hello party ppl
this here is a blog explaining ministry for my 3 months in swaziland, africa!
back story: i struuuuu-hugggledddd internally during scheduled ministry times during my race this last year. i could never find enough energy or zeal or desire to do what we had to do.
i think a lot of it was pride, not wanting to do what people told me to do. and i think a lot of it was the enemy taking advantage of my mind. due to me not knowing myself and not fully knowing who the Lord identifies me as. so coming into these 3 months i was a little dreadful thinking about ministry but also very prayerful this time and more knowledgeable and wise so praise God amirite.
so okay drum roll please
our scheduled ministry for these 3 months is….playing with kids. shocker!
but it. is. amazing.
my team is blessed to get the privilege to walk an hour all the way to ministry (blessed, yes i’m serious) and then play and talk and dance with kids ranging from infant to literally 25 year old high school kids. for 6 hours straight.
now when i’m working out of the overflow of me, this is daunting. i won’t lie. buuuuut the Lord is good and so much fun and loves these kids SO much so when i am working out of the overflow of Him, i get to carry that goodness and love and fun.
so note to self and all: work out of overflow of Christ. all His sides are good, ours not so much(:
and at this ministry, a care point called Mahagheni, we get to play on a playground, feed kids their meal for the day (most likely, it’s their only meal of the day), and we get to fellowship with them (swaziland people are FUNNY okay. FUNNY.), and we get to sing joy to the world 60x a day (they have a competition coming up and that is the song they’re singing), and we get to pump the well (and dunk our heads under it because that african sun is feisty bro), and we get to hangout with Bungiwe (our shepard who runs the carepoint!), and we get to dance a lot.
so things to work on: bring a lot of water because you can’t drink from the well because it’s full of nitrates which will effect you in the long run and is fatal to infants, umm rhythm. work on rhythm. practice at home so you don’t look like a fool and get roasted can i get an amen. and uh don’t complain about things you can’t control (weather, SUN, sweat, etc)
so that’s scheduled ministry for me. my other ministry is leading team YES.
ohhhh baby i loooove them. the Lord really had some favor on me by giving me them. i am genuinely so blessed to be apart of their lives for this time.
it’s so funny actually, they each are like a different side of my personality. it’s like i’m looking and talking to 7 different versions of me, it’s wild.
so what “ministry” looks like from me to them is leading. i have recently received an epiphany from the Lord on leading. haha
when people would ask me how i want to lead this team before actually leading them came about, my answer would be, “by creating friendship first.”
i’ve learned over the past 2 years that functioning out of “this person is above you and you have to do what they say” is not a way that i thrive. and i believe that the Lord chose me specifically for this group of girls to lead them the way i know how. and that is out of friendship.
my girls will tell me things like, “jaynna, you don’t seem like our leader, you’re our friend.”
and at first, i was like crap. because they were saying this out of comparison of me to the other team leaders and how the other TLs treat and function with their girls. and so i was like dang im not doing this right.
and so i sat down with God and said, “Lord i really need you to teach me how to steward this leadership role the way you want it stewarded bro.” and He prompted me to think of the influential leaders in my life. and how i receive their leadership.
and so first i thought of Him and the way He leads me and that is out of friendship. the Lord is my absolute best friend. He does this life with me. He’s not overpowering and telling me what to do all the time and then leaving it at that. no, He partners with me in everything and walks it all out alongside me.
and then i thought of my momma. i was shut off to my mom for such a long time. all the way up until senior year. and then we became friends. true friends. and now that woman could tell me to do anything and i’d be on board because she’s with me. she’s my friend. she doesn’t lord over me. but not until we became friends, was this the case.
and then i think of my Destiny(: destiny never approached me as if she was “higher than me” even though i’m only half her age. no, she approaches me as her friend and because she does that, i loveee to follow her. i love to listen to her. i love to learn from her. she is a huge influencer to me because she lets me in to her space, humbly and lovingly.
and of COURSE! my grandma. oh that woman is amazing. all the way from the get-go she’s been such an amazing friend. she loves the Lord with every ounce of her and holds so much wisdom and knows how to do this life thing. but she’s never approached me from that stand point. she meets me exactly where i’m at and we go from there. and all the while, she’s warring for me in prayer. she is the biggest Jesus-influencer in my life. not because of anything she’s ever said but because of the way she lives and let’s me in as i am.
and so what the Lord was doing in reminding me of the leaders in my life, was affirming me in the way that i’m leading my girls. it was really just Him saying, “treat them how i treat you.”
and since He reminded me of that, i’ve just been full-send. i’m very transparent with my girls. i let them see all parts of me. if they ask what’s going on in my life, i let them honestly know and in that show them how i deal with things. and how i approach the Lord. i try not to say too much, i try to let it mainly be by example. because the way we do things says more than what we say.
and so those are my ministries!
i am so thankful to be here in the position i’m in(: for whatever reason, i THRIVEEE in simple-living environments. i struggle in america. so i’m so excited all the time here. i feel alive when i’m in places that don’t provide easy access to necessary things. why? i have no clue bro but i love it!
and that’s all! please if you have ANY questions, ask me. in the comments of message me or anything! about ministry or me or God, i would so love to talk to you(:
