Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!! I hope that you feel loved by God today knowing that He woke you up this morning, giving you new breath, and new life- a clean page to start with! What a great gift everyday!!!! I often have to just stop and remind myself of this truth.
Since the girls have left I’ve been spending my time working at the school helping to launch a new computer program with our students, as well as helping during feeding times and helping them to get curriculum and ideas to use in the classroom. I usually have 4 or 5 students at a time, some working independently, others needing total help. I’ve learned most of the basic Afrikaans I need to help them, but we have SEVERAL students who speak Xhosa, the clicking language, and I only know one phrase: SIT DOWN! I’m loving to get to work on a small group basis with the kids, but our numbers have grown since we started at the beginning. We are now up to 42 students enrolled in our school. When they are all there, it is A LITTLE CRAZY, but the reality is that they are rarely all there on the same day!
Please pray as there is a clear need for leadership, accountability, and direction in our school. Pray that if God wants me to step up for the challenge that He opens the doors!!
This past weekend I was able to go to the Hillsong Frontline (25-35+group) Retreat and it was INCREDIBLE!!!God stirred in my heart in mighty ways, and I know that some of the things that were said were FOR ME. I just want to share with your some of the lessons learned from the retreat and a few other encouraging words of Love!
* “Where you start is not where you finish.”
* In your weakness that’s where God can use you.”
* “God is not finished with you yet.”
* “ You are NEVER alone because the Holy Spirit is always with you!”
* “You will always win your battles from within.”
* “It isn’t about just believing IN God, but believing God.”
* “God has a great plan for your life. Jer. 1:4”
* “Sin damages people, so don’t write anyone off. Prov. 20:17”
* “Put value on YOUR life. Don’t devalue yourself. God doesn’t make junk!
In this you must answer these questions:
~ Who do I want to be? Don’t compare dust to dust.
~ Where do I want to go?
~ What do I want to get out of it?
* “Value each stage of your life. Value the season you are in.
How I want to live each day:
Put value in EVERYDAY:
1. Rejoice: put value on God first everyday. Rejoice who you are in Him & His promises. Don’t live rehearsing yesterday.
2. Remember: Think about others before you remember yourself.
3. Reckon: put value on your plans and now will it help me to be who I want to be.
4. Restore: put value on wholeness. The door to this is forgiveness.
5. Reap: Look for “the harvest” daily!
6. Redeem: look for someone you can “pay the price” for, whether it is a mistake or a random act of kindness.
7. Return: Give thanks.
(My friend Isabelle from Hillsong)
* “HOW? We go through life asking this question, but Luke 1:26-37 tells us that nothing is impossible with God.
WE MUST STOP FOCUSING ON THE HOW BUT THE WHO!!!!
~ Keep your focus on the Who. We must trust and wait in this time.
~The how is in the WHO. We don’t have to come to the Who with the answers, we can just show up as ourselves! Delight yourselves in God and He will give you the desires of your heart,”
~ The WHO will bring you through.
WAITING TIME IS NEVER WASTED TIME.
~Are we running away from sin or are we just being comfortable with it?
~Purity has a price, but a better reward.
** Those whose steps are ordered by God will:
~ have Great Confidence that God has BIG plans for our life! He will get us to the destination! You MUST lift up your head & be confident that He WILL lead your steps.
~ These steps will lead you to great people.
~ It also leads to great expectations- Your heart was created to beat with expectancy.
~Great comebacks- God can do the impossible. Jesus is the comeback-King!
That is just a tidbit---- soooo much to share, but it’s late here, I will try to add more in the next few days! Here is Jacqui, a volunteer with Village of Hope, and I posing in front of the polo club fields. Sadly, it rained too much so we didn’t get to watch a game, but pretend like we were there!
Hope God used one of them many messages to speak many things to me this weekend!!!! Still soaking and absorbing it all out!
~
