2 Corinthians 4:10

"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:10

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Team Is Here!!!!

Today the team arrived safe and sound! :) It was wonderful to get to the airport and see them arrive off the plane and waving from the glass enclosed terminal. So wonderful. I'm feeling rejuvenated from these two weeks away from them and am excited for what this week will bring for them.

The plan today is for the team to have some time to relax, shower, and get situated at the Team House. Then we are off to Living Hope's Prevention Center (which is their main campus in Capri) to meet the LSE's we'll be working with in Overcome Heights and have some lunch. It will be great for the team to see the main campus and meet some of the people and plan for what our ministry will be like when we hit the road running tomorrow afternoon at the Wait For Me concert.

Then we will be going up Chapman's Peak, which is near Table Mountain, and see the views of beautiful Cape Town from the top. Super cool! Last year when the team came Table Mountain was closed so we unfortunately were unable to go up. It will be a treat to see all of this beautiful city from there (Pictures to come).

Everyone says "hello" from Cape Town and we'll keep in touch throughout our week to keep you up to date on everything that is going down.

With much love ~ Jaclyn

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

S. African Schools and Awesome Old Ladies :)

Yesterday (Monday) I spent the day with my favorite auntie, Gail. She is in charge of all of the support group leaders in Capricorn and Overcome Heights, the two townships I work in. Auntie Gail and some of the support group leaders (awesome, amazing women of God, who I adore!) went over to a retirement home outside of the townships. I spoke to the women about stress and it was awesome! They had a radiant presence about them that I can only guess comes with getting to be 75+ years old and going through trials and tribulations and coming out on top in the end. The oldest lady of the bunch was 84 and she told me that she doesn't have stress or worry because if she stresses or worries, she won't get any younger. And she added that God has been good to her in her life and she is thankful but doesn't worry. :) What a lesson to us all yea? We walked back to the Capricorn building (about 40 minutes - don't worry! it was safe) and I got to see the tail end of kid's club. Marsha and Gail and I were walking together and laughing about how funny it must look for a white-haired, white-skinned, blue-eyed girl to be walking into a township with two African ladies. Although we were laughing and joking about it, the feeling of aparteid and oppression still exists here. I pray for the day when it doesn't exist.

Today I had a special treat...something I've been waiting for since last year....I went into a primary school with the LSE's and got to see what schools are like in the townships and how the LSE's teach lessons. First we went into a 1st grade classroom, then 2nd grade, and finally 5th grade. We had approximately 1/2 hour each for the lesson. The LSE's are allowed to go into this school and teach about HIV/AIDS and abstinence. There are some schools in the area that are not interested in hearing this information from a faith-based organization, but it is a blessing that many of them do. Anyway, the first classroom we went into had 46 children. It was at the beginning of school and so they were getting their "breakfast," a meal of beans and rice. The next one had two classes because one of the teacher's was ill and so the other classroom had to take on the load. In this classroom, there were many children sitting on the floors. Much of the materials are hand me downs and are really just old and decrepid. It made me sad to think of all we have in the U.S. at school and we still are not satisfied. As teachers and school staff we complain that we don't have this and we don't have that....myself included. . .. and it puts everything in perspective when you see children who are in a place to learn sitting on the floor because their teacher is sick and there is no substitute.

I was able to teach part of the HIV lesson to the 5th graders, which was awesome! They were very attentive and very smart :) And I'm very thankful that my dear friend, Ilana (LSE), trusted me enough to allow me to do part of the lesson. That kind of acceptance means more to me than I can say. AND I saw a familiar face (I'd been searching for her all week at kid's club, but didn't see her) It was Jennifer!!! :) To all of my teammates from last year, I'm sure you know how super excited I was to see her beautiful, smiling face. For those of you who weren't on the team last year, scroll down on my blog and Jennifer is the beautiful girl with me holding the paper cross. I wanted to cry I was so happy...and I literally almost screamed out her name. Oops! But I didn't...I went up to her later and she promised to come to kid's club this week and next. Let's hope!

