We Started A Flippin’ School!

This is a note I sent to our board of directors today, but I wanted to share it with you…
 
I hope you are all well and having an amazing day! Today was the official open of Jehovah Shalom Mission School and I just wanted to share a link to some pictures and to tell you a bit about the first day. It is such a great reminder for me of why it is critical for us to keep focused as we serve an awesome God and these amazing kids.
 
Our team of 6 volunteer teachers (4 Americans, 1 American/South African and 1 South African) are already doing an amazing job and their tender hearts for the kids is deeply inspiring. They have started to settle into the mission base in Alexandria and are finding out slowly but surely how to be good roommates to one another. I have no doubt they will get there quickly. I plan to spend more time with them next week and to take them to Rufus farm in a few weekends for a getaway and time for out of the house team building.
 
Last night, Darrell, myself and the team were up until midnight finishing to build the desks for the kids and when I was looking around I just could not help thinking “Holy flip flop Batman, we started a flippin’ school!”. Did you hear that, board?  We started a flippin’ school! That is amazing in itself but what is even more amazing is how, because of the new school and the team living in Alexandria, the entire community has started to rally in amazing ways. There is a transformation taking place, not just in our kids at the school but the whole community has gotten on board. I am inspired, in awe and humbled.
 
I know things have been stressful these last few weeks, but please remember that what God is doing here is so much bigger than any of this stress. Our kids are happy. Our kids are seen. Our kids are not falling through the cracks. Our kids are being shown the love of Christ. They are not invisible orphans in some small town in South Africa. They are OUR kids. They are HIS kids and as good and loving parents, we are making sure they get what they need to succeed in this life and to have eternity with the Father in the next.
 
My heart is bursting with love and with motherly pride for the kids, for the community and for our team. I truly hope this little reminder of why we do what we do will inspire you today.
 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.296454510404421.67676.161985363851337&type=1

 
With love,
 
Mama Jen

Details

As a Christ follower, I have sometimes experienced times when it seemed that God has abandoned me. I know it is not true but sometimes when things are not going my way I tend to ask “Are you real? Have you forgotten me?”. I know that I am not alone in these episodes of doubt and most all Christians will experience periods when they question if God is really there and if He really does know our thoughts and the desires of our heart. Several times when I have been feeling this way, God shows up by giving me a desire of my heart that no one else ever even knew about. Today was one of those days.

I know it may sound silly but this winter I really wanted one of those really cute sleeveless sweaters. My friends would come to cell group wearing a cute long sleeve top on under one of these rockin’ sleeveless sweaters. I knew I could not afford to buy one, but I wanted it anyway. Ali and I went to the mall once and I went into a shop with her and tried one on and as I put it back on the rack I felt a small disappointment in my heart. Silly, I know but I am just being honest.

Another desire has been for a plain black v-neck t-shirt to replace the one I currently wear because it has small holes in the belly area where I think a moth had a snack. I wear this t-shirt a lot because it matches anything that happens to be in my bag when I am traveling. Money is tight and I knew I could not afford to replace the shirt but I still wished I could.

Today, God gave me the jackpot of unspoken wishes in the form of donations from a friend in Port Elizabeth. When I was at her house to pick up donations last week she said that when I was sorting through the bags to feel free to keep anything that I needed first before giving the donations out. Guess what I pulled out of the bag in my size? Yep. I am now the proud owner of a sleeveless sweater and a black v-neck t-shirt.

I thank God for the reminder that He is in the details in my life and for giving me assurance once again that He is there. So what do you think? Am I rockin’ these new to me clothes or what?!?

Raising Support Sucks Eggs – So can I ask you something?

It’s that time of year again…the time where we eat humble pie and ask people we know for money.  As self supporting missionaries it’s a necessary part of our calling. To be perfectly honest, raising support sucks eggs. I can ask for money all day long for Oceans of Mercy but when it comes to asking for our family I find that I turn into a child hiding behind my mother’s skirt and hoping it all just magically works out.

So here’s the deal. Our family’s financial support will run out next month and we are asking that if you know about what we do, believe in what we are doing and want to partner with us in serving the amazing orphaned and vulnerable children we work with in South Africa that you would please consider supporting our family financially?

If you’re a fan of PayPal you can click on www.oceansofmercy.com and click the DONATE NOW button on the lower right side of the page, then you can donate and be done quickly and painlessly. Just remember to enter the code MO31 in the instructions so the funds get designated to our family.

