Home in a month! This is a long one... ;)

Hi to everyone that is half a world away!!
I’m sorry it’s been about two weeks since I’ve updated! We haven’t been able to get to the internet.
Well, here is my life the past two weeks in a nut shell! =)
We left Lesotho on the 17th! We we’re ready to get back to ministry so that was an exciting day. =) Then on October 18th, we arrived in Eshowe, South Africa! Eshowe is this little town really close to Durban. (Durban is a pretty well known) Eshowe is an absolutely gorgeous town! It’s so small and everyone knows everyone. Tons and tons of greenery! Me, Dom, Tam and Sean went on a hike through the forest and ended up finding this man made boardwalk that led to this ladder that led to this huge platform that showed you a view of the entire town! It was nuts! We couldn’t believe it! Haha!
Our nationals name was Laif and his wife, Queen. And elder couple, but super sweet. Laif is really, really passionate about missions and has a pretty cool testimony. God called him to missions only a few years ago. His age was the thing that was stopping him from reaching out to the students in his town, he thought he was too old. Until one night, God revealed to him that youth of this generation weren’t willing and He needed him. Laif has been more then willing since that moment he had with the Lord! We we’re the first team from BOH that has ever been to Eshowe! We knocked out about 16 schools which was nuts! So we we’re in about 4 schools a day. The days we’re extremely long…but it was worth every second! I was given the opportunity to tell my testimony several times, the response was unbelievable! We we’re also given the opportunity to have one on one time with the students at this one secondary school. I sat down with these two girls, Nokwanda and Caroline, and talked for about an hour and a half! It was so incredible!!! They asked question after question after question. Some of the questions they asked, “Can I still serve God even if I’m famous? I only pray to God when I need something, is that bad? Why do I feel like sometimes God isn’t there or He doesn’t hear me? Is dating okay at this age?” At the end of the conversation one of the girls confessed that she was a lesbian and didn’t want to be in the relationship anymore, but didn’t know how to get out of it. We got to talk about EVERYTHING! She really had a breaking moment at the end of our time together! It was almost like these girls had these questions burning inside them for so long and had no one to go to and ask. They we’re so eager for answers. Neither girls lived with their parents. I ended up seeing that one girl three more times that week! It was a total God thing. We exchanged email addresses and I’m most definitely going to be keeping in touch with her! But, the Spirit spoke that day. I was in shock leaving that school. I couldn’t even BELIEVE what God had just done!!
All the students in Eshowe we’re really welcoming and inquisitive. They wanted truth. When we passed out the books they we’re sooo excited to get a book! Haha. They spoke Zulu, but the older students understood English so it worked out. We had a translator for the babies. 
I savored every moment in Eshowe! We got really connected with one church, and they are so supportive of Book of Hope and really wanted to get involved with our ministry!

The place that we stayed was SPECTACULAR! It was huge! The house keeper, Susan, cooked every meal for us! She was one AWESOME cook and a really, really sweet lady! Her kids we’re tight too! We miss her already! It was called the “Environmental Center”, mainly for big teams to stay at. So I roomed with Daneli. We had our own BATH! I took one almost every night! Haha..
So that was mainly it for Eshowe…we we’re there for a week. I really really really loved it there!! I had a BLAST with the kids!! I didn’t want to leave. We we’re treated super well. I was stretched there, challenged, learned a lot, there were times we’re I was exhausted and times when I was full of energy. We laughed a TON there! I can’t even tell you why…it was just a hilarious week for some reason. It was a malarias area so every time we saw any kind of bug we would scream, “MALARIA!!!” and sprint away from it. Susan got a KICK out of that…Hahaha. We worked really hard though that week! I was really proud of my family!

So then on the 27th we began our next journey, we traveled 10 hours and stopped in East London. East London was SICK! We ended up sleeping at this “Backpackers” Inn called the “Sugar Shack”. Right across the street from the beach. It was a TOTAL surf, hippie camp. I don’t even know how to describe it! There we’re tents pitched everywhere and South African surfers just chillin. Hahah, it was SICK!
Me and Tam met this guy that worked there, Ricky…he was making drums out of a tree stump! We we’re talking with him and just messing with him and we made him promise to give us drum lessons! He was HILARIOUS and really cool. He loved us. So later that night, he gave us lessons!!! It was one of the best, most entertaining nights of my life!! We we’re sitting there, in East Londan, ZA…with South African drummers, in a surf shack, drumming, doing African tribal dances, laughing, with the beach and the waves crashing right behind us…
Now tell me life doesn’t get much better then that! Hahah, it was a BLAST!!

