The Rousehouse

Finding our place, rhythms, and people

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

It has been 9 weeks since we have landed here in Jinja, Uganda. Somedays it feels like we have been here for 9 months and other days it feels like we just got here yesterday. So far, we are really enjoying life in Jinja. It is feeling like home. We are making new friends, finding our rhythms in life, learning more and more everyday about Ugandan life, as well as how to connect well with Sole Hope! There are really awesome days and some not so awesome days but regardless we are learning to remember to focus on what we have to be thankful for and that usually changes our perspective pretty quickly.

Lara and I are starting to get a feel for how the Lord wants to use us here within Sole Hope. In Uganda and many African nations it takes some time of relationship building before people truly let you in and trust you. We think that the Lord is giving us favor already with this. In September we started a bible study/small group in our home on Wednesday nights with the shoe makers and tailors at Sole Hope. The first night we were expecting to have 6 people attend but ended up with 17! Most people have continued to come each week and have began opening up more and more. We are getting plugged in, in a variety of ways and believe that we are exactly where the Lord wants us for this season of life! By the way, Sole Hope is even more awesome than we thought they were! We love these staff!!!

Last month on a Friday afternoon we had a staff party for all of Sole Hope. Everyone got off work early for the day and headed down to the river. We ate chicken on a stick (everyone’s favorite roadside snack), chapatis (thick tortilla like cakes), fresh fruit, drank sodas and then played a big soccer (or as the call it here football) game between the staff. Let’s just say it gets serious but was so much fun!

Kids are doing well! School is going well for the boys at home and Elly is enjoying her time being social at her international school. We are so thankful that they have all found a good group of friends

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Mac’ took an official Barista training course this month to gain credits for school and for fun. He rocked it!

Grey is one of the main attractions at the Sole Hope clinics in the villages. Maybe it is the long hair and white skin or maybe it is because he is the best foot washer around! It is unbelievable how he gets on his knees and scrubs tons of kids muddy feet each week with ease and confidence.

Elly loves meeting new people, talking with her friends, painting her red dirt stained nails, and holding babies at church. She is like no other, for sure!

Lara had a birthday this past month. We celebrated her by heading a short distance out of town, having breakfast on the gorgeous Nile River, relaxing and taking it easy, and watching the sunset with friends at our favorite local burger spot (also on the Nile River).

Ways to be praying with us:

Healthy bodies and protection from sickness
Friendships and community for all 5 of us
Influence and favor with Sole Hope Staff and Volunteers
Wisdom and direction in ways to have the greatest impact
Emotional, mental, and spiritual healthiness – the enemy is wanting to attack daily
Our car to be running properly. We only have one and it’s been causing us problems multiple times a week
Work permits to be approved with no issues this month. We have had some delays and challenges.

Join us in impacting lives and making a difference, click here to learn more about partnering with the Rousehouse.

http://www.rousehouse.org/partnering-with-us-2

Believe me, YOU WANT TO FOLLOW along on our social media pages! So many fun adventures, stories, and pictures.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

*Please go and follow Sole Hope to see the Hope of Jesus in action and the impact local Ugandans are having on communities and in people’s lives!

https://www.instagram.com/solehope/ – Sole Hope

25 Lessons Learned

Posted on September 23, 2019September 23, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

We haven’t been in Uganda that long, just 7 weeks, but we have made some observations about this place, people, and culture. Some of them are super funny and some of our observations have helped us from losing our mind. Once we gain more of an understanding of some of these lessons learn it has helped grow our love for Uganda. It is also allowing us to just laugh when we would normally be frustrated. We thought it would be fun to share our list with you and maybe update it later as we are 100% sure there will be many more lessons to learn.

