South Africa has been absolutely amazing and has felt like home. I can say that this month hits one of the top spots on my favourite countries this year. The people, the ministry, our amazing hosts, the food, the little beach town, the community and our little house. It was all an amazing end to a long crazy year.
After 10 months of living out of a backpack, sleeping on floors, wearing the same two pants and five shirts and constantly living in community! I was tired. This month we were placed in an amazing surf town, in a home that gave us real HOT showers, beds and home cooked healthy meals. We attended an English speaking church and got plugged in with some of the young adults there and it was great. My ministry was riding horses, brushing them and leading beach trail rides. To end the month our hosts took us on a road trip to Capetown! How much better could it have gotten? On paper it sounds absolutely amazing and if you have seen my Instagram posts it probably looks like I’m on vacation….
..But my life is not a vacation, I might be travelling but this is not vacation. My life is more than a glorified posed Instagram post.
This month we were busy all day long, sometimes not finishing our day until 11 at night, getting up at 6 to make it to ministry by 8. Our days were completely filled and honestly it was a struggle. I was in this amazing surf town, which is apparently the number 2 surf spot in the world. It has a cute little surf village with factory billabong and other surf brand stores. We lived a 2 minute walk from the beach and I think I only made the walk once. We were not allowed to walk alone or leave the house after dark, because even in the midst of this touristy town it is not safe. I didn’t get to shop and buy things that were on sale because I don’t have the money or space to bring things home and ultimately I don’t need new things. All I really wanted to do was lay on the beach, surf and shop. There were days where I didn’t want to do ministry, I was over it. I had completed 10 months and my body is ready for a vacation. I never got to surf, or lay on the beach or have any of those vacation like vibes, but that’s not why I am here and that was something I had to constantly remind myself of.
I didn’t commit to 10 months of the race. I committed to 11 months of serving and loving people of this world. I committed to 11 months of abandonment and living outside of my comfort zone, even if that meant staying in an amazing town and not getting to relax and enjoy it for more than one day. I committed to letting go of my worldly desires to fall deeper in love with my Heavenly Father and to align my desires with the plans he has for me….
…..so here I sit after having an amazing month and I don’t regret the things I did. I don’t regret pushing through those desires to help out more at the farm or to have 12 hour long days. I look back on this month with a smile, because I got to live in Jefferey’s Baai, I got to attend an amazing church for the first time in 10 months, I got to make new friends, I got to adventure with my team, I got to feel at home for once and I got to ride on the beach every day. How much better can that get? The desire to want more, to do what I want is not of the Lord, but is of the world and I don’t want to live based on those thoughts. I want to stand out and live for God. I may not have gotten to vacation in J-Bay, but I got to experience community, thankfulness and what coming home might feel like and I am so excited.
This year I didn’t get to do a lot of the things I wanted to do, but I don’t regret that one bit. I don’t look back on this year and say I wish I could have done that, but I look back on it with gratitude, because abandoning my desires is what has got me here. A place where I put my full trust and identity in the Lord because His plans are always better than mine.
This routine I have gotten in, isn’t easy and a lot of the time it is myself reminding me to continue to press in and to be selfless. Life isn’t easy, but it’s all about enjoying he journey and learning along the way. This life isn’t about us, but it is making His name known amongst the nations and that is why my plans have changed and I am heading back out because his plan is so much greater than mine, even when it is tough to continue pushing through.
Push through the hard times, because it is all worth it. Life changes, perspective changes but enjoy the journey that has brought you here!
You never know what’s gonna happen, you make your plans and you hear God laughing, life changes, and I wouldn’t change it for the world :: Thomas Rhett
