Merry Christmas. Love the Haynes'

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas

Less than one week until Christmas. Jeepers, I cannot believe 2013 is fading and 2014 is around the next corner.
We arrived in August; the peak of summer with temperatures of 40 degrees (celsius) and pumping aircons; and four months later, bundled up with only our eyeballs exposed, we had the chance to played in six inches of snow. We are loving the way America celebrates the holidays and seasons. Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas. Every house is decorated appropriately and, as the celebration ends, the decorations come down and new ones appear to celebrate the next holiday. You should see the Christmas apparel. America knows how to be festive and its gorgeous!

November is the month of Thanksgiving and it is so wonderful to hear everyone expressing their gratitude for what they have throughout the month: family, friends, freedom, food, finances.
We had our first Thanksgiving meal ever and we were invited into a home to experience the wonderful food and family time. It was incredibly special and we rolled out of the door feeling very loved and happy :)
The pumpkin seems to be the popular fall vegetable and it gets put into absolutely everything!!! Pumpkin spiced lattes; pumpkin pie; pumpkin bread and bagels; pumpkin cream cheese and even pumpkin ice cream. It is surprisingly delicious!!! But wait for it...they even have pumpkin spiced Rooibos! Yeah!!!!

BSSM update

Pete is almost half way through his school year and it has been a very intense and incredibly good time of growth for him. As a proud wife I get to stand and watch my already tall husband grow into a huge spiritual giant in the Kingdom of God. Its kind of like watching something shed its hard old skin; there are moments of pain and discomfort but what comes out is always something bigger and more beautiful.
Even though I haven't had the opportunity to attend BSSM, I feel like I have gained everything that Pete has experienced. I feel so incredibly blessed to be here. I have just completed my basic Sozo training (www.bethelsozo.com) and am looking forward to starting a new course in January. I am enjoying my ladies group and God has been so faithful in providing good friendships thus far.
There is still so much more and we both really feel that we would like to stay for another year and be available and ready for what God has for us as a family. Where God leads He always provides and we are so excited for the future. We rest in Him and we know that He is good and always faithful. No better place to be :)

Family

The girls are happy and well. Amy is loving the Christmas season and she had an absolute ball in the snow. When we first told her about us moving to America for a season, one of the first things she asked for was to play in the snow. Well it turns out that Redding hasn't had this much snow in over 10 years :) It was beautiful!!
Katie is almost 18 months old now and is copying everything her older sister does. They absolutely love each other. Their favourite thing to do together is dance in the lounge and Amy is coming up with the most beautiful moves...watch this space! Katie mostly spins around and falls over.
In the last four months the girls have been nailed with colds and flu. I suppose their little bodies are adjusting to the new viruses and allergens. Its been rather challenging not having medical cover but the one thing I have realised is how powerful their little bodies are at getting rid of these nasty bugs.

The day I heard the news of Madiba's death I burst into tears. My heart ached to be in South Africa and mourn with my country and I felt incredibly homesick. Its funny because I never thought I would react that way. I guess I am realising more and more that my country is in my blood. That day we drove through Redding and saw all the American flags at half mast and knew that the man who had passed away was not only a South African leader, but a world leader. The world was in mourning with us and we felt quite comforted by it.

Christmas is less than a week away and we have been so blessed. Thank you to those who have supported us, prayed for us, written to us and encouraged us through this time. We feel so incredibly humble and honoured to be in your thoughts.

Have a very merry Christmas and a BLESSED New Year.

2014: Here's to seeing what no eye has seen :)

Simply Detailed

Hi my name is Lisa and its been 5 weeks since my last blog :)

Seriously, I can't believe how quickly time flies!! We arrived in the peak of Redding's 45 degree summer and over the weeks we have observed the weather cool down, the leaves turn fiery red and the snow form on Mount Shasta.
We have been in the USA for 12 weeks now, and in some ways it feels like we are still these wide-eyed little Africans wandering around lost in the grocery store. Yet in other aspects we feel totally American; greeting people with a "hey there" instead of a "howzit."
We are so happy and at peace here, loving and appreciating every second!

Patterns...

