Back in the Swing of Things

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It has already been a month since we have returned home from visiting the US. It has been a busy time with lots of activities. We thought that we would just share some of our favorite pics with you.

This was our first Sunday back in our winter attire. It was pretty difficult going from the Southern July summer heat to winter in a matter of a couple days! We went from shorts and flip flops to wearing four layers of clothing inside the house.

We missed our people and I think they missed us too! It was heartwarming coming back to these beautiful smiles!

Many of you may have seen on Instagram and Facebook that Elly had her first dance competition once we returned to South Africa. She did so great! This little performer shines on stage and thrives in a dance group like this. It is a joy to watch her dance!

Grey celebrated his 11th birthday by going to breakfast with dad and spending the day with his friend Matthew. It was a perfect, Grey kind of day. Full of fun, good food and great conversations!

When you pour your life out for someone else it fills you back up in a supernatural way. We love doing life with these people!

Alechia has her 21st birthday! Alechia wanted a masquerade party so we went and got all dressed up for the evening!

First day of School! 2nd Grade, 5th grade, and 8th grade

We would love for you to be praying for:

the kids schooling
the last few months of the resident program. Our heart is for the residents to gain a greater understanding of their identity in Christ and passion for all that God has next for them.
Wisdom
Deeper relationships
for Romero (the young man that lives with us) to have success and influence in his new job.

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

Everyday ordinary ways we can make a difference

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

We have just returned to South Africa from visiting in the US. Over the past few days of traveling I have had questions swirling around in my head. What are you doing? Why are you here? What’s God up to in my life? Who are we having an impact on? All the while, still filling completely confident in our purpose of living this life and being right here right now.

I find myself driving down the road just a few days later with this young lady and begin to hear her story. It is one that is common to hear here but it still never gets easy to hear. I am simply listen to her share while my heart is hurting for her. She says that she never thought she would be able to find a Godly man that would care for her, love her, and treat her rightly. This young lady has a bit of hope through watching me be the kind of husband I am to Lara. “I want someone to treat me and love me like you do for Lara. I think it might be possible now.”

In the midst of her tears and now silence, I hear the Holy Spirit prompting me to speak up. Speak out. Speak love. Speak encouragement. I apologize for what she has gone through in life. I remind her that God has a great plan for her life. I point out ways that He is making something beautiful out of this mess. I remind her that she is a dearly beloved daughter of the King. I tell her that God doesn’t see her as broken or unwanted but quite the opposite. I tell her she is special and deserves the best.

We end the final minutes of our ride with tears and smiles. I then drive home knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt why my family and I are here in this place at this time. In this life, we are (here in South Africa or wherever He leads us) to be available to meet people where they are so that, we can point them to Jesus and the Father’s love for them. We are called to love well, be the encouragement, speak His truth, pray for and with people, care for those in need, disciple, and share Jesus through our everyday ordinary ways.

You may ask, how do we measure success? I would say, let me tell you about a girl I drove home the other day.

Leaving home to head home…

Posted on August 12, 2018August 12, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It really is an odd feeling to leave the only place we have known as home (CLT) to head home (CPT). We left for the US on July 4^th with feelings, thoughts, and ideas of what it would be like but not really knowing how it would be. This is the first time we have travelled back since leaving last year and the first time our family has lived away from our friends and family for this length of time. Some of us were very excited while others were a little nervous. Would this trip be sad and emotionally heavy or fun with a sense of normalcy??? Our time was surprisingly more wonderful than any of us could have guessed it would be and it was all that we thought it would be and more.

We feel encouraged by the out pouring of love and support we had from our church families! We feel refreshed by our sweet but powerfully impactful times with friends! We feel loved by our wonderful families! We feel greatly supported by our ministry partners! God blessed us with a sweet time in the US! We are beyond thankful for the chance to hug those of you we did and sadden that a month goes by so fast and there just isn’t enough time to see everyone.

During our time, we heard clearly from the Lord on a few topics and gained clarity with questions we were asking ourselves as we processed this past year. This is something we are not taking for granted but taking advantage of to build upon. Just a few things we believe we heard from the Lord on were; be all there where you are, live out of who God has created us to be, invest deeply into people’s lives, and God is already present in the future therefore we don’t have to worry about it.

