ORPHAN RETREAT

I just returned home from a very memorable four-day retreat with 52 orphans from Philippi. The theme of camp was, "Born to be a Blessing" and the speakers focused on the orphans' special place in God's eyes, how special they are, and how they are born to be a blessing when teamed up with God. They learned about Old Testament heroes like Gideon, Esther, and David who were weak, small, lonely, or underprivileged until paired with God. We saw that with God all things are possible and mighty, amazing, things can be accomplished.
I want to snapshot one of the many, many, special moments that occurred this past week. We were worshipping one night and I stopped to just listen to the beautiful voices around me. The significance of the lyrics that we were singing really hit me. The song was called, "He Knows My Name" and the verse we were singing at that moment says, "I have a Father/He calls me his own/He'll never leave me/No matter how far I go..." I had tears rolling down my cheeks as I listened to these orphans sing wholeheartedly out to their Father in heaven, the only Father they have. They desperately want to be loved, need to be held, desire to be listened to, and yearn for care and attention. God wants to provide this, and I know that He desires to lavish His extravagant love upon these hurting children. I felt so blessed and fulfilled to be able to hold these kids, cry with them, play with them, listen to them, and worship with them. Please pray that God would continue to make himself known to these kids and be an ever present "Daddy" to them. Please pray specifically for physical, emotional, and spiritual health for these 52 orphans as they are in tough places and are especially vulnerable in Philippi.

World AIDS Day - December 1st

Please join me in prayer for the millions of men, women, and children suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world. I would like to highlight two of my friends who I have had the privilege of getting to know these past three months who could really use our prayers. Both were born with AIDS and both have lost their parents to the disease. The top photo is Sinoxolo, who lives with her brother and an aunt who cares for them. The bottom photo is a little boy named Thobela who lives with 6 other orphans in a home and is cared for by an older woman named Agnes. These are only two of millions of South Africans who have experienced great pain and loss due to HIV/AIDS:

* This nation of 43 million has more than 5.3 million known AIDS sufferers.

* Statistics indicate that 50% of today's youth under the age of 15 in South Africa will die within the next 10 years.

* The AIDS pandemic in South Africa is producing approximately 150,000 orphaned children per year, for which there is not an adequate infrastructure to provide care. It is projected that there will be 5 million AIDS orphans by 2008.

No longer can I read these statistics without picturing the faces of those that I know and care about that are infected with HIV/AIDS. It is easier, now, for me to see that these 5.3 million AIDS suffers in South Africa are real people with real stories, families, homes, and lives. I don't want to believe that half of the kids in the Friday orphan support group will die within the next ten years if things continue as they are going.

The AIDS pandemic is truly a God-sized problem. Please join me in praying that God would move mightily around the world and bring comfort and healing to those who are sick. I pray that people around the world would feel moved and led to be part of the solution. May compassion translate into action as we work together to help those who are suffering.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I wanted to express my thanks and appreciation to all of you, friends and family, for your love, prayers, and support. I am so THANKFUL for each one of you. May you enjoy this special day; what a great opportunity to praise God for the many things he has given!

Please keep Nosicelo's family in your prayers. She was one of the women involved in the HIV/AIDS memory box project. She passed away last week, just after the completion of her box.

SAFARI!!!
This past week I had the opportunity to travel with my parents to Krueger National Park in the northern part of South Africa for a safari. We went on two game drives each day (morning and evening) and were lucky to see the "big five" (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino) while we were there along with wild dogs, hyenas, giraffe, cheetahs, scorpions, snakes, frogs, zebras, and lots of birds and bugs. We witnessed beautiful sunsets and what our guide called, "God art"! It was a great time with my Mom and Dad as we enjoyed riding in the jeep looking at animals, eating, talking, sharing, and catching up. It was an experience I will never forget.
The first night we were there the guide got a call on his radio just as we arrived that a leopard had just made a kill (an ampala). So, we dropped our bags and jumped in the Land Rover jeep to check out the scene. I was speechless as we drove under a tree and a leopard climbed the tree and sat on the branch that hung right above my head. I couldn't believe it!? I was literally within feet of this wild animal and could literally hear it panting. Whew!
So, I am back at work and my family has joined me for the week. My brother met us in Cape Town yesterday (he had to miss the safari due to exams at school) and I am really enjoying sharing my life here in South Africa with my family. I am truly blessed!

Where I've Been...

