when did we see You hungry?

Should you not divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house, and when you see the naked, cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? If you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday. And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones, and you will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58

Hello all. Wow, time really does fly. As I write this, I will be home in 4 weeks. I leave Rehoboth in 3 ½ weeks. I can’t believe my time here is coming to an end; at times it feels like I’ve been here forever, at others like I just got here and have my whole trip ahead of me. Things have been difficult, heartbreaking, monotonous, exciting, dreary, numbing, interesting, and everything in between. If you have ever spent time on a foreign mission trip you may understand what I’ve been going through. It’s a mixture of a ton of varied experiences and emotions.

One of my teammates, Kristen, just left for a weeklong trip back to the US for her brother’s wedding. On November 8, the whole Rehoboth team (all 13 of us) will have a group Thanksgiving (I guess Canada’s Thanksgiving falls in early October, and 2 of the women on our team are Canadian, so we are compromising by celebrating in early November). Alli, a girl on my team, and me will be heading to Etosha National Park on the 15-17. This is the type of place we should get to see elephants, lions, giraffes etc. So we’re really excited! Camping out among the wildlife!

Things have settled down at the preschool. MollyBea and I feel more comfortable working with Sylvia and Linda now, and feel we are making some progress there. We have implemented a schedule of sorts; being Africa and with a different culture and language, many times the schedule doesn’t work out, or something else is going on that day, or whatever. Many times either Linda or Sylvia is sick or not there that day. It’s a bit more difficult on those days. But now I feel very comfortable with most of the kids, even though I don’t speak the same language as them. It’s a lot of body language, gesturing, and of course translation by one of the native women. The kids are just precious (though most can be quite a handful when they have their “moments”, especially the boys) and I can’t wait to post pictures of them after I get home so you can see their mischievous and cute little faces.

Please pray for these kids and this preschool. They are in such need. As I’ve talked about before, many of them only get one meal a day, and that is usually a piece of bread, or some leftover noodles on a special occasion. They drink dirty water, there’s a huge lack of sanitation across the spectrum, many have lost at least one parent or have one in hospital. I see children come to school in dirty, smelly clothes, some not bringing any food at all, many having to stay in their dirty, soiled clothes because they’ve nothing else to change into. This is a far, far cry from even the poorest school I’ve seen in Phoenix. If nobody intervenes, these children will continue to grow up in these circumstances, having little chance at an education, the remotest chance of going to college, and will probably never leave this 3-mile radius of Blok E they call home.

I have begun to look into partnering with Feed My Starving Children, an organization which sends out food packages to needy children across the world. I know that although they can provide food, they cannot provide shipping, and shipping overseas is costly. I will keep everyone updated as to how you can help and possibly donate to this effort. After I get back to the US, I would eventually like to send more supplies over, such as pencils, glue, scissors, books, and other things that are scarce in the school. Sending money can also be a great help, especially to buy food for children who aren’t eating. Pray that God does a mighty work with this school, these children, this city, this country. Even though Namibia is one of the more westernized countries, with some paved roads and modern conveniences, much of it is still very undeveloped, and poverty is still rampant, as I see firsthand every day.

I urge you to consider the lives of people outside of your own family, friends, and community. Not even just this little city in Namibia, but in the US and around the world. Children starve every day, people die from lack of access to clean water, and many other easily preventable causes. Maybe you’ll never make it to Africa, but there are impoverished, destitute people everywhere. Get involved. Find a child to sponsor. Find a soup kitchen to volunteer at. If you’re able to, consider adoption. It may take only one kind gesture or act of kindness to change a person’s life. Be someone willing to step outside of your comfort zone, willing to look for those who are suffering, whether it be emotionally, physically, spiritually.

What is the Lord calling you to do? What are you passionate about? What do you wish you cared more about? What is a cause worthy of your allegiance? If you call yourself a Christian, then no excuse is going to be good enough. If you aren’t helping, why not? And I don’t just mean paying tithing or adopting a child at Christmas or giving change to the Salvation Army. I mean if you call yourself a believer, if you follow the risen Christ, then you should be eagerly walking in His footsteps, seeking out the brokenhearted, searching for the lost, and seeing where you can be Christ to people who don’t know Him. These broken souls are our brothers and sisters. Why are we neglecting our family? This wasn’t planned. I didn’t intend to say most of this. But when you come to places like this and you get involved in people’s lives, it becomes more than just following a command or being obedient to God. You develop relationships with those in need. God’s children, who are crying out for Him. Who are seeking His face in people all around them. Will they find it in you? Or will they have to keep looking?

“Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?”

Then Jesus will answer them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did not do it to Me.”

Matthew 25

Tiptoeing Towards Death

All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.

Has it ever hit you that everything you believed was wrong, or that you were living on the wrong side of the fence, and you suddenly realized that things in your heart and life and mind were going to have to change drastically, that it wasn’t even an option, but that you felt fully compelled and drawn – and even excited – to take that risk and to turn everything upside down because you knew there was no other way to live anymore? I can’t adequately describe it to you, but that’s more or less what’s been happening in my life. I’m not even sure where to begin or how to communicate this to you in a way that will help you understand the amalgam of thoughts and ideas that have been swirling in my head.

I was given the book “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne a few days ago by Steph, a girl who’s also an AIM missionary in Rehoboth. It had been recommended to me several times, but I hadn’t gotten around to reading it. (If you haven’t read this book, it’s an understatement to say I highly suggest you go and find it immediately. In fact, stop reading this blog. All that’s important to me is that you get your hands on it.) Let me give you a quick background on this guy Shane who wrote the book.

He’s is in his early 30’s, and he calls himself an “ordinary radical”. He grew up in eastern Tennessee, smack dab in the middle of the Bible belt, raised Methodist. Sometime in college he had a breakthrough where his faith became real and he realized he wasn’t living out the gospels that way Jesus had outlined. He ended up spending a month in Calcutta with Mother Theresa, chillin’ with some lepers, hanging out with the homeless in downtown Philadelphia, and eventually moving into one of the poorest areas in Philly to start a community called The Simple Way. His whole book (and the community he and his friends started) is basically a call back to the basics of the Christian faith, when people gave up everything for Jesus, were radical, went against the grain, and it was all about community and growing and loving together and sharing everything and that nobody was left needy or destitute.

So this guy Shane has been to prison more times than he can count because he does stuff like go to rallies and marches and just stands alongside the marginalized, the oppressed, the people who are badly in need of some love and friendship and just someone who cares. He went to Iraq not too long after the war started just to show Iraqis that Americans still cared and that Jesus didn’t take sides, and basically apologizing for all their people who are being wounded and killed. I mean this is some intense stuff. And it just got me thinking even more about what God’s purpose for my life is, and where He wants me, and what I should be doing. Sometimes I just feel overwhelmed at all the possibilities and all the different directions I could see myself going and wondering if I want to do things because they’re easy or convenient or whatever else. I just want to passionately pursue God and love people. And I don’t know what that’s going to look like in my life. I feel like I need SO much more compassion and love for people; there’s no way I could ever do it without massive amounts of mercy and strength from the Lord. I want to feel what they feel; to rejoice with those that rejoice and mourn with those that mourn and really feel connected to more people. I really want to seek out people that society has cast aside and essentially thrown away, and I don’t even know where to begin. And it also scares the daylights out of me! All of these are wonderful ideas and concepts, and believers throughout time have beautifully demonstrated these things in their lives, but what about me? I’m selfish and sinful and hypocritical and weak and broken. But my God transforms people, and I’ve experienced that power firsthand. I know He performs miracles and He’s in the business of showing His strength through our weakness.

I had thought about a lot of these things before, and obviously a lot of it was the reason I came to Africa; I wanted to live and work among the poor and the people that the world seems to have forgotten, and I really felt my heart was here. I’ve just been reminded (both by this book and by living down here) that there is such inequality in society, such injustice; such a gap between the well-off and the incredibly poor. It’s really stark in Namibia. I can walk from a nice 4-bedroom house with electricity and running water with plenty of food, to a tin shack with no light, no water, no plumbing, and people rummaging through garbages for food in less than twenty minutes. And I think we get numb to it, and don’t even think about it anymore, and don’t let the enormity hit us, the fact that so little of the world owns so much of the stuff, and isn’t sharing it. That they don’t even want to share it, or see why they should have to. Many of us never even drive through a neighborhood where people are living without basic needs being met. We have, for the most part, largely separated ourselves from those in a different social class than ourselves. We might not even think about it, but most of us could probably drive twenty, thirty minutes and find people in these situations. And maybe not even just those who are financially poor, but those who are spiritually dead, depressed, hopeless, discouraged, and who feel utterly alone.

