Trust and obey

This was a huge lesson that permeated much of my time in South Africa. Trust and obey. So many of the situations that I was in this was all that I could do. Trust and obey. It was evident that I wasn't in control here, that I didn't understand the plan that was going on. But God did. And that's all that mattered. He'd knew the outcome, and that was all the security that I needed. Trust and obey.

In the rush of live Stateside again, it's easy to forget this. In a culture that so presses independence, it's easy to become independent of others, even independent of God. This doesn't work, my friends. As I struggle (still) with adjusting back to life here, a dear friend reminded me of something. I need to trust God. Trust and obey. In SA, it was easy to trust Him with life and death matters; really I had no choice. But back in the States, I've fallen (hard) into pride. Unconsciously, I've taken the reigns from God on "little" things, things that I could handle on my own. Wrong! Slowly, I'm learning to give these things back to God, to trust that He cares about the small stuff as well as the big, and that in the end He is God who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).
Trust and obey.
Where you lead me, LORD, I will follow.

Wisdom

This is something that I'm lacking at the moment, and would greatly appreciate prayers for.

My summer (which is a bit strange to think about at the snow flies outside my window) is completely up in the air. All that plans that I had failed/are no longer. I'm trying to trust God, asking Him to lead and guide me for His name sake as to what to do with my summer. I know I've got some time, but at the same time I feel a sense of urgency as I feel like I need to make commitments soon. Here are a few of the options that I'm pondering:

Chip, a faculty member at CU, has graciously offered to let me join the Zambia team that he's leading. This would be at the end of June.

Rob, a family friend, and his family are currently working in orphanages in Zambia. He has offered to let me join them for a while this summer to get a taste of what working in an orphanage would be like.

I'd like to be able to help out at my camp again this summer. It'd only be a week of my summer (some time in July, I think). I really enjoyed running Odyssey and games and the CITs last summer.

I'm considering returning to South Africa. I miss my family and kiddos over there like no one's business! Nikki and Reagan have told me that I am welcome anytime, and I know that they can always use more help.

I think it may be wise to do something psych related to get a better feel for the field here (though I may or may not end up here long term).

Also throwing around the possibility of working at another camp, perhaps one focused on kids with special needs.

I'm also considering the reality that I have bills that need to be payed, and though I'd love to return to Africa or camp or volunteer somewhere this summer, I want to be responsible as well.

Please pray for wisdom. Pray that God shows me His will, that I pursue what He wants rather than what I want. Pray that He shows me His will not only for this summer, but also for today, for right now, for my life.

May God bless you!

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

Job's words best describe where I'm at right now. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. The LORD gives, the LORD takes away. Still I will praise Him. His character remains the same. The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away.

This past week has been rough. God's really been challenging me. Long story short, the South Africa team from Cornerstone is off. There was a lot to bring us to this decision: safety concerns, communication issues, costs, just to name a few. But most importantly, God said don't go. For the past week I've been wrestling with this. Logically, there's a laundry list of reasons why we shouldn't go. But God is confined by our logic. His thinking is higher than ours could ever be. My going to South Africa this past semester didn't make logical sense either, but that was His plan. And His plan for this spring is for the CU team not to go. I have no idea why this is, but I know in my heart that this is what God wants. Though I don't like this reality and am disappointed, I have peace. This is what God has put on my heart.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.

Oh to have the faith of Job! To lose everything, yet still praise God. I'm wrestling this with the South Africa team. I'm wrestling with this with my involvement with Africa in general. I don't know if God is asking me to, but I know that He's asking me if I'd be willing: willing to give up my love for and dreams of Africa if He calls me to do so. I can't see how this would make sense, but am I willing to do so if He asks me with? I wish I could give an affirmative yes, but to be honest it's something that I'll have to wrestle with for a while. I'd love for your prayers in this. Please pray that I learn to surrender every single part of myself to God, all of my hopes and dreams and being. Praying that nothing in this world could cause me to cease to praise His name. Pray that I can have faith like Job. Pray that God leads and guides me for His name sake. Pray that He becomes my only desire.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.

Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours

This has been my prayer lately. LORD, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Open my eyes to the opportunities that surround me, the opportunities that You've given me to speak your truth and love. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom's cause.

As I prepared for our presentation in chapel this morning, this was my prayer. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. I prayed that God would use me. That He would speak through me, that people would see and hear not me, but Him. I asked for words. I asked Him to help me make my peers understand the heartbreak of our world, of my babies in South Africa, of our God. The 30 seconds that I was given didn't do justice. The words that I had come up with simply weren't enough.

I should have learned by now that I should be careful what I ask God for, for He is a God who answers prayers. As I began to tell my story, tears filled my eyes; my mind couldn't help but venture to my babies. About 15 seconds in, I lost it. In front of my peers, my professors, and prospective students, I began to cry. I struggled to finished my tale then passed the mic, thoroughly embarrassed yet unable to contain my tears; my heart simply ached for these precious little ones. How I long to be with them!

