Hey guys! I hope you all are doing well. South Africa is great! It is a beautiful country and I absolutely love it. I have been having so much fun on campus with the students at UJ. We had the first bible study in our res this past Thursday and 7 girls came out. I had been praying that God would bring 5 girls so 7 was a blessing. Their culture is much different than ours in that school to them is much more important than it is to us. Very few South Africans go to college so those that do take it very seriously. 60% average is considered good in their culture and 80% means that they are really smart. Students have said that no one makes 100% so when we said that 90-100% is good in the states they were shocked. The students spend a lot of time studying and many girls didn't come to the bible study because they had to study for tests and exams. Please be praying that God brings more people out to our bible studies and brings people to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ. Below are some pictures from Benjemijn. My ministry partner, Aaliyah, and I outside of our res at UJ.(Left) MK, the only woman staff person at UJ. (Right) Tshidi, a first year at Benjemijn, and I.Friday, we had a braii (cookout) for the South African students and about 140 students came. It was a great time to bond with the South Africans over dancing. We taught them some of our dances, and they taught us some of their dances. Also, it gave us an opportunity to get off campus and do ministry in a setting other than the res. About 30 girls from our res came out and we had a great time. Below are some pictures of students from the braii. Saturday, we went to Kliptown, one of the poorest areas in South Africa. About 25-30 thousand people live there in tin shacks with no or stolen electricity, no indoor plumbing or running water. It was so sad to see the people living in ways that I have only imagined. Children were running around with no adults watching them and they have to travel at least 3 miles just to go to school. We went to SKY (Soweto Kliptown Youth) an organization that provides meals, a place of refuge and some housing for children in the community. We will spend some time volunteering with the organization during our time here. (Left) Some of the housing in Kliptown. (Right) Some of my team members playing a hand game with some of the girls at SKY.God has really been breaking my heart for South Africa. I have loved being here and learning about the culture and the people here. It is truly a beautiful place. I spoke in front of the church we are visiting about Matthew 28:18-20. "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” I am in Africa because I have given my life to this mission. I will follow Jesus to the ends of the earth and go wherever he wants me to go. I left the University of Memphis with faith young women that are dedicated to this mission, and God willing, I will leave Africa with young women that are also dedicated to Jesus' command for our lives. Thank you all for partnering with me on this journey. Please keep me and the team in your prayers. Hey guys! We made it to South Africa a week ago today. The flight was only 14 hours, and it seemed to fly by. We started going to the University of Johannesburg campus Tuesday. It has been great! We have been able to meet a lot of students. We have a cookout this Friday for the students, and our bible studies start this week. I am in a dorm named Benjamijn. Please be praying for the girls there and the bible studies we will have. We went to a lion park today. It was super fun. We have also been to an apartheid museum to learn about South Africa culture and history. South Africa is a beautiful place! It has been amazing to see God's beautiful creations. The people here are so much like Americans, but so different. There are so many different cultures, languages and ethnicities. There is also a lot of poverty. Please be praying for the city of South Africa and the people here. It is a very sexualized culture, and although the city has a seemingly large Christian population, the Christianity includes ancestral worship, good works and a desire for prosperity. Please pray that the true gospel of Jesus Christ penetrates South Africa. I love you all. Talk to you soon.
This is a short video I wanted to share with you all about world missions. It gives some history of college students who were bold, stepped out on faith, and dedicated their lives to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation. I truly believe that college students are the next generation of world leaders, and if we dedicate our lives to God, Jesus Christ, and sharing them with others, we can see great things happen in the God's kingdom. I hope you enjoy it.
"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!" Psalm 96:3 Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. I wanted to tell you all why I believe The Lord desires me to go to South Africa this summer before I started talking about the trip and the team.
I grew up in a Catholic household in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I would have said I was a Christian simply because my family said they were and because we went to church. For as long as I can remember I knew that Jesus was my savior and died on the cross for me but He was not The Lord of my life. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus was not my vine. I thought that everything that I did, my good grades, good morals, good decisions, was because I chose to do them or because I was ‘raised right.’ I went throughout my life living for myself; I lived for the things that made me happy and that I enjoyed. Later, I realized that I wasn’t truly happy. I was searching for love. I was searching for companionship. I was searching for something to fill a void that I had in my heart. When I came to college at the University of Memphis I met a girl name LaShall McClain. The Lord placed her in every part of my life. We worked together at a residence hall on campus and we were co-chairs for a student organization. She held me to a biblical standard of how a true Christian was supposed to live and I soon realized that although I claimed Christianity, I was far from being a follower of Jesus Christ. She began to show me the love of Christ. God began to work in my heart and reveal himself to me. He began to show me how much I meant to Him and that what I was missing and searching for was a relationship with Him. On May 19, 2013, I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I gave God complete control and dominion over my life, my decisions, and my plans. As a result, I know that God has called me to full-time ministry. What will that look like? Honestly, I don’t know, but I know that God is sovereign and I know that he has a plan for me. God says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I know that my purpose in life, and the purpose of everyone who was created by God, is to glorify God and to make Him known to the corners of the earth and that is what I am dedicating my life to. I am going to South Africa to live out God’s plan for me. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I am going to South Africa to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations. I am involved in Campus Outreach at the University of Memphis where God has used me as a vessel in the lives of women and students. I went to Orlando, Florida last summer where God used me in the lives of women, native Floridians and tourists. I am blessed and honored to be chosen by God to spend the summer working for His kingdom in South Africa. I know that The Lord will be with me every step of the way. God says in Deuteronomy 31:8, "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Thank you for joining my team and I hope that you recognize the role you are playing in helping me take the gospel to the nations. Whether through prayers or financial support, you are a part of everything that my team and I will accomplish for God’s kingdom. If you would like to join our team we would love to have your support. May God bless you and keep you. With Love in Christ, Kelsie A. Carter |
Kelsie CarterI head to Johannesburg, South Africa in May. I would love to have you join my team. If you are on my team already, THANK YOU! I look forward to going on this journey with you. Prayer RequestsArchives
July 2015
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