Jeanette Wheeler - The World Race 2007

Imagine...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Imagine

this is your backyard

your home

your child's playground

your work environment

your livelihood

in order to get food, clothing, or money for the day you have to search among acres of garbage

working in trash,alongside cows

and other savages

working from dawn till dusk, rain or shine

the smells and toxic elements inhaled

Reality Is

this is the neighborhood for over 300 people; men, woman, and children

this is the home and backyard of our friend Michelle, her husband and twin daughters

precious beautiful princesses do not belong here...where is the castle and pink dresses?

there is no vacation,young boys work to help their families

the widows and elderly don't retire

a "day on the job" is a treasure hunt to search for things of "worth"

at the end of the day, the scales determine your wage...did you find enough?

a downpour doesn't stop the progressyou need to eat today

your surroundings are dangerous;gangs and thieves,and what is hiding in the haystack today?

i have been blown away,changed,convicted and blessed by those who are said to have "nothing"

TRUTH Is

the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us

because he has appointed us to bring good news to the poor

he has sent us to comfort the broken hearted

he has sent us to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come

to all who mourn, He will give beauty for ashes

joy instead of mourning

praise instead of despair

for the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks

for His glory!

Spanglish: Up Close and Personal -Part II

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Spanglish: Up Close and Personal-Part II

Even though it was a short time in El Salvador, it was the most experience into a Latino culture that I have received during our months in Central America. Beside my "family", our friend and contact Silvia, her family, and friend Victor made our time in El Salvador unforgettable

There was a lot of Spanglish going on between all of us, and multiple usage of "Can you repeat that again, more slowly, please?" But in the end, our point always got across. Amen!

There was...the multiple beach and amazing scenery visits(the Pier and Puerta Del Diablo),markets, church, papusa making(and eating), and many meaningful conversations and laughter.

The Beaches

The Pier

The Markets

Puerta Del Diablo

Mountain Top Views

My Salvadorian "family" and friends showed me the meaning of love that transcends any language; true unity and connection through Christ.

And even though the language might have been a challenge, I find that if you try hard enough, use your hands (universal and made up signs),mix a couple languages = Spanglish, and love the people through sincere intentions, beautiful friendships can be formed! Among many other things, that's what my ten days in El Salvador taught me.

A Prayer Covering

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Last Country

1 Squad

4 Teams

26 servants

2 Weeks

14 days

336 hours

A Lasting Impact

United Under One GOD

Cover Us in Colossians 1:9-12

A complete understanding of what He wants to do in our lives

To become wise with spiritual wisdom

That our lives will honor and please the Lord

We will learn to know God better, deeper, more intimately

Strengthened with His power

Clothed in patience

Endurance

Abundant joy

Spanglish: Up Close and Personal

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Spanglish: Up Close and Personal

My days in these last ten months have been an emergence into a life so different from my previous one.There has been a variety of cultures, bringing different routines, foods, customs, and the biggest one, language.

I have been around so many different languages that sometimes the routine of hearing gibberish becomes the norm. It becomes shocking and abnormal to hear English spoken around me and when heard, I realize that they too are probably "foreigners" (aka: American or European). On rare occasion, the English comes from a native and it is so refreshing to be able to talk, relate to and know more about them on a intimate level...than just hi, how are you?

When my arrival to El Salvador approached, I was surprised and excited to know that "ministry" would be living with Salvadorian families.My only brief moment of concern was whether I could communicate with my family and that bonding would occur. It was not a big deal; I lived in Brazil for almost a year without really connecting with the language but English speaking native relationships always seemed to be developed. Therefore, either way, I knew I would be okbut deep down I was hoping for one family member to communicate with well.

The introduction of Sonia was a pure delight. She was a few years older than I was and was an elementary English teacher, what a match! My friend Silvia had shared that after praying about where to place the four of us she knew that we would really connect.

I soon found out that in this culture, until you are married you continue to live at home with your father and mother. Therefore, instead of gaining a Salvadorian sister I gained a whole family, mom, dad, and grandma!

This is where my Spanglish really began!

During my time, I felt as if I was relating to the movie Spanglish. It is about a woman who moved from Mexico years ago to the States with her daughter but never ventured outside of the Hispanic community. Her first experience with English speakers was her job as a housekeeper for an all American, dysfunctional, but loving family.

Her struggles included of course the language barrier, cultural and personality differences, and love at large. There were hilarious, heart breaking and challenging situations that occurred throughout her stay. Ultimately, a bond between her, her daughter and the family became real and surpassed any communication or emotional barrier. A must see movie!

These same situations seemed to mirror my own experiences. I did truly become a part of the Castello family and their routines of life. The easiest part was fitting in and enjoying the home life, the hardest was not being able to communicate.

I was blessed to have my own room and bathroom (the first on the race!), with meals waiting for me, morning, noon and night.

These were probably one of my favorite times because we would eat together, and try to communicate through a mixture of Spanish, English, and mime. At least I could say Buenos Diaz, Buenas Tardes, and Buenas Noches, which always seemed to impress them.

Each relationship I soon learned to cherish.

My "dad" was a source of peace and quietness. His mild temperament spoke volumes about his life. His gentleness and dedication to prayer and reading the scriptures showed a life of consistency and faith.

My Salvadorian "mom" demonstrated a life of faith, thoughtfulness, love and servant hood. With a small store at the front of the house, she was the source provider for the family.

Love for the family was shown through the amazing meals, hard work and care that she gave. Our shared connection was a heart for Israel, gardening and love for prayer. I know that I missed many great conversations because we didn't speak the same language. However, we tried to make up for it through smiles and hugs.

My 86 yr old "grandma" cracked me up! She so badly tried to talk to me and I believe that I would have been so amused and entertained by every word that came out of her mouth.

I know that I was a puzzle to her. She was shocked when I walked around the house without my shoes (apparently unheard ofmy feet would get dirty) and very curious about all of my piercings (she had none), and even looked to see if I had a belly button ring (uhh, no!). I almost fell down laughing. Her good intentions were well noted and I even enjoyed her more for her realness and frank approach.

Of course, my friendship and sister hood with Sonia was the piece that made my time so valuable, meaningful, and cherished! Her gentle approach to life modeled one of generosity and kindness.

I loved visiting her school and classes she taught. My time of sharing about missionary life and answering questions was filled with many quizative and interesting conversations with the students.

Through many talks, I learned about her life, desires, and love for clothing
(a woman after my own heart!).

She was an amazing chauffer and was even brave enough to let me drive her car, several times in fact. I was so ecstatic, ahh, the thrill of being behind the wheel.

I sincerely felt loved and welcomed by Sonia's whole family, including the siblings (her sister and two brothers), nieces, and nephews. Their loving hearts and kind spirits made me easily feel a part of their Sunday gatherings. It was truly a gift to be welcomed into the Castello family.

Panamanian Life

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ignite takes on Panama

We found ourselves packing up and leaving Panama City after almost a week helping Carman and tutoring at the school and heading on a journey to the Island of Kuna Yala. As our things were piled on and we squeezed into the front and back of a truck, we prepared our selves for a 1 1/2 hour journey to the Island. After three hours(and still going!) we were introduced to dusty roads, sweltering heat, bumpy rides, steep hills, rivers and still the adventure rolled on. At the half way point (and tallest point of the mountain) we stopped to see the amazing view of where our final destination was. The sparkling Carribean Ocean was seen far in the distance, which at least brought hope to the end of our trucking across the Panama mountianside. Are we there yet?

Our contact from the Island was the Pastor of the church. He served us in many ways... host, translator, transporter and friend.

Our home for the next week was on one of the four Islands where the Kuna Tribe live.

Yes, these are our bathrooms and showers, where does it all go? The Ocean ...of course!

Our home for the next days was cozy and sanctified.It was also the home to newborn muskrats,Ahh!

The Kuna people make their income from tourism and by selling the beautiful "molas" that they sew and create.Their creativity and hardwork is amazing. And of course I couldn't leave without supporting them ;0.

Smile for the camera!

On Sunday morning we led the children's service and at night the Adult service. After doing a DRIME, Traday and Seth shared and Aaron and Traci led worship. Marie (Aaron's mom) was our hero...she was an amazing translator!

Over the next days we were able to pray with some of the islanders and also help out the Pastor's wife in the kitchen.

It looks like I know what I am doing, right?

Where's the car?...boat it is!

I am in awe every time I see a sunset. Beautiful!

Views of Panama City

The Causeway

Metro Centro- the "Old" Panama City

Our second day in Panama we had a Squad day. It was filled with the Panama Canal, Bennigans, the Causeway,and ending at the mall.

It was filled with funny photos, challenges and a creative meal plan...I was the chosen eater...and yes my teammates helped, a little

The Panama Canal

As I returned with Aaron, his parents, and Molly back from the Island to Panama City ,my next days were filled with great opportunities to play, love, and listen.

We stayed at an orphange home with the Beloved Ones. It was a great time eating, loving,and hanging with the kids. I found myself on the day of Renee's birthday being the game coordinator...what fun! Memories of pin the smile on Lightening McQueen(Cars) dance through my brain!

The Birthday Gal

Don't let them fool ya...they can swing...watch out!

One of our days we were able to work with a ministry at a woman's clinic.

We sat down,started conversation(we had a translator), shared our God stories, prayed and handed out bibles.This time was very speicial. God was able to use me to speak truth and life into thier lives. All of us left encouraged through His love and power.

