Prayers for the week!

“We can do not great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it.” - Mother Teresa

Hello friends and family,

There is so much going on around us, in our lives and ministry, and in our hearts. I feel like I just try to take in each moment, and I am praying to be ‘present’ with all that God is giving us in this place. We are so blessed!

Casey has shared about our ‘eventful’ weekend, and I must say that it was very full and wonderful. It is a gift to have people around us to share this time with, laugh, discuss, and admire the goodness of God. We are so thankful for Evan and Kerryn Torrance, as they have been so generous to us with their lives. It is truly a gift to find such wonderful friends half-way around the world, even if they do ‘bully’ Casey into riding 100km races two days before. :) On Saturday we had a great time of bonding with our flat-mate Mandy. She is truly a gift of joy and energy, and she is already pushing us to do things we would never do on our own. I have some great bruises and scratches, but I couldn’t think of a better way to see Cape Town then from on the side of a mountain. Today (Monday) we spent time with Peter Storey, who was a professor I had at Duke Divinity. He is from South Africa, and was a Methodist pastor and bishop here during the apartheid fight and end. He was also a chaplain to Nelson Mandela while he was in jail, among many other accomplishments. I was delighted to learn he lives very close to us here, and we visited today with he and his wife, Elizabeth in their beautiful home. I quickly remembered why his class was among my favorites at Duke, because he is a fountain of wisdom, humility, and challenge. He takes the Bible very seriously and has been a pastor all his life who truly called his people to the painful and life-giving call of Jesus Christ. We left with buzzing heads, great reading material, and heavy hearts to all that God is calling us to ahead. I am again convicted that my call into the Kingdom of God is one that will push me to challenge realms of the world that might be considered ‘controversial’ by many Christians, like race and wealth, but it is where God is truly found among the seeming treasures of the world. I have much to discern!

This week I am going to be diving deeper into the counseling and social work ministries of Living Hope. I am going to begin meeting with some of the lay counselors who lead the support groups for people with HIV. These are extraordinary people, who have little mentoring and supervision, and so I will be working to create relationships and groups with them to support the work they do. Some are even beginning to ask to meet one-on-one with me to receive guidance and counseling for their own personal lives. What an incredible blessing and privilege! Please pray that God will use me for His purposes and make a way for the ministry He desires while I am here.

Love you all! Thanks for checking in with us!
Sarah



Casey and Sarah after the race


Casey with EVAN after the race. Ouch :)