South Africa STINT

2010-06-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Looking Ahead

2010-01-04T15:44:00.001-08:00

I hope you've found great joy in Christ during this holiday season. I've enjoyed time with family and friends, celebrating all we've been blessed with in Christ and in one another. My time back home is moving as fast as my year in Africa did. I've found it difficult to process and challenging to keep up, but I've been blessed with a great deal of help. It's been a blessing to have a loving community surround me in this time of transition. To be completely honest, I've struggled to process my time in Africa, and transition smoothly into life back in the States. This, unfortunately has contributed to my lack of communication since arriving back in the States. I want to take this time to apologize for my lack of communication, as well as thank you for your continued patience as I process and celebrate the Lord's good work in my time abroad. I've had the privilege of participating in what Christ is doing in South Africa, and I now get to celebrate these great experiences with each of you. Now that I am somewhat settled back in to this life Stateside, I would love to meet up with you or have a phone conversation sometime soon.

For now, there are a few important details of my life that I would like to inform you of. I would like to share that after much prayer and consideration I've decided to not continue on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. I thoroughly enjoyed my intern year with CCC International, and would, without a doubt, serve with the organization in the future. I do however, feel called to pursue other ministry opportunities at this time. In working with Ukukhanya this year, I discovered that I have a deep passion for creating opportunities for Christian and Non-Christians to love and serve those in need, and meet Christ in the process. Learning these things about myself have led me to pursue ministry opportunities here in Denver, that would enable me to labor for the kingdom in this fashion. I can say with great confidence that the Lord has called me to love Him and serve His Kingdom here in Denver. As far as I am concerned, the Lord's call was clear for me to go to South Africa, and His call to come to Denver this year is as clear. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as I follow Christ in this time. Currently, I'm actively pursuing ministry opportunities that would require me to once again, raise my financial support. I promise to keep all of you informed and include you in my the decisions for what's next. I'm looking ahead with great anticipation and excitement for what Christ will have me do for the Kingdom!

Favorite pictures from the end of the year

2009-12-28T15:38:00.000-08:00

Our last mont in South Africa was an extremely blessed time. We closed out an amazing year at UKZN and had the blessing of spending a week in Cape Town with the Pretoria team for a debrief conference. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our last weeks in SA.

Team photo at the top of Table Mountain

The team at the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope.. it was really windy.

Me on the Beach at Cape Point

The Durban Campus Crusade for Christ Staff Team

The UKZN Campus Movement!

Stories from the end of the year

2009-12-20T16:46:00.001-08:00

At the end of the year I spent some intentional time with each of the girls I was blessed to disciple in my time at UKZN. The Lord truly blessed our times together. It was a time to reflect on what God's done in and through them over the school year. Also, to look ahead with hope for the next year. I challenged each girl to trust God for big things in their lives, and to continually reflect on His work. It was an honor and privilege to see Christ move in their hearts and change them in great ways over the year. I tell you all of this because one closing discipleship time was especially humbling for me. As a part of my final discipleship time with Jade and Jess, I asked both of them to write two letters. Both were to express their gratitude and appreciate for the changes they'd seen in their lives over the past 8 months. One letter was to God, and the other was a letter to each other. They were a vital part of each others growth of the year. They learned a great deal about community and the importance of walking through life with someone. The letters they wrote to Christ and to one another were incredible. They were so vulnerable. It was beautiful. With tears streaming down their cheeks they read their letter aloud to God and to each other. Their words on paper became a reality once they were said. It was amazing to sit back and listen... what a blessing it was to be present for this time. Jess insisted I share her letter with you. Here is the letter she wrote to Jade.

The first time I have ever been aware of God speaking to me was probably only two to three months ago. Amanda introduced that card with all those questions and explained that as friends and being in community we need to be able to confess our sins to one another. She went on to explain that we need to be vulnerable and open in order to grow. It brings back memories of the first time we both met Amanda when she did her talk on "Mental Toughness". Even though she was given the topic of "being tough" she concluded that in order to be strong we have to be weak. Mark 10:35-45 "...whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" "For even the

Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as ransom for many." From that point on it's quite clear now that God was trying to get through to me. But never the less I carried on with my life thinking I must have disappointed those other Americans who I thought were dying to help people become saved but "unfortunately" I already was...What closed minded thinking...God must have been pulling his hair out in frustration watching me...lol. Never the less, God got through to one of us and I am so thankful that it was my best friend, you Jade :) From that day, when we were both asked a series of questions about our faith, God started working in your life and I could see it, even though I didn't take it in. It was God's plan that you would seek him first, through Campus Crusade and Amanda, can you imagine if both of us had been like "yar yar we are Christians, we fine thanks" we both wouldn't be where we are today. Later, I kept thinking "wow I'm so glad God sent Amanda to show me the light..." meanwhile back at the ranch God was working through one of the closest people in my life, slowly but surely pulling me onto the right path. Don't get me wrong, God had been working through a lot of people to get through to me, especially Amanda. But the only time I became aware of it was when you became involved in Campus Crusade and with all walls broken down and completely vulnerable asked God to put you on the right path and asked Amanda to help you grow. Basically, you lead the way for me and I am beyond thankful for this, it you hadn't where would I be now... The concept of being weak and vulnerable before God really struck a chord in me that had been vibrating since the talk Amanda gave. I would find myself thinking, "I thought as Christians we are meant to be strong and steadfast? How am I suppose to be a steadfast Christian if I'm weak and vulnerable?" Then God gave me the answer, Psalm 51. The night my eyes were opened to what God wants for me was the same night I smsed you the verse. Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." This came to me because instead of just cruising through life I was pushed to make a decision on fasting and I didn't understand the sacrifice God wanted me to make. When we, as Christians, are pushed to these certain points in life is when God speaks to us. Not only did God give me the answers to "why I should be weak and vulnerable and why I should fast", he put all doubt out of my mind by confirming his word through Amanda. I asked Amanda to meet up so we could talk about the whole fasting thing and that I had decided to do the Daniel fast, and as we were talking she thought of a verse. The verse she turned to and read was Psalm 51:17. I was so overwhelmed at that point; it will be a feeling I will never forget. From that point on I truly believed and still do that I am one of the most vulnerable and weak people, and I love it! I praise God each and every day that he opened my eyes and heart to what He wants. I also thank God for working through you in the same way. We laugh A LOT together, but I never thought we would be able to cry together, and to have a friend like that is all thanks to God. It also makes things clear now why people think we sisters, because we really are sisters in Christ. As cliché as it sounds, no matter what, you will always be in my heart and be one of the closest people to me. I pray that God keeps working through you and Amanda, as He has been, and that he doesn't only reach me (which I know wont be the case!!) but that he uses you to touch many people’s lives and bring them to know our Savior Jesus Christ.

You are blessed and I love you lots

Jess

Safe and Sound

2009-12-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

I've been home safe, with family and friends for just over a week now. It was a long journey home, but I feel the Lord's hand in helping me settle in back home. Please pray for my transition back home, as I am experiencing some reverse culture shock. Please pray that I turn to the Lord and depend on him in this time. Thank you.

I would love to know I can be praying for all of you as we enter into the holiday season. I look forward to meeting with each of you to catch up on life and shares stories from the last year. You can expect to hear from me sometime soon. I'm truly looking forward to hearing how the Lord's worked in your lives over the last 11 or so months. Have a blessed week, and know that I am praying for you.

Amanda

2009-11-28T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a video from our end of the year social. We invited everyone to celebrate all the Lord's done over the last year. We had an open mic, where anyone who had something to share could walk up and take time to thank God for his movement and work in their lives. It was an awesome time. One of my girls Bible studies decided to share something really cool with the group. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Last day

2009-11-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

Today is my last full day in South Africa. Honestly, it doesn't feel real to me yet, that I am coming home. I'm sure as I step on the plane tomorrow, everything will start to sink in. The year has gone by so fast, and the Lord has done so many amazing things! The last few weeks have been incredible and I look forward to sharing everything with you when I get back.

I will be without an internet connection or cell phone for the next two or three day. So, if you don't hear from me, I apologize, but will get back to you as soon as I get settled in.

Please pray for safe travels home, and for a smooth transition back into life in Colorado. Thank you for your prayers and support. I am so excited to see all of you again soon and will keep each of you in my prayers.

God Bless,

Amanda Arias

September Prayer Letter - Section 2

2009-10-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ...”

-2 Corinthians 5:17

UKZN Students and ULCC Made New:

In the last two months, we’ve had the privilege of seeing the Lord bring together the movement at UKZN and the efforts of Ukukhanya Life Care Center (ULCC)! Our prayers from the beginning were to see the two ministries come together to serve the Kingdom...and God answered. The Center is still in its development stage, and unfortunately they’ve come across several setbacks in the last year and half, making it nearly impossible for them to open. Recognizing these obstacles, UKZN students clearly expressed their desire to serve, but were unsure how they could help. As we brainstormed different ways to be involved, we considered the Center’s greatest need, and found that it was something we could provide. To complete renovations and open this year, ULCC needed hands and willing hearts to help. It seemed to be a perfect fit; they had a need and we could meet it. The committee decided the best way to serve ULCC was to organize a workday for students at UKZN to help rebuild the center.

We set a date and started announcing our plans, hopeful that students would come. We showed up on Saturday expecting five or so students to join us. We were shocked to have fifteen students show up for our first workday! God clearly had bigger plans. ULCC needed hands, and the Lord provided. With so many students we were extremely productive. That day, we painted seven rooms, the sanctuary, and replaced several windows! As we assigned jobs, each student joyfully accepted their task. It was a full day, but the students never tired. I was humbled by how joyfully they served. Smiling and without hesitation they completed their jobs. For many of them, it was their first time serving in this capacity. As I walked around center I was overwhelmed with joy as I listened to these men and women sing worship songs as they labored for the Kingdom. It reminded me that this workday was about working for something eternal, and that our efforts that day would produce fruit that would last!

While the workday itself was a great pleasure to be a part of, my favorite part of the experience was hearing the students tell everyone about their time at ULCC in the days to follow. At Bible study, girls shared their excitement for the work they completed and eagerly expressed their desire to go back! It wasn’t long before the committee was planning another workday.

Two weeks later, twenty-five students joined us for our second Saturday! Students at UKZN who have never been involved with CCC showed up to serve. Once again, God certainly had bigger plans! Again, students eagerly accepted the jobs assigned to them. Our challenge that day was to relocate a donated tunnel garden. Before excavating the old location, we needed to clear a concrete slab that was covered in rubble. For hours the students moved cinderblocks, bricks, and trash to clean and clear the area. As we worked we literally saw transformation happening, not only on the center but in the hearts of our students! In the process of making this Life Care Center new, God was also changing the hearts of the students who were serving. They were experiencing, some for the first time, a taste of Christ reconciling the world back to Himself, in every way.

The day was packed and although countless tasks were completed, there was still a great deal of work to be done before the Center could open. The students wouldn’t leave without organizing another day to finish the job they started. A week later we were back at ULCC, this time over thirty students joined us! It was our last opportunity to complete the work the Lord had sent us to do. In only five hours we painted four rooms, demolished and painted the kitchen, replaced all the windows, painted the new bathroom, painted security gates and windows, and began moving furniture into the finished rooms. We had the privilege of seeing the Center drastically change in only three days! The best part is, the change that happened in those three days goes far beyond the physical. Each student was changed as a result of participating in this partnership. I joyfully watched students discuss their relationships with the Lord together, sing worship songs, and express to everyone at ULCC their hearts to selflessly serve for the Kingdom’s sake. ‘The old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17) The physical changes to the Center are important, but not nearly as important as the change the Center will stand for in the months to come. ULCC will be a great blessing to Ntuzuma!

Originally, we planned one workday at ULCC with five to ten students attending. Three Saturdays and over thirty students later, ULCC is ready to open its doors. The Lord clearly had bigger plans! It was humbling to see students so eager to serve. God took their willing hearts and gave them all the tools they needed to participate in the Lord’s action to make all things new, including themselves!

September Prayer Letter - Section 1

2009-10-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Growth and understanding: “I did a 180”

The Lord has swept the UKZN campus this semester, causing students to grow exponentially in their fellowship with Him and with the community around them. There are countless stories to share about seeing the growth in these students’ lives, but one in particular stands out.

Jennifer and Rose got involved with CCC after attending the camp we held in June this last summer. The two casually accepted an invitation to the camp from a friend, who was actively involved with the movement. Little did they know, it would be a turning point for both women. They have never taken their faith seriously nor ever pursued a growing relationship with the Lord, until that weekend. It was there that they felt the presence of the Lord and experienced solid community for one of the first times. They certainly left the camp differently than when they came. Eager to experience growth and understanding after the camp, Jennifer and Rose joined a Bible study that I would be leading the next semester. Each week we met and made our way through the gospel of John. In our times together we had the chance to ask questions and process through what it means to develop our relationships with Jesus. Each week the girls showed up with new questions. They were interested, but something was missing in their exploration.

