The Journey

The End of 'The Journey'

2009-06-09T02:59:00.002+02:00

Changes will be coming, soon I hope, to this blog. I have not decided if I'll keep this url or change it. More likely I'll use it, just change things around. But we'll see. That depends on how much 'free' time I end up with in the coming days....

I've decided a change needs to be made to reflect where I am and what life is about now....this theme of being on a journey fit for a long time....and while I'm still on a journey and I like to be reminded that it really is the journey rather than the destination (as we're so often told) that matters....I've changed a lot since this blog and my newsletters started. Just as I have changed, so has my life.

It's a new season. And finally, I'm confident and excited about the changes that lay ahead. I hope to share them with you.

More coming soon.

Win a Wii !!

2009-05-29T17:21:00.002+02:00

Over at Christian Personal Finance - there's a great give away going on!
You can twitter to win an iPod and/or blog about the give- away to win a wii (like I am here :-)

Check it out!
http://www.christianpf.com/wii/

Good luck!

Now...I'm heading back to work...

Today, this is how I feel

2009-05-12T17:47:00.002+02:00

My Day

2009-04-30T00:51:00.008+02:00

It all started when I first woke up to the sound of my pager going off. It went off five times in the space of an hour. Apparently this was the morning for everyone to freak about 'swine' flue and rather than drive themselves to the doctor, they called me in to do it for them. Paramedics are not taxi drivers...please don't treat us as such. And by the way....I wear gloves, masks and safety glasses for my protection, not yours. So if it makes you nervous and you ask me to take them off....please don't get offended when I refuse- and no, crying will not help- perhaps consider if you're sick enough to require Emergency Medical Services...as those who sincerely need us....don't give a crap what we look like.

Then when I finally got to the office (YB) all craziness was happening. I hate days like this when the weather is all screwed up...because it takes these guys FOREVER to get themselves sorted out. Some people show up for work, some don't and then get mad and I'm the one left to pick up the pieces of a shattered schedule. So we finally got everyone, well, most everyone, going in the right direction.

Enter Chaos: I ended up having some rather serious employee issues to handle. Two of which were team leaders who weren't, well, leading. Acting like 2 year olds is more like it. So in the course of dealing with them, one quit...not a surprise but still trying. I hate it when grown men act like small, spoiled children.

Business has been really tense recently anyway. The reason? Money and People...the two things it always seems to come down to. For starters we are busier than we have ever been. We have tons of invoices out there needing paid, lots of new ones coming in...in short we have no shortage of work. Our cash flow though sucks. One reason for this is that while job volume has increased, not all of our prices have. Which makes it tough since we've jumped from employing 15 to 30 in one season. So we've adjusted some of our prices and we are making cut backs to try and make it easier on us. Still, things are super tight. And the fact that some of these guys have this sense of entitlement ....they demand things rather than give us a chance to recognize their effort...something that doesn't go over well at all. We love to give our employees perks...but demanding it? Not so much.

And since when is it the employee's job to tell the Employer (that would be me) how to run the business? I'm the one who doesn't get paid, I'm the one paying them and all the bills, It's my freaking name on the door. I think that means I get to call the shots folks.... and if and when I want or need you to tell me how to do my job, I'll let you know. Thanks.

And it's only Wednesday.

On a brighter note, I had a really nice conversation with someone in the midst of all this craziness. It was great timing.

All Graphics Courtesy of Ennokni - "Daily Life"

My Absence

2009-04-13T23:57:00.002+02:00

I've kind of neglected writing. No real excuse...just laziness.

My EMT shifts have been super boring and it's starting to feel like a waste of time. I know that sounds really bad to say that I wish people would get hurt/sick more....and I know that being there is important....still...because this is something I volunteer for it's not like I'm getting paid to sit and wait for the phone to ring...so I'm considering transferring to Wishard where at least I could work in the ER if I wasn't needed on a crew. So we'll see.

My other job, as a shareholder and employee in the family business has been chaos. In a good way. God has done a lot in my family over the last few months and even more in the business. It's been totally amazing. I know there's a 'recession' going on...but it's not hitting our market and we praise God for it! Business is going well, and our new product line is selling well. We are on our way to meeting our seasonal goal already.
This weekend is the Home & Garden show we are sponsoring so everything is a bit crazy with all the normal work plus this added stuff. And then rain on top of it all...so this will most probably be my only post this week.

School isn't happening....I had thought I would take some classes this summer but there just is no way I could manage a course load effectively and work 40+ hours a week. So I'm going to work this summer on evaluating my fall work hours and planning for school then.

The good news is that even with several set backs financially I'm still on target for saving for my trip to see my best friend Jody who lives in St. Lucia. I'm so excited. I miss that girl heaps! We were roomates in college and worked together in South Africa for several years. So we had lots of time in which to develop a really close bond.
Being away from all my friends is what has sucked the most about being stuck in Indiana. All my friends are either overseas or on the West Coast. I'm the only one out this way. It really is depressing.

There have been a lot of random thoughts and ground work is being laid for future decisions like ministry and school etc. But I don't feel that anything resolute has been decided. As the picture states...people aren't perfect and I'm still working through some crap. But thankfully I'm getting pretty good at just ignoring it all....although I think some might call that denial. At this point, I just really don't care. For the most part I'm still just putting one foot in front of the other and trusting God to see me through each day. For the most part, I do good to handle that. So as far as forward thinking...not so much....but a bit more than before. So I count that progress ....very minimal...but progress nevertheless.

So, I'm off to the gym, then home where I plan to work on some paperwork I'm taking with me and watch the NCIS episode from last week that I missed. Enthralling I know ;-)

2009-03-31T22:54:00.000+02:00

Overwhelmed..........in a good way...I think.

snowed under

2009-03-27T17:39:00.001+02:00

I will be writing a post soon...ish. Just as soon as I shovel my way out from under all the work I've got going on. Or at least work it down to a manageable pile!

Sometimes All We Need is A Little ...Encouragement??

2009-03-16T04:23:00.001+02:00

So I've spent the last half hour killing time and this is what I found.....

Friday Night Thoughts

2009-03-14T04:59:00.003+02:00

It has been an exceptionally busy week. We're 'summertime busy' in the office and we've still a week before the first official day of Spring. I'm not complaining, exactly, busy is good, very good. At the same time, I'm feeling the crunch. So many things to get done, so little time to do it in.
So it's a toss up...do I work tomorrow or do I rest. I'd really rather rest. But I will probably work for a few hours.
I have really neglected my personal life the last few weeks due to all the chaos at work. One of the things I've found has been impacted has been my ability to exercise my spiritual will over my physical. It's easier to worry that stand in faith. Easier to be angry than to forgive. So this weekend will be have a more spiritual focus than some. I need that time to think, meditate, read, write...time to just be. I'm going to focus on this truth: " In quietness and trust is your strength" (Isa. 30:15)
What do you plan on doing this weekend?

Saddleback Worship Conference Giveaway

2009-03-11T00:20:00.001+02:00

This is totally turning into the free stuff blog over the last week. I promise real posts are coming soon. But this is a BIG giveaway.

Today, I am giving away ONE TICKET to Saddleback Worship Conference, June 24-26. Not only that, but this ticket includes admission to the Pre-Conference on June 23.

Seriously, this is a $350 value… yours for free if you’re the winner!!
All you’ll need to do is get yourself there.

LEARN…
From world leaders in the Worship Arts arena and from Saddleback’s own staff…

EXPERIENCE…
Great Worship Times, Concerts, Devotionals, Late-Night Events, Exhibitors & more…!

