Hey everybody,

I just wanted to email the church and let you know how I'm
doing.  Everything is going great here.  I've met so many
people in the res (dorm) that my group of guys and I minister
to.  We are going to a rugby game tonight to hang out with
some of them and we plan to start recruiting this week for
the
Joint Winter Conference that Campus Outreach after exams are
over.  It has been pretty cold here the past few days.  We
got to see some lions the other day when we went to a
wildlife reserve.  It was awesome.  We haven't seen much of
the city yet since we have been on campus and at our house
mostly.  Please pray for some specific people that I plan to
share with this week.  Their names are Carrots and Audi
(haha, nicknames).  I still want to get to know them better
and I have some great opportunities to do so this week. 
Please pray that I take advantage of those opportunities and
that God uses me to bring them closer to the Cross.  I hope
everybody is doing well.  Thank you again for supporting me
so much and for praying for me and my team.  See y'all later.


Love,
Tom

PS Here is a web site y'all can check out that the whole team
can leave comments on:  http://ccpsouthafrica.blogspot.com

Memorial Day

John 3: 16 & 17 (NLT)"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it."

Memorial Day has traditionally been a day of remembering the many heroes who lost their lives during wars in which the United States has been involved. This year, we remember the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and we pause to pray for those currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other posts worldwide.

Here's a comprehensive collection of articles from Christianity Today International's magazines.

Origin of Memorial Day

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.Pray for Our Troops

• 6 Ways to Encourage Military Families Practical tips for reaching out.

• 'Ma'am, We Regret to Inform You' There's no easy way to tell military families that their loved ones will not be coming home.By Chaplain Norris Burkes

• Prayers in the Desert When my Army unit came under attack in Iraq, I felt the reality of God's protection.By Courtney Birdsey as told to Julie E. Luekenga

• Baptized in Babylon An American soldier's spiritual journey in Iraq.By Charles Seelaus

• Prayers Over Baghdad The e-mail diary of an American soldier.By Captain Jeffrey Donnithorne

• Homeland Prayers As the war in Iraq heats up, churches and ministries are bolstering their efforts to serve the soldiers and their families.By Ken Walker

Remembering 9/11

• A Mother Remembers 9/11 She lost her son on that tragic day, but Peggy Beamer still believes God is in control. By Greg Asimakoupoulos

• Escape from Tower Two When the plane exploded below his office, all he could do was pray. By Ken Walker

Christianity & The Civil War

The untold story. See our three excerpts:
• The Puzzling Faith of Abraham LincolnWhere was God in this brutal national war? An unbaptized non-churchgoer came up with a profound answer.

• Revivals in the Camp At first, most Civil War soldiers cared little for religion. But as the bloody war dragged on, hundreds of thousands converted to Christianity.

• Fighters of Faith These Christian generals helped wage the Civil War, and their faith affected how they did it.

Taken from Christianity Today

Please continue to pray for the many men and women who are fighting everyday, allowing us to keep our freedom.

NOT JUST A MOM

A woman named Emily renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a..."

"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother."

"We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'Housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know... The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't), in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (God as well as my whole family), and already have four credits, (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant! I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother."

Motherhood--What a glorious career!

Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research Associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!

This Sunday, don't forget the Research Associates. God sure cherishes every one of them!

--Author unknown.

The above story was submitted by an AllWorship.com listener.

Thank You MOM for all you do! God couldnt have blessed me more.
Tara Rose

This is the day that the Lord has made