Renewal

I am feeling better! And there are no words to express how good it is to be feeling better...to be able to stand up without feeling like I'm going to pass out (and then actually passing out), to move without feeling like I've been run over by a truck, to be able to breathe, to be more "tan" colored than "black and blue".

Our classes took a little bit of a different form for the first three days of this week... rather than having a "lecturer" for our morning class times as we normally have, we joined with the other two DTS's that are currently going on and divided up into small groups and read aloud the entire book of Genesis. I have read the book many times before, but reading it within the three days made it a very different experience than any I've had previously. We serve a crazy God! There are many, many events recorded that would make most Christians today very uncomfortable!  Set aside some time to scan through the book of Genesis, and I guarantee any box you have placed around God will be shattered. 

We had a meeting with our leaders to discuss our outreach, the three-month phase following the three-month lecture phase. The majority of the group will be going to Central America for outreach, where they will spend most of three months in Panama, and then divide into small groups to go to either Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or Colombia for two weeks. A main focus of this outreach will be to launch the Spanish version of "Voice for the Voiceless" (a prayer book published by PhotogenX focusing on many issues such as child prostitution, HIV/AIDS, and infanticide). The teams will also spend time with different indigenous tribes located within Panama's dense tropical jungles. 

There will also be one team going to South Africa for the three months. This team will spend the first part of the outreach living out of a bus and traveling around the nation to minister in different villages and communities serving through photography, evangelism, etc. They will then team up with the Voice of the Voiceless ministry located in Cape Town and help them in their ministry to communities located around Cape Town. 

Please be in prayer for me as I prayerfully make the outreach decision and seek the Lord's will as to what continent He wants to send me to.  Since hearing about this DTS, my heart has been to go to South Africa. Part of this is because I am interested in the possibility of working with the Voice of the Voiceless ministry in Cape Town long-term, so this would be a great opportunity to meet the leaders there and get a feel for what the ministry is about. But I also have a heart for the huge need within the continent of Africa, and the thought of being able to get to Africa--any part--is incredibly exciting. There is so much beauty and treasure there within the souls of the people, but along with that there is so much oppression and hurt.

At this point, I think I will probably be going to South Africa at the end of June. But I am open to both outreach locations, and I am praying about it because I want to be sure that I remain in the center of the Lord's will. I'd appreciate your prayers! Please let me know if you feel you have any "words" from the Lord for me regarding this. It is so exciting to think about finishing up the lecture phase and being able to use what I have learned during this time!