Another option is to mail a check to the address below – make sure you put MO31 in the memo:

Oceans of Mercy

PO Box 860143

Shawnee, Kansas 66286

You can also email me at ageesinafrica@gmail.com for a direct deposit form or credit card form.

Whew! The ask is over and if you choose to make a donation to support our family you will be rewarded with a tax deduction, our eternal thanks and the knowledge that you are a vital part of allowing us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to some pretty amazing kids.

Endee ya cotanda kakhulu! (Thank you very much! In Xhosa)

The Agee Family

Religious?

A few weeks back, two of my Facebook friends were in a back and forth about being religious. The one, who is a follower of Christ, stated that she is not religious. The other, who is not a follower, asserted that if you believe in Jesus that by definition you are religious. So it got me to thinking, am I religious?

I firmly believe that being a follower of Christ is more about a relationship that it is about religion. I understand how this may be hard to differentiate but let me explain. I went to church for years without having a relationship with Christ. I said the prayers I was supposed to say, I prayed when I needed bailed out of a bad situation, I sang hymns and I liked going to church. It was not until I made the decision to follow Christ that I really started to have a relationship with my creator. In that moment, I genuinely asked for forgiveness, I understood that Jesus is God’s son and I asked Him into my life. That was the day I began to have a relationship.

In my understanding, what most people who are offended by the Christian faith think of when they say “religious” is that there are hypocrites in the church, of which I am sometimes one. That there are people, who in the name of religion, spew hate at others who do not believe exactly as they do or are quick to lay down a hammer of judgment. I would argue that as a Christ follower, I am offended by these very same things. I recognize that it would be impossible to have a church that did not have hypocrites because the church is filled with human beings. We are not prefect and fall short time and time again. As for the hate spewing and hammer of judgment, these things should deeply hurt the heart of every Christ follower because when we behave in this way we are not representing Jesus accurately.

In scripture, Jesus encounters sinners (of which we all are) with grace, compassion and love. Scripture says about judgment, “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12.

So I have a relationship, but am I also religious? I looked through scripture and found this:

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

By God’s definition in the Bible I am a part of religion. I do care for orphans and widows and I strive (although not always successfully) to not get distracted by worldly things like focusing on money, status or seeking my own self interest first. In thinking through this, I recognize that it all started first with relationship. Out of the overflow of love, grace and compassion through this relationship it becomes my honor to live out James 1:27 religion.

Stand

Over the last 2 years, I have developed some pretty great friendships here and one of them is with Mama Gladys (she is the mama at Coega Door of Hope children’s home). She is my surrogate mother here and I have come to love, honor and respect her more than words. We celebrate victories together, laugh together, share our lives and pray together when things are not going well.

These last few weeks have been challenging for our family with several things not going well for us back in the states. It was really dragging me down and I hit a place where I just could not see a good way out of the situation. I sat with Mama Gladys and she held my hand “What’s wrong my angel?”. I let it all pour out and I shared with her that I was feeling so weary from the battle. She looked in my eyes and said something that will stay with me forever. “I will stand for you, my angel. You don’t need to worry. I will stand for you.”

Those words ministered to my spirit in a way that is almost indescribable. In a place where I see myself as the one serving others, she was standing for me. I am humbled and grateful for this awesome, powerful woman of God who chooses to see me as her daughter. What a privilege.

Camp was amazing!

We held a camp for the children in our sponsorship program living in the Port Elizabeth area from July 9-11 at Zuurberg Mountain Camp and it was amazing! For the first time, several of the camp leaders were young women who have been a part of Oceans of Mercy since they were children. To see the way these young women stepped up to the plate and lead the kids was inspiring. We had 120 kids from Door of Hope, Jehovah Jireh Haven, Motherwell and Wells Estate and 30 leaders from the USA and South Africa.  Of the South African leaders, we had 5 different cultures represented: Xhosa, Zulu, English, Afrikaans and Colored. How stinkin’ cool is that?!?

 

As camp was the first stop for the American team, it was fun to watch them discover the culture and the children of South Africa as camp unfolded. They started out on day 1 as strangers and by the time camp ended no one wanted to leave. Each member of the team had their heart permanently marked by one of the children and a few are already planning their next trip back.

