September

30 September 2010

After some awesome teachings on leadership, character development and culture I felt very equipped last night. One thing that stuck out in the leadership training: “The greatest leadership challenge is leading myself.” I had never thought of that but it’s so true. It’s much easier to lead other people than it is to lead yourself. Leadership involves self-discipline in every area of my life. I need to discipline myself in my walk with the Lord, my eating habits, exercise, finances, relationships, work, school, my thoughts etc etc.

I’ve had some good chats with people from different YfCs and it’s been great to hear what they do and how they do things etc. It was challenging and inspiring.

I also took a lovely walk to the beach with Regina (she’s German but volunteering in Johannesburg).

29 September 2010

I climbed up a small mountain this morning to seek the Lord. I’m always reminded of how Jesus often retreated to a mountain to pray. There’s so much soul treasure at the top of a mountain.

God really challenged my heart about prayer. Someone once said, “Fall to your knees and grow there.”

He also reminded me of the necessity of time spent alone with Him. “It is a fundamental principle of faith that no tremendous growth in holiness has ever been  achieved by anyone who has not taken time frequently and for long periods to be alone with God.”

And God really placed a burden on my heart to share something with the other staff at YfC Zimbabwe. But I’m really nervous to share it. “When God places a burden upon you, He places His arms underneath you.”

I love mountain top experiences!

28 September 2010

The theme of the conference was “Hand Me Another Brick” based on Nehemiah. We had a visiting speaker called Dennis from England doing the morning devotions. One thing that stuck out to me – Nehemiah saw further than other saw, he saw before others saw and he saw more than other saw because he prayed. Nehemiah was a leader who spent much time on his knees. May I be that kind of leader.

I spent a lovely afternoon canoeing with some of the other girls. It was so much fun!

27 September 2010

After spending 24 hours on the road we finally got to Cape Town. Our conference was a beautiful site called Wortelgaat. It was pretty much amazing. There’s so many people from so many different YfCs – I love it!

26 September 2010

I had a safe trip into Jo’burg. Praise the Lord. It’s been so great to be reunited with Michelle, a dear friend from High School. And it’s been even better because she’s still walking with You. Not many of my friends from High School are still walking with You but it’s good to know that the ones I was closest to are. Thank You for Your grace which has kept us on this narrow road.

Michelle and I went out for lunch at Rose Bank, this really posh mall. It was such a sweet time. We went to an Israeli restaurant (can you tell I miss Israel?) and had Shwarmas – they were so good!

24 September 2010

1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Temptation is common to all men but God always offers our flesh and spirit a way out.

I leave for Johannesburg tomorrow afternoon and then Cape Town the following afternoon. I am so excited YfC staff conference!

23 September 2010

Pastor Stan from Australia has been sharing with us in morning devotions. Him and his wife Wendy are here for a month to help with remedial for the girls at SJCV. It’s been such a breath of fresh air having them here. Anyway the other day he shared on Isaiah 42:1-2

1.       God’s servant is chosen and hand picked. (42:1a)

2.       God delights in His servants (42:1b)

3.       God empowers His servants with His Spirit (42:1c)

4.       God’s servant does not advertise himself (42:2)

Pastor Stan has such insight into the Word of God and he really encouraged to keep searching the Scriptures and picking them apart. I love God’s Word!

22 September 2010

I went to bed fuming and I woke up fuming. God that’s why Your Word says, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” I can’t believe I’m still foolishly fuming over yesterday’s events yet Your mercies are new every morning. Ugh. Lord please keep this critical & judgemental spirit from coming back. I repented of it and it no longer has any place in my heart. Purify my heart please Jesus. And this morning I’m choosing to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh because the flesh profits nothing.

21 September 2010

I spent a very long day at Mpilo Hospital with the babies from SJCV yesterday. Even though it was tiring, thank You for binding my heart to the hearts of those babies. I began to feel very close to them after having spent so long with them. God please love them through me. I know some of them are undesirable, unlovable and untouchable but these are the ones You’ve called me to love and I pray that You would help me to look past myself and love on them.

20 September 2010

The abscess popped! Praise the Lord. It was causing my quite a bit of discomfort I must say.

“Did I not say to you that if you believed, you would see the glory of the Lord?” John 11:40

Faith brings a revelation of the glory of God. Lord please help me to exhibit unwavering faith in You from the depths of my heart.

“Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving man.” Andrew Murray

19 September 2010

Today at church we learnt about letting God deal with the state of our hearts. The Lord told Joshua to prepare the people to cross over the Jordan river – “Sanctify yourselves.” God had to deal with the state of their hearts before they could cross over. And God has to deal with our hearts before we can cross over anything. The cross over only happens once He has dealt with the state of our hearts.

