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" A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert
prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our
God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the
rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of
the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth
of the Lord has spoken.' " Isaiah 40:3-5

I am sitting in my cabin wondering what I
should focus on for my next blog. Brittany, Leah, and Sarah and I are having a
conversation about the events of this past week. It then becomes more than
obvious: I will speak about what has been happening during our house visits.

My ministry, from Monday until Thursday
each week is actually working at a care center called Victory 4 All. I am
loving this ministry. Getting to know all the people who are selflessly giving
their time for the benefit of these children who would otherwise be on the
streets has been eye-opening. Our ministry is simple: love the children. So
far, getting to know each one of them by name has been a joy and a blessing. I
can see my Savior in their eyes and feel his love in their embrace.

(Here are the kids playing games!!)

Because our ministry is done a bit early
each day and Victory is not open on Fridays, my ministry team (which is comprised of myself,
Loretta, and Matthew-LOVE THEM!!) has had the opportunity to minister to those
in the community through house visits. We started by visiting a woman named
Sylvia whom I had the chance of meeting in an outreach I did during UCSA's
September camp.

Getting to know Sylvia's family has been
such a joy, and God has really been providing. On one visit, we had the chance
to just speak with Sylvia's daughter, Nwelekas. We asked her if she needed
specific prayer for anything, and, miraculously, she opened up. (It is uncommon
for Xhosa women to be outspoken or open, so I was taken aback). She told us
that her father had raped her a year ago, and that he is currently in jail. She
asked us to pray for her because the court meeting will be held this Monday,
November 3^rd. Nwelekas told us that she couldn't stop thinking about it,
that she couldn't concentrate in school, and that she needed prayer to forget
about what happen. I was astounded, first of all, that she was bold enough to
speak out against her father. And second of all, that she would open up to us,
who had only been to visit twice before. We have been praying for her and
visiting the house on a weekly basis, and with each visit, I see her spirits
raised. I would please ask for your prayer as she informed us that she would be
comfortable with us sharing her situation with our team and our families and
friends back home. Praise God for her faith and confidence in speaking the
truth!

Through our house visiting, God's guidance
has been so evident. The townships are not "nice" places to be, and are,
honestly, very confusing. In visiting those that we already know, God has
amazed me with his ability to lead us toward those who have need. It is CRAZY
how people simply "cross" our paths. In visiting Sylvia, God has brought along
so many opportunities for ministry. We have been blessed with so many chances to pray for others, and God has been literally blowing my mind. It is
weird how people just know that we travel in the name of Christ-they simply
walk up to us and ask us for prayer, or for help with pretty much anything.
Yesterday, a man walked up to us and asked us to help his niece who has two
children and just had a stroke at a very young age. He then trusted us enough
to tell us his problems and we were able to pray with him. It's so hard to
explain, but I just have this overwhelming sense of His presence as we walk
around these townships. He is working in moving in our team and it is
apparently very evident to those in the townships. Our God reigns. He has shown
me that he will "make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God" and
that "the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see
it."