After writing each of my blogs, I have been noticing a pattern forming: I write about something, and it gets established or confirmed afterward. After I wrote about the Puzzle Pieces, the pieces fell into place; and when I wrote about Rejoicing in the trials, all the trials resolved. I am not sure why this is happening but hey, let the blogs roll baby!! :)

My last blog was about Provision and how we surrendered our finances, and the stress of living off our savings, to God. After I wrote that blog I felt God challenge me even more about entrusting this journey to Him and allowing Him to provide and bring it through to completion.
Since the day I financially surrendered everything to God; I have seen His hand so evidently in the area of my greatest stress: grocery shopping :) He is in the little things like finding $10 grocery coupons in the mail to random half price specials on meat. We have also discovered that every week the girls get $4 tokens to buy fresh homegrown veggies from the farmers market as a part of a Kids Farmers Market Club. Every bit helps and it has been so encouraging for us; fun actually :).

Amy turned 4!

Last weekend was Amy's birthday. We wanted to buy her something special, not only because we love her but also to let her know that we see the sacrifices she has had to make in order for this dream to come alive. We want to bless her and reward her for it.
When we packed up for America, she had to give away most of her toys and put some very special ones in a box and say goodbye to them. Not once did she cry or complain, in fact she loved giving toys to under privileged children or to other friends. One of those special items was her dollhouse. She knew we couldn't take it with us and she understood why. She even cleaned it before we took it away. My hearts desire was to find her a dollhouse here for her birthday. And we did....boy did we find a special dollhouse!!! We bought it second hand and its a real beauty! Amy was absolutely thrilled when she saw it. She just gasped and said, "Wow its so beautiful, thank you for getting this for me!"

Something happened during her birthday that made me realise how much God cares about us and knows our desires and wants. Even the things that we may think are silly to ask for, God actually cares about them. He is a father, and a father loves what His children loves.

Amy had a little birthday ring at school and when Amy's teacher asked her what she would like for her birthday she said, "a blue barbie doll!!" (yes, a strange request) so her little friend prayed that God would bless her with a blue Barbie. Lo and behold, while Amy was at school I was shopping at Target for a present from Amy's granny. I saw these two little ballerina Barbies and got them for her. One of them had a blue dress on - she opened it and shouted, "My blue Barbie! Thank you Jesus!"
It was such a testimony to her friends at school that God hears their prayers.
Her faith has exploded and now, whenever she hears Pete and I talk about something we would like, she comes over and asks if she can pray for us and she simply asks God to give us the things that we we desire. Faith like a child :)

I thought that this blog should include some finer details about Pete's experience at school and how we are managing life here on a day to day basis.

What does a students week at BSSM look like...

Pete has been at school for 2 months now. His school hours are from 10:30am to 3:45pm Monday through to Thursday. There are 1200 first year students and so, in order to develop relationships and accountability, the students are divided into smaller groups, called Revival groups, of around 60 people. In each Revival group there are approximately 10 small groups consisting of about 5 or 6 people.
Pete's Revival group meets once a week to share testimonies, encourage and pray for each other. His small group also meets once a week to do the same but on a more personal level. The whole object of these groups is to "do life with each other".
The students have AMT classes (Advance Ministry Training) on Tuesdays and they are also involved in City Service projects which, for Pete, is currently weekly treasure hunts (street ministry).  Yesterday he did his treasure hunt and led a man to the Lord!

The first year at BSSM is very intense because the students deal with a lot of character and heart issues as they learn about the truth of who God is as a Father and who we are as sons. Pete says it feels like he has been in open heart surgery for 2 months! In addition to everything I have mentioned above; he has homework :) So far he has read four books and has written four book reviews along with reading the Bible daily and going through text books on various subjects with many accompanying assignments.
Looking back, his full time job at a corporate company was easy man! But definitely not as rewarding.

What does a stay-at-home wife of a BSSM student's week look like...

Pretty busy :) Pete takes Amy to school at 7:45am and then he comes home to do homework. I sort out the housework in that time and get ready to take Pete to school at 10am. I hang around town until I fetch Amy at 11:45am after which we return home for lunch and a rest. At 3:30pm the girls and I go the Civic Centre field (BSSM first year site) for a walk and a play while we wait for Pete to finish at 3:45pm.
During the week I attend some evening courses at Bethel; one of which is SOZO training on Wednesday nights. I have also joined a ladies group on Tuesday nights and I attend church on Sunday night, which is my favourite! Friday and Saturdays we have "off" to enjoy time together as a family.

That is the "nutshell" version :)

Halloween is over (thank God) and the Christmas music and decorations are coming out. I will hopefully manage another blog before the holidays season starts...(and it will be a bit shorter)
;)

Provision

Declaring and Shifting...

