Surrender

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about the word surrender and what it means.  The Oxford English dictionary defines it as; "hand over, give into another's power or control, giveoneself up"  This definition is all good and well,  but for me the word "surrender" needed to be looked at in context.  The contect I was putting it in was a Christian one.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this and what it means to surrender.  At first I wondered if it was yet another "Christian thing" to do or if it was another "Christian phrase" christains threw around but never really new what it really meant.  After I pushed these terrible thoughts out of my head, I started to think about what surrender meant to me.

In The Begining 

When I thought of surrender and surrending something to God, it meant giving it back to him and walking away from it.  I then thought that it as done and what ever it was it was finished never to be mine again.  For example,  God told me to surrened the promise he gave me of marriage to him and the person he told me it was going to be to him. In my head, I understood this to mean that God was taking it away from me and that  this promise no longer existed and it would not happen.

This thought about surrender would make me not want to surrender and I would hold onto control and not surrender to God.

I Started To Understand

A couple of months ago I praid and asked God how could I literally and practically surrender something to Him. answer was simple... "Piece by piece, daily you give it to me and I'll do the rest."

I started doing this. Every single day during my quiet time, I would say to God, "Today I give you control of this...." and eventually, somewhere during the process  I found that I had reached the point where I had surrendered it all to God.

My New Understanding

I know understand surrender as something you do when you give control to God. It's me saying, God I want you to this Your way.  I want to follow your path for my life, not mine.  It's giving Him control of an area of your life and saying I'm not going to maipulate the situation or control it to go my way.  I'm just going to trust you with the outcome.

I don't see surrender as giving something back to God and then thinking He's not going to do this and he's taken it away from me.  I see it as giving God control of the situation and trusting Him with it, knowing He will work the best and His purpose in the situation.

I've discovered that as you surrender, God is able to move in and work. He's able to do what He wants to do to accomplish HIs purpose.I've discovered that as He works, He creates something beautiful - way more beautiful that I could imagine or do by myself.

xKx

Adventures on my day off

Today was one of the best days EVER!

A while ago Terri and I were talking and she was telling me how she wants to do something on her off day, which is a Friday. She then said that she would like to go to Robben Island one Friday. I then said that I would go with her if she went on the 22^nd of March because I had the day off. We agreed that this would be the day. On Wednesday 13 March, we went to The Nelson Mandela Gateway, at the Waterfront to book our tickets.

This morning we arrived just before 8am at the Waterfront to board out ferry at 8:30am. The ferry left at 9am and we arrived at the island at 9:30am. During the boat trip we went and stood outside on the deck of the boat and FROZE in the wind, but the view was AWESOME!We had awesome views of table mountain, lions head and the stadium. The view out to sea was also really pretty before we spotted the island. 

When we arrived we were ushered onto buses and went around the island on a bus tour, before getting to the prison where we had a tour given by one of the ex-prisoners.

If you never knew that Robben Island was an island that once was a hospital for lepers and then a maximum security prison, you would think that it was a small little town. It has houses on it, which the people who work on the island live in, a medi-clinic, a B&B and some sport facilities. It has two churches and a kravat. It's also really beautiful on the island. 

During the tour of the prison, we stopped and looked at Nelson Mandela's cell. All that was in it was a blanket ont he floor, a small table and a bucket.  Terri and I had the same thought.  The whole building is fill of cells, but we only look at the one that was NElson Mandela's one.  All the other cells that lined the building also belonged to someone who had been locked up on the island once.


 After the trip to the Robben Island, Terri and I stopped at Kuaui and had sandwiches before heading to Kirstenbosch to join Mel, Annie, Mrs J, Wendy and Megan for Megan's suprise birthday tea. It was an awesome ending to and awesome day. Kirstenbosch is one of the BEST venues for a picnic. We spend the afternoon eating yummy scones and laughing. We laighed so much my stomach and face muscles hurt. IT WAS AWESOME!!

xKx

First..

Yesterday I felt like going to watch at movie. I never felt like going on my own, so I thought that I would invite Dave.

