Update and BIG NEWS!!!

Hello all! It has been a really long time since I last updated you all on my life and for that i apologize. So, as I said in my last blog almost two months ago (yikes!) i went an hour away for a sports internship called Impact in a city called stellenbosch. This was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever been a part of but also one of the most life changing experiences I have ever been a part of. This internship was six weeks long and consisted of 5 leaders, 4 co-leaders, and 24 interns (including myself). The USA, South Korea, Scotland, and South Africa were the countries represented during this time. The interns were all college aged, so 18 to 22 year olds, and then there was me. :) During the six weeks we did lots of team building activities, working out, "classroom" training on sports ministry but also things such as how to tell the gospel to someone or how to handle the Bible and then we did out reaches with kids in a township in Stellenbosch. There is so much to say about what went on during this six weeks but let me tell you the best part, what the Lord did! When I think about Impact I think about a group of young men and women who are being built up in the kingdom of God to go out and be disciples for Jesus! This internship developed men and women into leaders and into world changers! When I looked around the room at all of these absolutely incredible children on God I saw people that the lord was building up to bring so many into His kingdom. We sent them home to their countries confident that the Lord did a work in them and that He was going to use them for incredible things! I get so excited when I think about this team, this family, the lord has created and all of the people that will be transformed because He first transformed them one summer in South Africa!

Meet IMPACT! Love you all!

As for myself, this experience was hard on the physical, emotional, and spiritual level! There are many personal things where the Lord brought healing, confusion, joy, sadness, annoyance, anger, frustration, and straight up blah ness! (don't think that's a word but that's ok) Honestly, I have only been home a week and while I have incredible joy right now, I know there is so much the lord is still trying to teach me through this past six weeks. I think it will take quite some time for me to process everything! But something I would like to share is the experience of having a team for the first time. Growing up I tried sports but was absolutely terrible at everything so I was extremely scared to do this internship because I thought failure was the only option. But during this time there was a particular day that changed everything for me. There was a day where we all went running as a group and honestly we didn't even run that far but I just didn't think I could keep up and make it all the way. But from the very beginning of that run my dear South African sister, Rencia, came to my side and ran in step with me the entire time. She gave me beautiful :) words of encouragement the whole time and for the last five mins of the run I was on the verge of tears. Naturally being my emotional self those tears didn't stay in after we stopped running. Some might think this is strange that I would cry because someone ran side by side with me but for me it was so much more than that. My whole life I have worked out alone and never been able to really push myself and during this run I experienced what it is like to be on a team and to not be on your own! This was so little but it made a huge impact on my life. The whole six weeks of Impact we became more and more of a team, more and more of a family. We are eternally changed, I am eternally changed!

This is Tori and Rencia! Two amazing women that the Lord has blessed me with!

 

These are some of the kids we worked with during our out reaches!

This is Sam and Lucy right after hiking Table Mountain! Talk about beautiful!

Hillary and I lead this group of teens during an out reach! We were the Jaguars!

During Impact we did a 3 day camp where I got to be a group leader. This was absolutely amazing because 18 out of our 34 teens gave their lives to Christ that week! It's amazing to be used by the Lord!

Meet my girls! If the Lord didn't give me every single one of these women I don't think I would have made it successfully though this summer! Thank you and I love you all!

Okay! Now I have some big news! I am officially committed to moving here in the summer of 2013 for 5 years! That's right! Jennifer Lynn Lewis is going to call South Africa her permanent home! :D Wow! Do you ever feel completely unworthy but at the same time so overly privileged for something? Well, that is the way I feel! I think about how a year ago I had no clue what was going to happen and I seriously thought the Lord didn't have plans for me and NOW he has called me to an absolutely amazing country with amazing people! Today I went on a walk by the ocean and I just smiled constantly because even now, after five months of being here I can't believe the lord has actually chosen me, ME, to live here and do His work! Overwhelmed is my only emotion!!! Okay, so here is the plan! I am moving here next summer with three other people. These people are Casper and Ashley Steenkamp (and baby Steenkamp, so four other people) and Clark Channell! Others are considering moving here and I will let you know if that happens. So, we will move here and yes, we do have BIG plans but as of right now all I really know is I am going to focus on discipline three young women. This is my passion and again I don't feel worthy but I am extremely privileged that the Lord wants to use me to impact young women's lives! Exciting!

Anywho! I am now back at home, Kommetjie, and back at Living Hope! And..... I have now been placed with the teens! YAY! I couldn't believe this when I was told! I now get to spend my last 31/2 months pouring into teenage girls lives! That excites me so much! I am even going to try and incorporate the things I learned in sports ministry starting tomorrow! Yay! Man, I am just so happy right now! God is good! :D

So...please keep me in your prayers! Pray for the processing to continue, for my teens, and guidance for my future! Thanks so much and I love you all! :)

Shelby and I together again! She missed me so much! :)

I got to go to my first rugby game with these lovely ladies. Go Stormers!

Monday night Shelbs and I went to a birthday party for our dear friend Amy. It was an around the world party so we naturally tried our hardest to look the part. I think we did pretty well!