Ga-Rankua (1st Outreach)

Our first outreach was to a rural city about 1 1/2 away from Pretoria. We stayed on a farm. There were cows, chickens and roosters running around us- and of course the roosters waking us up very early in the morning Our rooms were nice and spacious. The accommodations were fairly decent for being in such a rural area. We did mostly practical work throughout the day on the farm. This could be anything from sorting wood, measuring wood, cleaning out storage space to even making a bench! (Which myself and four others did- we were quite proud of it!) We also went to various schools to do devotions as well as some afternoon kid’s programming. I want to highlight two specific events that were memorable and meaningful to me.

The first full day in Ga-Rankua my team was heading to a middle/high school. We were the first team to go out and therefore did not know what to expect. We had our program ready and hoped that it would go well. We arrived at the school and sat in the hall waiting for someone to come and direct us to the assembly. We sat for a while and finally an energetic teacher came. Although she was very kind she informed us that no one told her that we were here and now it was time for the students to go to class so we wouldn’t be able to do our devotion. We were a little bummed and said our “good-byes” to the teacher and walked towards the car.

We decided to pray for the school while we were still on the school grounds. So we stood by the car and prayed for the students that somehow they would find God and that he would continue to move in their school. We weren’t even two minutes into the prayer when the teacher came running to us and said “wait! We do have time for your program!” It was such an amazing answer to prayer and we knew that this message was very important for these students to hear. We definitely knew that God was among us and cared that our program was heard by these students.

One day a group of ten of us went to a township which is a village-like area where many poor people live. We visited the schools in that area. We also hiked up a mountain and were able to see the whole village and surrounding areas- which was stunning. We then went door to door to evangelize to the people in the township. We met a man in one of the homes we visited who said to us he felt as if God had completely left him and was no longer with him. However after seeing our international group he realized that God still cares about him and is with him. We were very overwhelmed that just our presence could have such an effect on someone. It was extremely encouraging to us.

Well those are just two stories to sum up our time in Ga-Rankua. It was amazing to be with the African people- especially the children. I am very exhausted because of our early mornings and long days. We are
leaving for Swaziland on Sunday (the 21st) so please pray for our trip there and that our strength will be renewed. Also this past week I have had a terrible cough and even lost my voice- pray that God will protect my health and that this sickness will go away. Another prayer request is for our time in Swaziland: I will be staying in a person’s home so pray that God will protect me while I am in their home, that they speak English or if not, that I can still show them love and respect. Although I am quite tired I am very excited to go to Swaziland and experience a very different culture and lifestyle.

Enjoy the pictures. Love, Maria

this is a picture of my room in Ga-Rankua and my roommate, anne

picture of the road coming into the farm

another of the farm

this is the table with benches that we made! and are quite proud of!

me teaching at the preschool (at the playground area)

a group of us singing while we are walking in the streets

me on top of the mountain

First Impressions

Last Sunday I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. I was taken from the
airport to the OM base in Pretoria by an OM staff member. Right away we
were given a tour of the base by one of our team leaders, Charmaine. The
base is not that big but holds about 10 buildings, many of which are
sleeping areas. My room has a set of three bunk beds, some shelves, a
place to hang clothes and a small desk. The three other girls (2 from
Germany, 1 from the Netherlands) on my team are in the room with me. There
is also a “cafeteria” area where we eat all of our meals. It is very
basic, it has a small kitchen and a few tables. The bathroom is a short
distance from my room and it has some sinks, showers and toilets. Although
the base is not in the best condition it meets my basic needs so it is
fine with me. The first day I just unpacked my things and we waited for
the rest of our team to arrive.

The weather is very peculiar here. When I woke up on the first day it was
freezing. I put on a hoodie, a jacket, leggings and sweat pants! Then by
1 pm it was very warm and I switched to a t-shirt and shorts. And then
about 6 pm it got cold again. (so I basically went through 3 outfits in
one day!) South Africa is coming out of its winter so the mornings and
evenings are beginning to warm up. (ya!) The grass here is very brown and
the air is very dry. In the next few weeks it is supposed to rain and
then, supposedly, every thing turns green, which I can’t even imagine.

