Final Days

Hi Everyone,

 I just want to take this opportunity to update you all briefly about what has been happening here in Africa over the past two weeks and what I will be doing the rest of my time here.

MINISTRY

*Our time here in Africa is quickly coming to a close; the students are finishing up their final exams and heading home this week.

*We had very successful men’s and women’s events last Friday night full of fun, games, and talks from Kristin and Phil. The girls came over to The Butterfly (our guest house) and the guys went over to 9 Surbiton (the staff guys’ house).

* We have been facing some barriers along the way, but recruitment for the Joint Winter Conference (JWC) has been going well. The JWC is a great way for students who are investigating, to come learn more about who Christ is and get connected to the Campus Outreach Staff. This is our last week for recruiting the students to this significant event and critical follow up by the staff as our team leaves this continent.

*We have been privileged to see 11 students (guys & girls) make professions of faith at UJ-Bunting during our time here.

TEAM

*Last weekend we visited a local orphanage, which broke my heart. We also visited Soweto, where Nelson Mandela’s house is located, and we attended a local rugby match in the extremely sketchy downtown Jo’burg. They don’t have overtime in rugby…I don’t get it!

*We just completed a ‘Week of Woo’ for the 3 guys that are on the team. We planned a whole week of encouragement for the guys to show our appreciation for them and all that they have done to love, serve, and care for all 9 of us girls during our time here. They are amazing!

*We returned late last night from an amazing weekend away in Swaziland. We attended the wedding of a couple who came to know Christ through Campus Outreach. This couple is now making a significant impact in the city of Johannesburg.  Such a great picture of the gospel and the mission statement of Campus Outreach.

 *Sadly, we will be packing up our things here at the Butterfly on Thursday. This place has become our home away from home and Judy has been an amazing housekeeper and dear friend to us all.

*Our last day on campus is Wednesday June 22^nd.  We are heading to the JWC on Friday June 24th until Sunday June26^th.

* After the JWC we will spend a few days building a house and doing VBS for kids in a township close to the camp.

*Our final days in Africa will be spent on a Safari in Kruger National Park and then we will fly out of Johannesburg on July 3^rd sometime in the evening.

PERSONALLY

There are definitely things about America that I miss like my family, friends, grandma’s southern cookin’, Chick-fil-A, free parking, normal houses with no walls/fences, filtered coffee, and sweet tea. I could go on forever but the more that I have been here the more I have been thinking about what Scripture says in Isaiah 6:8, And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

I want to be a woman who lays down the small dreams of my life and takes up the large world changing Christ centered dream that God has given to all believers in His Word. The Great Commission.

After visiting the orphanage last weekend, if God blesses me with a husband I definitely want to be open to adoption.  I can’t describe to you what that experience was like. Typical me…I cried the whole time I was playing with the little tots.

This past week something that I’ve been seeing more and more here is the overwhelming amount of poverty and disease in Africa. Elaine (a student) shared with me that 73% of the students at UJ-Bunting (which is all of 2,000 students….maybe) are HIV positive. Not only that, but on every street corner there are at least 2-3 beggars. Occasionally, we pass by a park with TONS of homeless people scattered around sleeping. My heart breaks for this situation, there is nothing I can do about it, and it frustrates me. May God send out laborers into His harvest.

-L

Prayer Requests:

-JWC: final recruitment, speakers, open hearts among the students

-Final Days in Africa and for safe travel home

-Kabello, Fortunate, Patience, and Fresh- women that  recently gave their lives to Christ.

-Need for a full time staff girl at UJ-Bunting

Video

week 3: Pursuit of Hearts

Hey Friends,

WOW!  There’s so much to update you guys about! After a very challenging week 2 weeks ago this past week proved to be extremely fruitful.  The Lord is continuing to show me His faithfulness and commitment to His people!!