PARTICIPATE…
Perform on a Daystage, sing in the Conference Choir, or Submit your own songs, scripts and videos to SongSeeker, DramaSeeker, and our all new SermonSpice Video Competition!

PLUS
Many many many workshops to choose from. One of which led by Carlos Whittaker (and maybe me too) on all things Web 2.0.

Leave a comment below by 11pm (CST) and you’re entered to win. The winner will chosen using Random.org and will be announced at MIDNIGHT (CST). And tell your friends to really make the contest interesting.

Spring

2009-03-09T18:57:00.002+02:00

I love Spring. I love everything about it: the cool, crisp air, warm sun, birds singing, flowers growing. Over the last few years I haven't gotten to enjoy Spring much...the places I've lived in really only have two seasons...wet (hot) and dry (really hot). Except for the frigid 9 months I lived in Canada....where I nearly froze to death.

I like this middle ground, between winter and summer. I find it incredibly soothing.

Saturday I went hiking in a nearby state park. Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea because even the rugged trail I was on, was crowded. Not exactly great for taking great pictures or thinking, but it was still nice to be outside.

Even though the economy is still tanking, hope is soaring at work. Both of my jobs are doing well. Grass always grows and people are always getting sick/hurt so I'm fairly certain my jobs will be around for awhile. Nevertheless it's been awesome to see God at work, especially in the family business. The phone has been ringing off the hook and we've not had a shortage of opportunities to give bids. I could credit that to the time I've spent marketing...but I know better :-) I know God's the one who provides what we need, exactly when we need it.

A headline I read this morning said "Obama: 'don't fear future'". It'd be easy to fear the future...just look at the headlines. It's all wars and tragedy. But I was reminded this morning of Joshua 1:9 which says "Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (AMP)

I thought this morning about who my hope is placed in...men who fail and are often wrong or God who is always right (and right on time)?

Who are you trusting in?

Friday Morning

2009-03-06T15:26:00.003+02:00

I know the time stamp is off, it's still set to African time, I just haven't had the time to change it. So this really is Friday morning :-)

I am hopeful that this weekend is restful. I know I keep saying this, but I've been really busy. So even though I should spend a little extra time working, I'm going to make time to do some things I've been putting. Nothing screams "pleasure" to me more than a comfy chair, a great book and peace and quiet. I also may poke around the Library. I am actually all 'out' of books. A rare thing for me as you know.

Starting off this Friday morning I'm pondering the incredible steadfastness of God. I've had a really great week spiritually. No real insight just reminders of His amazing love. Little things like realizing I haven't made one trip to the hospital in the last three months. For the first time in years I've been able to run and walk fast without passing out. I haven't been sick at all actually. It's an awesome feeling, health. One I highly doubt I ever take for granted.
Further confirmation that I'm in the right place, doing what I need to be doing, and giving myself the rest I need.

One thing I continue to look forward to is my upcoming trip to St. Lucia. I had an email from my friend this morning and we are busy making plans. It will be so good to see her again!

There's a quote that really spoke to me this week. It's from Withering Heights but it had a bit more of a spiritual implication for me.

"If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn't love you as much as I do in a single day."

When I first read it, I was struck that this is true about God's love versus human love. Being single, there's always that topic of "when will Andrea find a nice young man" hovering around family get togethers and functions. This quote reminded me that regardless of when the eventual "nice young man" turns up, and regardless of how great he might be...his love or anyone's love for me will never be able to match or surpass God's love for me.

So there you have it...my rambling thoughts early in the morning :-)

Great Clip-Free Music: Kingdom Coming

2009-03-04T00:15:00.003+02:00

If you have a minute (or 6.45 to be exact) I'd like to encourage you to watch this clip from Shaun Groves. He's speaking on a song he wrote recently called "Kingdom Coming". It's a great little clip, perfect to ponder while you're waiting for NCIS to come on tonight :-)
You can download a free (and legal, which makes it even better!) mp3 copy of Shaun's song by clicking here .
So,Check out this little video where he speaks on the Good News taught by Jesus in the first chapter of the gospel of Mark. And then download the song “Kingdom Coming”

Kingdom Coming from Shaun Groves on Vimeo.

Faith, Friends and Thankfulness

2009-03-03T00:07:00.004+02:00

For the last several months I have had the honor of leading a ladies Bible study on the topic of faith. I have had a kind of love/hate relationship with the study simply because of where I've been at personally. For much of this time I have been doing my 'duty'. Always well though out, prepared ect. but not exactly putting my heart into it.
There are reasons for that...but I'm not going to go into those reasons too much. I'm tired of rehashing issues.

I will say though that the last few days have brought some sense of breakthrough. After nearly two years of pain and a very, very long road of recovery faith is becoming, once again a source of joy rather than something I'm clinging to because I know it's true.
Cleaning out my inbox brought this little revelation about. I was going through old emails, trying organize and delete what was no longer needed. I came across many emails from friends who were encouraging me, sharing with me, "doing life" with me even though we were thousands of miles apart. Their emails ministered to me then....but made a huge difference this weekend.

Insecurity and fear will always be a weak point of mine. But thankfully, I am finally seeing light at the end of the dark tunnel of grief, anger, shame, fear, doubt, bitterness etc. I've been going through. I finally feel like I'm ready to move on. Not because of anything I am, or know or can do. But because of who Christ is. He loves me wholly, believes in me unconditionally and his plans for me are faultless. I choose to believe in the eternal security of Christ than any promise made by a man.

I don't know what my future holds. I don't know how grad school will work out or what I'll eventually end up doing or when I'll go back into ministry/missions full time. At this point I can't really tell you anything except that I am finally at rest and beginning to look forward to what will be and ready to move on from what was.

Psalm 33:18-19 Behold the Lord's eye is upon those who fear Him (who revere and worship Him with awe), who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving kindness. To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

Thank you, my dear friends, for standing beside me. For continuing to believe in me, even when I'd given up on myself. For not allowing me to wiggle away from truth. Thank you for loving me, even when I haven't deserved your friendship.
For Sarah, James, Jody, Anna, Thabiso, Johan, Krista, Bethany I. and so many others who've been the truest kinds of friends I am so thankful for you! I look forward to sharing this journey with you in the days ahead.

Love,
Andrea

On a Wednesday night....

2009-02-26T05:11:00.003+02:00

As a Mac Lover....it may seem odd to have Bill Gates on my blog. While I may prefer not to use his computers...I agree with his opinions.

Besides that- Wicked long EMT shift today. Most interesting call was a guy with shrapnel in his eye. I'm too tired to write tonight.

So without further ado......
Life Rules by Bill Gates
Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Thoughts on a Monday...

2009-02-24T02:14:00.002+02:00

Well, another week begun. I must say I’m rather excited. Not because anything with work or school has changed, just because I’ve made some decisions…finally. I still have quite a few things still to work through but I am comforted by the fact that I know God hasn’t given up on me yet. I know He is good and He is faithful and nothing, not circumstances or the failures, successes or opinions of men can in anyway, impact his love or plans for me. I trust that knowledge far more than I trust anything else. Because His faithfulness and his blessing in my life isn’t dependant upon me! (Thank God!) It’s totally dependant upon His character and His faithfulness to follow thru on promises he has made. The Lord’s word is a silver refined in fire seven times…meaning, it never, ever fails.

I have decided to follow Jesus, as the hymn goes, no turning back.

There are loads of things I don’t get. But I’m okay with only seeing part of the picture. I don’t know where or when or how any of my heart’s desires for things like marriage, family and ministry will come about but I know that when I seek and pursue Christ above material and worldy things (or even just doing what I know is right rather than what I ‘feel’ is right…) He will satisfy my desires with good things. And that makes me excited.