The word yes is replaced with the sound “mmm”…sometimes it can also mean no or I am still listening to you or I am thinking about it.
A Rolex is not a watch. It is a delicious street food that is similar to a burrito filled with eggs.
When you honk your horn (or hooter) it has about as many meanings as the sound”mmmm” and none of them are rude. It is more of a jester letting you know that I am driving down the street.
Electricity is not guaranteed and you must know at all times where the candles and flashlights are
“Food” is referring to the starch you eat at a meal. Uganda has posho (thick grit like cakes), rice, matooke (mashed up plantains), cassava and a variety of potatoes that make up 80% of your meal.
Gnuts are actually small peanuts and they are delicious!
No matter how angry someone looks, if you say hello they will absolutely smile and greet you.
Greetings are very important! Everyone you meet will say hello, ask how you are doing, ask how your family is doing, how your day is going, etc. Greetings are important and not rushed!
Sharing is a part of daily life.
A phone call trumps everything else. You could be in the middle of performing a medical procedure on someone and if your phone rings you stop to answer it. (I saw this very thing happen last week)
If you want something done you call the person, you do not text them.
There is no such thing as personal space. If you don’t like to be touched NEVER come to this country.
Chicken on a stick (another fast food, street food) can make any situation better. People get giddy over this special treat.
Your car breaking down in the middle of no where or getting stuck in mud is a part of life. Don’t worry about it but enjoy this time to chat with friends, laugh together, and wait for help.
Music is life and never stops playing.
Fast internet means you might be able to download a Netflix show if no one else is on the internet.
Lizards and bugs are like extra roommates. You don’t bother them and they won’t bother you.
You don’t point with your fingers. You point with your lips. It’s pretty hilarious the first time you see it.
If you eat dinner at your friends you better take a picture to show your wife. She might wonder why you aren’t hungry for her food and think some other woman has been feeding you. (This literally happened last week at our house)
You shouldn’t get mad when things don’t happen in the time or manner you thought they should. Anger and demanding tones get you NOWHERE here. Laughter, long conversations, and patiences is like sweet honey.
Learn to laugh at yourself and others. Everyone else will surely be laughing when you do something stupid so join in, they love it.
If you are in a hurry you should stay home and out of traffic. It is better for your soul!
Be ready to take your shoes off multiple times a day.
The supermarket has everything you could need, just not when you need it.
If you need to buy something specific or have a specific job done, I have a guy that knows a guy that can get a guy to come meet you to talk about it.

Oh the joys, struggles, fun, and challenges of living in Uganda!

If you would like to see pictures of daily life and regularly experience some of these lessons learned you must go follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/solehope/ – Sole Hope

Just getting started!

Posted on September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

Ways to be praying with us:

Healthy bodies and protection from sickness
New friends and community for all 5 of us
Influence and favor with Sole Hope Staff and Volunteers
Wisdom and direction in ways to have greatest impact
Emotional, mental, and spiritual healthiness
Daily abundance of grace and favor from the Lord!

If you would like to join us in impacting lives and making a difference click here to learn more about partnering with the Rousehouse

http://www.rousehouse.org/partnering-with-us-2

A snapshot into our first month here in Uganda…

Our new puppy, Stella! She is now twice this size in just 4 weeks!

The furniture store where we ordered some beds and chairs for our patio

Random clinic pics

MUD!!!

We worked hard so we had to have sodas and cassava during break.

Okello, the master tailor and designer of the Sole Hope shoe.

Friends or monkeys?

First day of school 2019-2020! Elly is exceptionally excited because she got into an international school. Homeschool for an extreme extrovert feels like torture.

Staff meeting, fetching clean water for foot washing and the finished product!

Somehow Lara still gets bit every night???

We would love for you to join us on Instagram and Facebook to see daily adventures, ministry sites, and family activities.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/solehope/ – Sole Hope

6 Days Away!

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

6 DAYS AWAY! Check out what is happening with our home in Uganda today and ways you can help.

$50, $100, $500, or more! How can you partner with our family today and possibly over the next year?

Here are some immediate needs we have as we leave for Uganda. You can give towards a specific item or generally.

