I <3 the ocean!

This past week I had an incredible opportunity to travel to Durban with Reagan, Nikki, Laura, and Jerome. Durban is quite similar to the city of Miami; tall buildings surrounded by ocean and beaches. It was beautiful!

We spent much of Monday driving (Joburg to Durbs is about a 5 or 6 hr drive). As we were driving, we saw SNOW! It felt quite homey. Tehe. After settling in to our home for the week, we ventured outside to enjoy the beauty of the ocean. I hadn't realized how much I had missed living near water. The ocean is somehow calming and exhilerating all at once.

We spent most of the week working on tech stuff for Cynergy, enjoying the ocean, doing some shopping. I think we were at the Gateway Mall, the largest mall in the Southern Hemisphere, every night. We also found a nice resturant called Taco Zulu where Nikki and Reagan had their first Mexican food experience (there are only three Mexican resturants in the entire country of SA). They were so impressed that we ate there three times.


I was amazed by the ocean. Though I could sleep in, I was up every morning by eight. The crashing waves simply beckoned to me. As I explored the sea life on the rocks, I wished Tori was with me so she could explain all of the incredible creatures that I saw. On Thursday I had an opportunity to swim in the Indian Ocean. It kicked my butt! I've swam in the Atlantic and Lake MI countless times, but it was nothing like swimming in the Indian Ocean. It didn't help that I was swimming as the tide was going out. Opps! The water that I was standing in only came up midcalf, but when I wave came I wasn't strong enough to stand. Stronger still was the current that pulled me back out to sea. It was incredible! So invgorating! It amazed me how strongly the waves gripped me. What an incredible picture of God! Imagine the power and vastness of the Creator of the oceans! His creativity shown through the brilliance of the creatures. My God not only created such things but controls them, commanding the waves to seperate themselves from the land. Wow! What a mighty God we serve!

And His might isn't revealed by nature alone. As you've noticed, I've been praying for wisdom and guidance for my future. There are a lot of incredible opportunities before me; I'm trying to find God's will in these, asking Him to guide my every step. Wednesday I had a very humbling experience. I had a plan of how I wanted to see these things come to reality, a plan and a time table. Wednesday morning I realized that I needed to surrender this plan to God, as hard as it was. I needed (and still need) to trust His plan and timing above my own. And if/when my plan doesn't match His, I need to give up my plan for His. As I was praying these things, praying that God direct my steps, pray that He fill my mind with His plans in a way so evident that I couldn't ignore it. As I was praying, Laura was upstairs dreaming. Later that morning, she shared with us what she had drempt, something that she doesn't usually do; it simply came up in conversation. After hearing her dream, Reagan inturpreted it. It spoke into what I had been praying for wisdom with! Wow! As I prayed for God to direct me, He did exactly that in a dream to Laura. What a mighty God we serve!

Later that day, Nikki and I had an incredible conversation by the ocean. I love her so much! She spoke into my life as we discussed surrendering to and trusting God, God's perfect timing, facing trials, growth. She is an incredible woman of God! She has blessed me more than she realizes!

Overall, Durban was incredible! And though I miss waking up to the sound of the ocean and warm weather, I'm excited to see my kiddos again. I've missed them. Tehe.
Praise the LORD!:
~For speaking into my life
~For Nikki
~For Reagan
~For Laura
~For opportunity
~For using me
~For the ocean
~For His power and love and grace
~For vaction
~For safety and health
~For His provision
~For wisdom
~For His perfect timing
~For growing me
~For beauty
~For sunshine
~For snow
~For my kiddos


Please pray:
~For smooth transition. I honestly have no idea how I'm going to leave here in just a few weeks.
I missed my kiddos after being gone for just a week; how am I going to leave them long term? Not to mention leaving the Klaasen family and Laura. It's going to be hard. :-(
~Health. I'm still getting over broncitis, and it seems like everyone in Joburg has it now, including Laura, Kaylin, Jachin, and John Jerome. Please pray that God heals our bodies.
~For wisdom and guidance in the future
~For strength as I say goodbye to my kiddos over the next two weeks
~For safety and provision
~For understanding