Dumela! (That is pronounced doo-may-luh and means “hello” is Sesotho, the language I learned in South Africa) I hope this letter finds you well and brings just another smile to your face.
I wanted to give you a brief update of my trip and to share with you what the Lord has taught me since. (Well, as brief as I get in a letter like this after a trip like this...) So hold on tight and bear with me; if nothing else, hopefully this letter will tide you over until we can meet face to face and have the opportunity to talk in more detail.
To say the trip to South Africa was incredible is a grand understatement so let me put it this way, I tried really hard not to but I grew some very large expectations for this trip and God just took those desires and went above and beyond. It’s like I was expecting some shiny bronze but instead the Lord gave me pure gold. (Isaiah 60:17) For example, I knew I would learn a ton from this experience, but in my journaling I have filled almost a quarter of a journal with thoughts and memories from the trip, and the new things I am learning just keep coming. Also, I knew I was going to meet some incredible, life changing people but I never thought the Lord would bless me with such refreshing, beautiful friendships with the people I served and served alongside.
And maybe the most frighteningly exciting thing I learned is that I am hopelessly and wonderfully addicted to experiencing other cultures so unlike mine and serving in those new environments. Let me just say, I have already begun to look at the next adventure God might have for me but at this point I have no idea where or what but maybe some orphanage work next summer. It was those beautiful kids that stole my heart while I was in South Africa and I think a summer serving God’s children could be an awesome opportunity to learn more about myself and this God I serve. I have so much more to say and more stories to share but I will save that for a conversation I hope to have with you very soon!
If you would like to join me, I have been praying and meditating daily on the life that God is calling me to, the life of a follower of Christ that is repeated over and over again in the gospels. I have come to see how the life I was living was my own version of the gospel that I created from the bits and pieces of the Bible that I liked while I discarded the parts that made me uncomfortable. My prayer is that I would not grow comfortable in living a selfish, all-American life but would constantly seek to serve others including the poor and ignored and also strive to know Christ better and follow Him daily. I pray that I can better understand how to be a living sacrifice for Him (Romans 12:1-2) and to take up my cross and follow (Matt 16:24-27).
Ke a leboha! (Again, that is some more Sesotho for you, and it means thank you.) And I really do mean it! I couldn’t have gone on this trip without your prayers and help and so I will be forever grateful that you allowed the Lord to work in my life through your giving. It brings tears to my eyes just typing this and I wish I could thank you face to face but I will just have to be satisfied with this until I can tear up and say these words to you in person: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Dumela! (That's hello in Sesotho...) Yes, yes, we certainly did arrive safely here in South Africa. After a 8 hour flight to London, a 8 hour layover, and an 11 hour flight to Johannesburg, we still had a three hour drive to the reserve we are staying at. The travel itself was an adventure but we made it safe and sound without any drama and even had all 22 of our bags arrive with us. Praise God for His miracles. : )

South Africa is very different then Lion King. It actually looks alot like Idaho. Lots of farmland surrounds the base with round rolls of hay in the distant fields. We did, however, see antelope and wildebeast and zebra (yes, I said zebra...) There is even a small herd of wild horses that runs around the property. Lots of little things we didn't expect out here in Africa.

Our last two days have been spent brushing up on our Sesotho, preparing for ministry (that stats tomorrow) and trying to get over the jet lag. So far, we have been incredibly blessed by Thrive Africa.

I will let you guys know more about our first day of ministry after we experience it tomorrow. If you are praying for us, please send up a little something about nerves, trust in God's sovereignty, and knowing He will give us the words.

More to come soon...

Well, I had high hopes of keeping a better blog. Just know I really did mean well! :)

Things are going well, praise God, with all things trip related. The team is now 11 wonderful people and things are really looking good as far as group dynamics go. I think this trip is going to teach us amazing things about each other, ourselves, and this incredible God we serve.

Tomorrow is the day we are buying a lot of last minute things and packing some bags. We are going to be able to bring tons of toys, soccer balls, and fun stuff for the kids as well as office supplies for our missionaries. God has given us an incredible amount of things to bring and leave in Africa and I can't wait to see what He does with all the great stuff He has brought to us.

If you have been following us for a while, thank you for your prayers. Our finances look to be in order so that is a huge blessing. God has gone above and beyond and given us more than I could ever imagine. Praise God!

So with three days until departure, things look great. If you could be praying about the nerves and fears that the team has, I think that would be a big help. We are all trying to wrap our heads around this grand adventure God is taking us on and its a little scarey. I know that with God anything is possible and I can't wait to update you guys as we get over there. Please also pray for safe travels and divine appointments. We are so blessed to be going on this trip and I just pray that the team and I would take full advantage of all God is giving us. May He give us the right words and wisdom as to when to use them.

Thank you guys for your support!

