Consume us, O Lord!

I pray all is well with each of you and I do apologize for not posting in so long! God is at work not only in the lives of the people in Africa but in mine as well. I continue to be taught and led into the throne room. I can’t begin to describe to you through this blog how awesome it is to be here. I feel so honored to be able to be on this continent. I have been thinking about a lot lately and the Lord takes me back to so many stories in the word about his unfailing love and how the plans he has for me are “good”(Jeremiah 29:11) and cannot be destroyed. I’m in awe of how the Lord speaks to me and how he loves me. We are involved now in many areas of ministry and are meeting new people daily and growing relationships that have already been built. Some of our newer ministries include prison ministry, Mamma Barbara’s and helping lead youth group on Friday nights for a local church!
I want to start by telling you about a man we met recently. Sammy lives in Sunny Side squatter camp and we met him while we were visiting some children we know. We started talking to him about the pin he was wearing on his shirt. It read “ZCC” which stands for Zionest Christian Church. I began asking Sammy questions about what his church believed and he started telling me about how much he knew about Jesus. He assumed that I was going to down his church and his beliefs. He began to speak out many verses and stories from the bible that he knew but my heart was overwhelmed for him because he is so confused and deceived. The Zionest church believes in Jesus but they also teach that it is okay to pray to your ancestors and visit the Witch Doctors for healings. We all know that there is ONLY one way to Heaven and that your ancestors are not the way to get there. We also know that we serve a healing God and that no witch doctor can heal. Sammy was trying to convince Leigh Ann and me that it was okay and asked if I had a grandparent die. I answered yes and he couldn’t believe that I didn’t pray to him for things. I told him that the dead is dead and we can’t get things through the dead. The Lord allowed us to speak truth in love over Sammy that day. I asked if we could pray for him and he wasn’t up for it at first. He just wanted us to write down some verses for him to read. We filled the page with some bible goodness and were getting ready to leave when he called us over and said it would be okay if we prayed for him. When we started praying the power of God fell and Sammy experienced what it was like for the Holy Spirit to enter in to a place. He was speechless but the Lord wasn’t done. We rebuked the lies and the deception and I believe the Lord has a mighty calling on Sammy’s life but I pray that he will let go and let God move in him. The enemy has many deceived by these beliefs and it is time to pray hard for an outpouring of the unashamed truth. It is time for the church to be resurrected all over the world. She is the bride and the Lord just wants to bride to be ready and perfect for her wedding day. We often times put on the dress and run down the aisle but there is more to it than that. The church is the beloved of Christ. He calls us His prized possession and the apple of His eye. How can we be the same after experiencing the power and love of Christ? I would dare say that it’s impossible.
We have been busy planning to start a bible study and prayer time for teenage girls we work with at Refilwe. They have been asking and searching for something like this and we are excited that we have this opportunity. We are looking to start next week so please be in prayer as to how the Lord wants it to look. Can’t wait to let you know what comes of this and how God moves.
We have also been going to see a lady who lives in Tembisa Township near our new house who is currently housing 29 children, many who are orphaned. She is raising them and is the only adult in the house right now. Many of the children are teenagers and all but 6 of the kids go to school. We have been several times to play with them and love on them but are just asking the Lord how we can be more invested in their lives. We know that discipleship is a need, especially for the older girls and Barbara but with most of them in school it is hard to start that process. We took one of the younger boys to the emergency room this week because of a viral infection he has that is causing open sours on his lips and also causing his eyes to ooze. The medicine he was on was not helping and we found out that it was because he was malnourished. He has not been able to eat because of the sores on his mouth. We praised the Lord for the news we heard and that it was not too serious. He is now taking some vitamins and has medicine to put on his mouth. My heart goes out to them because of the amount of people living under one roof and the number of people needing to be fed. The ages of the children are 2 months to 18 years. Several of the girls are there because they have been raped and now have children and had no place to go. Many of the children are orphaned and some just needed a safe environment to grow up in. We know that the Lord has placed Barbara where she is to help take in these children. Pray with us about how we are supposed to invest and disciple!
Leigh Ann and I will be leaving for Mozambique on November 20 and will return to South Africa on November 30. I will ask you to please be in prayer with us about finances for this trip and what the Lord has in store while we are there. We don’t want to miss anything he has planned out for us and the people! I am calling forth the healings, the salvations, the freedom and the joy! Our God is a consuming fire and I am pumped that we serve such a mighty God. I am full with what the Lord is going to do. As we pray over the next month and a half for this mission, please pray with us! Thanks for everything….the prayers, love and the encouragement!

True worship....

