MONTH SIX: South Africa Stories

Hellooooo from Peru!!! I spent all afternoon reading the blogs from my favourite squad ever (click here if you wanna read ’em as well) and was mega inspired to finally catch up and tell my stories from the past few months. So here comes a few updates! 

 

 

 

 

With limited local transport and no Uber, we found this neat taxi company to get around. Our driver Harvest instantly became a firm friend. When Harvest told us he was a Christian, Ronny (one of my fave evangelists) instantly asked him, “What’s your favourite part about life with Jesus?” Harvest lit up and it became a beautiful conversation around hope, patience, love etc. South Africa is a largely ‘Christian nation’ (whatever that is) – meaning people were quick to say they too believed in Jesus, and leave it at that. Operating in the honour/shame paradigm, locals saw this brief encounter as honouring us by saving our time. Thus I personally was finding it hard to take conversations deeper while respecting local culture – cue why I LOVE life on a team! Seeing Ronny ask this simple question that broke through Harvest’s honourable projection, enabling each of us to connect with and encourage him, also gave me a tool for relationships with other locals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole squad joined us in Nelspruit (from Namibia and Botswana) for a week of Debrief together. These are some of my favourite times on the Race – swapping stories and celebrations as a body of all the Lord is doing both in us, and in the communities to which He sent us. After teachings on spiritual gifts, our final night together was of Impartation. We spent hours both affirming giftings we saw in each other, and asking for that gift to be prayed over us. Apostleship & Teaching were affirmed in me. Such a beautiful, powerful evening that for sure shaped the rest of our Race!

 

 

 

 

 

In Jeffrey’s Bay, we partnered with Global Leadership Academy (a sister organisation to the World Race in South Africa). Our time there was a beautiful space to see how Unscripted interacts with structured life. Giving us all a taste of life back home in jobs etc as we crossed the halfway mark of the Race. While there, I was feeling in a bit of a rut – in that I hadn’t had a decent spiritual conversation with a local in a long time. So I just prayed one day, asking for that. The Lord answered that prayer 3 times over in the following 24 hours!! I was sitting outside the local mall using the wifi when a security guard came up to me. I packed up, making fast moves to be on my way when I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to stay & walk with him. Turns out my new friend Situmbale is a believer and is hoping for revival in his home town. We had the best conversation, swapping testimonies, and I was able to pray for him and the revival. SO COOL. The next day I met Darren, a local drunk down by the beach. He asked me out of the blue, “Do you think Jesus made mistakes?” and that became the most cool conversation. I was able to affirm his humanity, where it looked like many people just passed him by. He hopefully left with a more full picture of Jesus. Later that day myself and some squadmates encouraged another local who shared all the times the Lord miraculously saved his life. Simple as that – just ask the Lord for interactions with His children, keep an interruptible spirit when out & about, listen to the Holy Spirit and it happens! THIS is Unscripted. 

 

I was also able to meet up with my Uncle who lives in Jeffrey’s Bay, which was so so beautiful. This time was the sweetest as I pieced together more of Dad’s childhood in South Africa, and just hung out with family. What a treasure!

 

 

 

 

 

Before flying to Europe we all met up in Cape Town for a Mini Debrief, during which I gave a teaching on abandonment. A key value of the World Race, abandonment (forsaking all else, leaving home & comforts in pursuit of all Jesus has for us) looks pretty different on Unscripted. As we do not partner with ministry hosts, we have a lot more agency in where we sleep, what we eat etc (within budget). But life in & with Jesus should always carry abandonment – no matter where or how we are living! As new creations, we are  “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:10) Dying with Christ forms us in His likeness (Phil 3:21). Far more than a one-off salvific moment of repentance – to carry the death of Jesus in our bodies is to daily die to Self & wants. Forever circling through death to LIFE in each kairos moment our days provide. This spiritual discipline of simplicity/abandonment positions us firstly with the Lord who came to a dirty cradle (Phil 2), and with our many brothers and sisters who live with less. As a squad, we had been choosing to spend a fair bit of personal money outside the given WR budget, so it was neat to challenge us all to live within our limits. All this is ONLY possible with the Holy Spirit – or it just becomes a self righteous simplicity, haughty (and thus ineffective) in its sackcloth appearance. Abandonment works its way inward from our external belongings & wants to our hearts. We asked the Holy Spirit to show us areas of our thinking that we need to abandon (eg anger, pride, self-righteousness), or lies we have believed about self & the Lord. Counting the cost (Luke 14) and casting all aside in pursuit of the horizon to which He calls and leads us. In what ways can you too interact with the spiritual discipline of simplicity & abandonment?

 

I was also blessed to have the sweetest dinner with my cousins Angela & her fam while in Cape Town. The best night ever, connecting & just being with family. Love love LOVE being a Frauenstein :-)))))

 

 

 

 

Fun Sidenote #1: At the beginning of the month, myself and Jacob were asked to step up as Squad Leaders – replacing the alumni racers (Kate & Reece) who led us these first 6 months. Such a weighty honour with big shoes to fill! So our month was split between training and time with the squad in Jeffrey’s Bay. Through training, I was deeply thankful to see more of the massive focus on prayer the WR carries in leadership. It’s truly the majority of this role. We created and announced new teams in Cape Town, and now Jacob and I split our time travelling between teams ‘Chimichanga’, ‘Americanos’, and ‘SALT’. Woohoooooo!! 

 

Fun Sidenote #2: South Africa was also the month I started running & working out. Feel like I have been talking and thinking about a holistic faith for ages but never actually included my own body in that. Now, I feel a deeper wholeness and peace in the Lord as all areas of my hauora (health) are moving forward! I’m finally investing in and taking care of this temple in which the King of Kings dwells. Praise BE.

 

Fun Sidenote #3: South Africa is next level BEAUTIFUL. Sure gives NZ a run for her money. I saw so much of the Father in the sweeping orange sunsets, wildlife, flora, browns and greens, and big BIG blue sky. Words just can’t do it justice & wonder is the only appropriate response! It’s true how they say Africa just gets in your blood…. I know I’ll be back. Hillsong United’s Highlands was on repeat for me this month – have a listen here if you want.