Can you believe it? In less than 6 weeks we'll embark on one of the greatest adventures we have seen yet. I can only imagine the things we will face in the next few weeks but as the last month proves, anything is possible with God.

I don't have too many updates to offer other than people have been wonderful in giving us some money. It just keeps trickling in from everywhere and it is very encouraging to see that. There are still a few people who are hurting for some cash so if you have been praying for the team, keep that one on the list.

Outside of finances, we have been fundraising and bonding as a team as we are striving to learn all we can about South Africa before we leave. These next six weeks will be full of children's ministry material and what not to do in front of tribal South Africans. We are going ot be trying to absorb as much information as we can so I pray God expands our already crammed brains for this information as we attempt to finish out the semester simultaneously. We could use prayers for that juggling act as well.

As a team, we are heading to the zoo on Friday and to say I am excited is the understatement of the century. While other teams are enjoying asian religious temples or food from their country, I found myself stumped as to how we can experience South Africa here in Denver. Clearly, watching Lion King was obvious but a trip to the zoo to meet some native Africans sounded so much better than watching animated ones. So I am looking forward to some team time as we act like small children at the zoo. It's going to be awesome.

I will do my best to get some pictures of the whole show up soon so stay tuned for that and more updates too!

I am excited to report that we made $300 with our fundraiser at Panda last week. We brought in $1500 in business for the restuarant so I think we are well liked by the owners.

We tried the fundraiser again yesterday and I feel the turnout was a bit smaller but we will see when the total comes back.

In other news, our team leaders Libby and Nate announced earlier this week that they are pregnant. The team and I are incredibly excited for them! Because Libby will be about 5 months along in May both her and Nate have decided to not go on this trip to South Africa. God has really worked in the last month or so in many hearts and Jon and Kylie, another young married couple who work for CCU, have decided to step up and go with us to Africa. I believe that this is all a part of God's perfect plan for the team and I am excited for the team and I to get to know Jon and Kylie better.

I feel so blessed to be able to see God's molding of this group. He just keeps changing things up and it is more proof that God just knows what He is doing way more than I do.

Today is our big fundraiser at Panda Express, an Americanized Chinese restaurant that is sort of fast food-ish. Why are we doing a fundraiser with a Chinese restaurant? Simply because of the Lord's direction...

...and because there isn't a restaurant that I know of that serves South African food.

We were working on a fundraiser a couple of weeks ago and had worked up a hunger. One of the girls on the team did a quick run to Panda Express and got a couple of us lunch. She returned with the glorious food as well as paperwork and information on how to do a fundraiser with Panda Express. Kaitlin had totally networked with the manger of the store and this great opportunity just landed in our laps. We decided to run with it and a couple of weeks later, it’s the big day and we are hoping for some big returns.

So this is how it works: people collect a flyer and bring it in to Panda Express with them. They then purchase all the Chinese food they can eat and 20% if that meal goes towards a running total for us. At the end of the night, the restaurant totals it all up and then writes a check out to our team. It is a pretty sweet deal.

We have spent these last few days put flyers all over campus, giving them to local businesses and using all the means of advertising at our university. We put a lot of work into this as a team and we just pray that the Lord moves in the hearts of those who have flyers and gives them a deep hunger that can only be filled with chow mien, orange chicken and egg rolls. : )

If you are too far away to enjoy some Panda, would you consider lifting us up in prayer today? We know without a doubt that the Lord is faithful, sovereign and so much more powerful than we are. May He be glorified through our efforts!

I have to say, I am just so encouraged right now.

First of all, sometimes being humbled hurts really bad but sometimes it is the greatest experience. This whole process of leading a group of peers and trying to follow God's will is certainly not as easy as it seems, but then again, I guess most things never are. But regardless of how hard it seems at times, the Lord is so faithful. He is always one step ahead of me and continues to mold this trip into what He needs it to be. Sometimes these changes strike a little fear in me but with a little time, I always see how God is working for the good. This trip is His and we are just going over to South Africa to do whatever He needs us to do. I like it better when He takes control.

So humbleness is the first blessing and plane tickets are the second.

Most of the time, when you book a flight oversees, you have to do it way in advance and have that money ready. Because of our current financial struggles, buying plane tickets right now as we would have been this time last year seems pretty impossible. However, God is good and brought to us a deal with British Airlines where we can put down $100 per person and reserve our seats on the plane. I mentioned this in the blog before this one but I don't think I realized how rare and helpful this is. We won't have to give the airlines names or the remainder of the plane fair until the end of March. God just knows that we are struggling and He is giving us more time. His wisdom and goodness just blows my mind sometimes.

It’s hard to look through the fog of these financial burdens sometimes but when I break through and truly open my eyes to see, I am surrounded but the sovereignty and goodness of God. Hmm, God is so good!

