Loving Them so They can Love Others

I had a Christmas party for the girls in my Masi Bible Study.


They were so excited. We had cookies, Coke-Cola, cupcakes, and a Zac Effron movie. (Yes, even teen age girls in Africa are obsessed with High School Musical stuff). We chatted about the real meaning of Christmas- that it was the day Jesus was born so that He could live and die to give us hopeless people Hope. I gave them their Christmas presents (a big bar of chocolate each) and a card letting them know how proud of each one of them I am. Then we helped the community out a little. We put together thankyou Christmas packages for the Police, Security, Clinics, Hospitals, etc that partner with The Baby Safe in our efforts to offer hope, life and options to the most vulnerable women and babies in our communities. The girls worked so hard, writing the thankyou notes, wrapping the cookies, and driving with me to hand deliver them all. They are starting to understand that it is because of Christ’s love for us, that we go out and love others.

L-R Asiphe, Zodidi, Nosiwaphe, Nosiphe, Baby Alissa, Thandili

New Beginnings

"…If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5.17






These girls are serious about living for Christ

They are desperate what is real and true. 2 Sundays ago, they made the decision to take their relationships with Christ a step further and publicly tell their friends & family that they are done living for them selves, and are now living for Him. They got baptized to demonstrate what’s going on in their hearts- that the old is dead, the new is here. Even though the pool water was cold, they were smiling ear to ear. I am so proud of these girls and the commitments they are making to let Jesus be the center of their lives.

“We were therefore buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6.4

Please continue to pray for these girls. Next week, they are entering their first years of high school and we are praying for courage and boldness to continue to let their “little lights shine” in a community of darkness and evil.

6 months old & only 8 lbs.

Part of what I do with the Baby Safe is helping young moms feel empowered to take care of their infant babies.

Here’s Linda's story:
18 years old, living with her boyfriend miles away from home, in a strange new township, with a 6 month old. With no jobs, they have no money to eat, let alone provide for their little baby girl.
Because Linda does not have the basic support and care of a mom, sister, or trusted friend, she has no one to encourage, advise, & help in the raising of her first born. Recently the baby has been struggeling to gain weight. 2 weeks ago, at her 6 month weigh-in, the baby was only 8 lbs.
Enter Baby Safe.
We were contacted by social workers to help address the situation. At first Linda was sent to the local clinic to get formula. However, a month later, the baby was still not gaining any weight. I was asked to go with Linda to her next clinic appointment. To advocate for her. To get some answers. If she was getting formula from the clinic, why wasn’t the baby gaining weight? What can we do to save the life of this child? How can we empower Linda to be a good mom? Come to find out, Linda was only feeding the child half of what her age requires. When I showed her how to properly make the bottle, hold the baby, and feed her, I discovered Linda did not know how to feed her baby. All Linda needed was someone to show her how to feed her child. To teach and encourage her.
We got Linda a check list on what days to go to the clinic to collect her monthly formula & baby cereal hand outs. A form on how many scoops of formula is needed to prepare the bottle, etc. Basic stuff.
We have some very good friends in Holland who were able to buy Linda, her boyfriend Joe, and baby a Christmas food parcel. I was able to deliver the package to them the other day. They were over-joyed at the bags of food! And I am super happy to report that the baby is gaining weight and looking better
*names have been changed due to confidentiality*

Jesus & 14 year old girls

I've started a bible study in Masi with some teenage girls. I love this group of girls. They are so hungry for real-ness. We meet every monday after school, sing worship songs, read the Bible, discuss how it applies to us, challenge & pray for each other. I tell you what- God is moving in their lives. Last week I told them that THEY could hear from God themselves. I explained how God speaks to us in many ways, not just audibly. I then encouraged them to practice hearing the Lords voice. Get alone, and ask Him. We studied Jeremiah 29.11 "you will find me when you seek me, i will answer you when you call". I told them that God doesn't lie and if they would get in a quiet place, expect it! The next week, they came back and were all smiles because God spoke to them in their own little ways! They are seeing that Jesus is real... this is why I know I am here in Africa. Empowering these young girls to become who Christ wants them to be.

(photo above L-R Thandili, Asiphe, Me, Zodidi, Nosiphe, Nomaphelo)


Last Sunday we went to the local AIDS Hospital. It was their idea to go visit these people; to sing and encourage them. It was pouring rain outside, but they still wanted to go. They went from room to room, praying for the sick, singing xhosa songs, reading their favorite Bible verses, and even encouraging the people to hear God's voice.
They can't wait to go back. These girls are taking what they are experiencing and going to the sick and sharing it. I love it...