After what seemed like an eternity, chapel was finished. My classmates were allowed to venture outside where they were met with hundreds of stories of orphans hung on clothesline all around campus. Meanwhile, I mulled in my humility. I don't like to cry in front of my closest friends, let alone a large portion of my school. After being comforted by a friend, God gently reminded me that this was what I had asked for. I had asked Him to speak in a way that would display His heart for these little ones, His heart for Francis. This is exactly what He had done.

Several conversations confirmed that I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Over and over I was told how my testimony touched hearts. Still, I felt silly.

It was until a few hours later than I realized how God had answered another part of my prayer. As my classmates sung around me, I prayed that God would shine through me, that this would be completely of Him and for Him. Again, gently He whispered, "Sharon, stop fretting about what people think of you. Stop worrying that they're going to perceive you as a chunkaboly. Remember: this isn't about you. It's about me. My truth was shown. My love for My children was shown.

I wish I could tell you that this has taken away all of the embarrassment. I'm still working on that. In the end though, God is good. His love and truth were shown, and that's all that really matters.

Chapel reinforced how much I miss my kiddos. I cried because I so want to be with them, so want to love them, so want to tell them the truth of who they are in Christ. The more that I pray for God to break my heart for what breaks His, the more that He does. And the harder it is to be here. I know that this is where God wants me; He's confirmed it over and over. But it's so hard being here as my heart breaks for my babies. Even harder is the fact that my life isn't completely consumed by service right now. Sure, I'm serving, but there's lovely school and such in there as well. I see the value of where God has me and trust His plan for having me here now, but it's hard.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

If you want to see the One life video that we watched, click here.
For a video of our presentation, click here.
And for more about the Lives on the Line campaign, click here.

ACTs week!

This coming week has been dubbed ACT:s week. ACT:s is "a network of students committed to exploring what our faith says about poverty and injustice, using creative activism to bring issues to life and change hearts, and using our voices to advocate with our government leaders."

This week, CU's branch is promoting ACT:s through several events, including Orange T-shirt campaign, Lives on the Line, and One Life presentation in chapel on Friday. All of these events pertain to orphans.

For the Orange T-shirt campaign, we are selling t-shirts that say "Orphan" to spread awareness about the number of orphans around the world. We are selling them over the next week and a half and are asking students to wear them on December 1st, World AIDS day.

Lives on the Line includes stringing clothesline around campus and hanging different stories of orphans from around the world. During chapel on Friday, students will be invited to take a name card and pray for the child whose story is represented. Story cards featuring country profiles and stories of 10 different people affected by HIV and AIDS are hung from clothesline in a highly trafficked area of your campus. Students are invited to read the story cards, pick up one to keep throughout the day and respond through giving and advocacy.

In chapel on Friday, we will show a clip that will make students aware of the need in our world as well what they can do about it. The chapel will focus on how, while the overall problem may seem overwhelming, we have the power to change just one life.

We'll also be informing students of Advent Conspiracy. Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption. Essentially, it takes away the gift/money/stuff focus on Christmas in exchange for the community/love/worship focus. We're encouraging our classmates to give up the material demands of the holiday season for something deeper. For more information, click here.

Please pray for these events over the next few weeks. Pray that everything will come together. Pray that students will be open to our message and that hearts will be changed. Pray the eyes are opened to the needs of our world and a burning passion to do something is created. Pray that God breaks our hearts for what breaks His and gives us the wisdom to do something about our hurting world. Please pray especially as I speak on Friday. Pray that God gives me words to accurately express what He's been up to in my life. Pray that I'm able to stick to my time limit. tehe. Mostly, pray that hearts will be changed, both on campus and throughout the world because of the events of this week.

May God bless you throughout this week!

I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!

This is the thought that's been going through my mind lately. I don't want to be here. It's become a daily struggle of reminding myself why I'm here, reminding myself of the privilege of education, of how hard I've worked to get here. Most importantly, reminding myself that this is where God wants me right now, remembering that I need to trust Him and His plan over my own. Let me tell you, we serve a spectacular God.

Yesterday was particularly difficult. I was overwhelmed with missing Africa and wishing that I was there again. The day held constant reminders of what I'd been missing. Random comments in class. Reagan called me, and simply hearing his voice brought me to tears. I miss him and his family so much. The focus of our ACTs meeting (a student organization on group geared toward social justice) was on orphans. This cut deep. I couldn't help but think back to my babies in SA. How I miss them! How I want to be with them! As we walked to the library to work on an upcoming event, a friend asked how I was doing. I simply shrugged at her. When she asked what was wrong, I told her that I don't want to be here. She seemed to understand what I meant.

As we worked on our project, another girl in our group asked me a question about missions. Basically, she asked me if I thought that she should go on both the Haiti and South Africa missions trips. She figured since I had been to both places, I would be the best person to ask. I told her that I couldn't answer her question and, though it's horribly cliche, she needed to pray about it, asking for God's direction. When she told me that she'd been doing this, I asked her what God had been telling her. She told me that He had told her to go. I told her that that was her answer. I also asked her what was making her question whether to go or not. She admitted that part of the issue was money, though she knew that God could provide that. The other part was being afraid that she couldn't handle all of the heartbreak. I told her that she was going to see a ton of heartbreak in both places. I admitted to her that my heart broke daily for my babies in Africa. But allowing my heart to break for the things that break God's heart has lead me to joy, lend me to a compassion that I never knew I was capable of.