Isn't he adorable?...and only 3 months old! His mom was among three woman that Molly and I were able to pray with and give a bible to.It was certainly ordained especially since they understood our Spanglish!

The last three days of my Panama stay was spent with these gals (Pam and Heather) in a solitude retreat

Our nights were filled with dinner and conversation...what a needed and refreshing time!

My weeks in Panama were truly tailor made for meour hostel stays (awesome ministry moments), working with Carman and the school, living on an island with the Kuna people, living in the orphanage with the Beloved girls and my three day solitude retreat with Heather and Pam not overwhelming or too muchbut enough and for that the ministry and impact was abundantly blessed!

Enough

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Enough

The reflection of my time in Panama brings forth the word enough. At this point in the Race the scripture of God not giving me more than I could handle came in my mind plenty of times. To be amidst fully in my team community, love unconditionally, have the vibrancy and stamina to do ministry with true servant hood and gusto seemed to be a struggle. The desire was there but my energy and patience seemed to be weary.

There was this inner struggle with being ok with the constant change in ministry during these three weeks. I was actually relieved that the serving moments were changeable, brief but impactful. But the questioning of why this was occurring was at the forefront. I knew full well that I did not want my last months to be in vain, counting down the days until I was in my familiar home setting with loved ones. The question of whether it was laziness, complacency, or spiritual attacks kept rolling around in my mind.

Never less when the situation seemed to be overbearing and I was at my wits end God brought relief. There was sickness that provided a day of rest and reflection, change in my environments that brought new people, insights, and relationships. Every time I laid my feelings at His feet He only gave me enoughnothing more or less and as a result I knew that with Him I could handle what He was asking me to do at that moment and time.

At one particular point of reflection the awareness of a lifetime of routine came to me. It was like a light bulb had been turned on! Since I had been five years old, twenty-eight years of my life, my body has been on the same time frame and response mode. Start school in September, multiple holiday breaks, and in June, schools out for the summer! My elementary school days, high school, college, teaching, graduate school, all of these days followed the same schedule. So in this season of time my body was starting to enter into the shutdown and recoup mode.

This made so much sense of why my mind and body wanted to shut down and this realization brought relief among my mass confusion.

The struggle being, that the WR is not on this same schedule. SoI'm pushing throughand embracing the moments of down time and transition. Keeping my mind focused on making an impact with my prayer life, love, serving attitude and heart, all the while inviting the Holy Spirit to be the forerunner has been the push and motivation throughout my weeks.

Where in the World? El SalvadorNicaragua

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Where in the World? El SalvadorNicaragua

So this journey of traveling has been a whirlwind. After Panama(pictures are coming!), I found myself traveling for four days to get to our next destination. Through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Hondurous, and finally El Salvador there was ten to twelve hour bus rides and overnight hostel stays.

It was quite an adventure of sleep, patience, sceneryand luckily (mainly due to dramamine) no motionsickness(by that I mean throwing up), praise God!

It started off with all twenty-six of us travelers, than we dropped off Seven-Eleven plus Megan in Nicargua and four of the Beloved girls. Then myself , Heather, Molly , and Traday departed the squad in El Salvador, while the others headed to Guatemala.

Our stay in El Salvador was truly a cultural and family experience. We met up with our friend and contact,Silvia, who had it all planned out. Through prayerful consideration we were placed with all different families during our ten day stay. What a God ordained time that was for each of us! Blogs will be coming along with great pics.

Now I find myself in a hostel waiting for our next and last destination. We are heading back to Nicaragua to spend our last and final ministry moments there. I can hardly believe that ten months of ministry has past by and by the 26^th of July I will be back in Michigan!

Please continue to keep us covered in prayer. We desire focus for the end weeks, hearts and eyes to be opened to ministry moments, miracles to occur, and our minds and bodies to be geared up for these last weeks of packed filled serving moments.

Until the next time...Where in the world will I be next?

Twenty-Six...isn't Enough!

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Often on the race we (the older WR's) get nostalgic and think about the TV shows and movies of our younger years. It is so fun because it brings up so many pleasant memories. The memories usually come when we gather together as a squadbecause we older folks are spread out.

I have been reminded lately of Eight is Enough, about a family with 8 children. And boy, the adventures, troubles, and love that came from that family. Over the course of Costa Rica the whole family, all twenty six of us have stayed together for the month, for the first time. There has been some ministry opportunities (teams were mixed up) ,learning Spanish and times of worship together. All have been powerful and memorable. These moments were challenging, exciting and uplifting!

We certainly have had laughs (we're a funny bunch), and challenges (16 girls in one bedroomsome are early sleepers and others are night owls ; 0), along with extremely frigid girl showers that can make even a saint a little edgy! We have also had celebrations with birthdays (Colleen, Megan and Molly) and reunions (Sarah was reunited with us after going home for 3 months to be with her mother who is ill). We also have had our share of goodbyes. The same day Sarah arrived we said goodbye to Mark. His sister was in a car accident and lost most of her eye sight, so he went home to help out and serve his family during this time of transition. , amaizng Then we had to say adios to the amazing folk at the YWAM base who fortunately have Face book, so we will be keeping in touch! However, this time as a squad has been rare and cherished.

It has always been 26 of us on the September squad. We gain, lose, gain and lose and the number still remains. We originally left with 26. But then there was losing Sarah the first few days in Africa, but then gaining a whole new member to our squad and my team, Traday during that same month, again 26. Finally the excitement of having Sarah return then finding out Mark was going to leave, 26. So many transitionscelebratory and heartbreaking at the same time.

But that number isn't quite enough. It won't be a true complete family until all the members will be present. On July 18^th our final debrief occurs. Mark is coming and finally our whole squad will be complete! That will be a date in history and a Kodak moment!

Who can imagine the impact of all twenty seven of us togetherthe worship, power, and the outpouring of love and affirmation into each other. Can't wait!

But in the meantime we have had some amazing times in Costa Rica, the twenty six of usenjoy!

The Switzerland Gang

A fun Squad night..dinner and dancing

Celebrating and saying goodbye to our dear friend Silvia

Spanish School

Getting out of the city...a fun trip to Arenal...just Renee, Molly and I

Birthdays... Colleen, Megan and Molly...What fun!

Our life long friends...Chris and Grace...what a blessing they were!

Angels Unaware- Part 2

Sat, 7 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Angels Unaware -Part 2

Everywhere we have been around the world you do have to keep a watchful eye and an extra grip on your handbag or backpack but nothing at least for me has happened. It is however a bit more shady as you enter into Panama City especially in Casco Viejo where our hostel has been, but just is lifeyou move on and venture out.

It was our first day in the city and after resting Tradday and I went to meet up with some of the gang at the mall. We were taking in the sights, observing women walking the streets with big hair curlers in their hair (coming from the salon?), and noticing that there were many more Black people in Panama (very few in Costa Rica). While we were discussing the whereabouts of the bus pickup, Traday said "keep your purse tight". My purse was close up to the side of me but I pulled it even closer and to the front.

This moment of the story too, needs to be backed up. So as we were walking Traday was apparently behind me and noticed a woman as we were passing a hat stand. We were at that time walking on a more crowded street with more vendors. She saw the woman lean down as I passed her as if she was leaning over to pick up a fallen hat. But Traday felt alerted about it and looked right at the woman and then told me the warning.

As these words came out of her mouth, I pulled up my purse and saw that it had been sliced by a blade. And right in view were my wallet and a teammate's passport that I was holding! We immediately looked around and the lady was nowhere in view. What a miracle that the lady didn't have another second to reach in and pull out what was there!

We kept walking and felt very shocked and overwhelmed. Even at the mall Trayday and I several times brought it up and had to process it all over again.

One thing that has calmed my nerves in those moments and thereafter is the way that I have felt especially protected and looked after. After the attack we needed to find our bus to the mall. We had no clue but as World Racers we just go, pray and usually our "angels" of directions will come. And so he did, guiding us after several misunderstandings (the language barrier), to the correct bus. He even came on and got us as we got on the wrong bus, he wouldn't leave until he knew we were going in the right direction. And there after, there have been "persons" who seem to hold out a protective eye out for us. As we are running, crossing over dangerous areasthere is that extra protection and guidance being offered.

I have always teased about the presence of angels in my life. Whether it be "they" are my bodyguards and ward of unwanted men (or wanted onesJ), or protect me in my many times of driving among the craziness of Detroit traffic. But I seriously know that they exist and are here to protect, guide and glorify God's kingdom.

I am so grateful as we are traveling into the depths of the enemy's ground that we are being watched out for. "These protectors" along with the presence of the Holy Spirit and His discernment has made my traveling moments peaceful and not fear-filled. It is so reassuring that I am a child of the King and I am being protected in all circumstances. It is good to know that among us there are angels roaming unaware.

Angels Unaware-Part 1

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Angels Unaware -Part 1

Growing up in a home setting surrounded by music I found myself involved in many church and school plays and musicals. One particular, was done a couple times in church throughout my childhood. It was "Angels Unaware". It was about the angels and their purpose and calling of God and their roles on earth. I was quite funny and always fun to do.

This memory came to me recently due to several instances I have had. It reminded me of the true existence and protection that Angels have over us throughout our day and lives. Hence to say I have needed some protection. J

A couple of weeks ago in Costa Rica, we were reading and relaxing after Spanish class in our favorite coffee shop. They were great about letting us order and hang around a bit.(reminds me of Starbucks)

I was concentrating on reading but then had an "instinct" to look around to my surroundings. As I surveyed the room I saw all the different places we (4 of us) were sitting, Molly's table that was empty and an older man passing by.

