Home Sweet Home!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers and support prior to and during our journey to South Africa. We had an AMAZING experience that was life altering. We returned home to Kansas City on Tuesday March 22nd,  plane landed at about 5:30 p.m. After 36 hours of traval to get home our hot shower and cozy bed was more than heaven on earth. We look forward to sharing our journey, thoughts, prayers, and pictures with you here in the near future. We are still processing what we experienced and we pray that God would guide us and use us here in this place to continue the good works that are happening in Kwadick, South Africa.

We Leave in 1 Week!!!

So it seems like just yesterday I had this calling to go to South Africa on a mission trip with my church. Now in 7 days we depart on the journey. I can't believe it!  God has been so good in getting us prepared and providing for us. We are in the process of packing, which is causing me some anxiety I will admit, but I got a bag big enough that I fit in. Yes I do fit in it, my brothers put me in there!!! We will each take 1 personal bag of luggage and then 1 bag with supplies for the team. We get to pack and take post hole diggers! I think I'll send Brandon through customs with that one :) We have 19 hours of flying ahead of us just to get there, oh I try not to think about it. We fly from KC to Washington D.C then from there 16 hours straight to one stop in Dakar, then Johannesburg, and then 2 more hours to our stop in Port Elizabeth. We leave 8am on March 8th from KC and arrive at our destination in Port Elizabeth at 9:20 pm on Wednesday the 9th.
Here are a couple maps to see the area where we will be. We will be in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, staying close to East London.
http://www.mapsharing.org/MS-maps/map-pages-worldmap/images-continental/8-continental-africa-map.gif

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/maps/large/sf-map.gif&imgrefurl=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/maps/maptemplate_sf.html&usg=__alqp8KhFxJOK139KF1X30VokhMY=&h=353&w=329&sz=13&hl=en&start=7&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=QmUFdMgRRhHIEM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsouth%2Bafrica%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1T4SUNA_enUS298US298%26tbs%3Disch:1%26prmd%3Divnsm&ei=FDNtTb6BH4GB8gbtqLyODQ

We ask for your continued prayers for safe travel and protection and also for good health. We pray too for our family that they would find peace and comfort with our traveling and the work God has called us to do.

We may not be able to keep you updated on the blog while we are actually there. We are not sure how the Internet connection will be so we plan to keep journals and then upon our return I will post our entries and the pictures. We are so blessed so far in this experience and look forward to all that God has planned for us throughout this and in the future. 

Becoming an R12 Disciple

Our community group met for the first time last night. Awesome! We are going to study the book Living on the Edge: Dare to Experience True Spirituality by Chip Ingram. This study focuses on teaching us how to be Christ followers as God has layed out for us in Romans 12.

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with yourt faith;7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,t do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.t Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"t says the Lord.20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."t
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

WOW! He has shown us through his own life and is showing us here how we can be authentic followers of him. This is his dream for us as his children; that we would be like him, that we would become Authentic Christ Followers! I am so excited to be part of this group on this journey and I look forward to sharing all that I learn along the way!

What does True Spirituality mean to you?

What is God's Love Language?

So Brandon and I are reading through the book The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It is an awesome quick read that we would encourage everyone to check out. The principles of the book and finding "the secret to love that lasts" are very easy and basic things that we all do already or can easily learn how to do. Chapman states there are 5 love languages: "Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch." In the book he explains each language, gives examples of each, and helps you find what your love language is.

What is the importance of all this you might say? Well it is very important in the fact that as each of us is a very unique human being made in the image of God, we each have different ways in which we give and receive love. However, just because we show someone we love them in a certain way doesn't mean that they will interpret that act as a sign of love. For instance, if Brandon would do a load of laundry I would interpret that as an act of love (because I know he hates dislikes doing laundry) but to him he might just be doing a load of laundry. Understanding our own "love language" and that of our spouse or partner is very important in developing a solid foundation for your relationship/marriage.

This has then brought me to the question of What is God's Love Language? In other words what makes God feel loved? Will understanding God's Love Language help me bulid a stronger relationship with him?

Wow! What a powerful question. I've thought about this for some time now and this is what I have to say:
All of the Above!