I realized two things last night. One, God has grown me a ton! There's no way that those were my words coming out of my mouth. God gave me words. Two, God answered why I'm here. He proved to me that He has a reason for having me here right now, that He's using me even here. He's using me to speak truth into the lives of my peers. He's using me to testify His power and mercy and grace and love and incredibleness! Earlier in our ACTs meeting, the leader of our group suggested that someone who had been to Africa speak at our event in chapel next Friday. Instantly, all eyes (seemingly at least) turned to me. But here's the crazy part. For the past few weeks I've been emailing people left and right trying to get an opportunity to speak in chapel. And here God has laid it in my lap! God is so good! Now I'm left to figure out how to condence six months of stories into a 30 second period. Tehe.

So even though I still don't really want to be here, I can see why God has me here. Constantly He amazes and surprises me. Our God is so good! Constantly He answers my prayers. Constantly He's using me. My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty; there's nothing my God cannot do! So, even though I don't want to be here, I'm trusting God's plan in having me here.

Praise the LORD!:
~For answered prayer
~For using me
~For the opportunity to speak in chapel
~For the opportunity to testify to what He's done in my life
~For His Truth
~For His patience
~For His comfort
~For His provision
~For His mercy, favor, and grace
~For growing me
~For hope
~For sunshine
~For the opportunity to get an education
~For dear friends
~For His patience
~For His faithfulness
~For His wisdom
~For His plan

Please pray:
~For the SA team from CU. We're a bit behind due to some technology problems. Pray that these will be resolved and we'll be able to begin meeting ASAP
~For Cynergy. Pray that God will overwhelm it and all that it touches with His mercy, favor, and grace. Pray that He will lead and guide their every step.
~For words as I speak in chapel next Friday. Pray that God once again speaks through me. I can't do this without Him.
~For wisdom as I continue to wrestle with being here when I so desire to be there.
~That God would continue to open my eyes to the opportunities that surround me.
~For strength over the next few weeks.
~That in all I do, I bring glory to His name.

SA team from CU

Good morning everyone!

Please keep the CU team in prayer. Applications are due tomorrow, and as of now only three people have applied. Please pray that students will follow through with their interest. More so, pray that God will bring the right people to apply for the trip. Pray that His will is done with this team and that He forms it in a way that brings glory to His name. Pray that we're able to come together as a team quickly. Pray that I have wisdom in leading this team; pray that Kimberly and I continue to bound and learn how to best work together. Pray for wisdom as we continue to work with Vox.

AHHHHHHHH! MY GOD CONTINUES TO BLOW MY MIND!!!

Eish! It's been a crazy semester in which God continues to blow my mind!

God's been teaching me a ton lately about daily surrendering my will to His and the importance of ensuring that every moment of my life revolves around Him. Not surprisingly, the more that I seek God, the more He shows up. What a mighty God we serve!

Plans for the South Africa trip in May from CU are coming along swimmingly. Currently we're working on an itinerary and putting a team together. We'll be in SA May 14-29.

Two amazing things that God's been doing in my life regarding the trip. The first is bringing Kimberly to the team. Kimberly is an RD at CU and will be serving as the faculty member on the trip. She is absolutely amazing! Already we've found several similarities between us, so it looks like we're going to make a great team. She has an incredible heart for people! I'm so thankful that God has put her in this team. :)

So, I've been working on getting a team from CU to go to SA pretty much since I stepped foot on CU's campus three years ago. The fact that it's finally becoming a reality is a both exciting and a bit surreal. This past Wednesday, CU had an event that told of all of the missions trips that are available this year. The shear number of trips going is outstanding! As part of this event, I had an opportunity to share a bit about the SA trip. Being a bit preoccupied by a thousand other things going on, I didn't have much time to prepare what I was going to say. As I awaited my turn, I prayed, "God, I could speak on this for hours; yet I have absolutely no idea what to say just now. I need words, LORD. Speak through me." I went up still now knowing what to say, and ended up mumbling on about how excited I was about the opportunity to share my passion for SA and its people with my classmates.

So, here's the exciting part. After the event, students had an opportunity to sign up for trips that they were interested in. Between this sign up and other events, there have been OVER FIFTY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHOWN INTEREST IN GOING! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! This is absolutely amazing! I am excited beyond words! Our God is so good!

Sadly, I haven't had a ton of contact with Nikki and Reagan, so I don't know a ton of what's going on in their lives and with Cynergy. I know that Cynergy is continuing to expand, which is awesome! The NexGen program is up and running, which is also exciting but stressful. The kids work out of Nikki and Reagan's home, which is quite stressful on the family as well as the couple as there's no seperation between home and work. Also, it's been hard having strangers in such intimate space, and they've had some stuff stolen from the house. There's been some personal stuff going on with them as well. Pray for them, please.

I got to catch up with Laura a bit yesterday, which was incredible needed! I just love her so much! Tehe. It was refreshing to be able to sit down with someone who gets it; someone who understands what I've seen and experienced and how hard it is to adjust back to life in the States again. It was a sweet time of catching up on one another's lives and being completely real.