Solet me back up. In the "unknown" to me, Molly went to order a drink and asked Heather who was vertically across from her to watch her stuff. No problemas it wasn't crowded and was more of an upscale shop.

There wasn't anything suspicious looking about "the man" but I felt as if he still needed to be observed. He passed her table once and slowly turned around and backtracked and as sly and quick as he could his hand reached out and covered her purse (which was near the corner of the tableI know not a smart ideaJ)

"No, no, no, no no" came rushing out of my mouth as I leaped up and ran across the coffee shop. Meanwhile he slowly started to leave as if nothing had occurred. I ran and as nicely and fervently as I could I said "No, Senor, No!" (My ghetto side did not come out as usual, because this was an old man but my loud teacher voice sure did.)

Then as quick as can be a younger guy came (later found out that he worked there and was just chilling) and started confronting the man. Molly slowly walks up not really sure what was happening. After a few words the younger guy struck the old man in the face and grabbed him by the hair and started to escort him out of the caf. As the old man was being pushed down the stairs his head got banged in the meantime. Ouch! I felt bad for him but at the same time still perplexed and overwhelmed with what happened.

Molly was asked if she wanted to press chargesshe looked at me and I said "no". So she offered grace up to him instead. Meanwhile Heather and I sat and prayed for him, his circumstances and his heart.

Everything was safe(we were defiantly being watched out for)Molly and I got a free drink from it and my afternoon ended up being full of conversation and God time.

Everything done,is in His timing and protection.

Where in the World? Panama

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of my first reactions of going to Panama was of pure excitement. It wasn't due to seeing the Panama Canal or any particular history that is linked to it. Sadly to say it is because of an addiction I call...Prison Break.

I only saw this show a few times back home (with Juliet and Jason) but once on the Race, there are Seasons of so many shows being passed around. My first was to finish Bones (up to Season 2), Ugly Betty, and re watch Season 7 of The Gilmore Girls. Then... Seth and Aaron had bought Prison Break. I started watching Season 1 in Africa and couldn't turn it off. Then Season 2 and parts of 3 passed by quickly. I just wrapped up the latest episode of 3 last week in Costa Rica.

The introduction to Panama comes in Season 3. I was exposed to tid bits of Panama City, and to some beautiful scenery of the Panama beaches. So, I was pretty siked about seeing the infamous country that Michael Schofield escapes to.

As of yet, (we arrived on Sunday) I haven't seen anything that causes huge recollections from the show (I simple have forgotten) but I keep looking! However it still has been a great experience. And I have had a chance to see some beautiful and interesting parts of Panama, along with seeing the Panama Canal.

Panama is a country that the World Race hasn't been before. Our September Squad is pioneering it. A group of four went ahead a couple of weeks ago to set up ministry contacts. Some have worked, others have fallen through, and new ones have popped up. But among all of it God has been in it.

Over the past few months we have had more freedom to ask the Lord for guidance on where to go and be led individually and by teams on where to do ministry. Our team, Ignite was drawn collectively toward a ministry in the city, even though many of them wanted to be in a more rural area, we didn't have any particular contacts there.

The main ministry we wanted to work with fell through, so we got in contact with Carmen (who has been a reference to a lot of the ministries we are working with) and since midweek we have done tutoring at a local Christian school and today our team helped Carmen organize and clean her home before her family left on furlough to the states (I stayed back because I wasn't feeling well). It was a true blessing to her.

In the meantime a contact from Seth's father was introduced. It was a true answer to many of our desires. It is the opportunity to work with the Kuna tribe in the rural Northern part of Panama. They are the second smallest people group in the world.

So tomorrow we are off to work with this tribe. There is excitement of changing environments from the city (which I love) to the rural areas, which we haven't (Ignite) really been in on the Race. I am in anticipation of how we can serve and uplift the pastor, church, and people of that area.

And....we have some amazing visitors who will trek with us on some of this journey. Aaron's parents arrived on Wednesday.(Also his sister and brother in law...who joined us for a bit, but are also on a Holiday) They have been a tremendous blessing and have arrived with awesome goodies...Girl Scout cookies(yes! she found some),gum, granola bars, Cheez-its, Fig Newton's, and so much more... it feels like Christmas is never ending(which I am ok with). I am excited to be doing ministry with them and getting more insight about Aaron(you never know when you may need blackmail material j/k ;0.)

The trip to Panama may be short (we are leaving on June 10th) but the journey is just beginning. I love thatI can never determine how God will work things out. If we seek, pray and listen, He always seems to provide ways for us even in the last hours.

Please lift us up in your prayers for safety, positive attitudes, Christ like eyes, servant hearts and spirits that are obedient and open to His leading.

Until then...hello and goodbye from Panama!

Back in the Saddle Again

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Back in the Saddle Again

Many things have been put on hold for a while, especially since this unusual year of traveling has occurred. My routines have been altered, changed, and erased. Extra curricular activities and interests have slightly been put on hold, my life has changed. Not better, or for the worse, just different.

For example, schooling hasn't been apart of my life for a couple of years, since graduate school. I truly have to say that I don't really miss it. The learning and meeting new people, yes!the exams, papers, and deadlines no! This year I have defiantly learned a lot. We World Racers are readers and we have amazing books circulating around. I have not been deprived of rich language, growing and self improvement knowledge, romance, adventure, or suspense which comes along with immersing oneself into a great novel.

So, I can truly say I was surprised when I had the desire to join others in the venture of taking Spanish classes from a Language School in Costa Rica. I had a tremendous desire and peace to take it.

Mind you, I had never taken Spanish before, except for the quick mini lessons I had learned from Sesame Street. And the haunting experience of trying to learn Portuguese 9 yrs ago while living in Brazil seems to negatively surface to my memories. I just could not grasp it; maybe it was the circumstances, my youth (23yrs), or lack of true motivation and desire. Whatever the reason, languages are not my forte.

As of late though, I had the feeling that learning Spanish wouldn't be so bad, probably because of my team. Aaron our dubbed "Mexican" American, and all the others who have taken it somewhat throughout their lives were painting an excitement and desire for this language among our team. They could not wait to use their Spanish and get emerged into it as we entered into Central America.

I guess I joined in on the bandwagon because before long I was taking an entrance test, and paying school fees. I had nothing to testno real prior knowledge so it was pretty fast and harmlessthe testing part not the paying part. J

The school itself was amazing! The peaceful environment, colorful and homey surroundings created a welcoming atmosphere. Epifania, I found out later was family owned and the staff was all Christiansno wonder the peace and comfort.

I had nothing to fearexcept not understanding anything I was hearing!

It ended up being one of my most positive experiences. My teachers were great. They were filled with creative teaching, hands on games and much, much patience.

Our mornings from 8:30 -10:15 were filled with vocabulary and grammar. Even though I had to start from scratch and were among 4 others that had a pretty good Spanish base, I did ok. Alejandra taught with clarity, creativity, and much repetition through practice. Everyone would sense my looks if I appeared confused, lost or overwhelmed and would jump in to help clarify. But the verbs kept comingand I kept learningand they became pretty impressed by my status of sentences and somewhat (not always correct) pronunciation I was encouraged and kept goingand passed with my class unto the next level, which is a miracle in itself.

Then the snacks began; delicious fruits from Costa Rica. Mmmm good! This was a great break for my mind to rest. Even though I willingly jumped back into the saddle of learning, my brain still had a lot of catching up to do. J And sweet fruit defiantly helped with the stimulation!

From 10:30-12:15 was conversation. This time was very interactive. Our first week with Zeidy was filled with games, matching, and learning all kinds of vocabulary words. The second week was Jazhel. It was filled with all sorts of conversation ranging from relationships, nutrition, dancing, and other very fun varieties of talk. Her hand gestures, repetitive word usage and mix of Spanglish (English and Spanish) helped tremendously. We found ourselves falling over in laughter and responding with vigor and interest. For me my Spanish understanding (not necessarily talking) increased greatly over that time.

One of the best highlights of the week was our dance lessons on Friday, in between the grammar and conversation. It was a hoot! I came out experiencing the Salsa, Meringue, and other Latin dances. It was as if I was in an aerobic class, and I came out sweatier than when I'm running. So my exercise for the day was checked off.

Our last class fell on Molly's birthday. We learned, danced, and then conversed while we made cookie dough. The recipe, ingredients, and instructions were all in Spanish. It was so fun and delicious! That is my type of hands on learning.

My experience over these last two weeks was filled with so much knowledge and many emotions. I felt affirmed, encouraged, over stimulated, over whelmed, frustrated and confused. I realized I should have taken a foreign language when I first started teaching. I learned and experienced so much in those two weeks which brought much insight and understanding into how "my students" learned and often times felt.

The Race has interrupted my "normal "routines of life but also introduced me to multiple opportunities I would never have encountered. And for that I am grateful. Some routines however defiantly don't changeeven in other countries. I still found myself finishing my homework on the way there (on the bus).But, it got done correctly and on time. REALLY, that's what matters, right?

Born in the U.S.A.

