FAITHikePOTATOES

Lifestyle relationship! That is what fascinates me at the moment. It is all about relationship and being real and authentic. It is all about WALKING THE TALK and about a faith that shows reality. This is part of my work right now in my Junior High small group of girls that I am leading. Likewise it is a big theme for our church here at the moment. This last Saturday evening I put in a DVD in my laptop and have not been the same since. I watched a South African movie that blew my mind and touched my heart so much! I know…those who know me well also know that I am a pretty emotional individual (grin) but still, this movie is such a gem. It is called: Faith Like Potatoes (2006) (www.faithlikepotatoes.com) It’s the true story of an African (Zambian) farmer with Scottish heritage who encounters God and changes lives. Go ahead and look for it in your Blockbuster video shops…ask or find it as a DVD on the internet. It is worth every cent and every minute you watch. There are a lot of good movies out. However only a few really reach that deep and leave an everlasting touch of Jesus on our hearts. This is one of them. I blogged about good books on here like REDEEMING LOVE by Francine Rivers or THE ATONEMENT CHILD. It is awesome to see what good stuff is about apart from so much fluff and entertainment. Faith Like Potatoes: Angus Buchan, a Zambian farmer of Scottish heritage leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land and reclaims and travels south with his family to stat a better life in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With nothing more than a caravan on a patch of land, and help from a Zulu called Simeon, the Buchan family struggle to settle in this new country. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. It is a true story of this farmer who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest!!! May our faith be like that one of a potato: real and unseen until it is time for the harvest!!!

LIFEhere

Long time no see  It is my 6th week here in South Africa and I am getting settled more and more. So many things run through my mind every day. I check on the building every once in a while to see how far the builders are and I cannot wait to see the new church building finished. In the meantime we are having a fast with the entire congregation to fast for breakthrough in our lives but also to fast for breakthrough for the building. We need the money for having the roof put on. In all this we are through the half of the fast time already (16days all in all). During this time, we meet every Wednesday night to praise together and sing joyful songs to breakthrough heaven and praise our God Almighty. I am fasting from the internet which is not that easy for me. See, I am not able to fast food because of the medication that I take. It is an interesting time and a time for me to press into the Lord, to read in HIS word more and to concentrate on HIS truth. Likewise, it is a time where I battle emotions of loneliness and the feeling of being overwhelmed day in and day out. I go to the beach a lot and chase waves….as well as take the time to praise God despite of all I am feeling right now. My life has changed drastically in the last year. From Oregon to Germany to Cape Town and I can feel all those changes. I am not too fond about changes; I have to say though that in a life of faith CHANGE is the very constant thing apart from Christ of course. The season changed here about a week or two ago. Now it is fall and the only thing that is different is that the nice breeze increased and that it is colder in the evening. I am so thankful of staying at a place close to the beach where I can profit from the weather as much as possible. In this time a lot so happening at the same time. Coastlands Community Church is in need of a lot and it is hard to see that and wait on God and wait on how HE will provide and meet the needs here. I am helping out in youth ministry right now where I take on a teen group for girls (ages 13/14). See this church focuses a lot on families with children. This means that we have the children there without a certain message for them. Right now we concentrate on bridge building (relationship) to connect with the youth. The goal is to point them to Jesus. My group consists of 3 girls. I am glad to be able to pour into their hearts and lives. Restoration and Healing…..the shape of this church will be clearer from month to month and I am here to be God’s hands extended to this church and this community and to find how to bring HIS tools of healing and restoration here.

blessingTIMES

Here I am close to Easter sunday actually. I wanted to post some pics from my walk on the beach yesterday. It is really warm here, summer time actually and hard to believe that it snows in Germany or Holland..... I now have my own cell group and I am so glad for that one. We meet on wednesday nights and we pray and have some a cappella worship time. God is good and I am eager to celebrate Easter here!! by the way: the moon looks different here! It is true! enjoy the pics...I will also include the ones from my tour at night to see the lights over Cape Town from last night.....