I Whatsapped him and said; “Hi, I'm thinking about going to watch Hyde Park on Hudsons at 6pm at the Labia. Wud u like to join me if ur not busy? He replied; “I would love to”

...and I was like YAY! And SUPER excited and happy that he said yes.

We agreed to meet at 5:45pm. I made sure Ileft with ample time to put in petrol and find parking and still be on time, I always run late. I wanted to be on time for this. I arrived on time and he was already there and had bought the tickets.

The movie was really good. It was done well and the actors and actresses we really good. The movie made me angry though. I was angry because the women it in, let Roosevelt use them and have affairs with all them him. I was angry that his wife put up with it and that they all were willing to share him. My favourite part of the movie was when Roosevelt and the king of England were in his study having drinks after supper and Roosevelt says to the king, “Well done, you were excellent tonight.” They then have a real conversation, that shows that even though they're highly ranked – king and president, they're still imperfect people.

After the movie Dave suggested that we go and grab something to eat, so we went to Knead for hamburgers. When we sat down at the table Dave looked at me and said, “So, this is our first official date.” and I was like “yes”. We then spoke about some really cool things. It's so easy to talk to him. 

While I was driving home I was thinking about the evening and the best part was just being with Dave. It's crazy but he made me feel special JUST by saying yes and coming with me to watch the movie.

xKx

Ladies Tea

Yesterday we had a ladies tea at church. 

All ready and waiting for the ladies to arrive with their YUMMY treats.

When Terri announced in church that we were having another tea about a month ago, I told her that I would do the flowers for her again.  I asked my mom to phone Flowers For Africa and ask if they would donate some flowers.  They said they would either donate some or I would have to buy them for R5 a bunch.  On Saturday morning I went to fetch 15 bunches of flowers. They were all daisy type of flowers and looked half deead, but I thought that I would make do. I paid for them and as I was walking to my car, the guy carrying the box said we have more returns, wait here. He grabbed four bunches of flowers and went to the truch and returned with four bunches of roses. 

The GIANT box of flowers from Flowers For Africa

The roses from Flowers For Africa

 I decided to try and use my new LUMO pink food colouring as icing for my standard cupcake recipie. I put a rose on the top of the each cupcake and they looked STUNNING.  I suprised myself with how nice they looked. 

CUPCAKES

 At 3pm the tea kicked off and 30 ladies form church arrived.  We had an AWESOME afternoon of fellowship, laugheter and fun. 

After the tea, we had 10 bunched of flowers left over. Terri and I decided to go around the area and put the bunches of flowers at  peoples front doors. We drove around Constantia, Bergvleit and Plumstead and where we saw a house without walls or a gate we stopped the car, jumped out and put a bunch of flowers outside the door.  

I hope that they bring some joy to the people who find the flowers outside their houses later that day or early this morning. 

xKx

New Chapter

I feel like God has started a new chapter in the book he has called "Katherine"

On Monday night I ended a relationship that was not of God and not in His plan for me. It was hard,a  lot harder than I thought.  The person meant alot more to me than I thought they did, but I knew that if I didn't end it I would not be able to move forward with God and where He wanted to take me.  I think this goes down as one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and as we all know all friendships are hard to end. 

I cried for literally two and half days, by eyes were SUPER sore on Wednesday, but that was when breakthrough came.  In the afternoon I met with two of the prayer warriors in our church and we prayed through breaking soul ties and whatever else God bought up. At the end of the session the pain in my heart was gone and something had been lifted. - Healing had happened.  

At 4pm, I went and had coffee with Dave.  God had an agenda for us, like He always seems to have lately.  Dave and I started having coffee a few months ago. God would direct the "coffee time' and promt when it should happen.  God even told us, mostly Dave, what we wer going to tlak about.  I love how God does details SO well. About a month ago Dave told me that he still believes that we are going to get married one day and it's still Gods plan. 

Yesteday was the day where we took a fundamentally BIG step towards this. We had to decide if we were ALL in and there were no plan B's. We were 100% after Gods plan, that we weren't going to have plan B's and that this was it.  I knew on Monday evening that I was over Plan B's and my own plan and that Iwanted God and His more than anything in the world, so my answer was easy.  YES! This is what I want. 

