A HUGE THANK YOU!!!

Hello from Windhoek, Namibia!

I am up in the capital this weekend and had some time to post some entries I intended to post a loooong time ago, like back in June :) But ya know, I just started this blog, so you will just have to get caught up.....

I would like to thank all of you out there who have given financially to make my trip to Namibia, Africa possible!! You all have been soo generous! Thank you to those who have been faithfully praying for me through this process. I definitely feel loved and supported. It has been a long process getting to this point and I have realized that Gods timing is perfect! The month before I came was such a stressful time, and I know it was just stupid satan attacking…cause he knew I was preparing to go do the Lords work…satan is such a punk! Lots of things were going on in my personal life at that time, but God has been so faithful to me and my family. I can’t believe my car was stolen….towed, and ticketed then found and the tow lot wanted a lot of money to get it out! Man I was glad I won in court. Thank you Jesus!! I am grateful to my church family, Bethel Community Church, you all have loved and supported me since I was 16. You have encouraged me in my walk with Jesus throughout the years, and have supported me to serve God through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as well as in Mexico, Bolivia and now Africa! I am grateful to such an “awesome body” of believers. Thank you to the Bethel Women’s ministry who put together the bake auction on May 12, 2009. All of your hard work to make that night such a HUGE success is much appreciated! We raised $6,000 dollars that night….all money given went to 3 of us women serving God in different parts of the world! The generosity shown that night was tremendous. Thanks to all who baked and bought to make the evening a success! I had to raise about $9,000 dollars to make this trip happen and it all came in!

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord!!

A BIG thank you to my mom and sister, because without them helping me with packing and preparing, I never would have made my flight to Newwark that morning. Your love and support for this dream of mine to come to Africa is much appreciated! Thanks for listening to me talk about going to Africa for years it seems like. I love you both so much and miss you everyday!

Thank you Jenny M.(Lil mama) who helped me in so many ways to get my actual newsletter out, I am envious of your organizational skills!…thanks for all the great conversations! I will visit you in Macau one day! (I promise)

Thank you Jamiee T. for going thrift store shopping with me and picking out the bright yellow Subway t-shirt, which I didn’t buy, but it’s the thought that counts, right? J Without you I would have no cheap t- shirts with me!

Thank you Minerva V. and Mirielle L. for hooking me up with lots of salsa and merengue music to take with me….when no one else is home I like to crank up the music and dance in the living room! It’s a little taste of home for me. You both will be happy to hear that I started to teach a salsa and merengue dance class on Friday evenings! It has been so fun sharing something I love with the people here!

Thank you to Katie H. for taking me Target shopping, and driving me to the airport... you always have my back! I am truly blessed by your generous heart.

Thank you Jackie M. for buying things for the children I am working with here!

Thank you Lourdes and Mike C. for the vaccum bag thingys there is no way I would have fit all my clothes without those! …and for the big gift J you know what I am talking about.

Thank you to my gurl Michelle V. for the last minute computer shopping, I don’t know what I would have done without my little acer….thanks for all the music, and technical support! Haha. Thanks for all the little gifts for the computer and the card and letter of encouragement, I read it often. ..and thanks again for taking me to the Gospel Brunch at the house of Blues…it was off da chain!

Thank you Sara R. for hosting my going away party! I had a really fun time! Thanks for all the talks and just for your friendship. I miss going to the park with you and the girls. Give them tons and tons of kisses and hugs for me.

Thanks to all of you for coming to my going away party!! To all of you who prepared food for it, you guys rock!

Big shout out to my Sunday School class!! Thank you for the yummy breakfast we shared together on my last Sunday!

You all have been so generous to me!

Again, thank you to each one of you who gave money to make this trip possible, your generosity has been so appreciated!!! I would list all of you, but you know who you are!

I miss and love you all very much!!

Check out my pics below of the days leading up to my departure from Chicago!!

Finally, 3 months later.

