Major Prayers Please!

Hey everyone!

Okay, so today is a big day for us and we really, REALLY need it to be bathed in some major prayers.  Our close support community has been praying with us about this decision, but we have waited to share it all with you until we knew where God was leading us.  We have received an opportunity to begin a relationship with a young girl and we feel that God has led us to her to love and support her in this time in her life.  Her name is Ntgozo and she is a Zulu 16 year-old girl.  We have learned about her through a partner ministry called Baby Safe that does incredible ministry around us in Cape Town, and one of their places of service is to counsel girls about to get an abortion.  They met Ntgozo at the hospital as she had just given birth to her baby son, but had been unaware she was even pregnant.  She is an orphan, and has been living with an aunt and uncle and the baby came out of a rape.  The family doesn't want the baby, but through counseling they learned Ntgozo did want to mother this child after she graduated high school.  So the ministry found a foster family for the baby, but in the meantime Ntgozo's family wants to kick her out and the environment has become increasingly abusive.  So we are going to do an emergency foster situation with Ntgozo until she can be placed with a foster family, meaning she will live with us for 1-2 months.  The incredible part is through meeting her, the Baby Safe ministry women have started to disciple her and she is now learning and believing in Jesus Christ.  God has given her a second chance at a life that seemed doomed and we believe God wants us to open our home to her and love her through these next years.  She goes to Ocean View High School which is literally right down the street from us, so after she moves in with her new family she can come and spend a great deal of time with us learning to be a mother and love Jesus over the coming years.

Up to this point I have mostly FORCED Casey to speak about this prayer request because of the multitude of feelings that overwhelm me by this situation.  It is such a tragic story and emotionally I know that Ntgozo must have major trauma because of her life of abuse.  I feel helpless and overwhelmed by it and my mind just wants to run in the other direction in fear.  I am honestly terrified.  Not of if we will be 'safe' with her, but just the complexities and extreme nature of her broken heart.  But we serve a great God and I do truly beleive all the things I say about Him, and so trust (with a trembling heart) that He is leading us to her.  We can't change her and heal her wounds, but I know that God can.  So all I can do is show her Jesus and love her and pray that He can do a mighty work in her heart.  I have NO IDEA how this is going to look, it's hard to even imagine our home now with a 16 year-old girl, but God is ahead of us, sovereign over this, and has a plan.  I am SURE of that. 

Today, a girl from the Baby Safe ministry is going to bring Ntgozo to our home, we will share time with her and have dinner, and then take her home.  After that she will decide if she feels comfortable with us and even wants to move in for a time, so the ball is in her court.  We just need prayers and we just need GOD.  This is way beyond us.

Today my heart is FULL of emotion, but I have brought my anxious heart and my life to Jesus this morning.  I have been worshipping thanks to the beautiful music of Hillsong United, and  these lyrics have been moving and building up my heart. 

"The Greatness of our God" by Hillsong United

"Give me eyes to see more of who you are
May what I behold still my anxious heart
Take what I have known and break it all apart
For you my God, are greater still.

No sky contains
Or doubt restrains
All You are
The Greatness of our God
I spend my life to know
And I'm far from close
To all you are
The Greatness of our God"

So here we go.  Into another adventure.  As I sang this morning in my heart at the gym, I watched the CNN updates about violence in Mexico, and cholera killing those in Haiti, and other tragedies overtaking our world.  I couldn't help but think how crazy we must be to CHOOSE to step into another tragedy.  But our God is greater still and I do believe His love conquers all.  How could I NOT step into this life and share His love that has transformed me.  So here we go.  Prayers please....

Lots of love,
Sarah

Fun With the Rascals

There are so many facets of missionary life, and one of the great ones is that it puts you in a 'professional' group with other crazy missionaries just like us!  People are always coming through Cape Town or connect with us as fellow missionaries and it allows us to meet many incredible people.  We have just had such an experience with our new friends Brent and Erin Raska.  They are pastors and seminary friends of one of Casey's high school buds, and got connected with us as they were traveling around Africa at the end of a year-long time of serving the church in Zambia.  They have been traveling around to teach and empower lay leaders and pastors in the church all over Zambia to strengthen what God is doing.  It was an incredible journey for them and now they are just learning what God is doing around other areas in Africa.  We had a great time with them (Erin had a bad cold but is now feeling much better!) and loved having them in our Ocean View world.

