South Africa:
It is so beautiful here, probably one the most beautiful places I've seen in my life.
We stayed at a camp ground in a place called Strandfontein and we are doing ministry in a township called Phumlani
It has been a hard month to say the least. Our team has gone through a lot this month emotionally,spiritually, ministry wise. It has been one of those stretching and refining times, but we are all coming out of this month stronger and determined to keep going strong and stepping into what the Lord has for us.
At the beginning of this month I asked what God had for me here in South Africa and He told me this month was about empowerment. Last month was a lot of restoration but this month I felt was about moving forward and being used by God and letting the Holy Spirit have more room in my life to work. I feel like for me this happened in ministry.
Our minisry this month was doing personal evangelism in a township called Phumlani . Phumlani is a very poor area, infested with gangs, drugs, and lots of alcohol abuse. At least once a day someone usually asks us why we are there and tells us we should not be there. This is funny acually because I don't think I ever felt like I was in danger during ministry. God definitely filled me with His peace, and also a new boldness I had not known. I asked God to give me his heart for these people and He did. I saw these people and my heart was filled with compassion and I had the desire and need to love on these people and share Christ with them… so I did and God blessed it. These people are desperate for the Lord. We went around and prayed for physical and emotional healing and we prayed for a lot of jobs (70% of the community of Phumlani is unemployed) God moved so in peoples heats you could see it in their eyes and on their faces. Some people told us that just being around us they felt the presence of God. Before the race the thought of evangelism caused me to get sick in the stomach. I was not excited about this aspect of our ministry this month, God turned it around though and it has turned out to be great and growing experience.
Evangelism was only the first part of our ministry. Later in the afternoon each day, we would go to a community center in Phumlani and spend time with school age kids and
teach them some games songs and life skills such as health and safety. The kids we worked with defintely had a real understanding about their living situations and a loss of innocence. I hurt for these kids, what they have seen, what has been done to them, the seeming lack of hope. Yet, there IS hope. God is their hope. He sees them and knows them He has plans for each one of them and that is what we shared with these kids every day in Phumlani. There are some people we met in that community that are going hard after the Lord who are praying for their area. They will be the change in that community. Im sure of it and that leaves me so much encouaged.
As we leave this ministry, country, even continent of Africa . I hold the people we have met thus far in my heart and will be praying for them all the time. I can't believe we are heading into month 4 … SO CRAZY. I am so excited fo what is ahead. The visa process for India has been so crazy and we all know that the Lord has BIG things for us in India so I can't wait to see whats ahead and continue to share with you all the beautiful, crazy, overwhelming, funny and funny things going on in my blessed life I am living on the race.
