Seasons
So the update I’ve been wanting to send… I am feeling a bit weak today, I am unsure why, but I just ordered some spaghetti from my favorite café… I figure if its just because I have low energy this should zap it, if not, I’ll check for malaria this evening. Hopefully no Malaria!
Random Updates…
The school has just started its second year and it is really going on well! So far there are no debts J although there are still many needs for the school…. For example we are still in need of one more mud dormitory for the teachers ($2000)… you may think why not brick… we’ll sure, but that adds about $20,000 to the cost!… we are looking to get a fence to keep the animals out from eating the gardens…($3000)…. Also we are hoping to get the school registered this month we are just waiting for the church to finish revising their constitution.
My friend Ruthie, a girl from Oregon is leaving to go back to the states this weekend L she has been a great friend to me during my stay here and I am really going to miss her!
I have been teaching the Song of Songs, and I love it! I am teaching it from the perspective of King Solomon representing Jesus and the Maiden representing us, the individual believer. I am using Mike Bikles study on this along with Shane Holden, my pastor from Mad City. Personally I have loved this study and a women got up in church this past Sunday and gave a testimony about how God affected her heart through the study… it was really encouraging to me. .
Can you believe I only have two months left!!!! I can’t! I’ve been thinking a lot about the next season…
Current Life Process…
When I was in Cape Town I had gone to see a movie, ‘the pursuit of happyness’, with the family I had been staying with. Sometimes you just watch a movie and you really don’t feel moved by it… but this movie really did something in my heart. I really felt like God could have spoken anything through that movie, but He really choose to speak to me about Madison, and about coming home. I was really surprised; I went back that night and just prayed about it. I felt like God really gave me a new joy and excitement to come home… the last thing I thought He was going to speak and also an excitement that I’ve never really felt before. He even gave me peace about returning to teaching or applying for an assistant principal position if I so desire…. I think that it is not so much of a certain place God has me and if I don’t go there I am going to blow it. I don’t think God is like that. I know he can speak very specifically and if he wants me to part the Red Sea he’ll make it clear, I don’t doubt that. I am just trying to say, that God calls us to follow our heart. What is really in my heart that is going to excite me… and I believe He says, ‘Go, run and do that… I’ll bless you either way (whether you choose to stay in Africa or go home to Madison, or even move to Cape Town!), your not going to miss my will as long as you stay looking at me.’ Part of my process is just trying to figure out what is really in my heart. And I’ve been asking God to help me figure out what is really in there. So this even feels funny to type, because this is the last thing I thought I would be typing… but I am coming home next year…. Actually in two months! At least for a year, and who knows after that… I really don’t think that this is it for overseas ‘missions’ (I don’t know why, but I hate that word!)…. that I’ll leave Africa and never return…. I really believe there is a call on my life in some degree to overseas work. I love it. I love the people here, I’ve adjusted to the way of life fairly easy (especially with such great support back at home… I really think that is why)… part of me feels like I could be picked up and thrown anywhere to live. I’ll steal the words of my friend Erin, because they are true for me too, ‘I love the church of God’… it doesn’t matter where, I just do (even with all of its brokenness, I still love it). I loved David Shirks message that he spoke at madcity church awhile back about the ‘treasure in the field’ (I just listened to the CD that got sent over thanks to my brother, the best brother ever, even if he is more stubborn than me :) ) and how so often we go looking for a nice city, as if that is a treasure, or a ‘good job’ as if that is the treasure and he says that the Treasure is in the people. Where are you closely linked with others, that is where you should be moving, not to some nice job where you know no one in the city… but let the treasure, the people dictate where you are in life…. Not a job, not a great city, not the ocean (which I love :) ).. but the treasure is always in the people. I loved that message. And who knows what I’ll be doing in Madison when I return. I am trying to keep all doors open…I am open to going back to teaching, I am open to trying for an assistant principal job, I am open to serving in the church… we’ll see what doors open in the next few months and where my heart leaps the greatest. But I want to say thank you for continuing to stand with me in life, and encouraging me… I sure need it!
