Another day in...

Swaziland teaches me

2009-08-29T04:42:00.003+08:00

You can spend a lifetime being happy with the days. Or maybe each day hurts in a new way. Swaziland hugged me into the truth that hard is a blessing as it shows you all you miss and all the greatness that my heart is holding on to. Great gift to know your desires and limitations. For me they are larger than I thought and big enough to begin to dream again!

New Digs

2009-04-29T23:03:00.002+08:00

Months of moving from place to place, sleeping wherever I was blessed to have a space, now I have my own. For the next few months I will live in a beautiful studio apartment as a grown up on my very own. Now THIS is new ...

Pictures of the heart ...

2009-01-20T19:07:00.000+09:00

Pictures by the very talented teacher and visualist - Sharis Harmon

Rwandan peace ... makes you think

2009-01-18T01:45:00.002+09:00

Rwanda is a beautiful country, the country of 1000 hills.
The people are spectacularly beautiful, their nature is gentle and true.
The streets are ordered and clean
And the government seems to care.

But just 14 years ago the people were broken.
The country was fractured and over a million people were slaughtered by their own.

How has everything turned around in just 14 years where my new country, South Africa had a huge change the same time ago and is still so fractured.

What is different, if anything at all? Is this just a beautiful bandaid or is there real change and healing. It makes you think, while you feel the comfort, you have to think!

Rwanda so far

2008-12-24T18:49:00.000+09:00

Back in Arusha, Tanzania

2008-11-29T03:23:00.001+09:00

There are many challenges in life and sometimes I feel like I brought the multipack special. Teaching teachers to teach, pastors to preach and Africans to be passionate somehow feels like something for another planet or at least person. But this is my stretching class, I won't break but I am definitely learning to bend. And what a group to do it with! This is surely a moment worth noting.

Home, for a breath

2008-11-27T16:36:00.003+09:00

I was so blessed to have 3 short weeks in my home country to be a part of one my best friend's incredible wedding. Also got to spend some quality time with other beautiful friends AND have a week with my little family. Oh the gift of friendship and family. It was 3 cities in 3 weeks and 100s of moments of happiness for me. What a gift this time was ... now on to East Africa

Blessed to complain

2008-11-18T17:46:00.000+09:00

What does it mean when you can complain, or feel the pain of the little things like...
When you feel so overwhelmed with your bodies brokenness with a simple flu.
When you feel disappointed or frustrated with the taste of a plate full of food.
When you can't understand why people are sitting in the seat you wanted (like business class on a long plane ride)
When you look at a room full of clothes and wish you could change them all and have all new ones.

What a blessed life I live, that I could complain even for a second about the fullness of my life.
My body hurts which is unusual. My suitcase is full. My ticket is paid for and I am blessed to complain!

The days in between

2008-09-10T23:25:00.006+08:00

Months have past since graduating our students and so much has NOT happened. I have been learning how to DO LIFE without having a million checks on a list. Some days there have been no lists at all. Yet life still happens and things get done. Though it is probably obvious to everyone else, I am just now learning that my value ... my worth to God, the world, to my family/friends is not in what I do. Who would have thought not having lists (and set jobs) would turn me upside and shake me so hard?!

Along the road there were some great moments - we had a fantastic day working with the kids in Cape Town's make-shift refugee camps. These kids ... so much joy in the midst of great uncertainty and trauma.

I had my wonderful cousin come and visit, so of course there had to be some tasting of local produce ...

And the heights of Table Mountain had to been conquered ...

In the end, watching the biggest whale I have ever seen just simply hang out and play, I was reminded that this life is a blessing and should be enjoyed (at all times, in all seasons).

Graduation and a road

2008-07-09T21:00:00.001+08:00

What an incredible group of students. Leaders/writers/directors/pioneers, just passionate people and I got to call them my students.
I am so proud to know them and to have be a part of this time of change and growth for them. I didn't think that I would enjoy this as much as I did, but saying goodbye was difficult. The nice thing about goodbyes is seeing the people you care about move into new things. I love that part!

These last few months have been so full. Teaching and staffing a school is a lot of work but so worth it. There was many a party (including my birthday) and too many great stories to tell. If I could sum up this time it would be "Successful and revealing".

The revelation is small and I know there is so much more to come. It feels like I am at the beginning of a road, where I can only see a small section. It is scary not to be able to see the end but I know this is the road I am suppose to be on and all I can do is put one foot in front of the other ... just one foot KT, just one foot.

