Fifteen hour flight. A couple episodes of Downton Abbey. Several hours of awkwardly positioned sleep. And then we landed on African soil.
I didn't know whether or not we'd secured a ride from the Johannesburg airport to our ministry host but as we emerged from customs, three people greeted us with smiles upon their faces. Meet Louie, Erika and Elmar, the first two being the heart and soul of BEAM Africa.
We discovered on the car ride to Pretoria that local government corruption forced Louie and Erika to turn over their ministry site property in a nearby community. That very site hosted the orphanage and job training BEAM Africa used to serve the children and teenagers. It now lies dormant, a shadow of what it once was.
It dawned on me that, as we transitioned into our life on the World Race, Louie and Erika were experiencing change as well. And what's their vision? To break the chains of poverty and corruption in South Africa through biblical education and ministry.
So, as of yet, we haven't cradled orphans in our arms or cuddled next to children while speaking love and blessings over them. It hasn't been much like we anticipated; it's been better! Papa orchestrated our time here with purpose and in every revelation of that truth, I get all the more excited to witness His heart for our month in South Africa.
Check this out: we weeded the front lawn as our first task. We began plucking up overgrown greenery when the thought occurred to me that Papa started doing the same thing in our hearts since we arrived. He exposed expectations and uprooted our preconceived notions of life on the Race. He cleared the path for us to walk in freedom and joy in whatever we do because we're present with Jesus. We shared testimonies of lies God's uprooted in our lives thus far and celebrated together while pulling up the weeds on Louie and Erika's property.
He's weeding out what never belonged in our souls to begin with and helping us to tend the soil of our hearts. We sow the word of God in our minds so that His kingdom is all we see. And now we plant the pulse of His heart in ours to experience the fullness of His joy for us.
And it all started by weeding out the junk ..