This was the first camp I had planned myself and I made some rockin’ good plans, but 70% of what happened at camp was not planned and I am so thankful for that. The Holy Spirit was so clearly in charge and it seemed that every leader was somehow tapped into that and was listening to even the smallest of promptings. Before people come over, we try to prepare them that TIA (this is Africa) and that we make plans but you have to be flexible. At the end of the American team’s trip, a few members of the team complimented the way I easily made endless alternative plans when things did not work out as expected. As I thought about that later I realized that the reason I am so good at the plan B is because life in Africa is nearly always a plan B…or C…or my favorite G (the God plan you were supposed to be on anyway). 

I want to say thank you to everyone who served with Oceans of Mercy at camp and especially to the American team who traveled endless miles to make a difference in the lives of a child. I pray a blessing over you now and have a humbled heart of gratitude for your loving the kids I so dearly love with tenderness and compassion. Blessings, Mama Jen

June Newsletter

Check out what we were up to in the month of June and read my halfway point article. http://www.oceansofmercy.com/images/stories/oceansofmercy/pdf/newsletters/om_newsletter_2011-06.pdf

Mother’s Day – A Big Step

For those who know me well they know that my least favorite holiday is Mother’s Day. I dread it and pray that the day goes unnoticed in my house and we can pretend it is like any other day. I even managed to be out of town last year and avoided the holiday completely. Why? You might ask. Mother’s Day is a reminder of every single way that I am failing my family and failing as a mother. In church they go on and on about all of these perfect things that mothers are and often read Proverbs 31…which can make even the best wife feel like a slacker, loser. I am not sure why but for some reason this day has always left me feeling depressed and filled with self-loathing. But I think this year is going to be different.

I have been spending time in my Bible study looking at all the things that keep us from experiencing God’s full blessing and I realized something. This feeling of “you’re a piece of crap mother” is a lie. Although I am so not perfect, who the heck is? Nobody I know and I know some pretty amazing women. I am choosing to set down the lies and am choosing to pick up the truth. I am a good mom, not great or amazing or the best mom in the world, but I am a good mom and I do my very best (most of the time). I am choosing to remove the blinders that keep me from seeing clearly and to replace them with the grace filled eyes of my Father. This year…gulp…I am going to allow my family to celebrate Mother’s Day. Even though it may sound lame, it’s a big step for me.

One of those days…

Today has been one of those days. I am always aware of the realities of where I live and the circumstances of the people I serve but I truly believe that God sometimes protects my heart and lets me do what I need to do without being swallowed by the harshness of these realities. Some days, the protection of my heart is dropped and I see and feel it all. Today is one of those days.

As I was putting together the intake forms for 49 new kids to be added to our child sponsorship program, I began to be overwhelmed by sadness reading their stories. 60% of these beautiful children are orphans taken in by various relatives some who want them, some who don’t and very few of the relatives have the ability to financially care for them. Many of the children are HIV+ and through no fault of their own their life expectancy will be cut short.

Most days I am a fighter and an uncompromising advocator (sometimes not the best thing). Today I feel the weight of it all and my heart is sad. Will you join me in praying for the kids we serve today? Tomorrow I am headed to Motherwell with Sue-Ann to share the Easter story with the kids and am praying that they will hear through us the deep love of Christ. They are not alone, abandoned, invisible or forgotten by God – never – ever – ever.

My Bungee Jumping Experience~Ali

The thrill of the adrenaline pumping through my veins was almost nonexistent compared to the sheer terror and stupidity of what I was about to do. My hands were clammy and I was shaking, part of my mind was screaming out to me to turn back while I still could. The music was blaring; I can still hear it forever ringing in my ears, “The sky is the limit”. I was standing under the bridge I was preparing myself to jump off. Falling 216 meters off a bridge, at the speed of 33 meters per second. They clipped the bungee cable on a rope around my ankles and said reassuring things. I had masked the petrified expression on my face until now, standing on the ledge off the world’s tallest bungee. There was a person on either side of my arms to keep me from falling off.

In perfect unison the two men screamed over the music, “FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, BUNGEE!!” I didn’t think, my mind went blank as I obediently jumped as far out as I could. My eyes closed and in that moment all I could hear was the wind flying past me. Then I let out a blood curling scream as the bungee rope finally caught my ankles. My body jerked, a reaction to either the pain or shock of what I just did. Hanging upside down with only my thoughts I opened my eyes to see two hills caressing the ocean. It was completely and utterly silent for minutes until a man came to pull me upright. The other thing I felt through the adrenaline was now triumph, I let out a startled laugh and said to the man, “I did it”.