4,000 ft up!!!!

To My Dear Supporters/Readers,

 

  After a month on top of a mountain with no internet, i’m finally able to write a blog, now that im in Johannesburg, South Africa for 2 days at a hostel. This is where i spent my month of January, month#7: Breath taking Swaziland!

 

 

 

        

 

       We lived on top of green, rugged Swaziland mountains for the month, loving on orphans at El Shaddai. We had this beautiful, majestic view everyday! We were truly blessed to spend our month of January there. Kallie & Charmain, a South African married couple, are amazing servants of the Lord & i am so blessed to have been able to meet them & their amazing 80kids there at their orphanage. You can feel God’s presence, love, joy & peace there the moment you fourwheel drive up the mountain onto their acres of property that God has provided them. Over 15 yrs ago God led them to this mountain before anything was there. He called them to build an orphanage & promised them that He’d bring the helpers and kids there & provide for them. He has faithfully provided each year! Not only do they have about 80 kids living there, but they also have many fields that they harvest & feed 40 families/widows with every year. They also run a public FREE school on their property where local kids are welcome. They have a church on their property where locals are welcome to come also.I spent the majority of my time at El Shaddai hanging out in the baby house, where 17 children ranging from 3months old to 6yrs old, live. I loved being the human jungle gym! haha They literally would see how many of them could fit on my lap. legs, arms…and  i LOVED every minute of it. They craved loved & attention & every hug or touch they could get!! Phillip, Julian & i went on a hike at sunrise one morning on a few different mountain peaks, about 6-7,000ft elevation. At the top of these peaks, we could look out over all of Swaziland. It was one of those smiling- yet-speechless moments. Looking out over God’s magnificent creation! And He created it ALL FOR US!!! How great is that?! That’s how much He loves us. His love is just so deep & wide to grasp. We even reached a point where we were above cloud level!!! Almost as if our heads were touching the heavens! We were in the middle of Swazi’s rainy season, so we saw/heard many thunder storms & it rained at least once a day. No wonder it’s so green there! There was a waterfall roaring down one side of a mountain that we got to view everyday! I miss that view already! It was a great month for our team! About 65% of adults in Swaziland are infected with AIDs. It has been predicted that by the year 2020 there will be NO adults left in Swaziland! Crushing statistics, isnt it? Heart breaking. But we know that these 80+ kids at El Shaddai are the HOPE & FUTURE of Swaziland. Literally. Please pray!

 

      We fly out Fri, Jan 28th to Asia, where we will live for the last 4 months of our World Race! First stop, the Philippines for month #8, February.We  have heard news that the Philippines are very flooded right now, due to heavy rainfall. (so our team bought rain boots for cheap in Swaziland! We are prepared to do relief work, if thats what God has planned!) As always when i get a chance next i will blog about our ministries there & what’s going on..Please be in prayer for me, that God would refresh my team & i & continue to give us HIS strength, wisdom and guidance for our next 4 months in Asia. Please also pray for team unity! It’s going to be quite a culture shock flying into Asia Friday after living in Africa for the last 3 months! Oh… & something cool happened December 16th-Jan 14th. I read the WHOLE Bible in about 29 days. Yes, me, the slow reader, READ the whole Bible, Old Testament-New Testament, All the way through. In case you didnt know, this is a freakin’ MIRACLE for me. I have attempted many times to read the Bible, in a YEAR, & always gave up & got frustrated. Ive skipped around & read most of the Bible, but i realized when i read it all the way through, i missed ALOT! I asked myself “Why was it so hard for  me to read all the way through it before? What made me cappable to read it through in 29 days? What gave me that desire to pick up God’s Word & not want to put it down for 29 days?!!”  I remembered that i had prayed for God to give me HUNGER for His Word. That was the key! Earlier, when i attempted in my own strength to read God’s Word, i had failed, many times. It felt like pulling teeth to read the Bible. Who wants to read out of obligation? Not me! When i finally prayed for Him to give me a strong desire to understand & read His Word, He gave it to me! And not just to read it & understand it, but to BELIEVE it & APPLY IT!! So i was pretty excited to read all of it. There were some days that i picked the Bible up & couldnt put it down for hours! How beautiful is that? Thank you Jesus. Your Word is more precious than rubies, gold or diamonds! When i gave my own personal Bible away my  1st month in Africa to an 18yr old muslim girl named Tabia, i realized how precious she valued Gods Word & how absolutely DESPERATE she was to get it into her hands. The moment i scratched out my name out of it & wrote her name in it, handed it to her…..she immediately clutched it close to her heart & began reading chapter after chapter! She KNEW how precious & treasured His Word was/is. She reminded me of it. (yes mother, i gave away another one of my Bibles haha) I  actually ended up giving away 3 Bibles my first month in Africa. God kept providing me Bibles & also providing me with people i met in my pathway who desperately desired my Bible!He knows our needs, whether small or great.

 

      Before my World Race, i felt God calling me to write a book on my life & what He has done in my life. This month in Swaziland, as i was sitting on a boulder overlooking the mountain peaks, i felt God speaking to me again about writing a book after the WR is over.I know many of you have suggested this also in person or by your comments on my blogs! 🙂  As many of you know i love writing, especially when it gives God glory & i love sharing testimonies of what He has done & is doing in my life & others around the world. This book will include my life struggles/trials prior to World Race & the journey He has taken me each month on the World Race. It will include the majority of my blogs i have written along with other stories/details i didnt write yet. I am excited about this “project” & if any of you have any advice/helpful tips about the process of creating/publishing books, please let me know! I have already written a roughdraft (very rough draft) outline of the first few chapters & of the chapter titles.God willing  i would love to begin/finish piecing it together when i return back to America at the end of May! 

 

        I pray that all of you had a good January. I dont know what my internet situation will be in the Philippines, but please know that i will keep you updated as soon & often as possible! I am so thankful for your prayers & support! As im beginning month #8, please pray that i can FOCUS on being in the moment & giving 100% of my time, heart, mind, energy to people i encounter/serve each day. It becomes easier now to begin to day dream/miss/think about home now that im 4 months away from returning, & i dont want to miss out on where im at NOW. Please pray that i wouldnt try to analyze my future months coming up or past months. That i would be fully “there” & not miss out on the present. Thank you! May God continue to bless you richly in all areas of your life for your generous giving & love. You are in my heart & my prayers! Good-bye Africa. Hello Asia!