Praise the LORD!:
~For His mercy, favor, and grace
~For constantly teaching and growing me
~For His truth
~For His provision
~For His wisdom
~For leading and guiding my every step
~For His incredible plan
~For the opportunities that He's given me
~For hope
~For Kimberly
~For the servant additude that is sweeping over my campus
~For His patience
~For Nikki and Reagan
~For Laura
~For His beauty and love

Please pray:
~For Laura and I as we continue to adjust back to life in the States
~For Nikki. Pray that God strengthens and encourages her daily. Pray that He gives her and Reagan wisdom in balancing work and family. Pray that their children are encouraged and overwhelmed with Christ's love.
~For my relationship with Kimberly. Pray that He blesses this and enables us to become an unstoppable time.
~That God provides a male faculty member to join the team as well
~For wisdom as we choose team members. As I said, we've had 50 people show interest in the team. Of this, we can only take 8. Interviews are gonna be tough. Please pray that we have wisdom. Pray that those who cannot go this time will not be discouraged.
~That God continues to shower us with His mercy, favor, and grace
~That God gives me wisdom as I try to balance all of my responsibilities. Pray that I have the wisdom to take time to focus on Him and that I take time for myself so I don't burn out.
~For the team. Pray that God binds us together in a way that no one can seperate. Pray that the team grasps my teaching about SA culture and history and that I have wisdom as I teach them.
~That God continues to humble me. Pray that He softens my heart and helps me relate to people that haven't shared my experiences rather than judge them. Pray that He removes the judgemental and critical spirit that I've seemed to pick up.
~Pray for wisdom in relations with Vox.

SUCCESS!

A Taste of Africa was most definitely a success! Tehe.

Thanks to a group of incredible friends who helped me cook, the night included pap and chakalaka, curry and roti, melktert, roobios, and milo.

The night also included me sharing about how I got interested in Africa, my trip there senior year, how I ended up back there, and a tad about my time there.

About 30 people showed up, which was sweet! I had about 10 people sign up indicating that they were interested in the trip, and a few others who said they were interested but couldn't make it to the event.

After my little speel, a couple who were both born in Africa can up to me and were incredibly encouraging. They thanking me for spreading awareness and for following God's call to go. Wow! It was the exact encouragement that I needed to hear.

God is good. All the time. :)

A Taste of Africa

A Taste of Africa

When: September 28, 2009 at 7PM

Where: Gainey Conference Center

Who: YOU

What: A fun time to enjoy some authentic African cuisine, hear a beautiful testimony of an amazing CU woman who spent a semester in Africa, and learn how you can be involved in an upcoming trip to Africa this May.

Questions? Contact Sharon Stevens at Sharon_E_Stevens@cornstone.edu

Life in the States

Sawubona!

It's been a while, and my brain is fried due to homework overload, so pardon the randomness of this post as well it's shortness.

Stateside life is strange. I've been here almost three months here and am still not used to it (which is strange as I was only in SA for 6 months). As a friend of mine says, nothing has changed but everything has changed because my perspective has changed. I wish I could explain it, but there's just not words. Tehe. It's an adjustment.

Though I'm far from my SA family and babies, they are always close at heart and constantly on my mind. And my life is still consumed by SA stuff. Tehe.

A week from Monday will be our first meeting for the South Africa team from Cornerstone. Yeah excitement! Tehe. I'm going to be sharing a bit about my time in SA over this past few months, hopefully sharing some delicious SA food, tell our vision for the May trip, and hopefully start making a team. Oh I'm baie excited!

In other somewhat SA news, Cynergy USA is officially registered! Yeah do the dance of joy! Tehe. Just call me Miss (vice) president. Just kidding. It's super exciting though and I cannot wait for the program to get up and running.

In just three weeks, I shall be reunited with my long lost roomie, Laura (which is ironic as my current roomie is also Laura. Tehe. Oh I love them both!). I can't wait! It's crazy how close you get to people once you spend every single moment of your life with them for a few months. Tehe.

Cynergy is striving and thriving! God is so good! Since the time I've left, they've grown into a team of 10! Plus NexGen is running full force, adding dozens of volunteers. They've completely revamped their house, turning it into a training station. I'm told my noonies are excelling on their assessments, which brings joy to my heart. I'm so proud of them!

Cynergize your school supplies is still going (fairly) strong. We've already collected quite a few boxes of school stuff to bring over in May. :-) If you have any school supplies (see previous post for items needed, items can be old or new) that you'd be willing to donate, please contact me and let me know. You could change a life!

Unrelated to SA, a few weeks ago I was offered a leadership position at my school known as a "sherpa". CU offers a program to incoming students called Terra Firma, which means firm foundation in Latin. The program is incredible! Basically, it teaches how Christ is our firm foundation and everything we do (our character, the community we're a part of, and the culture that we impact) comes back to Him. The teaching is solid. My role in the program is to lead a group of 13 incoming students throughout the week and a half class/camp, then join them in a service project each week. Typically this position is filled by sophomore, but God is amazing and put me in the role. Long story short, I asked to host a missionary family and in turn was asked to be a sherpa. Initially, I said no, came up with a hundred reasons why I couldn't, and God defeated every one of them. My group is absolutely incredible! Constantly I'm suprised and encouraged by them. Constantly they reaffirm that this is the role that I'm supposed to be in.