I love you all,
mandy
Random Updates…
The school has just started its second year and it is really going on well! So far there are no debts J although there are still many needs for the school…. For example we are still in need of one more mud dormitory for the teachers ($2000)… you may think why not brick… we’ll sure, but that adds about $20,000 to the cost!… we are looking to get a fence to keep the animals out from eating the gardens…($3000)…. Also we are hoping to get the school registered this month we are just waiting for the church to finish revising their constitution.
My friend Ruthie, a girl from Oregon is leaving to go back to the states this weekend L she has been a great friend to me during my stay here and I am really going to miss her!
I have been teaching the Song of Songs, and I love it! I am teaching it from the perspective of King Solomon representing Jesus and the Maiden representing us, the individual believer. I am using Mike Bikles study on this along with Shane Holden, my pastor from Mad City. Personally I have loved this study and a women got up in church this past Sunday and gave a testimony about how God affected her heart through the study… it was really encouraging to me. .
Can you believe I only have two months left!!!! I can’t! I’ve been thinking a lot about the next season…
Current Life Process…
When I was in Cape Town I had gone to see a movie, ‘the pursuit of happyness’, with the family I had been staying with. Sometimes you just watch a movie and you really don’t feel moved by it… but this movie really did something in my heart. I really felt like God could have spoken anything through that movie, but He really choose to speak to me about Madison, and about coming home. I was really surprised; I went back that night and just prayed about it. I felt like God really gave me a new joy and excitement to come home… the last thing I thought He was going to speak and also an excitement that I’ve never really felt before. He even gave me peace about returning to teaching or applying for an assistant principal position if I so desire…. I think that it is not so much of a certain place God has me and if I don’t go there I am going to blow it. I don’t think God is like that. I know he can speak very specifically and if he wants me to part the Red Sea he’ll make it clear, I don’t doubt that. I am just trying to say, that God calls us to follow our heart. What is really in my heart that is going to excite me… and I believe He says, ‘Go, run and do that… I’ll bless you either way (whether you choose to stay in Africa or go home to Madison, or even move to Cape Town!), your not going to miss my will as long as you stay looking at me.’ Part of my process is just trying to figure out what is really in my heart. And I’ve been asking God to help me figure out what is really in there. So this even feels funny to type, because this is the last thing I thought I would be typing… but I am coming home next year…. Actually in two months! At least for a year, and who knows after that… I really don’t think that this is it for overseas ‘missions’ (I don’t know why, but I hate that word!)…. that I’ll leave Africa and never return…. I really believe there is a call on my life in some degree to overseas work. I love it. I love the people here, I’ve adjusted to the way of life fairly easy (especially with such great support back at home… I really think that is why)… part of me feels like I could be picked up and thrown anywhere to live. I’ll steal the words of my friend Erin, because they are true for me too, ‘I love the church of God’… it doesn’t matter where, I just do (even with all of its brokenness, I still love it). I loved David Shirks message that he spoke at madcity church awhile back about the ‘treasure in the field’ (I just listened to the CD that got sent over thanks to my brother, the best brother ever, even if he is more stubborn than me :) ) and how so often we go looking for a nice city, as if that is a treasure, or a ‘good job’ as if that is the treasure and he says that the Treasure is in the people. Where are you closely linked with others, that is where you should be moving, not to some nice job where you know no one in the city… but let the treasure, the people dictate where you are in life…. Not a job, not a great city, not the ocean (which I love :) ).. but the treasure is always in the people. I loved that message. And who knows what I’ll be doing in Madison when I return. I am trying to keep all doors open…I am open to going back to teaching, I am open to trying for an assistant principal job, I am open to serving in the church… we’ll see what doors open in the next few months and where my heart leaps the greatest. But I want to say thank you for continuing to stand with me in life, and encouraging me… I sure need it!
I love you all,
mandy
posted by Amanda at 8:07 AM
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