Most months on the Race, each team is assigned to a local ministry to partner with to come alongside in the work they’re doing to further the Kingdom. Ministry this month looked a little different for Daughters Ablaze. Instead of being assigned to a specific ministry, our team was assigned to the entire city of Durban, South Africa. Our task was to find unrecognized ministries that are insistently working to further the Kingdom, and prayerfully consider the ministry’s potential to partner with AIM in the future.
We call ministry this month Unsung Heroes.
Unsung hero (n.): Men and women who are dedicated to serving some of the most impoverished populations in the world, yet rarely receive recognition for their dedication and service. These givers may also live with meager conditions but give consistently from an abundance of God’s love. Their names may not be in history books, their acts unknown to the rest of the world, while unrecognized, they shake a generation and move a culture and ultimately build the Kingdom.
Different teams approach Unsung Heroes month in different ways. Prayer walks, research, and networking are all ways of discovering local ministries.
After arriving to South Africa, we each took time in prayer to ask the Lord what He had for us this month. What God told us was this: If we put forth the effort and do the footwork, He will take care of the rest. We also considered what Jesus would do if He was on The World Race and it was His Unsung Heroes month. Would He tuck Himself away in a quiet spot, get on His computer and pull up Google? Probably not. Jesus loves people. He would probably spend His time getting to know the people around Him, even the ones that may not seem like they would be of much help to Him.
So, we began to do the footwork. We began to build relationships with the people around us.
During our first meeting we began to discuss ministries, and a local who had overheard our conversation stepped in. “Have you heard of iCare?” he asked. We hadn’t. “You should check them out. Actually, I can take you there right now if you want.”
It quickly became apparent that God had this whole month in His hands. He had divine contacts up His sleeve for us, and He really was going to open all the doors to them if we just listen and trust that He will come through.
Our first week we made a goal of scheduling 3 meetings with potential contacts. 20 minutes later, our goal was met. 30 minutes later, it had been exceeded.
Most days our team had to split up so that we were able to get all our meetings in. Some days we weren’t really sure where God was taking us, but these were the days He brought us to people who would lead us to even more ministries.
Not only did God give us success in the ministry we were assigned to this month, but he also gave us the opportunity to do ministry outside of Unsung Heroes. The hostel we stayed at this month has a reputation as a party place for locals and visitors alike. From the beginning we knew that God had placed us in this specific location for a reason. He wanted us to be a light to the people around us and show Christ’s love through the way we love each other.
The people we’ve encountered here are searching for something more. We’ve been able to answer questions and challenge a false view of what being a Christian really looks like. We’ve been able to share our faith and our stories, and just genuinely love the people God’s put in our path.
Everything we did this month was by the hand of God. How incredible that he led us exactly where He wanted us, and used us to be His hands and feet! He brought us to so many divine contacts, and opened door after door for us this month. This month left us in awe of the way that He provides and guides our footsteps. All we have to do is be obedient and say yes, and He will do the rest.
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I’m still in the process of support raising to fund my mission trip. I need a total of $11,000 in my support account by April 1st in order to remain on the field. If you’d like to come alongside me and support me in this mission, please consider giving a special, tax-deductible gift to help me continue to bring Christ to the nations.
