South Africa has been incredible. Africa has been one for the books.
Global Leadership Academy (GLA) has been my ministry site for the month. It’s a beautiful, private Christian school that looks out into the Indian Ocean. Being placed at a school, I thought that we would be teaching, right? WRONG. We arrived on day 1 and were escorted through the immaculate, glass-walled classrooms and out to the back where construction was still taking place. There were piles of bricks everywhere, concrete being mixed and laid, wood panels being hammered together, and a bunch of yellow hard hats working hard. My team and I were introduced to Theo – a middle aged man who is personable, loving, stylish, and just happens to be our boss for the month. Theo asked us to fetch a wheelbarrow and move a large pile of bricks from one pile to another. I quickly realized that I would not be teaching English or Geometry to highschoolers this month.
*Questions running through my head at this point:
– Why in the world are we in the back of the school?
– We are an all girls team, surely they aren’t asking us to do manual labor
– I have ant arms, I will be no help
– I am not experienced in laying concrete or laying bricks
– This is supposed to be ministry?
And then the last thought… Why did God place me here?
You see, I wasn’t prepared for what God wanted to do in my life this month… but are we ever?
On day 2 at GLA, Theo asked us to chip the cement off of the brick stairs. Sandpaper and paint scrapers in hand I took a seat on the stairs and began sanding and chipping away. This is ministry? How, God?
Between the hammering, sawing, dump trucks dumping, cement machines turning, and bulldozers moving dirt and rocks, you could barely follow the thoughts running through your head. These days of cement chipping could have been long and monotonous, but instead, I made the decision to spend time with the Man who told me come here… Jesus. With every chip of concrete, I was speaking to Jesus and He was responding.
God told me to be obedient and have a good attitude because I may never know the people that I am impacting. I snapped back at God and said, “How am I supposed to impact someone this month by 1) not talking to anyone and 2) chipping cement off of bricks?”
We all know that God has a sense of humor… we were in a construction zone and God was chiseling my heart. Little did I know at the time, this was a month that God was chipping away at my heart – removing what no longer belonged and allowing me to shine brighter for Him.
The VERY NEXT DAY we began talking with some of the men that work construction at GLA. The same men that we had seen the two days before, but no words were exchanged. Throughout the month, our small talk turned into long conversations. I started to chat during our breaks and I even attempted to learn some Afrikaans. The Lord opened up doors for me to share why my lanky, white self was in Africa chipping cement off of bricks. We laughed, encouraged, and prayed for these men. These men became our friends.
God chipped away parts of me that saw ministry as prayer, sermons, healings, and church. Ministry is a lifestyle. Ministry can happen any and everywhere if you open your eyes to see where God is calling you and are obedient no matter how uncomfortable the situation.
Our last day at GLA, we had coffee, tea, and sweets with the staff. Anna Marie, the founder of GLA, shared with us that many World Race teams have come and gone but our team was special. Looking at us in the eyes, she told us that we were leaving a lasting impact on this school. She commended us for our hard work and told us that it did not go unnoticed. Anna Marie said she chatted with Theo and he said that the time that us girls spent talking with his workers has been amazing. He said that we have given them hope and a sense of dignity.
As I gently chipped away concrete from the bricks this month, God gently chipped away pieces of me that were struggling to hold on. I serve a God that is caring and yearns for an intimate relationship with me. He wants me to spend time talking to Him and tell Him what I am going through. He wants to chip away and sand the rough edges so that I am a daughter that sparkles and shines bright for Him.
***My squad leaves for Vietnam on Tuesday – please keep us all in your prayers!