End of A Long Week...

2009-02-20T23:51:00.003+02:00

Well, it's the end of a very long week. And I'd much rather be here ---->
I did get a fair amount done at work today, even with all the interruptions, which was nice.
I am read for the weekend though! I really need to get my life in order....I'm tired of not existing outside of work. I'd like to develop a social life here and maybe even put down some roots. To that end I had planned on attending a knitting/sewing session from 9pm-11pm at The Living Room. But Nighttime really isn't my thing so I doubt I actually make it. Which is sad. If it were at any other time, I'd go and really enjoy the outlet.

Instead I'm heading to the gym and then home where I'll probably have cereal for dinner, shower and crash with a book.
I have to work Saturday and Sunday is a birthday dinner for my grandmother so family will take the bulk of Sunday.
I am looking forward to the gym, it'll be good to work out my frustrations :-)

Sometimes....

2009-02-20T04:06:00.002+02:00

there are days. like today that totally suck. These days usually occur because of things far beyond my realm of control. Like today. It really sucked to see someone I cared about make such horrible mistakes born out of fear, stubbornness, immature and complete arrogance. Honestly, I love this person very much...but they can really be a complete nightmare. Do they honestly not realize what they're doing or the cost that will come with their attitude?

On these days my typical response, once it's all over and I've called it a day, I hit the gym as usual, followed by a decent meal (not always usual...it depends on who's cooking...lol!) and a really hot shower. I love showers. They are awesome. Having lived for several years without them (not that I didn't bathe .... I just didn't have access to a real, proper shower) I will never, ever neglect to be thankful for such bliss. It never fails to make me feel happy.

So, I'm crawling into bed for a good read and hopefully tomorrow will put us all on the road to healing the wounds from today.

*sigh* it's shame that people are so stupid. They give the rest of us a bad name.

Because Money Does Not Grow on Trees....

2009-02-18T02:27:00.006+02:00

And we all wish it did: I'm going to share with you what I use to save and track my money.

Over the years I have used a lot of different products and even created my own systems. I have often needed some rather complex solutions that could cope with multiple currencies and exchange rates. At times my spread sheets were pretty hard to read. And then, I fell in love with two solutions that have helped me...no matter where in the world I may be.

For saving I use a program called SmartyPig. It's simple, which is important when I'm using unreliable internet connections overseas. It's also automatic, which is great. It takes some of the 'labor' out of transferring money from my checking accounts to savings. I find this feature invaluable. It helps me to keep on track and reduces my use of sticky notes. What I really like about SmartyPig is the 3.25% AYP. This is the highest AYP I've been able to find for savings programs that are not directly linked to investing. Unlike Money Markets or CDs, I'm not investing in the Stock Market or tied to a contract. If at any point and time I really need the money I've been socking away, I can end the goal and have the money transferred right back to my checking account...and take with me the interest I may have earned thus far. Or I can opt to have the money loaded onto a debt card and mailed to me. Another unique feature is SmartyPig's partnership with many brand name retailers. If you choose to spend your saved money with them with gives you certain perks and in some cases, extra money. And extra money is always a good thing!

For traking my expenses I use Mint.com A lovely little tool that takes takes a lot of time out of tracking expenses. Unlike some similar programs, Mint is totally free. You log in your bank details and it will automatically track, graph and report to you how much you spend and where you spend it. You can set up budgets, track investments...the tools keep growing. The only detractor is that you can't enter expenses paid for with cash. Which, for me is fine for the most part. I normally use my debit card or checks anyway. I carry small amounts of cash, but I keep track of where those go in my check register.
Anyway if you're looking for away to avoid keeping track of every single reciept - Mint is a great tool. I've really loved the budget feature and the emails Mint sends out if I go over my set limit for a particular catagory (books are my downfall!). I also really like the carts that show a breakdown of where my money goes. I can compare my expenses month to month and also to the national average.

So there you go! Andrea's finances in two paragraphs. Having lived by faith for many years, I still find those principles of trusting God to provide for and meet my needs relevant...even now that I get a regular paycheck. He's just as capable as providing for me now as in years previous when I was on the mission field. But the theology of all that is for another post.

Now if only there was a way to effortlessly generate more income...wouldn't that be great! :-)

TAXing Day

2009-02-17T02:03:00.002+02:00

<--This is what my desk looks like....I’ve spent the last 10 hours compiling, editing, recalculating, printing…reprinting and filing tax forms for the business. If I have to figure out how to get one more ‘x’ into a pre-printed form..I am going to cry…and then demand a raise.

Thank God my taxes are fairly simple and straight forward!

While I’m off to go to yoga and hopefully relax my incredibly stiff neck and spend the rest of the night not staring at a computer screen…I thought I’d leave you with some links.

Surprisingly there’s some good stuff floating around the web today ☺

If you’re married, or even if you’re not, LifeChurch.tv has a great series going on called The Vow, it’s all about drawing closer to God and closer to each other.
You can find more about it here www.internet.lifechurch.tv

Christian Personal Finance, a blog on finance and wealth management from a Christian perspective has as list of The Top 20 Christian Financial Websites I think you’ll find helpful.

And last but certainly not least is today’s post, Getting Single People Married as Fast as Possible, on the blog Stuff Christian’s Like. It cracked me up this morning, Jon Acuff, owner and writer for this blog consistantly turns out great stuff so poke around and have a laugh ☺

Uncertain Pathways

2009-02-16T01:41:00.001+02:00

Sometimes life seems to get really complicated. It reminds me of when I took this photo. We hiked all day long in the fog and there were times when there was no path at all, it felt like we were just going around and around and higher and higher with no real point to any of it. Until we hit this clearing. It was the most amazing view. The fog had lifted and I could see a little better. Suddenly my attitude toward my guide changed…he actually did have plan!

That’s kind of how I feel my life has been recently. It’s hard to get perspective and see the ‘big picture’ that is our Journey. But every once in awhile we have moments of clariety where we can look back and see where we’ve come from and look forward to where we are headed and know that our present position…regardless of how difficult, is worthwhile.

Sometimes we have to wait longer than others…but clearings do come.
When I took this picture my initial thought was “crap! Look at how far we still have to go!” As I was reminded today though, the journey, the process is just as important as the momentary times of clarity and understanding that come.

I still don’t know where I’m going, or what’s coming in a month from now let alone years from now. When I get bored of the process I’m in right now (school and work) this picture reminds me that my Guide does have a plan. He knows where I’m going and eventually I will too. Until then, in the midst of this seemingly endless fog and the apparently pointless circles, I choose to trust.

My Stress

2009-02-13T01:08:00.002+02:00

It's Thursday. It feels like it should be Friday...of next week. That's how long this week has been. Thank God, it's nearly over!!

The main source of difficulty has been serious employee issues with a supervisor. It's put a ton of stress and strain on all the other owners as well. We really wanted this guy to succeed but he's intent on self-destructing. It's sad because we've poured a lot of time, effort and money into training him. And now he's basically just throwing it all back in our face.

So the issues, problems and various methods of approaching the situation have been discussed multiple times in various mental states and attitudes.

Then we've got a heap of work going on, my to do list is ever expanding and I know everyone else is having the same problem. Spring is coming and we still aren't ready. I'm not sure where this supposed 'off season' went to but I wish it would come back and give us a few more weeks!

For now I'm going to shut down for the day, hit the gym, watch a movie and hope for better perspective tomorrow, it will be Friday after all!

