Nations to Nations

Hello friends!

It's been awhile since my last post. Let me update you on what I've been doing.

I returned to Muizenberg last week after being away at a week long conference in Jeffery's Bay, on the Eastern Cape. It was about an 8 hour drive along the coast to get there, but it was BEAUTIFUL. At times we'd be driving for miles through farmlands filled with herds ostriches and wild horses, then over breathtaking mountains and areas that looked like rain forests. At one time along they way we had to stop and allow for a family of baboons to cross the road! Jeffery's Bay was a small surfers paradise with beautiful shell covered beaches. We stayed on a YWAM base in one of the townships and I met tons of on fire people from all around the globe. The conference was a really powerful time of worship and intersession for the nations. On the final night they rolled a gigantic map across the entire floor of the church we were meeting in and we laid hands on all the nations and did a Jericho walk. It was powerful. Each day we had a several different speakers from different parts of the world.

I was able to work in one of the local orphanages while I was there called "Seventh Heaven" and it was great to see just how true the word is when it describes the Lord as a father to the fatherless. Each month the Lord has faithfully provided funding for Seventh Heaven. The staff was so loving with the children and you could see that they had really dedicated their lives to caring for these orphans. The children, ages 1-10, were all victims of abandonment or abuse. Many had seen one or both of their parents killed. One little girl there that really captured my heart was named Angel. She is known as the miracle baby of the house. She had been found in a trash bag when she was only a couple week old. She hadn't been touched or fed in over a week and had severe swelling and rashes covering the lower part of her body. The team that rescued Angel was able to find her mother, who later admitted she had been waiting for her daughter to die. Angel is now a healthy and happy two year old. Seventh Heaven also found help for Angels mother. This team sets a true example of showing the unconditional, nonjudgmental love of Christ and have really touched my heart. Every child was so eager to just be held and talked to. Please keep them in your prayers and pray Gods blessing over the staff and the children.

Unfortunately while I was there I had some trouble with a tooth. One of my molars had been bothering me before I left and I had gone into the city to have it looked at. The first appointment I could get was with a general practitioner some friends from my church here recommended. He told me that I needed to see an actual dentist, but encouraged me and laid hands on me and prayed over me before I left. I was shocked, but felt so comforted as God was assuring me he was with me. The dentist I saw was an elderly Indian man and I could not understand his accent at all. I was in such tremendous pain I allowed him to just have at my mouth and he he began grinding on several different teeth. Then I was really in pain! After doing whatever it was he did he prescribed me some pain medicine and I headed of for Jeffereys Bay. Once I got to J-Bay, the tooth got infected and I was in a world of pain I have never known. I immediately saw another dentist who began an emergency root canal. The next day I woke up and the infection had spread to the surrounding soft tissue and the left side of my face was completely swollen. So it was back to the dentist I went, which turned into two additional visits to treat the infection. I found out that this dentist actually attended the church where my conference was being held and he was very gracious to me throughout that week, getting me in despite an already booked schedule. At the conference several people prayed for me and the Lord was so faithful to sustain me throughout the week and by the time we were getting ready to head back to Muizenberg the swelling had gone down completely and I have haven't had any pain since. I will have to see a dentist here in Muizenberg sometime this week to have the procedure finalized, but God has been so faithful in providing me with great health care providers, I'm not worried.

I will post again soon to catch you up on this week, it has been good.

Please keep me in prayer, as all the visits to the dentist and antibiotics have been a financial hardship on me and also complete healing in my final visit.

xo