My trip is not even a third over and I’ve already been inundated with so much; sometimes I wonder why God thinks I can handle all of it! Getting fired up and righteously angry can be exhausting and overwhelming at times, but I feel so connected to God then, and really believe that He can redeem any situation; can rescue any person from their tumultuous past; can heal any wound that anyone has ever or will ever have. And He can and will use His servants, but His servants must have the same heart and mind as He does. He doesn’t need us, but He chooses to use us. He’s shouting to us; begging that we come follow Him; that we be His body, that we be invested in the lives of the broken, the meek, the afflicted, the lowly. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to tiptoe through life, hoping to arrive at death with as much caution as possible. Life is complicated. Serving God is messy. It doesn’t usually make sense; in fact, it has been known to make people outcasts, to get them thrown in prison, to be harassed, and to be martyred. The most amazing things done for God have been done by people getting their hands dirty, by not marching to the same drum as the rest of the world, by acknowledging God over men, by pursuing His glory instead of their own. I want to run through life full force, eyes on the prize of heaven, knowing that I have served Jesus and shared Him with as many people as I possibly could.

Other than that, things around here have been pretty normal! Here are some things I’d appreciate your prayers for:

- My teammates here; please pray for their homesickness, for effectiveness in ministry; against discouragement and apathy; and for God to empower us in His strength to do His work here

- To be focused not on frustrations, difficulties, or barriers, but rather on sharing God’s love and mercy with others and building relationships with them

- For MollyBea and I to be passionate and excited about working with our kids; to help them get organized and get on some kind of a schedule so there isn’t so much chaos; for us to have enormous amounts of love and compassion for them

- That I would simply focus on being Jesus and let Him do the rest


Thank you for reading, and thank you as well for all your support and encouragement. Oh, and if by chance you want to send me anything while I’m here (flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep…) here is my address:

Cathi Geisler c/o Lenie Van Wyk
P.O. Box 4067
Rehoboth 9000
Namibia

Just shoot me an email if you send something so I can be on the lookout.

In His reckless love,
Cathi

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved. We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to think, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

True religion

True religion in the sight of God our Father is this: to visit widows and orphans in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:27

I can’t really think of a more appropriate quote at this time. Today (I wrote this on Monday, the 22nd) was the first day I went to Sylvia’s “preschool”. The reason I call it that is because it is not at all what I expected or envisioned, and really, compared to what even the lowest standard in the United States is, the simplest school, this place is atrocious. The adventure started at 7:30 am, when I left my house in Block D. I’d be walking to Block E, which is about as far from where I am as you can get and still be in Rehoboth. I met Steph at her house, which is about 15 minutes from mine. She needed to go make some copies of coloring book pages for the kids we’d be visiting. The copy place was about 10 minutes away. After the copies were made, we walked to MollyBea’s house to pick her up. That was another 15 minutes. From there we walked another 10 to pick up Ruth, one of the ladies who is here for a year with her husband and 2 daughters. We rested there for about 10 minutes, then headed out for the final stretch. That was another half hour. So we’re looking at the fact that I’ve walked about an hour and a half. I was so exhausted by that point! (If you know me, you understand. I’m a wimp.)

I was starting to feel the intense heat of the day beginning and the sun beating down on me, the dust getting into my shoes and my mouth and eyes, the dizziness beginning, my mouth drier than I ever remember it being. It felt like we’d never get to where we were supposed to be. We finally came into Block E, which you can recognize instantly by the tin shacks which are all over the place. People living in the simplest and harshest conditions. If you’ve been keeping up on my blog, Block E is the equivalent of Katutura in Windhoek. We finally got to the preschool probably around 9:30. It was powerful. Moment we were in view we had about twenty children running towards us. We’d experienced this a few times in Windhoek visiting some orphanages and schools. It is so obvious how desperate these kids are for love, attention, a touch, a smile, anything. I had a little girl, about 3, cling to me for about ten minutes. I found out later that her name is Jeanette. She had the cutest smile you’ll ever see in the entire world. Several of the children latched onto each of us.