Thank you for enabling us to take this opportunity to return home to the US! It was meaningful for all five of the Rousehouse to take this trip and we are overly appreciative!!! We are renewed in our calling to be here in South Africa and refreshed in passion for those we get to disciple, mentor, and impact for the Kingdom! We know that God has just started writing this grand story that includes you, the Rousehouse, and the many that will begin to live with passion and purpose here in Africa. We are thankful for this opportunity to have a front row sea

Trip to America 2018, Week 1

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It feels like it has been at least 2 weeks if not a month since we arrived here in the US. It has been one packed week! We have really enjoyed our time a lot and love spending time with so many people that support our family in big ways. It has been exactly what we needed.

We have been keeping a regular diet of Mexican and other foods that taste of home like, Chick-fil-a, Bojanles, hamburgers and hotdogs, pound cake, bbq, and did I say tacos! We will definitely have to go on a serious diet when we get back home in South Africa.

Since landing we have been surrounded by friends, family, and ministry partners. We are reminded just how much we are love and cared for. It is so fun to reconnect with people and it has been a good surprise to laugh a lot and share all that the Lord has been doing in our lives and through us this past year. The generosity that has been poured out on our family is humbling!!!

Elly and her bff, Brinley. They spent 2 days together and loved every minute!

This past Sunday we spent the day with Vision Church. They love us well and gave us an opportunity to share some stories with them. We felt loved and supported well! We are even more grateful for how Vision Church partners with our family and this great mission.

The past few days we have been visiting with Lara’s side of the family. We have gone to the beach, rode on a boat up the Intracoastal Waterway, went shopping for some clothes, and have eaten some good food! All of us have been spoiled and we have enjoyed the rest and relaxation! Tomorrow we head to the beach with Spanky’s family for our annual family vacation (it was named NanaPawlooza a few years ago) with 19 people in one house. It will be a blast I’m sure of!

Found some turtles on the side of the road, so we road them!

Rousehouse, June 2018 “USA here we come!”

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Summit is over and we are packing to head to the US!

Summit Graduates! Will, Billy, Okue, Jordan, Jannon, and Ashley. Tori is upfront leading the way!

Summit, East Mountain’s 6 week program ended with graduation this past Friday night and it was a wonderful celebration. It was a great group of people and we fell in love with them quickly. During the 6 weeks we had bible classes, spiritual formation exercises, cultural workshops, adventures, and team building activities. We are thrilled by the transformation that took place in the lives of these 6 people. Not only were the 6 students impacted but the rest of us that had a chance to play a role in their lives were blessed greatly. It was a good time and God did great things!

Elly and Micha having fun at the Friday Braai

We leave Wednesday the 4th to head to the US to visit church, family, friends, and ministry partners. We are busy packing bags, planning our time away, and spending time with some of the people we love here. I think we are going to miss these people a lot over the next month but we are very excited to see everyone back home… and eat a lot of MEXICAN food! As we travel this month we would love for you to come along the journey with us by following us on Instagram and Facebook.

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

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

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

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

One of the guys that I have the privilege of discipling is Zach. He is a talented writer, free spirited young man from South Carolina that I love spending time with every week. He is a mess many days much like me, but regularly finds ways to see life through a special lens. I would love for you to travel along with Zach to get the vision for what a regular visit through a township, that many of us often take, through his point of view. Be ready to be wowed by his gift of story telling!

Zach, Lara, Spanky, and Zuzu taking a family pic

Smiley, by Zach

“We were making our way through the tight, winding streets of Kayamandi – Stellenbosch’s premiere township, a living shrine to the injustice cast upon black South Africans during the regime of apartheid. Tin roof shacks spread as far as you can see, one on top of the other, yet their detail and integrity boast of mankind’s ingenuity in the midst of hardship.” To continue reading https://zachinsouthafrica.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/smiley/

Lara, Zuzu, and Alison with Zach photo bombing as usual

Prayers:

PLEASE be praying for our trip back to the US…flights, luggage, children, and good health
PLEASE be praying for good visits with those we will have a chance to see.
PLEASE be praying for new financial and prayer support opportunities. We would love to share our vision and ministry with new people.
PLEASE be praying for rest and renewal for our family.
PLEASE be praying for our residents, mentees, community centre kids and friends here in South Africa

Turned my ankle really bad while playing soccer at the community centre. Feeling better now but still not 100%

Father’s Day

Posted on June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

This day is always a day of reflection for me and many others. For some it isn’t a light-hearted day and for others it’s a day to celebrate. For me it is one of the best days of the year. I love being a dad more than almost anything!

