We are in Jeffrey's Bay! The Swazi team has been in 3 locations in the past week! We left Swazi on Wednesday and went back to Alabanza. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration at a restaurant in downtown Pretoria. Then, we left very early on Saturday morning and made the 12 hour drive down to JBay. We have been settling in the past few days and the Leadership Conference begins tomorrow. Several speakers are being flown in and we will be having a lot of sessions and seminars learning about discipleship and leadership for the next 2 weeks. Before saying anything else about being in JBay, I want to back up and tell you more about my last few days in Swazi.

Last Monday morning, a few of my friends and I walked back to the school by our homestead to do the morning assembly. We had a sea of 600 beautiful black faces smiling back at us as we shared a message of hope. After the assembly, I introduced myself to the 2 first grade teachers and told them that I would like to help in their classrooms when I come back in January. They were overjoyed! I was able to get the curriculum books they use and get a list of supplies they need.  Their school year is over in a few days so they will be getting a whole new batch of first graders in January. It will be about 90-100 first graders between the 2 classes. I will have a lot of name learning to do and their names are not easy to say! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. God is so faithful and He shows this everyday as I ask Him to show me more of His plan for me in Africa. He definitely did this by allowing me to make a connection with this school. I took pictures but I can't download them now so I'll definitely get those up later so you can see the classroom and children:) Swaziland has my heart and I was devastated when we left. I can't wait to go back in January!

Back to JBay. It's awesome to realize that I'm on the Indian Ocean. Our team has been meeting on the beach in the morning for prayer. It's when you are sitting in the sand that the verse about how God's thoughts of us outnumber the grains of sand really hits you. Every beach in the world. All the sand. Every grain. His thoughts are more than that of you and of me. He is such a beautiful and awesome God.

I won't be able to write again until next Friday because we will be in sessions this Friday. Please continue to pray for us as we are learning and growing in the Word. I'm praying for all of you and I'm so excited to see and talk with ya'll over Christmas break!