Fridge $1000

Stove/Oven $500

Beds $1000

Furniture and house items $1000

Kitchen items $500

Finishing out security fence $2500

Monthly, regular giving $200 total per month

Message me or Lara or you can click on the link to set up your gift towards the Rousehouse home in Uganda https://rousehouse.org/partnering-with-us-2/

#America2019

Posted on July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

We made it to the US on Wednesday night after a long and crazy journey. We needed to save some money on airfare and the Lord provided some half price tickets, to which we were so thankful for. BUT, we have learned that you sometimes get what you pay for. We ended up taking 5 flights around the world to get back to Charlotte, NC. We were so grateful that we had good flights and that all of our bags made it! #itsamiracle

We hit the ground running hard and fast. It has been a wonderful time catching up with family and friends as well as getting some delicious food. We feel so connected to all of those who personally support our family therefore it is a blessing for us to spend time with as many of them as we can. We are so blessed by these amazingly, loving people!

It’s pretty hot here in Charlotte and its getting us ready for the hot, humid weather we are about to step into as we head to Uganda.

Some of you may know that the Lord opened a door for the Rousehouse to rent the house directly across the street from Sole Hope (solehope.org). We are very excited about this location for our family and the opportunity we will have to host many people daily. The house is a large, older home that needs a good deal of work but it has a big, beautiful garden for us to enjoy. We have been working with a local realtor and contractors to get the work started so please be praying for everything to get done quickly. We will post pics soon.

Our family will be spending the month of July with family vacationing, reconnecting with friends, visiting churches, raising some extra funds, and preparing for this next step in the journey of heading off to Uganda.

Please be praying for us this month!

We need to raise around $12,000 for the renovation of this home and to install a security fence. Could you help us with this need? Please email spanky.rouse@gmail.com
We need to secure about $500 more a month in regular support. Would you be willing to join our partner team? We would love to chat with you. Please email spanky.rouse@gmail.com
We need some rest this month
Good connections with family, friends, and partners
Safe travels
Mental, emotional, and spiritual preparations for this next season
Pray for Sole Hope! #hopeiswinning (solehope.org)

We would love for you to join us on Instagram and Facebook to see daily adventures, ministry sites, and family activities.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/solehope/ – Sole Hope

Life in 3 different countries, Quick Update

Posted on June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

There are lots of things happening and moving fast but we wanted to send out a quick update on the Rousehouse.

SOUTH AFRICA

We began to post all of our furniture, cars, and extras just a couple weeks ago. God has been so good in providing someone to come buy almost everything we have. We have given a lot away too but for the most part God has connected us with the right people to sell our stuff. He has done this before (just 2 years ago to be more specific) so why would I doubt he can do it again! Let me tell you just one of the many stories we have during this time of the right people God has sent us. We are basically camping and making the best of it!

Our neighbor, Rob, has been a good guy to live beside. He has been super helpful and generous on multiple occasions. Well, I posted our family’s SUV for sell and he immediately came over to the house and made me a very fair offer. He transferred the money within an hour and told me that we should just drive the car until we leave South Africa. How great is that! He even used the car to take us to the airport and pick us up when we went to Uganda at 3:00 am! I am thankful for people like Rob!

AMERICA

We are planning out the time we will be in the US to make sure we see as many people as we can as well as get some needed rest and down time as a family. We are so looking forward to tacos, church, parties, family, friends, and to be honest Amazon and Target. We arrive on June 26th and leave on August 1st for Uganda. We hope to give updates, share vision for the next season, tell you more about Sole Hope and be encouraged by all of you who love and support us from afar. See you soon!

UGANDA

While we are in the US we will also be renovating a home in Uganda. Yes this is a little stressful and no we have no idea how it is all going to happen. We are trusting the Lord. The house is in rough conditions and currently doesn’t have a working kitchen or security fence around the house. We are working with some great people in Uganda to get a new kitchen built and installed, bathrooms up to fully functioning, the interior painted, electrical work fixed, a ceiling leak repaired, odds and ends done, and a fence installed around the property for security. This house is across the street from the Sole Hope Guest House and offices, centrally located to town, church, and other people we know which is why we really want this house. Location, location, location. It will also provide some good space for our family indoors and outdoors. We will also be needing to raise some extra start up/moving funds to help us pay for some of the work as well as we need to buy a 4×4 car (Yes, 4×4 is necessary to get around not just something Spanky wants to play in the mud with!). Can’t wait to share pictures later!