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I updated you on what I have been up to and how to be praying. Things have been quite hectic around here as we are in the midst of training a new CHE committee. We have been meeting twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) for three hours to talk about leadership, goals, development, and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It has been a lot of fun getting to know a new group of people; worship with them, pray with them, and learn with them and from them. Please keep this new committee in your prayers as they go through applications and decide who the next group of CHE's will be. (If you are unclear about what the CHE program is, please read a previous blog entree called "CHE" to learn more!)

This week I have been working on a really neat project in Philippi with 17 HIV+ women. We are working on memory books. This project is a week long and each day the women come for about 4 hours to be creative, artistic, expressive, and to share thoughts and feelings. They began on Monday by designing covers for their books and discussing the importance of passing things on to those that they love. Next, we worked on a writing wills, which is so important because often when someone dies in Philippi their shack and other possessions are taken by neighbors or relatives leaving nothing for the children. Other items that will be put in the memory book are a family tree, a personal letter to their children, drawings, and personal information about themselves (what they dream about, what makes them happy, what is hard for them, etc.) The whole purpose of the book is to have something for the women to pass on to their children and to help them express thoughts and emotions that may be botled up inside.

As you can imagine, this is not an easy project for these women. However, it is so neat that it can be done in a supportive environment with other women who are also HIV+. Today, we had a really good time of sharing and prayer as each woman talked about what she hopes for. Many talked about the hope that they find in God. Some of the women brought their children along (most of whom also are HIV+). I held a three-month old baby on Monday who was already partially blind and very, very sick. I am beginning to see first hand how devastating HIV/AIDS is in Philippi, and how prevalent it is as well.

Throughout the week please choose a few of these women to commit to pray for as they face the reality of living with HIV/AIDS and seek to find healing in expressing feelings in the memory books that they are making. We have laughed together, sang together, and cried together yet I can't come close to imagining what it must be like to have to face living with a terminal condition like HIV/AIDS. Please pray that they would experience God's peace and comfort.

Please pray for...

Thembisa

Stella

Sonia

Buyiswa

Funeka

Busie

Zoleka

Nosicelo

Funeka

Phumeza

Nosamnkelo

Ethel

Kholiswa

Nosandise

Primrose

Nosipo

Noluthando

Live Performance!!!

On Sunday, one of my worst nightmares came true. We have bad dreams about embarrassing situations happening, but for me this takes the cake (and it was not a dream!) The picture that you see to the left is of kids happily playing outside of church in Philippi, but this was not quite how I was feeling while walking out of church this past week. Try to imagine the following situation...

I had mentioned to Mfundisi, the pastor of the church in Philippi, how excited I was because I had finally learned the words to a Xhosa worship song! He smiled brightly. In the middle of the Sunday worship service someone from the back started singing this very song that I had just learned! I enthusiastically joined in with the rest of the congregation, singing loudly! There aren't any instruments at this church, but the Philippians have such beautiful voices and sing so loudly there isn't any need for instruments. Well, here is where trouble begins....
Mfundisi stands in front of the congregation in the middle of my favorite song and waves his hands (which apparently means "stop singing!") and the whole congregation grew silent. He walks up to Erik and I, who were sitting near the front and grabs our hands, pulling us to the front of the church. He then said, "These two--- they come all the way from Ameerrriiicccaaa! And, they have learned our Xhosa songs!! Please, everyone, stay silent, for they will sing to us a song!" I couldn't believe my ears! This is horrible, I thought! Just because everyone in Philippi has a beautiful singing voice doesn't mean the pastor should assume that I can keep a note, or a key, or whatever it is called! I can't sing to save my soul!!! There is no way out of this situation!
Here I am, a lone white girl with my white friend, standing in front of about 150 silent black people who sing beautifully and are eagerly waiting for me to sing a Xhosa song that I just learned, a capella!
So, what other choice did we have? We started singing! And as I sang (off key and hitting all kinds of wrong notes I am sure!) the congregation started cheering! I couldn't believe it! Pretty soon my voice started quivering a little less and I sang a little louder. They cheered louder! People started standing up and cheering! I realized that my pathetic, musically-challenged, attempt at singing was enough for them-- it was the fact that I was singing in their language that really mattered. By the time we were done the whole congregation was cheering for us! (This is not usually the response I get when I sing! Usually it is, "Hey, someone quick turn up the radio, I think Jen is singing!")
It was quite an embarrassing, nerve-racking, situation that ended up being pretty special to me in the end. The reason is because I felt accepted. Despite my shortcomings and limited knowledge, the people at church on Sunday were willing to accept my attempts. More than that, they accepted ME. I felt loved. This is the perfect example of how God can turn something really horrible (me having to sing in front of the church) into something good (me feeling valued by the congregation and the congregation feeling valued that I would care to learn their language). God is good, huh?