I was made more aware this year of the father figure I get to be in many people’s lives. Not that I necessarily take on the dad role in others lives but that I get to represent what a Godly, loving, strong, caring man can look like. I know too many people that didn’t have this role modelled well for them but I do believe that everyone wants a dad that will provide, protect, guide, love, and listen well…even if we don’t realise it yet.

I have seen many bad examples of dads and regularly hear of stories that break my heart of fathers who neglect their sons and daughters. I would bet that these men didn’t have someone that showed them what a dad was suppose to be either. I believe that as a Christian one of the greatest missions we can have in life as men is to reflect the heart of God. The starting block or greatest platform we have for this is being a dad. I am determined to change the future for some.

I am reminded today that I have 3 kids that mean more to me than anything and I’m excited that I get to pour into them so that they know Jesus and their purpose in life. I am also reminded today of the many that we now call family. We get the opportunity to shape and invest in others in a way like no one else has ever done for them. I get to be that fatherly example that they need and want. I get to love and care for them like no man has ever done for them. I get to show them Jesus.

My mission in life is to love, care for, serve and point people to Jesus. My starting line for changing the world begins with my children. My next step is to be that example of a Godly man and dad to those God gives us. This is not a job or a “have to”. This is my pleasure and one of my greatest opportunities!

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.

Psalms 127:4

Rousehouse June Update 2018

Posted on June 18, 2018June 19, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Summit 2018 (short term team) – Our Summit team has been so much fun! They are a great group of young leaders and have gotten along well with each another. Despite different cultures, backgrounds, and languages they quickly became a very close group. They have been involved in Bible classes, a variety of workshops, serving at multiple ministry sites, visiting partnering churches, and enjoying the sights and adventures around Cape Town. They have 2 more weeks before they head back home. We are really going to miss them a lot!

Year Resident Program – It has been almost 2 months since Lara and I have began leading East Mountains’s resident program. It has been tough work but deeply meaningful. We truly love the opportunity to lead, serve, care for, and love these young adults! These 10 people are so life giving to us and we love sharing our life with them. We can not wait to see all that the Lord is going to do in them and through them over these last 6 months of the program.

Coach Zach and Zuzu being great role models to some kids that have grown to love them!

Helder Valley Community – The kids are so excited for the holiday coming up. The end of second term begins next week and it is a long break for them. To celebrate, our church and our family took them to the Cheetah Outreach where you can learn about all kinds of animals and even pet Cheetahs! It was a blast. Once in a life time opportunity for many of these children.

Family – This past week Elly told us that she was really glad we moved to South Africa. This was a first and surprised us in a good way. Everyone is doing really well. School is out for the Rousehouse, so we are trying to take advantage of the time off by going to the beach when the Lord blesses us with a sunny day, hiking Table Mountain, spending time with friends, staying up late, and enjoying new hobbies like surfing and playing guitar. It is kind of weird for everyone to have our “summer break” in the middle of winter but we are making the best of it until we come visit next month. Bring on the warm temperatures!!

We are leaving for the US on July 4th and have a busy schedule once we land but are excited about seeing many of you. Unfortunately for us we know we will not be able to see each person but looking forward to visiting with as many as we can.

Our schedule while we are in the US looks something like this:

July 6th-8th we will be in Charlotte recovering from Jet-lag and saying hello to a few people.

July 8th we will be at Vision Church in Gastonia

July 9th – 21st We will be traveling to visit family from both sides

July 22nd – We will be at our home church, Ridge Church in Matthews, NC

July 23rd – 31st – Mac is going to youth camp with Ridge Church, we will be meeting with some existing supporters as well as a few potential new ones, visiting with friends, enjoying family time, collecting many necessities from Amazon and Target to take back with us, packing, and eating as much Mexican food as possible!

August 1st – We leave to head back to our home in South Africa

Prayer Needs for June:

Travelling to the US and the busy schedule once we arrive home. Also, be praying for all of the emotions the 5 of us will experience from coming and going again.
Continued healthy financial support
That our children at the Helder Valley Community Centre will enjoy their time off and be safe
Praying that this second half of the year will be healthy and life giving to the residents of East Mountain
Rest. Renewed Passion. Clarity and Wisdom. Peace over all the responsibilities we are leaving here in South Africa.