My Mac

2009-01-22T19:49:00.003+02:00

Thinking I was being a good Mac owner I did some maintenance last night and now everything seems buggered. What I did wrong, I'm not sure. But some files open and some won't. Some programs work and some don't. It was an epic Fail, to be sure. However, there is hope. I called Donna and she's coming tomorrow morning to fix me :-) Thank God for people who know more than I do! Hopefully I can learn something tomorrow morning!

In the mean time I am limping through a very busy work day at the YB Office with substandard computer capability. *Sigh*

Things at YB are really busy! Between all the marketing stuff going on, all the bidding for new work in 2009, getting the new accounting system rolling, recovering from the loss of all our 2008 payroll data (GRRRR) and in general trying to get HR, Marketing and Accounting organized, planned out and ready to roll for summer. I'm busy...

So nothing really has happened with my bridging coursework, my knitting project remains unfinished, my violin still needs new strings. My eyesight still sucks because I keep delaying the office visit. And I still have phone calls and letters to write to friends.

Then there's the new years resolution of getting out and meeting new people and making new friends here in my new 'home' town. yeah hasn't really happened yet either.

And this is the 'off season'?

The Gaza War

2008-12-31T18:37:00.003+02:00

I don't claim to subscribe to everything Joel Rosenberg says or stands for, honestly I don't know that much about him. However, I've been getting his updates for awhile and he's always been spot on. I thought I would share this. Please take not, in particular of the verses included.

New posts are coming soon! :-) It's part of my New Year's Resolution!

EARTH TO EUROPE, RUSSIA: HAMAS MUST BE CRUSHED, NOT CODDLED

By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., December 31, 2008) -- The Gaza war rages on with no immediate end in sight. Indeed, Israeli sources tell me a ground operation into Gaza is not yet definite, but is likely.

Israel has rightfully rejected a French-proposed 48 hour cease-fire, saying the Gaza operation will continue until Israel's goal of shutting down the terrorist rocket threat is accomplished. The leaders of the European Union, Russia, and many governments around the world are putting enormous pressure on Israel to stop defending the Jewish people and stop attacking the terrorist strongholds in Gaza. This is crazy. Why do the Europeans and Russians have such a double-standard when it comes to Israeli national security?

More than 6,300 rockets and missiles have been fired at Israel by Hamas since Israeli withdrew its military forces from Gaza in 2005. Some 400 rockets have been fired at Israel just since December 19th. Would the French or Germans agree to a cease-fire if they were being hit by hundreds and thousands of rockets, missiles, and mortars by enemies sworn to annihilate them? Of course not. The Russians invaded Georgia for far, far less.

"We didn't initiate the Gaza operation in order to end it while Israeli towns are still under fire, as they were before the operation," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told reporters. "Israel has shown restraint for years; she gave the truce a chance; we told ourselves 'let's try it,' but Hamas violated the truce."

I don't often say this, but Olmert is right. Hamas must be crushed, not coddled. Yet the world is trying to coddle these Palestinian Radical Islamic jihadists. It's an outrage. The onus is on the Hamas terrorists to lay down their arms and stop firing rockets into Israel. Until that happens, the IDF should continue fighting.

It pains me to see the suffering on both sides, but this is entirely Hamas' responsibility. They were urged by Egypt, by Mahmoud Abbas, and by the Israelis not to let the previous cease-fire lapse, but they chose war instead. They have never been hit this hard. Indeed, Gaza has not seen this level of fighting since 1967.

Israelis living within rocket range are truly safe and secure. Yet, the Islamic Radicals in Gaza don't appear ready to surrender. To the contrary, Hamas is using longer-range rockets than ever before - some of them made in Iran - putting hundreds of thousands of more Israeli at risk than in previous clashes. Hamas has already fired more than 50 rockets, mortars and missiles at Israel as of 4pm local time (9am eastern). Two hit the Israeli city of Beersheva last night, some 28 miles from Gaza. This is the first time Beersheva has ever been in range of Gaza-fired rockets. Haaretz reports that no one was injured but 40 people were treated for shock. The city is rattled, and theaters, cinemas and other shops and businesses are shutting down. Rockets also continue to hit the town of Sderot, and the Israeli coastal cities Ashkelon and Ashdod. I'm told that most of the children in Sderot have been evacuated from the town. Many are now temporarily relocated to northern Israeli cities and towns, such as Haifa.

Iran, in addition to providing Hamas longer-range rockets, is also now apparently recruiting some 10,000 volunteer suicide bombers to attack Israel.

To visit Joel's new weblog site and get the latest developments in Israel, Russia and the epicenter -- including links to stories mentioned in this Flash Traffic report -- please click here

To visit Joel's website -- www.joelrosenberg.com -- please click here

GAZA WAR: Prayer Update

The people of the Holy Land are going through great pain and suffering right now. But we should not be discouraged. Rather, we must turn to the Scriptures for the Lord's perspective, embrace His promises, and obey His commands.

The Bible is clear: God loves the people of Israel, as well as their neighbors. He has a wonderful plan for their lives, plans for good and not for evil, plans to give them a future and a hope. Jesus offers those who choose to follow Him true peace that cannot be found anywhere else. He promises to protect His people. He promises them an abundant life here, and in the hereafter. He promises to answer their prayers when they pray for His will to be done and pray in His Name. What's more, He commands His followers to love their neighbors and their enemies. He commands them to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, and care for the suffering. Should we not draw near to Him and follow Him wholeheartedly at this critical time?

"I have loved you with an everlasting love," the Lord says in Jeremiah 31:3. "Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness."

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (I John 4:8)

"For I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11-13, "plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they might have life and have it abundantly," said Jesus in John 10:10.

"Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper....The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever." (Psalm 121:4,5,7,8)

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you," said Jesus in John 14:27. "I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Jesus said, "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also....I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me....Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:1-3,12-14)

"If you love me," Jesus said in John 14:15, "you will obey what I command."

* Please continue praying for real peace -- not just the absence of conflict but the presence of true justice and true security on both sides of the fence.

* Please also continue praying for the scores of children on both sides who are being traumatized by all the rockets and bombs -- pray for the Lord to comfort and care for them in a supernatural way.

* Please pray for the followers of Jesus in Israel and Gaza, that they will have courage and hope from the Lord, that they will hear from the Holy Spirit how best to love their neighbors and their enemies, and that by their words and actions they can communicate the good news of God's great love and plan for Israel and her neighbors.

Christian Personal Finance - Christmas Give-A-Ways!

2008-12-21T06:56:00.002+02:00

I've been following the Christian Personal Finance blog for about a year. I think technically I'm considered a 'lurker' because I don't usually comment on anything...and that I think is what 'lurkers' must do.

However I decided to break with tradition and post a link to CPF here:
http://www.christianpf.com/christmas-giveaways-two-ipods-and-more/
because the give a way contest is pretty awesome...and I have benefited a lot from the site. I follow several *secular* finance blogs too...but I like to compare and contrast the views and opinions.

Hope you enjoy the blog as much as I have.

2008-12-19T00:17:00.001+02:00

says it's going to be a long, cold night

What To Do With Christmas?

2008-12-11T00:23:00.004+02:00

Someday I need to write a real post. You know, the kind that actually is informative....
I actually do have some pretty decent thoughts and paragraphs tumbling around....perhaps soon I can make the time to put them on paper...or at least post them here. It just feels like I'm constantly two steps behind everyone and everything else. I feel perpetually behind, and seeing as I detest being late....it's rather annoying.

Everyone has been pretty stressed out of late, a lot is going on even though lawn and landscaping is slowing down. Work slowing down outside only seems to stress everyone else out. Just because things are slacking in that department doesn't mean I'm not busy...I'm just as busy now, and a little more so than I was in the summer. I have a ton to get done in preparation for next season. Of course though that doesn't exactly pay the bills for the next three months.