The first few days were very rough because the staff wanted to give us
some “rest” time which was a good idea except for the face that there
isn’t really anything to do around the base. So we just sat around and
were quite bored at times. However, now our schedule is beginning to get
much busier and life has come to this base. We learned all the rules at
the base and what they expect of our team. We heard our extremely busy
schedule for the next four months. We also had some team building
exercises. The best one, in my opinion, was when we all shared our
testimonies. It was very good to hear where people have come from and
what they have experienced and most importantly to see how God is worked
in all those circumstances. It brought our team to a deeper level. We
also had lengthy sessions on the history of South Africa- which I found
quite intriguing. They took us to an Apartheid Museum. This was very eye
opening experience. It really helped me see the mindset of some of the
people here. We also had some lessons on the culture of South Africa.
Thankfully we have gone off the base a few times and have gotten to see
more of South Africa! We went to a local mall to get supplies we needed.
The mall was very large- it had three stories! Yesterday I went to a
Lion Park, which was by far my favorite thing thus far. We traveled in a
car throughout this park and got to see giraffes, hyenas, ostriches,
springboks and of course- lions! All up close. The giraffe literally
walked right in front of our car! It was awesome! At the end you could
go in a caged area that had many lion cubs. People, at their own risk,
could pet the cubs and sit with them. I was definitely willing to take
the risk and I sat next to a lion cub and pet it! It was a really cool
experience.

This coming week is going to be full of learning about the ministry we
will be doing in our first outreach. We are going to a city that is about
2 ½ hours away. I am not sure what we are doing there yet but will find
out this week. If you could please pray for preparations for the first
outreach that would be really awesome. Also, one of our team leaders,
Charmaine is having a really rough week. Her friend just died, another
friend is in the hospital and she has a terrible cough. So if you could
lift her up that would be awesome! Our other team leader, Gerald, just
left for a two week leadership conference and therefore will not be able
to be at our first outreach (L) so pray that he will be kept safe and can
learn a lot at this conference.

I also wanted to mention that the computers here only allow me to access
my new email. I can not check facebook or my old email. My new email is:
maria.messner@tt.rsa.om.org So if you wish to write to me (or so that I
can have your email) please email me at my new address. Thank you so much
for all of your support and prayers!

the city of Johannesburg

another city shot

sun setting over Johannesburg

up close with a giraffe

a sign at the Lion Park

me and a lion cub!

our group on the stairs of a museum

Last Day in the Netherlands

It is hard to believe that this conference is almost to an end and that tomorrow I will fly to my new home for the next 11 months. I am extremely excited for our team, our experiences and to see the work God is doing there. However, I am also quite nervous about adapting to the culture and the difficulties in connecting with people. The past few days have been full of prayer and has been so good for me and my relationship with God.  Yesterday they set apart basically the whole day for us to pray. They gave us this sheet that helps with prayer for one hour. There are 12 different sections to which you are supposed to be focused on each for 5 minutes. So I took the sheet and began to walk across a bridge and found a beautiful spot to sit. It was on a hill, near the river where I could see all of God’s handiwork. There is one section that tells you to sing songs of praise to God. I just began to sing whatever came to my heart.  I would jump from song to song just praising God. The song “shout to the Lord” came to mind and I began to sing it. The chorus begins with “Shout to the Lord, all the Earth let us sing.” As I began to belt the chorus out as soon as  I sang, “all the Earth let us sing..” a dog that was near began to madly bark, the wind suddenly began to pick up and the waves in the river began to crash loudly. Amazed that creation was literally singing aloud with me I stopped, awestruck. And apparently creation was awestruck too because it stopped as soon as I did. It was an amazing moment that reminded me of the great God that I worship– that even creation can’t help but sing! Amen! 

