graduated!

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening…You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.” Psalm 92:1-2, 4

CPx 2009 officially ended yesterday with our graduation ceremony. Looking back over the past six months it was difficult to imagine how we could bring satisfactory closure to such a life-changing season. However, the short, sweet ceremony successfully met that need. We celebrated our accomplishments, gave all the thanks to God, and enjoyed our last moments together because, as Sally McClung put it, we are not saying goodbye but rather releasing one another into what God has planned for us. Today is my last day in Cape Town and things are already feeling very quiet as some of the students have left and many of the rest are packing up to leave. I will be in the country for another couple weeks traveling so I can connect with friends I’ve made over the last few months before heading back to the States on August 3.

To catch you up on what’s been happening since I last wrote I will summarize the rest of outreach and our two weeks of debrief once all the teams were back together in Cape Town. There is no way to express all that God did through our team in Lesotho. We had such a blessed ministry and time as a team, and for that I am exceedingly grateful. We loved the family we stayed with, and our team itself really grew into a tight knit family that spent free time playing cards and watching movies together. I personally loved my time in the community. I kept meeting with Ntate Lellanie, Mahalalele and the other youth girls, and some other women and their families. It was amazing to see the way they grew in the Lord as we would study scripture, pray, and share things about our lives. We intentionally encouraged the people we met with to group in bible study and house church groups so when we left they would continue getting closer to God. We were so thrilled at the way the different groups became passionate about meeting together and inviting others to join. We have faith that God will carry on with the work he started during our time with them.

Our team had a difficult time leaving the work and the people in Lesotho, but we were very excited to rejoin the rest of our friends in Cape Town when we arrived July 9. We had a couple days of rest and some work at the Africa House property before the group debrief program began. The week kicked off with a night of worship on Sunday, then the rest of the week was spent in the lecture hall. We had teachings from Floyd and a couple guests, and each afternoon a different outreach team had the opportunity to share about their time. It was amazing to hear everyone’s stories and see pictures. It was difficult to hear about the many challenges our friends faced, but we rejoiced more as they told us all the successes they realized with the Lord. I was humbled and awed the whole time thinking how God had brought all of us to CPx, then sent us out to do such awesome work all over Africa, and brought us safely back again. I couldn’t help but recognize that my role is just a small one in the bigger plan God has for humanity and the world; very cool!

So what’s next you ask? The answer to that question is an amazing story of joy and revelation as I walked a journey with the Lord these past few months. As I said, I will be coming back to the States in August, and I plan to return to serve in Lesotho at the beginning of October. I am so excited and really humbled at what God has put in my heart to do here. It’s still in the early stages in terms of planning, but I can’t wait to share with you what I know already  Thank you for walking this road with me as I answered God’s call to come to Africa, and I invite you to continue with me as I plan to return again! Blessings!!