Hello from Capetown, South Africa!
For those of you who have been patiently waiting for my blog, thank you! I have been in Capetown this week having a mini break from life in Namibia, Africa, so I have had a lot of extra time to start this, and we have unlimited, high speed, FREE internet here at our hostel. Tomorrow, October 3rd marks 3 months in Namibia, Africa. (I am such a procrastinator on things I need to do, almost everyday for the last 3 months, I have woke up in the morning determined and said..."Kitty, today you will start your blog!" and then the day just slips away from me. I have been SO busy adjusting to life in a new culture, developing new friendships, and working at 4 different areas in Rehoboth, Namibia! (click on the highlighted Rehoboth to find out more about the town) Did I need to tell you that? Maybe you are really savvy with reading blogs and you already knew that, if so I apologize, I just did it for those of you, like me, who are slow with technology) Because it has been 3 months, my holiday visa expires today, so I had to pretty much leave Namibia for awhile, then come back in so I can get another 3 month visa :). Home affairs can be tricky here in Namibia. It's either you leave the country or pay almost $400 US for a visa extension....I voted to explore South Africa, which I believe was the best choice!! South Africa is a gorgeous country!
I feel like I have been going nonstop since I arrived in Africa July 3rd, 2009. So our time here has been so fun and refreshing. We have been in Capetown for 8 days days, and we start our 16 hour drive back to Namibia tomorrow morning. Please pray for safe travels home! We will stop in a town called Sprinbok and spend the night, just to break up the driving a bit.
I have some journal entries I have been writing since I first arrived in Africa, so even though they are 3 months old now, you can get a brief look at what has been happening in my adventerous life! I have been putting off starting this for some reason, but finally got motivated to start tonight, even though it took me like a few hours to pick an appropriate blog title. Some of the titles I started coming up with were pretty funny, but then I decided I should be a little bit more on the serious side of things, since this is all official now, and pretty much anyone in the world has access reading this! With the help of my teammate, Hannah, we came up with "Display of Splendor" as the blog title. I wanted to reference Isaiah 61, because I feel like that is the scripture God gave me to show me what my journey with Him would be like. Back in 2000, at the Urbana Mission conference God spoke to me and gave me Isaiah 61 for my life's song. Here it is....

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, ^a]">

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the Display of His Splendor

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.

"For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed."

I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations

There are so many who are hopeless and in despair around us. We all long for more. In the deepest part of our souls, we want to have hope in something. Hope that will last, and persevere in the most heart wrenching times in our lives, or just hope we will get through the day. Hope in everyday life. I am thankful that Jesus is our living hope!! HALLELUJER!! Ok so for those of you who don't use the word "hallelujer" in everyday life, which I am guessing most of you don't, and if you do, you love Tyler Perry movies, like me! If so, we should watch one together someday, they are hilarious. Here is a definition of the word taken from Urban Dictionary.com

*hallelujer
	hallelujer is the ebonics version of hallelujah. the word is usually credited to madea (and often used by oprah winfrey) a character portrayed by black film maker tyler perry in his numerous plays and films. Lucky for me - the po po didn't catch me speeding to wednesday bible study - hallelujer!* HAHA!

The Lord promises to do the following, according to Isaiah 61:3:

provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor (NIV).

God says to each of us, "You are my servant, in whom I will display my splendor.” (Isaiah 49:3)
We are designed to reflect him and his glory. He has carefully crafted each of us—through creation, giftedness, circumstances—to beautifully display his splendor.

What a great privilege and high calling to display the splendor of God!!

I hope you enjoy reading my heart through this blog. For those of you I haven't seen in 3 months, let me just say how I miss all of you each day, fo reals....everyday I thank God for such amazing family and friends in my life!

Please pray for these things:
1. Cindy, Hannah (AIM teammates) and I drive about 6 hours in the morning to Sprinbok where we will stay overnight. On Sunday morning we will drive 10 hours to Namibia. Pray for protection and safety, and that we won't have any car problems, or flat tires!!
2. Life back in Rehoboth. Time spent with my host family, and friends I am making in the community.
3. For all things I am involved in in Rehoboth..the HIV/AIDS program, Block E preschool, OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) feeding program, and youth center,
4. Safety in just everyday life here in Africa. :)

*there are plenty more blogs coming, hold tight.