For a few days I was really getting into the whole Christmas thing. Listening to Christmas music, thinking about decorating. A couple weeks and countless 'holiday' commitments later and I'm over it. I'm really over the "Mary Did You Know" song, it's always been source of irritation. It's a pretty tune, a nice melody but I find it to be flawed theologically (yes, folks Mary did know) ...hence my irritation that it's pretty much "the" song of every Christian holiday event. I think downhere's "How Many Kings" would be a much better choice....it actually has the potential to make people think. Anyway what's with this present thing? I love giving gifts, I do it all year round. I especially enjoy when I find a gift that's perfect for someone and it's something they aren't expecting. I love giving things to people, it's awesome. I guess I'm just being stubborn, in the fact that I don't want to give someone something that I haven't put my heart into. I mean really, why do people seem to think that inviting someone to a party that they've fought with all year long, will suddenly erase all that? The "oh, it's Christmas" mentality as if that should make everything all right....I find it shocking. I'm not fighting with anyone, I just used that as a rather poor example.
I should say much though, I don't really have a social life so it's not like I have the delimma of choosing which things to go to. I don't go to anything, so at least I don't have to worry about hurting someone's feelings by not showing up.

I am making some headway in terms of hammering out a plan. Nope, still haven't sent those year overdue letters to my former supporters yet. Shocked by my Procrastination? I'm not...I procrastinate when I'm afraid of something....in this sense primarily I'm afraid to write them. I feel like I failed them, it's hard to wrap my mind around how to say what I'd like to say. I'd like to share what God is doing, I'm just too chicken to do it. And this is what I talk about with my counselor. Lot of good it seems to do if I still haven't written, eh?

Maybe if I made my own Christmas card and said "Please Don't Reject Me" on the outside and "I really do have a plan" on in the inside. That would help, right? I mean that's being totally honest. That's why I haven't written. It's like trying write a normal sounding letter, when all I really want to say is that. You try writing without saying what you really want to say....and let me know how it goes....I'll hire you to write my letter.

Why is this an issue? Oh, who knows. Why do people have "issues" anyway? Technically I think its all in my head, but that certainly doesn't make it seem any less real or valid.

So, in my broken little mind I'm viewing Christmas with a kind of perplexity.....ignore it or enjoy it?
In reality it isn't about all the stuff, the music, the socializing, commitments to fulfill etc. It's about Jesus. Thank God. Because that's a much more enjoyable prospect. Regardless of how much changes in my life or in the lives of those I love, He never changes.

When thinking about what to do with Christmas; I'm going to focus on spending time with Jesus. Celebrate His love and enjoy being loved unconditionally, because that is the rarest gift of all.

Holiday Season = Stress...?

2008-12-09T00:42:00.000+02:00

2008-11-25T21:07:00.001+02:00

So my day Monday pretty well sucked. It's about a year since I had a day that went as brutally wrong as yesterday did. Sad to say, today hasn't proved much better...however I found this song that I really like, so I'm posting it. Hopefully it will work.

So, I'm off for now. I have appointments to get to....

Urgent Prayer Request from India!

2008-10-15T16:18:00.001+02:00

The following is an email I received from Malcom and Phyllis Blowes, English Missionaries to India.
They are a part of a ministry called Good News India. Please lift these people up in your prayers. For more information please contact me.

We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we faced as we went about His work. But none of our staff imagined that they would see this kind of carnage... And it seems to be totally under the radar of the Western Media ....

Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and 'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians were blamed. The cry rose up...'Kill the Christians!' And the horror began.... In the past 4 days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have been slaughtered. For no other reason than they bear the name of Christ.

Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right in the middle of all this chaos.In Tihidi, just after the police came to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not allowed to get in, but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They have promised to come back and 'finish the job.' Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doors and windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the Lord in prayer.

More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this area. So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.

All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in house and burned them to death. Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left on the road.... even women and children. At another orphanage run by another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to said: 'We stay with our kids.... we live together or die together, but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.' More than 5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or destroyed. They have fled into the jungles and are living in great fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no peace is foreseen. This will continue for another 10 days.... supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many more Christians will die and their houses destroyed.. Many more churches will be smashed down. The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at what is happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during these trying times.

Re Post - A Reminder

2008-03-10T16:20:00.001+02:00

I’ve been thinking recently…well, not exactly “recently”…for a while, about what my motivation for being here is. Why do I do this? Sometimes I need to be reminded…. especially when things get rough…as they have been.

So I’m writing this out…not necessarily for you, though if it encourages you…great, but more so that I’ll remember why I’m here in the first place.

Paul speaking of Moses in Hebrews 11:27 said, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is unseen.” Paul goes on in the same chapter to state “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.

Who by faith
Conquered kingdoms,
Performed acts of righteousness,
Obtained promises,
Shut the mouths of lions,
Quenched the power of fire,
Escaped the edge of the sword,
From weakness were made strong,
Became mighty in war,
Put foreign armies to flight.

Paul further states that these were “Men of whom the world was not worthy.”

“Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily enables us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith….”
Hebrews 11 & 12

As a goal oriented perfectionist, it’s taken me a very long time to realize that this life we live is not necessarily about what we gain or accomplish or have but what we do with what we’ve been given. So “accomplishment” as the world would deem it, really amounts to very little.

In Mark 8:36 Jesus said “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

In 1st Corinthians we read that at the end of all things, after our physical bodies have failed: when all wisdom and knowledge and might cease to be, the only things that will remain is love. Love that is perfect, completely unselfish, love that is not resentful or fretful. This love keeps no record of wrongs done to it and does not seek revenge. This love does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and truth prevail. This love bears up under and endures unfailingly throughout any and all difficulties, trials and hardships. This love never fails or fades out or becomes obsolete.

Throughout the New Testament we are command as Christians to walk in this love. That is to say we are commanded to respond and react to each other and to those around us in this attitude. This is what Paul is referring to when you he says “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

When you strip all of the drive for success away, when all the nicely polished awards fade and your name is forgotten….you will be remembered for the person you were, not what you accomplished.

Jesus didn’t leave behind massive trust funds to aid Jerusalem’s widows and orphans. Traveling down Jerusalem’s dusty roads you won’t find schools, libraries or hospitals named in His honor. You’ll find a hill that marks his death and a grave that – for Christians- mark is life. I find it interesting that in reality the real symbols of Christianity speak of death and dying….yet we all acknowledge that though He died, He rose, victorious. How often do I consider dying to myself as a victorious act? More often than not…I tend to shy away from things that would require me to set my own will and desires aside. How contrary this is to the example we are given in Christ…..who endured the cross, the shame, the ridicule, the separation….he gave all he had and then commanded us to “go into all the world” and do the same.

His life impacted those around him, who in turn impacted their world. He wasn’t interested in merely making a physical contribution to “society” but in impacting the lives of those around Him with the Father’s love for all eternity. In this way, He perfectly carried out the will of his Father….by doing only what He saw His Father doing. He stayed in step with the character of His divine righteousness while serving admit a fallen world. This is why he prayed that his disciples would follow in his footsteps by abiding in Him…keeping in step with His established standard of service rooted in holy love. This is also why Paul encouraged believers to be found upright in the midst of crooked generation.

Certainly no small order. But one we are enabled to successfully carry out due to the empowering of the Holy Spirit…..it has nothing to do with how “great” we are. It’s totally dependant upon how surrendered we are.