I then went with Stacey and Shagmie to teen's club in Overcome. I had been worried later last week because not one teen from Overcome teen's club had signed the commitment form for Wait For Me. Today we separated the girls and boys and talked to them separately. Stacey spoke about what is abstinence and why is it important and I talked about the reality that maybe some of them had already had sex, but that through Christ you can be redeemed. You don't have to feel bad about yourself or feel like you can't recommit your life and what that means to me based upon my story. Every girl, granted there were only 7, signed a commitment form today. Two of the boys did. I'm thankful that they did but I pray that it was heartfelt; that they knew what they were commiting to and that they really want to save themselves for marriage. The fact is, that many of these teens face very high risks when they have multiple sexual partners and the younger they start to be sexually active, the worse that risk becomes. Please pray for each of these teens and their commitment to abstain from sex until marriage. They really are making a commitment to God to respect their bodies and be living sacrifices to Him.

This week is already racing by....tomorrow I'm talking with a group of health care workers/staff about stress in the morning and helping my dear friend Danielle at the prevention center, then off to kid's club. I missed them today. Then Thursday I'm going to a secondary school and off to teen's club in the afternoon. AND Friday the team comes! Yay! And I'm off to be with them at the Team House.

I do need some prayer from you all this week. I was asked today to give my testimony at the Wait For Me concert (again another honor). I did this at the youth service in Overcome last year and it was difficult but freeing as well. Please pray that I am able to prepare well and provide the information that those teens need to hear; that God's words will be my words. I pray that even if it is meant to touch just one of those youth, that it does despite the color of my skin. The Lord is my Keeper and I put all of my trust in Him....I pray that He provides me strength and comfort to get through it.

I am grateful to you all for your prayers and love. I miss you and I am excited to see your faces soon.

With lots of love ~ Jaclyn

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Safari's Rock!


Yesterday was an awesome day! I traveled at 5:30 am with 4 other volunteers and our lovely house coordinator Alicia to Aquila, which is a natural game reserve about 3 hours from where we live. It was an amazingly beautiful day in S. Africa. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the was a slight coolness about the air. It was gorgeous and we all had a wonderful time reveling in God's creation.

When we got there we were greeted by a friendly staff who led us into their restaurant where we were welcomed with lovely smells of a hot and cold breakfast...I mean this buffet was amazing. There was literally every kind of breakfast food you could ever want or need here. We sat and ate...and ate :) And then we piled into a safari truck and were off on the reserve. It was so awesome to see animals in their natural habitat...up close and personal. We saw Kudu, water buffalo, lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, springbok, zebras, and a wonderful giraffe who stuck around for a million pictures. It's so weird to think that just yesterday I was literally about 20 feet from a live giraffe! Crazy :) I took lots of pictures and will share them when I return back to the states. Internet is slow so I'm unable to download them here, but they are amazing. We then came back after about 2-3 hours to a lovely buffet lunch. It was a great day. We all laughed, relaxed, and had a great time.

I'm mostly thankful that I was able to get to know some of the volunteers who I hadn't really connected with yet. I had been praying about this and God, as always, answers prayers. This little safari was exactly what we needed to connect and bond....no complaining . . .no negativity . . .. no objections, just fun and enjoying each others' company. It was wonderful and I couldn't help but smile at the Lord's provision in this way.

I love you all....next week is a big week. I'll be doing some more support groups, also speaking to the care clinic support staff, and going into a couple of schools with the LSE's (one primary and one secondary) to see them teach some lessons. I'm super excited! THEN....the team gets here on Friday - whoop! - and our time will begin in Overcome. Pray for this coming week; that I can do what is asked with a humble, faithful, and servant's heart and that the Lord will bless my words to help those who I am speaking to and with. Also continue to pray for the children in the townships here as they prepare for the Wait For Me concert and their commitments to abstain for sex before marriage.

Loving you all! Jac

Friday, July 23, 2010

How fast the week has gone!

I just realized that all of my posts recently are about how fast time is flying here in Cape Town. But it's true that once you are here, days quickly turn into weeks. Before I know it, the team will be here (yay!) and then in a blink we'll be flying home to our friends and family back home. . . changed forever by this experience but so much more fulfilled in our journey.

First I want to thank you all for praying for me and continuing to send encouraging comments to me. It means a lot! I've realized as I've been here "alone" that it is a much different experience than being in the presence of those whom you've grown to love, care for, and respect over the course of team trainings, team hikes and outings, and living life together. Although I have wonderful S. African friends here who have welcomed me with open arms and have made my ministry time here fun, I still miss those of you who really know me, those who love me unconditionally. So needless to say, although I am experiencing things that I would have never had the chance to on a team, I will be ecstatic to see my team come through the gates at the Cape Town airport. :)

I've been busy this week with Living Hope. Today was LSE training, where we prepare for next weeks lessons for schools team and kids/teens club. It's been great to see their curriculum and how they process and prepare for what they will be doing for the next week. We begin the 10 Commandments next week (one commandment per week) and Danielle and the LSE's are working hard to make sure that this is practical and applicable to the kid's daily lives.