Will you please be praying for us during this transition:

Saying goodbyes/see you laters to all of the wonderful people, church, and city we have loved so much these past two years
For our marriage to be stronger than ever
The kids (peace, fears, friendships, a sense of settledness and comfort, hopefulness)
Travel plans to the US and then to Uganda – and all bags to make it hassle free
That our time in America will be refreshing, restful, and fruitful
For the renovations to go well and smooth so the house can be ready for our family when we get there in August
For extra funds for moving, housing, and vehicles ($10,000)
New financial partners to join us in this next season of the journey ($500 a month in new giving)

Will you join our financial support team and help bring hope to those in Uganda? Please email Spanky at spanky.rouse@gmail.com for more ways to get involved.

The next stepping stone…Moving to Uganda!

Posted on May 31, 2019June 5, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

“God is doing a new thing” has been the theme of our life, prayers, and ministry since the beginning of the year. Well, we are excited to announce that the Lord has very pointedly showed us what the new thing is He is leading us to do. We are moving to Jinja, Uganda in August to work with Sole Hope!

Starting in January the Lord whispered to Lara and me that our time here in South Africa was coming to a close. It was a blessing from the Lord that he has had us at East Mountain for this season. It has been a season of preparation, learning, and growing for our family, as well a season of enjoying new friends, a wonderful church, and fruitful ministry. South Africa was never going to be our final destination and turns out it has been a wonderful stepping stone in our journey of following what the Lord has planned for our family.

In January we began to diligently pray and listen to how the Lord was wanting to lead us next. After our surprise trip to Uganda in January with old friends and ministry partners, our family felt like God was saying that this was the next stepping stone. Over the next 3 months we sought wisdom, spoke with varies ministries and organizations, and began to really dream of how the Lord may want to use the Rousehouse. One organization rose to the top of our hearts passion for caring for those in need while pointing people to Jesus. That organization is Sole Hope!

During February, March and April we spoke with multiple staff and leaders at Sole Hope as well as their board’s chairperson. The first week of May I received a call from them saying they wanted us to join them in Uganda! Last week we went on a vision trip to spend time with the organisation as well as get an idea of what our life would be like living in Jinja. What a trip it was! You can read more and see some of our favorite pictures by clicking here —>Sole Hope visit.

What is next?

Our plans for the next couple months are busy but falling in to place with the Lord’s leading. As of now, we leave South Africa on June 25^thto head to the US to visit family, friends, churches, ministry partners, and hopefully enjoy some rest and down time. For tax purposes it is beneficial for me to only be in America for 34 days which is why our transition will be rather quick. Our schedule while we are home will be full but also life giving to be with all of the people that love and support us!

We found a super rate on airfare and purchased tickets to leave the US on August 1 to head to Uganda. We hope to arrive at our new home by bedtime on August 2^nd.

The Rousehouse’s role with Sole Hope?

I think it would be super helpful for you to know what Sole Hope does before learning about our involvement therefore it would be great if you would click here –>Sole Hope to read more. There are even videos for those of us that don’t want to read all of the written information.

Now that you know who Sole Hope is, let’s talk about how the Rousehouse will be involved. Our family’s mission statement is to love, serve, and care for people in need so that we can point them to Jesus and our role at Sole Hope allows us to do just that.

Our role has 3 parts:

Work place pastor/shepherd

Bible studies
Leadership development
Caring for the staff holistically
Adding a fun element to monthly staff meetings
Being present and available to staff

* Sole Hope has 65 staff (62 Uganda/3 American).

Liaison

Help tell stories about the staff, patients, and projects happening in Uganda
Regular communication with the US Advocate team
Connect partners and funds from the US to projects and gifts in Uganda
Connect with Churches and Schools in the US to build a bigger partnership group for Sole Hope

Hosting

Assist with Experience Sole Hope short term trips
Host individuals that come to visit Sole Hope
Host the Sole Hope Interns weekly for dinner, fun, and conversations

Random opportunities to serve

Small projects around the property
Volunteer during weekly jigger removal clinics
Mentor Interns
Staff appreciation (Christmas, Birthdays, etc)
Support staff by attending weddings, welcoming babies, helping care for them during sickness and walking with them through whatever life throws at them.