Praise the LORD!:
~For His mercy, favor, and grace
~That Cynergy USA is up and running
~For incredible friends
~For my Terra Firma group
~For His patience with me
~For the incredible opportunities that He's given me
~For each new day
~For education
~For a full belly and a warm home
~For wisdom
~For sunshine

Please pray:
~As I continue to adjust to statelife. I really didn't expect it to be this difficult. Like I said, nothing's changed but everything has. It's hard to explain.
~For balance in my time. I'm struggling to fulfill all of my responsibilities
~That I learn to hunger and thirst after Him with all of my heart
~That He continues to shower me with His mercy, favor, and grace
~That He continues to bless Cynergy and provides all that they need. Pray particularly that God blesses them with finances. Pray for His protection over their program and all that it touches. Pray for favor with the NexGen program
~For my kiddos. Pray that God overwhelms them with His love and truth. Pray that He gives them minds like sponges that they may grow into who He's created them to be. Pray that they discover their God-given potential that they may reach their God-given destiny.
~That God leads and guides me for His name sake. Pray that He makes his plan for my life clear, that He directs my every step.
~Pray for wisdom
~For the Klaasen family as they adjust to having so many people in their house. Pray particularly for their children as they're struggling with this adjustment. Pray that Nikki and Reagan have wisdom in this situation.

Cynergize your School Supplies!

The King will reply "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:40

Hello friends!

While I was in South Africa, I noticed a huge need for school supplies. At one of the schools that I worked in, two 4th grade girls came up to me bawling and fighting over a blue pen. Whoever returned to class without a blue pen would be whooped.
The girls absolutely broke my heart! Imagine the difference that something as small as a blue pen could make!

In May, I am returning to South Africa with a team of students from my university. My goal is to bring 600 lbs of school supplies with the team to give to Cynergy.

While you're out and about shopping for school supplies, please remember these precious little ones who don't have such luxury. While school supplies are cheap (I've found stuff for less than 20 cents), please buy a little extra to help my kiddos in South Africa. This tools will not only help them improve there school work but also reassure them that there are people across the world who love them enough to help them in this way. Contact me to pick up the school supplies that you've collected.

The following school supplies are needed:
~Pencils
~Blue or Black pens
~Scissors
~Glue
~Rulers
~Erasers

If you'd be willing to help out, please let me know by leaving a comment on my blog or emailing me (sharon_e_stevens@cornerstone.edu).

Thanks so much!

To All Who Have Supported My Journey

Baie dankie for all of your support over the past few months. Your prayers and encouragement have had great impact. Please allow me a moment to share what God has done over the past few months through your investment in me in South Africa.

I spent the majority of my time in South Africa working with an organization called Cynergy. Cynergy’s mission is to help people discover and develop their God-given potential so that they can fulfill their God-given destiny through effective literacy, leadership and life skills programs. The program consists mainly of two parts: the Reading Understanding with program and the Legends program. The Reading with Understanding program is especially designed to accommodate learners whose first language and in most cases even second language is not English. In other words, it is created for countries like South Africa, rich in diversity. Legends are academically strong learners that are trained on the Reading with Understanding program so that they may mentor and assist other learners that find it difficult to cope with life and academics. In return, these leaders are developed in leadership and basic life skills to get them ready to be effective in a highly competitive national and international environment. The Legends program works on the ‘pay-it-forward’ principle. Legends are not only encouraged to get ready for leadership tomorrow but to practice leadership today by assisting their peers to become life ready.

My role in the program was multi-faceted. In a typical week, I would teach several grade four classes, hold classes after school for learners who needed additional help, train Legends on the week’s lesson and oversee the Legends as they rolled out the program in the grade eight and nine classes, as well as helping with weekly paperwork. My duties also included planning and presenting Legend workshop (a workshop is a college course given to the Legends as a reward for rolling out the program) as well as helping with fundraisers.

Working with Cynergy was a life changing experience. Nikki and Reagan, the founders of Cynergy, have been incredible teachers in my life. They have empowered me to do things I never imagined I was capable of. They’ve shown me the importance of vision and planning. They’ve shown me the power that love and believing in someone contain. They’ve taught me to pray continuously, trusting God in all circumstances. They’ve shown me what it means to be a servant, surrendering all to God. They’ve taught me to find hope in seemingly hopeless situations. They’ve taught me the importance of family and community. They’ve shown me how to handle conflict. Time and time again they showed me unconditional love.

