Hi, beloved children!!!!!! I hope that you know that no matter your age, you are a child of God and He is a good Father indeed. He loves you and He desires to know you and your heart. I just want to let you know where I am and what I am doing for the next six weeks!!!! My team (Refinement) + the men’s team (Abide) are living in Johannesburg and working with a ministry called Impact Africa. I have been here for two weeks and the Lord has already done so much in my heart and I have filled so many shoes already!
For starters, this is a ministry of discipleship. Actually, I have found The World Race is too. Although we are serving the local communities and in ministries within the organization, the leaders of these non-profits are pouring into us and teaching us to lead and to disciple as we are being discipled. I am so thankful for the way that our leaders lead and that they give away freely what the Lord has freely given them- it is something that I will never forget and always put in practice.
What life looks like practically and what I am apart of looks a little like this- Impact Africa has a few different branches: Impact Baby Rescue, Impact Kids, Impact Students, and my personal favorite, Outreach/Evangelism. So, we will be rotating through each of them throughout the week.
Outreach/Evangelism: My first week, we got to go out into a local community and go house to house and share the Good News. Our goal is to build relationships with people, tell them about Jesus, and get them connected with a church locally to disciple them. I am learning more and more about The Holy Spirit and what it means for Him to live inside of me. We have seen salvations, we have seen healings, and been apart of demons being cast out. In saying that, spiritual warfare is very real here and if you feel as though you play a large part in missions by praying, I would ask that you would pray specially for that. It is common for locals here to go to Sangomas- They are also known as witch doctors and we have actually had opportunities to talk to them, and we want to continue to. My greatest desire is for the people of South Africa to know that Jesus is the ultimate healer physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and then to know Him personally and have faith in Him alone.
Impact Students: This is a ministry directed towards students in middle school, high school, and young adults. Many drop out at a young age because they either have to provide for their siblings financially and they work, or they often are addicted to drugs and alcohol, some even being in gangs. This ministry is directed towards showing them that there is MORE because of Jesus and the things of this world do not have to consume them- in fact, they can go to school and if they finish, set themselves up better for work and their future. A common prayer request that we have in the communities when we do outreach is for a job. Many come to Johannesburg for work, but they get here and don’t have a CV (resume) or cannot find a job and they end up in the Squatter Camps. Impact Africa as well as Contagious Praise (Refinement + Abide) desires a better future for the young people of South Africa and we are believing they will in fact be the change.
Impact Kids: There are a few different school campus’ that are each filled with elementary school-aged children. They are receiving an education, being kept off of the streets, and being taught the Gospel so it may be instilled in them at a young age. We have not worked in this area yet, but some days we will put on programs and teach them songs consisting of bible verses and help raise them up to be followers and disciples of Jesus. They also have a program called JK on Fridays and it is community outreach for the local children. It looks similar to a VBS, but just one day a week. I am very excited to work in this ministry and believing for the Word of God to be instilled in their hearts, no matter the age.
Impact Baby Rescue: As if I didn’t have baby fever before, you KNOW this is a dangerous ministry for me to step into haha!!!! If I end up dropping everything but one outfit and just bring home babies, this is probably where they are from 🙂 Many women in South Africa have babies and then their boyfriend leaves and their family rejects them and they often leave the baby in a trash can or drop them off on a street because they feel that is their only option. IBR has a baby box and if you cannot take care of your baby, you can drop it in the box, ring the bell, and a worker will come get the baby and take care of and nurture it. They will then go through a legal process to set the baby up for success. What an incredible outreach- caring for the smallest of lives because they matter just as much.
SO, I know that was a lot, BUT, now when write about being in a specific ministry, you can look back and be reminded of which it is and what the goal of it is. The Lord has been so faithfully teaching me about the power of my testimony that seems so powerless- Truly, when I say that, it is offensive to God because He took a sinner in need of a Savior and indeed saved me. Even though I have had a fairly easy life, what a blessing it is that He has protected me from the attacks of the enemy concerning the things of this world. Just as we are putting our faith into practice by going out into the Squatter Camps and working with each ministry, I would encourage you to do the same at home.
Here is a challenge for this week: Share your testimony with ONE person outside of your family this week and let me know how it goes. It will be good and it will be fruitful, I promise.