Resting in the Lord has been refreshing, filling, anointed and powerful. I went into it asking the Lord to be my source of everything I needed for the next four months of this mission and that it would always be all about Him and completely glorifying to Him. I know He has called Leigh Ann and me together for this time and it will be the most life-changing months of our lives. For so long I hid my heart from Jesus but today I feel as though it couldn’t be more open to Him. I want to go wherever and be a mouthpiece for the kingdom of God. I can’t put into words what God is doing here. The healings are coming forth, the salvations are real, the enemy has been defeated and my heart is overwhelmed with the Joy of the Lord. As I am typing, I’m listening to Hillsong United and there is an old song playing and every time I hear it, I I must to stop and worship Him. The words go like this…”your will above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself, in bringing you praise. Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades, never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame. In my heart, in my soul, I give you control. Consume me from the inside out. Let justice and praise become my embrace, to love you from the INSIDE OUT.” Many of you know this song but I want you to listen to words again and let them sink in deep. My favorite part is where we ask the Lord to consume us from the inside out. Those words are powerful and if you ask for it, be prepared for Him to do it. I have been thinking a lot about the songs we sing to the Lord. I found myself frustrated and tired one night during worship and it was hard for me to sing. I started thinking about the song that was being sung. Many of you also know “Shout to the Lord.” I was struggling with the fact that I knew every word of that song and had sung it in youth, at every student camp I have been involved with and on every mission trip I have been on, but something was stirring in me that I know the words but if I don’t really mean it from deep in my heart then it is just noise coming out of my mouth. It wasn’t at that point a sweet aroma or the true sense of worship. I want every single time I sing, dance, clap, raise my hands, speak or love to be a sweet aroma. I want Him to always be lifted up, not just because I have memorized a song but that it is real worship from my core.
I wanted to share with you what God is doing within Mission Sebenzela. We moved to a new location which is about 30 min from where we currently live at Alabanza. Steve, Teresa, Alfie, Leigh Ann, Kristy and I moved there on August 24 and would love for you guys to be in prayer as to what the future holds for this anointed place. God has already revealed that it will be a place of discipleship and growth for missionaries, a place where young people are being raised up to be kingdom minded and prepared to go out to the Nations. This place will be a place to draw from the living water, rest for the weary and refueling for the next journey. Right now, it will house us six but the Lord is preparing the way for more people to be here. Our ministry sites will still be the same but we will also be going into some other communities close to the new base as well. Leigh Ann and I will be traveling around Africa to wherever the Lord has planned for us to go. I will be updating you on our whereabouts and what God has us involved in. Both of us are still planning on flying home for Christmas on December 10. Wow. This is a lot but such goodness is in it all. I hope you are all doing great and that you are captivated by our sweet Lord.
My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 108:1-5

T160

Wow! The Lord is blowing my mind bringing people I know here to see and be a part of what our mighty God is doing in South Africa. I have always thought about it but didn’t know if it would actually happen. I love it. A special thank you to everyone who helped send the group from Five Points Baptist and Mamma Kay and Brodrick from Northport Church of God. What a blessing it was to have Mamma Kay and Brodrick here this week. I was so thankful for being able to share with them what God was doing here and be a part of what he was also doing in them as well. I must say that the Lord poured out joy and laughter and I was more than happy to receive it in the name of Jesus. The love and hugs from back home were awesome and I sent many back to you! You must know that all is well and the Lord continues to move in this place. The second Brook Hills team was here as well and was originally supposed to do Hospice care for the dying patients in the communities we minister in. I love that the Lord changes every plan that is not exactly what He wants. Everything they had planned and prepared for that week was turned upside down and redirected by the hand of God. He had bigger and better plans that we could not see in the beginning but looking back it is phenomenal to see how it all turned out so perfectly. We split up into groups and were blessed to work with the Home Base Care group from Refilwe. They are locals who live in the very communities we minister in. They speak the language and can relate in ways we could never imagine. We were able to pour into them and lead them more and more to the cross. We spent the week in six communities and two of them were where we held the clinics the previous week. We spent time with the sick, encouraged them and poured prayer for healing over them. We assessed needs and made sure they had been taking the medicine they were given. We also checked on a few patients who were taken by ambulance and who were bad off during the clinic. We did find out that one of the young girls who was deathly sick from the previous week had passed away. She had a case of chicken pox and could not fight it off and it killed her. She was 22 years old and cousin to one of our translators. We pushed through the week with the strength of the Lord. I named this blog T160 because we had a list of people we had to check on and it had their house numbers on the list. One of the first one’s was houseT160. We prayed before taking off for the day that the Lord would have his way and send us to the sick people and to those who needed prayer. The whole morning we were searching for this house. We asked around and no one really knew but they pointed us in the direction they thought it was in. As we were asking we found out that people were being hidden and were sick. It is cultural to do this with the sick in the communities and we were led to these people in need of a touch from Jesus. We prayed for several people and then were back on task of finding T160. The Lord continued to place the sick in front of us, so we pressed on with prayer….only wanting what God had in store. We ran into a lady who showed us to 5 sick people. She was an angel to us that day and had no idea. I want to share a few stories with you about what we saw and how God is bigger than the enemy could even come close to. We had bags of candy and stickers with us to give the little cherubs and we passed this house where 3 or 4 kids were outside with a young momma. I walked up to only give them candy but started talking to this woman. I noticed one of the children had something wrong with her eyes. She was about 2 years old but looked like she had cataracts and was completely blind. I ask about her condition and the woman told me that she had an eye disease and that she could see very little. The babies name is Thepang and when I hugged her and kissed her little dirty face, I was overwhelmed with love for her. Shana and I laid hands on her eyes and embraced her little body as we prayed for her. She only stood there and received. Some of the little children here will cry or run when they see us because of fear or just not at all used to seeing us. She was the complete opposite. I went back another day to check on her and I claim the healing is coming. In my spirit I believe even with no healing, it will be used to bring glory and honor to our Abba. I pray the Lord raises this young baby girl up as a mighty woman of God. She is special. I believe she will be set apart.
We also met Unis and Minis. He was in a car accident and has lost use of his legs. We saw him at the clinic but wanted to check and see if he was doing his leg exercises and taking his medicine. His wife has stuck close to him even in this trial. She now works and is also the main caregiver for her husband. As we began praying for him, the Lord wanted to minister directly to her that day. He wanted her to know that she was loved and it was okay for her to rest. She is weary and the Lord needed to fill her up that day. What a beautiful Jesus we serve. They asked for a bible because people with evil spirits were coming to stand at their window and casting spells over them and the house. We think we have it bad some days and we have no idea. She asked for a sword of the spirit to fight off the enemy. No better way than with prayer and the truth in the word. I told her to continue speaking the name of Jesus and the enemy would flee from their presence.
Sara was another lady we met who was very sick and could not breathe. Her lungs were weak and each breath was heavy and exhausting. She told us that she was lying in her bed the day before we came to see her and she felt as though she was going to die. She said she could not catch her breath at all and she thought that was it for her. She tells the story like this…”I rolled over in my bed and grabbed my medicine and I just said glory to the Lord.” She said that instantly she could breathe and when we saw her, she was sitting outside and was feeling much better. Her testimony is amazing because it speaks volumes about the name of our Lord being spoken out. There is power in HIS name, healing in HIS name and freedom and restoration in HIS name. There is no other name higher or more powerful than the name of Jesus. We also prayed with a man who was skin and bones and bed ridden. He was feeling pain in his ribs and chest and wasn’t able to get out of bed. We just simply prayed a prayer of healing, encouraged him and we were on our way. Two days later his wife saw us and as she walked by she told us that he was better and out of the bed and he wanted to see us. When we went to see him at his house, praise the Lord he was not there because he was so well that he was not even at home. He was well and we all shouted “Hallelujah”. Another man we met was Thomas. He had heart failure and his lungs were filling up and his belly was swollen from the fluid. He had open sores on his legs and his feet were very swollen as well. The spirit of the Lord was heavy as we prayed for him. Two ladies with us washed his feet and wounds as we prayed healing over him. We honestly were thinking he wouldn’t be there when we went back on Friday because he was in bad shape. Once more the Lord showed us that he speaks life when the enemy speaks death. God continues to remind us that HE is in control and way bigger than we give him credit for sometimes. Thomas WAS there on Friday and was feeling and looking better. His wounds were starting to heal and his swollen ankles were going down. He was a precious man that allowed us to serve him and attempt to love him like Jesus. I could go on and on but I know the Lord is being glorified by all of the stories above. He is a mighty God and I am thankful to the depth of my heart for being trusted with this opportunity to serve.
I pray we all continue to yearn for HIM and burn with passion to be in His presence. He is calling some of you to a deeper place of worship or a different place all together. He is with you and will never leave you but you have to step out on faith. Without faith in HIM and HIS love we have absolutely nothing. For now, the Lord is calling Steve, Teresa and I to a time of physical and spiritual rest. Pray for us as we enter into this time with the Lord. I know it will be so anointed and filling but I am personally praying against distractions. I just want to enter into the throne room like never before and sit at His feet and soak up that goodness. I will also be praying in this time for the Lord to reveal what His plans are for Leigh Ann and me over the next four months. We are open to whatever and just want to be in His will. Please pray with us about this. I will keep you all informed and look forward to sharing with you all that is revealed! Blessings over you all!

