OUTREACH

It was outreach time last saturday! Zakhele and I were asked to bring our Youth. What a priviledge!! The outreach was a day for little kids in Paternoster, a fisher town 1 1/2 hours north from Cape Town. After some activities and a lunch the kids would be given LOVE BOXES (like shoe boxes filled with goodies). Because of the fact that we have exam time right now, only ow of our Youth were able to join: Sheldon and Mario, our youngest ones. I had been in total anticipation and in prayer for us to be God's hands extended there. As we arrived, the event started soon and Mario helped me painting the little one's faces. He did a great job and had a lot of fun. Sheldon was our camera man. He took picks and helped us. Both of them used their gifts. Later we had make sure that the kids sitting at 20 different tables would behave and listen to the program provided. Sheldon and Mario (both 12!!!!) did a great job in that as well.I was blessed watching them. During Lunch Time our Youth had been asked to entertain the kids. Sheldon and Mario were really nervous but they were a great part of a Pantomime that we showed. We also learned I love Jesus in Afrikaans and I taught the kids how to say I love Jesus in German. It was fun. Then came the highlight of the day, the giving out of the love boxes. Let me tell you something: Those boxes were packed with love and care and they came from....GERMANY!!! That was such a blessing and honor for me then to give each kid a love box and then to watch them open them. Look at the pictures. At the end of the day, the 5 of us coming from Coastlands Community CHurch (Becki Rusk, Zakhele, Sheldon, Maro and myself) were a blessing and were blessed as well. That's how God does things :) so great so great!

Tag der Deutschen Einheit: The day of unity in Germany

Hello! TOday is a great day for Germany. It is our own national holiday. We celebrate the fall of the wall and a united Germany, east and west, west and east. Unity is so important. Paul already talked about it in the bible. Unity in the body of Christ, unity and forgiveness. Unity is so important and I can sense it in my own life. I am celebrating my coutnry today and that God is present in this country, that God is doing some mighty work here! I am proud to be a German, proud for all that God has given to us Germnans. I wish for all of us Germans that we can be proud and not fearful of that fact that being proud could lead to teh pride of destruction and dictatorship again. I remember where I was when I watched tv and saw the news about the fall of hte wall. Then, it was surreal and I was not that old. I did not really get it. But later, I was happy. It is not easy, it was not easy but as our pastor said this last sunday: Unity always comes with a prize. I want unity, unity in my relationships, unity in the churches, unity in families. Only Jesus can help me achieve this wish of my heart. Only He can. But with HIm there comes division as well...read on...don't get me wrong: Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 12 that He comes with a holy fire and that pretty much people either believe in HIm or hate HIM. This is what I mean with division. Jesus comes with the sword of the Spirit which divides clearly. YOu can see that in so many ways: veryone can talk about God these days...A GOD..but as soon as I talk about Jesus, people divide into 2 groups ...maybe 3: one says: Yes Jesus is my Savior, the other one says: I do not believe in Jesus and that is all humbug and the third does not care at all: everyone will be blessed with whatever they believe. I am one of the 1st group I mentioned and today I pray that Jesus blesses my country: Germany:

Dear Lord, I ams o thankful that I am a German and I am thankful to know you, I pray for this country to hear you and see you, I pray fogive us our sins and let us forgive others who sinned against us. I pray help us to receive your goodness and help us not to criticize but believe in YOU I pray bless us and hold us, yoru German Bride Kerstin

Wuerdig das Lamm das geopfter ist wuerdig das Lamm zu nehmen wuerdig das Lamm das geopfert ist, wuerdig das Lamm zu nhemen Kraft und Reichtum, Weisheit und Staeke Ehre und Ruhm und LObpreis (that is a wonderful German Hymn to praise Jesus the lamb of God,taken out of Revelation 4 and 5)

German ramblings- OG=Only German

Also jetzt mal ehrlich, meine change group ist schon echt gut und immer wieder werde ich herausgefordert- mensch, heute war es schon echt krass. Ich bin emotional ziemlich fertig, da ich vehement eine grosse Erkaeltung abwimmeln will und schon total ermuedet bin. Dazu kommen Halschmerzen, laufende Nase und einfach Schlappheit. Grr. Ich will nicht krank sein, denn wir fliegen in 5 tagen nach Suedafrika! oh mann! all das und in der Kleingruppe heute abend ging es um Aengste, Aerger, Essen, etc, um Sachen die wir fuehlen oder tuen, um nicht Schmerz oder tiefe Aengste entgegen zu sehen. Bei dem Thema Essen hab ich zugemacht:

da hab ich keine Probleme, ich hab schon genung was ich staendig beschaue, lasst ich bloss in dem Gebiet zufieden!

Huch wo kam denn das her? Diese Stimme in mir war laut. Krass. Ich weiss dass hinter so einer Reaktion meist mehr steckt. Und meine Hausaufgabe ist es , mich dem zu stellen. Oh mann, was ne Hausaufgabe. Mein Gott der in mir ist, ist groesser als der Herrscher dieser Welt. Und mein Gott will mich frei sehen, frei von Aengsten und Schmerzen! Danke dir mein Gott und Herr! Dir allein gehoert mein Herz und all mein Klumpen Muell den ich mit mir herum trage, hilf mir mich zu respektieren wenn ich schwach bin denn dann bist naemlich DU superstark!!!! Deine Kerstin