It's amazing what happens when you praise your way out of dark holes. When I wrote my last blog, "Rejoicing through the trials",  I was in a bit of a hole and doubted our whole "American Adventure". I honestly felt like we were crazy and irresponsible and the thoughts in my head sounded like, "what on earth are we doing here, what were we thinking?!!" 

Yes I felt like Eeyore with a dark cloud over my head and I had many good old moans at God :). Thank goodness He loves me so much!

Its amazing what happens to your "atmosphere" when you praise your way through it. While I was typing the last blog I actually physically felt something shift and lift; hope rise and the childlike excitement we had throughout our journey returned. When I read the blog aloud to Pete it was like I was declaring truth and it put all my icky emotions back into line with what God had said. 

The Car...

The day after I wrote my last blog, we received a phone call from Toyota to say that our car actually had nothing wrong with it. The mechanics were apparently quite confused as, three days prior, there had been a blown or cracked head gasket which would've cost $3000 to repair. Now, after 2 days of testing,  there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. They had test-driven it for 120 miles, stuck cameras down almost every pipe, checked and re checked the head gasket and .... well it was perfect. With relief we went and fetched our car and received a full three page report of all the tests done. The car salesman (who goes to Bethel) actually said, "Dude God totally healed your car!" ha ha!!! Come on!! 

The Girls...

When we arrived in Redding we found out that formula is quite expensive compared to South Africa! And so the advice we were given was to put Katie onto cows milk as she doesn't need formula because she is over 12 months old. I think mums need to trust their gut more because a mother does, after all,  know her child better than anyone else ever will (can I hear an amen?!). So often we doubt ourselves and look to everyone else for help when, in fact, the Holy Spirit often tells us what to do first. After 2 weeks of being on cows milk Katie fell really ill and after running back and forth to the doctor and trying different medicines; I finally trusted my gut and took Katie off cows milk. Well the difference was frightening!! Katie's ear cleared up and her rash and swelling disappeared after a few days. Once her ear was totally clear she started to walk and is now unstoppable :) Peace returned to our home and hearts.

I guess it has taken us about 6 weeks to find our groove. Pete is loving school and is receiving so much! I have been doing some courses in the evenings at Bethel and am spiritually feeling so alive and inspired. Amy is loving her school and is growing daily into a confident, kind and beautiful little lady. I really am SO blessed and feel totally humbled at what God has given us.

Provision...

Do I miss home? Yes! Sometimes I miss home so much that my stomach actually aches. I miss my own culture; being fully understood by my friends and having a support structure of family around me. I miss going to the shops and knowing my prices. I miss Ina Parman's spices and Woolies Sales :) 

I miss knowing that money will be coming into our bank account at the end of every month ha ha!!! 

Over the last six weeks God has really been showing me that HE is our provider. When we did our first grocery shop I was shocked at how expensive it is to eat healthy food here and I actually got quite stressed every time I went to the grocery store. My stomach would be in a knot with every item I put in my basket, and my small basket of basic foods would ring up to $50. My hand would shake as I handed over the cash knowing that it was actually R500 and especially knowing what R500 could get me at home. It sounds silly, but our money in the bank has to last us for the year and if we are really diligent, we can stay longer which is our hearts desire. We aren't allowed to earn any money during our stay unless it comes in the form of donations or offerings.

The word "budget" was coming out of my mouth far too often and I didn't like it. "It was for freedom that Christ has set us free" and I know that we are designed and destined to be free. Not free to be stupid and irresponsible; but FREE from fear, FREE from anxiety and FREE from the poverty mindset that always says " I cant" and "I don't have enough" or "I can't afford". We are sons and daughters and part of being a son and a daughter means that we are ALWAYS provided for and NEVER in lack. 

I felt that I needed to watch the words that came out of my mouth because with those words and that poverty mindset I can disqualify us very quickly from receiving blessings. And with words of LIFE and faith we open ourselves up to blessings and freedom. It really is simple hey?

So yes, God spoke to me clearly on that one!! AGAIN the familiar words, "Lisa do you trust Me?" YES I do Lord! "Then feed your family and feed them well." :) 

Trust...

So on my way to the store I began to surrender to God; our money, our lives; our children; our marriage; our future. I cant hold onto anything anymore, its just so exhausting and stressful. My quiet prayer turned into a song-type-shout-of-praise and I am sure the people in the cars next to me could hear, but I didn't care! Joy and freedom flooded my soul!! Amy was in the back of the car, as quiet as a mouse :) When I was done she piped up, "Mom what are you doing?" 

I actually forgot she was there ha ha!

A couple of days later we received very timely financial gifts from dear friends and a dear family member. 