He is the Great I am!

I can’t begin to describe what all God did this past week. I have seen the Lord move more and more over the last days than ever before. Just when I think I know how big and mighty our God is; He blows me away with miracles and salvations. His love for His people the way I have experienced it is a beautiful example of why He sent His son to Calvary for us. I can’t grasp the depth of it. Our last team was a medical team from the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. We had amazing experiences together and saw the glory of the Lord right before our eyes. The dynamics of the team was almost unbelievable. They worked so well together and preached the gospel unashamed. We saw over 1,200 people and every one of them heard the gospel in a powerful and loving way. These people have left something in South Africa that will be here forever…the Spirit of the living Lord. We started the week off with serving the Refilwe Church people on Sunday and on to Thabo Mbeki Township Monday and Tuesday. These two days were especially hard for us because we had so many people show up to be seen we had to turn people away because the sun was going down and the team was running out of supplies for the day. I would say that 100 people had to be turned away from seeing the doctor but those who wanted prayer were asked to stay and Teresa and I prayed over them letting each one know that even if the doctor’s didn’t see them that Jesus was the true doctor. On the second day at Thabo Mbeki, I was entertaining the children so moms could be seen by the team as well as many other children who just walked up to see what was going on. We sang, danced, played cards, flew kites and I got my hair braided. I saw this little boy standing in the grass by himself just looking at everything that was taking place. I walked over to say hello and took his picture. I showed it to him and he grinned. When I reached out for his little hand he grabbed mine and I led him to the crowd of other children. He stayed by me all day and went everywhere I went. I would walk around and take pictures for the team, pray with people waiting in line and he was right there with me. A few hours had gone by and I noticed that no one had checked on him or taken him home so I started asking around. Not one person knew his precious name or who his momma was. I wasn’t worried but just concerned why a three year old was alone. A couple of hours later I told Teresa that he was still there as we were getting ready to pack up for the day. He hadn’t eaten all day and I couldn’t stand it so we had some extra sandwiches and when I handed it to him he gobbled it down. He drank from my water bottle and I washed his dusty, snotty little face. He sighed with relief of having a full belly and a clean face. He is still nameless and I hated to leave him that day but I have to know that he is being taken care of and cared for if not by anyone but Abba Father. We continued medical care for the next three days and saw the power of the Lord every day. I thought one day I would see my first baby in Africa being delivered. She was dilated 5 cm and needed to have the baby in a hospital. The ambulance never came so she had to be taken to the hospital by one of the Refilwe staff. Momma had a healthy baby girl and named her after one of the nurses who helped that day. The team saved a six week old baby who was hours from death by starting an IV but constantly praying the name of Jesus and life over this child of God. They sent several others by ambulance, pulled hundreds of teeth, prayed salvation for many and saw many healed and rescued from the teeth of the enemy. Those are only a few stories from the week because there are too many to type. I must say that I am in awe of our Savior. The medical areas were triage, doctors seeing patients, eye care, dentistry and the pharmacy. I have to admit that dentistry freaked me out a bit until I started helping them. It was the coolest experience to pull 5 teeth and a huge blessing to serve with such an amazing dentistry team. I will never forget this week because of the amazing things that happened. We were amazed everyday at the signs and wonders that were happening in front of us. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mark 16:15-18