A couple weeks ago our National Campus Director, Jackie Bland, visited the UKZN campus. During her visit, the committee planned a gathering with Jackie as the main speaker. The theme of the get-together was “I did a 180.” Jackie was asked to speak on what it looks like to surrender all areas of your heart to Jesus as you let Him turn your life completely around. She shared with twenty plus students how to move from being a casual Christian, to an active follower of Christ. Sitting in the front row that day were Jennifer and Rose. As Jackie shared her heart for Jesus and the work He’s done in her life, the girls listened intently, occasionally nodding in agreement. After several stories and examples of the transformation Christ has done in lives of many people, Jackie concluded her talk with a challenge. She asked each student to consider if they were truly letting Jesus turn their life around. Boldly, she said, “Have you done a 180?” It was encouraging to look across the room and see so many students seriously contemplating their answer to her question.

After the talk, I approached the two girls and immediately could tell that something had hit them. Our discussion was brief as the girls had to rush off, but they left eager and excited for our next Bible study! The next week I asked the girls to share their thoughts and before I could finish my sentence, big smiles stretched across their faces. Interrupting each other with overwhelming excitement, they shared with me the truth they had discovered from Jackie’s talk. Jennifer explained that she had realized what was missing in her relationship with Jesus. She was casually following the Lord and not actively pursuing a relationship with Him. Rose explained that she had felt like something was missing in her relationship with God as well, but until listening to Jackie’s talk she never knew what it was. Both women realized that they had accepted Jesus into their hearts at the camp, but hadn’t surrendered their lives to his control. With huge smiles on their faces they both said, “I want to do a 180!”

Ukukhanya Blog

2009-10-12T04:41:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I just wanted to direct you to a blog that Penny has been keeping for Ukukhanya Life Care Center. This is a great way to keep up with all that is happening at the Center. I hope you enjoy the stories. Its encouraging to read all that the Lord is doing in Ntuzuma!

Ukukhanya Life Care Center

Thanks,

Amanda

ULCC Workday Pics!

2009-10-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from our work days at Ukukhanya! If you want to see all of the photos from the day you can click on the photo stream on the right. It will take you to my photo album for the entire year. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite pictures.

All the paint... Every drip was donated!

These boys visit the life care center almost everyday! They joined in on the workday!

Making and moving the NEW tunnel garden!

Ntuzuma Township

To update you briefly, so much was accomplished in our three work day at the Center. You will read more about our times together in my prayer letter that will be sent out later this week, but just to quickly update you.

In our first visit fifteen students joined us! We finished painting the sanctuary and 5 rooms on the right side of the center. We help build the bathroom and knocked out windows.

In our second visit 24 students joined us! In 5 hours time we polished all the floors in the painted rooms, replaced the broken windows, and built a new tunnel garden. It was a huge day for the center!

In our last visit over 30 students joined us! We gutted the kitchen and finished nearly all of the painting for the entire center. Almost every wall has been painted in the last three weeks! The remaining rooms were finished and furniture was placed in the rooms. We cleaned everything and got the center ready for its opening day!

ULCC can open because the students at UKZN gave up three Saturdays to ensure the center will open. On top of their hard work several students have donated clothing and food to the center.

Its been amazing to see God raise students up to make a difference in Ntuzuma!

6 Weeks Left... Here's what's happening!

2009-10-12T03:47:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it, but we are closing out our time on campus. Our team has two full weeks at UKZN and we only have three weeks left with Ukukhanya Life Care Center (ULCC). It been a very busy semester and the Lord has worked in ways I could have never dreamed before. It has been both a privilege and an honor to watch Christ work in the lives of so many men and women! It is a bittersweet feeling to be closing out our time in bible studies and in discipleship. As I look back its amazing to see how God has used the students to change there campus for the Kingdom. We have so much to be thankful for. Since the camp five girls Bible studies and two guys Bibles studies have been meeting weekly, there have been three successful work days at ULCC with thirty plus students serving, we've welcomed in a new leadership team just last week, and most importantly, the students at UKZN have grown in their intimacy with Jesus. There are so many exciting stories I want to share! I can't wait to sit down with all of you when I get home and tell you the many things I haven't been able to share with you over the year. For now, I wanted to let all of you know that we have just over a month remaining in our STINT year. I wanted to fill you in on what our last month holds, and ask you to join me in praying for our last 6 weeks in South Africa.

The next two or three weeks we'll spend most of our time on campus finishing up the year. Our last day on campus is the last official day for lectures. The following weeks the campus will shut down for a study break and for the exam period. So, the next two weeks is going to be an very busy and emotional time. We hope to continue to meet with students and spend good time with them if they have any free time during their study break. We hope to be a good support to them as they enter into their exam period and care for them well in their last few weeks. Our last day on campus we hope to have a social to end the year celebrating all the Lord's done in this school year. There is a lot to celebrate and be thankful for!

Here are some praises and prayer requests for our last few weeks on campus.

Praise:

For 9 new members who are joining the leadership team at UKZN! God has raised up an eager and excited leadership team for next year! I am excited to see how God will use them.
For three successful full work days at ULCC! Over 30 students have now served at the center, helping with renovations and serving the community.
For the 40 plus students who are involved in Bible studies!
For the growth God has allowed men and women to experience this year!
For all of our student leaders at UKZN. These men and women have been obedient to God's call for them to lead. We can praise the Lord for their willing hearts!
For the first women's Bible study in the Sports Science faculty.

Prayer:

For peace for students as they enter into an extremely challenging and stressful time in their studies. They are currently overwhelmed with projects and test, and they haven't even entered into their finals yet. Please pray that they can find rest in Jesus. Pray that in this time they can continue to make their relationships with God their first priority.
We can pray for their availability in the next two weeks. Their schedules are extremely demanding in this time. So we can pray they would have time to attend their bible studies and connect with their communities.
We can pray for their studies and for limited stress and anxiety in this time.
For our last times together in discipleship and in our Bible studies. Please pray that I can love these women well in our limited time together. These girls mean so much to me and I want them to know that I care for them deeply. Please pray that the Lord will give us good time together and intimate times with Jesus when we are meeting.
The Bible studies on campus are student led and the movement is student led. So please pray for our student leaders as they plan and prepare for the 2010 school year. Please pray for the movement and for the students God has called to lead in Bible studies and in discipleship.
Please pray for our end of the year social. Pray that it can be a great time of fellowship and celebrating all the Lord has done at UKZN over the year!
Please pray for Jess and Jade as they persevere in their Bible study in the sports science faculty. For the last few weeks women have not shown up, but every week they are faithful to show up and pray for their peers. They are confident that if the women see they are here to stay, that God will bring them when they are ready. I am humbled by their great faith. It's so encouraging to see them have big hopes and big dreams for their classmates. God is so good, and they know it. Please pray for they as they wait patiently for women to come to the study, that they are confident the Lord has called them to!

Once we finish on campus we are left with a couple important tasks. We need to start closing out the lives God has built for us here, and prepare for the incoming STINT team. We were the first STINT team to come, but we are certainly not the last! After closing out our campus times we will spend a couple weeks in Durban closing out our lives and preparing for next years STINT team.

Here is how you can be praying for us in this.

Praise:

For the new STINT team! Four girls and two guys will arrive in SA in January 2010 to start their year here in KZN!
For the great blessings He's poured out to out team here in Durban. The closer we come to ending our year, the more I realize just how blessed we are. The Lord has provided for our team over and over again. Join us in praising Him for the countless blessings He's given in our time here in South Africa.

Prayer:

Please pray for closure as we leave people we love, churches we've been involved with, and families God has allowed us to be a part of.
Please pray for all the little details as we close out our times. For example cars, leases, and so on.
Please pray for our preparations and planning times for the new STINT team. We are currently helping with housing and other settling in details. Please pray that we can be a blessing to the incoming team as we are leaving.

Once we finish closing out our lives here in Durban we are meeting up with the Pretoria team in Cape Town to start our debrief for the STNT year. We will spend time with some national staff at a debrief conference in our remaining time. After we finish our debrief we are back on a plane to make it home in time for Thanksgiving!

Here is how you can be praying for our Debrief time.

Prayer:

Please pray that we can have great time with the Lord, preparing for our transition back home.
For quality time as a team of eight. We have missed that this year with the split. We are looking forward to quality time together.
Pray that we can celebrate all the Lord's done in the last 11 months. It went by so quickly.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and for all of your love and support. I hope this update gives you a good idea of what our last 6 weeks is going to look like. Thank you for joining with me in praying for my remaining time, it means so much to me. I just want to say thank you so much again for all you've done to send me here this year. It's an honor to serve Christ with you, here in South Africa.

God Bless,

Amanda

Aug Prayer Letter - Section 2

2009-09-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”

-Hebrews 4:14-16

He Understands:

This month at Ukukhanya renovations on the center were put on hold and a majority of our time was spent attending to the many physical needs the individuals and families in the community had. Addressing these needs brought us into several people’s lives and gave us a chance to care for them. In our times together, we’ve had the great privilege of getting to know many beautiful people. There is one woman who’s story has captured my heart. This woman, who I’ll call Grace, has deeply challenged my faith and led me into a greater dependance on Christ.

We first met Grace on a home visit with Pastor Prince. We made our way down a small dirt path to a small brick house where Grace’s mother welcomed us. She hugged me and quietly repeated thank you in Zulu, “ngiyabonga, ngiyaonga.” As we introduced ourselves Prince explained to us that earlier in the week this woman walked across the township to Ukukhanya seeking help for her very sick daughter. After exchanging a few hugs and words we walked through the doorway of their little home and met Grace. Her mother introduced us and explained why we were there. It didn’t take long for Grace to open up and explain her families struggles and the help they needed to survive.

Listening to Prince’s translations of their conversation we found out that Grace is twenty-six years old with three children. In their little one room brick home her mother, her three children, and two of her sisters children stay together. All of them sleep on the double sized bed that filled the small space they lived in. The two shared with us their struggle to grow enough food to feed their family in the cold weather and without any consistent income. Sadly their struggles didn’t stop there. As the conversation continued we learned that Grace is HIV positive and had been battling greatly over the last month. Without any source of income, as well as being physically unable to make it to the clinic, she was without proper medical attention for months. Our visit to her home that day was her first opportunity to visit a clinic and receive the medical attention she needed. In previous emergency situations Grace’s mother attempted to push her in a wheelbarrow up hill on the rough dirt roads 4 miles to the nearest clinic. There was no question that Grace and her family needed help. We phoned a doctor at the clinic and took her in immediately. As I helped Grace walk down the narrow dirt path to our car I tried to gather the right words, but our conversation was brief. I asked “How are you feeling? Can I help or do anything to make you feel more comfortable?” She answered me quietly “I’m okay. No thank you, I’m fine.” I didn’t know what else to say. I could only think that in the midst of our suffering nothing compares to the relief and comfort we feel when someone can say, “I know exactly what you’re feeling.” When we suffer we want someone we can relate to and someone who can walk through the mess with us. In that moment I wanted so badly to say, “I know” but I couldn’t.

At the clinic Ali and I sat with Prince while Grace received her first proper medical examination. As we waited, I replayed over and over in my mind our conversation back at the house and on our walk to the car. I looked around the clinic and in that moment found myself asking “God, where are you, and what can I do?” It was clear that this family was suffering in the broken reality of this world, but I would never know the pain they truly feel or experience. In all honesty, I felt inadequate to enter into their lives and care for them, because I would never truly understand what they’re going through. As we continued to wait, I wrestled with these thoughts, and the only thing I could think to do was pray. When Grace and her mom came back into the waiting room we heard from the doctor that her case was indeed severe. From the visit we learned that Grace has TB and arthritis, with AID’s as the underlying cause. We scheduled appointments for her in the coming week, to ensure that she would receive proper medical attention and medication to fight her disease. We left the clinic and brought her back to her home, telling her we would see her for her next appointment.

On our way home from the center both Ali and I were silent the entire drive. It wasn’t until we were almost home that I started to find comfort from the Lord in my confusion. I was reminded of the passage in Hebrews 4. Even though I will never understand the depth of Grace and her family’s suffering, Jesus does. “For we do not serve a High Priest who is unable to sympathize” (Hebrews 4:15). Christ came and suffered in every way to give us the chance to know Him. He truly is the only one who can say, “I know.”

Aug Prayer Letter - Section 1

2009-09-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sports Science faculty: “This bible study is something we have to do!” - Jade

A couple months back I introduced you to Jade Davids and shared her exciting story with you. I’d like to revisit her story and update you on how God is using her to advance the Kingdom today! The Lord’s creative plan humbles me as I look back and think about all Jesus has done in Jade’s life.

In May this year the Lord creatively brought Jade into a relationship with Him. She attended an outreach for Sports Science students, that three of our student leaders, Sbu, Anele, and Mdu organized. These men planned this event after realizing there was little available to their peers for spiritual exploration and growth. Their decision to change that fact started with a survey, which eventually led them to organizing a speaker and discussion time.