East Mountain Blog – Helder Valley

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

This past month we had one of our residents, Lindsay, come to visit our ministry site. Lindsay is helping East Mountain with communication and photography. She really embodied so much of what we are doing and tells our story beautifully.

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HELDER VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE

May 21, 2018

Written by Lindsay Shifflet

Tucked neatly within the hills of a farming community off of R 44 in Somerset West is the Helder Valley Community Learning Centre. Standing stoically like a proud and seasoned soldier, the rugged main building embodies the space of joy and safety that this center has been to generations of children. The sound of Afrikaans melds with snatches of dialects from Zimbabwe and the screams of delighted children. Soccer balls are the hottest commodities, and there’s a feeling of joy in the air synonymous with the freedom that comes at the end of a school day.

Helder Valley Community Centre serves many purposes, and has for years. The children that are served by this centre are from families that have lived in the surrounding farming community for generations, and they range from grade R up to high school. Homework tutoring in reading and math is provided, but the most powerful impact of the centre is the space that it creates for the kids in the community to spend time with their friends in a place that allows them to be what they are–kids. For them, the community center is a place to come after school that is safe, fun, and engaging. This is no small blessing. With drugs, alcoholism, and abuse being stark realities in their lives, the environment that the centre fosters in the community cannot be overstated.

The centre also acts as a place for the kids to be poured into and challenged. The Rouse family who serve as missionaries with East Mountain come to the center several times a week to build relationships with the kids and love on them. This could include anything from helping with after-school tutoring to playing rounds of soccer to baking muffins for someone’s birthday. Their time at the center embodies much of what East Mountain desires to focus on in regard to building relationships and discipleship. They work in partnership with Louise, a woman from the community who was herself impacted by the centre growing up. She is an integral part of everything that happens there, and her passion to serve the kids is evident not only in the commitment she has to pour out, but also in the respect that the kids show her in return. The work that both she and the Rouse family do embodies a very natural and organic kind of ministry that is conducive to building trust and strengthening relationships. This allows for tough questions to be asked, and truth and encouragement to be shared.

Lastly, occasional workshops are offered at the centre. East Mountain resident Marlyn teaches a couple of dance classes each week for different age groups. The younger kids delight in the way that she combines dancing with games, singing, and yelling. The joy radiating from that class is contagious. With the class for the older kids however, Marlyn shifts her focus to lessons underlying the dance moves she teaches. As she instructs dance, she also focuses intensely on leadership by asking her older students to help her lead the younger students, and expecting them to give her 100% effort. Amidst the kindness and fun Maryln brings to her class, she also expects the best from her students, and they respect her for it. She does an incredible job choreographing dances, but she also develops character and inspires young leaders. She believes in them, challenges them, and loves them.

The relationships and natural opportunities for discipleship that both Marlyn and the Rouse family are able to engage in at Helder Valley are tangibly affecting the young people that come to the centre every week. In the many small things of life such as a hug on a bad day, an answer to a tough question about home, or a friend to play soccer with, the power of investing in others with empowering love is creating change and impacting the Helder Valley community.

Screen Shot 2018-06-01 at 11.58.05 — Click here to read more from East Mountain

It’s been a good “season”

Posted on May 17, 2018May 17, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Winter is coming here in South Africa. The cool autumn mornings, changing leaves, and much needed rain are a nice surprise for our family. It also feels very odd for us to be in the middle of Autumn during May. May is a sweet time for Lara and me. Tomorrow, May 18^th we celebrate our 16 year anniversary! To celebrate went away for a few days to a small village just over the mountains from where we live. It was a nice time to get away, talk, reconnect, drink a lot of coffee, enjoy the amazing views, eat lots of yummy food, slow down, relax, and stay in an old Dutch cottage with chickens walking around. Our favorite thing was, hands down, the Mexican churros with chocolate sauce to dip at the local pub!!! We went twice just for the churros.

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Grey and Elly have officially finished up school for the year! They are still reading through the bible, working on math, and practicing guitar and dance. Mac is almost done and is working very hard to finish up over the next week or two.