Reagan and Nikki have challenged me to commit and surrender my life fully to Christ. They’ve taught me to listen for God’s leading that I may discover His plan for my life. The first lesson in the Reading with Understanding program was a vision lesson. In it, we challenged the learners to envision their lives in 2020- what they would look like, who their family would include, what they would own, and most importantly, how they would impact their world. This challenged me to examine my own life. After much prayer, I have determined the mission of my life: to love on and speak truth into the lives of those who are overcome with lies that they are worthless and incapable. Throughout my time in Africa, God opened my eyes to hundreds of ways in which I can fulfill my vision, including loving on kids at camp this summer, encouraging friends, completing my degree that I may be able to counsel others, etc. God has also revealed to me how this vision is to include Cynergy. After much prayer and discussion with Reagan, Nikki, and Laura (a dear friend and missionary in South Africa), God has planted Cynergy in the States on our hearts. The mission of Cynergy stateside is the same as that of Cynergy South Africa: to help people discover and develop their God-given potential so that they can fulfill their God-given destiny. We hope to do this through several venues. The first is an internship program through Cornerstone University. In this program, we hope to send thirty interns each year to South Africa to assist with the Cynergy program there. Our hope is that the interns will not only empower learners but also to be empowered themselves. Our hope is that their eyes will be opened to the possibilities before them and that they too surrender their lives to the plans that God has for them. We also hope to create a literacy program to help students discover not only that they are capable of reading but also of fulfilling their dreams. We also hope to develop a Legends program that encourages students to look beyond themselves to the good of their community and world. Please pray as we move forward in these things. Pray that God will lead and guide us for His name sake. Pray that we will be attentive to His voice. And pray that He will open doors that no man can shut.

My time in South Africa not only grew me spiritually, but also culturally. Though most of my time was in the schools, I also was able to explore the country a bit. I had the opportunity to attend a Chiefs v. Pirates soccer game, the two local rivals in South Africa, attend an Indian Primer League (IPL) cricket match, as well as attend an FIFIA Confederations Cup soccer game. I was also able to see quite a bit of the country of South Africa, including Durban and Cape Town. I also had an opportunity to walk through the Apartheid museum while hearing eye witness reports of Apartheid from Reagan and Nikki. I was also able to experience a South African crèche, a mix between a day care and preschool, and experience township life through a beautiful woman named Paulina as well as through my learners.

Once again, thank you for supporting me in my ministry in South Africa. Because of you, thousands of children have been loved on. Because of you, hundreds of fourth graders who had never spoken or heard the English language now have the confidence to write full paragraphs. Because of you, dozens of high schoolers now understand that they have the power to change not only their lives but the lives of their loved ones, their community, their country, and their world. And because of you, the life of one West Michigan girl has been changed forever. Thank you.
For more information on my time in South Africa or Cynergy, email me at sharon_e_stevens@cornerstone.edu

May God bless you in all that you do,
Sharon Stevens

Laura

I'd like to ask you to take a moment to pray for Laura.

While I was in SA, Laura became a dear friend. I honestly don't know how I would have survived without her! She is truly a blessing from God! I miss her terribly.

Though my time in SA is done (for now), Laura's isn't. She'll remain in SA until October. Please pray for her. Pray for her as she transitions to a new house and to being the only Voxer on the ground. Pray that God leads and guides her through the remainder of her time. Pray for strength, health, and safety. Pray that God gives her a servant's heart and a teachable spirit. Pray that He overwhelms her with His love. Pray that He provides all that she needs- financially, physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially. Pray for grace and patience. Pray for contentment. Pray that God opens her eyes to the opportunities that surround her.

It's not the end

My last few days in SA were hard.

After church on Sunday, Laura, Jerome, and I enjoyed a lazy afternoon before heading over to the Klaasens to watch the Confederations Cup final. Monday was also fairly low key- just hanging out at the Klaasens the whole day. Once again, Nikki surprised me. She had kept me out of the classes because she had the kids making cards for me. Monday afternoon she gave me all of the cards in a book. I couldn't have asked for a better gift! It was so touching. And so encouraging. To think that the same kids who had never spoken a word of English just a few months ago now tried to write full paragraphs. And to think that I had a part in not just their education, but in the growth of their confidence. Wow! God is so good!

Tuesday: my last day in SA. Tuesday morning Reagan and Nikki took the Cynergy team to the Apartheid Museum. It was an incredible experience! Throughout the museum, Nikki shared her grandparents, parents, and her own experiences with me throughout the Apartheid years. Her stories amaze me! I have even more respect for her and Reagan. After the museum, we headed back to the Klaasen house for a few hours before heading to the airport. For my last lunch in SA, Reagan bought me a Special- a sandwhich with chips (fries), bologna, and pickles on it. It was... interesting. Tehe. After picking up Kaylin, we headed to the airport. After dinner at Mugg and Bean, it was time to say goodbye. I hate goodbyes! Leaving was harder than words can say! It took me at least a half an hour to say goodbye to everyone. Tears were in abundance. Finally, I torn myself away.

My journey back to the States was long. I got through security fine. However, my flight from Joburg to Atlanta was delayed, so I missed my first connecting flight. Thus, I got rerouted through DC. My flight from DC didn't leave until 7pm. When we finally boarded, we were told that we had to sit on the runway for an hour because of severe weather. Finally, after over 30 hours of traveling, I was home.

It's weird being in Holland again. Everything is different- even the amount of water in the toliets. Tehe. It's hard being so far away from my SA family and all of my kiddos. But I know that this isn't the end of my journey in SA or with Cynergy. I know that I'll return to my family and to my kiddos. As of now, I'm planning a trip to SA next May with my university. My hope is that, of the ten students on the team, two of them will fall in love with the country and people of SA like I have. We're working on some other programs Cynergy related as well.

