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