God really loves it when we trust Him!

The Message says it pretty well in Proverbs 3 from verse 5...

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
dont try to figure everything out on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He's the One who will keep your on track.
Dont assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bone will vibrate with life!
Honour God with everything you own;
give Him the first and the best.
Your barn will burst and your wine vats will brim over."

:)

Rejoicing in the trials

This week hits the one month mark since we left South Africa. In a sense it feels like we have always been here yet every morning I wake up thinking I am still in Hillcrest and it takes me a second to remember that we aren't.

This blog post is a bit of a tough one for me to write because these last two weeks have been incredibly trying for us. I am not the kind of person who moans and likes to let everyone know when we are struggling. But in my very first blog I wrote that this would be a place where I would be honest and open about our journey :) (blush) so yes, its been a very hard week. Pete starts school tomorrow and it seems like everything; including the paw paw; has hit the fan lately. We know where and why its like that... intense opposition means we are obviously doing something right eh?

Rejoice in trials for they are a testing of your faith...

So after a very long and frustrating search, we finally found a Toyota Camry with a relatively "ok" mileage of 130 000 miles...yes miles. (Yup, every car we looked at within out price range had almost 200 000 miles on the clock. Shucks deluxe!)
When we saw this car at the Toyota dealership, it had just come in and we had to make a decision about buying it that afternoon, otherwise it would be taken quickly. The reason why we hesitated was because it was $1000 over our budget. The Rand was not in a good place and we felt a little confused as we had really been praying for a car within our budget but it was proving to be very difficult. At this stage, the more money we spend, the less time we have to live here; and we are really believe we are here to stay for 2 years.
That afternoon I went for a walk and asked God what He had for us and what He wants us to do. I felt Him whisper, "Lisa do you trust Me?" "Yes Lord." "Then spend the money, get the car and I will handle the rest."
GULP, I walked inside and Pete called the dealership.

Three days later Pete noticed the coolant fluid was empty after it had just been filled the day we got the car. So we took the car back and they said they would have a look at it and let us know. Straight after that happened SARS lets us know that they are going to audit our tax return this year. Thanks for that!!
So we had to source all our docs while we are half way across the world!

Then Katie got sick and when she gets sick, she does it properly! As a mother I felt very helpless and worried being out of our usual comfort zones and our usual support systems. We don't know any doctors here and we aren't familiar with the medicines either. We went to a walk in clinic that is for low or no income earners. We aren't medically covered in the USA and we told them we are not allowed to earn money while we are living here and we are living on savings and they allowed us to see a doctor for free (praise God). Turns out our poor child's ear drum was about to burst! The three days after that visit we had to go back to the clinic twice as she had major fevers and an allergic reaction to the medicine they prescribed - she had a rash all over her body and her face and throat was swollen - and Amy got a nasty cold and ear infection too.
Then we got a call from Toyota saying that our car has a blown head gasket and it would cost $3000 to repair! Pete and I looked at each other feeling totally discouraged and exhausted.

Again I say REJOICE!!

NO! Anger rose up in me like a volcano and I refused to let this take our joy, rest and our peace!
We had a family prayer time and we asked God to handle all this because He is our Defender and our Protector; our Healer and our Saviour. HE called us and HE will sustain us because we are HIS and not   ruled by the world and the things of the world. We lifted our heads and chose to rejoice in this time because every morning when we wake up, the enemy gets scared! Yeeehhaaa! I actually want to do flick flacks when I type this. Gods children are victorious in everything.

So yes, that has been our week so far. We wait and see what God does and we will be fine. Little Katie is on the mend in Jesus name and our car will be a blessing and not a curse! We spoke to the salesman and he said he will see what he can do with regards to fixing it.

Thank you to everyone who has held us in prayer and supported us.

I keep hearing the words of my God... "Lisa do you trust Me?" And I do with all my heart....

Trust without Borders

We have only been in Redding for 12 days and yet we feel totally at home here. Its amazing how quickly roots can grow in the right soil.

Hello Redding....

The day after we landed in San Francisco, we rented a car and drove to Redding. It is such a beautiful drive and we drank in every mile. Driving on the other side of the road took some getting used to, especially amongst the massive trucks and pick ups. (South Africans: you think a Prado or double cab is big? You should see the monsters on these roads! My Hat! I swear they growl at you when you pass them.)
We arrived in Redding and drove straight to our apartment complex. We opened our car doors and BAM! The heat hit us like a brick wall. The car thermometre read 110 degrees Fahrenheit (around 40 degrees Celsius).  We were given our keys and we were greeted by our clean and perfect little apartment with new carpets and new appliances. We took a deep breath... this is our home! Then ran upstairs to turn the central air con on.