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

going...is sometimes the easier part. walking in obedience and wondering whether you meet someone and will hear the voice of God, is the scary and uncertain part.

a few weeks ago...our ministry for the day...going and asking the Lord (ATL) to guide you to a place, and a person/s. all the while listening for His leading of words of love and prophecy.

the five of us with the vision of the city jumped on a bus and headed toward the square. for me, this was a timed filled with prayer and gladness. prayer first, that we will meet people to speak life into or a get a specific focus to pray on and not wander around aimlessly; glad because two of the gals could speak spanish...at least good enough to get around and speak a somewhat coherent conversation. with them i felt much better equipped to speak to the people, much better than my hola.

so with great expectations of loving on the costa rican people, we prayed, split into two groups and were off. we found ourselves wandering around to find the central part of the city, stopping to take pictures and enjoying the view. i glanced at a street solicitor and saw him being pursued by the police when I heard the words...

"do you speak english?"

we found ourselves being introduced to an american, a guy from california who was extremely excited to meet someone who spoke english, (I know the feeling).

from that point on we learned that ronnie had been traveling around for about a week, ran out of money, and was in the recovering stage of being shot in the leg back home(explaining the cane that he had).with extreme humility he asked for money or something to eat. with a glance between the three of us and with no hesitation (we knew he was "the person") we said "no problem" and walked to the nearest pizza hut.

after ordering, and with polite and sincere thanks, ronnie was ready to be dismissed. but God wasn't finished with him yet. in my spirit i knew that there was more. "can we sit and chat a bit?" were the words that proceeded out of my mouth.

among the next ten minutes came a time of reassurance of God's love for ronnie, and other words and prayers of covering over his life. this was truly a man that the Lord was pursuing and inviting him into a closer connection with. he seemed receptive and his spirit was open to the words from God.

i left there grateful that God was able to use us. i was also dumbfounded and amused that with thousands of miles away from america he used us to speak love and truth to someone from the u.s.a. we came here to love and serve on the people of costa rica and God had us at that particular time and place speak and provide for an american brother.

everyday i am blown away by God using me. regardless of where i am, whether in america or traveling around the world i am called to be open to love, speak truth and affirmation from the Lord. that is missions: being available and open to God's leading and instruction by pouring into people and striving to love them with the openness and sincerity God asks us to. whether we have a corporate, manual or labeled "missionary " position we are all doing the thing that we were asked to do. we just need to all do it with the same obedience, genuine love, openness and fortitude.

Reflection on The Day of Impact

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When the Lord first told me to fast and pray for men it felt so definite and clear. Then the idea just began to unfold including calling all women from all over the world to participate.

What I never realized was the true impact that it would bring. First, I have been so encouraged from the response of the women, my dear sisters in Christ. The responses to me and on my blog just confirm the purity of hearts, humbleness and true support for the men in our lives and of the world.

Thank you so much for your support and participation. I know many of you sent the word on to other women and I thank you so much for believing in this vision and calling.

Second of all, I wasn't expecting response of any, from the men that we were interceding for. However, I received two emails that expressed such gratitude and complete answer to prayer. Both of them had a thankful heart for the acknowledgement of the attacks on their lives, for prayer and our repentance. This had been something that they have been waiting and praying for. This alone brought much support and true affirmation of what the Lord was calling us too. Thank you guys!

The Day of Impact for me in Costa Rica was great. I felt the Lord was calling me to fast breakfast and lunch and then break it with dinner. He also gave the vision to have our squad of girls pray in the morning and then in the evening covering our six squad guys in prayer and blessings.

The prayer was amazing! We started this time with praising God with truth of His character and also for the men that He created. This time was truly impactful and was so essential in getting our hearts pure and in tune to His Spirit. Then we paired up and sat before the Lord and asked Him to reveal the things we needed to repent for on behalf of the men. Wow! This was impactful for me to realize the things that I may have done that have offended my true brothers (Mark, Eric and Dennis) and other guys that are in my life. It was such freedom to lay them before God, my Father, and know that it is done and forgiven. My heart was light and full of awareness of how to be deliberate in honoring them in different ways. We then came back as a whole group(about 16)held hands, and finished the time with lifting up specific prayer coverings over fathers, brothers, nephews, uncles, friends, future husbands, and general prayers over all men.

After over an hour the time was blessed and ended. It was a great beginning to the day that was to bring much prayer and uplifting of those men we truly love and respect.

The evening prayer was very special. I, along with a couple of the other gals was able to share wonderful testimonies of support that they received from both men and woman about the day.

We then circled around our guys, (the brave, warrior, serving brothers) who have become our family over these months. We covered them in prayer, bound up things over their lives, proclaimed protection and blessings over them. It was truly a night of unconditional love for them.

I know that on the day of April 30^th we as prayer warriors made an impact. The heart of God was blessed for our obedience and heart to intercede for His sons. We truly did storm the gates of Heaven and stirred up the gates of Hell. The Enemy is not happy to see this type of interceding and the outcome that it will produce. Please continue to cover the men we love in prayer.

One of the awareness's that many of us woman had was that we don't lift up the generation of boys and men often enough. We were convicted and encouraged to do so on a more regular basis. I know that there is going to be changes and answered prayers to our interceding. Let this day be only the spark to a wild fire that will continue.

I know the positive responses I have had thus far really encouraged me, so if you have a testimony of this day to share please post them on this blog. I know that these stories are a testament of God's goodness, power and love. And I know that sharing the impact of this day will bring even more confirmation of the power it had.

So sisters, please be blessed! encouraged! and know that your are loved! and appreciated!

Again, thanks for your love and support!

Where in the World? Costa Rica

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The final continent is here!!! Central America here we are...Costa Rica... Panama...Guatemala? ... Nicaragua.

Our teams' heart is ready and expecting great things from these last months of ministry.

We have been here in San Jose, Costa Rica for almost a week... debriefing, praying, unifying as a squad and catching up on sleep. (The time change surely wiped us out J). We are at a WYAM base and really enjoying our time.

Over the past days we as a team/squad have been seeking the heart of God on the direction of where He wants us. Some teams have had some direction while others are feeling that we are to continue to be together as a squad (which we haven't done yet), stay around San Jose and do ministry opportunities around there with mixed teams while continuing to connect with the community around here.

Three of my teammates Aaron, Seth and Traday went on a venture to Limon, a city on the East Coast to scope out some ministry opportunities. We know that "ministry" can be anything. Our heart for this time is to seek God daily and ask Him for guidance. So this is the adventure...going out in faith, obedience, and trusting Him to show us where to go, who to speak to, pray with and help.

Please continue to keep us in prayer during this process but also for the rest of our journey. We don't want any of these last months to be consumed by thoughts of "going home and the future ahead." Our lives are here, in the present moment, to be impactful and impacted by God's direction.

The question still remains... Where in Costa Rica?

A Day of Impact...April 30th

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago I was fasting and the Lord clearly asked me to pray and fast again.

"Pray and fast for the men of all ages and generations"

Within those few brief moments God revealed to me a real burden, concern, respect and love for my brothers in Christ.

The whole vision then began to unfoldA call for all women of all ages and from all generations to rally together for a day of fasting, repentance and interceding for the boys and men in our lives, in others' lives, and in the world. Men are created to be Godly strongholds, pillars and towers for their families and for future generations around the world. Some men today walk boldly in this call on their lives. Others need to learn how to do this; they are capable - they just need encouragement and empowerment.

The Lord showed me that for far too long, men have received attacks - on their character, on their intentions, on their actions or lack thereof. Then the Lord shared with me how we as women can positively influence this to make change. We are to enter into their world with encouraging, uplifting and interceding words and actions.

Beyond prayer, I was asked to repent (ask forgiveness) on behalf of how I and generations of women have thought about, disrespected and treated men in our lives. Any thought, frustration, attitude and word that wasn't uplifting or edifying to them I was to ask forgiveness for. As the first step I asked forgiveness from the men of the September 07 and January 08 squad. This time brought encouraging verbal affirmation on the impact that this call of obedience is going to bring.

Along with interceding and repentance, fasting was the last part of the process. I believe that fasting brings the cry of one's heart to a closer intimacy and urgency to the Lord. It can be a fast of food, things, events, etc.

The day that was chosen is Wednesday, April 30^ththe last day in April.

Join me for a day of impact: impacting men's' lives, our lives and therefore the world!!!

The vision that the Lord showed me was that this needs to spread like wild fire. The more women that are prayingthe greater the intercedingthe greater the changethe greater the impact. Please join us on this day. Send this message to women all over the worldeven send them this blog.

I believe that God is calling thousands of women to participate on this day!

A few things that are laid on my heart for us to intercede for our brothers about:

-Godly men to come along side each other - covenant brothers that will love, challenge, and uplift and hold each other accountable.

-Direction in the calling the Lord has put on their lives and to rise out of a life of discouragement and confusion.

-For a life that rejects passivity and abounds in courage, strength and power.

-That they would be men who pursue the woman God has chosen for each of them (if called to marriage) and that they would then lay down their life as Christ laid down His.

-Vision, obedience, encouragement and power to step into spiritual leadership of their family.

As this day comes nearer my prayer is that God will reveal to each woman what this day looks likefor things to pray for, repent for and fast of.

The call of obedience for this day is so strong. I can't wait to see the change that this is going to make! Thank you for joining me in uplifting the men that are currently impacting and will continue to impact our lives.

World Race Style

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

World Race Style

The way of the World Race is to live cheaply and wisely with our monies. So, plane flights aren't any different. The cheaper the flight the more layer over and flight changes. So if it is any indication of how long our travel route was in our journey from Africa to Central America then our flight purchase had to have been a great price!

