South African Update

"Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter to me...I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." Ps. 61

Does South Africa count as the end of the earth? I have been three weeks here and find each day that I must cling to the Rock of my salvation, trusting in His shelter alone. It looks like I will be staying in South Africa for a couple months. In a couple weeks I will be doing an internship with a ministry called "Turn the Tide for Children". I will travel with a missionary named Charlotte to various infant homes and orphanages for about six weeks. At the end of that time I will either reside at one of the places we visit, or go to Namibia. Though I am still moving about, the time when I can actually put my clothes in a dresser is in sight, and that is a good feeling.

How am I doing? I am learning. A lot. Very quickly. It often crosses my mind to just catch the next plane home and forget about all this. It's not the work or the people, it's feeling as though I am at the uttermost part of the earth, and I'm there alone. But it is also when I am in this state that I read the Psalms and my soul longs for God, for the comfort that must only come from Him because there is nowhere else to receive it. This is also forcing me to take one day at a time, to not even think about next year, month, week, or day – today is the day that the Lord has made for me to walk in, and it is the only day I can think about without being overwhelmed. But this is good, it is a trial and it is hard, but it is good. In that I am stripped of my own strength the works of God are made manifest and my temporal insecurity is overshadowed by my eternal security which is in our heavenly Father and Creator.

I would ask you to continue to pray for me and the ministry that God is opening up around me. I find so much encouragement knowing that your prayers follow me through these times, thank you for your faithfulness in them. I am excited to see how much one pair of hands can be used for the Kingdom, and am grateful for the blessings I see every day amidst the trials. Our God is truly the Ruler of the Universe and the Comforter of the Needy, praise be to Him alone.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” Prov. 4:25