We Return!

[Rebecca Clendenin]

Greetings to all who subscribed to our Mamelodi Stories listserv at some point in time!

It's with great joy that we share with you that we are returning to South Africa and Swaziland this Thursday, September 1, for a short two-week visit, returning Thursday, September 15.  We have been praying for a reason to go back for two years now, and at last, we will.  And with toddler Samuel John in tow!

The first few days of the trip (September 2 - 6), we will be visiting our brothers and sisters at the Powerhouse Church in Mamelodi as well as familiar sights around our old neighborhood in Pretoria.   We're also hoping to travel an hour or so north of Pretoria to Mukhanyo Christian Academy (www.mcasa.net).  Nate designed the Mukhanyo website a while back and we are familiar with this ministry's great work from friends here in Durham.

On September 6, we will travel to Hawane, Swaziland, where Africa Revolution (www.africarevolution.org), the ministry organization we served with in 2008-2009, is now based.  We'll be visiting the AR Vision Year team and "doing life" with them for a week, and Nate will be working on a promotional video for AR's Vision Year experience.  We give thanks: our dear friends / teammates / directors of AR Allan and Annie Greig and their son Judah (2m older than SJ) will be there, too, seeing out the Vision Year Team til late November.  

Please pray with us--

• in thanks for the chance to go back.  We are so excited the Lord has provided the reason and the means.
• in thanks for the hospitality of many friends who will be hosting us and for the Koen Family's generosity in letting us borrow their car for the two weeks.
• as we travel on September 1/2 and September 14/15.  20+ hours of travel with an 18m old.... pray for the availability of an extra seat on the airplane...
• for our time with our beloved friends in Mamelodi-- that the Lord would simply stretch time as we fellowship and pray with one another.
• for God's hand on Nate as he serves Africa Revolution with the gift of multimedia storytelling.
• for new, wonderful relationships from our time in Hawane and for a special reunion with the Greigs.
• for our physical safety.
• for good health and rest, especially for Samuel.
• for open hearts to what God will show us and teach us on this trip.
• for patience with one another as we keep an eye out on SJ and love and serve him as patiently as the Lord loves us.
• for spiritual renewal.

Thank you so much for remembering us in prayer!   We hope to blog on www.mamelodistories.org and share photos.

Love,

Rebecca, Nate and SJ Clendenin

"It is a beautiful thing when folks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream and struggle." --Shane Claiborne