The saying so popular….that it doesn’t matter what you have to offer, but it matters that you be available.

The question I found myself asking recently wasn’t “ how am I doing?” but “am I available?” Some would answer the question for me…. obviously being overseas should attest to that fact. However something I have noticed personally is that while I may be available in some areas…. I’m not always quite so willing to serve in others.

It’s not an easy thing to wash your brother’s feet…let alone the feet of those who treat you with nothing but contempt. To respond in love and compassion to one who has betrayed you.

So…am I really available? Available to do the hard things, the dirty things? Am I available to do the tasks no one else wants to do? Am I really available to do what I see my Father doing….feed the hungry, clothe the poor, help the orphan and the widow….lay down my rights, forgo my own comfort for that of another? Am I available to be counted among the least of this world so that it may be, one day, said of me that I was faithful to “do what I saw my Father doing”?

For that is required in order to be counted as one of whom the world was not worthy. Not because of anything I did or could do, but because I chose to love others in the same manner in which Christ loved me.

John the Baptist said it best, I must decrease and He must increase!

The Dark Side of the Moon

2008-03-10T15:31:00.003+02:00

It's been said that when Astronauts cross behind the moon, they lose all communication until they "resurface" on the other side.
That's about how I feel! I pretty well dropped off the face of the earth there at the end of November. Thankfully I have resurfaced! Yes folks, I am still alive and quite happy to report...I'm doing pretty good!

Most of you knew how difficult the decision to resign from Teen Missions was and the last two months I have really struggled with that decision. However after many days of praying, thinking and talking....I have made peace with it, so to speak. I know God's plans don't always make sense. Somehow though, knowing that doesn't always help me accept them!

The upswing of course is that I'm more rested than I have been in a very, very long time. I don't think I realized how worn out I really was until I finally found the joy of a good nights sleep. It's interesting how not being chronically sleep deprived can improve mental function!

As much as I miss life and ministry in Africa, I am learning to enjoy and serve right where I'm at. The transition has been anything but easy and I am greatly indebted to those closest to me who patiently endured and kept talking me down out of the crazy tree.

So, now that I'm rested, on my way to being recharged and ready to roll....what's next?
Well....I don't exactly know...just yet. I am considering and praying about long term work overseas and there are several different agencies that I am looking at. Though my desire is of course to do what I know....work overseas....I feel a keen desire to ensure the next steps I take are the ones God leads me to. Not ones I take just for the sake of doing something....anything to have a plan!

In the mean time, while I'm waiting on God's clear leading....I am focused on a couple things.

My first priority is to "rebuild". Rebuild my personal life, rebuild relationships with friends, family and supporters and rebuild my health.

My second priority in keeping with the first is to "renew". Renew my walk with God, my service in my local community and renew my partnership in my local church.

My third priority is to "prepare". Prepare for future service through education and discipleship.

How am I working these three things out? Well, currently I am helping my parents with their business. The business has grown by leaps and bounds and they really needed some good administrative establishment...not to mention some IT help. Which is where I've come in. I have the opportunity to rebuild my relationship here at home by helping out in an area I certainly have a lot of skill in.

I have been working on phone calls, letters and emails to friends and supporters who were a bit neglected during my last couple months in South Africa. If you haven't heard from me yet....I'm getting there!!!

I am also serving in my church's missions board. This is a role I am loving! At the moment I am helping to plan and organize our missions conference. I am hoping this will lead to opportunities to help and encourage missionaries in various stages of their service....going to the field, on the field or coming home from the field.

I am also looking at the potential of helping my church administratively.

So that covers "rebuild and renew".

On to prepare....
At the moment I am re-certifying as an Emergency Medical Technician. It's a whole lot more work than I was initially prepared for but, eight weeks in I am really starting to enjoy it. It is really good to have my skills refreshed and my knowledge beefed up. Although they aren't covering some of the things I faced daily....the principals and techniques are in many cases the same. It's also giving me a chance to catch up on the new standards here in the US.

Come this spring I am going to be making some final decisions on graduate school. I have thought about this often and continue to seek guidance. I have an opportunity to earn a masters degree in pastoral counseling. Essentially the same as a counseling degree however pastoral counseling has an emphasis on counseling from a pastoral perspective. This would prove incredibly helpful as a missionary or in some other full time ministry. So I would appreciate your prayers concerning this.

I am also wanting to look into taking single classes that would address areas I feel I could use some professional development in. Classes I'm looking at would be business accounting and finance, grant writing, non-profit organizational leadership and a couple additional health related classes.

Also under all of that is a continued need and desire to rebuild, renew and prepare spiritually. Being able to sit in a pew and soak things up has certainly helped in this process!

Lessons Learned
Whew. Too many to count! God has brought around several different people and various other things that have given me some valuable insight. Not only correcting past mistakes but also teaching me what I can do differently, and what I should continue to do, in the future.

I have certainly learned a lot about myself and about how to deal with the demands of leadership and ministry as a single woman overseas. I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that it really is okay for me to say I need a break! So I'm learning how I can balance things better in the future to ensure I don't burn myself out.

Though I feel pretty secure in saying it will be a year before I begin to make plans to return to missions full time, should the Lord continue to lead in that direction. I have also learned enough by now to know that my plans and His often differ! As a result I have begun the preliminary process with a missions board. This initial process is actually the result of interest I had in a short term position (short term being under two years). All short term positions can lead to long term positions and specifically the one I'm interested in has huge amounts of potential for long term work. As I mentioned I am wanting to be careful and not rush things too quickly or assume too much. So at the moment, this is just a very early investigation. We'll see where God leads!

I have also had a couple teaching possibilities come up. In response I have sent in several resumes and will wait to see what develops there. My education and experience is very specific as a result it might not be broad enough to be a good fit, but it is a possibility nevertheless.

At the end of the day, regardless of what actually happens and what turns out to have been speculation on my parent, I am confident and excited about the future God has in store.

I am learning the importance of patience and trust as I actively wait on Him. I am also learning the joy of slowing down and taking time for things that really are important and learning to identify things that aren't worthwhile.

So, that's where I'm at! Sorry it's taken me awhile to update you all. Please note that I am working on a newsletter!!!

Until Next Time!
Andrea

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-08T20:13:00.001+02:00

Time is Flying!

2007-11-18T23:24:00.000+02:00

Well, it's hard to believe the end of November is nearly here! The past three months sure have flown by. I will begin my return to South Africa Nov. 29th. I'll arrive on the 30th after a direct flight from IDA. This will be the first time I've flown directly, so I'm sure how thrilled I am about being on the same plane for 14hrs....but there could be worse things :-)

Tonight I'm going to a get together put on by my brother's in-laws. As much as I'd just rather stay home...it's an attempt at getting to know my new sister in law, and her family. The rest of the week will be busy as I still have doctors appointments, packing, last minute meetings and organizing to do. Not to mention work things to finish up in time for Boot Camp.

Before I fly out, I'm hoping to get my newsletter published here as well as a few pictures.

Until then,

Pictures from Hartbeesport ...My new favorite spot!

2007-03-21T12:56:00.000+02:00

As long ago promised....pictures from my little trip to Hartbeesport Dam at the beginning of the year. Quite a view eh?

South is by and large one of the most diverse...and beautiful countries I've worked in.

It's been a long week and I'd appreciate your prayers for us here as the pressure increases and decisions need to be made.

I'm missing ya'll....and praying for you too!

Until next time!

March 2007

2007-03-17T12:08:00.000+02:00

(L-R me, Anna-RSA intern,Janelle FL intern)

Well, it’s been quite awhile since I last wrote….though the silence has been lengthy it is by no means an indication of how frequently I think of and pray for you.

