Finding God

Yesterday (Monday, June 15^th), was an amazing day! Rachel and I ventured out for the first time by ourselves to Klipriversberg (Klip=Rock, Rivers=River…of course, and Berg=Mountain) National Park. It was about a 15 minute drive from where we are staying. After passing the road we needed to turn on several times and having to make several u-turns, we arrived at the park. As Rachel and I were looking around, we were very, very under-dressed. There was a memorial service going on and no trails in sight, so we got back in the car and drove down the road to the Klipriversberg Recreation Center. They told us to go somewhere completely different, so we just returned to the first place and asked the manager for directions.

The manager’s name is Bishop and is the manager for 5 national reserves in Johannesburg. He showed us some of the trails and ended up giving us a tour of the reserve and hiked with us for over 3 hours. He was full of knowledge of the area and told us interesting stories about the plant lives, the different animals, and the history of the tribal ruins from 1800 that we walked through. At one point, we walked across a long bridge that overlooked the beautiful reserve.

He also told us about his life…this guy has had one crazy life, and he is only 28! His first job was working at an animal reserve park and he lived out “in the bush” with the animals. One night while he was sleeping, he got bit by a cobra. He killed the snake and then was rushed to the hospital to receive anti-venom vaccinations. He also was attacked by an elephant, but was not hurt. While he was in college, he and his brother and a couple of his friends got lost in the jungle for 2 days with no food or water. He said that, looking back, he was really glad he got lost…he’s so crazy. He also climbed a mountain (I can’t remember the name of it) and reached the top after many hours, and on the way down had to be rescued by a helicopter because it was so steep. He has lived in Cape Town for 3 years with his brothers and sisters. He has never been out of Africa before, but he is going to Holland in September to be the best man in his friend’s wedding. He told story after story about crazy adventures he has been on and we got to hear his story of growing up in his township, making bad decisions, and finally settling down.

The mountains that surrounded us were so beautiful. The terrain is very different from the mountains in North Carolina- it is a lot browner because it is dry season. There was a lot of different kind of plants like cabbage trees, cactus, and different-looking flowers. They are in the process of burning parts of the land because it is overgrown, so some parts were black and in some places the sky was hazy with smoke. There was a lot of red clay, animal poop, and rocks covering the trail. Even though it is winter, we were sweating like crazy as we climbed steep hills to the top of the mountain. There were lots of animals out…I cannot remember the name of most of them, but translated it meant “wild beasts”. There were horses around as well. There is an old man named Joseph that lives in a house in the middle of the reserve that feeds and takes care of the horses. The coolest part of the trip was near the very end when we ran into some zebras! They are wild and have never been tamed, but we got within 7 feet of them, and they never ran away! There were 4 of them just chilling and eating grass. Their stripes were so beautiful and each one had a unique pattern. I was in awe of their elegance.

I am currently reading Praise Habit, Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi, by David Crowder, and I am learning that praising God is a lifestyle and a constant act. As I was standing just watching the zebras, I praised God for his creation. Standing in front of a creature that was so beautiful and unique, I could not imagine that they were created only through chance. They have the same Creator as the mountains that surrounded us, the babies at the Door of Hope, and the huge blue sky over us. God is so creative and the evidence of his presence surrounds us every day.

I pray that I start to recognize his presence everywhere and praise him in all things- whether I am standing in front of zebras, or waiting in a long line at a grocery store, or simply holding a small baby in my arms. God is everywhere, all the time. In the book I am reading, one chapter focuses on Psalm 84: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the

living God…For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness…” David Crowder writes in response to the Psalm, “We often find ourselves in spaces that seem the last spot on earth we would have picked to insert ourselves, engaged in things that we never imagined ourselves having to do, but we can know this comfort: that wherever we are, we are in the very residence of God and this is sweeter and greater than anywhere without Him…These moments are holy because we know that wherever we find ourselves we are in the very house of God. And there is space and comfort here exceeding anything offered elsewhere. Even if it leads us to dark places on our hands and knees, it is sweeter than lying on a beach in Greece because the sunshine of our Maker’s presence is brighter and stronger than a thousand stars, and it reaches wherever we are.” God is everywhere and my prayer is that I begin to recognize his presence.

Today has been slightly overwhelming. We had a change of plans and instead of moving on Monday, we moved today to a place called the Gospel Resource Center. It is in Alberton, about a 15 minute drive from the Baby House where we work in Glenvista. We had been staying at the volunteer flat in the basement of the house, but we had to move out because 2 more people are coming in this evening that reserved the room before we did. The Gospel Resource Center is really nice- it has a washer and dryer, wireless internet, a nice kitchen, and a television with a DVD player. Rachel and I share a room that has two single beds and room to settle in. The bad news is that we can only stay here until the end of June…Russell, the volunteer coordinator, is trying to find us a host family to stay with for all of July and the beginning of August. Rachel and I really need your prayers as we move around…it is hard not to already be settled in for the summer and have to keep moving around. We are staying positive and hoping to hear soon about our next accommodations.

Two more of our kids are getting adopted on Monday! That will make 5 leaving since when we got here 2 weeks ago. I love seeing them go to their forever families. This picture below is me and the little girl that is leaving on Monday. She is a sweetheart, and I will miss her!

The little girl that is in the isolation room that is on oxygen has had to go to the hospital because she got a chest cold and was struggling to breathe. They said that she should be able to come back to the Baby House by the end of this week or next week. Keep praying for her health and healing!

I miss you all and wish you could be here with me to see what I see and get to experience the things I am. I feel like I am not doing them justice here on my blog, but I hope you are getting a glimpse of how God is working in me and the people here in Johannesburg. You are always close in my prayers and I am so grateful for your support and encouragement. I cannot wait to be back with you soon!

Love you all!

Katherine

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49:15