And lastly, I want to share with you the verse that the Lord showed me today:

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

So for those of you who are following this blog, you probably want to know who is going on this little adventure to South Africa.


At the top starting on the left, Hunter is the one boy in the back next to me. The next row starts with Sarah on the far left, and then Sam, Holly, Calli, and Alyssa. The Bottom row is Kaitlin, Lizzy, Jess, Tami, Amaia, and Libby.

That's one pretty darn good looking team, huh? Yeah, we think so. :)

So now that you have a face with the names, we ask that you all would continue to pray about our trip. Financial concerns are topping this list right now as we commit to plane tickets this week. We have been blessed with the opportunity to mark our spots on our plane with only $100 deposit and then the rest of the $1550 isn't due until the end of March. Most airlines would require us to have all the money down to reserve our seats so this is a great advantage for us.

We do, however, only have a handful of people who currently have the $1550 for the ticket. These next few weeks are going to be a little stressful. If you are a family or friend of someone on the trip and you feel called to give more to the trip, it is not too late. Our missions department will happily process any checks mailed with those little yellow cards that you received within the last few months. If you have already given or have lost your card, you can contact the person you wish to donate to and they can help you get that money to the right person so you can still get the tax write off and everything. Also, if it comes down to it and you feel comfortable doing so, you can write a check to the person you wish to give and they can put it towards their trip.

Thanks for listening to yet another plea for money; sadly, I don't think it will be the last. I hate being so repetitive but at this point, it is very much in the front of our minds.

On the up-side here, we have begun to really dig into the culture of South Africa and it is exciting and heartbreaking at the same time. The statistics are staggering and I think it all makes us more determined to go over there and do whatever we can to help. The Lord has already begun to prepare our hearts and He has been doing so in some very creative ways.

As it turns out, the pastors at the chruch I attend here in Lakewood recently spent a week in South Africa praying for women and children with AIDS. They have been doing a three week searies on what they experienced in South Africa and it has been a great opportunity to see what we might encounter in South Africa. If you would like to watch the sermon from last week at Red Rocks Church, you can click on this link. On the right side of the window, click "Africa". You can watch the sermon or just listen to it. Be warned, it might just make you want to jump on that plane and go with us. :)

http://www.redrockschurch.com/resource/sermons/

I hope you are all doing well and thank you all for reading this blog. Your prayers and support are an incredible blessing to us as a team. Take care and God bless!

Some of you might have asked yourself this question already: what the heck is up with the whole goose thing? Well, have no fear and I shall make it quite clear...

When I was interviewing applicants for this trip, one of the questions I asked them went a little something like this: "So you’re a goose." and then they would laugh or look kind of frightened or just surprised because they have no idea where this is going. And then I would continue, "And you’re in a flock, of like 7 other geese or so and you’re heading south for the winter. Which goose are you in that flock?" Sometimes this was met with more laughter, sometimes the interviewee was just at a lost for words, and sometimes they new exactly what goose they would be.

Their answers varied from being the second in command, willing to help if needed, some were a few geese behind on the left or right, just filling in and doing their role well, some were the last goose so they could make sure everyone stayed together. Their answers certainly were interesting and gave me a little glimpse into the role each individual would play in the whole group.

As I have watched the group get to know each other better and work together on fundraisers and such, its fun to watch them take on roles. Sometimes it’s easy and it clicks, and other times there is a little butting of heads. One of the many things we are all going to learn on this trip is teamwork and how we all can pull our own weight but also how different that looks in different situations.

As it turns out, we are a group of 14, traveling south for their winter. Pretty ironic, huh? Hmmm... God is good.

So, you’re a goose. And you’re in a flock of 7 geese, flying south for the winter. Which goose are you?

While in South Africa, we are going to be with an organization called Thrive Africa which Colorado Christian University has partnered with in the past. They have been wonderful in handling so much of the planning and training for us. It certainly has been a blessing working with them.

Since they are the main contacts in Africa, I figured it would be helpful for those of you following our trip to know a little more about them.

Niel and Alece van Rensburg are the founders and directors of Thrive Africa. They have nine people whole work full time for the ministry in a variety of roles and positions. Alongside these people, is the indigenous staff that works at the reserve as well as out in the field as translators and coaches in the schools. In addition to this, several interns come out to Africa for the year or the summer to serve as well.

Thrive Africa is all about raising up leaders in South Arica to make an impact in that community. Their mission statement is: “to equip and mobilize indigenous leaders to become strategic, Godly influences in their cultural communities. Our model of ministry is based on II Timothy 2:2: ‘…Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others.’”

A main focus of Thrive Africa is to get into the schools in Africa and begin teaching the students about abstinence, raise awareness about AIDS/HIV, and spread the Gospel. Their website says that 90% of pastors in South Africa have no formal training, so training of these leaders is important to Thrive Africa as well.

