Changes. All these changes. You know, at first I really loathed all of the changes that were happening in my life in here South Africa. And I must admit, I sometimes fall back into that thinking. This isn’t what I signed up for. I didn’t sign up to endure heartache like I’ve never felt before, to move 5 times in 10 months, to buy a car that has more problems that I can afford to fix, or to have all of MY plans completely and utterly thrown out the window.
This isn’t what I signed up for.
I signed up to bring the love of Christ to the people of Grabouw, South Africa. I signed up to teach children with special needs, giving them skills that will help them to have a better future. To teach the young women of their worth in God’s eyes. To make a difference in someone’s life.
Despite everything though, I’ve been able to rely on one truth that continues to carry me through my never-ending changes: my God is Sovereign. He knows what is going on, He knew about all of the “nonsense” long before I did, and He could have stopped it all.
But He didn’t.
Instead, He chose that I should walk along this NEW path, not in MY plans, but HIS. HIS timing, NOT MINE.
One of the most commonly asked questions is what will you do now? God has lead me to a new ministry called “His Ark”, whose primary focus (at the moment) is on a kids club run in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village (SLP) on Fridays. Antje, a German gal, began this ministry, and now I’m blessed to play a part in it!! We meet our kids, ages 3-17, every Friday, rain or shine, in an open field and bring them spiritual food and physical food. With our 75-200 kids, we worship with them and teach them spiritual truths through puppets, skits, and lessons that they can take into their home lives. Many of our children come from very difficult backgrounds and homes surrounded by violence, sickness, poverty, and abuse. Our ministry is still in its “infant stages”, even though it has been running for 2 years, but we are both so excited to see how we can play a bigger part in our kids lives, beyond a Friday.
She had to go back to Germany for a few months, so I’m in charge!! Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into our Friday:
Here is one of our skits in action- using the tug of war to represent the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekite armies, and how Aaron and Hur helped hold up Moses’ arms, since they realized that the Israelites only won the battle when Moses’ staff was in the air. It was such a fun and creative way to explain it to the kids. I’m an Israelite, in case you were wondering! 
Here is Antje, giving the lesson, via our megaphone, to our kids on one of our rainy Fridays! We had a smaller number of kids this week, but we crammed 50 kids and 12 adults under our gazebos. Unfortunately the wind picked one of them off the ground and broke one of the legs. We just always pray for no rain on Fridays from 2-5!
Here we are passing out food to the kids after the lesson & worship time! Since it is cold now, we serve soup, bread, fruit, & and a little candy (if they’ve been behaving! 
This is Pauline!
When we met Pauline she didn’t have her birth certificate, which means she couldn’t have an id. card. Without these papers, you can’t go to school (we still aren’t sure how she is enrolled in the school she is now- God’s grace I think!), go to college, get financial aid, or get a job. Basically, she doesn’t exist without these papers. She lives with her father, who has been trying to help her get the papers she needs, but has had no luck. Her mother left her without any papers with her father when she was one year old, and has never met her or talked with her. With Antje and I’s help, we were able to get a hold of the mother, set up transportation, and help them to meet each other and get the paperwork started at Home Affairs for her birth certificate and id. card. Meeting her mother probably didn’t go in the way Pauline was wishing for, but what we keep focusing on is that she showed up, and now she can get her papers!
I’m so blessed to be a part of Pauline’s life!!!! In her church they believe in ancestoral worship, along with Jesus and the Gospel, so please pray that through Antje we can just keep on speaking truth!! I’m excited that I get to take her to the Hillsong Youth Conference, ENCOUNTER, for the next couple of days!!! She is so excited and is even more excited to put her new Bible to good use!
Please continue to keep her and her family in your prayers! I know God has big plans for this girl, but I also know how satan works to discourage kids like Pauline, and tell them that they won’t ever break out of the cycle of township life.
I’ve also been working at a preschool in Stellenbosch, called Speelkring. I work with the 1-3 year old class and love it!!! None of the children are diagnosed with special needs at the moment, but I’ve been helping them to build structure in their daily programs, with lesson planning, and setting up a webpage for the school. You can check it out here":
http://speelkringpreprimary.wix.com/speelkring
I don’t know how long God is going to keep me in this setting, as it was an interim position until God opens the door for the next school. I love the kids and teachers I work with! I’m hoping to go visit a special needs school called Bizweni, in the next few weeks.
Here are some of my kiddos:
One of our fine motor lessons using clothespins! With limited access to materials, we sometimes have to be very creative with our activities!
Two best of friends from my class, and two of the most clever little boys I know!!
The whole school, about 35 kids, getting ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to one of our friends!!
Nomad living:
What in the world does this mean? Well, I’m starting to wonder if all missionaries live like such nomads or gypsies like me, or if I’m the only one that moves 5 times in 10 months! Haha, well I’ve moved yet again, into Antje’s house in Gordons Bay, much closer to everything- school, Kids Club, church, shops. I will stay here until she returns, hopefully in October, and in the meantime, I’m praying and looking for where I will make my next new home.
This is where I need YOUR help though….. When I created my budget to be here in SA, it was all based on the budget I would need with Agape, so my budget is no longer true to all of my financial needs. I’ve been so blessed by all of the support that has already come my way, but I’m in need of a few more friends and family to step up in monthly commitments.
Will you be willing to join my team?
If your answer is YES then thank you from the bottom of my heart for your partnership!!!! Here are the ways you can get signed up!
1.) Log onto my webpage: www.cten.org/meganhartman and click on DONATE.
OR
2.) Call Angie at CTEN at 830-896-8326
OR
3.) Send a letter to CTEN, letting them know that you’d like to join my team. Be sure not to put my name on the check, just include it in the note! (If you attend CBF or know my mom, she has envelopes and papers you can just fill in!)
Commission To Every Nation
PO Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029-1307
Prayers:
* Pray for an awesome, truth-filled experience for Pauline at Encounter.
* Pray for financial provision for housing and new expenses within my new ministries.
* Pray for discernment in which school to partner with.
*Pray that Kids Club will go smoothly, and that we will continue to find people to help us out!
Praises:
* That God opened the doors for me to become involved in His Ark, and that He continues to fuel my heart to be involved in this ministry!
* That God continues to bring awesome friends into my life and life-changing messages through Hillsong church!
* That I’ve been given the opportunity to take a small leadership role in the Community Care part of our church.
Thanks for always being such a blessing in my life!!!! Every one of you blesses me so much!!!! I feel like one lucky girl to have so many people that love and lift me up in prayer, even on the other side of the world!!!!