There is one thing that the Lord will never despise and that is a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

“The strength of my ministry should be in the humble & broken state of my heart.”

18 September 2010

Miki shared on faith this evening and it was good. “Faith is the trigger for everything else in my walk with the Lord.” Because “Without faith it impossible to please God.”

Faith will see me through to the end of the race. Because faith come by hearing, when I stop hearing my faith ceases and I stop growing and when I stop growing, I stop running.

Lord, increase my faith! Increase it so I continue to run this race with endurance looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

I went to the doctor about a lump on my lower abdomen and she said it was just an abscess and it would pop in a couple of days. She gave me some antibiotics all the same. I was pretty relieved that it was just an abscess!

17 September 2010

Thank You for the letters I got from my dear friends Betty & Hannah. These girls blessed my socks off. Hannah gave me this verse too which was so timely,

“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:5-6

Thank You for such godly friends. And thank you for letters! I lovelovelove handwritten letters.

16 September 2010

“God’s servants must be taught the value of the hidden side of life.”

Like you led Elijah to the Brook Cherith for some time away with You, I pray You would lead me away by still waters to hear clearly from You more and more each day.

15 September 2010

Today I was serving again with lady that taught at my old primary school. She was strict and everyone was always so scared of her. But today she said how blessed she was by my heart to serve wherever I saw a need. I hope I’m not losing any crowns in Heaven by saying all this but it really blessed me to hear that. We all cry out to the Lord for servant’s hearts and Lord knows I have time and time again. So it blessed me to know that someone sees and appreciates the work the Lord is doing in me. Because it is only by Him and through Him that I can even serve.

14 September 2010

I enjoyed serving at the CTMI Pastors & Leaders Conference today. We had to prepare 500 plates of finger food and cling wrap each plate. We got a chain going it worked quite effectively. So we served all 500 guests tea, coffee, juice and food. All the servers were dressed in black and white so we all looked uniform. After serving them we washed up and tidied up and set things up for the next day...

“Blessed to be a blessing.”

13 September

God, thank You for the dawn of a new day. I love how each new day presents new joys, new highs, new challenges, new revelations, and new relationships. Yet at the same time it also presents new lows, new disappointments, new hurts etc. But above all these things each day presents NEW MERCIES from You and that’s the best bit! Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning. You have new mercies for new challenges, You have new mercy for my new joys, you have new mercy for my new disappointment. Great is thy faithfulness, O God!

12 September 2010

Today we spent the whole day cleaning the Polytechnic hall and preparing for the CTMI Pastors and Leaders Conference. Miki & his wife are coming from the church in Mauritius to minister on the message of the Gospel.

I didn’t get to serve at the Calvary Chapel Pastors conference this June and I really missed it! It was one of my favourite times of the year and it was always such a joy to serve the pastors and their families. So it’s such a blessing to serve at the CTMI Pastors and Leaders Conference!

We spent most of the morning cleaning and polishing the floors. Then we set up the stage and the back drop. We put the carpet on the stage then we put a frill round the edge of the stage. I had so much fun with the staple gun! We cleaned chairs, we set the chairs up and we straightened the chairs. It was a lot of hard work but it was so much fun. I also got to know more people in the church and established some friendships. Like I always say, “The best way to get to know someone is to serve with them.”

The conference starts on Tuesday and I’ll be serving in the mornings then going back to work in the afternoons. I’m praying that the message of the Gospel would touch each pastor and leader in a fresh way and that revival would begin in this land. I pray for hearts that are open and receptive.

“Ministry means that God uses us to create a spiritual atmosphere that encourages others to grow and become fruitful in the Lord.” - Wiersbe

11 September 2010

In one part of the world today is a sad day as many remember the tragedy that took place 9 years ago. God for those hearts that are still grieving, I pray You’d bring comfort and peace and heal their broken hearts.

We had a kids’ church fellowship meeting. It was a lovely day of teaching, fellowship, great food and encouraging each other in what the Lord has called us to. We watched a Video cassette (yes, you can still get those) called “The 7 Laws of Teaching” and it was so good. A couple of things that stuck out to me:

1.       A teacher teaches from the abundance and overflow of their own life. Are kids in my class drinking from a flowing river or do I sometimes bring them to a stagnant pool. It challenged me to keep growing with the children. “The teacher is primarily a learner. If the teacher stops learning today, he/she stops teaching tomorrow.”