Happenings in Masi

In our All Nations group we have been focused in our prayer and fasting for our community. We feel like the Lord is moving in unprecedented ways. Daily there are reports of more answers to prayers. Here’s a few…

*Mary- 14 yr old that is hearing from God
*Clement- dreams of Jesus at night
*Thembisa- pain from face burns completely gone
*Cherry- food miraculously provided at her home. Sisters boyfriend who was raping her, has moved away
*House Churches started among the Zimbabwean & Malawian Refugees
*Christ’s story of reconciliation being told multiple times each day by all of us.
*I got to share Christ in the local high school in front of all the students.
*Melissa- a new mom is starting to lead a bible study, starting to understand Christ’s redemption
* My small Bible Study with 14 yr olds are ministering and loving on the people in the AIDS clinic.
*Multiple people getting jobs
*Shine & Jessi decided not to abort, but to keep their babies.
*Drug Dealers committing their lives to Christ
*Abused pregnant woman are being put into shelters where their lives are being restored.
*One of the Biggest Drug Lord’s House was raided by police yesterday. The 3 men are in jail & out of the community.


Along with my community development/small business degree, I am keeping busy working with the young girls. Most of the girls are scarred, poor, lonely, & young. They have no support at home, some are on drugs, and almost all are abused emotionally or physically. Through basic pre-natal care, counseling, discipleship, & mentoring, Christ is being presented to these gems. Many of these girls have accepted Christ and are struggling to make the right decisions. Almost all are part of a house church/bible study


me, chelsea, tootsie, & crystal
girls from Masi

giving hope to pregnant teens

I’m off and running here in Cape Town, South Africa- enjoying every moment of it! I am so excited for what’s happening & what Christ is doing here in Africa! I am now part of The Baby Safe team. We are a small team under All Nations South Africa committed to offering Life, Hope, and Options to At-Risk pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.

Because South Africa has so many refugees, unemployment, and so much poverty, many young mothers find themselves in a place of desperation once they find out they are pregnant. These young girls are unable to provide the basic necessities for their baby.
This has caused many of these girls to literally throw their babies away.

Bethany O’Connor, my American teammate, started The Baby Safe program last year. She realized almost nothing was being done to prevent this baby dumping. She created The Baby Safe- a life changing ministry as well as an anonymous baby drop off.

You can check out The Baby Safe Website to see a picture of the actual Baby Safe, as well as instructions on how it works.
The Baby Safe team seeks to rescue the unwanted and abandoned baby, offer support and hope to the pregnant mother in crisis, and empower and equip the new mother in need.

I have been asked to head up Heart 2 Heart, which is part of the ministry that connects with the pregnant mother before they come to the point of possibly dumping their baby. We want to connect our hearts with theirs, through support and counseling. Not only on a spiritual discipleship level but also through basic pregnancy education and newborn care. We commit to walking hand in hand and heart to heart with the mother through her pregnancy and after the baby is born. We want to offer support, love and hope in a way that demonstrates the love and hope we have in Christ.
Along with an anonymous twenty four hour baby drop off, the Baby Safe does home visits with new mothers, pre-abortion counseling in local clinics, adoption options, help abused women plug into local Christian shelters, hospital visits, packs of diapers & clothes for the new mother, as well as basic pregnancy education. The women served by Baby Safe are also connected with spiritual and social support in their community through our All Nations home churches; service referrals, job creation schemes, discipline relationships, and baby care needs.

I also plan on being able to use my degree in small business management to empower and equip many of these women, so they can take the initiative to get jobs and create a healthy suitable lifestyle to take care of their children.

Check out the Baby Safe Website!! www.thebabysafe.org

My Studies with UNISA

My first semester’s exams start this Wednesday, October 28th. There are 5 of them in all, and the first exam is Accounting. Besides being slightly nervous for Accounting, I have really enjoyed the classes I’m taking. Classes such as Developmental Studies in a Third World, Anthropology, etc. I am seeing more now than ever how practical and useful this degree in Human & Social Studies specializing in Community Development is going to be. After the last exam in November, I will have a short break until after the first of the year.