How can you play a role in Partnering with us in this next journey?

Partner with the Rousehouse by praying for us
Financially giving (regularly or a special gift)
Attend an Experience Sole Hope trip to come visit us and Sole Hope
Host a jean cutting shoe party
Be an Advocate for us and Sole Hope in your area
Give to a special project, staff party, or specific need at the Sole Hope Center (clinic)
Send goods like socks, safety pins, first aid supplies, sports equipment
Pray for our staff regularly, Sole Hope Staff
Come be an Intern and use your gifts, experience, and education, Intern with Sole Hope
Shop online, Shop online

Please contact us directly if you would like to get involved at any level and please continue to follow along in the journey with the Rousehouse here at rousehouse.org or through one of our media outlets:

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/solehope/

https://www.facebook.com/solehope/

Visiting Jinja Town and Sole Hope

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

Last week our family boarded a plane in South Africa and headed north to Uganda with a question in our heads and on our hearts, “God, are you leading us to move here and work with Sole Hope?”. We were full of excitement to go to the place that sparked a fire and passion for Africa within us, but the excitement of this trip was accompanied by some anxiousness as we asked ourselves, “Can we do this? Can we live here long term?”

Cape Town, South Africa is completely different than the majority of Africa. Roads are smoother, things are cleaner, water is safer, accessibility to necessities are more available, and life is just a little closer to the what we would call “normal” in comparison to the rest of Africa. All that to say, there is something special about the rest of Africa too. The people are nice and welcoming, foods taste brighter and sweeter, weather is warm and tropical, and cultures are full of life!

When you are looking through the lens of “could we live here?” verse “this is a great short-term trip” things feel different and have a little bit heavier weight attached to them. At the end of day one both Lara and I felt totally overwhelmed and kind of scared to death. I think the the Lord used this sense of fear to help us view this trip rationally and not with an unrealistic excitement.

We spent time with the Sole Hope staff and volunteers, helped with jigger removal clinics in a village and at the Sole Hope Center, toured Jinja Town, attended a local church, checked out local spots to eat and drink coffee, drove through the mud and potholes, hang out with people that we believe will become good friends and had meetings on the Nile River while the sun set. It was a busy but great week for sure! We even found a 4×4 vehicle (definitely a must have!) that we will probably buy and a house that we will hopefully be able renovate, live in and use for ministry. This week was productive, eye opening, helpful, relational, faith building, hopeful and inspiring.

As a family, we are excited for all that the Lord has for us and the ways the Lord is going to work through our lives in this next season! Sole Hope and Jinja, Uganda we are coming for you!

Prayer, Life, and All The Happenings, March 2019

Posted on April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

Needing Prayer for Physical Healing…

Sometimes in life tough stuff just happens. And sometimes in life it just can’t be a coincidences that certain struggles all fall on you at once. When it rains it pours, right! I definitely don’t believe that ever struggle is an attack of the enemy but evil is hunting us daily, especially when we are pursuing God and his plans for our lives.

We believe that the enemy is attacking and trying to distract us from what the Lord is up too. This past month we have had a bunch of physical issues. Lara and I have had touch of Giardia or as it is called here, runny tummy. Lara and I also had some major back, hip, and shoulder pains. Elly injured her back on a scooter and she is having some pains with her teeth. Mac had a crazy bad ear infection that messed his equilibrium up for a few days which made him throw up when he would attempt to walk around. Grey suddenly woke up one morning with his eye swollen up from a weird stye. Unfortunately for him it lasted for about a week. We have definitely dependent on your prayers and the Lord’s protection!

God is doing up to something new…

There are those moments in life when you sense that God is up to something but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Right now is one of those moments for us. We can’t see the full picture but we are beginning to sense some of His plans that are to come. Will you partner with us by praying over us this next week? We want to hear the Lord clearly, know His heart wholly, obey fully and continue on the mission God has created us for.