Tomorrow at 5:30 pm (11:30 your time my flight leaves for Turkey. That flight is only a few hours. Then I have a short amount of time until my 10 hour flight to Johannesburg leaves. Please pray for safety in the airports, that I can find my gates and everything fine (i’m a little nervous since I am traveling by myself). Also that my baggage will successfully be checked all the way through and that nothing will be missing! Pray that I will easily get through immigration and customs in Johannesburg. Also that all of our team gets there safely as well! Thank you for your prayers and the next time I write I will be in SOUTH AFRICA!!!

1st week at the Go Conference!

About one week ago I arrived in the beautiful Netherlands for the Go Conference. There are over 200 people at the conference, representing countries from around the world. We are staying on a beautiful “hotel” campus. Everything is within a 5 minute walk. The buildings are quaint and beautiful. The rooms are rather tight with 4 girls in each room and not much space with all the luggage! Although the first day was overwhelming and scary it has been a great experience thus far.

First I wanted to share with you what an average day looks like for me. I normally wake up for breakfast around 7:30/8 am. Breakfast would normally consist of bread, cheese, eggs, cereal, sandwich meat, fruit, etc. We sit with the students that are at the conference so generally many different languages and countries represented at one table which makes conversation quite interesting- especially so early in the morning! After breakfast the first session of the day will begin. The sessions cover all different kinds of subjects. Anything from cultures to submission to God’s word to loving others to understanding our own personalities. Although some are boring there have been some challenging sessions. Each session also has worship, announcements and some things to get us all awake and moving. Then we have something called fellowship groups. This is a group of 8 girls from the United States. We all get together and just chat about life. We have basically talked about different places we have been and what we experienced there as well as spiritual issues. All the other girls have a ton of experience so it has been neat to hear from them. This meeting is also accompanied with some coffee which is nice Then we normally  have another session before lunch. Lunch then consists of bread, cheese (you can see a common theme here), then sometimes something hot like noodles, soup, chicken, fish and fruit. After lunch is normally free time and then discovery groups. Discovery groups are made up of 8 people from all different cultures and countries. We discuss many different topics but they mostly focus on working with people from different cultures, understanding the thoughts behind cultures and safety/security issues in entering and being in other countries. Dinner is after that and as you might be able to guess bread and cheese is always offered. As well as some hot side dishes similar to ones from lunch like chicken, potatoes, etc. After dinner we have just one more session and then around 9 pm we are done with the night.

As you can see we are quite busy and I get very tired by the end of the night. It can be very exhausting being around these people all the time and having to slow down your English as well as listen carefully to what they are saying. So basically my brain hurts at night. However, God is teaching me tons and I am so thankful for that. This past week has been great to reconnect with Him and get focused on my next task- 11 months in South Africa. I wanted to share a few verses that God has placed on my heart in the past few days. It comes from Joshua 1: 8-9 ” Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” There are a few things in these verses that have challenged me and comforted me. Firstly, the first part about meditating on God’s word. There was a very powerful session about submitting to God’s word something that I realized I sometimes lack. This verse combined with that session has extremely challenged me to dig into God’s word. It is awesome to see how much that can effect one’s day. Also with the part where God says to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you?… Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” I realized that God did command me here. The more I talk with people here and the more I read my Bible the more I feel confirmed that this is the right thing to be doing. And it is extremely comforting in those moments when I don’t seem to know anyone, feel alone, scared for this next year that God is right here with me. Although I have left many loved ones at home my first love, my best friend is right at my side. What a beautiful thing.

I would love if you could pray for a few things for me :

1) that I will not grow weary in this process- i haven’t even began ministry and I already feel quite tired sometimes

2) The South African team will continue to get to know each other (we have become great friends so far!) But that we can reach past the surface and begin to understand each other before we get to the field.

Thank you so much for reading my blog! A little German lesson for the day: was gehete alter? pronounced like this: vas gate alta? (means: What’s up homie? I hope to put up pictures soon of the place here as well as some of the friends I have made!  Much Love, Maria

1st day in the Netherlands!