Surprisingly, the boys asked me to be the speaker. I was asked to give a short talk on how students can engage their spiritual side while participating in and studying sports. Jade and two of her friends decided to randomly attend after seeing a poster in their class. The three of them sat in the front row that day! The talk was designed to communicate to students that finding success in sports is not about winning or losing, but to find yourself fully dependent on God. I shared my struggle in sports of desiring strength, pride, and power over humility, weakness and dependence on the Lord. Following the talk we had a brief discussion time where students who attended had the chance to process all they’d heard. After the talk Jade stuck around to chat with some summer project students. I remember looking over at her group as I finished a discussion with a few students and seeing the two summer project students praying over her. Tears streamed down her face as she tightly grasped a bible they'd just given her. I’ll always remember that picture. I knew that God captured her heart that day!

Two weeks later I had the privilege of officially meeting Jade and hearing her story at our CCC camp (retreat). When she talked about her new relationship with Jesus you could feel her passion. At the camp Jade expressed a deep desire to develop her relationship with God and others. Once we got back on campus Jade asked me if I would consider discipling her over the next semester. She’d spent her winter break praying through her growth and felt led to both discipleship and sharing her faith with others! So, for the past six weeks I’ve been meeting with Jade, focusing on her growth in Christ.

Our time has been spent praying for the campus, sharing our faith and exploring what it means to live as an example of God’s love at UKZN. A majority of our times together the Lord has put it on Jades heart to do something for women in the sports science faculty. Jade was bothered that there was nothing available to the women in her major. After praying for guidance and direction she felt God calling her to lead a Bible study! She was hesitant at first, but day after day her heart grew heavy for her peers. Setting her fears aside, she asked her friend Jess to co-lead a study with her. Today she is co-leading the first women’s bible study in the sports science faculty!

Jess and Jade’s bible study can be traced back to three men who felt burdened for their peers, and said yes to the Lord’s call. Three men were obedient to Christ and the Lord’s faithfulness is before us! This movement started with a few faithful and obedient men, and today God has used it to bring forward two faithful and obedient women! We truly serve a creative and faithful God.

Update on Ali

2009-08-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I posted a special prayer request for my teammate Ali. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Its a great blessing to battle this health issue with all of you. I promised to keep you informed as this process unfolds, so here is a quick update.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Ali has been battling a digestive problem for a couple months now. She's seen a few different doctors, but has unfortunately been unable to identify the problem. Last week she saw a specialist and was schedule for a colonoscopy this last Tuesday. Everything went well, but unfortunately the problem is still unresolved. She seems to be completely healthy, outside of her extremely uncomfortable digestive problem. W

e are thankful that it is nothing serious and that she is able to receive the medical attention she needs at this time. For now doctors have decided to continue to treat the problem as they have in the last few months. Please pray that the medicine she is taking will start to work. She's taken this medicine for about two months now, but hasn't experience any relief. She will take these prescriptions for the next two w

eeks. If there is no improvement, then other options will be considered. Please continue to pray for healing. Her heart throughout the process has been incredible, but she is starting to grow tired. The last few months she has truly lived in the truth that the joy of the Lord is our strength. With several procedures complete, but very few answers, she is feeling a little discouraged. So, please pray that she would continue to rest in the Lord's love throughout this process.

Thank you again for your prayer and support. I will update you again soon.

Keep Well!

STINT photo Album

2009-08-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

On the right side of my blog home page you will see some photos. If you click on these pictures you can view some of my favorite photos from the last 8 months on STINT.

I hope you enjoy looking through some great memories from my year here in South Africa!

My email is down.... Kind of....

2009-08-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I wanted to tell all of you that my email is currently not working. It is not completely shut down, but it doesn't seem to want to send emails that have over 5 or so recipients... making my monthly update a bit challenging to send out. Please forgive me.

I can still send and receive emails, so please feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. This message is to quickly share with you that my update will be sent out as soon as I figure out my email issues.

Thanks you very much for your patience. I am praying for your days.

Please pray

2009-08-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

On Campus:

- There are four women's Bibles studies on campus! Praise the Lord that He has brought so many women forward who want to learn more about Him! Please pray that the women involved will connect with Jesus and His Word. Pray that these studies will be a place for women to develop solid community with God and with one another.

- Jade is taking a huge step of faith and is starting a women's bible study in the sports science faculty. Please pray for her as she trusts the Lord to lead her in this study! Its exciting to see the Lord guide her in giving the girls in her faculty a place to learn about Jesus and His Kingdom through His Word.

- The Leadership team is planning a Social for the end of this week. The hope is that this time will be an opportunity for students to connect with one another and get plugged into activities with Crusade on campus and off. Please pray that students will be available to join us at the social, and get involved in serving their classmates.

Off Campus

- Ukukhanya has had to push back their opening date a couple weeks due to some renovation issues. They've started the construction on some new bathrooms, but the process has been really slow. The main water pipe was broken last week and has set things back a little .Please continue to pray for safety as we move forward with renovations, and pray that things will run smoothly.

- As the students move forward with partnering with ULCC they've decided to schedule at least one day a month to work with the Center. Please pray for these students as they organize their time with ULCC this month. The student at UKZN and the ULCC staff are really excited to come together!

A Special Prayer Request

2009-08-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your prayers over the past year. Its such a great blessing to have so many people praying for our time here in South Africa. I have a special prayer request for one of my teammates Ali. Unfortunately prayer for the physical health of my teammates has been a consistent request over the last eight months. Earlier in the year we had to send home our teammate Dan home after he struggled with a digestive problem. For the last few months Ali has struggled with similar health issues. She's been battling a digestive problem and doctors have been unable to identify it. Its taken a long time to schedule an appointment with a specialist, but she finally been able to. Tomorrow Ali is going in for a procedure that will hopefully help doctors get to the root of her digestive problems. Please pray for her as she enters into the next few days. Pray that the doctors will be able to identify what's going on, so that they can properly care for her specific needs. Pray for wisdom for the doctors who are caring for her and trying to figure out what the real problem is. It will be a blessing to find out what's going on. It may take some time to receive results from the procedure and blood work, so please pray for a quick return on results. In the mean time please pray for her strength and energy as she moves forward.

Thanks you for taking the time to pray for Ali. I am confident that the Lord will comfort her in this time and give her everything she needs. I will update you as soon as we are informed.

Thank you

Camp Stories

2009-08-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

As the first semester came to a close last May students were looking for a way to celebrate finishing their exams... there was no better way to do that, then to attend our end of the term camp. In my May/June prayer letter I wrote about our time together, but the students tell their stories best! Enjoy hearing what God did from them...

The feast!

2009-07-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

"Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46,47

On the project's last day at Ukukhanya, Penny and Prince found it fitting to celebrate all the Lord's provided by making all of us a traditional Zulu meal! This special celebration was organized for the staff at ULCC and our STINT team to properly say thank you and goodbye to the summer project. We arrived on the last day to complete a few projects and enjoy great fellowship with the Ukukhanya staff, but got much more than that. I walked into the kitchen to see a massive feast being prepared. The girls (Phondi, Pretty, and Hillary) had been up since 6AM cooking and running errands to prepare for our meal together. It was an incredible sight. There were women running around the kitchen shouting out commands and assigning tasks to everyone. In the midst of all the craziness was massive amounts of laughter. I so enjoy spending time with the women at Ukukhanya. Their hearts are beautiful, and when they laugh with you life seems a little lighter.I had the privilege of helping them prepare countless dishes. While we were cooking I had a thousand questions for them and they graciously answered. They taught me a couple Zulu words and laughed at me as I tried my best to repeat. It was a great time.

As I spent time with these beautiful women my mind kept going back to this verse in acts. As we prepared our meal this piece of scripture came to life! With glad and sincere hearts these women prepared a meal for us to share in. We praised the Lord for His work, and enjoyed the favor of His people. All of this for the purpose of seeing God's people come back to Him. Isn't that amazing? I feel deeply blessed to have shared in this time with these women. They worked so hard to care for us. With all the passion in their hearts they prepared this meal. It was a great privilege to be a part of that. The Word is living, and we are blessed to experience in our days. It truly is an incredible blessing to be a part of the Ukukhanya family!

Here are some fun pictures of our time together! I got to try some new and exciting things...

(My roommate was nice enough to let me use some of her descriptions... she's the best)

Samp and Beans: a thick type of porridge made from coarsely ground corn (a staple in South Africa) mixed with beans.

Dombolo: big, round dumpling bread (each one the size of m

y head, no joke) that is used to soak all the juices left over from the chicken.

Sweet Potato: delicious! (Left) no need for explanation here...

Amadumbe: another type of sweet potato cooked in their skin in the fire.

Boerewors: huge spicy farmers sausage

Tripe: also known as intestines (mmm..a delicacy)

Chicken Dust: fried chicken with seasoning (the seasoning is "dusted" on the chicken, hence the name)

Walkie Talkie: chicken feet and head (parts of the chicken that "walk and talk"). Yep, all of it! Everything from nails, beak, and eyes are all still there for the FULL experience.

We had quite the day!

Praises

2009-07-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

"I will praise you, O lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders" Psalm 9:1

Here is a short list of things we can praise the Lord for. He has done great things! I surely can't list them all, but I wanted to list a few. Thank you so much for your prayers. We can feel your prayers all the way from South Africa :)

While the project was in Durban twenty-two students accepted Christ and made decisions to know him personally. We can praise God for bringing his people back to him!

We can praise Jesus that our student leaders are growing in their leadership and owning the movement at UKZN more and more. Our committee organized, planned, and ran the end of the year camp with our summer team. It was so wonderful to see them excited to serve Jesus by loving their classmates and friends.

24 beds and mattresses were donated to the center a few months back. This is such a blessing! Beds and mattresses were a huge cost, and out of nowhere a local organization decided to provide the center with every bed they needed to start in September.

We just found out this week that all the bedding and linens are being donated on top of the beds! How awesome is that?

Lets praise the Lord that the ministry at UKZN is partnering with Ukukhanya Life Care Center.

We are praying that this partnership will be long-lasting. The Lord has creatively brought them together, and I am excited to see what he does in the future.

Our team mid-year conference was a great time of healing and connecting for our STINT team. The Lord's hand was in our time and all of us left feeling refreshed and recharged for the new semester.

We can thank the Lord that the Johannesburg summer team made it safely to South Africa. They are seeing the Lord move in mighty ways!

Pray with us for the new semester!

2009-07-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

I just realized its been a while since I last posted some prayer requests. I apologize for my delay. I hope all of you are enjoying your summers! If you have a free moment, please send your prayer requests to my email (amanda.arias@uscm.org). I enjoy lifting you up in prayer and would love to hear how the Lord is working in your lives. Thanks!

Here is how you can be praying for the movement in Durban.

We are organizing a social on campus to kick off the new semester! We hope that students who attended the camp and students we met while the project was on campus will attend. We hope the social will be a good time for community and fellowship. Please pray for our planning times, and for students availability. We need prayer for the little details, like location, reserving rooms on campus, and activities. Pray that this time is a blessing to students and gets them excited for their new semester at UKZN.

In order to be a recognized organization at UKZN unfortunately our committee members have to complete a long list of forms and tasks. It is important for us to be a recognized organization/ student group on campus. So please pray that this process will go smoothly and that our students and staff won't run into too many bumps along the road.

This weekend we are having a leadership training for our committee members. Please pray that Anele, Mdu, Sbu, Zethu, and Sli feel blessed and encouraged in our time together this weekend. Please pray that each of them connect with Jesus. We are praying that this time will be a good time to reflect on the last semester, praising God for all he's done in this year! Also, we want to enter the new semester energized and excited to see what God has for the movement at UKZN. Please pray that the committee will feel cared for and loved.

Pray for bible studies on campus. We are currently organizing two large gatherings for men and women on campus to help get students plugged into bible studies. The idea is to have one giant study for both men and women, and from there break apart into smaller studies. Please pray that students will be available to attend, and that their schedule will allow them time to be in a study. Many students struggle to find open times in the their days to attend study and discipleship. Please pray that it would be on their hearts to join a study and get involved.

When the summer project was here in May hundreds of students met with the project students and expressed a desire to talk again with someone about faith. Pray that these students will be available to talk with someone again. It is exciting to see so many students curious about faith in Christ.

Ukukhanya Life Care Center:

Pray for safety as renovations continue. The building still has a lot of work before the center opens in September of this year.
Prayer for God's provision financially and physically as the center prepares to open.
Please pray that we can be examples of God's unfailing and endless love to the people of Ntuzuma. Our time spent at ULLC is so important, and we are thankful that the Lord brought us to Penny and Prince. Please pray that we will love and serve everyone at the center with Christ centered hearts.

New Photo Updates

2009-06-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from some on campus outreaches we had with the summer project here. There are some fun photos of our team as well. Hope you enjoy!

Zethu and Me outside the Physics building at UKZN!

The Durban Campus Staff

The Summer Project team participating in the Soularium freeze frame outreach!

Students filling in the Soularium Survey. We estimate that close to 200 students visited the

table that day!

Ukukhanya Life Care Center before renovations!