The Raskas are continuing on their African travels for a bit and then heading back to NYC to finish a time of serving their church there.  To follow them and learn about their incredible adventures you can see their blog at brentanderin.wordpress.com.  Erin shared last night at our women's group about something beautiful she has learned living in Africa about advent and hope, and you can read her beautiful thoughts here, "Christmas Redeemed."  Enjoy!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Kieren Pics!

Some happy Kieren pics of her playing recently in our lounge.  This is her with her 'baby' pushing her in a stroller.  A favorite activity.

Happiness

Happiness with her Daddy.

Pondering what to do next...

Pics from a beautiful day of wine tasting on Friday...

Touring Cape Town

What do you do when visitors come to see Cape Town and all that it has to offer?  Well take them to WINE country, of course!  We have some beautiful scenery here all around us and evidently the perfect soil to grow wine, and so we hope to take our new missionary friends, Brent and Erin Raska to tour some wineries today.  Poor Erin is still under the weather and so enjoying some great rest still this morning, but we hope to take them around soon.  I'm sure we'll also take them on one of our legend hikes, and then plan to drag them around for our church-marathon Sunday with morning at Ocean View Methodist and evening at Hillsong Church.  They are wonderful people who have done incredible mission work in Zambia this past year and so it's awesome to be able to host and treat them!  Prayers that Erin can feel good enough to enjoy it all!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love,

Sarah

Tim Keller Lecture Notes

Casey and I went with some friends on Thursday to hear American pastor and author Tim Keller.  He pastors a church called Redeemer in New York City and it is a thriving and alive church (see it here). 

"Tim Keller has said Jesus told his disciples that they were "a city on a hill" that showed God's glory to the world (Matt. 5:14-16). Christians are called to be an alternate city within every earthly city, an alternate human culture within every human culture, to show how sex, money, and power can be used in nondestructive ways."

For our purposes, Tim spoke to church leaders and lay leaders throughout our communities sharing a vision for the cities of the world, where he believes culture and trends are formed, and where Christians should be having a great presence and showing a new way of life.  It was an exciting day of learning and challenge and a strong movement in Christian life.  Certainly, Tim is not advocating another 'program' to put at our churches, but inviting people to be on the forefront of culture and lead people towards a full life in Christ rather than just responding to the changes made around us.  Below I have a great article by Tim and then my extensive (and assuredly boring) notes from Tim's three lectures.  I typed them out as he was speaking to us and just thought I would share if anyone was interested!


Love,
Sarah


Article: "A New Kind of Urban Christian" by Tim Keller


Tim Keller Lecture 1 Notes, "Why God Loves Cities"


Tim Keller Lecture 2 Notes, "What Kind of Churches are Effective in the Cities?"


Tim Keller Lecture 3 Notes, "The Church Relating to Culture" 

So Much To Learn

Gosh, when I get in an environment where I begin to learn I always come back to one central theme, I have SO much more to learn.  I have been thinking this week as I am reading and learning and listening to SO many incredible and insightful people that there are MANY people in this world with awesome gifts and wisdom!  I love being a student and am just enjoying soaking it all up.

This morning I went to the Bible Institute near where we live and watch some of the sessions that had been taped from Monday's sessions at the Lausanne Congress.  We learned some fascinating information about this venture that aims to take gather the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.  There are delegates there from all around the world, except the 400 delegates from China who were not allowed to leave because of their government.  I learned that there are 1.5 million Christians in China and the church there is flourishing even under severe persecution.  After a time of worship together with the students there we watched a 30 minute video historical look at the history of Christianity and the mission movement.  It was all things I had learned before in my Biblical Studies classes over the years but such a great perspective on it and great to hear it again because there are a million details!  Our history is complicated and complex!

Then we watched an exposition on the chapter of Ephesians 1 and it was some great teaching.  I was reminded of the richness of this text written by the apostle Paul and he is urging God's people to labor in introducing the riches of Christ to people all over the world.  The Bible encourages us to never lose the wonder, treasure, and victory found in the Gospel of Christ.

If you want to follow the conversations and work of Lausanne, check it out here.

Today has also been a day of friendships, both new and old.  I was able to talk with my sweet friend Laurel, hang with my Ocean View 'girls' Megan and Jadine, talked for a while with a new Hillsong friend who goes to the Bible Institute Marilize, and we are hosting new friends Erin and Brent who are friends of a friend and missionaries from Zambia.  These new friends will be staying with us from tonight through Tuesday morning and we are excited for them to see our incredible community and the beauty of Cape Town!  Prayers for Erin who is sick with an awful cold at the beginning of long-awaited time in Cape Town!