We arrived at 3pm and by 6pm we had all our furniture in our home. People we hadn't met before; but who had heard we were coming; helped us move all our stuff in. We were given almost everything! Sheets; towels; a couch and coffee table; a cot; a bed; duvets; a dining room suite; more toys than Amy and Katie know what to do with AND a whole kitchen of appliances, cutlery and crockery - even cookie cutters!! And as if that wasn't amazing enough, our new friends gave us a home cooked meal to enjoy that evening. Pete and I sat at our dining room table, eating the delicious meal and looked at our instant home in wonder..."How did this all happen? And why was it so easy?"
Before we left South Africa I had really been praying and asking God for an apartment and a bed for Amy and Katie within the first 2 days of our arrival in Redding. I didn't even think it was possible to arrive in a foreign country and have everything we needed in one afternoon! The funny thing is that some of the stuff we have been given here is BETTER than what we had at home.
I shouldn't be so surprised because God, You are SO good!

It took a few days for the jet lag to wear off and by the weekend we were somewhat familiar with our location and surroundings. We have set up a bank account, got cell phone contracts, put Amy into Bethel Pre School and are currently looking for a car. Pete starts school in September and I have registered for a ladies group and a few other courses the church offer during the evenings.
We are just loving our little home and we have all adapted so well. We even have some daily entertainment: there is a man that walks around the apartment complex all day and each time he does a round he wears a different hat. His hats are amazing and so creative. He has a gold Aladdin turban, a joker hat, a hat with a parrot on and one hat even has a poodle on it. He also has a green radio around his neck and walks while listening to music. Every 2 hours or so he walks past our window and we all run to see what hat he is wearing. Its such fun and Amy thinks its the best thing ever. :) Poor dude is probably thinking we are the crazy ones. (chuckle)
Grocery shopping is an adventure in itself, the variety is unbelievable and everything is bigger - gallon  milk jugs, longer loaves of bread, bigger bags of chips, shinier apples and yellower bananas. My eyes were like saucers on our first grocery shop.

Sunday morning arrived and we all got dressed up for our first church service at Bethel. During worship it hit me, "We are here. We made it." I actually got on my knees and burst into tears. My heart felt so blessed and overjoyed. It is such a privilege to be involved and to be taking part in a culture and a church that has understood the Kingdom of God. Since the day we arrived we have felt that culture through the love and support of new friends and the people we have met here. They certainly have something right!

Trust without Borders...

I have been listening to a song by United Live called "Oceans". The lyrics of this song are amazing and it honestly is the cry of my heart. Its scary to take a step out onto unknown waters. But throughout this journey I am beginning to realise that when He call your name, you cant help but respond. When He calls, He sustains and you find out who you are meant to be and what you have been created for. We have been designed to trust in His love and to rely on Him, we weren't meant to be independent; we weren't meant to do life all on our own. Sure it takes guts to make that step, but looking back now, we were actually carried the whole way :)
We have never felt so alive. There is something about taking risks, making that jump and finally finding out that the dream you've had in your heart for so long is a possibility.

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet will ever wander, that my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my saviour..."

We have arrived!! Half dead and fully alive!

The last few weeks in South Africa....

Packing and moving home was harder than I thought and by the end of it our minds were frazzled. We had to think of everything - what to store, what to take with, and what to live in for the 2 weeks before we leave. Pete was a machine!!! He moved everything with the help of one man. We have stored our boxes along one wall of Pete's parents garage and organised it so that their 2 cars can still fit in. Pretty impressive if you ask me and a huge saving in storage costs (thanks mom and dad!)
After packing up and moving out, Pete and I felt exhausted. We drove to Joburg to stay with my mum and dad for a few nights and that was a very good time for us to rest up and prepare for the emotional goodbyes that lay ahead

The flight...