Durban Summer Project Team 2009

Ntuzuma Township

The kids at J.G. Zuma in Ntuzuma. We are working with the Crossroads ministry once a week. To read more about Crossroads Visit Crossroads Ministry

Buyi

2009-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday we work at the Life care centre. Each week looks different, but each day spent with the staff and families challenges me to seek the Lord and walk in his grace. The families and individuals we've met over the past few weeks have really touched me, especially Buyi.

Ten mins after we arrived at the center a woman walked into the gate really upset. The three of us were the only staff at the centre, because there was a funeral that morning. This woman was so upset. She was crying so hard, she couldn't catch her breath. We invited her to sit down and talk to us, and to see if we could help her. She explained to us that earlier in the morning she came back from walking her kids to school to find all of her belongings in her front yard. Her entire house was cleared by painters and land workers, because the owner of the house has decided to move back in. She and her three kids have been there for 12 years, and she was kicked out with no warning. The owner didn't tell her anything about it, he just expected her to leave. All of her stuff was tossed out on the ground and she was told to never come back. She has three kids, and no where to go. She is completely on her own. Two of the kids are her boys, but the little girl is her sisters daughter. Her sister passed away a few years ago, and she has been caring for her little girl since. Her sister was her last family member in the area. The more she explained things the harder it got to keep from crying. So, the three of us just cried with her, and listen to her. It was so hard. We didn't know what we could do to help. We had to wait for Penny and Prince to get back to the centre before we could do anything for her. It was only our third time there, so we had no idea what to do. Once they got back they called her, and helped her get in contact with the right people, and helped her every way they could.

I don't know how much help we were, but I am thankful that we were there to listen to her and care for her in a time where she felt so alone. We just listened to her, and prayed with her. We sat with her and agreed with her that what was happening to her wasn't right. Eventually she had to leave and pick her kids up from school, but when she left she seemed to feel better. As I walked her to the gate, she said that we were the first people to sit with her and just listen to her heart. It seemed like she was satisfied with someone simply hearing her out. She gave me a huge hug, and I cried as she left. It was so hard to know what to do. I wish I could have just fixed the problem, but it was out of my control. I didn't have the right answers and I didn't know exactly what to do, but I did my best to love her the every way I knew how. I sat with her and cried with her. I listened to her and agreed with her that this isn't the way God intended life to be. The only thing I had to offer her seemed so small, but after she left I knew God used our time together. The only thing I could give her was what God offers me daily... his love and his attention.

Please pray for Buyi and her family. I have not seen her since our meeting that one morning, but I am confident that we were see her again in our time at the center. I hope to develop a relationship with her and her children.

Some new pics from a recent game ride...

2009-05-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

I plan on writing more about this amazing weekend I had staying with the Slabbert family on the Nambiti game reserve. It was an incredible weekend, and I can't wait to share all my stories with you. We went on three game rides in our time, and we were really blessed to see the amazing animals we did. Check out some photos we got from the weekend!

A little closer look...

Hippo yawning... So awesome
It was right next to us!
It is so rare to see Cheetahs and we saw 3!
Check out the colors!

Hippos! The baby is so cute :)

A beautiful sound...

2009-05-22T01:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a short video clip of some girls who visit the Ukukhanya Life Care Center (ULCC) everyday to practice their music. There beautiful voices really touched me, and I had to share this with all of you.

Please pray for these girls and the relationships we have developed with them. We hope to spend quality time with them and support them in every way possible.

Interview with Penny

2009-05-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

I loved what Erika from Beam Africa shared with our team in an interview James did with her, so I decided to do something similar with Penny and Prince at Ukukhanya. The Lord has creatively brought the Ukukhanya team together. Their amazing story is encouraging and motivating. The responses to the questions are Penny's. There are also fairly specific prayer requests at the end of the interview. I hope this helps you learn more about the people we have fallen in love with over the past few weeks! Enjoy...

How did Ukukhanya Start?

I have done AIDS work in America since my husband passed in 1993 from AIDS. I moved to Kansas and opened a group home called “Someplace Else.” We housed 5 people at a time. During the 90's with AIDS, the turnover was great. From 1994-99 it was about 50 residents. I also began a homeless shelter in our community, working with all the churches in the area, uniting the body of Christ to care for the homeless.

I had come to Africa in 2001 (but not Durban) and in 2003 fall I got a call from Pastor Prince Sithole from Good News Ministries (I had founded New Jerusalem Missions in 1992 for AIDS work). There was an article about New Jerusalem in a publication called Power for Living, from America. When I came over in 2001, somehow Pastor Prince was working at place sorting donated clothes when he saw it at the bottom of a clothing bin.... he put it in his pocket to read later. When he read it he said, “She is trying to do the same thing in America; remodel an old building (we were remodeling our OLD hospital building at the time) to use care for people with AIDS, as I am trying to do in Ntuzuma.” So he invited me over.

I came with a team of 3 others from a discipleship training school we ran, and we spent a week here in Feb of 2004. In summer of 2004, I brought a team over and we worked for 3 weeks. From there relationship developed. Ntuzuma got in my heart, and the sick here...since I believe this is my calling, and it wasn't needed right then in America (although I see the need coming back). I began bringing teams or coming myself 2x a year. In 2007 when I brought a team, the ministry was practically dead. We did an AIDS campaign to serve the community and those sick, so we rented a tent and chairs, invited officials, and had l650 or so people. We named it Ukukhanya AIDS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, as Prince got the word Ukukhanya and the scripture John 1:1-5.

     I came back in November of 2007, because the Lord had been telling me to help start a hospice. I came over with the intent to spend 2 -3 years pioneering here. I could see that I needed to live here to really help, so I reversed my travelling and live here now (keeping home and ministry back in America) and go home about 2x a year for about 3 months total.

     I moved over the spring of 2008. Good News was no longer a ministry, Prince laid the church down and we became Ukukhanya Life Care Centre, with a new board, and new Not for Profit status. It is a combination of both of our visions for people with AIDS.

    As for the homeless shelter, the Lord had me start it as an Outreach of New Jerusalem and then prepare to stay on the board but turn the actual running over to the community when it is strong enough. I am sure that is the plan here.

What is the vision God’s given you for the Care Centre?

The vision is to show the Love of Jesus to people affected by AIDS and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ by providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support.

We will do this with home-based care, being the hands and feet of Jesus and eyes to find the sick.

Develop a hospice (having trouble owning land, so currently planning on readying 6 rooms and then eventually l2 to care for those with nobody to care for them or patients whose family need a respite for a while.) A place people can be loved, kept clean, and die or live in dignity. Some will just need to get stabilized, others will pass here.
We will love them and nurture them and care for them through home-based care workers who we will need to hire (for about Rl400 a caregiver, and a need for 5) to do 24/7 care. Nutrition and Nurture is what we offer, we will need to network with area hospitals, clinics and volunteer doctors for the medical care.
In Africa you can't help the sick and not the kids left behind.
We will try and have a feeding scheme, monthly food parcels for families waiting for grants, and a program where an AUNTIE can go and check on children living on their own, and bring them in for fellowship, help with homework and life skills (like washing), and a hot meal and prayer. If money and workforce allows this can expand.

3. Where do you see God moving currently?

Currently we see God brining us sick babies with tired gogo's (grandmothers) or sick moms. We want to get our doors open, and find out what it takes to foster these babies until they’re stabilized and able to live among family. We see the government grant process taking so long and people waiting so hungry and in need of food parcels. Also when you have no money it is hard to get transport to the social department etc.

What have been some challenges in the ministry?

· The biggest obstacle we have is financing, waiting for our NPO authorization (it has been approved for about 3 months waiting for someone to do the paperwork and mail)....we can run finances through New Jerusalem Missions from the states as we are a 501c3 tax exempt. So start up funds have been our biggest obstacle.

· We have had a problem with lack of integrity in the leadership, that is gone now, but there are still remnants we have to deal with. We are trying to have a new start and build afresh. I feel a good team has come forward.

· We need vehicles and more people to drive.

How can we be praying for the ministry, the staff, and families?

· Remodeling money for the first wing of 6 rooms, and a bathroom and redoing existing bathrooms and kitchens.

· For our team to not grow weary. They are supported, need support for home-based caregivers (but been cleaning up there too).

· Safety

· Paperwork to come through

· Focus as need comes up and we get sidetracked.

· Balance of teams

· Churches to become involved

· Committed monthly support

· The team to learn how to minister His Love in word and deed

· More of His Presence

· The tools we need i.e.: landline, file cabinets that lock, vehicles, 2, one for me to drive and one to transport patients and pick up supplies here

· Long term committed laborers

· To continually be led by Him and hear daily what to do

· Funds for emergency cases to go to hospital and help when there is no money to bury.

Pictures of our Flat...

2009-05-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

One benfit of our flat is that Ali and I have our own rooms. We felt it was important for us to have our own space. It is nice to have a place to recharge our batteries and spend time apart from each other.

This is a picture of our kitchen. We have a full kitchen! Our cupboards are full of donated dishes, mugs, and cups. I am still blown away that it only took three days.

On the right is a picture of our living room. Not much to say here :)

This is a picture of our flat from the outside. Pretty stellar huh? I dig!

God Provides!!!

2009-05-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness this post is getting out to all of you so late. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I feel like this post is too good to pass up. The Lord is so good and provides in so many creative ways! This story is so encouraging to me. It’s late, but a good one…

In an earlier post I shared about the Slabbert family, and how much of a blessing they’ve been to our team. We met the Slabbert family when our little team of three moved back to Durban at the beginning of March. Ali and I stayed in their son Michael’s flat that is just off their house. As much as we would have loved to stay with them for the remainder of the year, we knew we couldn’t crash in Michael’s flat forever. Our hesitation to leave this family and the lovely accommodations they provided was used greatly by the Lord! We couldn’t pull out of the Slabbert home, and as a result the perfect flat has fallen into our laps!

When we moved to Durban Ryan had accommodation immediately with Gary and Cheryl. The Price family had their granny flat open up recently and offered it to Ryan for the year. Housing for Ali and I was not so simple. We searched for weeks for housing that was in a safe area, close to campus, and affordable. It was quite challenging to find anything within our price range that was close to Ryan. We are sharing a car, so it was fairly important that we be close to him. Also, for safety reasons, we didn’t want to be too far off on our own. We finally made the decision to go with a flat that was close to campus, but wasn’t ideal. I was hesitant to sign the lease and move forward, but I wasn’t sure why. I guess it just didn’t feel right. The next day (the day before we would sign the lease), Gary calls us all excited because he discovered that a flat that was right across the street from their house was available! We called the owners and visited that day. We took one look at the small house and signed the papers! Our little home was exactly what we prayed for. It was the cheapest place we looked at, the closest to Ryan, and in one of the safest areas in Durban!

On top of providing the ideal housing situation for us, the Lord provided everything we needed to furnish the flat. The Slabbert family was so incredibly helpful in the process. Not only did the Slabbert family donate several pieces of furniture from their home, but also Mandy contacted dozens of people asking them if they would be willing to donate anything from dishtowels to beds! She spent days looking for people who would be willing to help meet our needs. Within 3 days we had everything we needed, and more! 3 DAYS!! We are incredibly thankful for Mandy and her family.

It is amazing to walk into our home everyday and know that we are where we are because people are generous. We are living in South Africa because people are joyfully giving! Everything is our home is donated! Not only has the Lord used everyone to provide for our practical needs but for our emotional and spiritual needs as well (that includes all of you). I am humbled to wake up every morning and know that I am able to live because of what God has provided through the joyful giving of others. The Lord continues to humble me! From the second I started raising support over a year ago, to this very moment, the Lord has blown me away with his provision. He has literally used hundreds to send me and sustain me. Thank you for your generosity. Your faithfulness enables me to give myself to the students here in Durban, for the glory of God and His Kingdom!

It’s incredible to watch the Lord provide. I thank God daily, for the blessings his given me in all of you.

A light in the Darkness...

2009-05-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare it to you: God is the light; in him there is no darkness."

Ukukhanya means "light in the darkness" in Zulu. It's also the name of the life care centre our team will be working with once a week for the next 7 months! Thank you for praying with the Durban team as we've tried to find our place in the community.We have waited for the Lord to open doors and bring us exactly where he wants us. It's been a long process, but the Lord has provided, yet again!

Ukukhanya is an AIDS hospice that is currently in its development stage. The center was founded by a local pastor name Prince and an American woman named Penny Dugan (Picture of the team with Penny on the right). The two were brought together in the most amazing way! I plan to share their story in more detail in my next prayer letter, but do briefly want to share about the amazing organization God has brought us to! The two have worked for over a year together to develop the center. God's given them great vision, and their dreams for the Centre are incredible. They simply desire to serve and love the people of Ntuzuma as Christ would. They are slowly establishing themselves in the township by visiting families and caring for those who are sick and need assistance. They pray daily that they are a light in the community. We are deeply blessed to serve with the care center, and be a part of what God is doing in Ntuzuma.

Please pray for our time and for the relationships we are going to build over the year. We hope to establish a strong partnership with Ukukhanya, so that future STINT teams and summer project teams can serve in Ntuzuma.

