rebeccaherndon

"The soul lives by that which it loves."

St John of the Cross

I'm tempted to end my blog here, for today words feel unnecessary and one sentence encompasses all. How can I describe to you this moment? 100 degree heat, no running water, few words, accommodations fewer still....the sound of a flute and children laughing in the distance, a cup of cold Grape Fanta sitting nearby, the low roar of an approaching storm on the horizon, and a heart that seems to have fallen in love with the mystery of grace...oh, these are the moments that I live for!

Being here in Swaziland has been a gift from God. This land, its people, our team, the evening light show in the unsettled skies, the dancing go-gos (grandmas) that bring joy to any moment ï¿½ it has all been a constant whisper of redemption and I love it. How can I even begin to describe to you the faithfulness of our God? It is so far beyond our wildest hopes and dreams! Come difficulty or ease, abundance or need, He is good and worthy of praise. He is faithful and He is near!

I now see that two weeks in Swazi is not enough. Still, it has been two weeks full of activity: Christmas parties with the go-gos, a vision team of NFL wives that came to serve and love the people here (sorry, no names mentioned), Lila and Jessica delivered a baby in the back of a car, Jon and I attended a town meeting on the desperate water crisis here, and on most nights God has shown up in extremely powerful ways and brings deliverance to the members of this team. We have seen that we are all indisputably human, each suffering from our own sins and wounds, yet each delivered by the hands of the Father. I feel as the beloved John, knowing that even the whole world would not have the room for the books (or blog entries) that would be written to tell of all the goodness of our God.

For those of you praying for me, I want to give you a few more specifics for your prayers. And again, thank you, thank you for seeking God on my behalf.

As mentioned, the water crisis meeting was a real eye-opener. Essentially, they have no water, and no way to sanitize the small amount they do have. So no water means no food, no flushing toilets, no baths (80% of the people here don't get them) and no clean water. Instead, there is a rise of malnutrition, cholera, livestock disease, family, decreased morale and a higher death rate. The saddest part of all this is that there is a rushing, able river running straight through the area, owned by wealthy South Africans and inaccessible to the locals. Just outside of town there is a giant USA Distillers company soaking up the much needed water. My heart sank as I realized that we are doing this! Please pray that the voice of these people would be heard and they would have clean water in abundance!

Blair and I will travel to South Africa on Tuesday to spend 2 weeks with the team there. Pray for safe travels and two great weeks.

Praise God that I am now 60% done with my monthly support raising! Things have been busy but He is faithfully bringing people to walk alongside me. Keep praying for the remaining 40% (about $400.00 a month). It seems just around the corner!

Abigail, one of the young Swazi girls here, has a two week old baby. The baby came as a result of her uncle raping her. She is only 14 and it's very evident that she doesn't want this baby. Pray that God can heal the wounds that are so deep in her heart and she will find a love for her little daughter.

My bro Jesse got accepted to the January Real Life trip to India. I AM SO EXCITED FOR HIM! Pray that all the details of that work out.

Lastly, pray for continued passion in my life and those around me, that our focus would be Christ and we would see His Kingdom come!

I can't wait to see many of you for Christmas! As my schedule looks now, I'll be in Arkansas until the first of January. I'll head to Texas around January 5, then to Colorado around January 11. Should be back in Georgia around mid-January, ready to kick off another season at AIM.

I love you all!