We left Johannesburg, South Africa---Zurich, Switzerland(11hr flight)---six hour layover(for some)---Madrid, Spain(2 hr flight)---25-30hr layover---Bogota, Columbia(11hr flight)---13 hr layover in airport---San Jose, Costa Rica(2 hr flight)

We traveled 4 days---4 continents--- 5 countries--- 6 cities. I certainly call that a World Race!

Even though it may have been exhausting it was an amazing four days and certainly ordained. The twist in the schedule came when eight of us gals had a six hour layover in Switzerland while the rest of the team went directly to Madrid. For me, that certainly was an incredible blessing!! My friend Astrid is Swiss and it had been almost four years since I had seen her (she visited me in the States). So with email, the proposal to see her in Zurich on Monday was sent. The ordained part came when her holiday break from teaching occurred that Monday and she was able to meet us at the airportfrom which she only lived fifteen minutes away!

The time with her was so sweet! The three and a half hours together around the city was great and such an answer to prayer. Walkingtalkingsight seeing praying coffee shop and chocolate time. It was the perfect moment and it left me with renewed hope of seeing her again with longer time to spend.

The journey to Spain was unknown to me in what it would curtail. I was certainly surprised on how much I enjoyed the city and the people. The buildings, alley ways, food and atmosphere were amazing! I got a chance to walk the streets, visit shops, two museums, eat local foods, and take the subway system. What an exciting time!

The twenty-four hours there was well spent and it seemed as if the hours were stretched instead of passing by in lightening speed. It was defiantly a treat to visit and it left me with an itch to come back and see more of this Spanish country.

The rest of the journey was long and filled with sleep. We camped out at the airport in Columbia for thirteen hours. I blogged, slept on benches, drank hot chocolate and ate Mc Donald's breakfast (my first on the Race).

The entrance to Costa Rica was long awaited for. It did not come up short ended. The place is beautiful!...full of mountains, beautiful buildings and home structures, familiar stores and surroundings.

We are in expectation on what the Lord has in store for our team. We have surrounded the decision in prayer. We are excited to see where the Lord has us for the month in Costa Rica.

The past four days have been a whirlwind but defiantly guided by God's hand. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I have enjoyed the journey.

A Week of Impact

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The last days of Africa were filled with many impactful moments.

After my time in Backdoor, South Africa, we headed over the border yet again to Mozambique.

Our contact over there was through the ministry of Iris. This was started through Roland and Heidi Baker (an amazing book you should readAlways Enough by Heidi and Roland Baker). This ministry focuses on taking care of the orphans. They have started a couple of orphanages in Mozambique and it has carried over into S. Africa. Their impact there has been tremendous! Their heart, compassion, and obedience are huge and the miracles they have seen and done through God are even greater! So it was a great honor to be able to head over there and be involved with this ministry.

When we were first told about our options Lynne presented the need of Don. He is a widow from the states who has been in Africa for about six months and is at one of the bases of the Iris ministry. This particular place, called the Benjamin Project took in orphan boys who have grown up in an Iris orphanage and are now young men (early to middle twenties). Because of being institutionalized since childhood many have become dependent on the system. This home has 13 men that are still finishing school (due to the Civil War)and the vision is to equip them for independence through getting employment and establishing the right situation to get married and raise a family. Don is there to guide and mentor these young men.

When we met Don, he was overwhelmed! There was an abundant amount of jobs to be done, and he was at the end of his ropes emotionally, spiritually and physically. It was amazing to see the needs and jump right in. The thing that popped out during the week was that our team was able to utilize our gifting and passions to bless Don. And in turn we received blessings because we were serving in our elements.

Traci jumped in with excitement at being able to use her love for cooking. She helped with organizing and cooking amazing meals all week, which ministered to Don (a bachelor) through his stomach and to his spirit. J There was a physical and emotional improvement to Don's appearance just after the weeks of being therequite astounding. We were also certainly blessed to reap the benefits of her skills too! She even took on the huge task of cooking a duck which defiantly turned into a gourmet meal.

Megan and Krystal baked to their hearts content. The homemade goodies were just what the doctor ordered. Cookies and brownies, oh my! They were also awesome side kicks for painting and jumping in on other odd jobs, what an amazing help they were to and Molly and I!

Traday's eyes immediately went to the patched up, unpainted living room wall. Her vision was orange and she immediately went to action to turn the eye sore into a masterpiece. It was fun to see her as she mixed the colors to get the perfect result. It certainly turned the living room into a homier and beautiful environment. She was also a trooper. Working alongside the guys in physical labor she glowed as she carried bricks and trimmed trees. She defiantly utilized her gifting and dove into diverse ways of serving.

The moment I saw Molly her eyes were beaming. She was ecstatic to conquer "the wall". Dons vision to have a wall map of his area came to fruition. Molly's knack and eye for scaling out the map was impressive. She tackled it with precision and ease. It turned out amazing!!! Now Don can pray over the areas and post on "the map" where he has been able to do his Jesus film ministry. It certainly was a dream that came true for himthanks Molly!

Seth used his multi skills in many ways. His muscles were used many times as he tackled the hard labor jobs of digging, and moving cement blocks. He spent many days in the hot sun laboring in love. His knack for future planning was an essential for Don. They worked together and Seth helped plan a budget, future goals and visions for the project and Don's personal life. This brought amazing support for Don who otherwise gets a little side tracked and overwhelmed. It was a blessing for him to get things in order (I defiantly know how he feels J ). Seth was also a trooper when he came down with a 36 hr bug. It seemed to attack every part of his body. Praise God it wasn't Malaria (which is always a strong option), he was a regular fixture on the couch for a couple of days but he quickly returned to the work scene with vigor and strength.

Aaron's heart of servant hood was his pillar of strength. He became my amazing sidekick on the "office" project. His carpenter skills were defiantly stretched and developed during this time. He jumped into starting and finishing many jobs that needed completion. He was defiantly there and willing to be of service at any time. His second language of Spanish (similair to Portuguese) seemed to be such an asset as he dove into communicating with the guys. His heart for relationships and disciplining was seen throughout the day as he was able to hang out and work among some of them. I know that these relationships played a huge life changing impact on him and vice versa. It was encouraging to see him walking in his elements of passion.

When the list of to do things was presented, my eyes went automatically to the "office". At the time it wasn't but a storage room. Everything and its brother were thrown in there. But the need was clearDon needed a space of his own a haven a room that had organization and would spur him onto doing the business side of running the projecthis own spiritual domain. My decorative mode kicked in along with episodes of Trading Spaces, Design on a Dime and other TLC programs running through my head. My vision was clear but could it be done with Africa standards and materials?

We cleared, cleaned, painted (double coats...ahh!), and constructed. Meg and Krystle tackled the first round of painting with me and Aaron was my carpenter. He did a great job taking on the vision of the built in desk and back wall shelves. I was in my glory as the room started to take form. I had to breathe deeply and allow things to happen at their own pace. Even though we didn't get everything done (the back shelves for storage) it turned out amazingly.

I don't think Don cared about anything but the room being cleared and blue being apart of the vision. He quickly took comfort in it (even when it wasn't finished and fell asleep at his new desk). But he shared in even more excitement as the furniture, curtains, pictures and lamp were moved in, to complete the vision of his own office study. The satisfaction for me was to see it come to completion. I truly was in my element as I took something that was disastrous and turned it into something comfortable, warm and beautiful.

The rest of our days were filled with visits of the Iris orphanages, Jesus film ministry nights, church services ,relationship building opportunities, and stolen iPods(which were returned but that is a whole other story). It was a pack filled week and a half but it defiantly was an impactful one! Over and over again we felt the huge appreciation from Don. His burden began to be lifted and his spirit became light. It was so encouraging to know that these weeks made a difference for him and also for us.

The body of Christ defiantly was edifying, lifting, serving and encouraging during this time. It was certainly a privilege to be apart of that.

Christmas in April

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Christmas in April

The moment I have been anticipating has finally arrived. Four months later I find myself continuing to celebrate Christmas. My Christmas packages have come!

Ideally, besides the worries of having my packages lost, opened, and them never catching up with me, this may have been one of the best times to receive the amazing cards and goodies. Lately I have been missing all of you (my family and friends) tremendouslythe kindred spirits and supporters who know me and still love me. So, this was a great time to be reminded of you!

My eyes couldn't comprehend all of the cards!(30 beautiful ones!) Wow Christmas in April.

The cards, photos, and goodies from everyone were so thoughtful! I was truly shocked, blessed and excited to see the love from all of my community and K.B. White friends back home(Nancy thanks for the pics!). I had no idea that they were being sent and it was truly amazing.

I finally received my Bebo Christmas cd (thanks sis! ) and that has played over and over again as I have reread the cards( I love my card Maddi), ate some goodies(I miss my York's!) and remembered each of you back home.

From the bottom of my heart, thanks. It truly meant a lot to have you send your love and blessings to me.

Please continue to post comments, send prayer requests, and remember me in your prayers. The next three months in Central America will fly by but my focus still needs to be on serving and being open to God's guidance and word for His people. Love you all and Merry Christmas!

Pure Worshippers

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Pure Worshippers

Sometimes, in any situation certain things just pop out at me as impactful.

Last week while I was still in South Africa I stayed at Backdoor, a Black Township near Nelspruit. The experience of living with Linda and her parents among the community was great. Going to a football(soccer) game with the boys from their church, picking up food for the daily feeding programs, cleaning and organizing the garage in order to store donation items, and having "tea" time with them as their God stories unfolded. What precious moments these are when I get to spend time with others who have abandoned the "normal" life to respond to a calling to love and care for a community that is amongst the poor and orphaned.

