This month we are in South Africa. & ministry has been amazing.
4 days a week, we go out into the squatter camps and talk with people. We ask them about their lives and truly just get to know who they are and where they come from. We often ask them if they go to church and if so, which one. It’s also been very important to ask them what they learn there.
The churches here in Johannesburg are pretty corrupt. Most churches that call themselves “Christian churches” don’t preach the truth about being born again. Some of them don’t use the Bible. Some of them preach that sinning is completely fine as long as you follow certain guidelines. Some of them encourage witch-craft. Some of them do not encourage their people to read their bibles, because the Holy Spirit has already told the prophets what they need to share and what the congregants need to know.
And there are A LOT of them. It seems as though whoever wants to start one, can just start one, and teach whatever they want.
One of my favorite parts of ministry is having the opportunity to use scripture to correct false perspectives and teachings, and watching the lightbulb turn on. We’ve seen many people come to salvation because of it.
One day a week, we go and host a kids program on the soccer pitch of the community. We dance with them, play games, share a memory verse, and then share a story in the Bible or teach them a lesson. It’s pretty amazing to witness the fruit of our ministry hosts’ consistency. These children recite the memory verses with them and know the dances by heart. The Lord is writing His word on their HEARTS!! To see the joy on all of their faces when they are there, just having fun, and being poured into and loved is amazing.
We’ve also gotten to attend and speak at school assemblies. Sharing with hundreds of students that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives. We spoke about respect to a school that’s dealing with rebellious students; and spoke about hope and performed “the everything skit” at a school that was in the middle of their exam semester. The pressure to pass in some of these communities is so intense that they have had a lot of children commit suicide after finding out that they failed an exam. We shared that Jesus is our one true hope and that no matter how they perform, the Lord still loves them and wants to know them. We saw many give their lives to Christ that day.
The Lord has shown himself faithful in so many ways this month. His Holy Spirit is so evidently working here and in our lives. We have learned to ask. We’ve asked to meet certain people in ministry that day and seen the Lord make a way. We’ve asked the Lord to lead us to people who were going to receive salvation and have seen that ten times over.
My time here in South Africa has increased my faith. Made me stronger. And has given me so much confidence in my ability to Go and share the good news.
The woman in yellow is our new sister in Christ!!