OUDSHOORN, SOUTH AFRICA

About two weeks ago, Erik, Amanda (two other staff members) and I took the weekend and drove to a small town about 5 hours away from where we live. It was here that we visited an ostrich farm. The highlights were...
*witnessing baby ostriches cracking out of the thick shells
*seeing an ostrich "kiss" Erik (meaning pick food pellets out of the corners of his mouth)
*going on a wild ostrich ride (they covered the birds head with a sack to keep it calm and once I got on they took it off and it went wild!)

On this weekend get-away we also took an "adventure tour" at the amazing Cango Caves. These caves have over 20 chambers that extend deep into a mountain. One of the first chambers is big enough to hold 2,000 people! (they used to have concerts in there because the acoustics are so good!) The tour was 2 hours of climbing, crawling, squeezing, and squirming to get through all of the small chambers at the back of the cave. One man on our tour actually got stuck and had to be pulled out by his feet as he exhaled! I am glad to report that everyone made it out alive and with minimal scratches and bruises!

The true highlight of the whole weekend was getting to know my fellow staff members better. Erik, Amanda, and I were able to talk about our lives, ask each other lots of questions, and really become better acquainted. Overall it was a great time and I feel so blessed to have gotten to see another part of this beautiful country.

NOMOFILI, NTOMBOXOLO, AND PHINDILE...

The following are three amazing young women who could really use our prayers right now.



Nomofili is a strong 16 year-old who has been heading a household of orphans, including her sisters, ever since their father died in May. Her extended family have asked Nomofili and her sisters to visit them in the Eastern Cape over the Christmas holiday. The girls don't trust these relatives and are really scared to go. They fear that their relatives will keep them there and force them to drop out of school and work on the farm. Please join us in prayer for them.






Pray for Ntomboxolo (Nono) who is a real leader among the kids in the orphan support group. She has such a sweet heart and has faced many trials as her mother abandoned her, her grandmother who was raising her died, and her father became consumed with his alcoholism. This week her sister started to lose her battle against HIV/AIDS and has been hospitalized. This is a crushing blow to Nono and she needs our prayers along with her sister.



Phindile is another young leader who ministers not only to other orphans, but also to adults in church who are suffering. Her Aunt, who was the breadwinner of the family, got pneumonia (she had AIDS) two weeks ago and died on Sunday. Her death left Phindile's cousins (twin 6-year-old girls) orphaned and now their grandmother is forced to raise 5 children on her pension of $114 per month. The twin girls came to the orphan support group for the first time this Friday, just days after the death of their mother. Please pray for them as they grieve and as they support one another through this difficult time.

PRAISE GOD!!!


I would like to report an amazing answer to prayer. There have been some memorable times in my life when I have truly felt the presence of God in a room or with a group of people. Today was one of those times. God inhabited the room where we gave our CHE lesson and moved mightily! I was incredibly touched, and as we drove away from the meeting I found myself wondering how I was ever going to be able to communicate just how powerful the time was (not because of anything that we said or did, but because God was there and touched our hearts.) I was particularly moved by the passionate, heartfelt, prayers that were offered up to God at the conclusion of the lessons by two of the women there-- thanking God for being with us and asking for more of HIM in our lives. Erik, one of the other members of the training team, wrote a reflection about our time today that I would like to share....

