Hey everyone! It’s now October 3 (this date is actually right) :D The past two weeks have been pretty crazy, busy, exciting, etc. all at once! Ha! The last full week in September was still outreach in Cape Town. We had a day off on Monday and I went with some friends to a neighboring suburb called Wyneburg. We did a little exploring and got a tiny bit of internet time. :) The rest of the week was filled with continuing to work with our church’s youth group and evangelizing in the community around the church. We connected with the other half of our DTS for a couple of days and on Friday we ran a soccer tournament with them. My team performed the Lifehouse drama (check YouTube) after the soccer tournament and explained how the skit depicted our relationship with Christ and what He did for us. It was a pretty good experience and I’m sure we’ll be sharing that skit with many more people in the coming weeks! :)

This past week was spent in Muizenberg which is a suburb of Cape Town, approximately 25 minutes from where we were at Pastor Andre’s house. We’re finishing up our lecture phase at the YWAM base here and this week’s topic was Missions. It was a very challenging week, especially for me. The very first night, our speaker talked about how we think that we have to have some kind of electrical feeling about something before we obey or listen to God, but that’s not how the kingdom of God works. We basically have two options: 1. To live in my safe zone-in what I know and what’s familiar. In this area we are secure and we know our surroundings, but God is limited—He can’t work in a confined place like that. OR 2. We can step out into the risk zone-the area where God is allowed to work in our lives, to make things interesting, to grow us in Him. This is the place where God is…this is where life goes from being dull and boring, to exhilarating and exciting. It was pretty challenging because I know that I’ve been praying for God to change my heart and to work miracles in and with me, but I’ve wanted to stay in my safe zone. I’ve been wanting to hold on to my family, friends and all that is familiar and comfortable at home, but I know that if I’m trying to control my future and where I go, I’m limiting God and the things he can do with my life. Wow. So I decided to give it all to him. I decided that no matter where God takes me in the future, it will be amazing and I will be happy because God’s plans for me are way more exciting than any plans that I could even THINK of on my own!

One other thing that really stood out to me this week was the fact that I can be a good student, a good leader, a good teacher, doctor, lawyer, mother, etc…but unless I step out into my risk zone and give EVERYTHING to God, I’ll be useless and irrelevant. Without Him leading me, I’ll just be floundering around hoping that I can make some impact on my own. But seriously…why not trust him?? He knows me better than I know myself—He know my passions and desires that I don’t even know yet (but that I’m hoping He’ll reveal to me sometime in the coming weeks… :D), and the best part…He cares about my future more than I do! That blows my mind but is also so comforting at the same time. On this topic, the verse Romans 12:2 is pretty relevant. The will of God and what He has for my life is enjoyable, pleasing, perfect and FUN!! It’s not sad or painful or horrible or lonely like the devil makes it seem…it’s actually a happy thing to “take up our cross and follow Him.” Because since Jesus has already taken up His (and our) cross—and triumphed over it (Col 2:15), it’s now available to us as a weapon against Satan…it’s joyful! :D

Anyway, I hope you liked that sermon..ha! It’s now the weekend and it’s beautiful outside!! Since I’m staying approximately 100 feet from the waterfront, I think I’m going to spend the rest of the afternoon there! Heehee! Apparently this weekend there’s a big thing going on and they’re trying to break the world record for how many people ride one wave…something over 100 I believe. I’ll try to fill you in on that one later. :) I hope you all have a great week, I’m praying for you and love and miss you all,

Rachel