{Malibongwe}

'Malibongwe igama lakho' means 'let His name be praised' in Zulu (one of the 12 official languages of South Africa). 

And truly, this simple phrase sums up my trip to South Africa. Let God be praised! I saw God move in some incredible and unimaginable ways. Reflecting on the past couple of weeks leads me to worship!

     During our first week in South Africa, we were working in a section of Johannesburg called Braamfontein (Braam)- a hipster college town. In Braam, we walked around striking up conversations with people on the streets which hopefully turned into a Gospel conversation. When we asked them if they knew who Jesus is, most people would reply by saying that Jesus was their friend and savior, which is all true, but they didn't know anything beyond that. They didn't know what it meant for Jesus to be a friend and savior. I remember one conversation that I had with two college students. The conversation started off with them saying that they've heard about Jesus, but they didn't really know if they believed Him or not. Once I got to share the Gospel with them as clearly as I can, they said it made sense to them. Initially, they were complacent to make a decision to follow Jesus, but I am so confident that God is working in their lives. After I prayed over them, I  started getting up but they asked that I stay and answer more questions they had. They had all sorts of questions ranging from speaking in Tongues to what a Gospel-centered marriage looks like. Just seeing their eagerness to learn more about the Bible led me to worship. God is definitely pursuing their hearts, and I pray that He continues to put other Christ followers to point them to himself.

    When we continued to tell people of the story of Jesus, many people expressed that they heard it for the first time. This blows my mind- the fact that people heard the Gospel for the very first time these past couple of weeks, and God chose to use me to do so. What a privilege! He doesn't need me at all, but he still chose me. The God of America is the same God of South Africa, and he can easily save everyone in South Africa if he chose to do so, but he invited us to take part in seeking and saving the lost. The Great Commission is something God does through us. He saved us for the sake of missions.

 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? " 

(Romans 10:14-15)

     Our second week in South Africa was a little different than our first week. I'm not sure how much I can share without putting the long-term missionaries there in danger, but we were in a different part of Johannesburg. The town was primarily all Somali Muslims. I had the opportunity to talk with many of them, and they are some of the most loving people I have ever met. They were so quick to give, whether it was a bracelet that I thought was pretty or a ton of food when they invited me into their homes. Talking with these Somali women, I truly understood for the first time what it meant to be set free. Christ has set us free. As believers, we don't have to bow down 5 times a day for recited prayer or fast for two weeks. We are called to pray and fast, but it's all a means to know God more and not to earn points for salvation. The Muslim woman expressed that she was scared because she didn't know if her salvation was secure. She didn't know if she will go to paradise after her death. When I explained to her that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am not scared at all because I know that my salvation is secure. I did nothing to earn my salvation. It was by grace that I have been saved, and therefore, there is nothing I can do to take it away. She was in shock, and that was the moment that I truly realized that Christ has set me free. And God continued to reveal to me that there are SO many people that He loves so dearly and that He has died for, but they don't even know His name. His purpose is to bring all the nations to himself, and He promises that He will do so. Our role is to believe in Jesus and to believe that He will do what He said he will do.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." 

(Revelations 7:9)

"Ask of me. and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalm 2:8)

     City Project came to a close, but I am so excited to take all the things that I learned back home and back to campus. The more I behold the beauty of Jesus, the more I can't help but talk about Him. He is too good not to tell others about! 

     I want to say thank you for all of those who prayed and supported me on this trip. Thank you for allowing me to participate in City Project, because it really has been life changing.

Much love,

Sumi

WOW...

     The past couple of weeks in Durham have consisted of classes and internships. We have sessions in the mornings taught by various Summit Church Pastors, guest speakers, and professors from Southeastern Theological Seminary. My afternoons were spent with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).

     One session that really stood out to me was the class on Resting in God. I realized that I have never participated in a full Sabbath! God makes it clear that we are to observe the Sabbath day. It's one of his commandments! But why do we so often give it less value and significance than all of the other commandments? 

         "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

The Sabbath is important to help remind ourselves that we are not God. As a college student, I often sacrifice my sleep to finish homework. I like to complain about being busy because it makes me feel accomplished; busy-ness has become a badge of honor. Therefore, I realized that time is an idol that I have. Instead of being busy with things to further myself, I want to be busy with the things of God. And to do that, I need rest. Getting enough sleep is evidence that we know that we are not God. It reminds us that everything sits upon God, not us. Most importantly, we need to rest and find our rest in God in order to enjoy our relationship with Him and everything He has created for us to have. 

     Another session that I really enjoyed is learning about prayer! The primary purpose of prayer is not to get something from God, but rather to get to God. It is the means by which we experience and express intimate communion with God. I am guilty of talking to God like a 7-year old approaches his dad- always complaining and asking for more. My prayers reflect God as my servant, not my master. I learned that there are four parts of prayer: Adoration, Confessions, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I definitely have the supplication part covered where I'm aways asking for specific things, and I'm not saying that praying specific requests is wrong. In fact, God desires for us to be dependent on Him. It's just that before I tell God about my circumstances, I should be elevating His character - I should be adoring God. Then, I should be confessing my sins and asking for forgiveness. Also, I should be thanking God for all that He has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future. I shouldn't just be thanking Him for what He has done for me personally, but also for what He has done for the Church, in history, and in the world. To improve my prayer life, the Pastors recommended that we make a list of praises. We called it the 'Adoration List,' similar to a list of prayer requests, but it should be list of characteristics of God, and specific praises and thanksgiving. 