The 12th of August kind of snuck up on us, we were at the airport and then we were flying and now we are here. We left on the Durban to Dubai flight at 6:40pm South African time and had bulkhead seats - lots of leg room. I gave Katie some mooti to help her sleep on the flight (I had tried and tested the mooti before flying). But as we took off, she lost it!! We were the passengers that people wished they didn't have to sit next to! Katie got a bit delirious and was crying her lungs out. I got totally stressed and started furiously praying in tongues. After about an hour she passed out! I carefully lay her on the floor in front of us and breathed a sigh of relief. As dinner was served the air hostess told us that a baby on the floor is unacceptable and could we please carry her. I had tried to hide her under a blanket but her feet were sticking out and she was spotted, oh well! As I scooped her up she opened her eyes and, BING!, that was her sleep over!!! (grrrrr) Amy was amazing. She loved the fact that she had her own seat and her own TV screen. She watched movies, ate her supper and fell asleep. We landed in Dubai at 3am (South African time) and had a 3 hour lay over. Dubai was buzzing and we were totally overwhelmed by all the shops and people. We washed our faces, brushed our teeth, changed our clothes and took a deep breath before we boarded our long flight from Dubai to San Francisco; 16 hours.

The flight was packed and we sat in a row of three seats near the back of the aircraft. The plane flew straight up past Russia; over the North Pole (which was the half way mark and such a beautiful sight from 32000 feet); down over Canada and to San Fran. We worked out that we left Dubai on Tuesday at 6am South African time and landed at midnight that night. Thats long man! The girls were so good. They both slept on and off and Amy stayed in her seat the entire flight playing games and watching movies. Katie wasn't allowed to crawl in the aisles so in between her naps we were taking turns to walk with her and entertain her.
At one point on the flight, Pete and I looked at each other and thought, "How did we get here and what are we doing???" I think that was the moment where it all truly hit us. We actually got quite emotional about it and had a little cry. But when we landed and we saw that American flag and were greeted by all the custom officials I got butterflies in my tummy.

We did it and we are here...

The one thing we were worried about when we got to San fran was how we were going to get out of the airport with 7 massive bags of luggage, a car seat, 2 carry on bags and 2 very tired girls. As I said earlier, we landed in San Francisco at midnight South African time and it was 1pm American time. So we had to wake both girls from a very deep sleep and take them through a very busy airport. Amy cracked at that point and was in tears from exhaustion. So there we were, Pete pushing two trolleys full of luggage and me with one girl on each hip. We sailed through customs and the customs official chatted to us and said he has a friend who has just qualified from Bethel School of ministry. He was so kind and could see we looked shattered so offered to push one trolley through to the shuttle service outside of the airport. People must have thought we were pretty important as we walked side by side through the airport with a custom official in full uniform :) Praise God for the right people at the right time. We hopped onto our shuttle, got to the Hotel, all had a good bath and fell asleep at 5pm.

Redding, here we come...

At the moment Pete is at the airport collecting our rental car, and off we go on a 4 hour road trip to Redding. We are going straight to our apartment and a friend has very kindly offered to help us move some beds in and a few other things so we can sleep and set up our home.

South Africa, we miss you and all the beauty, family and friendship we have there. You are irreplaceable.

America, we love you and we are ready to embrace the different culture and add our flavour :)

Lord, Thank You for Your grace and protection. Here we are, we came; like You asked us to; and we are ready....

Drawing near...

Draw Near to Me...

There is a song that I cant stop playing; and I haven't stopped playing it for months now. Its a song by Jeremy Riddle called "Draw Near." Track 9 on the Bethel Loft Sessions album. This song gets to me every time I listen to it, and I have to hold back the tears. 

God often speaks to me through music and He has an incredible way of moving my heart through lyrics or instrumentals. There is a certain part of this song that moved my heart months before we made a decision to go to California, and every time I heard this certain part of the song it felt like God was moving my heart and speaking the words to me....

"Ive made a place for you here. So come on, come on...

All things are possible here. So come on, come on..."

It was as if God was inviting me somewhere and, at the time, I didn't know where...

When I hear these words now my heart leaps :) 

Plans and Progression...

Our student visas have been granted and are ready for us to collect. We have just over 2 weeks left in South Africa and things are starting to speed up... 

We move out of our little home next week and after that we are driving to Johannesburg to spend a few days with my family. We then come back to Durban for the last few days before we fly out from King Shaka airport to Dubai. We have a 3 hour layover in Dubai before the monster flight of 16 hours to San Francisco. When we land in San Fran we will collapse for the night in a little hotel, and the next day we drive to Redding in a rental car. Whew! I feel exhausted just thinking about it!!

In all honesty this all feels totally surreal. Pete and I are running off our feet organising and packing and yet we feel completely at peace, happy and content. Yes, we have been stressed and overwhelmed, but on the other hand we have watched how everything has effortlessly fallen into place and we stand totally humbled. Our God is big and He looks after His children! 