East Mountain Partners…

I had the opportunity to meet with an East Mountain Partner recently in the township Kyamandi. It was fascinating to hear about all of the after school programs for children and youth they are running. I am excited to be able to help build a bridge of partnership between East Mountain and Prochous for this coming year. They are changing lives and communities!

Where are they now?

We have the opportunity to spend time with some of our past residents from time to time and we love it. We talk about life, encourage one another, laugh together, and dream of what the Lord has next. These people are close to our family’s heart and when I think about the fruit of my life many of them come to mind. Some of them we have had little investment in and some of them we will forever be closely tied too. Just the other day I got to spend the day with Siya. He is one of our residents from last year and lives near us in the township of Khayelitsha. I am proud of the man he is and excited for the steps he is taking to write a different story for himself, his family, church, and his community. He is a true agent of change and man of God! If you would like to hear more of Siya’s story and see what he is up to today, please read this article written by another resident from last year, Lindsay. Where are they now?

Speaking Opportunity…

This past week I had the privileged of speaking at a weekly worship and prayer time for our local church. Our church staff were on a retreat together and they asked me to lead the evening prayer and worship gathering. I had my message all laid out and then the Lord pressed on me a new word, just hours before. I had been wrestling in my heart with letting go and letting God handle somethings. Elly had been reciting her bible verse for the week to me regularly for days but I honestly was too distracted to truly hear her. The morning before I was to speak she asked if she could tell me again her bible verse. As she did it was like the Holy Spirit pulled back the blinders from my heart and I heard the Fathers voice speaking directly to me. 1 Peter 5:7 “Give all of your cares and worries to God because He cares most for you” I knew right then that this was God’s message for us that night at church. It was a powerful evening and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our church in this way!

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Visitors…

We have had a flood of wonderful visitors recently and we LOVE it! One of Elly’s best and oldest friends, Brinley surprised her! Elly thought we were picking up a visitor for East Mountain but to her amazement Brinley came walking out. She was shocked! They enjoyed 10 fun filled days of beaching it, monkeys, sight seeing, penguins, eating, dress up, watching shows together, and lots of talking.

Lara also had 3 or her closest friends come spend time with her. These ladies came to love on her, speak life into her, spoil her, and laugh a lot with her! It was a blessing to see friends that are closer than sisters just be together! People traveling all the way here and going through all it takes to come to Africa, never stops amazing us! Those who are loved by so many have loved so well!

Updates on March prayer request and April needs:

Please be praying for new supporters and new churches to come along side of us to help sustain the work and our family’s needs. We need to raise about $500 more a month. If you would be able to join our monthly financial and prayer team we would be grateful! Your generosity will make a lasting difference in our lives and the lives of those the Lord is reaching here in Africa. Click here to sign up, http://uwm.org/missionaries/11084/
Pray for the Lord’s clear vision and direction for life and ministry here in Africa.
Pray that we will encourage and invest in the Life Church interns well this year.
Pray for Hope, Wisdom and Obedience
East Mountain Partnership: Pray for favour with leaders and open doors to how the Lord is leading East Mountain.
Friendships
For safety in travels
Romero’s wedding next weekend, April 27th

We would love for you to join us on Instagram and Facebook to see daily adventures, ministry sites, and family activities here in South Africa.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

Partnerships, Wedding Weekend, Interns, Loadshedding, and Updates

Posted on March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 by Spanky Rouse

At East Mountain our focus has shifted back towards partnerships. East Mountain exists to empower national pastors, leaders, and ministries so that they can effectively and sustainably impact their communities through the Gospel. We know that long-lasting change will not happen if it is dependent on us but when it is lead by local leaders. Spanky spends his days meeting with partners to build stronger relationships, dream together, and to make plans for how East Mountain can effectively come alongside them and serve with them well. This month in our staff meeting Spanky highlighted the Eden Project and the Mustard Seed house where Chelsea, one of our interns from last year is serving. Chelsea has a heart for social justice, community development, and helping woman rise above the poverty that surrounds them. This year she is able to do just that with this partner and they are grateful to have Chelsea on their team. The Mustard House is a home for homeless woman that have been subject to prostitution, drug abuse, and neglect. They clothe them, feed them, give them a safe home to live in, and life counciling to help them get ahead in life. The Eden project is a team of people that are missionally moving into communities to be good neighbours by caring for the needs of the neighbourhood, building community among the people, and sharing the love of Jesus through home churches. We love these ministries and love seeing how they are having such an incredible impact in the name of Jesus!

