One Amazing Summer

I realize it has been quite some time since we have made an entry on this blog. Hopefully since we are all moved into our new home and are done traveling for awhile, we will be able to keep up with this blog more intentionally.

This summer we had the joy of spending six weeks in Durban, South Africa. We went with 11 college students from all over the South East region to spread the good news and good deeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The summer was essentially broken up into two parts.

Part One: Campus



During the first couple weeks we were on the University of Kwazulu Natal. This campus had its beginnings in the ugly history of the apartheid. It was originally created as a campus for the Indian population (surprisingly, South Africa has the largest population of Indians second only to India itself!) When the apartheid was over, the campuses started to be integrated (with much opposition.... there were several deaths and many riots that occurred on this campus in regards to the integration) and now KZN (the campus) is about half and half Indian and Black African students with only a very small percentage of whites.

During our days on campus we would initiate conversations with students about their spiritual life. At the end of almost every conversation, we shared the gospel with the students giving them a chance to respond. We had so many amazing conversations.... most of the black South African students had grown up around church, but many were living under the assumption that their good deeds would essentially be what earned them favor in God's sight. After sharing about what Jesus did for us through His perfect life and sacrificial death to one girl, she looked at us with wide eyes and said: "I had a dream last night that someone was going to tell me about this type of spiritual freedom." What a confirmation from God that He had already been at work and we were just stepping into what He was already doing.

In all, we shared the gospel with around 300 students and saw over 25 of them trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What was also really cool about this was that we were able to do follow up appointments with almost every student who accepted Christ so that we could teach them how to study the Bible on their own, have assurance in their faith, know the role of the Holy Spirit in their life, etc.

At the end of the summer we had a camp that we invited all the students we met (particularly those who accepted Christ) to come to. It was a two night affair at a beautiful camp ground. Those two days were probably my favorite of the whole summer, because we got to see the fruit of what God was doing on this campus. Students from KZN who had become believers with last year's summer project were actually the ones leading the camp.... sharing their testimonies and talking about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. During one emotional women's time at the camp, Rose (a student who had just accepted Christ that week) confessed that she had been outcast by so many friends and family because of her differences from them and she felt so alone. Another student told her that now she had a group of sisters around her that would never leave her because of their bond in Jesus Christ. This was her family. The fellowship of believers continued to be a theme for this camp as many students found a group of friends who they could be transparent with and still be loved.... a place where they could grow in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Part Two: Community



The second half of our summer was spent in the township of Ntuzuma (pronounced In-tuh-zoo-muh). There we partnered with two incredible people who have been called by God to start a hospice (which they have named Ugukanye, meaning "The Light") for HIV/AIDS victims in the area. Prince is a black African pastor who became homeless as a child, learned of Jesus through a ministry that he later went back to help out with. There God softened his heart to AIDS victims and he got a call on his life to bring healing and hope to those dying of this terrible disease. He later partnered with Penny, a Kansas native who lost her ex-husband to HIV/AIDS several years ago. She, too, received a call on her life to take care of those with this disease and thus God eventually called them to work together in Ntuzuma. (The story is far longer and far much more interesting than I have the ability to tell).

Our primary job at Ugukanye was to provide man power for all the physical labor that needed to be done to get their building ready to be a hospice. We spent most of our time their washing, priming, painting, and repairing the roof. We also sanded and painted beds that will hold the future patients, organized supplies, cleaned rooms, etc. We each also got the chance to go on several home visits with Prince and care givers that are hired by Ugukanye to check on those suffering in the community. What a humbling experience. Andrew met a man one day whose body was ravaged by this disease. He and prince picked up his fragile body in a sheet and had to transport him to a clinic. The next day we were told that he died over night. It is so tragic, but death is such a common place occurance around Ugukanye. 33% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS. The prayer and mission of this hospice is not only to promote awareness, but also to provide comfort and the hope of the gospel to those in their last days before walking into eternity. It was a sobering experience to be a part of.

Needless to say, this was a life changing summer for the both of us. It is always so encouraging to travel to different parts of the world to be reminded that our God is truly a God of all nations who is mighty to save. We are continually amazed that we get to be a part of what He's doing.

For more pictures you can go to this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112280&id=51800416&l=afaa954ad5

Design Blog

I've (Elizabeth) started my own design blog! I couldn't stand the tension of wanting to blog about designing our new home and talking about our lives on this blog... so I decided the best thing to do would be to create a separate blog. I will try not to neglect this one!

You can view it here. Hope you're having a splendid day!

Africa!

The verdict is in... Andrew and I will be spending five weeks of our summer in South Africa! We are so excited about helping to lead a group of students on a summer project in Durban. We have no idea what to expect, except that God will move! The first half of the project will be spent on a university campus just sharing the Gospel with the students there. The second half we will be partnering with a church to help in serving. I think this will involve working in an orphanage and AIDS ministry. This city, if I remember correctly, has the most percentage of AIDS infected people per capita. What a joy to be able to serve there!