prayer for the nations

The Lord has showed me this week that no matter what happens, he is still in control. Amen to that. We had three teams helping us lead camp this week. One team was from Texas, another was an awesome group of college students from Ashland University in Ohio and the third was two anointed ballerinas leading our dance rotation from a Christian Ballet troop. We were also blessed to have three local sisters helping us translate and lead small groups. What an awesome week of fellowship, leadership and growth for us all. I was amazed how we all came together to lead 500 kids and many unsaved translators into the presence of the Lord and gave them a glimpse of Kingdom living. Camp ran five days in Mamelodi Township with all the good stuff added to the excitement. Bible study and small groups were key aspects of course and also added to the mix were recreation games and dance. It was a blast to see those kids dancing for the Lord and playing, laughing and working together as a team on the rec field. We prayed the children in from the North, South, East and West. He definitely answered our prayers and we are so thankful He trusted us with so many of His precious children. In past years, there were about 350-400 kids throughout the week and this year we had 400 on the first day and 500 the second day. Honestly, I can’t describe how slightly overwhelming yet how beautiful it was to see all of those children there. The Lord provided more food, people to serve and hearts ready and willing to hear of this magnificent Jesus we serve. It was put like this by one of the Ashland people, “We have 500 opportunities to share the gospel”. We should think like this every day. Everyone the Lord allows to cross our path is an opportunity to share with them the love of our heavenly Father. The one’s who know him may just need to be reminded that He loves them and has a great plan for their life and that he is still there. Many of the children accepted Christ and had a life changing experience and we are beyond thankful to have been there to see it. The Lord asked to be glorified and lifted high and I believe He is well pleased. We will continue to pray for revival in Mamelodi and ask the Lord to pour out His spirit and heal the land.
We were also able to take 500 handmade hats to the camp children as well as the children at a preschool and orphan ministry that Mission Sebenzela partners with. One of the young people here with the Texas group left Africa last year with a heart heavy to do something for the people. She went home and has started an organization called “Shoes for Smiles” and collects new and used shoes to take to the people who need them the most. She brought 300 pairs with her and we saw many men, women and children smile as they received their new pair of shoes. I love the heart of this generation that is being raised up. My prayer for them is to seek the Lord, stand firm in him, and walk in what he has and the power of the Holy Spirit to flow freely from them. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11
I must share my heart with you because I know that you will join me in prayer for the nations. My heart is heavy for the children and women in sex trafficking and the children who are being abused all over the world. I continue to pray for that demonic stronghold to break that has entangled the minds of men and women, taken them to the place of harming people, destroying lives and believing the lies of Satan. I have asked the Lord to strengthen my heart and I believe this demon will die in the name of Jesus. I want my heart to be beat in tune with God’s and be passionate to see the injustice in the world change. Enough is enough. This is not how the Lord intended it to be and so many times we allow it to continue. We must fight for the injustice and set the captives free. It has been way too long and too many have lost their lives. I rebuke Satan and his demons that are sent out to kill, steal and destroy. No more. The battle has already been won and our Lord holds the winning trophy. The church must rise up and take her place and stand her ground. I am confident the front line needs more fighters.
I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are JUST. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and JUST is he. Deuteronomy 32:3-4

