Hi Friends
Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my life. Let’s get right into it.
Growing up in a christian home doesn’t mean that I’ve always had a relationship with God. I have honestly lived more than half of my life knowing about Him and believing in Him but it wasn’t until right before my 21st birthday that I truly encountered Jesus for the first time. It wasn’t some big event or miracle, it was simply being invited to a small group on a Tuesday night and feeling like this is what I’ve been missing in my life, the light and love of JESUS. My life didn’t instantly change, I still had addictions and dark times but knowing that I had victory in Jesus always gave me peace. I got baptized on the 16th of February 2014 and I still remember that day like it was yesterday. It wasn’t in the Jordan river or in the ocean, it was on a regular Sunday night in church with a group of about 20 new believers, and still it was probably the best day of my life.
Since that day a lot has happened in my life, both exciting and hard. There were times when I felt miles away from God and times when I was crying simply because of the joy of the Lord. It wasn’t until I decided to move to the USA almost two years ago that I had to completely rely on God. I almost immediately started attending a church in Denver called Citypoint Church (now known as the Pearl Church). I have never felt more at home in a church in my life, this church taught me so much about God and true fellowship. It was here where I first had the desire to be a part of a mission team. They were doing amazing work in Africa and I felt God pulling me. In August 2018 my church suffered a great loss. Our senior Pastor passed away unexpectedly. The months after his death was hard on our church but it was in these months where I experienced Gods heart for the broken-hearted. He is truly close to us when we’re hurting. Our church ended up merging with another church family and that in itself was a miracle from God. My family became even bigger and stronger.
In May of this year I will be moving back to my home country South Africa. Not knowing what my future holds I decided to go into a season of prayer and fasting with my church this past January. In this time I opened up to a friend about my desire to go on a mission trip and she introduced me to the World Race. As I was doing my research about the race I remember thinking to myself there is NO WAY I could do this, that was just it, it wasn’t about what I can do but about what God can do through me. I heard this message from Christine Caine the other day saying “God is not looking for ability, He is looking for availability”. All I have to do is be obedient to Him calling me and trust Him.
Yes I’m scared, I am only human, but more than being scared I am excited to chase the purpose God has set before me. I am excited to spread the love of Jesus and share the good news of the Gospel in places untouched. In Acts 1:8 right before Jesus ascended to Heaven He said “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my WITNESSES, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.
I want to be a witness for Jesus and so can you. Even though you can’t physically be there with me, you can still be a part of reaching people through me. Whether you support me financially, by lifting me up in prayer or simply by sharing this with your family and friends, you too can be a witness for Jesus. We can do this together.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you for supporting me on this journey. I pray that God will bless you with the desires of your heart as you delight yourself in Him.
All my love
Amanda
