Miracle

Hey Everyone,

Normally I dont send out updates 3 days after the previous one, but I felt that this was deserving of a post. My friends and I took a train yesterday to a small coastal community to hang out for a public holiday (dont ask me why there's a holiday on a Thurs). As we were walking around a homeless woman approached us. She was asking for money. When I spoke to her more she said she wanted money for pain tablets for her arthritis that's affected her for 20 years.

We chatted more and she also said she was blind in her left eye. She also said that she was a believer in Jesus and loved Him. We talked for a long time and as we talked I just got the sense that we should pray for her injuries. I told her that I believed Jesus is alive and can heal people still as He did back in the days He walked around. So we prayed, just asking Jesus to heal her. After praying she starting moving her arms and her legs, looking shocked, and said that she had no pain anymore. I asked if there was no pain at all..and she said there was none! She started saying "hallelujah!, praise the Lord!"

Then I asked her how her eye was. She said it was still very gray. So we prayed again asking for the healing of her eye. She opened her eyes with this surprised, excited look on her face and started dancing around shouting "hallelujah". I asked her what she could see and she said she could see everything clearly! Her blind eye could see again. So immediately my doubts jumped in that maybe this homeless woman was putting on a show to try and get some money or food. But she never asked me for anything and was just dancing around on the sidewalk and smiling excitedly saying she didnt need pain tablets anymore. We were all amazed at God's active hand on this woman and Jesus' power to heal her. Just thought I would share this story of God's amazing love and power! Peace
Ryan

August/September

Molweni,

I hope you are all well and I keep you all in my prayers while I'm here. Please keep your emails coming my way, as I love hearing what's happening in your lives. There has been a lot going on out here in the last month. As I last updated we are still running with our loan project and monitoring the progress.

There are some who are doing very well and with others we are facing the challenges of working with women who do not have much financial or business experience. But it is an exciting challenge to figure out how to adjust constantly and respond to their needs as we move forward. We are already planning for 2010 and have made our proposal in which we have a vision to see 50 businesses started and those who receive loans to get consistent workshops and training in terms of business, life skills, and Christian spirituality. We are excited about what's ahead for that project.

This week we are gearing up to take our Khayelitsha youth group to the Eastern Cape for a week long outreach trip. The Eastern Cape is the rural area of the Xhosa people where many of the people living in Khayelitsha or their ancestors come from originally. So maybe I'll get some more chances to practice the isiXhosa language that I've been trying to learn (dont be surprised if you hear me using the languages' click sounds when I get back to the States ;). We are excited for the trip and are taking 30 people. We will be partnering with a local Church and Bible College in the small town of Willowvale.

There will be a day camp for young kids that we will be putting on, some drama and dance performances that the youth will be doing for the community, and some getting to know the local people through home visitations. Please pray that in the next week we receive the rest of the funding that we are trying to raise before we leave, for leaders from our Khayelitsha group to be raised up, and for the local community to be touched by the love of Christ. Thanks
Ryan