Not Alone

2008-05-07T04:09:00.001+08:00

Once - I thought that happiness was measured by the amount of smiles around me never considering whether I had one too
Then - I thought contentment was about smiling whether my surroundings gave me a reason
Now - I think the warmth of my heart filled with love is a gift that does not always produce smiles or present people, just a feeling of wholeness even when my eyes can't see it.

You are in my heart, thank you for not leaving me alone!

Tomorrow brought ...

2008-04-13T17:35:00.000+08:00

Have you ever driven on a windy road, surrounded by cliffs and then all of a sudden the majesty of creation has popped out right in front of you. I feel like my life is on one of these spectacular drives in South Africa where the scenery changes in a way you weren't prepared for and yet somehow this is what you came to see.

It is easy to forget where I am sometimes ... the beaches are as beautiful as the ones from home, the mountains are spectacular like those in Montana ... and then you see two men dresses in culturally appropriate formal attire for a day at the beach!

Our SBS1 has now offically started. We have students from 4 continents and 8 cultures ... they are all great. It is humbling to teach people who have been "out" doing the word for decades. But we are just here to help them stop and hear God through His word.

This place is full of incredible people. Ones who challenge me, make me laugh and cry without even knowing them. This is a great place and I am glad to be here. This is a journey that has many people around yet it is being done alone. I am learning that "alone" is not a bad thing ... this is a hard lesson for an extrovert like me. Thanks for praying with me ...

Reality today

2008-03-26T06:44:00.001+09:00

The truth, the kind that has been sitting - waiting, it always hurts when it finally arrives. I like to think that I am that kind of person who welcomes truth. I embrace it, champion it and share it around right. No, I am not. I am weak and frail and the truth, it hurts me. I am not tough. I am not secure in my place and my heart, my heart is just a fragile thing that is the most susceptible. Were you fooled? I was. I really thought that I was strong, stronger than this.

And then … “and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness” (2 Cor 12:9 Message).

So I am weak … and He is not. This is my reality today …

Lets see what tomorrow brings

This REALLY is what I do ...

2008-03-12T18:57:00.000+09:00

You would think after months of talking about teaching it would be less of a "Bang-Whap-What?" moment. Alas getting to Swaziland, with all the fun that it was (lets just say JoBurg Station is not for everyone) didn't actually make this more real. I don't know what I was thinking was going to happen ... but getting off a bus, into cabs, combies (utility vans used as local buses), large old 1970s school buses and dropped in the middle of no where ... things started to feel a little more real. We walked with our backpacs into a school in a field, put them down, picked up our teaching material and walked into classes of 100 high school students to teach them about the bible. I don't think I could have ever prepared for that moment, my first complete "Okay well there is nothing I can do but teach so I suppose I better" feeling. You have to laugh ... or else you will run ... and there is only more fields and maze crops so better to save the energy and put it into these kids who are all looking at me like they are waiting for me to speak in Martian, fly around the room then bore them. Alas neither of us were ready for actually learning from each other and after 4 hours of pulling teeth, singing songs, laughing, reading and many questions my first class was done. Now there is the other 300 students ...

This country is incredible, their culture, quiet spirits, totally acceptance of a king who picks a new wife from a stadium of dancing young woman (though my roomie tells me that he already knows the girl before the topless stadium of dancing), and the scenery ... I have taught A LOT but I have learned more. This teaching gig is challenging, and I am never as smart as I want to be alas this is my life and it is such a blessing to be here. Thanks for being here with me friends!

My new house - this new life

2008-02-10T04:28:00.000+09:00

When God called me to South Africa I thought of how hard it was going to be. Leaving friends, leaving all my things that I value as they make me comfortable ... living in and by faith dependent on other people. The picture didn't look like this ...

But what I know now is that God cares about little things like a comfortable bed, a flat mate who makes me laugh and eats my trial-and-error cooking. God loves me and wants cool things for me. This time is not going to be easy, by anyone's description, but along the way there is fun, relaxation and a beautiful place to lay my head. I feel so blessed to be loved by God ... and to have this.