"In a book by David James Duncan, entitled The Brothers K, he has a theme that reoccurs throughout that is called "Hair-lip Prayers". The basic idea is this, there was a scene in the book where one of the main characters who possessed a cleft lip and consequently a speech impediment, prays a passionate prayer at Sunday school. Many children laugh at him and others find it sad or comical, but the narrator comments how it is one of the most honest and real prayers he has ever experienced. The more the children laugh the harder the boy cries, and the louder he prays. In his weakness, through tears and his heavy speech impediment the boy cries out to God from the depths of his soul. The commentary is that we all should desire to pray these kinds of "Hair-lip prayers". We don't need to try to be eloquent, to perfectly construct the most verbally grandiose and poetically crafted prayer, displaying both our piety and wisdom. No, on the contrary, we should seek to pray "Hair-lip prayers", from our weakness and iniquity, through our tears and our impediments, and to a God who doesn't require piety to hear us.
Well today we had another one of our CHE lessons, with our community volunteers. We taught on Alcoholism and Evangelism, specifically sharing the Gospel message. It was a powerful day as we entered into the discussion about our need for Christ and His place in the center of the Gospel. When we concluded, we prayed, and I was moved to tears by the prayers of two women. Alicia and Constance are two of our Knitting Ladies and two of the "Oldies" in the church. Between the two of them, they possess zero teeth. These women unleashed upon God and the rest of us in the room one of the most passionate "Hair-lip prayers" - or I guess from now on we can call them "Toothless Prayers" - I have ever heard. They yelled, and they screamed, and at times they gasped for air, and when one would begin coughing or choking - not waiting to breath before they petitioned God for more - the other one would enter in, with agreements and echoing similar prayers. I didn't understand a word they said, and yet it was quite clear. Through their speech impediments, with mouths full of nothing but gums, they cried out to God, thanking Him for Him.
When I asked Lulama for a translation afterward she said the basic gist was that they were thanking God, and calling out to Him asking for His presence in their lives, for more of Him, so that they may be overflowing with His love and grace as they share with others the Gospel message. It was truly a blessing for me to experience such prayers and to be in the presence of such prayer warriors. More than I could ever know, they battle in prayer over the life of Philippi. These women are so much more courageous and bold than I could ever be. Pray for them as they continue to move out in their community, door to door, sharing such lessons with their friends, families and neighbors. "

Thank you for joining with us in prayer for the community of Philippi and for the beautiful people who live there. God is moving and changing lives and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to witness it happening. The above picture is one that I took in Cape Town earlier this month. It displays the splendor of God's creation. Though it is glorious, it doesn't compare to the beauty I saw today in the form of two faithful, passionate, toothless women tearfully pouring their souls out to their Father in Heaven.

The Hope of Community Transformation...

Community Health Evangelism (CHE)


We are seeing glimmers of what can happen when people are empowered to minister in their own community. We have 24 Community Health Evangelists(CHE's), ministering in over 250 homes, touching close to 1,500 lives. The CHE's are equipped to meet physical needs, assisting people who are ill, helping to prevent disease (especially HIV/AIDS), but they are also equipped to minister spiritually.

Here's how it works:

1) A Training Team of four or five people, made up of nationals and internationals, enters a community and finds a church or community group to host them. They then work together to raise up a Committee that will oversee the work. The nationals on the Training Team are paid and the internationals usually raise support from individuals or churches.

2) The Committee members serve as volunteers and are trained by the Training Team. The Committee then recruits CHE's (Community Health Evangelists).

3) The CHE's are trained by the Training Team to minister holistically (emotional, mental, social, physical and spiritual) in homes throughout the community. They are volunteers who spend 4-5 hours per week visiting between 15-30 homes per month.
The CHE's will each care for approximately 180 people each, so when you multiply this out in the community over 5 years, a single community has the potential to be touching 50,000 people through a single training team. Think of the implications of this kind of multiplication physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually!

Now that you know a little bit about what CHE is, please read the following blog to see how this program is working in the community of Philippi and how you can be praying...

CHE in Philippi...

I am a part of a CHE training team in Philippi along with Erik Anderson (another American staff member) and three Philippians (Manelisi, Elizabeth, and Lulama). To the right is a picture of myself along with two other members of the training team, Elizabeth and Manelisi.
As a training team, we prepare lessons to discuss with the 24 Philippians who have volunteered to be CHE's in the community. A typical meeting includes tea at the beginning followed by a group update on how home visits have been going. Each time we meet, both a physical lesson and a spiritual lesson are taught. Every CHE has a folder to hold information and take notes on subjects ranging from oral hygiene, depression, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, parasites, God's grace, and conflict resolution. As the CHE's go on home visits throughout the week they have a bank of knowledge to draw from when meeting with people and helping them through various problems.
In American culture it is not as common to knock on neighbors doors just for a chat or a quick visit, but in South African culture (particularly in Philippi) this is common and very welcomed. The CHE program has been a success so far in Philippi and has proven to be a great way to spread valuable information to improve physical, emotional, and spiritual health in the community.

PLEASE PRAY:

This Thursday I am teaching a lesson on alcoholism at our CHE meeting. Please pray that good discussion is generated and that the CHE's feel empowered and equipped to try and tackle this tough issue. I hope that we can brainstorm ways to make a difference in the community by starting a support group for alcoholics or for their families. Alcoholism is a huge problem in Philippi as many are unemployed and hopeless and thus turn to alcohol.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Orphan Day and Staff Retreat!