Things have been quite busy in my little corner of the world; and I found it difficult to keep up with things like letter writing in the midst of all the “action”. Though I know you kind of got left out of the loop your prayers were effective as, over the last several months we have seen some incredible blessings.

South Africa Boot Camp

(registration day)

This past December-January we held the 2006-2007 South Africa Boot Camp. For the first time we had an eight team Boot Camp and had 169 team members and leaders. This being my second boot camp here I wasn’t quite as green as last year but I still have a lot to learn! The addition two teams this year also created more responsibility. We were rather…anxious to see how our recruitment efforts would “pay off” as registration day began on Dec. 9^th. Evangelism isn’t all about numbers but from an administrative side you need a certain number of people per team….that number was not only reached but surpassed…by exactly nine! We were all so excited to see such a huge answer to many many prayers…thank you for praying with us!

And so Boot Camp was off and running…quite literally. We continue to make a few changes to the program every year in an effort to get the camp to the place we believe it can be….for the most part the changes we made this year were accepted quite well. We’re finally getting things disciplined and organized and though it’ll take us a couple more years to really get it all down…it’s great to see God at work.

We were full to capacity and certainly felt the strain in some areas….such as having to run this year without an adequate water supply. The adventures with the river pump continued and two months after the pump first broke down we still remained without water. It was a frustrating ordeal to say the very least. Yet even in this, God provided through a local farmer who allowed us to drive to his property and fill up one of our smaller JoJo tanks (a water storage tank) each morning. It was a blessing that we had the JoJo tank as hauling the minimum amount of water needed (5,000ltrs) would have been a challenge with out it.

Also in December, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bland, we received a new truck that Teen Missions purchased for the base here. It’s a four ton Toyota Dyna, similar to the ones the base in Zambia use. We are all quite excited at this major answer to prayer! Not a moment too soon I might add. The timing was perfect.

Throughout the entire time of preparation and as the day drew near to start Boot Camp we stood in awe as God answered and met needs exactly when we needed them most. Not a moment earlier…but never late! Thank you so much for praying with us over these requests!

Before we knew it Commissioning Day arrived and Project Time was upon us. Stewart Bailey and I took turns driving the teams out to their various project sites. The Ag/Ev team was by far the most remote. Getting them there was quite the ordeal. I still have not totally adapted to the way directions are given here…I was told to take the road that went up the mountain….road? What road? There was no road! “The road” was this little semi- cleared footpath through a dried up riverbed. Trees, fence posts and cattle corrals on the left and a huge crater-like crack in the earth large enough to swallow tires on the right…going straight up the x mountain…it was….well, let’s just say I was glad my parents weren’t there! Coming down was a whole lot more fun. (In The Picture: The staff and students on BMW Graduation Day)

We had a really amazing response to evangelism this year. In total the teams saw over a thousand decisions made for Christ. The teams all had many stories and experiences to share but there were a couple that really stood out to me and I’d like to share those with you.

Stories from the South African Teams
The first came from the Clown team located in a large village called Shoshanguve. They endured quite a bit of hostility. Every night this lady and some of her friends would chuck large stones and anything else they could find and would yell and curse the team as they tried to have evening devotions. They eventually moved this inside the church building but still the villagers would throw rocks at the tin building and curse…making quite the racket. Finally the head leader for the team and the pastor went to talk to the lady and ask her to leave them alone. It turned out that the lady was involved in witchcraft. While she didn’t accept Christ she did listen whilst the pastor shared the Gospel with her and she left the team alone after that.

(In the Picture: 2006-2007 BC Picture)

The Choir team located in a village called Moloto also had a difficult time. Several times they were physically threatened and were forced out of areas as people refused to listen.

Other teams reported similar experiences of hostility from villagers who were either drunk or involved in witchcraft. A reminder of just how dark some of these villages really are.

The Ag/Ev team had the project of building gardens for a church that runs an AIDS center. The head leader shared the following story with me:

Bhokitso, a little boy who was about 7 years old, orphaned by AIDS, he had huge sores on his legs and was starving. Bhokitso showed up one night long after the center had closed, the head leader found him sleeping, naked on a rock near the building. Team members gave some of their own clothes and shoes to him, the team fed him a meal and invited him to sleep with them as the clinic opened early the next morning. Bhokitso stayed through evening devotions with the team. Apparently he was very interested and asked many questions. One of the team members led him to the Lord. As it neared time for lights Bhokitso didn’t want to sleep in one of the tents with the guys because, he said, he was afraid the clinic people would come and he’d miss them. He had three younger sisters down the mountain who were too sick to come with him and he was trying to get help for them. He resisted every attempt the team made to spend the night with them and stayed instead on the rock by the building. The next morning the head leader found out that when the government worker arrived at the building she found Bhokitso had died in the night.

As heart wrenching as Bhokitso’s story is but one of literally thousands of other children, abandoned either due to AIDS or other illness or simply because the parents lack the means to care for them. Alone, without help, these children, like Bhokitso, rarely live to adulthood. This story renewed a growing sense of great urgency to “do more” to proclaim Christ and reach out to these children. Thankfully, for Bhokitso, his last night on earth lead him to a peaceful, joyous entry into heaven where he is no longer alone, no longer hungry, no longer afraid. I look forward to meeting Bhokitso one day and praising the name of our Father together.

Debrief came and went in sort of a hazy blur. At some point during the two and half week field time I picked up typhoid. As a result…Debrief wasn’t very much fun as I battled being quite ill. Typhoid isn’t much more fun than malaria…I’d just as soon not have a repeat of either! Thankfully the staff members did a good job of stepping in for me and helped hold things together. We had 16 team members bridge the gap this year committing their lives to full time Christian service.

It was an incredible month and though it didn’t all go “perfectly” we saw God work in ways that only He could have.

Lessons Learned

Throughout all the busyness of Boot Camp and the preparations leading up to it I kept returning to II Corinthians 4 in devotions. It’s a passage that’s taken on particular meaning over the last several months.

(In the Picture: The Union Buildings)

“For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves (merely) as your sevants for Jesus’ sake. For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as (to beam forth) the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God (as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ). However, we possess this previous treasure) the divine Light of the Gospel) in (frail, human) vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.” II Cor. 4:5-7

Paul often said in his letters to the churches that he would boast, not in his abilities, but in his weakness. Something I’ve thought a lot about recently and as I put it in to context with these verses realized that the only way for light to shine out through a jar was if it was transparent. Often times there is a tendency to have everything tied up in a perfect package…rather than to be transparent and real. I’ve been really stressed out recently, since Debrief actually, because I’ve been trying to have everything be “perfect”. The long and the short of it is…. perfection is rarely ever reached. And being a perfectionist……well, it isn’t always easy for me to accept the fact that I can always do everything perfectly.

I’d like to think I’ve learned this and have it “down” however I have a feeling this will be a lesson I continue to learn throughout the rest of my life. In understanding this, I realized the humility but also the transparency it took for John the Baptist to say “He must increase, I must decrease”. A mantra that certainly goes against the “grain” of society….yet one that I’m learning holds deep, rich, life altering truth.

When Christ is the center, the source, and the motivating factor .not only will we have all we need to do what He has asked but He will hold it all together and perfect our efforts…establishing the work of our hands. As Hudson Taylor so rightly spoke “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

So in my anything-but-perfect moments… when it’s all too apparent for everyone to see that I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t have it all together….Christ bridges the gap. “That the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.”

