basically stayed flat in bed from Monday until Wednesday. I really have not experienced much homesickness, but being down sick in bed for 5 days really made me miss my momma. Phyllis took really good care of me though, she is such a blessing! I started feeling much better by Thursday and was back to my usual self by Friday.

I was so grateful that God restored my health by Friday, because we had a big sleepover at our apartment. After youth on Friday night we had 20 girls over to spend the night - it was insane! We had such a blast decorating cupcakes, making bracelets and painting fingernails. The girls had so much energy! I am pretty sure they sang and danced to Celine Dion for 2 hours straight (that's right, I said Celine Dion... ha!). We didn't get any sleep, but we had some great conversation and laughed a lot! Here are a few pics...

Tule & K.K.

The girls dancing to It's All Coming Back to Me

Tule & Nosisa polishing their fingernails

Precious & Amanda

The girls sitting around our kitchen table making bracelets

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Wishing you a joyous Easter,

Jarah

...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