What really struck me to the core was the Sunday service we went to. The tent church is right in the community and seems to stand as a beacon of light.

With many chances to visit African churches around the continent, the one thing that always strikes me is the worship. This day holding no differences I just surrendered to the music and allowed His Spirit to guide me.

The worship in Africa is so uninhibited. Men, women, and children, all worship with freedom and passion. During a point of the service they called upon the children to come up to the front to join in the worship time.

This was the impactful moment.

There in the front stood a group of uninhibited worshippers.

I don't think I can recall seeing children so pure, joyous, and focused on praising and worshipping God with their hands, lives and words. This was a sight that would bring tears to the eyes of many, challenge their lives to deeper greatness, and spur them on to have a life of faith that these children held unto.

A mind can easily go to the challenging verses about having a childlike faith, and the assurance of having "this" faith for inheriting the Kingdom of God. The reflection of seeing these children intensely and sincerely worshipping the One they love and trust brought me to conviction.

How easily, one can get tangled among the routines, worries, concerns, deadlines, and future plans. What the future may hold, how to change it, manipulate it, and figure it out on ones own ability is a struggle that many in adolescent and adulthood have on a daily basis.

There, among those pure worshippers my heart plead with the One who knew me. My pure hearts desire and strong intensions has been to seek my Fathers full inheritance. I know that the Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth and to the core of my being I want what He fully has for me.

Along with this pleading brings fear, overwhelming emotions, insecurities and doubt of His and my abilities. However, seeing the children, their faces full of faith and genuine love brought me to a renewal of hope.

I have been theremany timeswhere full surrender, faith and trust ruled over my life and decisions. Where my life was worshippureuninhibitedfaith filledtrustingand real. Just Him and I.

An overwhelming amount of peace and love surrounded me. As I was reminded of how to respond and receive this faith, for the moment I was there. Entering into this pure worshipwhere faith, trust, and a genuine surrendered heart enter into the Lords domain.

That is where I belonged.

And it felt amazing.

Where in the World? Mozambique

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It is amazing when you sit and listen and what the Lord does in those moments and times. The three day fasting for our team was amazing! Right before starting the solitude and fasting time we were offered to stay at two amazing homes during that time. Having real shelter over our heads and the comfort of a bed alone brings extra peace and comfort to a situation. It was truly a retreat with the Lord.

I had never fasted for that long, and the Lord was so faithful in that time. I don't even recall my stomach grumbling at all. He sustained me and brought me into His presence and guidance many times in those days.

At the end of the fasting we had several opportunities that were presented ahead of us. Half of us felt led to stay about 4 more days in Nelsprite, where we stayed in a blacktownship. We were able to help and fellowship with Linda, and her parents Bob and Sue. We had such a riot with our English friends. I was defiantly glad to stay a little longer to help them out. (Look soon for a blog! )

The other four headed to Mozambique to help out with Don and his ministry there. And today the rest of us( Traday, Aaron, Seth, and I) are heading to Mozambique. Due to heading to a more rural area we are leaving communication behind. So in a week I will be back online and looking forward to sharing what the Lord has done and the amazing folk we will meet and be able to love on, and vice versa.

Thanks for your prayers,comments and emails. They are truly appreciated! Love you all!

Doubles Aren't so Bad!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With my birthday being in March (came and gone...March 6^th), I was holding more of a pessimistic view of my upcoming 33^rd year.

My thirties thus far have been amazing, full of life, discipline, trust, and growth. I really don't morn my twenties, but the past months have been a bit difficult as I was approaching 33.I really can't say what it was, why all of a sudden thirty-three wasn't holding the same joy and fulfillment, it just wasn't.

As the days grew closer, I was reminded that this was Christ's death and resurrection year. It probably was the hardest year of His life, but in the end He accomplished what He came for, and is now sitting in glory at the right hand side of our Father.

That was encouragement! I am in the year of "our" salvation, at the age when He died for me! This brought so much perspective.

Plus it is also a doubles year. If I live to be 99 it only occurs nine times in my life time. And this being only my third time, I thought I better enjoy it! My team kept teasing me because for the past few months I have been telling people that I was 33, and they insisted that I couldn't claim that yet! It sure did help though, by the time I actually did turn 33, it didn't seem so bad after all.

My birthday day, was actually amazing!

To my family and friends back home..a humongous thank you! The emails before, on and after my b-day were amazing! I loved the notes, e cards, and the video (you rock Deb!) I felt so remembered and loved. Thanks for responding to the birthday fairy's message (she is really good at that J ). It didn't make the homesickness as bad!

On March 6^th I woke up to a great b-day breakfast, of pancakes (birthday cake shaped), eggs, fruit, juice, and hot chocolate. It was so good and brought back great memories of past birthday breakfast times.

Then we had our first teaching time with just our team with Gary and Lisa. Lisa spoke about grief (great stuff), then I headed to the internet and later on headed to the salon with Molly and TraDay for a pedicure and a facial.

I have never gotten a salon facial before and it was fun and relaxing. It was great because the owner was a Christian woman and she had an amazing story, so it was so pleasant to chat with her.

In the evening we headed to The Rustic Tavern for dinner. The evening was filled with salads, pizza, and multiple birthday toasts. I also got b-day notes from each of my teammates, which in itself totally speaks to my love language of words of affirmation. That truly blessed me.

Molly was making an amazing chocolate cake by scratch. It took a while, we ate at 11:00, but it was sure worth it!!!! A chocolate cake, with chocolate whipped frosting.mmm mmm good!

The evening ended with me getting a beautiful green wrist purse from Molly and the team (she had bought it back in Cambodia...so thoughtful!) filled with chocolates and candies.

My thirty- third birthday was indeed blessed! I am now looking at this year with anticipation of what the Lord has in store for me. I no longer am dreading it but instead looking forward to it.maybe this doubles thing isn't so bad.

Where in the World? South Africa...?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As of now our team has been in Nelspruit, South Africa since Tuesday night.

Since we have been in Africa the teams have been given more freedom to be guided in prayer as to where we would spend our three months serving in Africa. We were in Swaziland, Mozambique(Molly and I ) and now in S. Africa.

The only direction we knew thus far was to head to S. Africa. We needed to have our team debit card sent to us(since it was stolen), and to get other things done(like access to hi-speed internet :) ) It has been a really nice refreshing time.

Since then I have been to Kruger Safari Park, blogged alot, watched a movie, had great quiet and listening times with God, and have had great fellowship and worship time at a home church we visited with Mike and Lynn.

Our team is really wanting to be spirit led and to hear the voice of God, so every morning since we left, we have been setting time aside to ATL it(Ask the Lord) where we should go next. We have all felt that our direction is to bathe ourselves in prayer, worship, praise, and intimacy with the Lord. We have felt that it is His presence that He wants us to experience more of, so we have been setting time aside to do so. And so far no further direction on where to go, but that He is just enjoying this time with us.

So in the next day or so we as a team are going to enter into 3 days of prayer, solitude and fasting. We are anticipating to see, hear and feel more of His vioce and presence.

Please lift us in prayer during this time. We truly want to have our hearts, mind and spirits clear during this, so that we can truly be filled and blessed by Him.

I can't wait to see and share what He does and reveals to us. Hopefully by the end of the week we will be able to answer "Where in the World?" our next destination will be.

I got hit...

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I got hit.

So let me ask you"have you ever met anyone that has been hit by a coconut?"

I could have honestly said "no" until last Saturday...when one fell on me!!!!

The story goesMolly, Matthew and I took two days and stayed on the beach, to recoup after ministry time. We were going to a pool to escape the sandy beach and I was excited about catching some more late sunrays. So I grabbed a chair and moved it into the sun and settled down with my book and began sipping from my cold coke.

As I was deep in reading, WHAM I was struck by something on my leg! My first thought was "who threw a football at me"? (I automatically thought in U.S. terms) than reality hit that there would probably be no footballs in Mozambique AND that hurt way more than a football! Sure enough I looked down just in time to see a coconut bounce off my leg and into the pool several feet away.

All that escaped from my mouth was "oh my gosh, oh my gosh", which alone brought Molly running to me. Without any more words escaping, she took the book out of my hand, and I immediately went into to shock. "It hurts, it really hurts" was all that was released out of my mouth for the next minute or so. Then my emotions immediately turned to laughter. The shock of the event was slowly being released and the reality of the ridiculousness and probability of being hit by a coconut was brought to the surface. Matthew ran and got ice, and for the next hour or so, I iced it, swam in the coolness of the pool water and marveled over the fact that it was only my leg that got hit.

As the day unfolded and more people heard my random story, local people shared the fact that coconuts falling from trees and hitting people has been the number one killer in a years time and the number three source of deaths overall in Mozambique.

Wowzer! Praise God that I wasn't but a foot or so farther out or I too could have been another statistic. Who would have ever thought that I would have to include on my list of ways not to die being hit by a coconut.

Well the big nasty bruise is quite an eye sore and was very painful for the first couple of days, but it has been quite an exciting story to share.

How many people can actually say "I have been hit by .a coconut". I can!!!!

Unexpected Makeovers

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Unexpected Makeovers

Many times in my life I just want to crack up over circumstances that occur. It is not a new realization to many, that I love people. And I love how God knows that this is an important aspect of who I am. So in many times of traveling He has brought people across my path to bless me and fill me up.