I always thought Africa would be cool, but I never dreamed that we'd actually get to go! Speaking of... have any of you ever seen the movie "Out of Africa"? Andrew and I rented it one night randomly and I cried and cried. It is SUCH a good movie! I want to watch it again before we go... even though we're not going to be in the middle of the tundra. I like to imagine that we will be... living it mud huts, waking up to the sight of a herd of giraffes. I think our experience will be far from, but I won't consider our trip finished until I see a lion. Can't wait!!

If you want to see a good movie...

...don't pass up Slumdog Millionare. I love it when acclaimed movies carry the story line of redemption. There is something within us all that yearns for old to become new, for dirty to become clean, for impoverished to become provided for, for lost to become found. I don't think Hollywood can stay away from it because it is so much a part of our being human. We know that something about this world is not quite right. Children being abused, people living in shacks, innocent being named guilty... whether we believe in an absolute truth or not-- no one can arguably say that these situations are right. We all long for those situations to be restored or made amends for.

What a joy that we can find redemption in the person of Jesus... "in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Eph 1:7). Not only redemption for our souls... but for the whole earth! I like how Revelation 21 puts it:

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

5And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

What a day we have to look forward to! I pray that I'm a part of bringing heaven to earth right now in this moment, too.

Anyway... if you're looking for a good movie and a moving story of redemption, don't miss out on this movie! Sometimes award winning shows are a little too over my head or just push the line in general, but this one is well worth any award it wins. Go watch for yourself!

I love prints!

I should be sleeping right now, but I'm up looking at fabrics! I've had such a rough time working with paint colors for our home (I went totally neutral). Therefore, I keep telling myself that I'll make up for it in the curtains! I know for a fact that I want tan linen curtains in the living room... but I want prints everywhere else! Here are some that I have found:

For the dining room:

(I found this at Hancock's 40% off!

For our master bath (possibly)... the walls are grayish blue:


The rest are just ideas for laundry room and possible back-ups for master bath. I really want the laundry room to be a fun room with a lively print. (Something that makes me want to be in there! The walls are a sage color):





This also means that I'm going to have to pull my sewing machine back out. I can't wait to learn more tricks on it... the most complicated thing I've done yet was an apron for Madelyn's birthday last year:


Hopefully this new place (and a place to sew besides my kitchen table!) will make me more motivated to do projects. I think I may make a sewing nook in our office. I can hardly wait.

An Eventful Weekend

We have siding! Andrew and I can't believe how fast this is going now. I know the process will feel more slow as the interior begins, but right now I love driving up to our soon-to-be home and seeing something new every time! I wanted to show a picture...



It's hard to tell, but the color is a light gray. "Online" gray, in fact. The front door and shutters will be a dark blue name "Distance." That's one job I would like to have... naming paint colors. How do they come up with those? "And what shade of orange would you say this is?" "Oh... that's definitely a 'Horseback' orange." ??

We've had a really fun weekend. Friday night and Saturday morning were spent at Camp ASCCA in Dadeville for our Crusade leadership retreat. It was a really encouraging time to be with those students who really have their own personal ministry at Auburn. It reminded me again why it's so strategic to work with college students... these are going to be the movers and shakers of our generation. Andrew and I believe that our best chance at being a part of changing the world, at this point in our life, is by investing in these students. We love them all so much! What a privilege we have in our job.


Saturday when we got home I spent the whole rest of the day watching part of Season 4 of LOST. This is the only show I have watched every episode of... and now I am actually REwatching episodes. I never thought this would be possible. This show is captivating. I have a pretty photographic memory and I love connecting the dots... so I am beyond highly impressed with how intricate this show is. They don't miss a beat with connecting a seemingly unimportant moment in say, season one, with a life altering scene in season four! It floors me. I don't understand how they do it... They must have the whole script already written out.

Speaking of TV shows (I am going to sound like a couch potato!), but I must publicly announce my anger with abc for canceling Pushing Daisies. They better be glad that they host LOST, or I would be boycotting them completely. It definitely wasn't a show for everyone's taste, but I am willing to say that it is the wittiest show to ever be broadcast on television (and I am saying this as a fan of both Gilmore Girls and Arrested Development). Not only was the dialogue above par, the colors of the set and costumes were a masterpiece! It really was beautiful in so many ways. In 2008 it was nominated for 9 Emmys, won three and nominated for 3 Golden Globes. What happens to shows like this? So sad. I am embarrassed to say that I may have shed a few tears at the discovery... but I am imploring everyone to go rent the dvds of the first season (you can watch the 2nd on abc.com) and maybe, just maybe, they will finish out season 2 with a made-for-tv movie. That sounds terrible... but it's definitely better than living with no closure.


To end... WAR EAGLE to the Auburn women's basketball team! They are currently undefeated, and Andrew and I got to watch them talley another W this afternoon against UT. The game was sold out (quite a miracle for any AU basketball event) and they said it broke the record for attendance of a women's bball game at Auburn. It really was fun and I hope they make it all the way to the Final Four... and maybe even beyond!

The Beginnings

So, this afternoon I decided to drive by our plot of land thinking to see (at the most) our foundation poured. Much to my bliss and surprise... we have the beginnings of a house! Our builders have been behind since they've started... so I was thrilled to see this. Words don't even describe what it felt like to walk in our soon to be home! More to come.