Love Moved To Action: Finish Strong

It's hard to believe that we have reached the end of our lecture phase. We have spent the past 11 weeks learning, growing, and preparing together as a team, and now it's time to move into outreach. One thing that I love about DTS is that it's not the end...isn't simply a launching pad into other things. I have learned SO much, and I look forward to all that God has in store for us in these next few months.

Finish strong. That has been the line that has been repeating itself in my mind a lot this week. When the finish is in sight, we have a couple of options to choose from. We can slow the pace and take a deep breath, thankful that the finish is so close. Or, we can let the sight of it motivate us to press on all the harder and give that last stretch of track every bit of effort we've got left. I pray that I would be the one who does the latter - the one who keeps on pressing forward and finishes strong. I'll admit that it is easy to get distracted by thoughts of home, and at times it causes me to not be fully here. Not that I'm homesick, but I do look forward to seeing my family and friends face to face again. But while I'm here in Africa, I want to be fully here. I know that this is where God has called me for these 5 months, and so I want to press into all that He has for me!

Our classes this week were on HIV/AIDS and Mercy. Not only was it educational in regards to the facts of HIV, but it was really neat to study what our response should be. God has called us as His sons and daughters to be ambassadors of His mercy. This is a big task that carries a lot of responsibility, but it is also an amazing privilege!

The one hard thing about this week is that it has been a week of "lasts". The last day at the church we usually go to. The last day at the Dwaleni feeding program. The last day of class. The last day of working in the kitchen. After that has been the routine life for the past 2 1/2 months, it will be an adjustment to work into a new routine. On Sunday we invited all of the youth from the church to come to the base for an afternoon of games, food, and fellowship. Every week after church they have invited us into their homes, and it has been an honor to get to know them. I will really miss seeing them each week while we are on outreach, but hopefully we will get to see them again when we return.

Friday was a party in celebration of the completion of a home that TTH was building. Our DTS hasn't been a part of the construction, but it was so much fun to be included in the celebration part of it! The couple that owns this home has many of their grandchildren living with them, and they had run out of room in their small home. Their dream was to add on some extra rooms, but they didn't have the resources needed to do so. So Ten Thousand Homes came and partnered with them to make this dream come true, and now this family has two new rooms that have been added on. It is quite neat to see how the Lord is working in and through this ministry to bring HOPE and HOME to the people of South Africa!

As we go into our two months of outreach, I'm not planning on using much internet. As far as I know, it will be available in most of the locations we will be at, but I really want to be FULLY THERE. So please don't be alarmed if I seem to be quiet around here...there will most likely be very few posts (if any) while we are in outreach.

Looking back, I wish I would have been able to share more stories of what God is doing here instead of just listing the events of each week. My blog posts don't even begin to tell all that has happened in these past few months! Maybe later on after the DTS is completed I'll have the time to sit down and type some of those stories out. I would LOVE to share more about this amazing journey God is letting me be a part of! But for now, it's time to say good-bye. I'll take plenty of photos, keep my journal up to date, and seek to dive fully into all that God has for me. Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement...all of you are such a blessing to me!

And last, but certainly not least, here are some photos that re-cap all that has happened in the past week...

These photos are of our DTS along with the youth who have invited us into their homes each week after church. Have loved getting to know them!

The photo above is of me and Lorraine - I've gone with her several times to her home. In the photo below I'm with Phephelapi - Eveliina and I have gone home with her at least 3 or 4 times. Both of them are such lovely young women with amazing hearts!!

The photo above and the next few after it were taken on our last day in Dwaleni. Gonna miss these kids a LOT!

This is Constance. She is hardly ever without a smile...but wouldn't smile for the picture :) She has become my little buddy over the past month or so, and I hated to say goodbye to her. It didn't help at all that she wouldn't let me put her down...love this girl!