Praise the LORD:
~For keeping me safe as I traveled, for getting me and all of my luggage home.
~For my SA family
~For my kiddos
~For using me
~For opportunity
~For hope
~For abundant love
~For impact
~For growth
~For purpose
~For vision
~For a bed to sleep in
~For food to eat
~For sunshine
~For South Africa
~For second chances
~For puppies
~For humor
~For freedom

Please pray:
~As I continue to transition to life stateside again
~For prosparity in the Cynergy program
~That God will provide abundantly for the Klaasen family, Laura, and Jerome
~For safety for Jerome as he leaves for Mozembique on Sunday
~For wisdom and comfort for Laura as she'll soon be the only one on the ground
~For wisdom and guidance in the future
~That He opens doors for me to return to SA
~That I have a servent's heart

Don't Say Goodbye

I HATE GOODBYES!

This week has been rough. Sadly, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to my Goedehoop kiddos on Tuesday cause Nik thought it would be easier on me not to see them. We we supposed to have private sessions Tuesday afternoon, but we rocked up late to the first session and my kids had already left, which was a huge bummer. We did have the second session. Nikki and Reagan were at a meeting, so I ran private sessions with the help of Zunaid, Elano, and Lykita. It was hetic! Because Zunaid, Elano, and Lykita hadn't been fully trained on this book, they took the class the Nikki usually taught because the class was just writting an assistment. In the meantime, I taught Reagan's, Elano's, and my classes. It was quite the feat as each class was in a different place in the book.

Wednesday I broke down. After three days of basically doing nothing Cynergy related, I broke down. After Nikki and Laura returned from a meeting, I pulled Laura outside to try to tell her how frustrated I was because I felt like I was being isolated from the program. Shortly after, Nikki walked outside and asked if everything was ok. I told her that I didn't want to leave and broke down. When I first got here, I never would have imagined that I would become this attached. And now I am left with the task of a few thousand goodbyes. I hate goodbyes! Shame man. Nikki is so sweet! After comforting me and calming me down, she went inside and prepared a feast. Meanwhile, I learned a bit of cricket playing with Dillion, Jerome, Zunaid, Jachin, Elano, Lykita, and Joanne. I'm grateful for the opportunity just to hang out with them. When we came inside, Nikki surprised me with the farewell dinner that she had prepared and reminded me that no matter where I was, I was always a part of her family. Shame man!

Thursday was great. When my mom was here in March, Nikki and Reagan took us to the China Mart (basically a ton of shops owned by Chinese people that sell products at stock price). Every since, my mom has been asking me to get some stuff for her from there. So Thursday Reagan, Nikki, and I spent the day at the China Mart. Though not terribly impressed with the merchandise, I was glad that I had a chance to get stuff for my mom. Moreso, I was grateful to spend quality time with Nikki and Reagan. It's funny how nearly anything that I do with them is enjoyable solely because I'm with them. :-)

Friday morning we had a workshop for the Reigerpark and East Rand Legends. The workshop included a speech on what it means to be a Legend by Nikki (a lot of Legends have been slacking lately), an "I Choose" session with Laura (HIV info), and a hip-hop session. It was really fun. After the workshop, Mr. Fisch, the principal of Reigerpark, presented me with a framed certificate of thanks for helping in his school. Then Nikki also thanked me and presented me with a journal in which each legend had written me a note. It was the perfect gift! Afterward, Nikki surprised me once again with a party at her house with all of the Legends.

Saturday was crazy early as we had to drive to Edenpark for a workshop with our Legends there. Afterward, we spent the day at Nikki and Reagan's, where we got to meet Beauty, Bianca's older sister. She's a sweetie! I spent most of the day playing with the kiddos. After the other kids went inside, I played catch with Bianca. She loved it! She was constantly laughing and mumbling to herself. Too cute! For dinner, I got to experience Chicken Lickin, which actually wasn't that bad. Tehe.

Praise the LORD!:
~For health and safety
~For the incredible relationships that He's given me here, for my family here and for my kiddos
~For hope
~For love
~For favor and grace
~For heat
~For opportunity
~For using me to do His work
~For wisdom
~For His Word
~For strength
~For mercy

Please pray:
~For strength to say goodbye. It's been so hard! And I still have my hardest goodbyes, the Klaasen family and Laura, to go. Pray that we're able to still stay in touch with one another. Pray for peace. Pray that I keep an attitude of thanksgiving, thanking God for the incredible people that He's put in my life rather than focing on having to leave them.
~For God's protection and provision over my family and kiddos here. Pray that He blesses everything that they touch. Pray that He overwhelms them with His love and peace. Pray that He gives them rest.
~For wisdom and guidance as I transition to life stateside. Pray that I don't get comfortable.
~For safety as I travel. Pray that I make all of my connections and that the flight is smooth and easy.
~For my mom's health. She has larengitious.

Searching for the pause button

I'm not sure how to begin this post as my mind races with a million thoughts. Where has the time gone, my friend? It seems like only yesterday that I was counting the days that I'd been in SA; now I'm left counting the days that I have left. It amazes me how much has happened over the few months that I've been here: all of the lessons that God has been teaching me, the incredible relationships that He's given me, all that He's gotten me through. It's amazing! It's left me wishing I could slow things down a bit here. Honestly, it's left me torn. A dear friend pointed out the irony of my situation. Just a few months ago, I was nervous to leave behind friends and family for the time that I would be in SA. Now I'm struggling to leave my friends and family IN SA. What an incredible answer to prayer! Our God has incredible provision! It amazes me how He's taken care of my every need.

