Hello Everyone! It’s been a long time since my last blog, and a lot has happened since then. This blog is going to be a recap of the past couple of weeks along with my takeaways from South Africa. God has been so faithful to my squad and I throughout our time in South Africa. There is so many cool stories to share along with things that I have learned! I’m currently at the Paris Airport for a quick layover then my squad and I will begin our last flight to Ecuador! Im currently only $450 from being fully funded! My deadline is the 15th of January.
My final three weeks of ministry were incredible. We continued doing evangelism and community outreach in the squatter camps around Johannesburg. We said goodbye to the 11n11 team that was staying with us for their last month of the Race. It was really cool to get to be a part of their last day of ministry on their entire Race. We also said goodbye to the Impact Africas interns as well. They were interning at Impact for a total of 3 months and they went home a week before we left. Our last day of ministry was November 27th, and we left the next day for Cape Town! The guys and I planned a boys weekend in Cape Town for our last weekend in South Africa. We bussed 19 hours down Thursday night from Johannesburg and got there Friday around noon. We stayed in a hostel about 300 feet from the beach! The boys and I got up at 2:30am Saturday morning and we went and hiked Table Mountain. I highly recommend doing the Table Mountain hike if you are ever in Cape Town. One of the most beautiful views I have ever seen! We flew back on Sunday night and on Monday morning we met back up with the rest of our squad who we had not seen in two months.
Getting to see the rest of our squad was awesome. We had so many stories to share with each other. It will be really awesome getting to spend the next three months with all of us together doing ministry together.
South Africa could not have gone any better for me. Month one in Jeffery’s Bay went by very fast. I was overwhelmed by so much that I kind of went through the motions every day. When my team and I moved to Johannesburg, that’s when things really started to get going. God was revealing himself to me in many different ways, all day long. Growing up I had always heard that God loved me. And I’m sure everyone has also heard that as well. But getting to hear that from God himself really changed everything for me. I started to hear God differently, I started to see God work in different ways, and most of all I saw God work through me.
These are the three main things that I took away from South Africa these past three months:
- It’s God’s timing and not mine
Evangelism was my ministry for my final two months of South Africa. We would go door to door building relationships with people for hours each day, and share the love that God has for them. After experiencing the love that God has for me, I wanted nothing more than to share it with others. I learned a lot from 1 Corinthians 3, where it talks about planting the seed, and watering the seed. As disciples we are called to do just that, and the growth is for the Lord to see. I had to learn that it wasn’t necessarily my job to lead that person to Christ right then and there but it was about just being kind and planting that seed for someone else to water and for God to reveal himself to them.
2. 1 Corinthians 1:26 (My worth to the kingdom)
I was reading 1 Corinthians and came across this verse. It talks about how when we were called, we were not considered wise, or experienced. I thought about where I was before the Race. I considered myself to be no help to the kingdom at all. I thought I knew nothing about the word and that I couldn’t change someone’s life. God quickly showed me that I was wrong. We all have the same holy spirit inside of us and have the power to do anything in the name of the Lord. I saw people get healed, get delivered from evil spirits, and people pour out their beers and give their life to Christ. The power of the Lord and prayer are so incredible.
3. Evangelism happens everywhere (off days, people are eager to listen and learn)
God is present everywhere we go. Even on off days I saw him work in miraculous ways. Whether it be at a Starbucks or even just in an Uber, I saw people give their life to Christ. People are so eager to listen about our faith. You could be the only person that shares the love that God has for them, and it could change their life. Once I heard that, I never wanted to let up!
During my time in South Africa, I really got to build a solid foundation of my faith for the rest of my journey along with my life! Im so ready for the challenges and trials that are to come. God’s word is so powerful and so are we!
I ask for prayers for my squad and I as we begin our new ministry in Ecuador, along with safe travels! Always remember that you can be vessel for the kingdom every day of your life, and that people are eager to listen and learn! God bless you all!