I arrived safely in Amsterdam early this morning! Fortunately I got a good amount of sleep and felt a little more prepared to face the day. We took a 2 hour bus trip to our “hotel”. We arrived in the countryside of the Netherlands. The “hotel” which is more like  a base, is absolutely stunning! All the buildings are very quaint and European There is a beautiful canal at the edge of the base which I am thinking will be a perfect spot for some early morning devotions. Well I am not going to give a huge explanation of what is going on right now but I just wanted to share a very funny moment that happened today, accompanied by some pictures. Adam, Joslynn, one friend from North Carolina, another guy from England and myself decided to take advantage of free time and go on a bike ride! I mean we are in the Netherlands! With our map in hand we headed off into the city. We got to see the beautiful countryside, the adorable houses, a castle, some churches, windmills, etc. As we continued on we saw a sign that said “Ommen” we decided to look at the map to make sure we were on track. Ommen was literally on the opposite side of where we were supposed to be headed. And of course God rained down His love on us- literally, it began to pour. It poured like I have never seen it pour before. The rain pelted our faces but we couldn’t help but laugh through the circumstances. We of course didn’t know what road the “hotel” was on and had a very poor pronunciation of the hotel and therefore could not find help. We rode our bikes all throughout the Netherlands. Finally we spotted a man who literally was wearing clown sized wooden shoes. He helped us find our way back! Unfortunately, we missed out on dinner however the OM staff let us chow down on some grub. Let’s just say we are all best of friends now and had some interesting bonding time!

 

P.S: We got to meet some of our South African team today. 8 are from Germany and 1 is from the Netherlands. There are more members that we haven’t met yet but our team looks promising!

Two Days!

In just two days I will be flying out of the United States into a foreign country. I am leaving behind all that I have ever known. I never realized until this point in my life that a person could be most excited for the thing they are most afraid of. That is exactly how I am feeling about this upcoming adventure. I can hardly put words to how I feel. The past few days I have been doing shopping for last minute things and lots of packing. As I take memories off my wall I think of the stories that they all include and the preciousness they hold in my heart. It was really sad to be packing them away. I also began packing my clothes and things yesterday which was definitely odd. I got excited but as I looked over at my best friend, who so graciously was helping me pack , I realized that I only have a few more times to be with her. Although packing made me quite sad it also made this decision a reality. I am really leaving for a foreign land in two days. Although this makes me sad I am truly thrilled! The adrenaline starts to rush when I begin to fathom what this next year may look like. And I say may as in I am literally unsure of what even basic plans look like. I have only heard a few details on what is actually going to happen. Although at points this frustrates me, it is a constant reminder to humble myself before God’s plan. I have full confidence in His plan and would like nothing more than what He has set before me. I have seen God provide for me in tough circumstances, through heart ache and pain, through rejection and therefore have no doubt that He will provide again, Amen for that. Although I leave many of my loved ones behind I know that my ultimate love is right there with me and will never leave me. What a comfort that is! This is by far the biggest risk I have ever taken in my 18 years of life and I am ready to take it! Please pray for me in these next few days as I say “good bye” to loved ones and as I travel to Amsterdam.

Now as I said earlier I am really not sure of what plans look like but I will share with you as much as I know. I leave Monday, August 18th at 4:06 pm. I will arrive in Amsterdam at 9:15 in the morning on the 19th. From the airport I will be taking a two hour train/shuttle ride to the location of the “Go conference.” The “Go Conference” is a two week long conference where everyone that is working with Operation Mobilization for that year will meet to learn about how to understand cultures, adapt to different cultures and other various subjects focused on missions. Throughout the day we will have devotional times, small groups and sessions. I leave August 31st from Amsterdam to fly to Johannesburg, South Africa. That is my very basic schedule for the next few weeks. I will obviously update the blog more often and will be able to provide more details and stories. Thank you for joining this adventure with me and I hope to stay in touch!

Specific Prayer Requests:

-Safety and no sickness in traveling

-All my luggage gets to me, with nothing missing

-Friendships begin to form quickly and that I find a person(s) that I click with and can begin accountability with

-My eyes are completely focused on God and His plans for me