Anywho, this week has been a bit different than most. Monday night Laura, Jerome, and I had an incredible opportunity to go to a FIFA Confederations Cup game. We saw Italy v. America. The experience was incredible! Praise the LORD for keeping us safe and once again providing for us! As we were walking through several checkpoints before the game, Jerome somehow dropped his ticket. Needless to say, we were freaking out a bit. There's no way that he would be allowed into the game without his ticket, and the chances of him finding it on the ground somewhere among the crowd were even slimer. Frantically we searched through his back countless times, but to no avail. Thus, Jerome decided to attempt the hopeless serach of looking for his ticket on the ground. This lead to another problem: how would he get back through the checkpoints? After talking with several police officers, he and another man were allowed to exit the perimeters. As Jerome backtracked, Laura and I contemplated what we would do if he couldn't find his ticket. We didn't want to miss the game, but we couldn't just leave Jerome; we had been bused a few km away from where we parked, so he couldn't return to the car. We kept praying that he would miraculously find his ticket. A few minutes later, Jerome returned with a grin waving a ticket in the air. He explained to us that the other man that had walked out with him, Andre, worked for FIFA, so he could get into the game without a ticket. Thus, he gave his ticket to Jerome! God is so good!

The game itself was exciting. Somehow, the US was able to hold off Italy and was in the lead for the first 2/3 of the game, perhaps the second miracle of the night. Tehe. Sadly, we decided to stop playing in the second half and Italy whooped us 3 to 1 in the last 20 minutes. Considering our rankings, I'd still say we did pretty well.

Because of holidays this week, I've been able to spend some quality time with Laura and Jerome. We've had some pretty cool conversations over the past few weeks. It's been great getting to know them better. Definately going to miss them!

I'm also going to miss my kiddos! This week, I had to say goodbye to two of my schools, Reigerpark Primary and Lakeside. I hate goodbyes! Though it was hard, it was encouraging to see the impact that I've had on my kiddos as well as on their educators. It was so rewarding to walk into the classroom and have dozens of kids shout my name with glee. After I announced that I would be leaving at the end of this term, I was mobbed with hugs. Several of my kiddos told me that they were going to miss me and didn't want me to leave. A few even told me that they weren't going to let me leave while a few others told me that they were going to come with me. Cooler still was the response that I had from the staff at the schools. I had one educator tell me how much she appriciated my time there; she thanking me for teaching her kids and simply loving on them. She told me how excited they got whenever they saw me walk into the classroom. The principal at Lakeside also thanked me for my time and said that the school would sorely miss me. She was eager to find out when I would return. Mr. Ficsh, the prinicpal at Reigerpark Secondary, asked that I come see him this past week. It was a bit intimidately not to know why I was being called to the principal's office. Tehe. What he told me was shocking! After thanking me for my time, he went on and on about how my presence had changed the environment of his school. In gratitude, he is giving me a certificate and a letter to attach to my resume. He was also considering holding an assembly in which he would present these things to me in front of the entire school, but we desided that it would be better to present it at the Legends' workshop instead. Wow! God has blessed me immensely!

Yesterday while driving around Joburg trying to find property that Nikki and Reagan wanted to check out, I was given a wake up call to how huge Romaposa, one of the shanty towns, is. It broke my heart. The poverty that one sees here everyday is heart wrenching, but now it's become personal. Those aren't just shacks that I see; those are the homes of my kids. This is the reality of their lives. Yet their thriving. It was incredibly humbling that God would use me to love on these precious little ones.

Praise the LORD!:
~For the INCREDIBLE people that He's placed in my life over the past few months- Reagan, Nikki, Dillion, Kita, Kaylin, Jachin, Laura, Jerome, Dezzi, Elano, Jo-Charm, Andrea, Alex, Mankies, Johnny, my kiddos, the Legends...
~For giving me life changing friends and family in SA
~For giving me life changing friends and family in USA
~For growing me
~For teaching me
~For His favor and grace
~For hope
~For opportunity
~For using me
~For change
~For strength
~For safety and health
~For His incredible love
~For forgiveness
~For opening my eyes
~For a roof over my head
~For my daily bread
~For never leaving or abandoning me
~For adopting me as His child
~For His incredible provision
~For teaching me to forgive
~For life
~For sunshine

Please pray:
~As I transition over the next few weeks
~For strength to say goodbye
~For wisdom as I begin life stateside again
~For continued health and safety. Almost everyone that I'm in contact with is either sick or getting over being sick. Please pray for a speedy recovery.
~That God will lead and guide me for His name sake
~For Cynergy
~For Laura
~For guidance in the future
~For my kiddos. Pray that God overwhelms them with His love and provides for all of their needs. Pray that they grow spiritually, mentally, physcially, emotionally, and socially. Pray that they become world changers. Pray that they discover their God-given potential so they can fulfill their God-given destiny.