As I write this letter, my heart is hurting for the youth in Johannesburg who are falling to temptation and experiencing the consequences of their actions; and I am feeling so inadequate and insignificant to do the tasks that God has entrusted to me... But my heart is also overflowing with the blessing of amazing friends and family that God has blessed me with here. I am excited about the opportunities God is giving me in this New Year, and my heart is exploding with love for the people who have captured my heart! I remember learning this familiar phrase in Sunday school; “God is good; all the time; All the time ,God is good.” When I am on the highest mountain and when I am in the lowest valley, God is always, always good!

Just to give you a glimpse into some of the issues that are occurring here so that you can know how to pray I will sprint you through a recent week in JHB, SA . Please pray for Tshepi Makume, my best friend and the youth director at LBC; she was in the hospital this weekend and will be going in for tests in two weeks. Her apartment also caught on fire as the result of lightning. God protected her; however it was her bedroom that experienced the damage, and she breathed in a lot of smoke before she woke up. Also, three of her friends were killed in a car accident at the end of last week; they visited LBC the Sunday before the accident, please pray for their families as they grieve the loss of these three in their early 20s. As you can see, she has been under heavy attack from the devil; please pray for her physical healing as well as emotional encouragement during trying times and spiritual strength to withstand temptation, as well as for wisdom as she counsels youth at LBC and in the community.

Please also be in prayer for the BIMS Guest House where I work and the safety of the missionaries who stay here. The IMB is undergoing major reorganization and assignments of missionaries who visit BIMS may be changing; please also remember the leadership of the IMB as they make decisions about the reorganization. Over the past few days, four of the missionary units staying here have been targeted because of their foreign license plates by men posing to be police officers; one family had their laptop and a large amount of cash stolen. Please pray for this family specifically whose young son was in the car at the time. This type of incident occurs very often all around this city; please remember to pray for crime to end in JHB.

The words of this Casting Crown’s song sum up what I am feeling about some specific youth that I am working with at LBC. “Lord, I lift my friend to You. I’ve done all that I know to do. I lift my friend to you. Complicated circumstances have clouded his view. Lord, I lift my friend up to You. I fear that I won’t have the words that he needs to hear. I pray for your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that’s sincere. Lord, I lift my friend up to you, my best friend in the world. I know he means much more to you. I want so much to help him, but this is something he has to do. Lord, I lift my friend up to you. There’s a way that seems so right to Him, but you know where that leads. He’s becoming a puppet of the world; to blind to see the strings. Lord, I lift my friend up to you.” This has been the prayer of my heart; God I can’t but You can!! There are a several youth who are entangled in sin and cannot/will not let go. Marijuana has been a part of one of my very close friend’s life for several years, and the addiction has taken over his life; he dropped out of school after failing the last two years, left rehab and has no direction for his life. Please pray that he would long for God with more vigor than he seeks in this drug, and that he will have a desire to quit using the drug. He is a Christian, was raised in the church, and God has blessed him with so many talents, but right now he is a slave to this drug. Please also pray for a group of our guys who are going down a dangerous path, I will refer to them as GPG (God’s Potential Gang). Many of the youth here do not have families or at least stable ones; so they look to the streets and the activities that surround it for identity and acceptance. Some of the guys in GPG are young believers and others are not followers of Christ, but they faithfully come to youth and church, and Tshepi and I spend a lot of time with them. They define their territory by fighting; they have their identity in their group, and they find their escape in smoking and drinking. Please pray that they will open their hearts to what God is saying to them; they have such radical potential to make a difference for God in our area. Please pray that their behavior changes while they are young and before they encounter any more trouble.

I want to thank God for the amazing things that He is doing here; at times it may seem quite hectic; the devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy, but God is the victor, and we overcome with Him! About 40 youth attended LBC youth camp in December; six accepted Christ as their Savior, and many other made decisions. The youth who made decisions are shining brightly, and God is using them to confront their friends on the streets, speak and lead at youth on Fridays, and witness to their families. Many of the ones who just graduated from Matric (highschool) are seeking God for direction about their future jobs, education, and relationships. Please pray that they continue to shine brightly for their Heavenly Father, that He blesses them, and that we can be an encouragement to them as they daily encounter the lure and temptations of the world. God has surrounded me with wonderful friends and 2 amazing South African families that have adopted me while I am here. This was such a blessing to me during the holidays especially when I was away from my family in the States. Please pray for wisdom and enthusiasm, as I am beginning the girl’s Bible study on Tuesdays at LBC. God is so amazing; when I think I am inadequate He reminds me of His sufficiency, when I don’t have the answers to tough issues, He gives me the wisdom, and when I am fearful; He quiets my heart. Thank you God and thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I love you all.