The Teen's team is busy getting ready for the Wait For Me concert on the 31st, which is coming fast. They are doing an amazing job of planning and I am loving getting to know them and being a part of their preparation. This concert is a big deal and it is the first time that the LSE's are planning it. I'm super proud of them! They are working over time to make this special and I see how much their hearts go into making this an event that the teens in the townships will not soon forget. I'm just finishing up the 1-2 day lesson that our team will be doing for the teen's in Overcome. I'm sad because it does not look like the teen's club will be participating in the Wait For Me as none of them have signed commitment forms (to commit to abstain prior to marriage). It makes me wonder what they are struggling with and going through in their daily lives (peer pressure or maybe they think because they've already made a mistake, they aren't worthy?) that may be hindering them. Shagmie and Stacy (LSE's for Overcome) have done a great job of talking about redemption in Christ with them. The seeds have been planted and now I just pray that it continues to grow.

Tomorrow I'm off to do a short safari in a place not too far from Cape Town (about 2 hrs). I'm excited to go and see some wildlife. This is an awesome opportunity that I'm truly grateful for - - don't worry! I'll take lots of pictures. I've heard good things - they give you a nice breakfast and lunch I hear. Mmmmm - yummy! But I have to leave here at 5:30 am so I better get off to bed.

With love - Jaclyn

P.S. Mom - it was so good to hear your voice today! :) It made me smile. Love you so so much.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The days are blurring together already

I've only been here since Thursday and already I feel as though I've been here for a lot longer...in a good way of course :) The days in S. Africa tend to blur together and I often lose track of what day it actually is. It's kinda crazy.

For the last three days I've been helping with support groups in the morning. Living Hope has support groups that meet in the community to encourage each other in living with their struggles and keeping Jesus Christ at the forefront of their lives even in their struggles. I've been teaching some stress management strategies in the areas of Capricorn and Overcome Heights. Most groups meet in local houses within the community and some meet at the Capricorn church. Each group is dynamically different but all have the same needs, concerns, and stresses (health, safety, finances, family/relationships). Please pray for these women and men who are trying to live their lives with grace and humbleness while living in circumstances that you and I cannot even imagine would be our reality. I so want to tell of some touching and also sad stories but this is not the place to divulge. But they are heartbreaking stories and while you go to sleep in your safe, comfy bed after having eaten, at least your third meal of the day, please remember that there are those who do not have any of those basic needs met...they are many.

In the afternoons, I've been either working at Kid's clubs or Teen's club in Overcome Heights. I've seen a couple children who I remember from last year, but there are some that are missing (my Leo) who I would love to see. But the population is transient so the chances that he would have been back were few anyway. It's been awesome working with my wonderful, awesome friend Shagmie. Missed him to death! Also the other LSE's are amazing and I love hanging out with them and teaching kids about important topics like alcohol, drugs, and sex. The realities of rape, pre-marital sex, teen pregnancy, drug/alcohol addiction, etc. is rampant here and teens and children are extremely vulnerable to falling prey to these issues.

Tomorrow I'm excited because I'm hanging out at the Team House for a little while with my fam! ;) Love them and I can't wait to spend some quality time with them. And LAUGH - - We will be playing Apples To Apples....Hehehehe! Love it!

I also can't wait until the team gets here next week. Whoop! :) I'm working hard to get some things ready for when they come. We are going to be teaching Teen's club for at least one day when they come, so I'm writing up some lessons for when they are here. I'm also continuing to tweak our schedule for when we are here to pack in as much ministry experiences as possible. I love that our team is so willing to be humble servants on this mission and I can't wait to see them arrive.

Loving you all for praying for me and my ministry here. I continue to hope and pray that I remain humble to the Lord and bless those around me, even when it's hard to do. Please also pray that I am effective here and that I accomplish and am open to what God is calling me to experience here. Knowing that all of you are behind me and praying for me helps me to not feel homesick and helps me persevere through some of the emotionally draining times here.