Tomorrow we will attend the lecture with Tim Keller all day and we are SO excited to share that time with some of our friends, as well.  I am most looking forward to hearing Tim speak about the urban church and the mission field there as it really applies to our work in Cape Town.

Lots of love,
Sarah

Book Review by Sarah

This is a book recommended years ago by a fellow lover of reconciliation, Kristen Ertel, and I FINALLY picked it up.  I am glad I read it now because it has taken on a completely different heart and meaning living in this context.  This book is completely true to its subtitle and is an incredible strategy for community development; which is something that has been filling my thoughts lately.  I have been praying and soaking up my township community of Ocean View and my heart breaks especially when walking around during the day. People wander, have no place to go and no purpose for their lives.  In their boredom and pain they turn to drugs, alcohol, and violence to numb or work out their unexpressed and stuffed emotions.  John Perkins is a light in the darkness and speaks from a deep life of experience as he was a major part of the Civil Rights movement and still a voice in the justice movement around the world.  Perkins himself grew up in the deep south, became an educated and successful man in California, and then chose to move back to rural Mississippi to make a real change in the hardships of his people.  In his ministry he created a three-part strategy of relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution.  Perkins and his ministry lived out these principles and were finally able to truly see the Gospel of Jesus come alive and make a difference in the African-American world of the South.  This book was wonderfully inspiring and challenging and still has me thinking about my heart to see the Gospel alive in my community.  The sacrifices Perkins and his ministry made are striking and show his true belief in God's power to change and free people.  He reminds of us this call from Jesus and invites us to answer it as well.  I hope I have the courage to listen...

"He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"  -Luke 10:2

Overall Grade: A

Learning Today... from home

So in true African style, the entire 'Global Link' system that is supposed to link hundreds of venues, schools, and organizations around the world to the Lausanne Congress around the world is not working so far this week.  Classic.  We are now back home and I plan on spending much of my day reading papers and blog entries online about the topics that are being discussed and we hope tomorrow to see the link with some of the talks from the conference!  Glad we had many summers in Mexico that taught us to be flexible :)

Love,
Sarah

Learning Today!

So this is where we go each week for Hillsong Church, the Cape Town International Convention Center.  It's a cool place to be and right in the heart of Cape Town.

This past Sunday we didn't have church there (but in the Westin Hotel that is the high-rise right behind the CTICC) because the Lausanne Congress is meeting there for eight days.  Unfortunately you only can come to the conference if you have an invitation, which we do not, and I'm only a tiny bit bitter about...  No, you have to be like REALLY important to have an invite, so maybe next time :)  Instead we are going to one of the live link offerings by video being offered around the city.  We will be going to the Bible Institute in Kalk Bay, where this will be our backdrop, so not a bad deal, really.

We will be going to the link Tuesday and Wednesday morning to hear parts of the conference and then on Thursday we will go to a speaking event by the author and pastor Tim Keller about church and mission. That will be with him LIVE and with other great leaders in our town, so that should be fun! Overall, it will be a great week of learning and connecting and we are excited. We will keep you posted with what we learn and who we meet!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Sarah's Sermon From Sunday

Click here to read Sarah's sermon from Sunday at Ocean View Methodist titled 'Give All.'

This is Why...

The skyline in Cape Town on a beautiful night is something spectacular to see.

We are fortunate enough to have a car and with our weekly trips to Hillsong on Sunday night we get to see beautiful Cape Town at night weekly.  We take it for granted though, because it is such a treat, and we were reminded of that this weekend.  We finally were able to take Antoine and Mathy with us for a Sunday night Hillsong outing and it was a beautiful Cape Town spring evening.  We went a bit early into town which was nice to introduce them to a few of our Hillsong friends and sit outside in the city a bit.  The evening worship service was amazing AS USUAL and the message spoken by head pastor Phil Dooley was EXACTLY what Antoine and Mathy needed to hear.  It was titled 'What Do You See' and was all about seeing our world with eyes of faith.  They need HUGE eyes of faith right now after walking through the tragedy of losing baby Lauren and now heading toward their vision of moving back to the Congo and starting an AIDS NGO to serve their people.  They are still walking towards great grief and pain and were deeply encouraged by the message that God obviously wanted them to hear.  We then went to dinner at a place called 'Arnolds' in downtown Cape Town with a group of old and new friends.  It was a usual sort of spot for us on Sunday night, but afterwards Antoine and Mathy admitted it was the nicest place they had ever been.  They remarked that in their five years living in Cape Town they had never been to the city at night and had an experience like that.  We had a great meal together (Antoine had crocodile which is a usual meat served in the Congo!) and great fellowship and conversation.  One new friend even connected and prayed for Mathy which was a beautiful moment.  They were pretty much overwhelmed by the night and so blessed by it all.   They just kept thanking us over and over.