I have been overwhelmed with joy at how much the Lord constantly reveals himself. There are times when I struggle with the depth of God’s love for his children and He reminds me that he loves us all the same….with the same depth, grace, might and length. Over the last few weeks of teams coming in and out I have seen more and more of the Lord being constant. We had one day of rest before the Tuscaloosa group came in and it was much needed. I caught some kind of bug for a few days but it was all good. The Lord sustained me through it and we had an absolutely amazing two weeks. It was fabulous and refreshing to have my friends from home here. I was excited to show them around and let them see why I have fallen in love with this place so much. We had twelve days packed with ministry, fun and lots of laughter. I know the Lord has blessed us with the joy of himself being all around us. We for sure felt HIS joy in the midst of us even in the moments of brokenness in the community and times where “why” was asked so many times because we couldn’t grasp the circumstance or the pain. The good thing was that we all got to process it together. I was blessed to have so many good friends around and given the opportunity to serve alongside them as well. We were laughing, crying, growing and being broken together. There are so many stories from their trip but I will only share a couple with you. We went into Sunnyside squatter camp twice and did home base care where we assessed the needs of the people and started skills training for them so they can get on their feet and begin looking for a job. The first week we went in we prayed for a lady who had a skin disease. I asked her if we could pray for healing and asked if she believed in Jesus and the power that He could heal her. She believed and had faith that He would. I just laid my hands on her and prayed a simple prayer of healing over her in the only name above every name….Jesus. She believed and I claimed that next time we saw her that she would be healed. We went back the next week and walked up and one of the first things she told us was the Lord had healed her. Her face was smooth and was not swollen anymore. Praise the Lord for answering so many prayers. He is worthy to be praised and exalted. I am going to need everyone to stop and shout “JESUS” on that one. Other people we had prayed for that day had also gotten jobs. I believe so deep in my spirit that revival is getting ready to break out and it is going to change this nation. The Lord gave me a vision of people getting healed and God revealing himself to them and they began dancing in the streets and proclaiming the goodness and power of the one true God. It was beautiful and I have seen it more than once. I will wait for it and even if I don’t see it with my own two eyes doesn’t mean it won’t happen. The Lord deserves to be lifted up, glorified and magnified. The spirit world is stirred up and the Lord is moving in on the power of darkness. It will diminish and burn up in the name of Jesus. We also visited a children’s home where orphaned kids and children on the streets have been brought in and loved, given a roof over their head and are fed. It was hard for me because of the circumstances that these kids live in. Some older girls were sleeping six to a room on top of taking care of infant children who were left there. There was a building that was originally supposed to be used as a chicken house that thirty boys were living in. The goats had been coming off the streets and were living and some dying in this building before the children lived there. It was not taken care of and the community stepped in to do what they could to house these children. The building wasn’t insulated and windows had recently been put in to help keep out the cold. The floor was dirt and many of the beds were pushed together to sleep as many that could fit. On one of the walls was written, “I love God”. I was broken for this place and in the middle of what I saw with my physical eyes, I saw the hope of that message on the wall was that they loved God and that was enough. Outside, was one shower that thirty people shared. It was a small room with a sheet as the door. Next to the shower was an abandoned shack that was dirty and full of trash. This was home to several children who were sneaking in off the streets late at night to sleep there and leaving early in the morning to get away before they were caught. There was one blanket for them and let me tell you that we have had some cold nights. I wept for these children. I asked for the heart of God but honestly, some days I don’t think I can handle it or even think I knew what I was asking for. He just keeps reminding me of the verses he showed me about the calling he has on my life. It is from Isaiah 61:1-3 and it reads, “The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…to comfort all who mourn…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called mighty oaks, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
Prayer needs:
-We start our first kids camp June 29-July 3. Please pray for many lives to be changed, healings to take place and the power and love of God to reign in Mamalodi Township. We are expecting 400+ kids.
-Lies that have been spoken to die in the name of Jesus.
-An outpouring of the Holy Spirit
-Churches all over the world to come back to the heart of worship
-Rest

I have to apologize for taking so long to post a new blog. Things have been good but so crazy so I am a little behind on posting. Where do I start? Our second team has come and gone but left Africa with an impression on their hearts and some who were changed for life. Eighteen of them came from Chattanooga, TN and many of them had never been to the mission field before. The Lord took control and led them in and showed them how to love differently, have a heart full of faith and walk away with something different about them. The stories are numerous from the week but I will once again try my best to put it all into words. We started the week off with some very tired and jet-lagged folks but we went full on into ministry and the Lord was their strength for ministry and we prayed for rest over them at night. I was so glad to have some precious mom’s here from the states. There is nothing like having those women around that are motherly and just know how to take care of people in that way. We all served at Refilwe and in the community by doing home base care, where we assess the needs of people, their home situations, food and clothing needs and we also pray for them. Half of the team went out to the community and the others stayed to work on the grounds. I went out to the community both days and as always, the Lord never ceases to amaze me. I never see the same things or feel the same when I leave. I was with two sweet ladies from the team and a precious friend who was visiting from California. We went to Sunnyside squatter camp again where I met some sweet children that I have to go and see constantly because they have a piece of my heart. We went in ready to work and get our assessments done for the day but the Lord started moving in our hearts. This is a broken place but the Lord reminded me that HE comes to give life and piece back together what the enemy has shattered. It is the dry season right now but we joked and said this team brought the rain and cold with them. It makes it hard to go out and see people who are trying to stay warm in this weird weather. We did not allow it to stop us so we went out to do what we were called to do. We pray the Holy Spirit warms those little shacks and that miraculously there is food and anything else they need. He knows best. One mamma in the camp asked us to pray for her because she was staying up all night scared to death that her roof was going to blow off and that her house would blow down. Her fear was that she had to protect her baby if it did. She asked that we would pray that it would be secure and that someone could get out there to fix it. We prayed that she and her baby would be safe and that the winds would be calmed. Not only has it been cold but it has been raining constantly. The kind of rain that isn’t hard but annoying because it is all day and cold rain. We all looked like drowned rats but it was worth it all. We also met people who had no sufficient blanket for the cold and just wanted prayer for sickness and a job. I must offer up some praise to the Lord for answering prayers. He is teaching me that when prayer is spoken out with a heart full of faith that he is ready to answer and he did just that. Two weeks ago with our first team, a few of us were out in this squatter camp praying and the whole day we prayed for people to get jobs and for one lady to get her ID so she could start looking for work. When I saw our translator from that day he told me that God had been answering prayers. Several of the people had gotten jobs and the lady had gotten her Id. Amen. We also met a 100 year old Gogo (grandmother) who was still getting up and down with no help from squatting on the floor and was walking around. This woman was something to behold. I thought she was beautiful and couldn’t help but wonder about her long life and what she had been through and seen. She laughed with us and told us she was worried about us being out in the cold and rain but she was very happy that we were telling people about Jesus and praying for the sick. She blessed my heart so much. When I asked her if I could take her picture she asked where I was going to put it and then said yes if she could have a copy. She only spoke her native language and could not read or write. I don’t realize how much I take my education for granted until I meet many who don’t have one because they either couldn’t afford school or they are living on the streets, taking care of siblings or there just seemed to be no way. I keep thinking about that old saying, “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” What truth that comes from that. I love that no matter our circumstance or where we are in life, the Lord is constant and loving and always there. He truly is our “refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.
Blessings to you all!

