So, I am going to rehab this month….
Many of you know my past, some of you may not…but where the Lord has brought me from and the beautiful testimony of grace, hope, and love He has given me to share with others has given me a passion and specific love for women…especially ones that come from a broken past.
I have been hoping, praying, and wishing the whole race that I would get the opportunity to love on and pour into broken and hurting women. Each month He has provided someone. Whether a teammate, contact, a precious orphan, a translator or a random yet divine appointment, He has given me opportunities to be used and speak into the lives of women.
Since we were coming into out last month, I had been praying just that God would provide the perfect ministry for my team and I and that we would be able to finish this race strong living each day to the fullest.
The Lord had spoken to me a few months back revealing that these last few months would really be fruitful and bring blessing. Goodness His promises are TRUE and more real to me now than ever.
When we arrived here in Cape Town, South Africa, we were told there were three ministry opportunities. I knew where my heart was at and where I wanted to be but prayed that He would place each us where He wanted us.
I will be working with Camp Joy this month along with three other girls from our two teams that are here!
Camp Joy is an addiction rehabilitation center for those who are ready for change in their life. Their motto is Camp Joy…A time for Change.
I could not have described Camp Joy in a better way. It is truly a place of change and growth. It is real and it is absolutely a place where broken people can come and find the help they need to see the change they want in their lives. Each staff member has been through the six week program that they offer so they are all testimonies of how God can come in and move and bring a new creation from a fallen past.
We get to spend most of the day with them which has been incredible. Instead of getting just a few hours a day, we are able to be with them basically from 9am until 9pm with a few breaks in between.
I feel like I am in rehab again. We are just living life with them, encouraging them, and loving them along the way. We get to do devotions with them in the morning and at night which has worship (and man, can they worship!!) and then a short devotion from the staff or one of our team members. During their free time we get to hang out, talk, watch movies, and we have even taken up the hobby of knitting and crocheting and have been teaching them! We also get to go to their classes on life skills, the affects of drugs and alcohol on the body and your life, discussion groups and Bible studies.
The women we get to be with every day are wonderful. They have welcomed us with open arms and big hugs and have really started to open up their hearts to us as well.
The whole atmosphere reeks of Christ’s presence and His power to change even the most broken lives. The camp sits right at the top of a hill looking over the ocean with the mountains in view. God’s hand is all over this place!! I feel so blessed and honored to get to be apart of these peoples lives and be involved in such an incredible ministry this month and I can hardly wait to see all that God does this month.