     During my internship with CEF, I have spent the last couple of weeks hosting tennis camps and bible camps for kids living in intercity Durham neighborhoods. Our primary goal was to tangibly show Jesus' love to the kids by encouraging them and to intentionally share and present the Gospel in a clear way. God grew me in patience for the kids. Many of them were not disciplined and would do that exact opposite of what I told them to do. But God gave me a heart to see the children through His eyes. He laid it on my heart that He loves them the same, and that He desires to save them. It brings me so much joy to know that God chose to use me to share the Gospel with the kids - what a privilege!

     We had different events every night of the week. On Mondays, we either had the night off or we would be asked to babysit for some families of the Summit Church so the parents could go on a date night. On Tuesdays, we had small group meetings where we studied the Word together and held each other accountable. On Wednesdays, we had evangelism where we were assigned different neighborhoods to go prayer walk or strike up conversations about the Gospel (much like New York City). On Thursdays, we had something called Family Groups where we spent time with a group of guys and girls and cooked dinner together. Yay for Fellowship! On Fridays, we had the night off! 

     On Sunday evenings, we had social events for the entire City Project group! The first night was a 90s skate night! The second week was a dynamic duo dance party- my partner and I were dressed as teenage mutant ninja turtles! And my favorite social was the dodgeball tournament! (Peep at the pictures below!)

    All in all, the four weeks in Durham have flown by! The biggest take-away I have learned so far is to intentionally meditate on the Gospel throughout the entire day. To wake up with Jesus on my mind, and to abide in Jesus was my daily goal. Knowing that a successful day is a day spent with Jesus has completely changed my perspective! 

     Tomorrow, we are headed out to our respective international locations! I cannot wait to explore South Africa! Please pray for safe travels and everyone's health. Please pray for team unity and accountability. Pray that we will be a blessing to the long-term missionaries there and that I would lay down my preferences and expectations. And most importantly, that I would see and know Jesus more and that I would fall more and more in love with Him!

Much love,

Sumi

NEW YORK

Welcome to New York.

     Wow. I don't even know where to begin. My past week in New York was one of the hardest weeks of my entire 18 years on this earth. We partnered up with Global Gates Missions "to see gospel transformation of the world's most unevangelized people groups who have come to global gateway cities, and through them reach their communities around the world." New York City is a strategic location because of its diversity and increased influx of unreached people groups. There are over 2 million Jews, 800,000 Muslims, 400,000 Hindus, 650,000 Chinese, and 50,000 international students living in the Metro New York area. 

     We were split up into evangelism teams, and each team was assigned an area in New York. My team was assigned to Sunnyside and Astoria. There, we were given a list of homes to knock on and attempt to share the Gospel with them. Out of about 40 homes that my team went to, about 5 opened their doors. Since the homes weren't working very well, we decided to go to parks and busy streets to strike up conversation. What I automatically noticed was that the people were so guarded. When I would greet people walking by, they would hesitate and most didn't even wave back. 

     The first day quickly came to an end, and my team didn't have any Gospel conversations. However, every night, all the teams would gather for debriefing where people would share their experiences. At first, I was discouraged that others were seeing so much success. I heard stories about people sharing the Gospel to Muslims and atheists. Jealousy stirred inside of me. And how silly of me to feel jealous over God's work!? I was reminded that we are all part of the SAME TEAM! We are all partners in serving the same God! Also, success isn't defined by how may times I get to share the Gospel or how many people I see come to Christ. Instead, SUCCESS IS OBEDIENCE and obedience always leads to joy (John 15:9-11)! I am only here to plant seeds, and God does the growing. He is the one who saves, not me. I am only a small part of God's grand mission to seek and save the lost, and how beautiful it is that God CHOOSES to use us to accomplish his mission! 

     I also experienced the POWER of prayer this week! Scripture says that God hears every prayer (1John 5:14). There is no such thing as unanswered prayer. When we aren't expecting an answer to our prayers, it is insulting to God. We are denying his characteristics to be almighty, sovereign and faithful. And WOW...God did answer prayers this week! On Thursday morning before starting the day, I prayed that God would break my heart for what breaks his. It has been an exhausting week, and I had started to doubt God's faithfulness. I started thinking how sharing the Gospel is going to make even the slightest  dent on a devout Muslim's beliefs or an atheist that has been hurt by a Christian. I wanted to feel God's burden for the lost people in New York, and I prayed that He would use that to set a fire in my heart to desire to go and share the Good News! After a quite uneventful first 3 hours, I finally encountered a man that was open to hearing about Jesus. I shared the Gospel using a simple 3 circles diagram. He got so offended and mad; I felt attacked. After the conversation, I felt an immense burden for him, and I was so overwhelmed that I just cried. It wasn't until a couple of minutes later that I realized God had answered my prayer. In that moment, God reminded me that even though I was hurting for that man, He hurts infinitely more. God desires to save everyone (1Timothy 2:4)! In the midst of tears, I was also reminded of the TREASURE of community. My team lifted my head up, and we all prayed over the man.

