Another Update!

Hope you all are doing well! I just had a much needed week off (spent at a friend's relative's farm up North) and am back in Cape Town for the next two weeks. The whole city is hyped up for world cup (and we are too!) Here are a few stories of what God is doing in the city in the meantime:

I just spent the last few days at a camp for about eighty 11th graders from a local church we partner with. To say the camp was amazing is an understatement. God changed so many young people's lives! Because the camp was in Afrikaans, i was pretty helpless to listen to the teachings or lead much of anything, but i was able to teach a workshop and spent most of my time doing one-on-ones with the students. God has been teaching me through these language barrier situations. I feel like i am often too quick to rely on my own sense of competency and ministry skills and live in the rhythm of schedules, rather than living in the rhythm of the Holy Spirit. God is re-routing me to be helpless to everything but His voice and it's pretty cool! I'm learning a lot!

I also had an amazing time at Sir Lowry's Plain yesterday, a local township we serve in. I have been discipling a young woman there named Nicolene who is growing and learning so much! When we first met her and her boyfriend, we learned that she was HIV positive, considered herself a Rastafarian, had no income and felt pretty rejected by society. We've been reading the bible with her and her boyfriend and she is now a baby Christian eagerly growing in her faith! Doing bible studies with Nicolene is always the highlight of my week. The Gospel really comes alive when you're reading it in a shack with a family that is HIV positive. The biggest privilege is to look into the face of the least of these and say "Jesus came for you." And it's even better when you realize they believe it!

One of the biggest problems in Sir Lowry's is gang violence. But the cool thing is how much God loves the gang leaders! Last year, JAM was able to befriend a gang ringleader named Pulkie. Through one of our camps, he came to Christ, renounced his violent past, and is now at bible school training to be a pastor. Another gang leader named Vykie came to know God through this camp and works with us when we go to the township on Wednesdays. We are having another "Sir Lowry's Gang Leader Camp" this weekend with about 15 men going. Among the campers is a man named Night, who is the craziest, most violent gang leader of the bunch! The girls left our camp for the weekend because we have no idea what to expect. But if we know anything about God's heart for the gang leaders of Sir Lowry's, we know that He will do amazing things again! Please pray for this camp, we are excited to see God do His thing!

As for me, I'm doing great! I'm enjoying seeing God move and celebrating that with my ministry family. South Africa has become home and i have officially settled in. More updates soon! World Cup is gonna rock!