Can you believe that I am halfway done with this trip?! I sure can’t! When I first left for this trip I thought that six weeks in Port Elizabeth was going to feel like forever but it really did fly by. And now to think that we have only six more weeks left I just know that it is going to go fast which is bittersweet. My time here at Love Story has been absolutely amazing. I can directly see who I was when I first came here and how much I have grown in these six weeks. Love Story and the incredible people who make this ministry happen have taught me a whole heck of a lot. When I came here on this trip I expected to serve and be uncomfortable and not expect anything from our hosts, but solely serve and help them in any way I can. But wow do they go out of their way to love. Sarah, our beautiful host has a true heart of gold. She has went completely out of her way to make us comfortable, drive us around, and get whatever we needed even if it’s something as small as a chocolate bar. She would even bring her own wifi router from her house way too often to make sure we could communicate with people back home! All of this wasn’t necessary because we signed up to be uncomfortable but she just loves so hard and I truly appreciate and have learned a lot from her.
The rest of the team Luke, Faye, Elaine, Willie, Stevie, Sammie, Anita, Claus, and Abo have also truly been such a blessing in my life. They all love so hard and truly have invested in every single one of us. Some I have come to know more than others but every single one of them has planted a seed in me that I will never forget and I intend to mend it and grow it. They have mainly taught me how to love so deeply and unconditionally because God loved us first so we are called to go and do the same no matter how hard it may seem. While watching them do ministry here at the office of Love Story or out and about I have learned that ministry isn’t a 9-5 job during the weekdays, it’s a lifestyle. You don’t need to go to Africa to do ministry, in fact you don’t even need to leave your house. Sometimes the most powerful ministry is loving the ones who are apart of your everyday life unconditionally and calling them to be better which can be hard. Being a presence of what Jesus calls us to do in your community is so powerful and I’ve seen and heard stories of how strong it truly is.
Personal growth has been real lately. I have experienced God like I never have before. As I have been diving into His word and truly just listening to what He has to say instead of having a one way conversation, it has brought me so much joy and peace. Sometimes I get frustrated because I find it hard to distinguish if I’m the one thinking these thoughts to answer my own question because it’s what I want or if it’s God talking. I’ve experienced His presence in worship in a way that I haven’t before and it is just so good. Luke had a men’s discipleship meeting here at the Love Story office and me and my teammate Haley were just chilling in the living room when they got here. We were going to leave but he told us that we could chill if we wanted to for worship so we did, He played worship music and you just listened and worshipped God. Just sitting in His presence is an experience that I have never done before and it is now one of my favorite things to do when it comes to spending time with God. Simply putting in headphones and sitting with your favorite worship music is so powerful.
Some stuff definitely hasn’t been easy though. Homesickness is something I deeply struggle with. So at first it was so hard and I wanted to go home all the time. Now it is definitely easier but at times it’s still pretty rough. God is breaking my heart for what breaks His for sure. Prostitution has struck a chord within me. At home I knew that it was obviously a problem in the world but it has never been so real until I have talked to the women who have endured it themselves and view themselves as objects. My heart broke. I wanted to keep every single woman who is living on the streets, bears scars clearly from domestic violence, or simply wanted to be heard safe with me. I wanted to take away every single pain they have ever felt from the life that they think is the only option for them to survive. I became so angry that their lives were filled with so much pain and brokenness because they think that they deserve it. They don’t know how absolutely worthy they are and how they are the daughters of a King greater than any hurt they have ever felt. I wanted to scream it until they believed me. God is working in their lives but I was just so impatient. I’ve trusted in Him and I will be praying for every woman who believes that this is the only answer and that pain is okay for the rest of my life.
Community living is something I definitely was not prepared for. I’m both an introvert and an extrovert so when it comes to wanting some serious alone time let’s just say it’s pretty hard to find. Sharing is caring in community living and people are always in your room no matter what so we are definitely getting close. But community living is also about the hard stuff. We have feedback everyday after ministry whether it is encouraging or constructive and sometimes it’s hard to say the hard thing but it’s very important. Towards the middle of this month I started to notice that our team was creating a bad atmosphere. Cliques were being made, secrets were being told, and the level of intimacy was almost nonexistent. We had become so shallow and not a team that is working towards growth and vulnerability as a whole. I talked to my team leader about it and she said “ well Avery you’re going to have to be the change that you want to see”. And that stuck with me. So I called a team meeting, I was terrified to do the hard thing but I called out that things needed to change if this team is going to glorify Christ. It was hard but God definitely spoke through me and the change slowly started happening after it was made aware.
Overall these six weeks here at Love Story have been remarkable. I’m so excited to head off to Botswana and see how God will work through us there. I have been given my ministry assignment and I will be working at the Loretta House with orphaned and abandoned kids. This is going to be hard on my heart but I’m looking forward to loving these kids with all I’ve got. Also on sundays I will be having tea with the elderly which is so exciting! I just want to ask for your prayers for the rest of this trip and thank you so much for your support!