The Lord is moving in mighty ways and providing for us daily. Thank you so much for your prayers! Isn't it amazing to watch the Lord provide?! I am excited to share more stories with you about our time at the life care centre in the future!

God Bless

Sorry for the delay!

2009-05-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you are keeping well, and experiencing the Lords presence daily!

I wanted to send out an apology for not updating my blog over the past few weeks, and for the delay on

my April Prayer Letter. I plan to send out proper updates over the next week. There are a lot of

exciting things happening and I am excited to share all that God is doing! The summer project team

has arrived in Durban and the Lord is moving in mighty ways. It's a privilege to watch the

Lord work. I am so excited to finish these updates and share in all of this with you!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! I hope you are enjoying your spring!

We thank you Lord

2009-04-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a short clip of the Kids at Beam Africa praying before they sit down and share a meal together. If you have some time please read through the interview that is in my last post. Erika, the owner and operator of Beam Africa, explains where the center is currently and where they desire to go. Also, in the last question, she shares some specific prayer requests. Even though the Durban team isn’t visiting Beam Africa weekly, the children and staff there are very important to us. I hope you enjoy this short clip.

Interview with Erika from Beam Africa

2009-04-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

My teammate James did an interview with the founder of Beam Africa. Erika has posted this same interview on the organizations website. Even though the Durban team is no longer serving consistently at Beam, our hearts and prayers are still with Erika and all the families at Beam Africa. I hope you feel closer to everyone at Beam after reading through this interview.

Beam Africa:

1. Why did you start BEAM Africa?
There is never just one reason for starting a Ministry—it is always a series of events which lead in a direction. The Scripture which led us to the place where BEAM Africa Network started to take shape, was Isaiah 58:3-9. If one looks at the specific community where our office is situated, I believe that our video on the Home page addresses that issue where Louis speaks about the "NEED!” (Go to BEAM to see the video and other info for BEAM.)

2. What exciting things are happening at BEAM Africa currently?
     We have had a talk on a national Christian Radio Station. Due to that a lady who has had various clothing factories has contacted us and has become involved by training some of our beneficiaries as well as taking them into the manufacturing of certain items.
     We have had a visit from the Member of the Mayor's Committee for Housing. He came to see us to thank us for our work in Nellmapius. We took the opportunity to discuss our need for a larger property with him. We are excited to say that on his recommendation we went to look at different stands last week and will be reporting back to him with our findings this coming week.
     We have also seen the need for housing volunteers as we were contacted by a few people from oversees who would like to come for longer periods than a week at a time. We prayed about it and a few months ago a piece of residential property came to our attention. We believe that this piece of property will cater for the need to house volunteers. We finally made an offer 3 weeks ago. Although we have not received the go- ahead, we believe that this will soon happen as we have taken the first steps in the right direction.
     BEAM Africa Training Centre is currently registering to become accredited with SAQA. Personally, I feel so humbled by the way that it is happening. It also opens doors for many more ways in which people will be able to share their expertise with those in need.

3. How do you feel that running BEAM Africa has changed/touched our hearts?
We have discussed this and feel that the following scripture is appropriate: Mark 8: 23b-25: "And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked and said, "I see men like trees walking." Then he put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.” We feel that in this Ministry we have been taken through a process to be able to really SEE the people who we are dealing with.

4. What are your biggest challenges?
One would be to capacitate our staff to move with the same heart that we have. At present another would be space for our children to be able to have Holiday schools and play. To develop training material in certain subjects of which Computer/Administrative is the most important.

5. What are you long term goals?
To set up more Centers like BEAM in this community and other communities.

6. How can we be praying for you?
     That we would have favor as we embark on applying for property in the township.
     That the Lord will provide financially for us in buying the property for housing Volunteers and others.
     That we will find the right staff-members. We need to appoint a Project Coordinator to assist with programs which should get off the ground. This should be a skilled person, but also one with the right heart. We also need a person to assist for 6 months with computer training. Training and developing our current facilitator as well as training material.

Pray with us for Dan

2009-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Recently I asked everyone to pray for my teammate Dan, who has been sick for over 2 months now. I wanted to update all of you and ask you for your continued prayer. I am so sad to share that the decision to send Dan home has been made. Dan's battled this illness for quite sometime now. It was only a few weeks after we arrived in South Africa that Dan's health started to deteriorate. We originally thought it was a parasite, but after a few hospital visits, and several different medications there was no change in his health, leaving the problem unclear. As a result of the mystery digestive/intestinal problem, Dan has lost a lot of weight, causing him to be light headed and dizzy most of the day. As of today we still don't know what exactly is causing the problem. Its best to send Dan home to be with his family, and receive proper treatment. In order to get healthy and truly recover from this illness, its best to send him back to the states. Please pray with our team for Dan.

I am so sad to see him go home, but the past few months have been very difficult for him and being sent home presents some new challenges. Please pray for his heart and for his health. Also, please pray that our team would have wisdom in how to continue to care for Dan from South Africa. God has sent him home, but he is still very much a part of the South Africa team. If you would like to read more specific details of the last few months for Dan, you can visit his blog site.

Dan Nifong

Last Monday Dan landed safely in Denver. He is seeking out proper medical care, and will hopefully find the problem sooner rather than later. When we get an update I promise to update all of you. Thank you for all of your prayers. I will update you on Dan situation as soon as possible.

Ben's Story

2009-04-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share a wicked awesome story with all of you. My team leader Kendra posted this story on her blog about a week back. It is incredible how we are seeing the Lord moves across South Africa. This story is from the U.J. campus. Kendra tells the story of a guy named Ben who she randomly met on campus. His story is touching. Please click on the link below and read about what the Lord has done in his life. I heard about Ben and realized, it is such a great pleasure to watch the Lord work.

My Name is Ben

Prayer

2009-03-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to send off a couple prayer requests. Presently the team is experiencing some hard things that need a great deal of prayer. Please join with us. Thank you.

Please pray for the movements at University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, and the University of Kwazulu-Natal. There is just over a week remaining to work on campus before students write their exams and head home for Spring break. Please pray that the Lord will use this short time to bring students closer to him. So many exciting things are happening on the three campuses. U.J. will hopefully have its first weekly meeting of the year! Please join us in praying for these exciting new things!
The Durban Team is still pursuing the Lord for direction and guidance in who to partner with in the community. Please pray for our team as we sort through where He wants us for our 8 months in Durban. We hope to develop a partnership similar to the one we share with Beam Africa, in Pretoria. We would love to work with children, but also know that God could ask us to go anywhere. We so deeply desire to serve and are simply waiting for the Lord to tell us where to go. Please pray for direction and for patience as we wait.
Please pray for our teammates health. One of our mates has been sick for almost two months now. He has visited 3 different doctors, and has had 7 separate doctors appointments. He has experienced some uncomfortable digestive problems, and unfortunately, they cannot figure out what is going on. Pray for healing and for a renewed spirit as he works through this. Also, please pray for wisdom for the doctors. The sooner they figure out what is going on, the sooner our teammate can feel better.
There are 3 separate summer project teams traveling to South Africa this summer to work on all three campuses. There are teams traveling to Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban. How exciting is that? God has raised up faithful students who want to share their faith in Jesus with students across the globe. I traveled to South Africa in the summer of 2007 on a summer project. It was on this summer project that the Lord ask me to come on STINT! These projects are wonderful. For more information on summer projects please visit, www.gosummerproject.com. Please pray for these students as they raise support to come on project, and pray for their time in South Africa. We are so stoked to work with the summer project coming to Durban.

Thank you for praying with my teammates and me. I can feel your prayers, and am experiencing the Lord through them! I can’t stop thanking God for the joys He has given me in all of you. Thank you for your love and support. I can’t wait to hear how I can be praying for all of you.

If you have any questions or would like to hear more specific details on anything, please send me a quick email. I would love it!

Thanks!

MEET THE MUFFIN LADY!

2009-03-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

At the start of this month the Durban team traveled back to Pretoria for an evaluation period. It was wonderful to spend time together as a team of nine. I missed everyone back in Pretoria, and was so excited to share all that God had done in our time away. We exchanged stories with each other, and praised God for all He had done in our time apart. The Spirit led us to split and serve in two additional locations, and the fruit we’ve seen is incredible. After sharing our experiences we made the decision to continue with the split for the remainder of the year. After sorting through some important details and spending some great time together as a team, the Durban team hopped into a car and drove across South Africa, back to Durban for good! We had no place to live and actually no details for building a life in Durban. Ryan planned to stay with the Price family for a short period of time, until he found more permanent housing. Ali and me had plans to stay with a family Gary introduced us to. We arrived just over a week ago, and we are blown away by this family’s hospitality!

The life God is building for our team here in Durban is humbling and exciting! This life in Durban wouldn’t be what it is without the Slabbert Family! Mandy and her husband Sean have invited the three of us into their home and treated us like family. They have opened their rooms up to Ali and me, and have been so generous with all that the Lord has given them. I’ve honestly never met a family that is more hospitable and generous with complete strangers. They have loved us with everything the Lord has given them. I am deeply moved by their faith in our God, and by the love He is pouring out of them. We share a meal with Mandy, Sean and their daughter Catherine every night. They have assisted us in finding permanent accommodations (just up the rode from them ) and they have helped us furnish our new flat. They have gone out of their way to care for our team spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. I am so thankful that I know these friends, and that I can even call them family!

Mandy is most well known as the Muffin Lady, because of the unique way that her and her family came to know Jesus! Please read a brief article telling their story. The link to the article that is featured in Campus Crusade for Christ Worldwide Challenge Magazine is posted below. Please read their story. The Lord works in such creative ways and there is much to celebrate in this family's story! (Once you've opened the link scroll down the page to where it reads "Body and Soul, South Africa")

The Muffin Lady

Please pray for the Slabbert family. They have been so kind and loving to our team. They have certainly made our time in South Africa joyful! Please pray that we can be as much a blessing to them, as they have been to us.

Just a quick update...

2009-03-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I apologize for not updating you sooner, but life has just been go, go, go for our team. March has come and gone! I can’t believe that we are preparing for April already! I wanted to take a little time to update you in what has happened recently.

Great News! We are moving back to Durban for the remainder of the year! I am finishing my March Prayer Letter just now. Everyone will receive an email shortly with a nice little attachment! My Prayer letter has more specific details on the movements at U.J., U.P., and UKZN, as well as a brief description of our evaluation period. I am excited to share everything that is happened in the ministry here in Durban, and in the movements across all of South Africa!

If you have not been receiving my emails or have not seen my February prayer letter at this point, please let me know and I will get that to you ASAP!

I have one last request… it is a request I make often and so appreciate your help in it. I would love to know how I can be praying for all of you. Please send me an email with some prayer requests. I love talking to God about the family and friends He’s blessed me with back home! Thanks so much for updating me on everything God is doing in your lives! I appreciate all of you so much. Thank you for loving me and sending me!

Amanda

Photo actions round #2

2009-03-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

Video from Durban!

2009-03-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday the Durban team left for Pretoria for an evaluation period with the other six team members. To help our teammates get a good picture of what life and ministry look like in Durban, we decided to make a short video to share with all of them. My teammate Ali did a phenomenal job presenting our last month in Durban. I hope you enjoy meeting our students and experiencing all that God is doing in and through them on campus! It is so exciting to watch the Lord work in this city!

Pray with me...

2009-03-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Please pray with the team and me as we approach some exciting changes, and as we celebrate what the Lord is already doing here in South Africa!

Last week God really blessed our time on campus. Ali and I met some amazing women and had some great conversations about faith with them. These three women don’t know the Lord but have had some great questions about him. Nicole, Yugashree, and Cleo are curious about who Jesus is and what it means to have a relationship with him. Please pray for them as they walk through some hard questions about faith. Pray that we would have opportunities to work through these questions with them. Also, that we would get more time with these women so that we can get to know them better and love them well.
This week we are the Durban team is flying back to Pretoria to evaluate our last month in Durban. The STINTer STINT to Durban and Johannesburg was intended to go for a month, and now that the month is up it is evaluation time. The nine of us will meet with our National Campus Director Jacqueline evaluating the split and its effectiveness. Basically we are going to see if splitting up for the remainder of the year is what’s best. Please be praying for our week together as we sort through some important details that could result in some changes over the year.
Please pray that in our time together as a team, the nine of us would be able to connect and lift one another up. Please pray this time would be refining and encouraging for all of us. The Lord sent the nine of us here to chase after him together. I hope we can do that whether we are with one another or in different locations across the country. Please pray that we can connect and love one another well in our short time together next week.
If at the end of next week the team decides to send our little team of three back to Durban, there are some important settling-in stuff that will need to happen. Housing and a car being the most important. Please pray that the Lord will show us where he wants us to live and how he wants us to travel while living in Durban. He has been so faithful to provide for our team, and we know that he will provide for our needs if he sends us back.
One last thing. If we are sent back to Durban we most definitely want to partner with an organization that we can serve with on a weekly basis. We desire to develop a partnership here in Durban that is like the one we currently have with Beam Africa in Pretoria. Please pray that the Lord would lead us where people need us most. We are earnestly seeking the Lord and asking him to use us wherever he desires. I am excited to see where he leads us!