Words of Affirmation: Claiming that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior makes God feel loved

Quality Time: Spending time in the Word and Prayer, reading scripture daily and praying with purpose of getting to know your Savior makes God feel loved

Receiving Gifts: When we accept Christ our life, body, spirit is a gift to him and this makes God feel loved.

Acts of Service: When God's people live for him and live out that love to all people, being the hands and feet of Christ makes God feel loved.

Physical Touch: I believe when you feel the Holy Spirit move within you it's like a great big hug from above! When we embrace and act upon those ways in which the Holy Spirit moves us, God feels loved.

Or as he said in Mark 12:30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

Food for Thought: How do you show God that you love him?

The Calling!

Is there anything in your life that you felt/feel called to do? Did you/will you follow through?

All my life, well since my teens, I have wanted to do mission work. My mom and I always talked of how fun it would be to go on a medical mission trip together, we are both nurses, but never went forward with it. A few months ago now I began thinking about mission work often, knowing that it was something I would really like to do at some point in my life. So I started praying about it each day on my way to work and the following testimony is what happened....

Brandon and I attend Indian Creek Community Church in Olathe, KS. About 2 months ago or so I started having this sense that I was supposed to go on a missions trip. I have always wanted to do this but didn't know where to go, how to do it, or when the right time would be. So, I began to pray this simple prayer:

 "God please use me as you would to be your hands and feet here on this earth, whether it be here in the states or in South Africa God please open those doors that need opened and close those that need closed to get me there. I pray God for the hearts of those that would help me get there because I know I cannot do it on my own. Amen"

So I began to pray this prayer every morning on my way to work. It then became very interesting to me that oddly I was beginning to hear the words South Africa often; whether on the TV,news, people, and at a church service. So I continued the prayer. Well about a month ago on a Wednesday morning on my way to work, I turned the radio off and said my prayer as I had for a couple months. When I turned the radio back on this is what I heard: "I will follow" by Chris Tomlin

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
and I will follow

The tears started flowing down my cheeks and I had the biggest smile on my face with the words South Africa laying on my heart. I knew that this was no coincidence, this was a gift from God and I was going to accept it. I picked up the phone and called my husband, who had no idea I'd been praying about this, and said honey I think we're supposed to go to South Africa. He was very surprised to say the least but never once did he doubt or question me. So we began to pray about it together and then the oranges answered our prayer!

We were grocery shopping at Walmart and went to pick out some oranges. "Babe what does that say?" We both looked at the orange "South Africa" no kidding we looked at each other and tears were flowing down our cheeks. So South Africa here we come!!!

There is a family the Agee's from our church that felt called to move to South Africa to support the mission Oceans of Mercy. http://www.oceansofmercy.com/ Our church has partnered with them to help support their mission and does so by sponsoring orphans, shoe drives, pencil drives, mission trips once or twice a year, etc. Brandon and I have been sponsoring a child now for close to a year, for $40 a month we help supply meals, shoes, and school supplies. We look forward to meeting him when we arrive there!

We will be leaving March 8th and return on the 22nd. The village we help sponsor is Kwa-dick. On this trip our group will be helping to prepare the land site that a new community center for the orphans is going to be built on. We will also be helping with the child sponsorship program and updating the orphans records, HIV/Aids education, and spreading the love of our Lord Jesus! You can learn a little more about the trip here http://www.timstout.com/sa/

Brandon and I have been blessed abundantly in our lives (more stories to come) and we know that God has more planned for us then we can even imagine. We cannot wait to see what he has in store for us and I'm sure this is just the beginning. We ask for your prayers in our preparation for this experience as well as our traveling and health. We will keep you updated here throughout our journey.

We thank each and every one of you who has prayed for us thus far and who have supported us with this mission. We pray that God would bless your lives and lead each of you to live out for him as well. May God break our hearts for what breaks his and then lead us as his hands and feet to serve and bless his people abundantly here on this earth.

God Bless!

Kelsi

Hello

So I've decided to step into the world of blogging. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, but I'm sure you'll all be able to see that! We, my husband Brandon and I, wanted a way to share our spiritual journey and life lessons with those we love and care for.  I hope you decide to come back and follow us along this beautiful path that the Lord has blessed us to walk upon!