The Lord is Faithful!!!

Hello Friends!!

I hope you all are doing well this week and that the Lord has revealed Himself to you in a new way! The Lord is faithful and will always keep His promises to you! This week He has shown Himself in my life to be exactly what He is, faithful! If you're up for the journey, settle in with me while I brag on the Lord!

Tuesday was a rough day for me as I woke up with a migraine and was out of commission for most of the day. That evening Amanda encouraged me to go with her to deliver some banana bread she had made to some of our neighbors. I really didn't want to do anything but lay on the couch with the lights off and the doors closed. However, I decided to go with Amanda anyway. We delivered the bread to our neighbors and then went to Faslune's house to say hello. We ended up staying for about 2 hours and chatted about spiritual matters. It was really amazing. Also, Faslune wants Amanda and I to go with her to Capetown the next time she goes to visit. That would be an amazing opportunity for us to connect with her even more!! God is SO good and faithful to open doors when we are willing to get up and walk to them!

Wednesday we went back to Aroura, the school that takes kids out of the poor townships and gives them a Christian education. We have been going there every Wednesday. When I arrived at the school, the principle of the school asked me if I would be willing to take the Kindergarten class every Wedensday while I am there. Currently, there is one teacher for both Kindergarten and first grade. Because these children do not learn English until they come to the school these children need a lot of intensive teaching and the grades really need to be split. However, becuase the school is a private non-profit school and staff is limited, there is only one teacher for both grades. Since I am a certified teacher, one day a week the littlest ones will have their own class. God is allowing me to do what I love, and giving these kids what they need!

Wednesday night I was able to share with my small group from church about what the Lord is doing. They were very excited to hear all that is going on and they were very encouraging to me as well. I was also able to really connect with one of the girls in my group. She and I have a lot on common and were able to relate to each other's struggles. God is faithful in making those connections with others that we really need!

Thursday I went back to the school for the Deaf. I was a little unsure of why I was there the first week but this week the Lord really showed me a glimps of His purpose for me there this week. I was able sit and chat with one of the teacher's aides for a while. She told me a little bit about her family and upbringing. She and I connected very well and I am excited to see what the Lord will do this week!

Thursday night, Amanda and I were invited to dinner with some of our neighbors. They seem very desperate for friends and community. We sat and chatted with them for several hours. We are hoping to be able to have them over for dinner soon and continue building these relationships.

Friday was a rough day for us. Amanda and I both felt the spiritual warfare that was going on. Please keep praying against powers and principalities of this dark age that we are fighting against. However, the Lord is good and gave us the strength to keep going!

Saturday was thee Ladies Breakfast at our church. We had a good time of fellowship with the women of the church. We also had one of the college students from the church over for lunch. Later that evening I had dinner with one of the ladies from the church and we chatted for a couple of hours. After I got home, I went over to Faslune's for a little while. Saturday was a long day but the Lord provided several opportunities to sit and chat with people who needed that encouragement.

Sunday afternoon, my small group went to visit an orphanage nearby. We toured the facilities and then played with the kids for a couple of hours. It was a great time with the kids and with my group members. For some of them, it was the first time they had ever been to an orphanage. Serving with these people was a great time of bonding on a deeper level!

This week has been full of praises moments of seeing God's greatness! Please keep praying for me and my team as we are seeking to serve the Lord. Also, please pray specifically for Micah and Justin as they have been sick for most of the week.

Your prayers and support are appreciated and powerful!

Sending my love from across the ocean,
Nikki Lutes

Week Three Begins!

I have been really bad at this whole updating thing but only having Internet once a week does put a bit of a damper on the possibilities. The past few weeks have been a crazy time of growth and learning. The Lord is teaching me so much about Himself and how I am to be more like Him. I am learning that I am a very prideful person and I really like to control things. I guess these are things I already knew about myself but being here has brought them much more to the forefront of my attention. I really am working on loving others more but sometimes I get in the way and then things fall apart. I desperately want strong community with my teammates but I feel as though I get in the way of that at times. The Lord is teaching me a little more each day about how to relate to them and love them more.

The weather here is AMAZING and I love it! It has been raining a lot here but even when it rains, it is still nice. The humidity is really low here which is so wonderful!! Last weekend we went to the Lion Park and Crocodile Farm for Stacie's birthday. That was really amazing and we got to hold animals and play with lion cubs! I was in heaven! I am loving my time in Africa even though it really doesn't feel like Africa.