May 6, 2010 | Scotland, South Africa
I have a lot of favourite people. I guess. I mean at least a gracious plenty. But this chick is one of my favourite favourite people.
She’s the one on the right. That’s me in the middle, in case you were wondering. Yeah. That was before I had a baby. I could button that vest. And that’s her also-awesome sister Natasha on the left, currently in Indonesia. She’s also one of my favourite people. And even if spell check tries to correct me one more time for putting a “u” in favourite, I’m gonna keep spelling it that way because I said I was gonna stick to British spelling on this blog way back in Scotland and I meant it! Travel…ling Tuesdays and all!
Anyway.
As I was saying, one of my favourite favourite people, also seen below, a dear friend of mine from Scotland via Denmark, is considering coming to South Africa to do an internship with Samaritan’s Feet and stay with us. And I’m so excited, I want the whole world wide web to know!
Everybody has to sit in dog poo at least once in their lives, right?
It’s like that scene in Elf, where Will Ferrell runs into the conference room, throw his arms out wide, tosses his hat aside and says, I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!
So. Two prayer requests for you guys today. #1 Please pray that it will work out for Agnes to come stay with us in South Africa. And that she’ll stay for ages and ages. (It’s a little selfish, I know.)
#2 If Agnes can’t come to South Africa, I might be heartbroken. Forever. So I’ll ask twice, please pray it works out for her to come. 🙂
The Bear loves her, too!
Thanks for letting me share the love. For one of my f-a-v-o-u-u-u-rite people. Who will hopefully rock up on the scene in SA in early 2011. YES!
xCC
May 4, 2010 | Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday! How’s it going this week? A couple weeks ago we visited an area called Mfuleni, not too far away from Cape Town, where we shared a a few gifts with some kids who live there: a message of hope, a foot washing, a moment of prayer and a new pair of shoes. And though we keep giving, we keep receiving, from an un-outgiveable God.
Would you like to enjoy a photographic review of the day, mayhaps?
We were on top of Table Mountain last Tuesday. Here’s a different view of Cape Town’s most famous peak, from Mfuleni, near where the shoe distribution was hosted:
As always, the joy and exuberance and spunk of the kids tugged at my heartstrings. This little one is sooo sweet.
Getting ready for their big moment…
So much beauty in a water basin waiting to clean some feet.
Hero Hubs has candy!
Today, as I unwrap the joy of giving alongside an un-out-giveable God,
I’m starting to think the gift isn’t just all that we have,
it’s all that we have to give away.
xCC
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This post might be linked up to Chatting at the Sky’s Tuesdays Unwrapped, if I find a way to link up this Tuesday!
Apr 28, 2010 | Uncategorized
I have another story to share with you. I just wish I knew more of it to share.
I had the privilege of washing these tiny feet.
I’m not sure if this little one understood English at all. But Hero Hubs, being the Hero he is, managed to get her to smile.
Isn’t she beautiful?
The Sunday School teachers told us the kids went to borrow clothes and shoes to come to the distribution, and were probably wearing their very best when we came. That was really humbling to hear.
She was missing most of the top row of teeth, my best guess is due to malnutrition or a lack of hygiene. It also seemed that her eyelids had perhaps been infected and healed in a jagged fashion.
I wish I knew more of her story to tell.
But it was a privilege that our stories converged for a moment one sunny morning in the Western Cape.
Every person has a story.
It’s amazing to think that God knows them all.
xCC
Apr 24, 2010 | In the Name of Love
It’s an old saying I mentioned yesterday. It has more and more meaning to me all the time.
Every Person Has a Story.
Here’s a bit of one.
I had the privilege of washing this guy’s feet the other day.
He shared with me a little bit about his home life. His Dad gets angry with him sometimes. I have a feeling he was playing it down when he talked about it.
As I prayed for him, I was in tears. You don’t know a person’s story until you ask, and I was really glad I did.
I prayed that the plans God has for his life would come to pass. That he would be able to endure the challenges of this season of his life, that the Lord would be his refuge.
How incredibly fortunate and privileged I have been my entire life — in moments like these I see it most clearly. And yet, I forget thankfulness again and again.
O, to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be.
So many stories are taking place all around us.
Seize the opportunity to take a moment and hear someone’s story today. You have no idea how much it might mean to them.
Or to you.
xCC
Apr 20, 2010 | Travel..ling Tuesdays
Once again this Travelling Tuesday is filled with a gift I’ve been eager to unwrap. The gift of giving, and finding again and again, that you cannot out-give God. Even in giving, you find that you receive more in return — and my cup is overflowing.
As I shared last week, we visited an area called Overcome Heights on Thursday. We had the awesome privilege of teaming up with a ministry there called Living Hope, and we put shoes on the feet of close to 70 children. Many of those children arrived with bare feet and left with perhaps their first pair of shoes.
I’ll try not to wax on too long about this special moment since Travelling Tuesdays are about photos, but I have to say that it was just such a wonderful gift to give away shoes in Overcome Heights. When you come face to face with the reality of poverty, you find yourself newly aware of how very, very much you have to be thankful for. How very, very little cause you have for complaint. How very, very privileged you are if you have a roof over your head… a few changes of clothes… more than one or two pairs of shoes for your feet.
It is a gift to come face to face with the reality of poverty, to let it become more than just pictures on TV and in magazines, to let it become the faces of children that you pick up, touch, hold, talk to — it becomes more than just an idea. It becomes real. And if you let it, it will change you for the better. You can’t have the same outlook you had yesterday. Contentment, and joy, should be easier to grasp.
I hope that as I take a moment to share these realities with you, that you’ll receive this gift, too. That you’ll unwrap it, think about it, hold it in your heart for a while, and maybe even let it change the way you look at life.
As always, saving my favourites for last, check out this awesome wagon!!! These boys were having a blast.
The little one going for a ride received a new pair of shoes, but I think he took them home and kept wearing his old worn-through ones because he didn’t want to mess up his new shoes.
These boys were looking at each others’ shoes for ages. So sweet.
My prayer is that Overcome Heights will be a prophetic name. That these children, who are being ministered to by the awesome volunteers at Living Hope, will overcome heights, and will grow up to change the world for the better.
This is what it’s all about.
I hope you were encouraged this Travelling Tuesday! May you enjoy your journey today, and out of all that you’ve received, find ways to give!
xCC
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This post was linked up to Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky.
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