     My sole goal this summer is still to know God more. I came in with a mindset of wanting to see changed hearts, but when I didn't see the immediate results, God reminded me that He desires to work in MY heart as much as He wants to change the hearts of those who have never heard of His name. God is still sanctifying me; I'm not there yet. He desires to work IN and THROUGH me. New York has been a GOOD experience. 

Much love,

Natsumi 

     

A Sweet Beginning...

  

Meet my sweet roommate, Cassidy. 

     I know I am behind on my blogs...Please forgive me, I haven't had wi-fi until now! Here is a little about what the Lord has taught me during Orientation Week. I have never met so many amazing, inspiring, and encouraging people in one place! So, a HUGE thank you to all of my supporters who have helped me take part of City Project! 

     During orientation week, we studied the vision for this summer and went over some other logistics. The vision of City Project is that we would be "disciples who make disciples together."  Through Matthew 4:19, "'Come follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men,'" we defined a disciple as someone who is with Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and on mission with Jesus. My desire this summer is to long for Jesus. Being able to call him my Lord and Savior was costly! He  had to die a gruesome death for me and you on the cross, and too often I take his sacrifice for granted. It's a PRIVILEGE to be able to call him my Father!

     We also spent a lot of time getting to know each other. One Wednesday, we had field day when we played a huge game of a four-square-capture-the-flag sort of game. I went all out...I still have cuts and scrapes on my knees from that game and it was nearly two weeks ago! Another day, we played sand volleyball for 4 hours! I think my skin got about 5 shades darker... On Friday, we fasted throughout breakfast and lunch while we spent 4 hours in the morning at Duke Gardens reflecting on our first week and spending quiet time with the Lord.

     During this time, God revealed to me that my priorities have shifted. I have focused so much on getting to know everyone else that I had pushed getting to know Jesus off to the side. My selfish desires scream that I want to be best friends with everyone, which is totally unrealistic. I am a finite human being, and I know that I am only capable of making so many relationships. However, being surrounded by such awesome people, it has been challenging for me to set aside time for just me and Jesus. I know that Christian community is blessed and precious, but it can't replace my personal relationship with Jesus. So, I have reordered my first priority everyday to be to know God more. If knowing and being with Jesus is the only thing that I experience this summer, that is enough! Knowing God is enough! I am in no way shunning community at all. I stand in awe and just marvel at what a privilege it is to be completely immersed in Christian community for the entire summer! We are in such a unique season of our lives, and I am beyond grateful to be able to do life with 86 other college students who LOVE Jesus.

Prayer Points:
- that I will discipline myself to spend quiet time with Jesus every day.
- that I will serve and honor those around me, that I can be uplifting and encouraging to my sisters and brothers in Christ.
- that my heart will desire to long for Jesus, that the Gospel will be a source of JOY for me.
- that the Gospel be the primary motivator for all that I say and do.

Thank you for all of your support!

Much love,
Natsumi
   

My First Year at UNC.

    It still seems so UNREAL that I have one year of college behind me. One year of maturing? HAHAHA but really, I do feel like I have grown and matured in some ways...

     First semester was rough. Second semester was better... But throughout it all, God has been SO present in my life. He is good. He is FAITHFUL. I want to share a little about what I have learned and what God has revealed to me this year...

- People are weird. We're all different, and that's what makes it all interesting. At UNC, I have met people with different values, beliefs, interests, personalities... With all of these differences, I've found beauty in diversity. More importantly, I've found beauty in the Gospel that has the power to override these differences and speak to people of all backgrounds and draw them to Christ. The Gospel is the epitome of diversity.

- It's okay not to know what your plans are for the future. I admit it was scary coming into college not knowing what I wanted to major in, not having a plan. But I'm grateful that I was so uncertain about my future, because I know that I wouldn't have sought God's will as hard as I had if I did have plans of my own. A wise friend said to me that if you seek God's will today and seek God's will tomorrow, then there is no way that you will not be in God's will ten years from now. Take it day by day; seeking to know Him more and being obedient to the Holy Spirit each day.

- God didn't create us to go through the motions. He came to give us ABUNDANT life: abundant joy, abundant suffering, abundant laughter. So when I found myself, especially during first semester, living every day as if it was a to-do list that I was constantly trying to check things off of, I knew that something was wrong. Jesus came to give me life to the fullest for His glory! And living as if I was some robot with no emotions is not God honoring.

- Rest is a good thing. We are finite human beings, and there's only so much we can do. Even God rested on the seventh day when He was creating the Heavens and the Earth. How cocky is it for me to think that I don't need rest when the God of all Creations rested? He was setting an example for us by choosing to rest. Rest is blessed.

Okay, that's a wrap-up for today (:


Much love,
Natsumi