A theme that has shown itself to be on each continent thus far is the unexpected chance of meeting people as I am doing some type of beauty treatment.

For example the first time was in China as we were heading on a 24 hour express train to Beijing. After you have slept on the bunks and most likely in the clothes you had on the day before you feel quite gross. So there are quarters that hold sinks and mirrors. It gets quite busy as people are washing faces, combing hair and brushing teeth.

As I am doing this same morning ritual one of the attendees was also applying makeup and fixing her hair. I smiled and made a gesture that was a positive remark about her makeup and the way her eyes looked. Then all of a sudden I found myself in her bunk quarters applying face and eye makeup. Then it moved onto the hair.

There is nothing Asian about me except maybe my white German/Czech skin but nothing else. So to say the least the China baby doll look didn't quite fit me but the process was certainly a blast and I made a friend along the way!

The second experience was recently in Mozambique as we were waiting to head back to Swaziland. You have to go to the bus rank early and wait for hours for them to fill up and then you head on your merry way. My nails were quite rough looking so I pulled out my amazing porcelain file and started the nail shaping process.

Walking toward me with a funny facial expression and interest in my beauty routine was a young guy(in mid twenties) dressed in upper layered clothing, wool hat, a unicorn beaded necklace, and moon boots; all in the heat of 80degs +. He was carrying a golf club, and had a stuffed animal hanging form his belt. He was quite an eclectic!

He sat down, took my file, said something, and started filing away! I literally cracked up! Everyone at the station was amused, and was astonished with the beauty parlor episode. He was actually doing an ok job. After the first hand he quickly moved on to the right hand, which was done a little to close for comfort and a bit more careless but it was still another opportunity to somewhat spark a friendship.

During the makeover process I did try to understand some of his communication but even my friend Orlando (who is fluent in 8 languages) couldn't even understand what he was saying. Molly had slipped some money in my pocket just in case he wanted something at the end of the filing process. As he ended he motioned toward the file as to ask if he could have it. My initial response was no, and he soon said goodbye.

After a minute or so I remembered I did have another one (given as a b-day present before I left), so I ran up and gave it to him. He was surprised and looked appreciative. He had another trinket to add to his random collections. And I have another story to add to my makeover experiences!

The newest endeavor on the path to a new makeover success is the recent nomination for our team. I am a huge fan of What Not to Wear. And since our team has pretty much faced fashion disaster these past months I thought it would be so amazing to get refreshed for our reentry into the U. S. So about a month ago I logged on and saw an opportunity to nominate us for a reunion special. And of course we all have loving friends and family that haven't seen us for a year, so I nominated us. It has been about a month so far and I haven't heard anything yet. But our hopes are high and our prayers are fervent.

Who knows what the future holds. So far I have had unexpected makeovers in each continent. As we are coming nearer to our Central America destinations, and then back to the States, I am in anticipation of what could be ahead. So far, it has been a blast and an enjoyment to dive into these fun makeover and relational opportunities!

Matters of the Heart: Part V

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hungry to Learn

The one thing that I was constantly amazed by was the willingness of the women who came daily to the care points. It was all done on a volunteer basis and they wanted to be there. The days were filled with 25-35 children coming from 8am-12pm for food and instruction. None of the women are certified to teach or have an education but they all have willing and serving hearts.

One of the days I substituted at a care point almost brought me to exhaustion! And that is defiantly hard to do. The children were without discipline, ran around the room, hitting, and weren't instructed to listen and learn. The poor teacher just looked at me for help. And I didn't blame her one bit! How overwhelmed I would have been! Fortunately I was able to pull out all the tricks of the trade and it ended up being an ok morning.
Seeing the need for help was a way that got all of us thinking of how to equip them to survive the day with the children. The need I saw was giving them structure of time frames, showing them what a typical 8-12 day would look like with the children, and equipping them with lessons and songs It was so cool to see how God unfolded the whole process. My team was amazing and worked so many hours helping with putting together kits for all six of the teachers. There was a lot of tracing and cutting. But it was filled with fun, laughter, and sodas for everyone.

So on a Thurs we had a workshop titled "A day in the Life of a Child". It started at 9-2:00 with about ten women who participated. The idea was that everyone became the child and I took them through what a typical day would look like: morning circle, breaks, English and Math times and quick lessons on age appropriate lessons and discipline techniques. There was an hour and a half where they took materials needed for calendar and weather and they were able to create their own. It was great to equip them and show them how to create their own teaching materials.

My care point hadn't been incorporating teaching in the mornings with the children but we still invited the care point leader and asked her to bring another woman with her to the training. I didn't know how much they actually wanted to be there and how much they would actual do at the care point so it was truly exciting to see them the very next day finishing up the materials and taking ownership over it! And in the next few days I had a chance to visit another care point and it was great to see the materials out and the teacher ready to go.

It was my first workshop to orchestrate and I was so ecstatic that all the details came together. It was great to equip people who really wanted to learn, even though they had never been educated in any of it. The next week we did another workshop (a bit shorter) and it was to provide the women the vision to start there own business's by making products that could be sold in a market place. Seth did a great job presenting and Molly gave a blessing and scripture over them. I was able to brainstorm with them products that they could make and sell and individually pray over them. The ideas were great and it was inspiring to hear their excitement of the vision ahead.

The workshop started off with worship and prayer

This was an icebreaker game. A balloon race between teams. What fun!

Seth and Pastor gift teaching and sharing the vision of starting a business.

My time in Nsoko was a great experience. The women there especially were inspiring with their hard work and dedication. And these workshops were a perfect ending to helping these women succeed!

Where in the World? Mozambique

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Where in the World? Mozambique

As you have noticed there hasn't been very much communication over the past few weeks, which was due to me being out of the country of Swaziland. The day after my birthday, Molly and I ventured off for twelve days to Maxixe, Mozambique where we were able to visit a friend of hers who has been working with a Methodist organization since June. The rest of our team stayed back for amazing teaching and discipleship with Gary Black.

So here is a quick low down on our trip.

- A 20 hour trip there- which on the way back only took slightly over 10 hours! And to boot, a 10 hour bus ride with no bathroom break! (you know that is a miracle for any Wheeler woman J) But the amazing thing was being protected in Maputo and meeting safe people who spoke English to guide us to the correct bus. Molly and I had a blast and were filled with the best attitude ever.

- Matthew (Molly's friend) was amazing. I felt as if I had known him for years. He is an amazing servant and has a huge gift of hospitality. He let us invade his room, and home for 10 days, all the while catering to us. We were there to help and serve him but in turn left feeling very rejuvenated ourselves.

- We visited Matthew's church on Sunday morning. I had to go up twice in front of the congregation. Once for my birthday being that week, and the other to share about who I was because we were the visitors. It was a neat service (even though it was in Portuguese) especially since the Youth was running it for that week. It was encouraging to see young people step onto leadership and show a love for God.

- On Tuesday, we went to the small village, Cambine, where Mathew's ministry is and his week days are spent. The village has electricity only from 6pm-8pm (some of the days), and sometimes there is running water. I never got to actually experience the water flow and resorted to taking bucket showers (which wasn't so bad, at least I was cleanJ).

Map of Cambine

- We helped Matthew out with the hospital, which has been his main focus while staying there. It is run by nurses and has been neglected from the civil war, so Matthew has been on a mission to help restore it a bit. Our days were filled with painting doors and cutting wire for the buildings in order to keep the bats out. While our nights were filled with getting our daily cokes, watching the bats fly across the sky, and stargazing.

The finished product. The hospital is looking good!

- We met really neat people who have become a part of Matthew's life and community. Sherri, Deborah, and her son Marquee. They were fun and so gracious to allow us to invade their home and become apart of the household for a week.

Sherri and I catching a drink in a local bakery

Vi-Vi is a young girl who lives with her mom in Cambine, who is a nurse. She was so loving; embracing us, laughing with us, and kissing us right away. She truly had a spirit of spunk and happiness.

Mama John, Craig and Nina were missionaries from S.Carolina who shared their amazing hearts and lives with us. We had a great time with them over dinner with talk about life and God. I was truly blessed by their company.

Lazarus was a neat friend of Matthews. His legs were paralyzed from the war but he still maintains an awesome positive attitude. He makes you laugh and we enjoyed hearing about his love for God and children. He has his own shop where he makes clothing, so of course we had him make us some skirts. We always need more clothes on the race. (Check out Molly's blog on Lazarus. He has had an interesting life)

-We visited the nearby Orphanage in Cambine, and I instantly acquired two buddies. They were precious boys who sat in my lap and held my hand the entire time we toured the orphanage. It was very clean and nice and it was encouraging to see a place that could offer safety and security to these children.

-We had to take a sailboat ride to visit the ocean. It was fun and smooth, which for some reason caused me to get sea sick and throw up. But I felt much better afterward. Another boat ride was so rough and choppy and I was totally fine. Boy, my episodes are surly unpredictable. ;0

-The beaches and Indian Ocean was amazing! I think it was the most beautiful water (crystal clear and warm) and sand that I have seen and swam in. The waves were extra strong on the first day, due to a cyclone nearby, and it brought many laughs as we were taking down by some very small BUT powerful waves.

-We were able to go back to the beach for two days of rest and relaxation. The beach was deserted and we were quite spoiled. Eating, swimming, resting, and taking walks was apart of our routine. It was great when we came back twice to our villa to have our meals prepared and waiting for us. Matthew was a gemserving in action!