It is hard for me to believe that a month has already passed since I first arrived in South Africa. I have had the opportunity to experience many wonderful things since arriving, but this past Monday topped them all. We spent a whole day with the orphans in Philippi. The kids had a week off of school so we planned a day filled with games, crafts, Bible lessons, snacks, singing, and a balloon toss. The picture that you see is Nontombi (6 years old) and I sitting in the schoolyard watching a group of orphans play football (soccer). It has been a joy watching Nontombi and the other kids grow and build relationships with each other. It is my prayer that they would be "family" for each other and build a strong network of love and support.
One moment that was particularly memorable from my day with the kids was standing in a circle singing a song called "Bambelela". This Xhosa word, Bambelela, means "never give up". The kids sang so loudly and as they sang I glanced around the circle at their faces, faces that are becoming more and more familiar to me. Each child has a story-- and all are stories of pain and obstacles to overcome. It was so powerful to hear them sing this song about perseverence and strength. I know that each of them could (and hopefully will) teach me a lot about reliance on God and trusting Him in the face of hardships.
On Tuesday we left for a staff retreat at Cape Agulhas, which is at the very Southern tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It was windy and a bit cold, but we were excited to see whales just off the coast and enjoy the beauty of the ocean. We bonded through sharing our testimonies and casting a vision for Bridges of Hope in the upcoming year.
Overall, it has been a great week of experiencing God through relationships-- with the orphans and with the staff whom I will be working with for the next year.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

MEET VUYISEKA!


I am happy to introduce you to the youngest member of the orphan support group. Her name is Vuyiseka and she loves to dance (especially during worship time), draw, and be hugged! I have continued to be encouraged by our time on Friday's at the orphan support group and blessed by the love of these little ones!

There is one orphan, in particular, that I would like to ask you to keep in your prayers this week. Her name is Neliswa. She is 15 years old but wise beyond her years. I got a chance to sit down and talk with her at our last support group. She told me about the many hard things she has been through in the past four years; being raped, the death of her parents, living with an aunt whose children don't like her, and the challenges of going to a school where kids know her parents died of AIDS and now ostracize her because of the stigma of the disease. She told me that no one wants to be her friend because they are scared that she also has the disease. It was heartbreaking to hear these things. That night I went through the prayer box (we put a box out at every support group meeting and encourage the kids to write prayer requests and put them in the box so that we know how we can be praying for them throughout the week), and I found the following prayer from Neliswa.


Was I born to suffer?
Was I born to be abused?
No! God had a purpose.
I'm here to fulfill that purpose.
I'm here to praise God
I'm here to stay.

God I hope all the people,
Women and children who suffer
From abuse to be free.

Lord I pray to through all the world
From sunrise to sunset God to
Let us free; let us live God.
Lord as your child please
Lord help us from Cape to Cairo
God let the world know who you are

I pray Lord, ploughing my knees
For you God to help me.
In the name of the Holy God
Amen and Amen!

-Neliswa


PRAISES!

God has really blessed me this week! I would like to report these praises to you and thank you for your prayers...

I MET SOME NEW FRIENDS!!! I walked by the tennis courts near my apartment to ask if I could join a league. I told the man sitting at the desk that I played tennis in college and was interested playing tennis here if they had an adult league. It turns out that the man I was talking to was the coach of the University of Stellenbosh women's tennis team (the University has about 20,000 students). Anyway, he asked me if I was interested in trying out for the University team! I was surprised to find out that in Africa each university is allowed to have two players on sports teams that are not enrolled in the university as students. So, I went to the courts after work and tried out and got invited to play on the team. So, I am playing another year of college tennis! Who would have thought?! Not me! God has blessed me so much through the girls on the team. We traveled on Saturday for our first away match and I have 8 new friends-- all teammates!
Africa is beginning to feel more like home. I found a church that I really like and am getting comfortable with driving and finding my way from place to place. I found a coffee shop that I enjoy and the weather is getting warmer here as we are on the verge of summer.

PLEASE PRAY...

Please continue to pray for the orphans. Pray for their safety and health (physical and spiritual). Pray for Neliswa and that she will find friends who she can have fun with, laugh with, fully trust, and confide in. Please also pray for Sinoxolo, an 8 year-old orphan who has AIDS. She knows that she has AIDS and prays to be healthy enough to keep going to school. She dropped a prayer in the box that said:

"Because I know the thoughts about my life Jesus, I love you so much. I would like you to pray for me whom I love very much. My studies, my home." -Sinoxolo

STAFF!

