New life

Hello all my dear prayer warriors, friends and family!

I arrived safely in Jeffreys Bay on Sunday evening. Miracle after miracle brought me here, with all my tight connections, I never missed a flight and had all my luggage when I arrived. He is so good!
Right away on Monday morning I was able to go to Ithemba the afterschool program I worked at last year and see the dear women I worked with and all my kids:) It was beautiful. I cant explain the feeling of having 20 kids run up to you yelling your name and almost tackling you to the floor with hugs. My heart was filled to the brim.
The past couple days have been filled with sessions at a local church called Deo Doxa with workshops in the afternooons and a sesions at night. It is group of a couple hundred students from various ministries coming together to be filled up and sent out again. It has been a huge blessing, I am just soaking it up and letting God take it all into my heart and NOT just my head.
Lxp has had a slow start as we have been waiting for the remaining students to arrive. Currently there are 6 girls and a guy. But a few more students will be coming this weekend. I have learned SO much already. Quite a different experience then last year. Living in a house of Africans is a new experience and I am learning, be challenged and it's also exciting.
Thank you so much for all your prayers, I know that I am completely covered in your prayers, and that makes all the difference.

Please pray for:
Wisdom and patience as I try to learn the Xhosa language

Unity in the house, as we learn culture differences and learn how to be a family and body of Christ.

Focus for myself- as I am in the same town as last year, but in different circumstances and learning how to surrender memeories and exceptations and walk by faith.

Learning,
-Ellen

My New Address

Here is my address that I will be able to receive letters and packages at!

The Leadership Experience
Ellen Amdahl
P.O. Box 1015
Jeffreys Bay, Republic of South Africa
6330

Learning to Trust

This morning I woke up with feelings I had never expected. Tears filled my eyes and an ache swelled in my heart. This was the day I had been waiting for, for SO long. But now Africa never felt so far away. Due to the weather conditions I am no longer able to fly out today, but now will have to wait until Saturday to fly out.


It was a twist that was so unexpected I didn’t know how to process it all. I kept thinking to myself, “it shouldn’t be a big deal right? Its only three more days?” But in my heart that’s not what it felt like, it felt like maybe I would never get back. That all the months of waiting would be in vain. Jesus then spoke so clear to my heart, “Put your trust in ME, not Africa.” I have surrendered Africa and the people I love there so much into Jesus’ hands countless times, that has been something He continues to teach me. And I realized this was another one of those moments to say, “Jesus, my hope is not in Africa, the people, my ministry or my passion to be there, my hope lies in You ALONE.”

“Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” – Psalm 42:5

I could never doubt the faithfulness and goodness of my Savior; He has led me so far. He has blessed me beyond measure. On days like today when my heart aches and I don’t understand, I place my trust in Jesus, because HE knows better than I.

“But those who hope IN the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. – Isaiah 40:31

Today I choose to place my trust in Jesus. What about you?

This life is not my own

One month from today I will be flying across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa. Its a strange mix of emotions. This is what I've been preparing for, for months and now the time is almost here. Its a battle between my flesh and spirit. I long to be back in Jeffreys Bay, but my heart aches at the thought of leaving my family for nine months. During these times a quote by Oswald Chambers comes to my mind:

" If you stayed home when God told you to go,because you wre so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself."

I am learning to walk by faith. Its often said amongest christians, but it's another thing when you really have to do it. Walk by faith. Jesus knows my questions, sadness and pain, He doesnt' overlook that, but when I gave my life to Jesus this is what asked of me. My whole life. The cost of following Jesus is high and I would want it no other way. Jesus knew that people throughout the ages would struggle with this very thing: leaving home and family. In Luke he says

," If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father or mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:26-17

Jesus wants me to give up everything. At first this verse seems cruel,doesn't Jesus command us to love our neighbor as ourselves? Yes, He does. But before He gives that command He says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
If we are truly to love others, we must first love Jesus Christ. Jesus is to be our first love. My first love.

I want to forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. Jesus gave up everything to me. While I was his enemy Jesus sacrified his very life.
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior."- Col 1:21
I spat in his face, I betrayed him, I cheated him and buried his grace, but yet he died for me. He knew all along that many would chose to deny Him, but he still died. How selfish of me if I was to hang onto my life as if its my own.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." Phil 3:7

Everything compared to Christ is rubbish. I can surrender my family,friends, and home to the Lord, because I can trust Him. He promises to live is Christ, but to die is gain.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."- Phil 1:21

This life is not my own. It is all for Him. So, as I prepare to embark on the next season of life, I walk by faith, because He who called me is faithful.

Savior

Blessed.

Undeserving.

Grateful.

Humbled.

These are the words I would use to express how I feel this Christmas season. This year this season has been different then any other year for me. It has been one of reflection, learning and a humbling one.