Love Hurts

2008-01-21T16:14:00.000+09:00

You would think that years of travelling, all the coming and going would make me good at hellos and goodbyes. I think I even deluded myself into believing that. This last group of goodbyes has once again proven me to be WRONG. Leaving Australia hurt this time. I had so many people love … to leave and it was not fun. Plane rides, road trips then a great surprise … hellos to more people I love. But the next day it hit me, I truly LOVE these people and I don’t want to leave them. I preceded to spend the rest of the day crying over my love for my friends and my life that is full of people I adore. It was one of the worst yet best days of my life.

It was this day that I realised that my life is truly blessed with the kind of blessing that hurts to the core, I honestly and whole-heartedly love my friends and family so much that it actually causes me pain. Wow huge revelation that love really does hurt even when it is wonderful.

As I am about to say goodbye and feel that pain again (too many times in such a short period) I have to remember that I am about to say hello to a whole new group of people that could be loved that much too. I have to not let love shut me down … I cannot protect myself from it or else I will miss out on so much more.

Thank you for letting me love you and loving me in return. It is the best kind of hurt I could ever hope for (if you hope for that kind of thing).

SBS Reunion

2008-01-21T16:09:00.000+09:00

Road Trip 08 - Jon and Katie Stylin

Girls, my beautiful girls

Who said DTSers never keep in touch - 11 yrs baby

More than half of the most wonderful group of people ... all in one place partyin! I love these people ... just love them!

Gift of longtime Friends

2008-01-06T11:54:00.000+09:00

My Beautiful Friends

2008-01-06T11:45:00.000+09:00

My Loves!

2008-01-06T11:39:00.000+09:00

Home to Melbourne - Family and Friends (one and the same)

2007-10-20T18:14:00.000+08:00

Canberra - immediate family and friends ... worked for a week ... rested a bit. Then it was off to Melbourne ... my home away from home where so many of my closest and dearest dwell.
There were too many pics to just put 4 in so you get the whole lot! The bottom one sums up my time ... MY GIRLS = MY BLESSINGS!!
There was lots of talking about the past year, talking about the future and LEAVING AGAIN for another 2 years. There was even ANOTHER 30th BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ME!! heheheh will it ever end ... doesn't seem like it!
This was an incredible time of love for me. When you are away you stop you heart remembering how much you love people so it won't hurt so much. But being back with so many of my wonderful friends and family ... it just showed me how incredibly blessed I am to have SO MANY people in my life who truly love and accept me. There are no words ... these weeks were overwhelming ... I am SO BLESSED.
On a personal note it was a challenging time. To get back to South Africa and do what God has called me to do next I need to raise a support team. I went into this time at home thinking that I knew how God was going to provide the money. At the first sign of things not going according to the "Katie Plan" I freaked out. It became obvious that my faith in God's ability to provide was minimal ... if existing at all. What a hypocrite. I had a nice little reality check, was reminded by people and situations of how faithful God has been in the past year ... and my WHOLE LIFE and then I mellowed out.
It is still really daunting the idea of trusting God to raise the support (both financially and spiritually) that I need to return and yet I know that HE HAS GOT THIS ... just like He has everything else so far.
I got the chance to speak in a few places and had some great times with my old church. I am still looking to speak wherever I can while I am home ... I am doing all this stuff overseas ... I just want to bless the Australian church while I am here. My heart just gets bigger and bigger for my country and community ... though I will not be here for long and it may sound cliche, but I really do just want to give back somehow. Teaching is what I do so that is how it is coming.
Thanks for the prayers for support and direction ... please continue to pray for more doors to open while I am home to bless the Aussie church (if you have any ideas in your area ... PLEASE LET ME KNOW).
Ahhhhh HOME ... What a challengingly comfortable time this is going to be!

HOME - time to party

2007-10-05T13:56:00.000+08:00

I arriving into Sydney to see my mum's beautiful face made the HOME reality kick in. As did the next 3 hours in traffic! I got back and the first weekend it was my vivacious (mini-me) niece's 4th birthday.

In the middle of the party I had a little bit of that wonderful thing called culture shock. There I was surrounded by white children with lots of presents and lollies and their parents talking about many differing things, all in English and then there was me. I have to get back into this. It wasn't a bad thing, on the contrary ... this is great and it is my home ... it has just been a while since I understood everything that was being said and yet didn't really understand at all. hehehehh - no news for a year makes it hard to have interesting conversations about life.
But that feeling quickly went away and it was all just fun. As I played with my sister's kids and watched the people I loved ... I realised that life really is an incredible gift ... this part of my gift may have commercial breaks (a few years here and there away) but it will always be the best thing I ever did!

