The beginning...but not really....

Hello all!!! The Lord has been opening doors like crazy, and my life is about to change very quickly and drastically so I wanted to keep you in the loop! During a recent trip to Africa, I became engaged to be married ! My fiancé’s name is Sandile Mkhwanazi. We met in 2006 when I spent three months in SA and actually met through Garry and his son Ryan (who I was volunteering with, and whom Sandile is very close to). He is the second of four children and lives in the Durban area in a teensy tiny “flat” with his brother Sbo. He is trained as a motor specialist in mechanics and has worked for the Mercedes Benz dealership for many years. (Bet you all never thought they would have Mercedes in Africa huh?!) However he recently resigned from that position and has taken up a whole new career change in the area of industrial cooling towers. A successful business man whom he knows from church took an interest in him and has hired him into his company which is called Baltimore Aircoil Company. They sell industrial sized cooling units and whatever else I don’t know! He hired Sandile because he wants to bring back the business to service the units once they are sold. So Sandile is starting this area of the company and will then manage it. It is a great opportunity and has the potential to lead to bigger things. During the trip I also spoke with the director (Garry Hare) of the organization I volunteer with about beginning a counseling ministry. (www.orphanaid.co.za) This is exciting in a number if ways. Garry had been praying about a counseling ministry and felt the Lord leading in that direction. I have felt for a while that I want to help heal the broken within the Valley of 1,000 Hills. So when we spoke, Africa’s need met up with my passion and qualifications, and an idea was put forth! I will be developing a counseling ministry to work with the abused and neglected children and teens who grow up in the Valley- many of them orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. This will include, but is not limited to, directly counseling children and teens, working with other existing organizations who serve the same population, training and teaching locals in basic counseling skills, and discipling young girls as they reach adulthood. Garry has offered me a room to counsel out of and to sleep in at a house he owns in Hillcrest so the need of a roof over my head is fulfilled although I am still waiting to see how God provides the rest! When I read this I am overwhelmed at the task ahead, but know that where the Lord leads, he also provides. I have begun the process of making contacts in order to eventually work for an income in South Africa, but it will be slow. I have to do a number of things to become licensed on their board and finding a job that pays is quite the task with the way things work there. It is my goal to be working for money (hopefully part time so I can continue giving a good amount of hours towards the ministry to the Valley) by the end of January 2010, which will be a year after I am there. In December I will finish my Masters degree in Pastoral, Clinical Counseling and hopefully become licensed with the Ohio board J I will resign from my position as a counselor/case manager for children at my work and will move all of my belongings from Ashland, back to my Mom’s house in Michigan, where I will then begin packing to move to South Africa. I will leave January 7th, 2009 and will stay there until July 22nd. In July I will come home to finish wedding preparations, and Sandile will follow in August. The wedding will be the beginning of September in Michigan! Following the wedding and hopefully a tropical beach honeymoon! we will return to South Africa to continue what we are doing there. I am so happy to share all of what God is doing in my life. Hopefully I will see you all at some point soon! If you are interested in knowing more or how you can help I would love to chat!!