Co written with Katie Noble
What have I been doing this past month? Good question… let me tell you!
In the month of October my team and I were placed with team ‘Redeeming D.U.S.T’ at POPUP ministries in Pretoria, South Africa.
POPUP encompasses a wide variety of ministries. It provides education, medical assistance, life skills, counseling and spiritual guidance for impoverished adults. POPUP also provides a daycare for not only the students that attend classes here but for the surrounding community as well.
Katie and I had the opportunity to work in Adult Education Training (AET). Wilma was the AET teacher that we got to help. Normally she does everything on her own but Katie and I were able to step in and take a huge load of her shoulders. We spent hours on end, Monday through Friday, marking essays, homework & exams. I don’t know how she does all of it on her own. She really is a superwoman.
Katie and I getting a little frustrated and overwhelmed
During our many hours of grading, we were able to form friendships with the other ladies on staff. Every Tuesday at 10oclock the ladies would huddle in to the small lunchroom to pray. They prayed for each other as well as POPUP. They even started praying for our teams. These women were huge blessings to our ministry and were great examples of strong Christian women.
In Pretoria, there are 11 different languages that are spoken. Often times Katie and I would feel discouraged throughout our day because the essays were difficult to understand and we didn’t know where to start in our corrections. One staff member in particular, Maria, expressed how frustrating and exhausting it can be teaching the students because she has to constantly repeat instructions. She wants to see them succeed, but it’s hard when English is their 8th or so language. Even in this difficulty, Maria showed a lot of dedication and obedience in helping her students.
It was through seeing God’s love and patience in these teachers that completely changed our attitude. We realized what a privilege it was to help those impoverished work towards something greater. Many come from dark backgrounds; Ones of abuse, poverty, and witchcraft. POPUP allows them to break free and seek a brighter future. Many come to know Jesus here.
October has been a great month of rest and spiritual growth. This was greatly needed after our time in Zimbabwe. The beautiful thing about this ministry was that we were poured into just as much as we poured out, if not more. For many of us, this place has felt like home. We will be sad to say goodbye to our family in South Africa but we’re eagerly looking forward to meeting more family members during our next month in SWAZILAND!
God always has big things planned. All that is needed is your obedience.
STAY TUNED !!