Wow! It has been an anointed two weeks. The Lord is wrecking me for this nation, this continent, the people, the teams, and the whole nine yards. Our first team from the US arrived on May 16 and was here until May 23. One of the girls from the team was led to stay here for several days after her team left and the Lord is doing a mighty work in her life…not to mention what a great friend I have made. I’m very thankful for my brothers and sisters from Brandon, MS. They have been so awesome to serve alongside and it has blessed my heart to see the Lord doing much in them and what hearts they have for the people here. We’ve had a week packed with ministry, fun, laughter, tears, brokenness and an aching for more of what God is up to. We took the team to Refilwe Church on Sunday and what an amazing worship service we had. The team led us into an anointed time of worship and we danced and sang with the members of the church. The Lord had us interceding for different people who are lost. Afterwards, they got to experience a South African braii (Afrikaans for barbeque). We decided that we would all hike up the mountain and go to a place where you can climb up a viewing tower and see the beauty of the land and if you’re lucky, you might even get to see some zebras. It was a great time to spend with the team and be out in nature. Monday started our ministry week and we headed to Mamelodi Township where some 1.3 million people live. We went into the community and helped the ladies of the Baracka Mission serve the orphans and their caretakers. We split up into teams and went into the homes and assessed how the children were being treated, taken care of and so on. We also prayed with each family and left them with a small food parcel. It saddens me that many children are not in school because of the school fees and uniforms they have to wear. We see it a lot and I don’t think it should happen. I am praying for the Lord to provide for them all. The Lord was moving in mighty ways and we were thankful to be with the people and love on them through prayer and encouragement. We prayed over so many sick people and I kept asking the Lord to just be glorified. I know that He was and it was why we were there. We prayed with one lady who was suffering from epilepsy. She allowed us to pray for her and then the power of the Lord and the enemy does not mix so she started to be set free from the bondage of this sickness that held her captive. It was amazing to see the Lord at work. We also prayed over a precious granny who was dying from AIDS. She had to be carried out by three people and when we sat her down she just started clapping and praising the Lord. It was a powerful moment of seeing a true believer praise Him in the storm. She was dying and all she wanted to do was praise the Lord. It was truly something beautiful to behold. One of our last home visits for the day was this little girl name Basitsana. She was four and had contracted full blown AIDS from her mother. Both were dying and needed immediate medical care but there is very little in the community and little that can be done with AIDS patients. I just remember picking her up so we could lay hands on her to pray for healing and she just melted into my chest and laid her head on my shoulder. I just wept as I felt the power of the Holy Spirit take control and I could feel the heart of the Father for this child. She was dying. The Lord kept reminding me that when the enemy comes to take life and kill that HE is there to breathe life. There were lesions on her mouth and neck and she was so frail and tiny for her age. We prayed and loved on her for a long time and then as we were finishing up she lifted her head and gave us a smile. To me it was like a sigh of relief from pain or whatever was oppressing her. She had the most beautiful smile I can say I have ever seen. I will not forget her or her smile. I pray she is healed in the name of Jesus and I will be going back soon to check on her. Please pray with me for her healing. Tuesday and Wednesday we were at Refilwe where half of us worked on the grounds doing manual labor and the other half went out into the community to work with the Home Health Care Team. I stayed with the working team and the others went out on the field. Wednesday my half went out into the Sunny Side Squatter camp where we did assessments for people Refilwe is helping get on their feet. We met the most amazing kids and prayed with many people for healing, jobs and just simply the Lord to be lifted up in any situation. We were all blessed by Eva as she told us that no matter how bad it got that she would trust the Lord and not sell her body on the streets for money. We were blessed by her faithfulness in the Lord.
Thursday the team went into Matheong Primary School and led the children in assembly and they also taught in the classrooms. There were stories and questions from the fourth grade girls about abandoned babies being found on the streets and why that had to happen. These kids live in a world that makes them ask a lot of questions… although none of us can grasp the pain of some things that happen all over the world. We must put our faith in God. The kids at Matheong are amazing. They come from hard situations but love school, learning and the Lord. They are among the generation the Lord is raising up for his glory to be revealed in Africa. We spent the next two days with the team and went out on a safari drive and spent some time at the market where I learned how to play the drums. I very much enjoyed the team and the time we spent together and with the Lord. They left on Saturday and Leigh Ann stayed back in obedience to the Lord. We spent a day in ministry at Eskom squatter camp where darkness resides. We prayed for healing of the people and of the land. Many times we prayed the Lord revealed that revival would break out in South Africa. I can’t wait and hope I am here to see it with my own eyes. The Lord has anointed Leigh Ann and me to preach the gospel and heal the sick in HIS name. We prayed for the Lord to place people in our path and he did just that. We were out one afternoon getting a movie and we met a precious girl at the movie store who started telling us her testimony out of the blue. She is a believer and has been oppressed with epilepsy for years. She told us that she was waiting for a pastor from Nigeria to come to town so he could pray healing over her. We told her there was no need in waiting that the Lord could do it right then. We asked if we could pray for her and ask the Lord to heal her. She was excited and had faith that it could happen. We began to pray and the power of the Lord was present. She felt it; we felt it and anyone who would have walked in would have felt it. It was a sweet God moment. We then exchanged numbers and left. The next day we went back to see her and she was having an attack. We felt the enemy hard at work against what we had prayed. We pressed through with prayer and tried not to be discouraged. The Lord is mighty and the enemy was shaken. We went back once more the pray for her and declared healing in the name of Jesus and called out the demon for what it was. She is a light in her workplace and the Lord is using her to minister to others around her. The power of our Lord outweighs every attack of the enemy. Satan is a liar, a thief and a murderer….but our Lord is great in power and love and is just. I will continue to visit her and believe she will be healed. I have seen more sick people and dying people in the last days than ever before. I know that God is moving in and taking this country back. The darkness must flee. Please pray with me about this. Today, a few of us went into inner-city Johannesburg to visit MES ministry and see what God was doing there. They serve and love on hundreds and thousands of people in the city. They mostly serve the street kids, prostitutes, gangs, homeless, addicts, etc. We went all over the city and got a glimpse of what it looked like for them on a daily basis. We will be heading in to minister there in the next few weeks. Pray the Lord is seen and not us. I met some people today who have been changed because of one who said “yes” to the Lord. It is amazing to watch the Lord use people daily all over this place whether in the city or in the bush.
Overall, the last two weeks have been amazing and so full of what the Lord promised. I am praying and waiting on more and more for the upcoming weeks. Our next team will arrive on June 7 and then on June 14 a team from Tuscaloosa will be arriving. The excitement keeps growing! THANKS FOR THE CONTINUED PRAYERS!
Love you all.
Isaiah 61:1-3 and Psalm 127
Prayer Needs:
~School children who have limited funding to get there and stay in school
~Healing over this land and the people
~The enemy to flee
~Our teams coming and going from the states
~Our team here at Alabanza to have rest and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in every situation

