new beginnings

There’s moments in your life, in your storybook that will stand out more then others. Every different moment you will remember the location, the smells, the sounds, the people and other little detail. I had one of those moments yesterday.It’s crazy to think that I’ve been home from Africa for about a month now. The longer I am here living, breathing, working I realize that each day my life changes. Changes in my job, people, friends, location, music, etc.Everyday I wake up I realize that America and Africa are two different places. I smile, I day dream and realize that I need to get comfortable with being in America for a while, this is my new season.

When I turned 18 I knew I would be getting the continent of Africa tattooed somewhere on my body. It’s officially been tattooed on my body for about 4 years now but has always been just the outline of Africa. A tattoo is a piece of art that is permanently marked on your body. For myself I wanted my Africa to stick out and have meaning.

For the last four years I’ve been trying to figure out what would look good on the inside of my Africa. I was with my sister a couple days ago  and we continually tried to figure out what would look good in the Africa itself. As we started looking through pictures the sunset and trees of Africa stood out so much to me.I remember stopping the car, walking around Thrive’s property just to watch the sunset. However, in my life right now a sunset has more meaning then I knew.  The sunset represents that even though my time in Africa has set that it’s still marked in my heart. It sticks out like a sunset, you remember every detail and you always smile at the though of it all. This heart on my sleeve, my Africa, the sunset is  a reflection of something great, that God got glory for all of it. My tattoo is finally done, a reflection and something that represents this season of my life. I can look at it daily and know that every detail has meaning.

Bob Marley’s music has also been a big part of my life for the last 8 years and because his music is all about diversity it sticks out. I believe in a God that is about one love, no skin color. God looks at the heart of a person, not a color. MY heart strives for diversity, not racism. One love is sitting right next to my Africa.

One love. One heart. One God is what I like to say..

At the end of the day: my tattoo is something different, something unique and something that sticks out.

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

surrounding it all

When your around the same place, same people, same settings that your whole life you get comfortable. Comfortable in a way that you can be yourself and you can call all these things home. These last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to walk around this place that surrounds me in which I call home.I drive around and see everywhere that I am comfortable. Each time I drive, I walk and see different places I see that I have become a stranger, that things are different.All in which that these places I call home are unfamiliar. Africa changed my view set, my eyes, my motivation. I have a new outlook.

Yesterday as I walked through my work I had to keep reminding myself that I do have a new outlook. A new outlook in the which I have to keep telling myself that was born with a purpose and born to do great things.. Each and everyday as I am here, living my life I have to keep reminding myself that.It’s like a song that never leaves my head, it’s just on replay. I live in a world where people believe that they literally were  born to do nothing and to achieve nothing, why would people think this way?

When I look at people that surround me daily I see potential, I see the good, I see the great and I see the reflection.

At times I have to dig, I have to poke and be slapped around little pieces at a time.As I dig, get slapped and keep finding the pieces I see hope again.On every road you walk in there’s always going to be cracks, bumps, potholes.I just know that I have to get through all the cracks and bumps to get to the other side.

Pushing, faith-walking, boldness

I gotta keep walking…

 

Rainy Days

Rain in different ways always leaves me feeling different. Different in the way that I drive, style of clothing, mood and many other things. These last couple of rainy days that have been happening have been different.

My life for the last three weeks have been on the go, on the run and non-stop. I blame myself, my heart and the fact that I haven’t let myself just settle.

Settle in the way that I haven’t sat and let my thoughts get written down on paper. Settle in the way that I haven’t soaked in good music, a good book or even good tea.

Today, I settled down and it was different. Rain poured and poured, I soaked it all in.

What has been going on in your life lately, I haven’t been hiding I’m speechless.

PEACE AND LOVE : JACE

Soak It In

“I will love God because he first loved me. I will obey God because I love God. But if I cannot accept God’s love, I cannot love him in return, and I cannot obey him.”

Do you ever have moments where you have to read something over and over again?

This quote from Donald Miller’s book “Blue Like Jazz” has been something I have been reading over again for the last two weeks. It stays in my mind and I continue to chew on it.