With lots of love ~ Jaclyn

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Day One and other fun stuff

Yesterday (Friday) was my first day at Living Hope....I woke up at 3 am and willed myself to go back to sleep until 5:30 and then I couldn't stand it anymore and got up anyway. Bummer! That jet lag got the best of me this time. Anyway, so my day started early but it was great to have a quiet volunteer house (there are 15-17 other volunteers here mostly under the age of 21) to do my devotional and take in the day. Rainy and cold basically summed it up, but that was ok. I was excited to begin helping out!

I went to the prevention center, Living Hope's main campus, and had Life Skill Educator (LSE) training to prepare for next week. This is where they plan the lessons for kid's and teen's clubs for the week. Right now they are also planning the Wait For Me concert, which kicks off their Wait For Me campaign in the townships. Kids will sign a commitment to be faithful and abstinent until marriage (the LSE's have been doing a huge push in the local schools in order to get kid's to commit) and in turn they get to be a part of this awesome celebration. The OCC team got the bracelets for the event made and I brought them over on the plane. And I'm super excited because the team will be here when the concert happens on the 31st. I can't wait for them to be a part of it! :)

After LSE training, we were busy getting some information ready for the LSE's for their sexual abuse lessons next week. All of the kid's and teen's clubs, in light of the sex trafficking issues surrounding the World Cup, have been getting information and training about sex trafficking, strangers, and sexual abuse issues. This is a very important lesson so please pray that children here take it to heart and protect themselves against victimization. It hurts my heart to think that, according to one statistic from 2008, that 24,892 rapes occurred in S. Africa. Many of these were vulnerable children; those with little money, food, shelter, etc. You can go to this website for more information and a video put on by S. African children on the dangers and realities of sex trafficking in S.A. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VxD3RmRUf0&feature=player_embedded#at=246

I also found out that I will be working in the mornings next week with an amazing support group leader, Gail, and helping her with her support groups. I'll be giving some talks about stress management, which will be challenging but hopefully helpful to the people of Overcome Heights. In the afternoons, I'll be joining my wonderful friend Shagmie for teen's club and another LSE Natalie for kid's club, also in Overcome. This starts on Monday. I can't wait to see the kids!! Whoo hoo! :)

Today (Saturday) was awesome. I was able to go out with some long term volunteers and my friend Danielle and we went to the Old Biscuit Mill, which is in a place called Woodstock. It is an open air farmer's market kind of place, with awesome shops and amazing food. It was great! Today has been so sunny and beautiful. :) No coats and jackets today. Just the amazing sun and 65 degrees. Tonight we are going to a restaurant down by the water...yummy! And for all of you OCC teamers I was able to go to home (aka the Team House) last night and it was wonderful to be back. I can't wait for you guys to see it soon.

Anyway, I love all of my wonderful friends and family back home. Thank you for reading my blog and catching up. Please feel free to send me comments back. It's always nice to hear from you. :)

Lots of love ~ Jaclyn


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Finally on the ground in Cape Town - Whew!

Finally arrived in Cape Town, S. Africa safe and sound :)

So all in all my flights were non eventful. . . . the flight to London was a little late, but considering I had a 7 hour layover, I didn't mind. I was able to sleep on the plane so I felt blessed and a little rested. Then, the big excitement of my trip, I got upgraded on the longest leg of the journey to Cape Town.  Whoo hoo! Business class (Club World) is awesome! And I got to sleep laying down with a real pillow and nice blanket. I literally thanked God multiple times for this. . . .However I did wake up at 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep. That darn jet lag...bummer! Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers regarding my travel.

I landed on the ground and got my luggage. It had been raining all morning in Cape Town and the sun was starting to peek out. It was sunny for the rest of the afternoon, but it was quite chilly. I have officially bundled myself up and had my first nightly cup of Roibois tea...mmmmmm yummy! I love S. Africa.

I met Alicia at the airport, the house manager, for the ACTS volunteer house, and we went to go surprise my friend, Danielle - curriculum administrator for Living Hope - at the new Living Hope building on the Care Clinic grounds. It was awesome to see her and I had a warm (aka screaming) welcome ;)  I was then pleasantly surprised to arrive at the ACTS house to Gordon playing a pink sparkly guitar singing me a welcome song with Clynton (House Manager for the Team House), Francie (driver), and Charl (my contact for ACTS)....ahhhh I'm home! :) It was so nice to feel welcomed and loved. Thanks guys!