I have had many moments of tears at what we will be missing - birthday parties, pregnancies and babies being born; family holidays. Just life's progression in general. But there is always good ol' Facebook, Skype and a whole list of other ways of communicating. It will feel like we are just down the road in so many ways :)

We have managed to secure a little apartment - with MUCH help from incredible, unmet friends in Redding :) So we will be able to drive from San Francisco into the drive way of our little home in Redding (thank you Jesus!) We have also been blessed with some furniture already. Amy will start school at the end of August and Pete starts school sometime in September.

Time is Drawing near...

...and we are ready!!! Ready for ALL that God has for us, the good and the challenging. Ready for the change, the adventure and the possibilities. NOTHING is impossible for God, and when He calls you to take a step, even if it is the scariest step of your life, you see how He carries you all the way. 

Puzzle Pieces

I have always admired people who can sit for hours with a 3000 piece puzzle and slowly, day by day, unscramble all these tiny but important pieces to eventually reveal this magnificent picture. I wish I could do that, but I am WAY too impatient and would get incredibly frustrated knowing that amongst all those scrambled pieces there is a picture and I cant see it.

Its kinda how I am feeling at the moment :)

ITS ALL IN THE DETAILS...

I realised in my last blog I didn't quite mention the specifics of what we will be doing in Redding California and how this process is working. So here are the finer details...

Redding is a small town north of San Francisco (about a 4 hour drive). It is incredibly beautiful with forests, mountains and lakes. In Redding is a church called Bethel Church and it is lead by Bill Johnson. He is an incredible minister; his preaching has had me captured for years. I remember listening to a preach of his on Inheritance and it had me on my knees weeping in my lounge. Anyway, the church offer a number of schools, seminars and courses; some of them being the Worship school, Sozo Seminars and the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry or BSSM (which is where Pete will be studying).

Studying at BSSM is full time - 4 days a week with homework - and the students get the opportunities to be involved in the life of Bethel church as well as attending some outreaches and going on a few retreats. It is an incredible school which focuses on the kingdom of God working in and through you. It is quite different to the traditional Bible Colleges and theological studies in the sense that it offers the opportunity to not only study Gods word but to allow Gods word to bring life in and through you in a very real way. Essentially, being Gods word and not just knowing it.

So while Pete studies I will be at home with the girls. Its not that I don't want to study at all, but my focus right now is my children; to be their rock and their security while they are small. I am secure in that calling and I believe that raising children is as important as reaching nations. I know that their little worlds are about to change too and I want to be the constant in their lives during this time.
Bethel offer evening courses on various subjects which I can attend and my intention is to do homework with Pete so that I can also get a taste of what God is doing in him.

As far as day to day living is concerned, we will be looking for a small apartment to rent and furnish it through garage sales. We will also need to buy a small car. I cannot wait to go grocery shopping there as I can totally see myself becoming an "extreme coupon-er" :)
We are responsible for funding our lives while we are in Redding. Our American visas are M1 student visas which means that we are not allowed to work or earn money while we are there. We have some money saved that will get us through our first year in America. Our intention is to stay for two years. This is where I get very excited as God will show us how living by faith actually works. YEEHAAA!

PIECE BY PIECE...

So back to the scrambled pieces of puzzles, at this stage we realise that there are 6 weeks left until we leave and a whole lot of unknowns. Kind of like a bunch of pieces and no real picture yet. I can visualise this table with a frame of puzzle pieces and nothing in the middle. I know every piece is important but not sure where or how it fits in. The only certainties are that we have our tickets and our appointment with the US Embassy has been made in order to issue our visas and thats kind of it. We are busy wrapping up our lives here: banks, medical aid, insurance, cell phone contracts etc etc. But when we arrive in Redding.....well that side is the unknown part of the picture. And I chuckle as I write this because this is where I feel HUGELY challenged; especially being a stay at home mum and homemaker. I cringe at the thought of arriving in a foreign country with a few suitcases and no where to stay or sleep. (popping a rescue tablet). I have tried to find out if we can secure a little apartment before we arrive but most agents say that they don't rent properties to people they haven't met, or "unmet" people; which I can understand. So we will have to find something when we get there. Then we can go garage sale crawling - yahoo!! (laughing and popping another rescue tablet)

THANK YOU LORD!

But you know what? I feel totally humbled that we have this opportunity, that we can pack up and go to the States for a year. WOW! How many people get this opportunity?
Amongst the jumbled, scrambled emotions and thoughts, God is shaping the most amazing picture for us and we are SO excited to see what it is.