Thank you for all of your prayers. I am truly blessed to be a part of what Jesus is doing here in South Africa. Thank you for sending me, and praying for our team. It means so much to me to have all of you here with me. As always, I would love to know how I could be lifting you up in prayer. If you get a chance, please email me at Amanda.Arias@uscm.org, and let me know how I can be specifically praying for you. Thank you!

Sli and Zethu!

2009-03-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last week we had our first bible study with some girls on campus. It was so great to sit down with these women and get to know them. The week before we met Zethu and Sli at the Crusade weekly meeting. These two women are serving on leadership and are currently the only women involved with the ministry at UKZN. Everything is so new on this campus, so it's exciting to have two women who are committed to meeting with us and learning about Jesus together.

Sli, Zethu, Ali my teammate, and myself spent our time together just getting to know each other. It was so encouraging to watch these two women open up their hearts and share their desires for the Lord with us. We had a couple questions for them to think about during our time, to help cast some vision for our year together in bible study. I was so encouraged by their responses, that I have to share them with all of you.

One of the questions we asked was, how do you want to be known on campus, and what do you want your identity to be? With no hesitation Sli responded with,“ I want to be known as a true child of God!” She told us that she wants people to know that she knows Jesus by the way she lives out her faith in her daily life. How awesome is that? Another question we asked was, what do you expect from this bible study? Zethu's answers excited me and motivated me. With a huge smile on her face she said, “I want to share my faith with other students on this campus, and I want 1/3 of the campus to know about Jesus by the end of the year”. Isn't that awesome? These two women are so excited to live out their faith and love others like Jesus has loved them. The Lord has truly blessed both Ali and me with these two amazing women. It is such a privilege to study the Word with them, and be a part of what Jesus is doing on their campus alongside them.

These two women are stoked to learn about the Lord and grow in their relationship with Him! Please join me in praying for our little bible study. We know the Lord is going to use Sli and Zethu in great ways this year. They have already blessed us deeply with their excitement for the gospel and deep love for our Savior! Pray that these women would continue to draw closer to Jesus and deepen their faith in Him. We plan to meet with Sli and Zethu every week. Please pray that our times together would be encouraging and motivating. It is exciting to be a part of what God is doing in their lives! Thanks for thinking of them and praying for our times together.

Pictures...

2009-02-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

So it has been difficult to find an internet connection that can load a bunch of photos at once, so I have decided to make a little photo action happen here on my blog. My roommate/teammate/friend/awesome person Ali is like a professional photographer and has taken some moving pics of Durban. I want to share a couple with you.

Pray with me

2009-02-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

Please join me in praying for the student leaders on the Kwazulu Natal Westville campus. Each of these students desires to serve their campus by serving Christ and growing in their relationships with Him. Each of these students is such a joy to be around. I love their excitement in the gospel and their fresh perspective on Christ’s love for them. Most of these students started their relationships with the Lord in the last year. Many of these students accepted Christ last year when a group of students from the States was in Durban on a summer project with Crusade. How exciting is it that God used those students from the States to help Sli, Zetu, Spu, Anele, and Siswee, develop in their relationships with the Lord, and now these students desire to see their entire campus changed for Christ! I love it. God is so faithful.

I absolutely love to watch people grow in their relationships with the Lord. So, please pray with me for these men and women….

Women on Leadership:

Zetu

Sli

Men on Leadership:

Spu

Anele

Sizwe

Mzoe

We want to encourage these students and love them as they lead movements on their campus. Please pray for their intimacy with the Lord. Their excitement to serve will surely be used by God to do great things in their hearts and the hearts of the students around them. Please pray that we can love them well through all God has them do!

Time is just flying by...

2009-02-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

Our time in Durban has gone by so fast. It’s hard to believe that we will be heading back to Pretoria in a little over a week to evaluate our month away from the team. The three of us have spent a majority of our time on campus getting to know students and working with our campus to getting things moving! We hit the ground running and God has been faithful to develop relationships on campus and in the community. We’ve had several discussions with Gary about what our time would look like if Ali, Ryan, and myself decide, alongside our team of nine, that we want to continue doing ministry in Durban for the remainder of our year. It is exciting to move forward with our faith to guide us. The spirit has led us here to Durban, and after being here a couple weeks we know why.

After visiting the Kwazulu-Natal Westville campus (one of two campuses in Durban), and meeting the students, it was easy to see why God sent us. All of the students involved in the ministry are excited to be growing in their faith. They are starting their year walking closely with the Lord, and we are so stoked to see how the Lord is going to use them. Campus Crusade for Christ didn't really have a presence on the campus in the past 10 years or so. Our campus director Gary has been the only campus staff member in Durban for the last few years. So our team was crazy excited when 10 students showed up to our first meeting. We were overly excited when we discovered that each of these students wanted to learn how to walk closely with the Lord! Everything is still very new, but God is so faithful! The Lord is moving in BIG ways in these students, and they are hungry to know him more. Isn't that exciting?

There are about 8 or 10 men involved in the ministry on campus. There have been no women staff members on campus in the past, but several women desire to be a part of bible studies and discipleship relationships. So us girls are pretty stoked to be there for the women.

Our days on campus move so fast, it's hard to believe we have been in Durban for almost a month at this point. We are excited to see how God will continue to develop the relationships with students He has blessed us with.

Please join me in praying for the students who are currently involved in the ministry on campus. Please pray for opportunities to connect with them and encourage them by getting into the word together, serving together, and exploring what God desires for their year. These students truly want to grow in their relationships with Christ so that they can be a part of change on their campus for Jesus. I am excited that all of us get to be a part of that!

Thank you for all of your prayers. It is amazing to have all of you believing big things in God for our time with these students! I am so blessed by all of you!

Thanks

Amanda

Thank God for the Price Family!

2009-02-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

I’m stoked to share that I love living in Durban! I feel so at home here, and know I’m exactly where the Lord wants me. Durban is incredibly relaxed and stunningly beautiful. I have never lived in a place like this. It's ridiculously hot/humid, but with the heat comes a unique beauty. The area is beautiful, but I believe I've fallen in love with this place because of the people. I have felt deeply cared for from our first day here in Durban.

Our campus director here is Gary Price. Gary has been living in Durban for the last 13 years, and has lived in different locations across Africa for the last 26 years. It has been a wonderful privilege working with Gary, and getting to know him and his family. Gary and his wife Cheryl have 5 boys who they’ve raised here in South Africa. The family has been incredibly welcoming. Spending time with them has reminded me how important community is. The Price family has connected us to a wonderful church, sacrificed their time, car and energy to help us settle into life smoothly. They have simply loved us from the moment we landed a little over a week ago. Our little team of three has fallen in love with Durban because of families like this. We are incredibly blessed.

Last Saturday Gary, Cheryl, and Steven their son took us to a Sharks rugby game. It was a lot of fun learning more about the game and experience the glory that is rugby. The picture below is us after the game on the field.

Please pray for our amazing friends and the relationships God has blessed us with in them. Please pray for us as we get involved on campus and in the community, and that we can care for the Price family as deeply as they have cared for us. Thank you for all of your prayers. I can feel them from 10,000 miles away :).

Please know I am thinking and praying for all of you back home!

The STINER's STINT...

2009-02-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

Exciting news everyone, God is sending me to Durban! Durban is about an eight hour drive from Pretoria in the Kwazulu Natal province. I want to give a brief description about the decision making process here and tell you more about the campus in Durban in my upcoming newsletter.

A couple weeks ago the nine of us spent some time with our Campus Crusade National Campus Director, Jacquie Bland. During our time Jacquie presented to us what she called a STINTER's STINT. Essentially six of us will STINT away from our original campus to new locations to serve at universities that currently have no full time staff. After a month's time we will reconvene to evaluate our effectiveness. Before Jacquie came to Pretoria to meet with our STINT team the Lord gave her this idea during a restless night's sleep. She had spent several days praying about the details and asking the Lord exactly how to go about it. I trust Jacquie and how she follows the Lord. When she presented the idea to us, we knew that she had spent a great deal of time praying about it and what it meant for our team. The original plan was for all nine of us to stay at the University of Pretoria and work with the kids at Beam Africa. God has bigger plans for us! The team at U.P. is currently twelve strong including our STINT team. There are three national staff members working at U.P. and nine student leaders in the ministry. The U.P. campus is alive and the students are leading in great ways!

We’ve spent the last month on the U.P. campus and at Beam Africa. In our time we have seen the Lord move in great ways! We feel blessed to serve in these areas, yet there are so many other campuses in the country that aren’t being reached. In considering these other campuses, we have decided to split our team of nine. In just a couple days, three team members will return to U.P., three will start at the University of Johannesburg, and three will move to Durban to work at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. This is the STINTER's STINT.

Before we made the final decision about the team splitting, we took a day to meet with the Lord. We wanted to make sure this is what God wanted for us. This year is about what God wants for the team, not necessarily what we want. In my time, the Lord comforted me with His word. I was going through the book of Acts and studying the path God set for Paul. It was exciting to read about how Paul and his companions kept moving forward by the power of the Holy Spirit! They moved forward until the Spirit stopped them. I was specifically struck by what happens in Act 16:4-10. This scripture has been encouraging to revisit and live from as we prepare to make this split.

“As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” - Acts 16:4-10

The Spirit is leading us to Durban, and we will follow until we are stopped. The STINTER's STINT means a split, but it also means that we are able to reach more campuses for Christ in South Africa. I am excited to move to Durban and cannot wait to see where the Spirit leads us next. Please join me in praying for our team as God breaks us into three smaller teams as we follow His Spirit. If you have questions about the decision to split, please feel free to comment or send me an email. Your support is appreciated deeply!

I plan on sharing more details about Kwazulu-Natal in my prayer letter that should be sent out by the end of next week. From what I have learned about the University I will feel right at home. Thank you for your prayers and for reading. I am thinking and praying for all of you. I would love to get an update from everyone, so I know how to lift you up in prayer.

Thank you for your love and support,

Amanda

Campus Time!

2009-02-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a little bit about our time on campus. The Lord is moving! Please visit my teammates page after you read this post. She shares a beautiful story about two women who came to know the Lord this week. Please share in our Joy as we praise Jesus for all he is doing here in South Africa.

The moment we set foot on campus I knew I was exactly where I should be. I love college students and I can’t wait to see how the Lord will use them to create change on their campus! Our first week on campus was orientation week for all of the first year students. The campus was so busy. The University of Pretoria (U.P.) welcomed just overt 8,000 first year students. This year’s in coming class at U.P. is double the size of the undergraduate student population at the University of Denver. The campus is HUGE! During that first week the team met students and just got to know them better. It was exciting to walk through this overwhelming week with them. We spent our time on campus introducing ourselves to students and encouraging them. We talked with several students who were really honest with us about being nervous and scared to start at U.P. It was refreshing to meet students who were willing to be real with us. God was faithful in bringing us to people who just needed someone to listen to them. The student’s were very curious why we would come all the way to South Africa to talk to them about Jesus. It was amazing to see the Lord open doors for us to share the Gospel and talk about His love for all of us. In our first week the Lord moved in incredible ways! We met several students who want to get involved with bible studies and discipleship relationships. The most exciting news is that nine students prayed to receive Christ during out first week! It is humbling to watch the Lord work and move in people’s lives. One of the most encouraging stories my teammate wrote about on her blog. Please take some time to read about how Cadace and Miche came to know Jesus! I still get emotional when I read through their story!

Candace and Miche's story

We are deeply blessed to serve a God who desires our hearts. It’s beautiful to watch the Lord capture people’s hearts. I don’t deserve this experience, but it is wonderful that I get to share in this with all of you!

Please pray for Cadace, Miche, and all of the students we were in contact with during our time on campus. Please pray that they grow in their relationships with the Lord and experience His love and grace daily. Please pray that they experience intimacy with him on campus this year.

Thank you! It is a blessing to have all of you here with me.

Love,

Amanda

God will provide...

2009-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.”

Romans 5:2-5

Today the team spent another day at Beam Africa. I have a wonderful time meeting with Erika and hearing her heart for the children God has placed in her life. Unfortunately today as we met with Erika to see how

we can be serving at Beam in greater capacity, we received some unsettling news. The church I spoke about in my last post on Beam is continuing to present struggles for Erika and everyone at Beam. Before I share how you can be praying through these struggled with us, I would like to share an encouraging story.

Last time we talked with Erika, her and her husband were looking for chairs for the center to replace the ones that were taken away from them by the church. Our God is so faithful! With all of the chairs gone, there is nowhere for the children to sit and eat the meal provided for them everyday. When the church took the chairs away from the children, it presented some serious problems for Beam. It made everyday activities quite difficult. Despite the fact that there was little money available to get new chairs, Erika made the decision to look. She spent the entire day looking for affordable chairs and just before she quit a man told her about a warehouse where she could possibly find a good deal. When she arrived at the warehouse she honked her horn at a closed gate until someone came out to help her (I love this woman). She stayed outside the gate for quite some time just waiting for someone to hear about her need. This warehouse had exactly what Erika needed. She picked out the chairs she wanted and set a date for delivery. The chairs at this warehouse were significantly cheaper than anywhere else she had looked. It was the blessing she had been searching for all day. Just as she wrote the check the man who owned the warehouse started asking about why she needed the chairs. She explained where God has her with the children in Nellmapius. Once she finished explaining the situation the man asked for her invoice back, and he torn it up! This man donated 60 chairs to the center! Erika told us this story with tears in her eyes as she experienced God’s faithfulness. It was amazing to see how God provides always. Thank you for your prayers over the last week.