Then on the 28th, drove another TEN hours and stopped back at Mossel Bay and stayed the night with Vernin and Trudy! It was so good to see them and a really nice surprise! Tony even came by in the morning and said hello, because he missed us. =)

Then…on the 29th! WE ARRIVED IN CAPE TOWN!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?! I’m in Cape Town!!! One of the most beautiful cities in the entire WORLD!! And I’m here! It took about 5 hours to get to Cape Town and my heart was racing the whole drive because I was so excited to get there! Finally!!! After a 25 hour drive…3 days…we arrived in Cape Town!! =) We are staying with Lucinda and Shaun Timoney. They are missionaries from Calvary so some of you may know her! Her kids are Shane, Lindsay and Carly Kotrell. But none of them are here. But she has started this whole surf ministry here in South Africa and has this HUGE house here. So we are going to have a BLAST here!!! (Supposedly Dad, you’ve stayed here before? Haha, so you can tell them how cool it is.) We all walked down to the beach today, it’s kind of chilly, but the weather is closest thing to PERFECT! We are supposed to be doing some surfers Bible Study a few times a week, go to some prisons and childrens center, and we’ve planned to do a lot of the typical tourists spots here in Cape Town! Which I’m excited for…And Shaun is going to take some of us surfing! Haha, imagine that.... And! There are penguins on the beaches here….!!!! Hahaha. How crazy is that?!!
I’m STOKED for these next two weeks… they are going to be a blast. We have a lot planned. Two birthdays to celebrate! (Dom and Tams). We’re going to this restaurant that serves African food and you sit in tree houses and they dance and play the drums and Afrian music, and then you get to go outside and hold and play with baby CHEETAHS for their birthdays! Haha, I can’t believe the things I’m going to be experiencing this next week!!! I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys before we do it, so I’ll write about my experience here next week!
I could live here…any day. Hands down.
Every inch of Africa that I’ve seen so far is still gorgeous. This country is really something else. It shows you a different picture of the Lord, that is for sure!

So God has really really really been blessing us…and showing us a good time. There were a few outbreaks that went down last week, but it only benefitted the team. So, I can say that I’ve been stretched. Some days more then others. I’ve had different breaking moments, facing and dealing with things I’ve brushed under the carpet for so long. I still pray constantly that I don’t want this trip to be just an “experience” or a “moment” but to permanently change my view of God and my relationship that I have with him! I see God answering that prayer more and more each day as long as I remember that this intimate love relationship with him is a daily decision and dedication. Times will get hard, and I’ll still make mistakes. BUT NOTHING CAN SEPARATE ME FROM HIS LOVE!!
Romans 8:38-39 –best verse ever.

I’ve learned lately that this whole “journey” with God thing…it’s supposed to be exciting. And God intended for it to be a BLAST! I really believe he wants it to be exciting, adventurous, mysterious, fun, memorable, and even at times risky! This walk with God is supposed to be an adventure! And when we finally give in, and die to our fear of obedience, we encounter the full experience with God.
And let me tell you, I am definitely having an ADVENTURE! God is so crazy! He has so much to offer us…

I’ve also been learning a lot about my prayer life with the Lord. I’ve learned that God, “whispers in pleasure, and screams in pain”. When everything is perfect and we are living in our little bubbles and our life is perfectly organized the way we would like it to be…God is very quiet and it’s hard to hear his voice because we tend to feel like we don’t need Him. But when we are facing our problems and not hiding them, when we are risking our comfort zone, sacrificing and suffering in His name…that is when the voice of the Lord is most evident and obvious. Because we understand that we NEED him.
Most of our prayers that we pray are already answered. The answers are in the Bible and we just need to seek them out. God will never tell us to do something that contradicts his Word. Everything lines up! It’s crazy how simple God really is! I’ve also learned to pray for very specific things…because then I am able to see God specifically answer my prayers. He will never stop speaking…when we are asking for guidance he will speak through anyone and anything to confirm over and over again that it is His will. We just have to be aware of His voice and learn to recognize it.

I’ve been praying for all you family and friends so much lately. The Lord will lay specific names on my heart, either through dreams, random memories, a song that plays…anything! And I faithfully pray for you guys! I think the reason I pray for you all so much is because I am not physically with you and when I pray for you all it makes me feel closer to you because I know I am with you in Spirit. =) I’ve learned a lot about that too. =)

Anyways, I miss you guys TONS!! I really do!!! But I do have to admit…I absolutely love it here and don’t exactly want to come home yet…
Haha, so I guess it’s a good thing that I still have 4 weeks! But before I know it, it’s going to be two! And then I’ll be home! I know you’ll all be really happy to have me home because I KNOW you guys can’t live without me. =) Hahah, but I’m really really happy and I don’t want to leave!! I think that is all due to your prayers.

Keep e-mailing me! I love hearing from everyone! I’ll be making some calls soon. So get excited! I love you guys so much!!! Keep praying, thank you guys for everything! You are the most amazing friends and family I could ever possibly ask for. I love you guys!!!!!!!!

Especially you mom – that package! I nearly cried when Lucinda gave it to me! You’re the BEST!!! You made the rest of my week complete!!! I LOVE YOU! You know me so well, pictures and everything! It’s so clear that you are my mother. You put things in their only a mother that knows her daughter would. We’re having a blast with the little things you threw in there! Haha, I love you!!!!!!! I MISS YOU TONS!!!!!!
Everyone saw pictures of you and they were like, “You mom looks SO YOUNG!!! How old is she??? She is gorgeous!!!!!” Then they see Mamma, and they we’re like, “That’s your grandma??? She looks like your moms sister!! She’s so pretty!” They we’re going on and on about how good looking our family is. And I was all…”well what can I say? If you got it flaunt it…you know what I’m sayin….”
Hahahah, I LOVE YOU! THANK YOU TONS!! =)