Am I ready? No. Am I scared? Yes!

"Time to be brave Lis. Throw off everything that hinders...come to the edge" I keep hearing those words.

Saddle up your horses...

I have never really considered myself a "blogger". I actually prefer good old pen and paper when expressing my heart if I am to be honest; but a few people have asked if I would start a blog when we leave so that they can read about our journey and see how we are doing. I realised its actually a great tool to keep everyone on the "same page" so to speak. So here we go :) ...

I want to be vulnerable and real on this blog. I don't want to put on a brave face and be over spiritual either. This is a place where I will record the highs and the lows; the tears and the laughter as we go on our way to America. 
I would really like all of you to know where we are at and, if you would like to pray, then on these blogs you'll know what to pray for. 

GOD, IN HIS GRACE, PREPARED US WAY IN ADVANCE:

I remember listening to a song sung by Steven Curtis Chapman when I was a teenager. Many of you will remember it...

"Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life

Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind

And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored

This is what we were created for"

I remember something coming alive in my heart whenever I heard this song. It was like the Holy Spirit was whispering to me, saying; "Its true, you were meant to live for so much more..." And my heart would leap..."But what adventures lie ahead for me Lord?" 

If someone had come to me 2 years ago and said, "You are going to pack up your life here and in August 2013 you, Pete and the girls will board a plane to America where you will live for 2 years." I would have laughed.

God has been speaking to Pete and I for 2 years about a change that is coming. We didn't know how, or when or what (God likes to keep you guessing hey?) but we just knew that we had to give our hearts and our lives over to Him if we wanted The Great Adventure of following Him. 
God in His grace and wisdom didn't reveal things too early, (otherwise we may have run away) but slowly and surely He worked in our lives, made us soft and gently wooed us by His Spirit. We had been praying and asking God for adventure and change for so long.
His word really is a lamp unto our feet, He showed us each step and, as we had the faith to take that step, He showed us the next one, and so on.

"THEY CAME TO THE EDGE, AND HE PUSHED THEM, AND THEY FLEW."

In April we both had thought of going to Bethel to study for a year. It was just a thought, but that seed of thought began to grow and grow. We began to realise that it is actually possible and "why not?!" 
I began to picture us living in America, driving on the other side of the road, Amy and Katie speaking in little American accents...and I began to get really excited. I found myself clearing out old toys and clothes and not buying the new cushions for my couch that I had been eyeing out. 
"God is this what You want for us?" ... Silence. (Don't you love that?) 
Pete applied for the Bethel school and got accepted. We were told that we had 30 days to pay a deposit otherwise his space would be filled. Eeek!!

I don't like making decisions under pressure, neither does Pete. Especially really big decisions like this. Emotions got in the way, reasoning told me that its not "wise" to spend your life savings and come back to nothing. And as a mother, well that typical "motherly guilt" came to the party as well. Taking my girls away from their home, their grandparents and cousins was a huge issue for me.
But through all of this, there was a fire in my heart that started to burn, like a match that has been struck and I couldn't put it out. I knew that we had to do this. I knew it was time for us to be pushed off the cliff and it was time for us to fly. 

SADDLE UP YOUR HORSES ...

We made the firm decision to go last month (May). We paid our deposit and we booked our flights. We gave notice to our landlord on our beloved little home and I gave notice to Amy's school. We told our friends and family and Pete resigned from his job. 
WOW!! Talk about no turning back now!
This last month we have had days where we are so excited that we have actually danced together as a family in our lounge; and then there have been days where I have sobbed and sobbed at the thought of leaving our friends and family and leaving Africa (even if it is temporary). 
It feels like God; the Master Gardener; is uprooting this little plant from its pot and planting it in a more spacious place where it can grow and thrive. The uprooting, however, is not easy. 
My mom has been saying to me, "Lis, take a day at a time. Each day His grace is sufficient." and its so true. 
Matthew 19v29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My Names sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life." 
That is my promise and I will remember it. Thank you Father.

Pete and I have made a decision to enjoy every minute of this journey. Even the tough times and the homesickness. Man what a privilege to be able to live in America for a year or two!! 
Thank you Lord for this opportunity!

And so our journey begins here. We are busy packing up and selling a few odds and ends; sorting out admin like cell phone contracts and storage costs and registering Amy for Bethel Pre School. Our i20 visa forms haven't arrived in the blessed South African post yet, so this week we are sorting that out.

We have 9 weeks left and a LOT to do...

I will keep you posted.
Thanks for reading :)