I can’t believe how privileged I am to be here in Africa sharing my faith! This past week Sarah and I had the opportunity to share the gospel with three girls, Kabello, Nicole, and Fortunate.  Kabello saw us on campus and randomly stopped us to tell us that she knew that she wasn’t living her life the way God would desire her to and wanted to know more about Him.  I knew then that we needed to talk to this girl and dive into more of what she meant by that statement.  We met with her the next day and when I asked her if she had a Bible, she did and come to find out it’s written in her home language! She read Romans 6:23 in her Bible and then she interpreted what the verse said in English. When I read my version, she was so amazed that it said the same thing. When calling Kabello to make a decision about repenting from sin and believing in Christ she humbly said, “I’m living for myself and I have not yet entered into a personal relationship with Christ; I can’t believe that Jesus could really forgive me for all of my past.” We prayed for her and that God would continue to move in her heart and show her His Divine Love  and how Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for her and paid the penalty for her sin and through repentance and faith when God looks on her He would see the righteousness of His perfect Son.  (2 Cor 5:21)

We then met with Nicole, which was a challenge in itself.  Nicole is not very outgoing and is  extremely quiet.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to have very many friends either. Sarah and I were just planning on following up with her after Bible Study on Thursday, but  for some reason this girl had been on my heart. We ended up sharing the gospel over again with her, which was so worth it and a great reminder of our continuous need to hear the gospel ourselves. Nicole understood what we were sharing with her however she had lots of  questions concerning sin after entering into a personal relationship with Christ. After  almost a 2 hour conversation and diving into more Scripture with her she said “I need to repent from my sin and trust Christ now”.  Sarah prayed for her and then Nicole prayed to receive Christ in her home language! Next to becoming a believer myself, that was THE most powerful moment in my life!!!  Nicole didn’t have a Bible and when we gave her one, she lit up! She was so excited to have her own personal copy of the Word!

Another quick story, there is a girl named Tsakani (Tah-Connie) who we really wanted to get to know better and press in on what it meant for her to have a personal relationship with Christ, because like most South Africans, she claimed to be a Christian. We found out that Tsakani had went home, however her roommate Fortunate, who we had marked off as totally not spiritually interested began sparking up conversation with Sarah and I. After sharing the gospel with Fortunate she still wanted to investigate who this Jesus is. We promised we would continue to investigate with her and show her more of who Christ is and says He is. Fortunate didn’t have a Bible and when we gave her one , she also became ecstatic. We have set up a time already this week to share a couple of claims that Christ makes about himself.

                It’s all beginning to make sense, God’s heart REALLY is for the every tribe, tongue, and nation!! (Rev. 5:9) This week I’ve really seen how God really does pursue the hearts of His people. People who we checked off our list to talk to, ended up being the exact people who God had been dealing with and drawing to Himself. Totally proves that I am not in control. My prayer is that I would decrease and get the heck out of the way so that He may increase and receive all the glory! (John 3:30)

p.s. Today, Sarah and I shared with a girl named Patience, who we met at our Friday night Braai (cookout) that we hosted. One of the first-year students, Elaine, invited Patience and has been sharing with her for a while about what God has done in her life. Elaine came up to Sarah and I on Friday saying that Patience wanted to become a Christian. Sarah and I both looked at each other a little perplexed and told Elaine we would definitely talk to Patience. When we stopped by her room today we were just planning on getting some informal time with her and knew that we were going to try and figure out where she was spiritually. When we shared the gospel with her she was immediately receptive and wanted to surrender her life completely to Christ, understanding the cost and everything!

What many people don’t know about our team is that we spend Monday’s fasting- in preparation for the week ahead, resting in the Lord, and trusting God to do BIG things during the week ahead. A passage that I have been meditating on during this time is the passage in John 4: 34-38. Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, “There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?” Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying hold true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

I have totally experienced what it means to reap that for which I did not labor and how amazing it is to rejoice with Elaine and Christ as  the sowers and Sarah and I as the reapers!

Prayer Requests:

-Kabello and Fortunate: that God would draw them to Himself and they would come to saving faith in Christ this week!

-recruitment  & funding for the JWC (THIS IS A BIG DEAL! PRAY FOR IT! J )

-6 souls that came to Christ this past week; follow up with them and connecting them to the local church

-Team: unity among our team  & $5,000 more support for the replacement of our stolen vehicle

-Me: Beginning the process for clarity of future plans

In Him,

Lauren