After we had both agreed that this was it and it's what we wanted, Dave then said the next step is to start the courting process again.  I'm scared and nerous and excited ALL at the same time!!! We have no idea what it's going to look like or how we're going to do this becasue God's been specific that it won't be our way but His. This verse "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord" Isiaih 55:8, kept running through my head.  It gives me hope that this is going to be good becasue it's Gods and that's EXCITING!

xKx 

We went to the Circus

Last night I took my brother to the circus, http://www.mclarencircus.co.za/. 

I was super excited! We were going to go last week Thursday but it was sold out before we got to the front of the queue. I was so sad that I wanted to cry, but I put my big girls pants on and told my brother that we'll go next week Thursday. On Monday I went to buy tickets and but they were closed, so I asked my mom to go yesterday morning at 10am, when the ticket office opened.  At 10:30am I smsed her and asked if she had gotten the tickets and she said yes. My inner child went "YES!!!!" As the day went by the more excited I got. 

At 7pm we left for the circus and went straight to the line to buy popcorn and drinks before heading into the big tent. The first show were the lions and white tiger.  We were ninja and managed to take some pictures before I was told to stop taking pictures.

 

I enjoyed watching the lions and the tiger but after about 5 minutes I was over it and thought they shouldn't be performing in a circus but should rather be in the wild. After the lions can acrobats and trapeze artists and jugglers and clowns, there were ponies and a donkey, camels and dogs. There was a man running in a giant hamster wheel in the air and a fire eaters.  It was an AWESOME evening. 

My brother, who has Down Syndrome, LOVED every bit of it.  He exclaimed with joy, waved like a crazy person at the people dressed up as mice and clapped along with everyone else. 

I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself - as much, if not more than me. 

What made going to the circus even more special for me was that I had gone with my brother and that we had a really awesome time together.  I think that's what made the night the best night EVER in a LONG time!

Awesome Eating

I've had an epic weekend of eating good food with some good people this weekend.

On Friday night I went to Massimo's in Hout Bay for supper with some of my friends.  We had a really good time, and the pizza was a little different to how I imagine a pizza to be like, but I had a really good time.   The conversation flowed and the laughs came easily during the meal.  Our waiter wasn't one hundred percent there, but it added to our laughter during the night.

Friday night came about because there are two young adults in my cell group at church who are my age but who I don't know very well.  I then thought it would be a nice idea if some of us went out for supper to get to know them a bit better.

When I left Massimo's I thought that it was a really good idea to go out for supper with some old friends and some new.  

Sunday lunch involved an awesome and super yummy lunch at Ree's

Ree invited us to brunch... we we thought that it was brunch but it turned out to be lunch.  I think that the food that we ate today goes down as some of the best food I have eaten in a while. Her parents really out did themselves today. We had pizza before lunch was served and then lunch consisted of; seafood brianje, fish cakes, salad, prawns, potato salad, seafood paella.  and baked fish.  We then had cake and short bread for dessert.

I am now thoroughly stuffed and I think that I am going to be full for days to come.

One thing I was reminded of this weekend was how much I love good food with good people.

I'm not new to blogging

I started a blog years ago and absolutly loved blogging. I stopped blogging on that blog ages ago, well not really ages ago  - it was about a year ago.  I still pop in their every now and then and read some of the peoples blogs that I used to follow.  I created a blog here and then closed it about a year ago and then went to another blogging platform, but I don't really that one, so now I'm back on blogspot.

Over the past year I haven't had much to blog about or really felt like blogging. Mmmm... actually it's more of I never really felt like blogging.  Something has changed and I feel like it's time to start writing again.  I have a want deep down inside of me to write again.  I can't explain it.

I also feel that the start if this blog is apart of something new that God is doing in me.  I feel like He's taking me on a new jorney and this blog will be one way of capturing that journey. This blog is going to capture every random moment and crazy thing God leads me to do, it"s going to share my joys, fears and love for life and where God is calling me.

I'm pretty excited for this adventure.