The words describes so much of what’s happening in my life right now. I need to accept God’s love because God first loved me. God will always be that God that first loved me. In my life I obey God because I love him.

Those three words: I love God are short, simple and seem to little but they are so much more then that. It’s about a relationship, a path, a lifestyle and it’s become a part of who I am. I want to love God more because he loved me first. I want to know his word, his path, his journey for my life.

I need to accept it, I need to grasp it, I need to breathe it and I need to live it out.

I accept, I grow, I screw up, I stumble but God still first loved me.

My hearts messy, my path has taking its turns but I continue to love God because he first loved me.

My Alpha, My Omega, My Everything

Everyday He IS FAITHFUL

accept,accept,accept

breathing this in, taking this in and wanting to live this out in my life today

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

Two-Stepping

Approximately four days ago I left South Africa to come back to the states. It’s crazy to think that it’s been a whole four days already. The states amaze me in little, medium and big ways. I never realized how Africa and the states have similarities.

Living with my family in my house I realize that were about community here. The way we eat dinner, go to the grocery store and do all things together. We work out problems, solve problems and talk things out together. We love each other and it shows deeply. I never in a million years would think that I would compare my little American family to a South African one but they are similar. The familiar heartbeat is there and it surrounds me.

I have a job and have officially signed up for classes at a local college. Although it’s happening so fast and quickly I’m at peace. Peace that God allowed so many doors to open and continues to press me onwards. Onwards towards his perfect will, path and greatness. I can’t fear because I feel him pressing me on towards my goal.

Life’s been a book and it continues to be written. I can’t lie I miss South Africa so much. I miss the beauty, the people, the family and all the little details.

God’s good, his glory does incredible things. I’m soaking it in and trying to give God glory through each step of the way.

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

Taking A Leap Of Faith

 

I have lived in South Africa for a little over a year now. Every step of this year has been growth and challenges all in one, all of it being such an experience. I’ve come to the conclusion that with every journey you go on you will always gain so many things overall; both good and bad. Over the last two months God’s been showing me different things that I’ve learned from my journey this year. Each one of the different things have been showing me that something new is bound to come.This something new has been unexpected and all of which I never thought would cross my path.

God has giving me a new journey to walk down and everything that I thought was planned out has changed. Originally as all of you know I was coming home for the holidays (November—December) to furlough and fundraise. I still will be returning home but I will be returning home with a new plan and a new journey.

Through all my growth and challenges from this year God has been revealing so much to my heart. In my life I’ve always been here in South Africa and never pictured myself being anywhere else. South Africa has been a part of my heartbeat and always will be my heartbeat. However in my heartbeat for the people of South Africa I want more equipping for what I feel called to do.

Over the last two months God has been showing me that I have a new set of skills in being able to study, learn and having a new heart for schooling. In all of this happening God revealed to me to start looking at schools. After looking, praying and searching God showed me that I should go to school to become a social worker.

When I return home in November I will be applying for schools so that I can major in social working. My heartbeat is still South Africa and I feel that school will be a stepping stone for me in my journey. I will start out at a local community college and then transfer to a university.

I’ve never once said that I want to go to school, I’ve always just wanted to be in South Africa. God putting on my heart that I will be going to school has been completely out of my comfort zone. However, I have had such a peace and trust that this is what my next step should be.

Right now I need encouragement, prayer and just wisdom in every step that I’m going to take. This is HUGE, different, exciting but yet scary all in one.

 

I’m excited to be sharing such big news with all of you and I just know that greater things are yet to come..

What’s been going on in your life lately?

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

PS: I will be flying out to come home on the 7th of November so i look forward to seeing each of you and hearing about how everybody’s year went.

Words From The Heart

I’ve been writing about LaunchPad a lot over the last couple of days.  LaunchPad classes ended for the year this week and I’ve just wanted time to reflect.This year I taught two classes and each class had different individual things about them that stuck out to me. I want you to be a part of this, to feel a part and to reflect with me. 

