LIONHEARTED LANDLOPER

me and Osvaldo me and Miss Amanda my favorite marula  scrubbing the monkey handprints gotta love those butter sandwiches Osvaldo again

    We spent the rest of our few weeks in the beautiful country of South Africa with many different ministries all over the area.     I honestly don't know where to start in describing the past six weeks of my life. I don't know how to communicate the things I have experienced. I don't know what to tell you or how I would begin to do so. I am simply able to tell you what South Africa is to me. South Africa is full of children that are smiling when your knowledge tells you they have no reason to do so. South Africa is a place where servants of the living God are working hard every single day to care for His sheep and spread the good news of our Lord and Savior. South Africa is a place where the sand gets in your bedsheets no matter what precautions you take. South Africa is beautiful. South Africa is full of memories I want to always remember. South Africa is a place where the air smells different. South Africa is where God took me to teach me mo...

            After our first week in Pretoria, we eventually piled into the vehicles and moved to the Africa School of Missions campus near White River in Mpumalanga, where we will be staying for the rest of our time in South Africa. The campus is beautiful, full of mango trees, and right under the shadow of Legogote Mountain.             We spent our first couple days just settling in and helping out in the ASM library with various cleaning projects. We then spent last week helping Reverend Roger at Saint Mary’s Anglican Church with gardening and making house visits to pray for people. Rev. Roger was one of the funniest people I have ever met, and he saw every moment as an opportunity for all of us to break into song.             I have been nearly eaten alive by mosquitoes, but I haven’t gotten any diseases yet so all is well. There is a bea...

She held the phone up to her ear a little tighter. “What do I call this feeling?” she asked him after a moment of silence. The room she occupied was quiet and dark, and it was already far into the night -- the night before her next big adventure. “I think we can call it ‘Traveler’s Anxiety…’” he paused. “It’s like ‘wow, I have to leave everything…’ mixed with ‘wow, I get to see everything...’” And he was right. ***     This adventure has really been so incredible so far.     All twenty-something of us piled onto flight after connecting flight until our lovely 10-hour layover in London. It was really cool to explore the city and see the sights and adventure for a day before getting on another plane. ***      As soon as we landed in South Africa I knew I was not in America anymore -- which is probably an expected reaction. The air is different, the trees are different, the plants are different, and the people are di...

Scratch-off map of the world     I am officially back at school and getting into motion for this next semester of adventure. Just two short weeks until we leave for our month and a half trip to South Africa.     I am getting really excited for this experience and the things I will be able to see God do. Sure, I may be nervous about the petty stuff -- like the time difference or the implications of wearing so many long skirts for such a long period of time -- but even those small things add to the big picture and make it seem slightly more exhilarating. I like changes and things you can't plan for no matter how hard you try. Or, I at least like them for the most part.     Please be praying for our team as we prepare our hearts these next two weeks for where we will be going, what we will be doing, and who we will be serving.

    Spending these last few months at Trinity Bible College has been one of the best decisions I have ever made! It has been such a privilege to sit in classes that are focusing on things I deeply care about and want to learn. I have already learned a lot about ministry and how to serve in all different ways. God is constantly giving me reassurance about my passion for missions.      It is good to be home with family and friends for winter break. I live in a beautiful place, and I practically broke my nose on the window on the train as we drove through Glacier Park and I pressed my face up against the glass to see the dark silhouettes of real life mountains. I have about a month to save up, pray, and prepare my heart for the next semester coming up. I get the sense that I can live anywhere on earth but there will always be something special about Montana. I am so grateful for all the people who go through life with me.      My year is ju...

Wednesday 11-9-16 after 40 hours of poverty     That evening, we started our poverty simulation. We were allowed one hygiene item (I chose my toothbrush), a notebook, pen, sleeping bag (I brought an emergency bivvy), and one extra item (my Adventure Hat of course).     The budget of a person in poverty was explained to us, and we were given $45 in “real-fake money” to use in different parts of our simulation. We were brought to a mock thrift store and told to buy new shoes and a shirt to wear for the rest of the 40 hours. I found a raggedy shirt with lovely pockets. I actually really loved the shirt. I also found some huge pink water shoes and I was drawn to them. We set up camp in a concrete room. I slept in a homey nook with Maddie and Michelle. Thursday 11-10-16     I woke up slightly cold. It was dark, and I had no way of knowing what time it was. I wanted to stay up if it was a reasonable hour (by Beccca’s standards), but I also didn’t want t...