Missionary Connection Heather Carter
in
Grahamstown,
South Africa
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Prayer Email #14
Sent 3/17/2005
Hello Friends! I know that it has been a while and
I thank all of you who have hung in there and continued to pray even though
I am becoming quite horrible at updating you! I hope that the past few
months have been good ones for you! There has been a lot going on here, so I
will try to catch you up on the ways that God has been at work…
Updates
- I had asked you to be in prayer for the schools that I would be
going to this year. Both the high school in Alexandria and Victoria
Primary (the school here in town) have allowed me to come back this year.
This has been a blessing, and although we were slow to start, lessons are
going well now.
- God has really blessed me this year in allowing my friend Nosicelo to come
with me to teach in Alexandria. It is amazing how much more relaxed and open
the kids are with a Xhosa speaker in there with me. Her friendship has also
been a blessing!
- Bible studies are up and running again. For the time, I am not doing a
study in Alexandria, because of the distance in travel and the lack of
interest. I am still praying for openings in that area though! The youth
cell group that meets at our house on Wednesday nights is going well and we
are studying the book, The Pursuit of Holiness.
- The True Love Waits training went great and I think that Megan was
encouraged! She is now busy with all the follow-up that is involved. Our
friends Nosicelo, Pumeza, Zukiswa, K.B., and Dolly were all able to attend
and will hopefully begin leading their own TLW rallies in the near future.
As some of you may know, Megan and I were able to go to Cape Town for a
ministry trip recently. (I know, hard job, hey?) It was such a blessing to
be there! We worked with the Boones, a missionary family that we met while
they were living in Grahamstown and studying Xhosa. They are such a
wonderful family and it was just great to get to work with them. We spoke at
many different places, including several churches, a seminary lecture, and a
chapel service. Although speaking is not really my thing, God was really
faithful in giving me exactly what to say, just when I needed to say it (and
sometimes not a second before!) We also got to go hiking one day on Table
Mountain and that was just beautiful.
Two of my friends from home, Jessica Wagner and Lisa Hague, came out last
week for a visit! This was so amazing! I loved getting to show them around
this lovely area, letting them see some of the ministries that go on around
here, and introducing them to my friends. It was just great to have a bit of
home here for a while! Thanks so much for coming girls!
Prayer Requests
- Pray for the students in Alexandria, that God will show me ways to really
get into their lives. I know that there is more to be done out there and I
really desire God’s leading on this. We are going to try to hold a True Love
Waits rally out there when my lessons are done, and hopefully some Bible
studies will result from that. Please be in prayer for direction in all of
that.
- Pray for the church in Alexandria. Progress there is up and down really.
There is no national leadership at this time and with Bob Morris heading to
the states in less than four months, it is uncertain what is going to
happen. Pray that God’s will in this situation be made clear.
- Pray for the girls at Victoria Primary. God has really blessed me with
great relationship with the girls at that school. Pray that He will direct
the ministry He has for me there and lead me to the girls in whom He is at
work.
- Pray for all those trained at the TLW training: Zukiswa, Pumeza, Nosicelo,
K.B., and Dolly. Zukiswa and Pumeza have already had the opportunity to give
a TLW presentation in Riebek East, and Nosicelo is getting to use some of
what she learned as she teaches with me in Alexandria. Pray that these young
people will see God’ vision for their lives and boldly follow Him.
- In my last e-mail, I had asked you to pray for Lizzie, one of the youth
who has a brain tumor. Please continue to lift her up to the Lord. She has
been going through chemotherapy and seems to be doing ok, but is really weak
right now. It is a difficult situation, because she wants to get out and do
everything that most young people do. When she goes out, it really wears out
her body, but when she stays in, she struggles with depression. Thanks be to
God, she won a cruise for her and her family through a special fund for
children with cancer. They left today, so be in prayer that this will be a
good time for them all. It is a blessing to see how the Lord is working in
her life, and in the lives of her family members. Pray for spiritual renewal
for them as well as physical.
- Pray for our team. We have pretty much been in a state of transition since
I arrived and now we are going through some more. Our team leader, through
the leadership of the Lord, has stepped down as team leader and is taking up
full-time church planting. This is a blessing, but it does mean more change
for the team. Pray that God will show us where He wants us to go.
- Pray for my personal relationship with the Lord. Pray that I would desire
Him above all other things—even above the ministries, friends, etc. that He
has blessed me with here. (Psalm 73:25-26)
Thank you ever so much for your prayers and encouragement! You really are
such a big part of what goes on here. I appreciate you hanging in there with
me through all the ups and downs of life here!
The next month or so looks to be a busy one as well. Schools let out next
week for Easter, and I will be headed to Alicedale with Nosicelo and Zukiswa
and their church for their Easter rally. This is the biggest holiday for the
Xhosa people and should be a lot of fun! Right after that, I will be driving
down to Cape Town again to pick up my parents! They are coming to visit for
about eight days. We are going to spend some time in Cape Town, then make
our way back up here to Grahamstown for a few days. I am really looking
forward to them coming. Please be praying that their travel here and back
will be safe and that God will really bless our time together!
Please write whenever you can! I really love hearing from you all (and it
also lets me know if you are still receiving my e-mails!) I hope that all is
well in your lives!
Much love,
heather :-)
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