MEET CEBO(CB) AND JACKSON

Cebo and Jackson were a part of my Mohaliditwe LaunchPad Class. They were the heartbeat of the class in being the funny ones, serious ones and became family. Both of them stick out to me a lot because they are a reflection of why I’m so passionate about South Africa.

Cebo and Jackson live in Qwa-Qwa, they have lived there since they were born. However they both have dreams, have goals and see who they were created to be. Created to be a reflection of God’s perfect image and they want to live that out.

Cebo and Jackson would come to class with questions, with answers and with a hunger. A hunger to know God, to press on and to be apart of a family that happened within our class. We prayed with each other, talked out problems, looked up passages and really got to know each other.

I write about them today because a lot of people think of Africa as poverty, AIDS and many other things. I think of Africa and I see potential, leaders, hope.

I see people like : Cebo and Jackson that are going to help make Africa a better place. One step at a time, one person at a time. God’s working in this place and his light is in the darkness.

 What do you think about Africa, what do you see and what do you know?

I challenge you to take two to three minutes to pray for Africa today, pray for people like Cebo and Jackson. God’s moving here in this place and people’s lives are changing everyday. One step at a time, one class at a time, one stranger at a time.

God’s light shines in the darkness…

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

Love Is Here

This past week I watched all of my students from this past year graduate from LaunchPad. The graduation itself wasn’t just about certificates, the presents or even the pictures. God allowed me to soak in the moment by seeing my students in the way each one of their lives have been impacted this year by being a part of my LaunchPad.

I’ve watched them grow week by week by: at first being shy students that didn’t ask questions to answering questions for the entire class, students that refused to pray and worship to all worshipping and praying together, students that chose to make fun of each other every class to not making fun of each other at all but now encouraging one another, lastly these students went from being strangers to one another to being one huge family; a community together.

I look back at both of my LaunchPad classes this year and every little moment, every big moment stands out from every one of my classes. My students lives have not been the only lives that have been impacted but my life has also been impacted. Impacted through each one of my students. My students have helped teach me how to  press in, study hard and be myself despite how hard it may be at times. Seeing them grow allowed me to want to grow even more in all areas. When my students were pressing in and asking questions it made me do the same thing.

God allowed me to be a teacher yet a friend to all of my students this year. I went into two different schools this year not knowing what would come out of it but something big came out of both classes.

God formed relationships, God brought the light into the darkness, God showed love and God made change happen..

I sat in my graduations with tears in my eyes over seeing how much every single one of students lives will never be the same again.

I celebrate, I cry, I smile and rejoice because it’s been more then just a LaunchPad class this year. Things happens, lives changed and God was there through it all.

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

Be Still

I’ll be writing soon when I have the right words or things to say. Until then I will be posting pictures of the day. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I also hope YOU are doing well.

Meet Justice, he’s my friend in Setsing.

Justice speaks perfect English and over the past year I’ve built a friendship with him. A friendship that was built by just saying hello to one another. He’s taught me a lot about the culture of Qwa-Qwa.

What has stuck out the most in our friendship is that Justice sees the love of God flowing from me. Last week when I got to catch up with him he told me those very words. That God flows from me as I walk through Setsing, greeting all of the people.

He told me that I’m different, not a fake Christian but that it’s evident that God’s real because God loves people like I love the South African people.

Justice is one in a million and I’m honored that I get opportunities to build friendships with different people. Even though it started off as an hello, it’s turned into a friendship.

PEACE AND LOVE: JACE

Crickets chirping

 

I’ve been hiding from writing lately, I admit I haven’t been here. I haven’t had the words to say or even know what to say. It’s just one of those months and weeks. I will say that I have LaunchPad graduations coming up this next week. I’m excited for it and know that God has a lot in store.

I’ll be writing soon when I have the right words or things to say. Until then I will be posting pictures of the day. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I also hope YOU are doing well.

I miss writing, I miss this but I’m taking a little break from writing.

i hope your enjoying the crickets chirping on my blog, they will be here for a while.

PEACE AND LOVE : JACE