lots of thoughts and little time to write

one thing that kinda stinks about traveling is not being able to keep in touch with friends and fam as much as one would like. this is the case for me. i've got tons of stuff i wish i could share but i can't share it all in the 15 minutes i get in this internet cafe.
so, if i could sum everything up in one sentence, it would sound something like this: everything is going quite well in south africa, including our ministry in the schools, our work with the local churches, our worldview which has been shocked many times, our catching of sheep the other day on a sheepfarm (and it's true that they don't make noise before the shearer), and our personal, spiritual and emotional growth.
i know that sounds very impersonal, but hopefully i will get to share more stories at a later time.
but seriously, thank you so much for the prayers. they are having an effect here in south africa. i had a chance to speak in front of the worst (discipline wise) high schools in a town we were in. they came in the building so noisy and crazy, but when our team took the stage, it was like silence fell, and as i spoke, i could see it in there eyes, that were taking my words to heart. they were singing the lord's prayers to open up the assembly, but that's what most schools do here, sing a christian song but really have nothing to do with jesus the rest of the day. and so it's just like a religion for the kids. this is a school where drugs are sold everyday on campus and where alcohol is rampant. i told them that i heard them singing about a father in heaven, but i asked them if they really knew this father in heaven that created them. i told them how they were created for a purpose and that they don't have to give in to peer pressure to prove anything, but that their true value will be found in being a child of God. i told them how God had changed my life and how he is waiting for them as well, how he is not a God that is far off, but a God that is near to us, waiting for us.
the room was silent. i could tell the kids had taken the message to heart. afterwards, we distributed the books of hope that have the life story of jesus inside, as well as other articles on true love, family, peer pressure, sex, drugs, etc. the great thing is that now that we have partnered with the local church that town (beuford west) and trained them in what we do, the work will continue in that town, as the church follows up in each school to do follow-up, counseling, and discipleship. we worked with an amazing guy named andre who has a heart for the kids in beauford west and who already has a team in place to continue working in the schools there. it was great to be a part of what God was doing there in that town.
thank you so much for the prayers and love and support and thoughts and emails. i'll be home in about 3 weeks!
kyle