We met Sylvia, who runs the place. It is a one-room, cement building with sheets for a roof. No electricity, no running water, no bathroom. At least half of the kids weren’t wearing shoes, which generally means that they don’t own any. The room they’re in is about 12 x 20 feet – rough estimate. Definitely not big enough to comfortably house thirty little ones!! Some kids looked really dirty; some not too bad. Some things that surprised me were that they had enough plastic chairs for about 80% of the kids, some little tables, and a few larger chairs for adults. There were some signs on the wall with different shape or color names. Sylvia had written the numbers one through ten on the wall as well. They had a minimal supply of scissors, paper, coloring sheets, and crayons. There was a big, old area rug on the floor which the kids sit on during group time.

When we got there they had some singing time. The kids are really good at repetition or echoing, and Sylvia has taught them a lot of songs. We sang a few in Dama (that is the language most of the people in Block E speak) and a few in English. About 90% of the kids are Nama speaking, which is a relatively small tribe found in Namibia. The rest are Owanbo, the darkest skinned native Namibians. Apparently the Basters (which is the dominant group for sure in Rehoboth) won’t set foot in Block E. They are a very proud people. I think it would bring too much shame on them if they were to admit they were that poor. Shame is a huge issue here, just like in places like Japan where people will kill themselves because they brought shame to their family.

So, after singing time the kids ate their lunch. Here comes a really tough part. About 30% of the kids don’t bring any lunch at all, for whatever reason. Their parents spent the money on alcohol, or they’re just too poor to eat every day, whatever it may be. So anyone that brings lunch has to put half of it in a basket and then it is redistributed to the kids that didn’t bring anything. Almost like a mini version of communism, but it actually works. We were so surprised to see these kids willingly give up half of their food, which really, in most cases, was just 2 pieces of bread with nothing on them. So that was real difficult to watch and to know it happens every day.

After that, they went to play outside for about half an hour. Some boys were wrestling; the girls were just kind of hanging out. We did a few organized games like Ring Around the Rosey or Duck Duck Goose. They love that one. They loved doing the Hokey Pokey as well. Anything that has repetition or an echo they were really good at, which is honestly the same with kids no matter how rich or poor they are, or where they live, so that was cool to see. It makes it even more interesting since none of the kids speak English beyond understanding “what is your name?” and a few other things. After outside time the kids came back in and colored for a while. The oldest ones have learned to write their name, although many can only do it if they see it written first. After that, the last thing they did was to all gather around on the floor rug and it was story time. Sylvia put me on the spot and asked me to tell a story, so I told Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, which I totally butchered, but the kids couldn’t understand anyway, so I really tried to emphasize things, and gesture, and change my inflection!! Haha.

We left soon after that, it was about 11:30. Most of the kids leave between then and noon. Parents don’t really come pick them up, they just all walk back to their houses. These kids that are 4 and 5 years old. It’s just so foreign to me, and sad as well. Leaving was hard; I wanted the kids to understand that we would be back the next day. I hope Sylvia communicated that to them. The thing that makes it even harder is that even though it’s in Block E, that’s super poor, there is a primary school just across the street from the preschool that has electricity, water, classrooms, etc etc. I can’t imagine being a kid and wondering why I don’t get what “those” kids get. It must seem so unfair and confusing to them. So anyway, that is the gist of what MollyBea and I will be doing the next 2 and 5 months, respectively (MollyBea’s staying until February). Sylvia also mentioned wanting to start an afternoon tutoring program for the kids who will go to first grade next year. That would tentatively be from M-Th from 3-5pm. I don’t know if we’ll be helping with that, or exactly how that will look. As you can see, there is much to pray for! Since I’m a list person, I’m going to just bullet a few things I’d covet your prayers for. Thank you so much for reading, keeping up-to-date, and being supportive. I know I’m wordy!!