This organization has been working in South Africa for 10 years now and they have been blessed with a 2,500 acre reserve. We will be staying on this reserve while in South Africa and will be very blessed by the people and facilities there.

Thrive Africa has truly been advancing the Kingdom in South Africa and I just can’t wait to get over there an experience it all. If you are interested in learning more about Thrive Africa, you can go to their website at thriveafrica.org. The site is a great resource and has tons more information for you.

As I am planning this first mission trip of mine, I am realizing how much prayer I need. It truly is a humbling experience to take on a group of peers and try to lead them; I feel like it’s kind of like the blind leading the blind. I just simply have very little idea of what I am doing.

But God is good, greater than I have the ability to understand and He proves this to me everyday. He is bigger than me and more powerful than me and His glorious plan is so lost to my weak little eyes. Everyday I fight the urge to take control and do this my way; praise God that He is gracious and patient and loves me more than I can ever know. I am living proof of the cliché that God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

One of the things the Lord is teaching me on this infinite list in Leading 101 is how powerful prayer is. On a personal level, connecting with God has calmed me and handing control back over the Creator of the Universe gives me a lot of peace. But prayer has also proven God's commitment to us as a team and His ability to provide for us. He has been answering prayers all over the place and we are just at the very beginning of this trip. I think it's easy to see that God is going to be teaching us much more than this.

As for our prayer requests right now, the one topping the list is finances. I have heard from the head of missions at CCU that most teams are really struggling to get the money together this year and that is hard to hear. It’s comforting that we aren't the only team struggling but I wish this economy was more forgiving.
To put things in perspective: we are only about a quarter of the way to our team goal of about $45,000 as a team total. We have all sent out our letters to friends and family and we now have to scrape together the remaining. I just pray that we can trust God in bringing in these funds for us whether that is moving our friends and family to give more or in encouraging us to work harder and harder in our fundraising and working efforts. If you could be praying about these funds and the means to which all the teams at CCU are going to be getting them, it would be much appreciated.

This entire trip has been a constant molding of the Lord. In the first stages of our planning, this trip had a very different look then it does now but God has been really re-working things. This is certainly a huge praise; I am most comfortable with God in control. However, at the same time, it’s hard to see the Lord change things so much lately and not know what He is doing. Would you please pray for daily renewal in the Lord’s sovereignty and our ability to hand over control to Him every day?

Lastly, would you please pray for me as a leader? Sometimes I feel incompetent as a leader but I know God is giving me the means to accomplish His will. Please pray for humbleness, selflessness, and reliance on the Lord.

Thank you all for bearing with me in this incredibly long post. Your prayers, support, and simple reading of this blog are bigger blessings then you know.

I am excited, and a little scared if I am being honest, to tell you that I have been chosen to lead a group of fifteen college students to South Africa during the last two weeks of May, 2009. We will be going to Qwa Qwa which is the poorest part of the country and lies just outside of Harrismith. While there, we will be working with an organization called Thrive Africa where we will be helping people with household chores like laundry, carrying water, putting in gardens and whatever we can do to help. We essentially want to build relationships with the families we meet, listen to their stories, and share with them the love of Christ. In addition to this, we will be visiting AIDS patients and running a kids’ ministry in the afternoons were we hope to spread the Gospel and some smiles. God willing, it will be the trip of a lifetime.

Like any missions trip, it takes a team willing to go and serve and do whatever the Lord leads them to and it also takes friends and family to support them. As a college student, coughing up the $3,500 it costs for the plane ride and missionary support looks dang near impossible but, “With man, this is impossible but with God, nothing is impossible.” I am sending you this letter with the hope that you would pray and consider joining me in the mission trip as a financial partner. Asking for such a thing is a little painful to me so I write this as a reminder to myself: this money isn’t going to a college student in need of a bailout but rather a daughter of Christ who has it in her heart to go and be whatever the Lord needs her to be.

It was once explained to me like this: Missions work is a mixture of senders and goers. Those who send need to have someone to send, and those who go, need help in getting there. My team and I feel that we have been given the role of goers. Would you pray and consider coming along side us as a sender in this journey of ours? If you feel called to donate to our team, you can contact me at leharder@ccu.edu, I can give you more information on what that looks like.

I know that during this season, things are a little tight and sometimes giving money isn’t an option but I again ask that you would join this team and support us through prayer. We do have a pretty big price tag for this trip but prayer is certainly a way to help us reach this goal.

And so, I thank you with everything in me, for reading this, for considering, for giving of your bank account and time, for coming along side us in this wild adventure. This God we serve and have come to know a little more each day is one of spontaneity and adventure and I am so blessed to be called on this trip. Take care, God bless, and thank you once more.