September Update!

Personal Update:

Greetings from beautiful Virginia. I hope you all had a great summer! Well to sum up, I must say that the last few months have been full of change and major life milestones! I can’t believe that my sister Lauren’s bridal shower and wedding, my move back home, leaving Micron Technology and preparing for my upcoming training in Colorado all happened within the last couple of months!

Now that all but the training preparation is behind me, I’ve had a chance to reflect on the past few months. I’ve certainly learned the importance of laughter and how the Lord shows His strength in my weaknesses. The Lord presented me with many challenging situations and encouraged me to lean on Him and “get over” my weaknesses. I’m happy to say that there were times when I could hear Him saying, “Get over it! You’re right, you can’t do this alone. We know that you’re not good at this BUT I’m here and I’ll help.” And you know the most awesome thing...all the credit for these events turning out well goes to the Lord!

For example, planning and coordinating in general really stresses me out but, hey, that’s what comes with being the maid of honor, moving, and leaving a job. So the majority of my prayers started like this over the past couple of months…”Lord, search me and know me. Uncover anything in me that is not fully surrendered to you and lead me in your way.” So, if I forgot to grab the bouquet from Lauren during the vows at the wedding ceremony, there was a bridesmaid ready to give me a friendly nudge as a reminder…and all went smoothly. And when I couldn’t think of the exact words to say during the meeting with my boss to inform him of my resignation, I trusted that they would come. Not only did the Lord give me the right words to say, I also had the option to choose when I would like my last day to be! During my last four days I had so many opportunities to share stories with my co-workers about the amazing work that’s going on in George, South Africa.

Update From Laurie Edwall and The Options Care Center in George:

The Options staff and volunteers are doing a great job of continuing the ministry and growing it. They are trained and capable, and the feedback is that they are being stretched in new ways and are excited about what the Lord is doing, both IN them and THROUGH them. We just found out that Options will be the recipient of an ultrasound machine that is being donated by an American organization. This is an amazing gift and will mean that we can connect with our crisis clients in new ways to help them make informed choices. One client came to Options in dire circumstances…jobless, hopeless and separated from her husband. She faithfully attended her counseling appointments and worked through many deeper issues. Life is so different for her now. She’s now self-employed, reunited with her husband, and seen as a pillar in the community! Her life is an encouragement to us as we don’t always get to see such change so quickly.

Two fourteen-year olds came to Options with pregnancy crises. One lives with an alcoholic mother and the other is an orphan. Both have decided to parent their babies and through support from Options and extended family, are back in school, determined to achieve their goals and attend the Teen Moms Club. Options continues to be passionate about supporting teenage moms and “loving on them” while they grow spiritually, emotionally and physically into all the Lord wants them to be.

Wow, amazing. Reading these updates from the Edwalls gets me more and more excited for what lies ahead for me in South Africa. I am going to be spending the rest of this week preparing for my three week mission training in Colorado, getting my visa squared away, and continue support raising. My goal is to leave for South Africa the end of October/beginning of November.

Update on my Support:

Thank you so much to all of you who have already committed to praying and/or financially supporting me on this mission and praise the Lord!...I have raised over 100% of my launch fund of $23,000 and 70% of my monthly support along with a rockin’ prayer support team. This means that I have $1,000 remaining to raise in monthly contributions. I have just about reached my goal and you can help me close the gap! I am asking for monthly pledges and one time gifts which will be divided up into my monthly budget. Just think, if twenty folks committed to giving $50 a month over the next two years I would reach my goal! If you haven’t already responded, would you please consider making a monthly commitment to this mission of $50, $100 or even more? I only have a short while to go before I leave for South Africa and I must be fully funded by that time. If you would like to make a financial donation I need to hear from you by September 30, so I have a month to book and purchase my plane ticket.

To find out more please email me at caitlin.vida@gmail.com.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord works during this time!