Things to be Thankful for:
-being surrounded by awesome All Nations people with similar hearts and passions
-incredible room mates that I love & get along so well with
-being able to use my giftings and passions in working with the young girls
-my car!!
-this joy in my heart – to be apart of what God is doing here in South Africa

Things to be Praying for:
-the young, scared pregnant girls I am sharing Christ with. A lot of them are on drugs and come from abusive relationships. They need lots of healing and love
-my finances as the cost of living & the drop in the exchange rate has caused things to be real tight.
-my exams over the next few weeks. That I will do well.

my new car!

we went to the beach in my new car! Thirty-five kids to the beach was no easy task- but totally worth it.




Wednesday was our friend Sarah’s birthday. So we took some of the kids to the beach to celebrate. It was such a blessing to have my new car!!!!! We piled all kids into four cars and headed to the local Fish Hoek Beach. We danced and sang and laughed and played. All of these children come from the local township we are working in- Masiphumelele (Masi). Most of these kid’s parents have died or are dying of AIDS. About 35% of the adult population in Masi have AIDS. I am so grateful for every one at Faith Bible Chapel who helped me get my car! Because of it, I was able to take the kids to the beach for a day of fun!
Thank you!!

"The Plan"

What do you do when the women in your house church are prostituting themselves at night in order to buy formula for their babies?

This is the question Ive been facing.

Living in Mozambique is an incredible experience, to say the least. Part of what I got to do was start Bible Studies/Home Churches in the community I lived in. I saw these hurting, abused, sick, single mothers open their hearts to Jesus, to His love, His praise, and His Word. However, I got sick at hearing the same prayer day after day:
“Lord Jesus, please don’t let me get AIDS as we try and get money to buy formula for my baby” or “Father, please provide a job for me so I can feed my babies, so they don’t go to sleep hungry.”

We’ve heard it said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

That is what I am dedicating this next season of my life to- learning how to effectively teach/train/employ women to start their own small business’s in order to provide an income for themselves other then selling themselves.

August 26th, 2009 I will be moving to CapeTown, South Africa to purse a BA in Human and Social Science specializing in Community Development. I have already started on-line classes with UNISA (University of South Africa). It is a 3 year online degree that will help me be more effective in helping women realize their potential and hope in Christ.


(on the beach in Cape Town, close to where I'll be living)

Since it is an on-line degree, I will also be working with AllNations South Africa. I get the incredible opportunity to work in Masiphumelele – a township in Cape Town. A township is a “suburb or city of predominatly black population, formally designated for black occupation by aparteid legislation”. I will be working with women and young girls in the township, helping the women start their own bible studies/house churches and hopefully starting more small jewelry making business’s.















I will be doing what I was doing in Mozambique, just in South Africa- while studying and getting a college degree! After my degree is over, I have every intent on moving back to Mozambique.

I am so very excited for this next season of life!! I feel like for so long, my dream has been to effect and change southern Africa. I feel CapeTown is a crucial hub for making connections and learning about small business’s. This is a critical step in order for me to be more effective in my desires and vision to empower the women of Africa.

Prayer points:
-for a smooth transition back into the south african culture
-that I'll be diligent in my studies and not get distracted
-for the women/young girls i will work with in the township, that God would bring them to me and I would be able to love them well

Praise!!
-my airline tickets have been bought- August 26th
-for a flat that I'll be sharing with 2 other AllNations friends.
-my VISA papers are almost all done!!
-I feel very refreshed and am ready to go back into Africa

my time in the states

I’ve been on furlough (break from missions) for a few months now. It has been an incredible time of rest and relaxation, laughing, and enjoying friends and family. I feel so refreshed after a difficult year. I’ve been able to reconnect with the church and share with many friends what the Lord is doing in Africa.
Last month my family and I got to have a family vacation (our first in over 15 years) in Estes Park, Colorado. It was an amazing time of laughing, watching movies, playing games, and bbq-ing. I have missed my family so much this past year. They are so dear and special to me. We were able to see lots of Elk and deer in Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoy the incredible scenery of the Rocky Mountains. One of my favorite places in the whole world! I cant think of a better way to relax and be restored then by hanging out in the mountains with the people that mean the most to me.



My youngest sister Anna and I got to go to DisneyWorld in July to celebrate her 20th birthday. Anyone that knows the Scarlett girls knows we are Disney Princess’s at our core! We had such a fun time, riding the rides, seeing the shows, taking pictures with the Princess’s, swimming, and catching up on some quality sister time.



I cherish my little sister Anna and it was so good to have one on one time with her. We laughed sooo much!