-It was a great 11 days in Mozambique. The scenery of Palm Trees and ocean was breathtaking along with the ministry being inspiring. The decision to go forth and move on to a new country was so beneficial and Spirit led. The days in Mozambique was filled with memorable moments that I know will be cherished in my heart.

Not Forgotten

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I have not forgotten.

So here I find myself in a familar setting that I lived in for three weeks, Nasala Safari. Our whole team is here to dedicate and celebrate a new community that is in Nasoko, Swaziland. There have been nightly revivals on the new land every night led by Pastor Gift. We are anticipating a celebratory Easter Sunday. The day will be filled with worship, teaching, and an amazng feast(which includes a cow and warthogs killed for the festivity). It will be a day that will be filled with God's glory and honor for the vision that is coming true.

I have not forgotten.

It has been a while since I have blogged. Due to tempermental flashdrives, slow internet, and blogs disappearing(I am now having to rewrite this AHHH!), it has been a challenge to post anything! But I have some awe inspring stories that are already written to share. So it will be soon that words will flash before you describing my trip to Mozambique, my amazing and loved birthday celebration, the makeover and coconut stories, ministry life and much more!!

I have not forgotten.

So I wanted to say Happy Easter! To to remind us of this amazing death and resurrection day! Christ gave us life to live it to the fullest and in abundance. I am amazed and awed daily that He died so that we may live and be Him on this earth. What amazing power and love He gives us!

As I was writing this blog and now rewriting it...He is telling me that these words are for us..

" I" have not forgotten.

I have not forgotten... the pain, sacrifices, worries,concerns, passions, visions, dreams that you have. I know them and are with you through all of them. I bled and died for them. And my love is abundant enough to cover them.

"By my stripes you are healed", forgiven, saved, redeemed,bought, and loved. And this is enough!

I have not forgotten.

So stay with me and tune into stories that are coming soon to you from a neighboring African country. May God be with you and may you be blessed.

I have not forgotten.

Decisions that Lead to Life

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Decisions that Lead to Life

Every day we make decisions. What to eat, wear who to be friends with, whether to believe in something. We have to decide and say yes and no or maybe to many things.

Two weeks ago as a team we made a major decision. It was a decision that in the end blessed and stretched us; brought joy and sorrow; changed and wrecked us.

A mother of five at one of the care points has been on the brink of dying from AIDS. Tracy had been working at their care point and was immediately moved by her three younger daughters. It wasn't until she met the youngest that our decision to impact these lives came to fruition.

Baby(Moses-we called him) was only four weeks old, weighing less than five pounds, and was in the care of a mom who was weak and unable to breast feed. So Tracy asked her and then us permission and we soon became caregivers (aunties and uncles).

The Wednesday we saw the baby in her arms was filled with preparation. Diapers, clothing, formulaoh my! The next few days was filled with awe of who he was. He was so tiny and malnourished and we quickly went about filling him with love and nutrients.

Within the next few days and on, his days however were filled with ups and downs. By Friday we took him to the clinic for his cough and by the end of that day he was seriously dehydrated. With not a lot of effect from the cold baths and medications we quickly took him on the combie to the nearest clinic. The whole ride was filled with prayer and pleading to God to sustain him and give him life. Water was consistently being poured on him to get any response from his fragile body. It was quite intense especially when one of the passengers looked as us and said "oh he is going to die!" Tracy's responded with "speak life". That's what we did within the next twenty minutes. As soon as we met Pastor Gift, the name of Jesus (which is the true life) was spoken over him. His eyes opened, and he responded. Then we met a precious nurse (dubbed grandma) and she helped nurse baby Moses back and he began to look replenished. Our day was filled with trust and praises of His faithfulness.

Within the days and weeks he began looking and feeling healthy. He actually gained some weight! We quickly fell into a routine of feedings, meds, diaper changes, and nightly sleeps. It was really neat to see how he became a part of our plan and lives for those weeks. When we met for our morning prayers he received blessings and protective coverings. We spoke life into him and prophesied God's will over him.

The lasting cough however still lingered. The latest news of his mother being in the hospital with TB brought a cautious concern of the purpose behind the coughing attacks that was increasing during the night.

However, the hospital in Manzini brought hope and a future for his recovery. He was soon taken on Friday and checked in on Monday morning. The diagnosis was pneumonia. That day and through the early morning he was kept under watch by three amazing servants. (Krystle and two gals from the ministry here). They were there to touch and give him love, feed him, and watch his progress throughout the night.

That early morning, however woke us up with a phone call telling us that baby Moses had stopped breathing and had passed away just minutes ago. It was quite shocking! I don't think any of us saw this for his future. We saw life, a much better one ahead for him. He was going to live and change the world!

Our decision to love him and foster him was supposed to bring life.

But I believe it did. I think it brought life into everyone who met this tiny fellow. It brought hope, encouragement to others who saw our genuine hearts of love and servant hood for this family. The village and community were filled with hope, encouragement and support from "the white folk". It helped them to see our response and love and in the end we were genuinely received as part of the community.

The last two days have played an emotional strain on everyone. There have been experiences of doubt, grief and intense emotional responses. At one point the thought crossed my mind of "was this decision worth it?"the grieve, up and downs, the emotional and time involvement. As these thoughts have all crossed my mindI have also been reminded of people who have chosen this. Vowing to themselves that they won't let themselves love because of a broken heart, won't try to succeed in the working field because of employment rejections, be a loner because people have hurt them or decide they won't eat a certain food because the "first" time was a disaster. Their lives have been halted because of fear, rejections and disappointments. In a sense their lives are being robbed of the fullness of life.

THEN I was reminded that God came to give us life and life to the fullest!

To me all of the decisions I say yes to and enter into contribute to my life. Whether the rest of my life holds disasters, disappointments, sorrows, joys, and thrillsthey are ALL there to contribute to making my life one of change and impact.

I have learned a lot lately from friends who are making decisions that aren't part of the normality of the "good" life. One particular are friends who are adopting two girls that come from a broken past and have some hard times ahead of physical, emotional and physical mountains to climb. They chose into a life that will be hard BUT in the end will bring them life in abundance and to the fullest. Some of her thoughts reflect what many of us feel when we say yes to something that may not be on the easy road of life.

"I just had a thought from GodI need to see being a mommy as being used by God. It is so amazing how fear and anger can cloud God's vision for me. I see it so clearly, now. Duh! I've known that this is God's plan all along. Why have I been trying to do it alone, feeling all alone to figure this out? I am her Jesus and her only way to be loved by him. Oh, my goodnesshow could I be so angry when God brought her here only to be loved. I'm so grateful that I'm hearing God and figuring this out. This is what I mean by learning something new every day. He teaches me how to be a mommy every day and why I'm having trouble with something. He reveals something in the short quiet times that I have."

So far if anything I want my life to make an impact. My friend's lives with the girls may not be a piece of cake but it will be full because they were obedient to a life that God called them to respond to.

For me that may mean that the rest of my life may be full of sacrifices, sadness, deathsbut I do know that I wouldn't have learned and experienced all that I have if I hadn't said yes! I will never have another chance to experience life with this family and mourn with them at Moses' funeral and hold his siblings as they cried over the loss of their brother. That was very hard but irreplaceable!! At that moment I WAS the hands, feet and heart of Jesus to them. And that is a decision that I wouldn't ever want to regret not doing.My life was truly full at that point!

So I commit to saying Yes to a life of decisions that are abundant and to the fullest. Lord I am in!!!!!

***Please check out my teammates blogs! They contain great photos of "Moses" and tell of his life in amazing detail and perspective! Thank you for your prayers!

Matters of the Heart: Part II

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Desiring Love

"There are very few good Swazi men around" Pastor Gift explained to us.

This was the reason given for the fight that happened between two women at the care point that previous day. It happened as suddenly as we were sitting around with the children after receiving their plate of cornmeal. Shouts and then fists began to be thrown. A slight separation to calm them down and discuss what happened only caused them to move down the path a bit. More explosions erupted and a brawl was occurring.

In the meantime I had one of the fighting woman's niece in my arms. She began crying and calling out to her Auntie. It was heart breaking as I was trying to shield her away from the event. What a traumatic thing to see your family giving and receiving something that is causing harm.

It took a couple men and a stick branch to whip at them to separate them for good! There was a quite tenseness in the air. At a certain point in time Zendlle asked me if I was ok and whether I was afraid. Honestly, I told her that I have had to separate several fights in my time but that my fear came more for her young daughter (the women's niece) and what she had to see.

The truth behind the fight was that they were both arguing over a man. The one gal saw the other talking to him and had already claimed him as "her man" so therefore the other was stepping into her territory. The sad thing was, the man was married! He shouldn't have been fought over because he was already taken by his wife!

Ironically, these women are just like me. They want to be loved, desired and taken care of. This situation brought up a similar memory, involving me! Years ago (in our college years) my sister and I got into a major fight over a guy. This guy being someone who probably didn't even really know our names! At that time it seemed reasonable and justifiable but as I stepped outside of it, realization hit. It was actually rather ridiculous and embarrassing! We were fighting over the concept of being loved.

The point is we were created to be loved and wanted. Unfortunately, we naturally go to man for that. My heart burdens for them and the fact that "there are only a few good Swazi men."

Before I left I was able to pray with Zendlle's sister. My ultimate desire and hope is that she would be able to be satisfied and turn to the Man who can in deed give love abundantly. In fact, I wish that for us all.