This past weekend Lara and I took a trip to some friends wedding. The wedding was in a small fishing village about 4 hours away from our home so we decided to make a long weekend of it. Years ago we learned the value spending time together just the two of us. We love getting away and connecting! We listened to a book in the car and had great conversations. We laughed and held hands. We took a walk on the beach and drank coffee. We found the best places to eat and stayed up later then normal. We talk about life and dreamed about what God is doing in our lives. When it is just the two of us we can have a really fun time! On our last day, we took the morning to hike the coastal cliffs, jump into the cold tide pools, watch the waves crash up against the rocks, and just sat together in the warm sun. This type of day always fills my bucket up!

Our church here in South Africa (Life Church) has a gap year intern program for young students within the church. This year we had 9 students join the program. They get hands on experience in ministry, increased life skills, and a deeper bible understanding. The Rousehouse gets the chance to host the students at our home every week for dinner and a small group time. We are talking through their life’s story, issues that may arise in the house where they live, how is their heart, and simply have a fun time every week. Spanky also mentors the 5 young men each week and takes them out to chat more about God’s plan for their life and who He has created them to be as men. It has been a blessing to have our week and home filled with young people that we can love on and encourage.

A recent blog on some of the things we have recently been learning: How do you define poverty? Would you consider yourself poor? Who is the poor?

Loadshedding. No one can really explain why we are experiencing it now and why it is so random but it happens never the less. The definition of loadshedding is: The action to reduce the load on something, especially the interruption of an electricity supply to avoid excessive load on the generating plant. Our electricity can be turned off each day for 3 hours to 3 times a day for 3 hours each. Then you may not have any interruptions for a month. Just when you think you got the schedule figured out, it changes. Here recently is the most electrical interruptions we have experienced since moving here. This past week it has been going off 3 different times for 2-2.5 hours at a time. Part of the reason is due to the massive disstruction in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi caused by a mighty cyclone (hurricane). South Africa gets much of its electrical power from these countries power plants. We believe that this schedule of loadshedding is probably going to be the new normal for us for a while. Please be praying for these countries where 1000’s have died and many more are missing!

Mac, Grey and Elly are doing well. They are moving right along with school and extra curricular activities. This week is a term break in South Africa and since we don’t have power for big chunks of time they are taking more breaks in their work. The boys are becoming pretty skilled in surfing! I think they are already better than I am and are definitely ridging more advanced boards than I could even think about riding. Elly is doing well in her dance classes. She had fallen off a scooter on to her back a few weeks ago but she seems to be back to normal now. All three of them seem to be thriving in life!

Updates on February prayer request and March needs:

Please be praying for the East Mountain residents as they are starting to get involved with local ministry partners.
Pray for the Lord’s clear vision and direction for life and ministry here in Africa.
Pray that we will encourage and invest in the Life Church interns well this year.
Please be praying for new supporters and new churches to come along side of us to help sustain the work and our family’s needs. We need to raise about $500 more a month.
The Lord’s continued work in our own hearts. He is speaking and moving and we don’t want to miss out. Wisdom, sensitivity, and obedience
East Mountain Partnership: Pray for favour with leaders and open doors to how the Lord is leading East Mountain.
Friendships
For those cleaning up after the cyclone in South East Africa

We would love for you to join us on Instagram and Facebook to see daily adventures, ministry sites, and family activities here in South Africa.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

If you would be able to join our monthly financial and prayer team we would be grateful! Your generosity will make a lasting difference in our lives and the lives of those the Lord is reaching here in Africa. Click here to sign up, http://uwm.org/missionaries/11084/