2.       [Children’s ministry] “It’s not a ministry of mediocrity but of multiplication.” The task is to teach the children so they can teach others. I was challenged to encourage my class to teach others what they learn in Sunday School.

9 September 2010

It’s my daddy’s birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! Lord, thank You so much for my earthly father. When I look back over the years, the journey that God has brought us through is amazing. From as early as I can remember, I was always a “daddy’s girl.” Anywhere daddy went, I went. Anything daddy did, I wanted to do. Anything daddy ate (no matter how disgusting it looked or smelled), I ate. Anything daddy said, I said. In my little eyes my dad was the most amazing man ever. He provided for me, he spent quality time with me, he had fun with me, he encouraged me in everything I did, he disciplined me, he led me spiritually, he loved me and he loved the Lord.

When I hit the dreaded teenage years, I began to chat back more and I began to resent his rules, discipline and spiritual leadership. The more I disobeyed him, the more it frustrated him. I would argue with him constantly. I thought I knew better than him. And when the economic situation in Zimbabwe became tough, I blamed him for all our financial struggles. I blamed him for my lack of material things and ultimately for our move to England. I blamed him for not being able to go to the university I wanted to go to and do the course I wanted to do. I blamed him for everything I could think of.

What I didn’t realise at the time was that my Heavenly Father was weaving something so beautiful. He was teaching me that I cannot place my hope fully on my daddy. Yes there were things he could & should do as my father but my hope of everything in life was not to be solely on what he could provide for me. He’s not perfect (none of us are) but I had lived most of my life believing he was and I had expected him to be. And I guess it took me having to go through all that I went through to realise that what I was looking for I could only find in my Heavenly Father. It was a long journey but while I was in Bible College I repented and reconciled with him. And the Lord has wonderfully restored our relationship! We’re best buddies again and I love and respect him with all my heart!

Thanks for putting up with me daddy! I LOVE YOU! Happy Birthday!

8 September 2010

Some support came through! Lord thank You for each one who’s chosen to support me in this work. God I pray that You would multiply back to them blessing upon blessing. I pray for each family that You would provide for ALL their needs. I’m blown away and just so grateful for everything each one has and is doing to support me. You know how in my pride I couldn’t ask people to financially support me but God You’ve humbled me. Thank You and I pray with all my heart that You would keep me a faithful steward of all that You have entrusted to me.

“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:11

6 September 2010

It’s Mom and Dad’s 30^th Wedding Anniversary today! Gosh, I miss those two love birds. God thank You so much for my parents. Thank You for love that You’ve given them these 30 years. Thank You for keeping them together. And not only together but together in You. I ask that You would give them many more years together and that they would continue to serve You with all their hearts, soul and strength. They have been an example and inspiration to me of what a God centred marriage is like. Through the good times and the bad times and the really bad times they have clung to You and that in itself has strengthened my faith.

 I love you Mom and Dad!

4 September 2010

Praise the Lord for healing me! I’m feeling all better today.

I’m so glad God gave me the strength to go for the last day of the training! I pushed hard and managed to finish all the PACES and I still had time to sleep! I would have been so bummed if I hadn’t finished the course. A bunch of us got sick which was sad but at least we all managed to complete the course – against all odds! What an amazing course! I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed a training course as much as I did this one.

It was so great to meet so many other people who are so passionate about ACE. And I pray for each of us who are looking at starting an ACE school in some shape or form that God You would materialise the visions; bring them to fruition and may we be able to see a generation in Zimbabwe that is growing up with knowledge of You and Your Word. Oh how my heart longs to see more and more ACE schools established. God please continue to keep this fire burning in my heart. May the passion You’ve imparted to me about ACE not die away. God, be glorified!

3 September 2010

I got a love gift of a $100. Praise the Lord! Isn’t it amazing how the Lord always provides at just the right time. I was down to my last few dollars and bam! He provided! Increase my faith Lord Jesus not just for you to provide financially but also to see you work more in my life and in the lives of those I’m trusting You for.

I’m praying  and trusting the Lord for complete healing after I spent most of last night throwing up. Food poisoning me thinks. I’ve still got to go to the last day of ACE training today... I’ve just got to.

2 September 2010

Dresden China has to be fired 3 times in order for the gold, crimson and other colours to come forth and become permanently attached. This beauty can only come by fire – 3 times. Only that intense heat will bring about the beauty on the china. And it’s the same with us. Trials produce an indescribable, inexplicable beauty of character in us. I personally have witnessed the Lord building my character more and more through my trials. Each trial is like a moment in the furnace but it produces a lifetime of beauty.

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29