As I listen to the Christmas music play on the radio declaring the joy this season brings, as I see the TV flash with commercials of families together on Christmas morning opening gifts and as I look forward to seeing my whole family this upcoming weekend, God has opened my eyes. Rather we realize it or not or just want to ignore it, that is not the reality for the majority for the world. For so many people Christmas is not a time of joy and love, but rather one of heartache and pain. A reminder of what they lost or have never had. I have many dear friends that have lost their mother, a sister, a brother, a daughter or a best friend. Christmas is far from a happy time. My heart breaks for these people that have lost someone so dear to them and Christmas seems to only serve as a reminder that they are gone. So, is that the end of their story?

Christmas will come and go and will be a painful time, and then it come back again next year on Dec 25th. Praise God it is not!

Jesus was born into the world that night, and became a human just like you and me, because He knew we needed hope. God knew we needed a Savior. God knew you would have pain, heartache and grief in this world so He came to earth to do what we could not do for ourselves.

He came to be our Savior.

He came to earth to die.

He came to heal our brokenness.

He see’s your pain.

He see’s your grief.

He came to carry it.

He came to carry your burden.

He came to take the hurt that circumstances in life that are out of your control have placed on you.

He died on a cross and willingly gave up his life so you could have peace here on earth in Him.

Jesus came because He wanted a personal relationship with you. He loves you so much that He sacrificed his very life so He could spend eternity in heaven with you.

He wants you.

This year instead of trying to carry the pain and heartache that Christmas brings, give it to Jesus. Let Jesus make Christmas a time of sweet surrender. And a chance to get to know your Savior that loves you without end.

His jewels

Words seem to fall short.

I am unsure how to somehow explain this injustice that goes on even as you read this. I just finished watching the movie Taken. It was one of the hardest movies I have ever watched. I felt uncomfortable. I wanted it to just end.

Sex trafficking.

The movie is about a young American girl that goes to Paris for vacation and gets abducted and sold into the sex trade. The whole movie is the story of her dad trying to rescue her and doing whatever it takes to get his daughter back. In the end of the movie he does. He rescues her. Though the movie ended with a “happy ending” I felt anything, but happy. That was one girl. What about all the others? What about the other girls that will never see their families again? Or the young girl that will never feel the embrace of her Daddy again? What about her?

Sex trafficking is a major industry. And not just in foreign countries, it’s happening right here in the US. Currently there are as many or more than 100,000 trafficked into the U.S. annually.

America is the third largest destination country for trafficked victims, behind Japan and Australia. Victims are trafficked around the world for purposes of forced prostitution, labor and other forms of exploitation. In a lot of cases the victims are promised a better life or a good job and then forced to become a slave. Today 70-80% of all slaves are sex slaves. Entire economies fueled by the sexual exploitation of women and children. These aren’t just numbers. These are real women, real children. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. Someone’s mother.

This is happening today.

Now.

Young girls are being raped several times a day, having forced abortions, and living in a life of darkness. We can’t ignore this.

“For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; astonishment has taken hold of me.“ Jeremiah 8:21

What are we to do? How can we possibly end this billion dollar industry?

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew19:26

Cry out to God. Fall on your face before Him. We need to repent of our own sins, and impurities. We must deal with our own injustice against God, before we can deal with injustice against others.

Talk to Jesus.

Have intimacy with the Father. When you and the father are connected you can clearly hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.Listen to the Holy Spirit.

Obey.

It sounds simple right? I can speak from experience its not always easy. The Holy Spirit will ask you to do things that make you feel uncomfortable. He might ask you to stand up like you never have before. He might ask you to go before a group of people and spread awareness about the sex trade. He might ask you to give away all your earthly possessions and rescue these precious girls. I don’t know what the Holy Spirit will speak to you, but I do know you can trust Him. He is always faithful. This is the very thing He has called us to as his children.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is one me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

If we don’t, who will?

He is our Light

The other night I was driving home from work and it was blizzarding. It was almost impossible to see further then one car in front of me and the wind was strong enough to blow my car off the road. As I turned onto the gravel road one mile away from home, the conditions grew worse. The road was drifted over and wind now blew directly at me instead of to the side of me. I couldn't see. At that moment I had a choice. I could pull over and wait for the wind to die down and hope it cleared up or I could contiune on for the last mile and preserve through the storm. I choose to drive through.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me in that moment. He told me how this is just like life. Throughout my life I have had various struggles and storms come and every time I had a choice to give up and just hide in the corner, or else I could perserve on through and get to the light at the end of the road. That night as I drove I couldn't see my farm lights, or any glimpse of light, but I KNEW that my house was only a mile away and that if I contiuned on, I would make it eventually. God allows storms to come into our lives and its up to us how we are going to handle them. Sometimes the storms in life are so painful or hard that the future looks completely and utterly dark. It looks like their is absolulely no hope. But that is when God calls us to hang on to what we know to be true. Himself. He is our Hope. He is our Light. When all you see is darkness and hopelessness around you, remember that Jesus promises HE is the light of the world. That he came to be our HOPE.

Keep perserving, their is Light. He is our Light. When the future looks dark, call out His name. He is there. Even when we dont see it.