Please continue to pray for all of the children and staff at Beam. Unfortunately there are some significant struggles ahead of them. The team learned that the land Beam Africa sits on it actually owned by the church, and sadly the church has decided to significantly raise rent. They are essentially forcing Erika and the kids off the land, leaving them nowhere to go. Erika is determined to find another piece of land inside the township, but it has been extremely difficult. On top of rising the monthly rent the church refuses to let the children use the bathroom facilities on the land. Beam Africa raised the money to renovate those facilities and are now no longer allowed to use them. As Erika was sharing all of these details I couldn’t help but cry. It broke my heart to hear the church is not working for justice, but against it. I write this now with tears in my eyes, because I know this is not how God intended it to be. I have to remember that Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt 9:12-13). I know that all of us fall short of the glory of God, but it is extremely challenging to watch all of this happen to children. In the midst of something so broken and hard, there is still hope. God continues to provide for Beam, and these kids are so joyful. Beam has hit some hard times, but we trust the Lord that he will take care of everything. When we encounter suffering we will have hope in the King who did everything to be with us. Hope in Christ doesn’t disappoint. Please join me in praying for Beam! The best thing we can do it lift them up to God. Thank you, it means more than I could ever express.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our time at Beam!

The peanut butter and Honey Sandwich…

2009-02-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

God spoke to me through a peanut butter and honey sandwich the other day! I know that sounds little crazy, but it was amazing to experience God’s creativeness. God can and does use anything and everything to teach us! Let me give you a little background for this situation.

I have struggled everyday since we’ve arrived in South Africa with the extreme poverty everywhere. Every time we go into the city plaza people approach us asking for some change or food. It breaks my heart because I know this is not how God intended life to be. I have struggled to know exactly how to help. Several people have told us not to give away any money because it can be extremely dangerous for us. Doesn’t that seem so messed up? It is dangerous for you to give someone a meal or spend time with him or her. It seems to present this lose/lose situation. I found myself asking God where he is winning. If I am approached on the street regardless of what I decide to do, I feel like I am not truly doing what God wants me to. It feels completely wrong to do absolutely nothing and walk away; my heart can’t actually take it. But, it doesn’t feel right to give them money either. Both solutions don’t help me to love these people the way Christ does. I feel like I am losing either way. (Wow, I hope that makes sense). I’ve wrestled with this for a long time, begging God to show me what he desires in the situation. The other day I started to see where God is winning! I was reading this awesome book called Hope Lives (I recommend everyone read it) and the book asked me to consider how Isaiah 58 challenged me.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and unite the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

Isaiah 58

OOOO So Good Huh? This is where the sandwich comes in. So I was reading and reached into my bag to journal about it when I felt my plastic sandwich bag that had in it some crust left over from my peanut butter and honey goodness I had earlier. I went to toss it but stopped and started to think about how easy it would be for me to give something as simple as a sandwich. Ok I know this seems so straightforward right, why didn’t I think of it sooner? I think I realized that I want to solve the entire problem in one interaction. It can never be done that way, at least not by giving them a little money or walking away. Think about it though, it makes so much sense. They are asking you for money to buy food, most of them just ask for food right away. If I bring a sandwich with me everyday I have an opportunity to meet someone’s needs and hopefully have a good conversation with them. It is a simple idea, but it lifted this heaviness I’ve felt from the moment we arrived. So, the five girls are making 1 sandwich to give away, because we can and because we want to know the people God is blessing us with everyday! It’s been amazing to watch the Lord work. The first day we went to the plaza a man named Chris approached us, and we asked him if he would sit with us and tell us about his life. He shared his story with us and now he is one of our friends. Every time he sees us he sits with us and tells us about his day. I believe that this is exactly where Jesus wants me. We have learned so much about Chris’s incredibly heavy life. It is so sad, but he is worth every second we spend with him. I want to be here in South Africa so that I can be with people like Chris. I love to watch God move and work. Seeing Chris is probably my warmest moment every single week. I love him.

Please pray for Chris as he works to finish school. He has failed his senior year of high school several times because he has to miss class to work to support his family. Please pray that we get more time with him. I would love to get to know him better and just be a good friend to him. He needs people to love him well. Thank you for all of your prayers. God is moving and I am blessed to share in all of this with you.

Some fun things...

2009-02-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would take a moment to share some fun things I’ve learned about South Africa with all of you. I hope it brings a smile to your face! Enjoy…

Traffic lights are called robots, which is awesome!
Red lights are more of a suggestion, than an obligation.
Everything happens on the left side, we drive on the left side, walk on the left side, the toilet handle is on the left, escalators are on the left side, the hot and cold handles on the sinks are on the opposite side, and several other things. It is hilarious to watch the nine of us get used to working on the other side!
When you are finished eating at a restaurant you don’t ask for the check, you get the slip.
One min the sun is scolding your skin and the next you are caught in the middle of a monsoon. The rain is absolutely crazy!
Everywhere you go you have to wait, and there is so little personal space here. You make friends very fast.
You have to weigh your vegetables individually before checking out in the grocery store.
We work on military time now, so I do a lot of counting on my fingers when it comes to telling the time.
There is butter on every single sandwich you purchase here. Something I surprisingly enjoy quite a bit.
You don’t stand in lines here in South Africa, you stand in Que. That was an interesting interaction between an impatient South African Man and me.
We have somewhere around 8 keys to get into our house alone! Very safe.
There is no limit in the number of times you can honk your horn while driving. I often say I wish my life were a musical. Well ladies and gents, God has moved me to a country where the taxi drivers are helping that dream become a reality. The regular honking creates a rhythmic sound that brings joy to my soul…sometimes.

I hope you have enjoyed my observations! I wish all of you were here with me.

I am so sorry!

2009-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I wanted to write all of you to tell you that I apologize for not updating my blog more. We have had such a hard time setting up internet. I promise to update everyone as soon as I can get a better connection. I can't wait to share my photos with you, and tell you more about how God is blessing our time here in South Africa!!

Thank you so much!

Lots of love

Amanda

Beam Africa

2009-01-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress”
James 1:27, NLT

The is my favorite picture of the day! Most of the kids at Beam just want you to play with them a love them. These kids are teaching me so much about Joy! Please keep us in your prayers as we try to love everyone at Beam the way Jesus loves all of us everyday!

A couple days back our team spent our first day with Erika and the kids at Beam Africa. Erika welcomed the team with a big smile and hugs for all of us. She is a wonderful woman! I desire a heart as gentle and caring as the one God has given her. We arrived before the children got off school to discuss with Erika, the detail of our year with Beam. All nine of us had smiles on our faces when we talked about getting college students involved with the ministry! Her vision for the year is simple but big. I love that God gives us the freedom to dream big with him, it most certainly affects the way we live. I was exciting to hear Erika’s heart in having us here to serve with her. Our time with Erika came with some hard news as well.

Over the past two years Beam Africa has shared a piece of land in a township called Nellmapius with a small church in the community. When I visited in the summer of 2007 (winter of 2007 in South Africa) the church was meeting in a small tent on the land they shared with Beam. Where the tent once was now stands two small buildings. Over the last year the church has expanded and grown in number. After expanding, the church felt it was best to split from Beam and occupy the land only as the church. This was really bad news for Beam. This decision left them with one fifth of the land they once had available to them. It is difficult to see why this church made the decision they did, considering that it is putting these children last. It breaks my heart to see this taken away from these kids as well. The good news is that it is not final, there is still a chance that the church could change their mind. Please be praying for Beam Africa and the children there. We are waiting patiently to see how the Lord will provide the space to care for these kids well.

It is a blessing to share in this with all of you. Thank you for your love and support.

Amanda

I'm in South Africa and I am safe!

2009-01-12T03:12:00.000-08:00

So I am in South Africa and safe. I apologize for not posting something sooner, but I have had little Internet access. I am currently writing this from an cozy Internet cafe!

We have been in South Africa for 5 days, but to be honest it feels a lot longer. I think it has something to do with adjusting poorly to the time difference. A 16 hour flight kind of messes with you. Not a ton of exciting things have happened so far, we are just settling into our new home. All five girls are living in a house together, and the boys are still looking for housing. We have spent a lot of time learning how we will work as a team, and that's important. Its been great getting to know everyone, and although I love spending time with the 8 other people here with me, I am stoked to get to know students on campus and the families at Beam.

Everything is going great so far. I am so excited to be here, and I can not wait to share about the students we invest in and the kids at Beam! Tomorrow is our first day at Beam, and Saturday we are meeting with student leaders on campus to organize some events for first years students to get connected. I am so excited to meet the students and learn more about their lives. I plan on updating my blog soon after. I look forward to sharing me experiences with you very soon.

Please let me know how I can be praying for all of you. Talking to Lord about you and for you helps me feel more connected to home! Also, please feel free to email me any questions about my time here. If you are curious about something and don't feel like I am sharing enough about it, please email me and I would love to be more specific. I want to share my time in South Africa with you the best I can. Thanks again for your love and care! I am thinking of and praying for all of you.

All my thanks,

Amanda

Here are some ways you can be praying for our team:

1) The boys are still looking for housing, it has been a struggle to find a house close to where the girls are living. We are asking God to provide a place for the boys that is close to us for safety reasons, as well as for our unity as a team.

2) Our first day with Beam is tomorrow, and we are stoked to serve the families and the kiddos. Our hearts are to serve and love everyone at Beam with all that the Lord has given us. Please pray for us as we prepare to go and for our time with the kids.

3) Saturday will be our first time with the college students. We want to love them well and develop relationships with them. Can you please pray that we would meet some first year students who we can connect with over the year? This time is crucial for connections with students who we can invest in over the year. I can not wait to see what the Lord has planned.

Thank you!

Reality sets in...

2009-01-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

So I'm getting on a plane to South Africa. The day is finally here! I can't believe that it has come so quickly. The last year has gone by so fast. I am overwhelmed by all of the emotions I am feeling right now, so much so, that I am finding it extremely difficult to communicate where I am with the Lord at this moment. My first response to all of this emotion is to avoid communicating in general. That desire aside, I know it is best for me to attempt to be as open and vulnerable as possible. So here goes….

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, especially the past week. I've spent my time at Denver Christmas Conference working with the creative team to serve and love 1300 students from colleges in our Great Plains Region. It has been great fun jumping right into Crusade staff. I am blessed to serve a God who enables each of us to serve in so many capacities. The creative team helped me to serve students on an artistic level. We used our creativity to put together countless videos, pantomimes, skits, dances, and interviews, all to serve and love these students well. It is such a blessing to serve these students and watch the Lord work in their hearts. I have the best job in the world. We are here to serve students and love them well! This conference was the perfect way to do just that.

After working with other Crusade Staff members, I realize it is amazing to have co-workers who love the Lord with all of their hearts and want to glorify him with everything he has given them! The conference was a great way to start my time on Crusade Staff. Linked below is the website for the Christmas Conference. There are some promotion videos and information on the conference if you are interested in knowing more about it.

http://godcc.com/media.php

I spent a lot of my time with the creative team, but also had the chance to spend time with the South Africa team. It has been nice to spend time with them, but to be honest it has been extremely overwhelming. A year ago I couldn't be more convinced that South Africa is where God wanted me. This week I have struggled to be so confident. I want to be as real as possible with all of you through my year, and sometimes that means I let go of the ideal stuff. I know that Jesus wants me in South Africa, my head is sure of it. My heart is stuck here for now. I am so sad to leave the parts of my life in Denver that mean so much to me. I am going to this nation Christ has enabled me to care for so deeply, but I am leaving this life that he has built in Denver. It is hard to leave the people who God has used to teach me, love me,and redeem dark areas of my life. There is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and time to dance” Ecclesiastes 3:4.

My last week in the states has been filled with so many emotions and it has left me confused. I thought to myself, if this is what Christ wants for me, why is it so hard to go. In the midst of so many questions I remembered a conversation I had with my best friend. We were talking about the sacrifice Christ made to be with us, and how he knew when he made the decision that it wouldn’t be easy to go through it. During this conversation, Arielle kept saying “God never told us it would be easy”. I started to think about why it was hard to leave. I started with leaving my family, my best friends, my church and the community at DCC… As the list went on I began to realize that all of these things I am devastated to leave are pure representations of Christ in my life. I started to understand that it is a great blessing to experience sadness in leaving these people. So many people don’t have relationships, communities, churches, and family to shed tears over. My selfishness kept me from thanking God for his decision to send me. I realize now that I am beyond blessed to experience this immense sadness in leaving, because all of you are a gift from God. I am not ashamed to cry for a gift as amazing and incredible as you!