myJERICHO

Culture shock...my JerichoShare 2:40pm Wednesday, Mar 19 | Edit Note | Delete Wow it is three weeks that I set my feet on South African soil and since then I've walked this ground....on the beach....on the streets....on the Ostrich Farm.... so after realizing more and more taht I am experiencing some culture shock...I decided to proclaim taht I am starting to walk around my Jericho and when the time comes I will blow the horn and I will sing and worship and after a while of walking and praying around this Jericho I WILL see the walls fall!!!!! My Jericho? that is me being here in CApe Town, where i know God called me to but NOW finding HOW HE wants me to do what He has given me and knowing GOD that will be quite a journey cuz our God cannot be put into a box and I try not to put HIM there. My heart is willing ..sometimes fear creeps in and I ask myself how on earth am I supposed to do what God is calling me to...but then I know taht I just need to be Kerstin and HE will do the rest :) I call the walls of my Jericho to fall!!! JERICHO and its fall!!!!!!! read about in thebook of Joshua

@Jenny

Here I am , finally posting a view pictures I hope. I have been with Granny Jenny for all this week now. Unfortunetely but expectedly, I have entered culture shock now. My emoitons go rampart on me and the levels of me feeling things are as deep as teh ocean and as high as tablemountain. I know it though and that makes all the difference. Here are some pictures of how I am living right now and also more. On monday I went to a fabrique shop with the lady I stay with. I saw a worker there, I started praying when I saw her and thought that maybe God had something there. So I said: Lord, talk to me if you want to. He did and I found out that that worker came from the Congo speaking French. So I delivered th word God had for her and we started sahring God's love in the middle of that fabrique shop.! WOW! 2 days ago and I went to the beach to talk to God and praise HIM when I asked a man to take a picture of me. It turns ou that that was a divine appointment and we could pray ont he beach. Every day I come to realize how much God is not only with me but working through me!! this is incredible but I trust my God although I am going through some lonely and hard spots right now. God is good and HE is sovereign. TO HIM BE ALL THE GLORY!!

BeaconOfHOPEandOtherThoughts

Nelson Mandela called Tablemountain a Beacon Of Hope. That is what it was to him and so many other prisoners who were held on Robben Island for so many years. Actually this mountain fascinates me. Wherever I go here, it is the mountain that I see. Then I look for the face of this man looking up into heaven and I smile. It is a Beacon Of Hope for me as well. Hope for God's way of things and for HIS timing. The verse God gave me last night while I was in a homegroup is the following: Proverbs 16:3 -Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed (Amplified Bible). This is what I have been doing...all my expectations and fears and doubts and burdens and hunger and thirst..all this I am rolling upon my Lord. So many thoughts run through my mind when I am walking along the streets that don't have any pavement for walking people: Where do I need to walk ..on the left side? on the right side? I do have to look right first when I want to cross a road not like we do (we need to look left first then right). All is twisted. The driver sits on the right side in the car and the car drives on the let side of the road(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargggghh)..... I am getting to know thi area a bit better. I actually stay close to the beach called Dolphin beach. Blouubergstrand is further up in the west. God tells me to be patient and to wait upon HIM, ok, I say. Last night He really blessed me by being invited to my landladz Jane's homegroup. We worshipped prayed and fellowhsipped. Oh how I needed taht. So here we go Proverbs 16 verse 3: Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

ButterandBitsandPieces

Here I am again...way into my second week. I want to share this nice picture with you: this is how Jane the landlady serves the butter to her guests. isn't it not really beautiful? Every morning I am amazed at these little things. I am learning a lot and Jane actually took me for a drive to get to know the area a bit. How beautiful it is here and I have to say I am fascinated with Tablemountain and its whole surroundings. It is hot again today...like yesterday: 37 Degrees Celsius (99*F!!!) and just now I saw the mist coming from across the ocean over Robben Island to us....amazing (I know, for people that live close to the sea it is nothing extraodinary!). I am learning about the black culture and the white culture and that actually is not an easy issue at all. I looooove to go swimming in the house pool here and I do so every day ...several times. It is really awesome to swim at night when all is dark and that only thing you can see is the stars in the sky!!! I will move on to my next station. Yes, we found a pleace to stay for me: On monday morning I will go to Granny Jenny, one of the oldest ladies in our church. I am thankful for something for permanent even though it is only another station until I will live in an appartment by myself.