· Pray for MollyBea and I as we help at Sylvia’s school each day; that we would have patience, endurance, and compassion for these children
· For Sylvia as she basically runs this school by herself and manages 30+ kids a day; for her weariness and stamina; for her walk with God to be strong and consistent
· That we would be creative and unique with the ways we teach the kids, or play with them; the games we teach them, the ways we interact with them, that it would be pleasing to God and would show these kids His love
· That these children would be encouraged; that God would intervene and bless them; that miracles would happen and they would feel His love
· That our eyes would constantly be centered on the cross and on His great love; that that would fuel us and be our resource; that we would not grow so drained that we become ineffective
· For God’s love and message of redemption to be spread throughout Rehoboth and that many would be saved


And some praises:

· Praise Him for Sylvia; for her energy, compassion, and joyful, faithful heart as she serves God’s kids here
· That we are able to walk to the school, though it is long and arduous, we still have the capability to do so and that is a gift
· That the kids are guaranteed food at school, though it may be very little; it is something
· That God’s plans are bigger than we could ever fathom and we get to be part of what He is doing here


Thank you! Dankie!! :)


*Update*: Since writing this on Monday, MollyBea and I have decided to go help at the afterschool program on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and go in the morning on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Also, the walk there is getting easier, though it is still a good 2 miles each way (maybe more) and it is exhausting in the heat!!

And some pictures I borrowed from my team members (y'all won't be able to see my pictures until I get back).

Katutura, Windhoek

The team in Windhoek

What most of Rehoboth looks like

Team again

this is finally Africa.

In the past few days it feels like I've finally gotten to experience some of what I imagined Africa to be like, or what I expected my experience here to involve. It's been an intense few days, for sure. God has really been opening my eyes to how different it is here, and how spoiled I've been, and just how ignorant I am. How sovereign He is.

On Monday we had a lady called Julie come and talk to us about AIDS – how it's spread, how many people are affected by it (1/4 of the population in Namibia has it; the 2nd highest in the world), what the public's perception of it is here. That afternoon we had another lady called Hanalie come and talk to us. She was a prostitute before she became a Christian. She's lost her
family's support due to the fact that she has AIDS. Her young child does too. Hers was a sad story, but also an amazing story of how God redeems lives – I can't even put into words how
cool her story was. She has such an amazing faith and a hope. She talked about forgiving her family for shunning her, for not living in the suffering of her disease but rather reaching out to people. She helps prostitutes that she used to work with and now works at a children's home in the poor part of Windhoek. We are actually going to visit her tomorrow and see the kids there.

On Monday afternoon after taking Hanalie back to her work, Mick's wife drove us through Katutura, which is the poorest section of Windhoek. This section of the city was started about 80 years ago because that is where the black people were forced to stay during apartheid. So even though apartheid was outlawed here in 1994, there are still people here that are hugely racist and that are very segregated. Katutura is still an extremely poor, dirty, and generally lowly looked upon area. It's crazy to think that if we'd come here 15 years ago, there would have been segregation, that it would have been completely inappropriate for us to interact with black Africans. So we drove through Katutura and most of the houses are just made out of zinc, a kind of metal that people cut into large sheets and bolt or string together with rope. I mean this is like the poorest of the poor. No electricity, dirt floors, no stoves or refrigerators or plumbing or any convenience. It's a really violent area and people are in constant fear. Needless to say it was a sobering and humbling experience.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went early in the morning to what is called an AIDS testing center. This one is run by the Catholic Church and it's free. They test people for AIDS and HIV. We actually went through the whole process of getting counseled, asked questions, getting our blood taken (it was a finger prick) and seeing what our result was, whether or not we had HIV. I can't put this into enough words to describe what that was like. I have such a better understanding of what AIDS is, how it affects people, what the perception is, and what it's like to actually get tested for it. So very crazy and very amazing. After the testing 3 Namibian guys showed us around Katutura. We actually walked around the neighborhoods and in the markets. There were about 12 of us white people, and we got so many stares you wouldn't believe it. White people just don't come around those parts. It was an interesting experience for sure. We had lunch in that area, they had AMAZING bread!

We spent the afternoon yesterday hanging out with kids at a church's after school program. While we were waiting for the kids to get out of school, we were sitting around and one of our guides went to go buy some roasted worms. Yep! He came back from the store with a bag of
them and somehow convinced everyone in our group to eat one. I don't know how that happened! But I told myself I would regret not taking part in that experience. So I ate one. Head and all. It was super crunchy and black and tasted very chalky, but otherwise not much taste. The grossest part was that it was a worm, just the thought of that, not necessarily the taste. I gagged and almost spit it out, but finally swallowed it down with a bunch of water. So there you go!