Amazing Love...

Hey there! Week two is in motion and I continue to see the Lord at work but also seeing the enemy busy as well. There have been some ups and downs but overall and most importantly, God is being glorified through it all. I don’t even know where to start to tell you all that is going on around Alabanza and out in the community. I will start by telling you that I got to experience my first African wedding and let me tell you it was intense….in good ways. It was during Sunday church service which was interesting and then after singing and dancing before the Lord we waited for the bride and groom to arrive. When they arrived, the bridesmaids literally danced up the aisles and then came the ring bearer and flower girl behind them. The whole church went crazy when the groom walked in and when the bride and her family came in, everyone in the place started dancing and shouting. It was the best thing I have seen in a long time and it was so much fun. Steve and I got tickled because the bride’s uncle who escorted her in went out during the wedding to take a call and after the vows were exchanged, the pastor called for the tithes and offering to be taken up for the church. I thought it was hilarious. It was sweet and so good to be a part of such a great occasion though. I decided that when I get married I want everyone to dance up the aisle as well. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. Seriously, it was beautiful to see a body of believers dancing before the Lord and thanking Him for the marriage. We will all be attending another wedding in June and I can’t wait to see what that one will be like. Steve and I also attended Matheong Primary School this week. We will be taking teams in to do assemblies for the children, teach in the classrooms and it will be the location for one of our kid camps. It is great to serve in a place where they have a God-fearing principal who allows us to preach the word. The children love when we are there and the spirit of the Lord is very present. I look forward to our first assembly with the children and seeing what God has in store. I also got to do something I have waited to do since I have been back. I went to the squatter camp I ministered in while I was here in 2006. Mamma Janetti is the lady that I spent so much time with and our team helped her start a preschool. There are over 30 children that attend daily. The Lord is at work and using Mamma Janetti and those children to reach a lost community in Eskom squatter camp. When I saw Mamma Janetti at church she was excited to see that the Lord had brought me back after being away for so long. I told her I would be coming by to see the children and help her while I was here. As I was driving up the dirt road that leads you into the squatter camp, the Lord overwhelmed me with that same feeling I had the first time I went. I can’t get over how blessed I am in the states with all that we have and so little that these precious people have. I drove on the dusty, hole filled road and made my way through the rows and roads of shacks to Mamma Jannetti’s. It was so different. The Lord blessed her with a new room added on for the children. They now have a place to get out of the weather and shelves to put their tiny backpacks, crayons, paper, books, etc. I was so thrilled to see how the place had changed for the good. We praised the Lord for all he had provided. She also had a place to cook for them as well. They went from eating sandwiches to eating rice, beans, veggies, etc. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Amen. When I walked in I was greeted by thirty 3-5 year old children. Ha. Can you imagine the joy I felt? There were some familiar faces and many new ones. They welcomed me in and we connected immediately. We sang, laughed and I took tons of pictures. They love that camera! I listened to them recite Psalm 23 and other things they had been learning. It blessed my heart to sing some African worship songs with them. We came together and it wasn’t about black and white…it was about offering up the praises to Jesus. One of the children pointed to my eyes and said “green and white” and then pointed to her eyes and said “brown and white”. I thought about this and saw that she realized the differences but it didn’t matter. She and I were together. Loved the same. Loved by the same God, the same Heavenly Father. What a beautiful day it was indeed!
A few things to be in prayer about… The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy but our Lord has come to give life in abundance. I hold onto to this passage because the enemy has nothing for us but to cause harm and stir things up. He has no idea whose children he is messing with. We are covered by a mighty God who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Since I stepped off the plane I could feel the heaviness of the enemy. I believe this territory will be taken back by God. We all know that the power of our risen Savior brings peace. So when the enemy brings junk to the table, we know how to fight. It started with the deception of one of our youth girls on into the fire that came in the fields to a team coming in to rest for a night before making a long journey to Zimbabwe. Thieves got onto our property and broke into their vehicles and stole clothes, laptops, cameras, etc. A sense of fear came over this place but we know we must stand strong in the Lord because He is fighting for us. Please be in prayer about this and our first team that will arrive around May 15. We are excited and ready to dive into ministry with all of our teams coming from the states. It is so awesome to experience them showing up to Africa expecting to bless the people and the people end up blessing them so much more.
I wanted to say thank you for everything. Know you are being prayed for as well. The Lord is present and moving. Stand firm in your faith!
“Look at the nations and watch---and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
Habakkuk 1:5