It was SO humbling to share the time with these special friends.  We both remark from time to time that God has obviously ordained our friendship because we have such a strong and deep bond with one another.  I love and cherish these people so much and just feel honored that God would bless me so much that I could bless them.  It is a real privilege and was all I hoped it could be - a night away from their community and hardships to worship God and enjoy the blessings of life.  God is so amazing.

Other than that, we had a wonderful weekend together as a family!  We spent Saturday mostly at home together, Casey and I both taking runs near the beach, taking Kieren for a hike with our 'girls,' watching rugby with friends and dinner out.  Sunday morning I preached at Ocean View Methodist and enjoyed a blessed Sunday with our church family.  After Kieren's nap we went to a local beach for ice cream and a walk before picking up Antoine and Mathy.  It is warming up here, we are putting our heaters up in the garage, and pulling out the summer clothes!  So nice!

This was such a great weekend, and just a reminder of WHY we do what we do.  We are truly blessed to be a blessing, and as trite and simple as that can sound, it is profound when lived out in life.

Lots of love,

Sarah

A Few Things....

A few things,

First of all, OMG I need to take more pictures of us and ESPECIALLY of Kieren. I will try to get on that this weekend. She is SO cute right now and fun and repeating EVERYTHING we say. It's hilarious. But while you are thinking of her, say a little prayer for her as she has a horrible cold this week. For her, because of her asthma, that was diagnosed while in the States this summer, when she gets a little cold it turns into a major ordeal with phlegm, coughing ALL THE TIME, and fevers, etc. She was pretty miserable yesterday which was so sad; hoping for a better day today.

Today should be a fun day. Casey and I have found out about some colleges that are hosting 'links' to the Lausanne Conference that Casey mentioned a couple days ago.

It is a conference bringing people in from all over the world to speak about poverty and development. So we get to go hear from a few of the delegates today and enter part of the conversation. Very exciting! My mind is filled lately with questions about poverty development and how we help people to holistically develop when they are born and raised in a situation like Ocean View. They are stuck in such a depressing mindset and it's hard to watch it day after month after year. I went yesterday to visit a friend in Ocean View, Maggie, that I have ministered to over the past year. I have seen many glimmers of hope in her life and even prayed with her after a sermon I preached to receive Christ as her Savior (so cool!). But she is depressed right now and STUCK in a life of nothing and not sure how to move forward. She has a young daughter, Mia, who is adorable and full of life, but Maggie is on the edge of going back into a bad relationship and has been 'looking' for work for over a year, but not really pursuing it that hard. It can just feel helpless for young women in this community and I want to learn how better to vision and plan with them to develop and grow their lives. This place inspires me and puts a fire in my gut to learn and move forward! It's pretty exciting.

It's a major SPORT weekend as Casey will go with friends tonight to watch a double- header (two games) of soccer and then we will watch a Rugby semi-final game tomorrow with friends at our home. On Sunday I preach at Ocean View and then HOPE to take Mathy and Antoine with us to Hillsong and dinner. For some reason taking them is complicated, and so this is the third time we are trying and hope it works! They continue to move forward but could really use a night away and some spiritual encouragement. Hope to throw in some time outside in there as the Cape Town weather is warming up and we are hoping for a beautiful weekend! So much to enjoy!

Hope you have a great weekend ahead too!
Lots of love,
Sarah

Exciting Cape Town

This is an important time in Cape Town.  The 3rd Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization is happening here starting this week.  It's brought a lot of energy to know that many church leaders are among us here in Cape Town.  The Congress first happened in 1974.  They had another in 1989.  And now they are meeting again.  It's an invitational type of event with delegates from all over the world.  Our buddy Christ Heuertz, that we have mentioned here before on the blog, will be one of the delegates.  So will Andy Chenlo's aunt.
There are some corresponding events happening throughout the city while people are in town and we will go to a few of those .  There is also a global link that people can watch around the world.  There is probably a hosting site near you.  Check out the Lausanne website for much more info.

Casey

Ubuntu Update

Check out the Ubuntu Sports Outreach blog to see Casey's latest update.  Good stuff!