Once the kids got there me and a few other girls went and read with some of the younger ones, they were 6 or 7. Some of them read to me a little (one's English was quite good) and then we spent the rest the time reading to them. It was my first real experience to just get to know a
few kids here and interact with them. They climb all over you and love to see your camera and love being in pictures and love being read to and have no sense of personal space! After their reading time was over they sang a few songs (gorgeous!) and then we played frisbee with them for the rest of the time. It was a good afternoon, but spending the whole day in Katutura was absolutely humbling and eye-opening.

That was what I really imagined when I thought of Africa. Here in Windhoek especially the gap between rich and poor is very wide, and you have Katutura 10 minutes away from very very expensive houses. Mick lives in upper middle class, basically, and that's where we've
been spending most of our time. To wrap up a very long post, God has been teaching me great things. Pray that I would keep my eyes and heart and mind open. I want to learn everything I can down here. I want to get my hands dirty and build relationships and cry and be joyful and be integrated in the culture. I want to be okay with making mistakes and doing things wrong and I want to suffer or rejoice along with these people. Thank you for your prayers. I ask you to continue them. I love you all.

In Africa

I think most of you have gotten an email from me anyway, so I'll just briefly state that I'm in Africa, in the capital city of Namibia called Windhoek. We'll be training this week and then off to Rehoboth on Friday. Please keep me and the team in prayer. Thank you for all of your support. I love you all!!

to bind up the brokenhearted | a few things I learned in Pearl River

Hello all.

I'm in New York right now, in a little town called Pearl River about 45 minutes from New York City. This is where AIM (Africa Inland Mission) has its headquarters, and I've been here since yesterday afternoon. I met my team yesterday, which consists of me and 5 other girls ranging from 19 to 23. Please pray for them, if you are praying for my mission. Their names are: Bea, Alli, Amanda, Kristen, and Mackenzie. They're all amazing girls, and I am so excited to get to know them more and to share this experience with them, to serve alongside them. This is a great group; we got to talk a lot tonight and we're all from different backgrounds, such a variety of experiences. Half of us came from Christian homes, the other half didn't. Very interesting the way God works.

All of today has been encompassed by meetings, I think we had 8 or 9. From finances to cultural differences to worldview to travel info, we've had just about everything today. Yesterday I was so tired from the trip (and from the lack of sleep preceding the trip) that I fell asleep at about 7pm with all my clothes on and contacts, the whole bit. I slept for about 5 hours, woke up, changed into pj's, and then laid awake for about an hour. I did sleep another 5 hours or so, which was nice. We leave here tomorrow at 1pm for JFK airport and our flight is set to take off at 5:20. We have an 18 hour flight, which includes stopping in Senegal for about an hour, then on to Johannesburg (which from now on I will be referring to as JoBerg). We'll spend the night there on Thursday at a guest house. On Friday afternoon we fly out to Windhoek, Namibia's capital. We'll be there Sept. 12-19 for orientation/training, hopefully to be headed to Rehoboth on the 19th. It will be a long time coming!!

At the bottom of the post I made a map; first JoBerg, followed by Windhoek, then Rehoboth, is our plan. Just to give you a visual. :) I wanted to share just a few things that stood out from training today. Rae, our short-term coordinator, talked to us about the biblical basis of missions and what we really need to focus on and remember once we're out on the field. She read several passages from Isaiah, but this one really stood out:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me
to preach 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 proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
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 oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Isaiah 61:1-4

I love this description of what Jesus will do! It's incredible. He'll preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives. It's important to remember why we're here and especially when we're going out on missions. I think every believer everywhere is a missionary, some just have it as their sole occupation. :) Well, I can't talk much longer; lunch is soon and then we set off for the airport. Thank you all for your prayers, and please feel free to leave comments. God bless!!

the edge of all the light

"When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly."
Patrick Overton

I came across that quote a few weeks ago and I just fell in love with it. It helps me describe a lot of what I'm feeling right now. I feel like I am at the edge of the light; I'm at the point where anything beyond this will be unfamiliar. Going to Africa. Leaving everyone I know. Living with strangers. Serving as a missionary. Learning to live in a completely different culture. All of these are things I've never done before. I have a very vague picture of what life will be like and what I will experience. I know enough to know... that I don't know anything.