Once we got our hugs out of the way and the boys were on their way to actually go to work, Alicia told me the rules of the house, showed me my room, and I got to get a little nap in. BUT I can't help but be anxious to start working tomorrow. I'm so excited to find out what God has in store for me and I can't wait to see all of the kids and families in Overcome. OH! And let's not forget Shagmie...the awesome, amazing, dynamic Life Skills Educator. So, tomorrow morning Danielle picks me up and I meet with Mike Talley to see what's up for my stay. All I know is that I'll be working in Overcome and Capricorn. The rest is up to God...I know He has a plan and I'm simply trusting His way....wherever it leads.

Thank you all for praying for me. Please pray for this week and for tomorrow, that I can be a blessing and not a burden and that I can show the love of Jesus easily through my actions.

I love you all! Until next time..... In Him ~ Jaclyn

Monday, July 12, 2010

Onto S. Africa - Last Minute Preparation


So the team has been busy getting last minute preparations completed for our impending trip to Cape Town. Everyone is amazing and doing well in anticipation of this awesome journey! I continually feel blessed to be able to serve with these amazing people.





Da boys:
Shawn: Strong in character, generous in spirit, energetic, the wild boy of the bunch ;)
Kelly: Quiet, hilarious, and helps all of us stay calm and collected...his calm spirit definitely rubs off
Jordan: faith-filled, admirable openness to try and do anything - even out of his comfort zone - he is an amazing example of a true servant
Aaron: leader, giving, and our strength in preparing the way for this trip.

Da ladies:
Ruth: Open, courageous, and an awesome servant for the Lord. You rock Ruth!
Steph: Evokes laughter and joy, is amazing with kids, and just completely loves life, which is obvious to all around her.
Jenny: Details...details...details ;), but seriously is so loving, kind, and generous, and always puts a smile on everyone's face with her charm and fun demeanor. Oh! And she's a great dancer! ;)
Ana: Strong and contemplative, a natural leader, who is willing to take the reigns whenever needed, and has an amazing gift for words of encouragement and love.
Heather: Exuberiant, happy, and willing to do anything no matter what others think.

One of my friends gave me this verse this week for encouragement: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 I LOVE this because it speaks to why each of the people going on this trip is going for . . .It speaks to the fact that each one was hand picked by the Lord to serve Him at this moment, in this way . . .and most important it speaks to the fact that each one of these amazing individuals LISTENED to the Lord's prompting and call upon their lives to take a step of faith and commit to this trip. I have no doubt that our lives will be changed. How can they not be when the Lord our God, our Father is involved. I can't wait to be let in on the "plans" God has for each one of these amazing people and for myself. It's going to be hard, it's going to be awesome, and it's going to be life-changing! :)

I will be writing soon directly from Cape Town, S. Africa. See you on the flip side my friends!

With lots of love, In Him ~ Jaclyn

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

One more week!

It is crazy to me that in 1 week I'll be boarding the plane to London, which will then take me on to Cape Town, S. Africa. The anticipation is killing me! :) I can't wait to meet my S. African friends again . . .to see them in person and not on facebook ;) . . . . to see the families I met last year and to hold the children. I can't wait to get started on doing God's work of serving others. I can't wait for my teammates to come at the end of July and begin their journies. It makes me enormously happy just thinking about it.

As I was sitting, this morning, on my parents patio (I'm visiting them in the Tri Cities for a week), soaking in the sun and God's beautiful creations and sipping on my first cup of coffee, I was thinking about all of my hopes for this trip; for the team and for myself. I pray for protection for us, that we will have God's shield around us while we are traveling, and while we are in the townships and working with Living Hope. I pray for humble hearts, that when we interact with each other and with others in the field that we do not come in as foolish, arrogant Americans, but with servant's hearts, no strings attached, no prideful gain. I pray for our time with Living Hope, that we can be a blessing, not a burden to them. That we can listen to what they need and support them in what they need, always being humble and giving. I pray that God will move us in immeasurable ways while we are there, that He will shape and mold us in ways we can't even imagine in order to be broken and ready to continue His work wherever we end up. I pray for unity, that our team may be united and bonded and unbroken. I pray that we humble ourselves to each other, work together as one body, and continue to treat each other with respect and love. And mostly I pray that our trip is focused solely on God and His will. I want this trip to be about Him and I simply want to be His servant.

I know that we have many people praying for us and I am so thankful to have so many people who care and love us in our corners, encouraging, and supporting. It is so appreciated!

So . . . 1 more week for me! And 3 weeks and 1 day for the team! It's here . . .time to go to S. Africa!!! :)