I wanted to take some time to briefly tell about the staff that I work with here in South Africa. The directors, Dennis and Susan Wadley, are not in this picture, nor are the South African staff-- but I will insert an updated picture including all of us when I can get it.

Erik Anderson is on the top left and to his right are Melinda and Matthew Talley. The three of them are all here until next summer (with the possibility of staying longer). On the bottom left is Victoria Johnson. She just completed a Masters study at Fuller Theological Seminary and is committed to five years here in South Africa. My roommate, Amanda Jackson, is on the bottom right and she is leaving to go back to the States in December after serving with Bridges of Hope for a year. I feel blessed because we all really enjoy each other. We like to play ultimate frisbee together on Sunday's and make trips to the local frozen yogurt store called Marcel's.

We are going on an annual staff retreat next week (Tue-Fri) so please pray that God would knit our hearts together as we learn more about each others lives and discuss our visions for the ministry in this upcoming year.

WHAT A WEEK!

Friends and Family,

I can't thank you enough for all of your prayers and support! I feel it! Really, it has been such a blessing to FEEL God's peace and presence with me this week as I transition into life in South Africa. It has been so hard in some ways and also really wonderful (depending on the moment!) My life has felt like a wild rollercoaster... Here is an overview of the "ride"...

UP UP UP -- I arrived in South Africa without any hang ups! I walked right through customs without even being questioned and all of my luggage made it. I slept 8 hours on the flight and thankfully haven't experienced any jet lag at all. The 10 hour time change didn't seem to negatively affect my body as I have been sleeping 7-8 hours each night since I arrived.

DOWN -- I am feeling more lonely than I expected. I really miss having people around who know me. I have been praying for new friends and a church body to get involved in. I have missed the comforts of home as almost everything here is different from what I am used to. I am learning to drive on the "wrong" side of the road and eating things called "chutney" and "bobotie". More than anything, however, I miss relationships.

UP -- God is teaching me to rely on Him FULLY (I think he knew he had to lead me far, far, away from home before I would really do it!). He is proving that he truly is capable of fulfilling all of my needs.

DOWN -- My credit cards and cash were stolen shortly after I arrived. I was in a training seminar at a local church and someone took them as we stepped into an adjacent room for lunch. I learned that I must be more careful and aware than I was at home.

UP -- I was so blessed to get to be apart of the orphan support group that met this week. On Friday there were about 45 orphans who attended ranging in age from 5-16. I was filled with joy as we worshipped God together and talked to the kids about God's deep love for them. We taught about their importance to God and gave them bookmarks to decorate and write scriptures on relating to this theme. The picture above is of a little boy writing Jeremiah 29:11 on his bookmark in Xhosa.

PRAYER REQUESTS

* Please pray for the many orphans in the support group. Pray that their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs would be met and that the message they heard at group on Friday would become real and touch their hearts. (Many are living in abusive situations where they hear negative, demeaning messages frequently. They find it hard to believe God's love for them.
* Pray that I would learn to be fully present in Africa, and willing to make it my home for the next while, instead of letting thoughts of home fill my mind.
* Please pray that I would be humble, compassionate, and sensitive when working with the orphans, many of whom are hurting deeply.


Thank you!!!

Love,
Jen

Friends and Family,

This past week has been a whirlwind of emotions and events as I prepare to leave for South Africa. Thank you for all of your support and prayers through this process. You will be missed!

I am leaving tonight at a little past midnight for a red-eye flight to Atlanta where I will then catch an 18 hour flight to South Africa. I am looking forward to some quiet time for reflection, prayer, and sleep (hopefully!).

I have spent the past five days in Colorado enjoying time with family and making last minute preparations for departure. I have enjoyed hiking (above is a picture of my Dad, brother, and I after a hike in the Rocky Mountains), reconnecting with old friends, and sharing meals and good conversations with those that I love.

Prayer requests for the next week-- please pray for safe travels and that I wouldn't experience trouble getting past customs and obtaining a South African visa. Pray for a smooth transition into life there and for a community that I can plug into. Pray that God gives me the strength and energy to minister to the orphans who I will be meeting (and an ability to remember their names! :-))

Thank you for all of your support! Here is my contact information:

Jen Goebel
PO Box 7294
Stellenbosch, South Africa 7599

jen@bridges-of-hope.org
(082) 053-5880