Summit is East Mountain’s 6 week summer intensive internship that runs from the end of May through the first of July. Summit is a relational learning experience, filled with adventure and intentional community living. This year we have 2 young American guys, 1 Zimbabwean, and 3 South Africans that will be going through the program with us. Lara and I are serving on the leadership team for Summit and will be involved in many of the weekly activities. We are hopeful that the Lord will use us during this time to bless and equip these young leaders for missional work as well as deepen their relationship with the Jesus over these next 6 weeks.

We have continued to enjoy our children at the community centre! We have been able to recruit some of our resident interns to help connect with the teenagers in the community better through dance, small groups, and sports. It is encouraging to see the deeper relationships and greater influences the Lord has given us with the community! We also love the affection and hugs we get when we see them at church, in the community, or at the centre.

We have bought our flights to the return home for a visit this July. It’s not been a full year since we arrived here in South Africa, but our original plan before the whole visa debacle was that we would travel back to visit our families during July. Since that is what everyone had planned on we decided July would be best. We will be in the US for most of the month of July but traveling around a lot. We are looking forward to are seeing family and friends, Mexican food, and long hot showers that last more than 2 minutes! Things we will miss while we are gone for this month will be our church here, friends, our children at the community centre, our mentee’s, and braais. We are thankful we have all of those things to come back to though!

Answers to Prayer:

We have been feeling much better since our last update. Praise the Lord we haven’t had any stomach issues since we asked all of you to be praying. Thank you for praying!
We have seen the Lord’s favor with the families at the community centre.
Tickets are purchased for the US. They were very costly but we were thankful for the funds to purchse them.
It’s been raining more regularly!
God is moving in our lives and in the lives of those we get to invest in!!!

Prayer:

Summit: Our schedule over the next 6 weeks will be very full, the 6 young leaders coming, our family’s schedule, and weekly balance.
Planning for our trip to the US and a vehicle to borrow during this time
Keep praying for the children and families at the community centre: opened hearts to the Lord, better grades at school, and a willingness to come to church with us starting in June.
Rain, we still in need of much more rain this winter to counter balance the draught we have been in during the summer months.
That we can keep our focus on what is most important, wisdom to make the best decisions, and hearts full of love for the people God puts in our paths.
That we will have a deeper since of God’s presence and power in our lives

Investing in people

Posted on April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

“The measure of your life is not in the money you made but in the people you shaped.” – African Proverb

Mentorship…This is what we believe will change the world. I believe Jesus knew this to be true and that is why He commanded us to go into all the world making disciples (Matthew 28:19). One life pouring into another creates a recipe for life change and empowerment. We are not born with all that we need to be the best we can be, so God gives us other people to speak into our lives.

Lara and I are really enjoying the opportunities we have to mentor some of the young people at East Mountain! Each week we are learning just how impactful these relationships can be. We spend time encouraging them, helping them to see all that God has created them to be, the potential they have, while enjoying loving the heck out of them. We try to imagine the difference this season will make in their lives and it gets us excited!!!

Some days we laugh a lot and have fun. Some days we talk about difficult things and cry. Somedays we lay down the law and then take them for ice cream. Somedays they join us for a family day at the beach or we braai together for dinner. Everyday we intentionally pour into them! Out of our cup into theirs.

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” — John Crosby

We would like for you to meet two of the awesome people we get to spend time with this year. Zach and Zuzu.

Zach is an American that is living here for the year and is going through our East Mountain leadership development program. He is a student at Clemson University, is learning the guitar, loves the outdoors, is everyone’s best friend immediately, and knows how to have fun. We have a blast together and regularly point each other to Jesus. My dream for Zach is that he will know more fully by the end of this year who God says he is…His chosen, the one He delights in, significant, capable, qualified, special, wonderfully made, and so much more!

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” — The Bible

Zuzu (Vazela) is a young lady from Port Elizabeth which is 7 hours east of Cape Town. She is also a part of the East Mountain leadership development program for the year. I tell Lara all the time that Zuzu is a young South African version of herself. She is fun, sassy, and scared of no one. Zuzu is such a blessing to us and has such a heart for God! Her hopes are to possibly go on to nursing school after this year and Lara is definitely one of her biggest cheerleaders. She also gives the best hugs!

“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” — John C. Maxwell

Will you please pray for these two? Pray that this year will be a time that will forever shape and direct their journey as they walk with the Father.

Smiley, by Zach

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.

Psalms 127:4

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.