The solid ground I stand on is Christ; without Him I wouldn't be doing any of this, I wouldn't even have the desire to. He is the impetus, the driving force, the reason, the motivation, the One who keeps me going and the One who gave me the joy and passion for this in the first place. It was all His idea and I certainly won't be the one taking credit for His stuff. On the other side of this quote, I also know that I trust God will give me wings, the ability to survive and even thrive in these conditions that are so unlike anything I've experienced in my life. He will take anything weak or ugly or painful and turn them into things so beautiful that we never could have seen them if His light hadn't illuminated them.

I've been looking at some scripture that encourages me as I walk in God's path; He has left behind the stories of so many faithful for us to look to and follow. Like the story of Abraham, called out of his country and the familiarity of a place he'd lived all his life. Called to follow God without question, without knowing what lay ahead or what he would encounter.

God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you. I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left just as God said.
Genesis 12:1-4

God promises him this incredible thing; that from him will come a great nation and that anyone who helps Abraham out, God in turn will bless them. Abraham is asked to leave his parents, brothers, sisters, and everyone he knew (except for his wife) and leave, to end up in a place God hadn't even revealed to him yet. And he did it! He just obeyed God without questioning Him; without second guessing Him or wondering if He really knew what He was talking about. I don't think I have faith like that yet. It took a lot of thinking and pondering and praying and deliberating before I'd decided to even spend 3 months away from home, let alone leave my entire life the way that Abraham did. What I'm doing now is so small compared to what these godly men in the Bible did.

Everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
Phil. 1:12-18

I've been hearing so many people talk and preach about Paul lately; I really think God is trying to get this into my head. Paul is one of those people I look to with such respect and admiration. He followed God's call for his life even when it led to imprisonment, torture, humiliation, just extreme suffering and what should have been despair. He never said it was unfair, he never assumed he was better or more faithful and therefore shouldn't have had to endure these things. I love this passage from Philippians which Paul writes from a prison cell, just words of complete joy and utter abandonment to the cause of Christ. These days I see believers complain about low incomes, small houses, bad schools, expensive gas, and the type of music they hear at church. We are focused on the tiniest, most trivial things and we are neglecting the huge concepts of love, grace, forgiveness, and joy (just like Jesus tells the Pharisees).

I love this passage because Paul says no matter how Christ is preached -- whether it's by people who hate him, or people who have good intentions, or people who are just gossiping -- however it gets out, the point is, it gets out. People are hearing about Jesus and many are learning who He is and turning to Him. People are getting saved even when Jesus is being talked about for the most horrible reasons. Paul says he doesn't even care how it happens as long as it happens; as long as people are coming to Christ and lives are being changed. He knows that God can take anything, even the worst circumstances, and turn them into things that will glorify Himself and ultimately bring good.

I want my heart to be like Paul's. I want more of a servant's heart. To give all of my energy, time, resources, and passion to loving the lost, to spreading the Good News; to counting it all as loss for the sake of His Name; that He would become greater and I would become less. Please pray for me when God brings me to your mind. Pray for my motivation; that my foundation would continue to be the Lord and not anything else that would hinder His work.

This has been an amazing year of change in my life and I am incredibly excited and in awe of what God's been doing and continues to do with me and around me. He is such a creative, powerful, beautiful, and good God.

I know You gave the world Your only Son....

The past few days I was able to spend near San Diego with Danielle. It was an amazing time of relaxation and calm. God showed us such beautiful things, and allowed us to enjoy Him in a very real way. We were so blessed the entire trip. (She is a GREAT trip buddy!!) I can't say enough about how much I loved seeing the ocean, walking along the shore with all the world around us foggy and gray; I think it's so beautiful.

Today I was able to go to service and it was wonderful. The message and the music were both phenomenal. I was able to hear a song I loved but I hadn't heard in a while. I'm going to post the lyrics here - they're short but powerful. It's by Hillsong, if anyone cares to download it. :) I was reminded very strongly today of what Jesus did for me, and the responsibility and the JOY I need to have in proclaiming His name to everyone, anyone I come into contact with. I need to pursue God recklessly and without hindrance, throwing off anything that is holding me back from fully living in His presence and abundance. Praise God for His mercies, for being limitless, for being loving beyond my comprehension.