I guess what I am trying to say is I am so incredibly sad to leave Denver, but am so thankful that the Lord has given me so much to miss about my life here. Today I am sad to leave, but I know that God's plan is what is best for me. I am so excited to see what I learn in the process.

I can't end this incredibly long post without first saying what I am most excited for, and that is to watch the Lord work in students and families lives, just as I have watched him work in all of yours. I can't wait to cry just as much next year when I have to leave all of the amazing people he will put in my life in South Africa. Thank you so much for sending me, and being a part of what Christ is doing.

Lots of love!

Arias

An short update!

2009-01-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to put together a small list of things our team needs prayer for, and also for me personally. Thank you so much for supporting myself and the South Africa team in prayer. It helps more than we could ever hope!

We are currently staffing a student conference in Downtown Denver, and with only 5 days left it can feel like a lot to work the conference and brief for our trip next week. Can you please pray for our connection as a team. Help us to connect with the Lord, with one another, and with the students who we will be serving during the conference.
We need prayer for last min details such as bank accounts, housing for the boys, details in serving with Beam Africa, and so on.
We need prayer as a team that Jesus would be our first priority during this busy time. All of this doesn’t matter if we are not connected to him, so please pray that we are close to him and that he is our center.
We can continue pray for the families at Beam Africa, and the Students as they return to campus after their Christmas break. Please pray for our connections with them, and our hearts in serving them the way Christ desires us to.
Personally, I need prayer for peace about going. I am emotionally attached to my life here in Denver, and to the people God has blessed me with. It is difficult to say goodbye for the year, but I know that South Africa is where the Lord wants me. I am excited to go, but sad to leave.

Thank you for praying for our team. If you get a chance please send me how I can be praying for all of you. I have 19 hours on a plane next week, and a year to send some love up to the Big guy for all of you. Please let me know how I can be talking to the Lord for you and everyone in your lives.

Thank you again, and I am looking forward to sharing in all of this with all of you!

Love,

Arias

Some Prayer Requests

2008-11-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

So some exciting and important details for our STINT year are starting to come together. I wanted to take some time to share some prayer requests as our details roll in. With only a little over a month left before we report to our assignment in South Africa things are starting to move quickly. I would love share in these prayers with you! Also, if you have a couple seconds I would love to hear from all of you so I know how I can be praying for you as well. I am constantly thanking God for the role you play in my life. I am excited to hear how I can be lifting you up in my prayers. Thank you so much for your prayers and your care.

Ok here goes…

Can you please pray for our teammates that have not yet received all of their financial support for the next year? Everyone is really close and we are excited to see how the Lord will provide for all of us.
As a team we need some prayer for details in housing. We are currently looking for a place to call home, but it has been a bit more challenging than we thought it would originally be. We need prayer for a safe place to call home for our next year.
Two weeks ago we sent out our Visa applications for approval. Can you please pray that all our applications are pushed through the process quickly with no hiccups? If we encounter issues it can take up to three months to be approved.
Last, can you please pray that as our team comes together again in January that we can be in one heart and mind?

It means so much to me that I can share in this amazing experience with all of you. Thank you so much for your prayers, and I hope to hear from you soon. If you have a spare moment, email me how I can be praying for you. Thank you again!

2008-11-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that it has taken me some time to update my blog, life has been hard to process lately. I have honestly struggled to put my thoughts down on paper. So much has happened in the past few weeks and it has clouded my mind. I am excited to share that I’ve reached 100% of my financial support! I AM GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA!!! Praise Jesus! This morning I spent a good 2 hours in tears. I have never experienced anything like this before in my life. I have seen so many people come alongside this ministry. All of you have been so generous with everything the Lord has given you. I am incredibly blessed to know you and serve Christ with you. Thank you for inviting me into your lives and sharing your love for our God with me. I am truly a different person because of everything the Lord has given me through knowing you. I look back on the past 6 months today and know that I have gained so much more than I could have ever asked for or dreamed of. I am thankful for the relationships God has given me. I have met so many wonderful people who have shared their passion for Jesus with me. I couldn’t imagine moving to South Africa without sharing in this adventure with them.

When I was spending time with the Lord this morning I came across these verses and thought I should share some of my thoughts.

“ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you my friends, for everything that I have learned from my father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” – John 15:15-16

Christ tells us that He chose us to know him and bear fruit that will last! I am so thankful that Christ handpicked everyone who has decided to join the South Africa team. All of us were picked to be a part of what He is doing in South Africa. This is eternal. I know I am blessed to be a part of it. I can’t stop thanking our God for how He has provided for our team in so many creative ways. Thank you for your generosity. Christ has made it possible for me to go by bringing you into my life! I will never be able to say thank you enough!

Update letter and Email information...

2008-10-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am sending out my first update letter this week. I also wanted to ask everyone to confirm their email address with me. In addition to keeping this blog and sending the monthly update letters, I will hopefully be able to send videos over email. I want to share in my adventures with all of you and email is a great way to do that.

You can email me at amanda.arias@uscm.org from your preferred email. Thanks so much for reading and I am so excited to share everything with you.

Here is one of my favorite videos from my trip to South Africa in the summer of 2007. These beautiful little girls spend a lot of their time at Beam Africa, and our team has the privilege of spending time with them when we go.

A Stellar Sound

Enjoy!

Thank you for all of your love and support!

2008-09-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

So my last posting was about the time our team spent together in Copper Mountain at Briefing, and this posting is kind of piggy backing off of some things brought up during the week in Copper Mountain. Here are some thoughts on what I've had a hard time processing through in the past 2 weeks.

I think being at briefing, spending time with the team, and working through details of the trip over our seven days together left me processing through a lot. I left briefing extremely excited for my STINT year in South Africa, but was really overwhelmed with the thought of leaving in only 4 months. After a lot of praying and several good conversations, I realize that I have spent a lot of time holding onto my life here in Colorado. It is difficult for me to imagine a life outside of the one the Lord has built for me here. I love my life here in Denver and it is completely terrifying to think about starting over in South Africa.

When I think about leaving my family, friends, and church my heart feels so heavy, and often I am clouded by my emotion in the situation. Its no surprise that I struggle with how to process all of my emotion, so sorting through my thoughts and emotion in this has been really overwhelming for me. This entire process of preparing to move to South Africa has been about trusting not only that the Lord has a plan for my life, but also that his plan is GOOD! The other day I was reading through Matthew 13, The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl, and realized something that has changed my perspective.

Matt 13:44-46

“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

While reading this I found myself stuck on the phrase “in his joy went…”. I am not pursuing South Africa in joy. I am already missing what I am going to have to leave and forgetting all of the amazing things God is sending me into to. The week I was at briefing I realized that it was a little over a year ago that I felt God pushing me to STINT in South Africa. I was on summer project in South Africa, and experienced the treasure that South Africa is. I guess what I realized was that South Africa is like my pearl, and my desire is to leave in my JOY because what God has for me next year in South Africa is worth more than I could ever dream up for my life hear in Denver.

I think this will be something I will struggle with as our leave date approaches, but I have hope that the Lord will continue to teach me and prepare me for my STINT year.

Thanks for reading through this and processing with me.

2008-08-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just got back from spending a week in Copper Mountain at Campus Crusades STINT Briefing conference. It was great time with the Lord, the South Africa STINT team, and other Crusade staff members who are dedicating a year of their lives to serve the Lord in countries around the world. It was amazing to talk with teams who are moving to Spain, Mexico city, New Zealand, Italy, and so many other places, all with the same purpose. This week I was once again reminded that my heart is so small. It was incredible to experience briefly a piece of God's beautiful heart for the nations.

One of the most exciting things about this week was that our team had some great time to get to know each other. The Lord truly blessed our time together. We shared our stories and why we felt called to South Africa. In hearing from each person I was moved at how creative our God is. Everyone's story was different, yet we have all been called to serve as a team next year. Each team member has unique gifts and I am so excited to see how they will be used.

To the right is a picture of the team on our last night in Copper. Running right to left is Rylan, Dan, Ali, Kendra, Stacey, Me, James, and Ryan.

There were a lot of meetings and a lot of details for the trip were discussed. I was hoping to work through a lot of questions I had about the STINT this week, instead I found peace in being flexible. I am definitely a details person as well as someone who loves to start up new things. I am learning pretty fast that these two desires clash. I have mentioned that we are the first STINT team to move to South Africa in our region. So this is new and exciting, but it also requires me to be really flexible. Details for the trip are clearing up, but we have all agreed as a team to remain open and adaptable with the months to come.

One last thing about this week. Some exciting news for us, we might have another teammate by the end of this week. This person is considering joining our team, making it a total of 9 people to go. This is really exciting for us, and we hope it works out. Please be praying for peace in the decision making process.

2008-07-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was spending some time with the Big Guy the other day and went through Psalm 73. It was really encouraging so I thought I would share. I am so thankful that we serve a God who provides for all of our needs! Thanks for reading.

"When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

and earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds."

Psalm 73:21-28

When I was feeling a little discouraged God provided encouragement for me through his word. I am so thankful for a God who holds me by my right hand and leads me into His glory. I am so thankful that He reminds me that He is my portion forever.

2008-07-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some specific things people can be praying for as our team is preparing to go to South Africa. So here are some things that come to mind.

The students and faculty on the University of Pretoria campus.
Prayer for willing and open hearts among the students and families our team will come in contact with while on STINT in South Africa.
Prayer for wisdom for our team, to help meet the needs of the people we desire to live life with.
Prayer for the 8 of us going in Jan. Each of us is responsible for raising all of our funds by that time in order to go. As a team we need prayer that God will prepare each of us to go for the year.
I specifically need prayer for a heart that is at peace with leaving the life God has built for me here in Colorado. I am deeply saddened that I have to leave a community I have grown so attached to. I want peace in him.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!!! IT MEANS SOOO MUCH!

Oh yeah, I'm sorry about the spelling errors in the blog. Thought I should let you know that when I sit down to write some stuff down, it is my pure and raw thoughts kind of spit up. I'm not doing my best about editing what goes down, so I apologize for any errors. If you have questions feel free to ask. Thanks for understanding.

Some Video Links...

2008-07-16T16:40:00.001-07:00

I wanted to post some videos about my experiences in South Africa in my two visits over the last year. Feel free to take a look. The first video is a picture slideshow of Summer Project in South Korea and South Africa in 2007. The second video was made by one of our staff member from the Vision Trip the team when on last December.

Summer Project 2007 Video

I'm Learning...

2008-07-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

In the past week or so I've had the opportunity to see and learn that this life is not about some end result. I feel like in the experiences I've had recently I am truly starting to lean that this life is about the process. Raising support can be very difficult, and I am starting to imagine how excited I am going to be the day God provides 100% of my funding to move to South Africa on STINT. I find myself thinking about it a lot actually. The other day I was praying with a friend and one of our STINT Team leaders, and I realized that I was focusing too much on the end result. She has said it several times before, but I think for the first time it really sank in that "it is about the process, not the result". I am starting to see what it looks like to walk through it with the Lord, instead of asking for a way out of it.

I confess that I am someone who has struggled and continues to struggle with wanting to perform and meet some standard. It would be a shame for me to fall into some standard during this amazing but challenging process of raising support. The standards I've come to set for myself in the past have always limited the way I see God moving in my life and in the lives of those around me. My interactions this week have helped me see that there is so much to gain in the process of pursuing the Lord in this. It is not about making it to 100%, and its not about meeting some goal I came up with. This process is about finding God in every conversation, support appointment, and every new relationship built. I am learning that this life is about finding God in every step made during our days.

It's been a privilege finding the Lord in every meeting. I have been so blessed to meet with people and have them share their hearts with me. In seeing and experiencing their passion to see God glorified, I've come to realize that I would never want to move to South Africa without taking all of these people with me. I am so thankful that God has used this process of raising support to teach me to look for him in all that I am doing, and that it is okay to depend on others to help me pursue His perfect will.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to sit with me. I have learned so much in those times.

I feel blessed!

2008-07-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

So after graduating from the University of Denver just a couple weeks back, I started my full time job with Campus Crusade for Christ. I have spent the past month or so raising support so that when January 1st rolls around I will be fully funded to move to South Africa on a Short Term International Team (STINT) with Crusade. I am extremely excited to move to the country I have missed so much in the last year. After having the chance to visit twice in the last year, I am itching to get back!

To be completely honest I was terrified to start the support raising process, and for a while I let my fear get the best of me. However, since I have started the Lord has shown me that he is incredibly faithful, and that I have so much to gain in asking people to partner with me in this great adventure he has set for me and seven other people. It has been and will continue to be an honor and a privilege to ask any and everyone to join me in follow Jesus to South Africa!

From what I have experienced so far, support raising can be an up and down process. Some days I am so confident and others I need a reminder that the Lord is always in control. However, I always feel blessed no matter the day. The Lord is creative and I am so excited to see his blessings poured out during this process.

I am truly blessed to be pursuing him in this.