His name is power, breath and living water....

Friends! Can you believe I have been in Africa almost a week now? Ahh. It is so amazing to be back. I’m sorry for just now getting a post up but we are trying to get internet at Alabanza and I have not had much internet access. It has been a great first week back in Africa seeing old friends and meeting new ones at Alabanza. These people I will be living with are incredible. I am so blessed. You will hear more about them later. I am excited about being here and seeing what the Lord has prepared. I just want to share a few things that have gone on this week. After recovering from the jet-lag, Steve and I have been talking and preparing for our first team to arrive the middle of May. We visited Refilwe, one of our ministry sites that have tugged my heart. Refilwe is home to over 50 youth and children who have been orphaned, abandoned or just taken out of bad home situations. They live, attend school and church there. The children live in homes where anywhere from 4-7 children live with a house mom and some even have house dads. This is a huge blessing because they are being taken care of and are seeing a mother and father figure in the home. I went there to see the youth that I met and grew close to the first nine months I was here in 2006. Every Friday night we had youth group for them where we ate, played games, worshipped and got into the word. We split up into pairs and mentored the students as well. My precious friend was Norah. As soon as I got to Refilwe yesterday she ran to me and we embraced. She is beautiful and has matured so much. She told me of her mother passing away and we talked for a moment about her life at Refilwe. She then took me on a tour of the things new to me and I had not seen yet. I enjoyed talking with her and catching up from 2 years ago. I am thankful for moments where I can see a glimpse of our Lord in the small things. Yesterday was a taste of what God has in store. He is mighty and moving. Also, I attended church on Sunday with Alabanza staff and about 15 amazing people from Zimbabwe. We danced and worshipped the Lord unashamed. It was as beautiful and powerful. I wish you could all experience the worship in Africa. I have waited to hear that sound again of a foreign tongue worshipping the same true God…not able to understand a single word but knowing in my heart and in my spirit that His name above every name is being lifted up. Every part of me is bubbling over with joy. I worshipped with my South African brothers and sisters on Monday night as well and the same thing happened. One song they sing in Affrikaans makes me stop and sit in awe. I know none of the words but I do know that it is a sweet aroma to His nose. God is being glorified all over the place. Satan is prowling around while our Father is still on His throne. We pray and wait for that mighty revival that is going to take place. The Lord is reminding me that people from every nation, tribe and tongue are praising Him and I am honored to be a part of it.

Today we fought off a brush fire in the fields by Alabanza. This is common but it can be scary because with dry brush and the wind picking up it can spread very quickly. It was awesome to watch everyone come together to get a job done. Some people were filling buckets with water, some pouring water on the ground to saturate it, some cutting the brush down with machetes. We were all working and all praying it would burn out before it got to us. Many praises went up because it never reached us. The Lord had His hand covering us and protecting us from harm. Hebrews 12:28-29 reads, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worshipping God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
~B

four more days...

With four days left in the states...my heart can't help but be overwhelmed by all of the goodness going on around me. My heart is swelling and it is all bitter-sweet. The feeling is almost the same as the first two times I flew to Africa...but this time it is deeper. The longing to be there for my toes to touch african soil again and see those friends and babies that I love so much. I know I will leaving friends and family here but knowing there are those awaiting our arrival in Africa. The Lord has revealed that much is in store...to believe....trust.... and be sensitive to HIS voice. I ask that you follow me along this journey and help me pray for those who have yet to hear of our Maker. Over the next few days I will be soaking up the love and encouragement of family and friends and also finding myself sitting at the feet of Jesus. I look forward to sharing with you all the Lord is doing and the stories of our journey. Blessings.
~B