It’s been a rather hard two months as I’ve tried to deal with a couple really disappointing situations and I’ve been rather heartbroken over the ramifications. Although it has been difficult, it’s also been very very good. These difficulties have brought additional depth in my understanding of Christ and a greater realization of just how utterly dependant upon Him I am…and need to be. The Amplified version of the Bible defines the word “trust” as “lean on, depend on, rely on.” A definition that has kind of become my personal challenge.

Future Goals and Prayer Requests

The last two years here in South Africa have been unlike anything I have ever before experienced. Two years ago, I would have told you this was crazy. Now…. whilst my sanity still may be in question….We have seen the undeniable power, provision and protection of an Almighty, All-faithful God….and being in a position to allow His “surpassing power” to shine through and accomplish His will….well folks, I wouldn’t choose to be any where else. To say it’s a privilege to be here seems rather an understatement. Especially when we look ahead to what lies in store for the work here over the next two years.

The ministry here has grown so much over the last few months…in spite and often as a result of the difficulties, challenges and trials. We are blessed with a solid core group of young staff members who are willing to learn and grow right along with the ministry. Daily I am thankful for each one and for the gifts, talents and determination they bring. Throughout these long months as we have worked side by side; it has been incredible to see growth and maturity come, not only in my own life but in theirs as well. Each obstacle has only served to strength and refine and prepare us for the opportunities that lie ahead.

To share a few goals for the next several months with you….

Opportunities to “do more” are coming up and the next couple years will be very exciting ones as we see the Lord lead us into new avenues of ministry through the AIDS Orphans and Street Children program. We have also begun training with Child Evangelism Fellowship and are excited about having these new skills to use as a part of the out reaches the BMW students do each term.

Partnerships with local churches and like-minded ministries are growing: opening up opportunities for further recruitment for the BMW school as well as for next year’s Boot Camp.

This year we hope to see the enrollment for the school increase and to lay the foundation for future Orphan Rescue Units- which we hope to possibly begin establishing in 2008, Lord willing. We are also going to organize a foot washing out reach to a local village in April. The details are still being worked out and the location isn’t yet final as the area we are wanting to target is a largely Islamic and getting in there for a whole week isn’t exactly easy. If we can get in for that length of time and work however, it will open doors for future outreaches to the area and those surrounding it.

As we move forward in expanding and establishing the work of the Lord here in South it is my prayer that it will be said of us that we are leaning on, depending on, and relying on “the surpassing greatness of the power” of God to work in and through us to accomplish His will here.

Obviously your continued partnership with us in the work here is coveted and valued highly. We look forward to the great things God will do here…and in sharing it all with you!

US Team

I will be returning to the United States in early June of this year to lead the Safari Choir Team which will be here in South Africa. Currently I’m working to set up all the locations to which this American team will travel.

I’m so excited about the US team and the impact that they will have here. Please lift the team members and leaders up in prayer.

Deputation
I’ll be in the US from August 25^th until October 1^st. My brother Matt is getting married on September 29^th so I’ll be in Indiana for the wedding. I am scheduling trips to Iowa, Merritt Island, South Carolina and other states. So if you’re interested in getting together and catching up or in having me share with your church youth group, Sunday school etc. please feel free to contact me.

Please use the following information to contact me regarding setting up time during my deputation time:

Phone (812) 579-9115

Email andrea4him@gmail.com

Please also pray for the staff and students here at the base whilst I’m away traveling with the team and then in the US.

It has been an incredible two years here in South Africa and we expect the next two years and on to hold much more. It is a privilege to labor alongside you as we partner together in the work here in South Africa and I remain humbled by your continual prayer on our behalf. Thank you for being so willing to invest your time and resources into the work here. I look forward to seeing you and being able to share with you more of what the Lord is doing here through you.

Thanks again for all that you have done and continue to do.

A Soldier of the Cross;

Andrea Barbour

Trying to catch up....

2007-01-11T09:56:00.000+02:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I updated last. The 2006/2007 Boot Camp began 04 Dec. with leaders arriving and we were off and running. I'll post pictures soon.....

It was a long haul and I'm still battling with a case of typhoid I can't seem to shake.....and trying to put all the bits back together so we're ready to roll when the BMW school opens on the 21st. So I'm not taking a break...yet. I am hoping, if I can get everything done that I need to, to take a couple days off and go to the Hartbeesport Dam about a click to the west... from the base here in Pretoria. I've actually never been there but I hear it's a nice location. So we'll see.

Thanks for all your prayers for us during the last month.....we needed every one of them! It was the best BC I've had thus far with a completely full eight teams. The place was packed. The kids and leaders did well...not too many "serious" incidents....chased one kid through Boot Camp who'd tried to make off with part of the camp's lunch hidden in the team igloo he went to fill (Long story)...kid was finally caught, lunch was "rescued" and we moved on. Now that it's over I can say....that was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.....it made for a really interesting day.

In total we saw over 1,000 decisions for Christ in the last month and all the teams did really well on their various projects so we Praise the Lord for all he did in and through us over the last several weeks. It was rough at times, obviously, but it was amazing to stand back and see Him work.

Anyway this is all I've got time for now but I'll post again soon and hopefully add pictures.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Maubane Outreach

2006-11-11T12:31:00.000+02:00

The community water point in Maubane, the location of our recent outreach.

During this week we painted houses and built pit toilets and held evangelistic meetings in the evening.

During the course of the week we saw over 100 decisions for Christ and others were healed from various illnesses.

Enduring 104F degree heat , strong winds and long days (5am until 11pm) and sleeping in tents wasn't easy but the students did so well! They kept pushing and we ended on a really strong note.

Thank you for your prayers for us during this time for health, safety and fruitfulness!

A Reminder........

2006-09-13T19:58:00.000+02:00

So I’m writing this out…not necessarily for you, though if it encourages you…great, but more so that I’ll remember why I’m here in the first place.

Paul speaking of Moses in Hebrews 11:27 said, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is unseen.” Paul goes on in the same chapter to state “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.

Welcome

2006-08-27T14:32:00.000+02:00

Since this is my "first official" post, I figured I should explain the purpose for this blog.
It is my intention to use this medium to communicate more effectively with my friends, family and supporters around the globe.
As such, this will be a place where I'll update you on life in general...the funny and the serious and share with you the things the Lord continues to do.

As always, feel free to contact me via email or post comments.

“A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step.” – Lao Tzu

2006-08-27T13:28:00.000+02:00

July 2006
Ministry Camp

The Journey

The End of 'The Journey'

Win a Wii !!

Today, this is how I feel

My Day

My Absence

snowed under

Sometimes All We Need is A Little ...Encouragement??

Friday Night Thoughts

Saddleback Worship Conference Giveaway

This is a contest held over at pinkhairedgirl.net go there to participate!

Saddleback Worship Conference Giveaway

Today, I am giving away ONE TICKET to Saddleback Worship Conference, June 24-26. Not only that, but this ticket includes admission to the Pre-Conference on June 23.

Spring

Friday Morning

Great Clip-Free Music: Kingdom Coming

Faith, Friends and Thankfulness

On a Wednesday night....

Thoughts on a Monday...

End of A Long Week...

Sometimes....

Because Money Does Not Grow on Trees....

TAXing Day

Uncertain Pathways

My Stress

My Mac

The Gaza War

Christian Personal Finance - Christmas Give-A-Ways!

What To Do With Christmas?

Holiday Season = Stress...?

Urgent Prayer Request from India!

Re Post - A Reminder

The Dark Side of the Moon

Check out my Slide Show!

Time is Flying!

Pictures from Hartbeesport ...My new favorite spot!

March 2007

Trying to catch up....

Maubane Outreach

A Reminder........

Welcome