After one month on the mission field, all the squads take a few day debrief to rest and learn from their leaders, mentors and coaches. This debrief looks like having team time, one on ones, sessions and lots of free time to rest or venture out and see something new! Our squad traveled to Nelspruit, South Africa for our debrief. We spent two days in Pretoria, South Africa with another squad that was staying in Jeffery’s Bay, South Africa for an Awakening. But that’s another story.
Anyway during our debrief we went on an all squad all day safari in Kruger National Park! (It’s bigger than Israel… WOAH!) Our Safari guides picked us up at our hostel, Old Vic’s Backpackers Inn also known as “Crazy Dave’s” (great place, I recommend) at 4:30 am. Anyway we started our safari around 6 am. We got to see so many beautiful animals and saw four of the Big 5! We saw lions, elephants, a leopard, rhinos, and no buffalos. But we saw a plethora of giraffes (they’re not part of the Big 5 but that’s besides the point)!
Anyway we spent hours touring around looking at so many animals up close and personal. It was amazing! The Lord opened so many doors and windows into another side of Himself and His creation that I hadn’t yet seen! This showed me that there is so much more to God than I’ll ever know, that He is not a boring God but one full of surprises, who never ceases to excite!
Our tour guide’s name was Cornelius. Cornelius is also a fellow believer! It was such a cool opportunity bringing his faith into the tour. We would ask questions like “why does this animal know to do that?” Ya know, your classic tourist safari questions. And most of the time he had an answer. Other times he would say, “there really is no other explanation except that that’s how God created them.”
Honestly, how on earth would an elephant know to dig a hole where it looked like there was no water for miles but knew there was water below the surface that it could drink?? Nobody told the elephant there was water there or taught it to do that. No explanation except that God created them to know that. For them to have this instinct.
How would an impala know to dig a hole to pee in and then continue to cover it with dirt so that other animals couldn’t track it down?? Because that’s simply how they were created. It’s in their nature. Wisdom like that could only come from God.
Anyway Cornelius continued to share stories about his journey of faith and his testimony with us. He has such a great story but that’s not my story to tell. He said he uses his job as a safari guide to evangelize to tourists. Being a safari guide is his ministry!! He is such a great example of the statement “as you are going, make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
As believers, our ministry never ends. Being a believer is making every person you encounter your ministry. I am still learning to walk this out in my day to day life. I am nowhere near consistent but I am learning more and more each day. At training camp in July, one of our speakers, Deon, said, “To come to salvation will cost you nothing. To walk in the Kingdom, will cost you everything.” Cornelius not only walks in the animal kingdom everyday for his job, but he walks in the Kingdom of Heaven everyday just by speaking to people. By sharing the name of Jesus or saying “God” to tourists, he could lose his job. But he continues to find ways to reach people on safaris. To show them more than just animals, but the creator of them in order to see a greater beauty in the animal kingdom.
Cornelius is a man of honor that served us so well and shared his heart for Jesus with us. A true man of Christ and friend of God. Thank you Cornelius for your kindness and outward love towards us and for Jesus! You are a true example of what it means to walk in the Kingdom everyday!
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19)