Serving with you in South Africa,
Sarah Maddox

My Zambian Adventure

Muli Bwanji? (“How are you?” in Nyanja, one of the official languages of Zambia)
Thank you for your prayers! I survived Zambia and Zambia survived me. This journey began on October 22 when I left Johannesburg, South Africa for a month of hands on training learning about the various lifestyles and cultures in Africa; Zambia was my classroom for the month. Each day we studied a different cultural issue; for example we learned about Health and Medicine in Africa, Community Development, and Births, Weddings and Funerals. We received a lecture and information from our cultural experts; we would then go into the city or village to speak with the locals about their views and experiences on the topic for the day. I along with a group of 33 other IMB missionaries who had also recently come to the field and would be dispersing to many different areas around Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa began our time in the capital city of Lusaka for 12 days. I lived in the Baptist seminary, experienced my first ride in a taxi, and brushed my teeth using bottled water.
We then moved to the town of Petauke seven hours away in the bush where we camped, pumped our own water, and went to bed way too early because it was so dark outside since there was no electricity. Here I learned to kill and cook a chicken, to wash my clothes in a basin, and to balance a bucket of water on my head…still working on this one. After camping in the town of Petauke for almost two weeks, I moved in with the Mwanza family in the village of Kapaya. This began the most rewarding part of my whole time in Zambia. I was able to experience real African life - no longer was I in a classroom or research setting but I was able to live with a Zambian family of eight. I slept in a mud hut with a straw roof, got up and went to the well with the mother and daughters, attended a funeral and church services with the family, learned many Nyanja phrases thanks to my older brothers, went to the fields in the mornings to pick mangos, and took baths out of a bucket under the stars!! After the home stay portion of my training, I was able to stay a couple extra days and go to Victoria Falls with some friends. Wow! God is amazing and has made some incredible sights! It was such a blessing to spend time relaxing with friends and to enjoy God’s beautiful creation before we split up and went our separate ways around Africa.
God taught me so much while I was in Zambia this past month. My time there was just as difficult as I expected, if not more, but I was able to experience the awesome grace and strength of God. I was reminded again that true happiness does not come from material things but relationships with our Savior and with those He has placed around us. God also confirmed my calling to Johannesburg while I was in Zambia. I realized that He has equipped me for exactly where He has me and has been preparing me for my job assignment at the Guest House and with the youth at Lyndhurst Baptist Church long before I was ever aware that I would be living in Africa. My last month in Zambia was quite an experience and a blessing that I will never forget. Thank you to everyone who was praying for me; I cherish your prayers and miss you all!
Serving with you in South Africa,
Sarah-Michelle Maddox
P.S. Lyndhurst Baptist Church youth camp is next week December 8- 12. Please be in prayer for the leaders as we are preparing and for the miracles that we are trusting God will perform in the lives of the youth.

The closest I'll get to Georgia Football in Africa

.... kick off was set for 5:05pm, the smell of alcohol was in the air, the stadium was filled with a sea of red, black, and white, the guys ran on to the field as the crowd began to yell... sounds like a Saturday in Athens, Georgia, in Sanford Stadium, eh? BUT it's not. This was last Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa at Coca-Cola Park watching a rugby game. The Lions whose colors are red and white were playing the Sharks who are black and white; this explains the sea of colors that reminded me of being between the hedges. As I watched the game; I realized that I was very confused...maybe I should have read up on the rules of rugby before coming...ooops, maybe next time. Why was a touchdown called a try and why do they randomly kick the ball in the middle of running down the field? As I listened around me I did not hear "Gooo Georgia Bulldawgs....sic'em!" Actually what I heard was not even in English; they were cheering in Afrikaans; so I just made sure that I cheered when I saw the flags and fans from "my" team the Sharks go up all over the field...I am now one of their most dedicated fans...ok, maybe not, but I did enjoy the game. It was a fun Saturday that reminded me of being back in Athens for a little watching one of the best teams in the land. Goooo Dawgs! ...so next for me is a soccer game and a cricket game...am looking for tickets, anyone selling??

Drums, Bananas, and Police...it's the life!!!

Sawubona!!

When do you know that you’re in Johannesburg, South Africa? When you are listening to the radio and the traffic lady reports that there are delays on the N1 (like Interstate 75) because a man is playing homemade drums in the middle of the median and passersby are stopping to watch…. When you must have your bananas weighed in the produce section BEFORE getting in line to check out to avoid having everyone behind you in line wonder what planet that you came from…. And when you have to go through THREE police checks just to get to church from the apartment…listen in on one of the conversations “How are you today my sister? Ahh, you are from America my sister. I am not fine today my sister, but I pray you are fine today my sister, you may now go my sister.”

Now that you have experienced a little bit of living in Joburg, here’s what’s going on with me...God is showing me so much. Sometimes it isn’t in the most pleasant situations, but I am learning to find my strength in Him each day. The work with the youth can be draining at times going from one crisis to the next. BUT it is during those times of crisis that I see God working in their lives to draw them to Him. The Sunday before last I left early service to go take a youth to the hospital with chest pains, and this Sunday we took another one of the youth to the hospital with severe stomach pains; by the time we arrived at the hospital she was unresponsive. I spent the last 3 days at the hospital with her and her family. She was released, and the doctors have no idea what caused the problem. As I write this, she is resting at my apartment; please pray for her and her family that God would continue to work in their home. Last night I was able to have that family over for dinner; it was a very sweet time of fellowship. Please also be in prayer as we begin to make decisions about camp (remember we have summer camp in December here). We want to seek God in every aspect. This is a very special time that the youth look forward to all year long; this is the only time some of them get to go on vacation or holiday. My job at the Guest House is also going very well; I am getting to meet many missionaries as they pass through to the States or on to their place of service and as many stay for medical needs. Please pray for me personally as I will be leaving to go to Zambia for a month on October 22; this is a time of orientation that my region requires. I must confess that I have not had the best attitude about going. You see I really REALLY love my hot showers, my various forms of communication, and my apartment free of rats and snakes. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; it’s just sometimes I don’t want to do ALL things. I know this will be a time of growth and stretching for me as I lay it all before Him. I will definitely let you know how it goes.... O, I am also learning to count in Zulu; maybe by the time I leave for Zambia I will be able to count all the way to ten by myself… :)

LOVE YA'LL!!

Hebrews 12:1-2

a little retreat to the Indian Ocean

Hey ya'll,
This past weekend I was able to attend a prayer retreat near Durban, South Africa. It was a very refreshing time of prayer (obviously), worship, and fellowship with other missionaries in our cluster. It was awesome to see the years of service that many of these families have dedicated to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and the miracles of changed lives that they have witnessed. During our free time , I was able to visit the Indian Ocean for the very first time. I walked in the ocean (a little to chilly to get in) and picked up some sea shells (although it took about an hour of looking just to find like 10 shells...there weren't that many where we were). I also ate at a restaurant called Durban Delights; an authentic Indian Restaurant....the food was a bit to spicy for me, but it was good. Although it was a good weekend, I was definitely ready to be back home in Jo'burg....where my heart is.

One month into it....

Thank you so much for your prayer support; it is cherished. I have been in South Africa almost a month; during this month I have learned how to drive a stick shift car (on the opposite side of the road), settled into my apartment, and made many new friends. However, the biggest thing that has happened since being here is being able to witness God working in miraculous ways in my own heart and in the hearts of the youth that I am working with at Lyndhurst Baptist Church. I have been expanded, stretched, broken, and grown by seeing the needs here and how God wants to work through those He created; it is very humbling. I was in Johannesburg last year for 2 months and worked with Lyndhurst Baptist; God has been faithful! He has raised up leaders among the youth. However, one of the prayer requests that we are lifting up to God is for Godly South African men to step up to help in youth. This past Friday we had over 50 youth in attendance (only 7 were females); the leadership included the interim youth leader (a 23 yr old female) and myself. We had about 20 come up for prayer and to make decisions; it was very powerful. However, these youth need to see an example of a Godly South African male who can model for them a Christian example. Most are suffering with abuse, addictions, anger, broken families and lives, to mention only a few. Please pray that they would turn to God to heal them and not to temporary things that the world has to offer. This Saturday some of the youth will be attending a conference called Passion in Johannesburg. Please pray that their hearts will be open to hear what God has to say and that their lives will be lights for God in this city because of the changes that will take place.
I do have one personal request for prayer. I found out Monday morning that my two roommates college roommates at UGA and close friends were in a car accident on Saturday. One of the girls (Miley Duvall) was killed instantly and the other (Hannah Redd) was life flighted to a hospital. Please pray for the families, for Hannah's recovery, and for me as I try to grieve so far away. I know God has put people around me to support me here, and He is my strength even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death!
I am very grateful for your prayers and love you all!

Serving with you in South Africa,

Sarah-Michelle Maddox

I'm finally in SOUTH AFRICA!!

So, I arrived in South Africa on Friday, July 11 about 5pm, and I went straight to Lyndhurst Baptist (where I worked last summer) to see the youth. Although I was a little jetlagged, I had an awesome time getting to see everyone; they couldn’t believe I was there. They had a bonfire, and we roasted marshmallows and hung out. The missionaries that I worked with last summer (the Tadlocks) took me to my apartment, and I stayed there my first night in Johannesburg (Joburg); it is a very nice place, just very cold. I have a three bedroom/two bath apartment; I’m going to turn one of the bedrooms into the dining room/office I think so I can have more living room space to have people over. I went to church on Sunday; I have really missed the service and people here. Please pray especially for Lyndhurst Baptist Church during the next few months as the Pastor announced he is most likely moving to pastor a church in Australia. He is a great man who has served there for 11 years, and he will be missed. On Monday, I began training at the Guest House; the Guest House has 8 permanent residents for missionary families and 18 hotel like suites for people traveling through or receiving medical attention in Joburg. My main responsibility includes driving missionaries to the airport and helping in the front office. Please pray that I will be able to learn how to drive a stick shift on the opposite side of the road and in the opposite side of the car; I have been practicing each day, but it is very difficult for me. I would like to be able to be comfortable driving to church and work at least soon. I will continue to practice each day! I know that God is my strength; He gave me strength to receive all of my shots without passing out, and I know He can give me peace and endurance when driving in the city. I am going to go organize and unpack some things I bought at PickNPay (kind of like a mini WalMart). Till later!
I am claiming this verse: Psalm 4: 7-8 “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”