Also, there's 2 weeks until I leave for New York (Sept. 8) followed 2 days later by leaving for Namibia. I can't even believe it! Please be praying that last minute details would be worked out, I'd get everything I need to take over there, and that God would bless our team from the beginning!!

---------

The precious blood of Jesus Christ redeems
forgiven I’m alive, restored, set free

Your majesty resides inside of me
forever I believe, forever I believe

Arrested by Your truth and righteousness
Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness

Convicted by Your spirit, led by Your word
Your love will never fail
Your love will never fail

Cause I know You gave the world Your only Son
for us to know Your name

To live within the Savior's love
and He took my place
knowing He’d be crucified

and You loved... You loved a people undeserving

New information surfacing

Today I got a call from Rae, my coordinator from AIM. She was able to give me a bunch of new information, which was really exciting. Basically, here's what I know now:

* leave date definitely September 8, 2 days of orientation in New York, then getting to Namibia Sept. 12
* my return date is November 25, 2 days before Thanksgiving
* our team is staying the same; 5 women including me, 1 other teacher and 1 nurse included
* we will be in Rehoboth, Namibia, which is 90 miles south of the capital (Windhoek)
* we will be working with a Lutheran church there, in some type of school as well, and doing various random tasks as the opportunities present themselves
* probably will be living with elders' families or families within the church
* conditions should be pretty nice as far as Africa goes; running water, electricity, and fairly comfortable arrangements


I think that was pretty much it. I'm waiting on a few more checks to come in that I know are on their way, and that will put me right around what I need for my budget. God has been and continues to be incredibly faithful and constantly surprises me. He has done so many amazing things this year, with regards to this trip and just with my life. Please pray I would continue to seek after Him, to keep Him as my focus and my one desire.

Praying for patience & trust

Hello readers. Just a quick update. Our leave date is now September 8, set to arrive in Namibia on September 12. Still no return date. I am waiting on plane tickets as well as trip confirmation, as well as the rest of my mission support! Please pray for this, and for me to have patience and trust that God knows what He's doing, even when I have no clue! He is good, and sovereign. Praise Him! I'm so excited for what He's doing in my life.

Change of Venue -- Namibia!

Well friends, a quick update. Most of you know, my mission location has now been changed to Namibia. The director of the orphanage in Tanzania that we were supposed to go to was in a car accident and is now not able to run the orphanage. Please pray for him (his name is Samuel) and his 5 children. Pray that work may still continue and lives changed at the orphanage there in Musoma, Tanzania.

As of yesterday, me and my team will be going to Rundu, Namibia. Namibia is a large country on the western coast of Africa, just north of South Africa. The picture at the top there is where I'll be, just across the border from Angola. It sounds like a beautiful area and the time of year I'll be going there (late winter/early spring) should also be great. My team consists of 5 women; 3 teachers and 2 nurses. We will be working at a sanctuary for at-risk children, mostly orphans. These children eat, play, and learn at the sanctuary. Some of them also live there. The sanctuary is built on church grounds. On the grounds is also a missionary house; that is where we will most likely be staying. The best news: looks like there is running water and electricity! That was a big shock and nice surprise for me.

Please keep me and my team in your prayers; we have about 2 months before we're set to leave and still don't have exact dates, details, visas, plane tickets, etc. God will bring together all the details if He wants us there! He is faithful! Continue to pray for my financial support to be raised. I have about $2,800 left to go. Thanks so much! God bless.

A world of change

Dear friends,

Even as I write these words, I can't believe they are true and real.

I am going to live in Africa. Well, for a few months at least. For those of you unfamiliar with this development, let me enlighten you. I am teaming up with an organization called Africa Inland Mission and working in an orphanage in Musoma, Tanzania, which is a few hours over the Kenyan border in north central Tanzania, east Africa. I will get to love and care for children who have been orphaned, whether by disease, war, or other devastations.

I know much change will come from this experience; much growth; my eyes being opened to so many new things. I am so excited, a little nervous, but very amazed at all God has done so far. If you don't have a support letter from me, please contact me and I can get that to you.

email - turnthetides@gmail.com
phone - 602-330-6048

I will continue to update here.

love in Him,
Cathi :)