The Beginning.

Well, let this 6 week journey begin!  I am so excited to be working with Living Hope Ministry in Cape Town, South Africa for the summer.  So far, my journey has consisted of eating airplane food (which I actually enjoy), sleeping in an upright position with 4 inches of leg room, and being confined in various airports for more than 40 hours.  But hey, when the final destination is a beautiful city where the Lord will be using me to spread His word, I can’t complain. 

In London, I had an 11 hour layover.  For me, that is very challenging, considering I cannot sit still for more than 2 hours.  So, I found a spot (surrounded by complete strangers) to take a nap….I slept for 3 hours—no surprise there! Afterwards, I continued to read Radical by David Platt.  If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it!  A very powerful message on how American Christians mold Jesus into our own image because that is what we are most comfortable with.  Platt encourages us to consider how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our own cultural preferences and challenges us to completely abandon everything for the gospel.  Boom.  Read it.

As some of you know, I am not much of a reader; however, I brought several books with me that I hope to finish by the time I get back.

-A Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

-Generous Justice by Timothy Keller

-Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

-When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert

After reading for a little while, I still had a few hours to go. So, I literally just walked around the airport taking laps back and forth.  I probably looked very confused since I was just wandering, but I had to release some of my energy….and it just wasn’t the time to break out in dance either (disappointing, I know).  They finally opened the gate at 6:15, so I was one step closer to getting there! Apparently, we didn’t take off until an hour after we had already boarded….I didn’t realize this because I had one of my “narc attacks” and fell asleep immediately when I sat down.  Eventually, I woke up, ate dinner, and fell back asleep.  Woke up 8 hours later! BOOM.

Arrived in Cape Town this morning at 8:50.  I met the other intern, Mia, who will be my roommate for the next several weeks!  We will meet the other 5 tomorrow at some point.  Living Hope volunteers picked us up and took us to Cape Lodge, a beautiful house that is settled in a valley surrounded by gorgeous mountains. 

I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses me in this place to do what He has called me to do—to share God’s word with people and show them His unfailing love. I can only do this through his grace and his mercy.  As Platt states in Radical, “The problem for us is that in our culture we are tempted at every turn to trust in our own power.  So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide.”  I pray that I will surrender myself solely to Christ and truly trust in Him in all circumstances.  Also, I pray that I will be used in a radical way to make disciples in His Kingdom. 

After settling in, we went to the grocery store to buy adapters and then ate at Spurs.  We were told beforehand that Spurs is a combination between Applebee’s and Chuck E Cheese.  So true.  After lunch, we came back to the house and had great chill time. Still having great chill time, literally…it is chilly.  About 54 degrees.  No heaters either!  I absolutely love it though.  No complaints.  Looking forward to a solid night of sleep.

Thank you for all of your prayers! I appreciate all of them.  Thankful to know that I have a Christ-centered community praying for me. 

In Christ,

Katherine

1 Timothy 1:12-17

"12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst.¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."