Greetings and salutations!
One thing that I’ve noticed about myself compared with most other cultures is that my speed of light pace of life/incessant need to be active doesn’t quite match up with most people around the world. That being said, I apologize for not being super-duper in my updates this month. Sometimes it’s hard for me to slow down, sit, and recap.
God perfectly timed this month for Coram Deo to experience increased flexibility, faith, and hard community. It has been incredible, but very difficult. If you haven’t seen any of my pictures from this month, we have been living at a YWAM base in Cape Town, South Africa, about 90 seconds from the beach (brilliant setup). This is one of the most beautiful places I think I have ever been. It’s crazy to me that I can see mountains and ocean at the same time!
Featured Ministry: Hope Africa Collective
http://hopeafrica.com/blog/
For our ministry this month we have been doing what is called Unsung Heroes. Basically, the World Race is getting so big, that they are running out of ministry contacts for racers to partner with. We have been networking al l month with any ministries we can find to see if they would be a good match for world race teams to come and support their ministry. Most of the ministries that I had the opportunity to hang out with this month were associated with townships. Apartheid only ended here in 1983. During this time, townships were created for non-white people to live. These are some of the densest living conditions in the world. People are stacked into the townships like sardines, and have learned that in order to survive they must become animalistic in nature, grasping at anything gives them pleasure or nourishment.
One of my favorite township ministries is called Hope Africa. They are a Christ-centered poverty alleviation ministry. I especially connected with their ministry because of the heart behind it. When a family saw the conditions of one of the worst townships in Cape Town, they knew they had to do something. They spent months interviewing ministries, pastors, and world leaders on how to most effectively help to change the poverty cycles in the township. One of the most common pieces of advice was that the change must come from within. The ministry focuses on raising up leaders within the township, giving them the Hope of Christ, and then teaching them how to raise up other leaders in the township. In five years the founding family plans to exit the ministry so that it will be entirely made up of township residents.
Please pray that our work of sowing seeds this month will produce a bountiful crop for future world racers. The harvest here is great, but the workers are few.
Personal Update:
This month the Lord blessed our team with more time than is usual on the race to be able to press into community with each other and to personally reflect. It was a humbling month for me. I felt like I wanted to pull away from the team when they brought me down. Sometimes I felt like I was “too cool” to participate in what was going on with the group, and I felt like I was constantly swallowing pride. I learned to ask the Holy Spirit for humility and grace for my team. I am learning that in order to be a leader you must be able to prefer the other people in your team before yourself. The honeymoon phase of the world race is fading, and I don’t naturally feel like acting like Jesus every day anymore. I learned this month that I daily need a savior to guide me through difficulty and hurt.
This month I had several recurring nightmares that sparked old memories and insecurities. I believe this was a good month for me to pray through these things and ask for healing and a deeper rooted identity in Christ.
Featured Photo:
Some local girls at a fishing on the brink of disaster