MyTHANKYOUtomyGod

I waited 7 to 8 days for this but it is important to write it out: my thanks to my God:

Dear heavenly Father, I heard your gentle invitation 1 1/2 years ago to open my heart to the possibility of coming to South Africa. You overcame my fears and doubts easily because you know me, my God, you know me deep deep inside. Thank you dear Jesus for giving me allI needed to come here to Cape Town! I exalt you Jesus for your love and grace, for your sovereignety, for you perfect love that DOES cast out all fear. This blog post I dedicate to YOU my dear and tender Lord! Thank you thank you thank you for being with me those 7 months in Germany and thank you for a purpose in all this...more than one! Thank you Jesus for all this! Thank you for bringing me to Cape Town! Despite all the obstacles...you came through and I am here. My soul dhas not fully grasped it yet. I thank you and bless your name Jesus!! Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding me and giving me wisdom where I needed it. Thank you Lord for yoru words to me and your guidance. I exalt your being LORD, I exalt your name Jesus. You are God and you reign above all! You are in control!!!! Your name is Immanuel- God with us!!! Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins and iniquities! Thank you for yoru grace toward me that is anew very morning!!! Thank you that YOU have a purpose and a future, a plan not to harm me but to prosper me and in all this to point to YOU my God!!!! I thank you dear God, my Father, blessed and exalted be your name. Honor and strength and wisdom be to you alone. I honor you Lord Jesus for you made it possible for me to come here to Cape Town. Whatever you want me to do, whereever you want me to be, help me to listen to you. I am yours dear Lord and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!! Your Sunshine

My new favorite song: Another Hallelujah

I listened to this song the other day while watching one of the last episodes from OC, the series. When I heard that song, my heart was touched and I felt close to the Lord's heart. On my second morning here at the bed and breakfast in CApe Town, I came in to have breakfast and heard this song. I melted my heart and here it is:....

newDAY

So this was my 6th day, it is night now and the wind is blowing. I can tell I am close to the sea. This sea air makes me tired a lot actually. I am thankful to be here and now I am embracing something new as well: loneliness. It does not feel nice but I know that it is part of adjusting to this place and to my new way of living. I am closer to Jesus and I know I need HIM so much. I'd just love to be surrounded by friends now or even by one or two and share my heart. Instead I will go to my room, snuggle iwth my teddy bear and pray, share it all with my heavenly Father. That is good as well. I went to the beach today, I watched the waves break and smelled the sea. I let the sun carress my skin and let the wind play with my hair. I bless the LOrd for all this, Blessed is HIS name

STAYinBEDandBreakfast

The bed and breakfast is so beautiful and full of God's love. Here are some pics: ThiS iS where I AM CURRENTLY STAYING IN CAPE TOWN. BIRKENHEAD ROAD 46 NEAR THE BEACH!!!

CapeTown

I am in Cape Town and have only 5 more minutes online so here are so pictures for you from my first 3days here. It is amazing and slow pace! I like it and am more and more aware that this is my new home now. wow!!!Take a look. I live 8 minutes walk from this beautiful beach and I hopefully will include a pic of the pastor.I also include a pic of my room at the Bed and Breakfast which is just awesome for me! I am soo thankful for it!!! Till next time with more to write about what I eat and why I am so tired :) I saved this text, am online now a bit later on saturday night. I really do enjoy it here and my whole soul is in the ADJUSTING phase. Yomorrow I will be in church, my new one, for the first time!!!! I am excited and it is awesome to be with some friends I made back last year when I went here for 10 days. I am so thankful and pray for God to direct my very step, my live, my heart!! He is in control