You get that I love my family right!

My way home - Auckland with Annie

2007-10-05T13:53:00.000+08:00

OH how to I even begin to explain my trip home. It took 10 days ... there were 3 huge flights (Capetown to London = 12 hours + London to LA = 13 hours THEN 9 hour LAYOVER IN LAX + LA to Auckland = 14 hours) but praise the Lord I survived. And apart from a moment in London when I thought I was upgraded but then the seat was ripped out from under me (a few ALMOST TEARS) the 4 days of flying was fine. God really got me when He reminded me that this succession of tickets was more than 40 people's annual wage in Tanzania and God had provided ever cent. So how can you complain!! Everything was really good ... thanks for the prayers.
I cannot tell you how great it was to get off that last plane and run into the arms of my incredible friend Annie! Oh 4 days of heaven!! You know those people who just let you be your worst and still see you as if it were your best ... those are my close friends and this girl is one of those.
She literally just let me do nothing and yet I felt so complete. We just chilled with her man and ate great food, trained with her PT (and I almost threw up twice ... yep first for me). It was such a blessing. By the time I got back on the plane to go to Sydney and finish my year abroad (to the day) ... I was completely refreshed and ready for the next stage thanks to Resort A la Annie!
Auckland and Annie ... what more could I have asked for.

Tanzania - Teaching hard core servants is incredible

2007-08-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

The team is back together after being separate for almost a week. We piled in the back of a very small truck with all of the shopping for the bible college and our gear and were off. It was really fun to be driving through Tanzania with the wind in my hair!
We reached International Evangelism Outreach - a bible college that takes in 80-100 students free of charge, trains them up for 6 months and then EVERY STUDENT starts a church or ministry. These guys are HARD CORE. They get up at 3 am to pray for 3 hours then breakfast, classes all morning ... afternoon classes ... then work duties ... then night classes and sleep at 10pm. Everyone lives in dorms so married couples have to sleep separately for the 6 months. They put me to shame ... but boy do they love God.
This college is funded completely by support from the states. They have a huge truck that drills water wells ... and people constantly come to help out doing specialised things. We have already met a Internet genius from Seattle (hence the wireless) and a great family from the Seattle region who take incredible pics (you will see some soon - as he took pictures for my prayer cards). Just being on these grounds shows me that NOTHING is out of God's reach and we should ALWAYS PRAY BIG!!
Teaching has been hard, there have been many lessons learnt through great and hard times. Our schedule changes daily. We had 2 weeks teaching but the students have to harvest in the midst of this time so our teaching time gets cut and they are tired but so passionate. It is sad to know that this is my 2nd last week in Tanzania but I really love these people and their language. I will try to keep learning Swahili when I leave and would love to bring another team of teachers back here one day soon!
You learn quickly in Africa that you do not need much to give much and feel blessed. I feel like I have learnt more from the people than they have from me. Beautiful!

Tanzania - Life in the Village

2007-08-26T21:06:00.003+08:00

Oh the village ... what a start. I got my first "welcome to Africa" stomach bug. This is where you look for every toilet possible and your stomach tries to kill you from the inside. Fun for everyone. Even funner when you have a squatty to work with and a less that accurate ability to control everything. The picture shows the "Choo" (toilet in Swahili) that I sat on ... yes I covered the whole thing with TP and sat because I was so concerned about making a mess on our first day in the village in the Churches one toilet. You know me ... I sat there pooping and laughing so hard I cried. Such a funny and humiliating experience ... had to share it with the whole world!
The time in the village was great. Our team split as half needed to go to Nairobi to go to the Dr so Paul and I went to the village. This was my "practice leading" gig so it was an interesting time. We slept in tents and were feed like kings (as everywhere in Tanzania) to the point that we were going to explode and they gave us another helping!
Teaching here was crazy. The schedule changed regularly and this pic of the two lights is actually me teaching 80 people (50 kids 30 adults). It was a real time of growth as personal space was a myth. A group of kids would stand outside my tent for at least 1/2 hour discussing loudly who would go into the Mesungu's (white person - we hear that one alot) tent. It is funny but sometimes you just want space. hehehhehe. It was a great week of growing in God, as a teacher and just letting go of comfort zones. But I can definitely say I am becoming a teacher and really starting to like this stuff.