Heidelberg, South Africa. The land of milk and honey. A little slice of heaven located in the western cape near the very tip of Africa. Many call Heidelberg the “ideal” town, the place to be, the ultimate place to live, really. At least that’s what I was told when I arrived 6 weeks ago….
Having been here a month and a half however, I’ve had some opportunity and time to create my own opinion of the town. Our teams, which together are 13 people, have done a variety of ministry assignments and kinds of outreach. Two of our girls have spent time in the class rooms at the Langeburg Christian Fellowship elementary school, we painted parts of the church, did yard work, and attended some of the bible college lectures, which was a crazy thing to do for “ministry.” Kara and I have been at Ryan’s house most days, which is a brand new 90 day safe house for babies. The lady who is running it for the church is one of the most spirit lead people I have ever met. She walks with confidence and loves the Lord deeply. She has heard a call and she has fervently and fearlessly answered it. What a woman.
Outreach here is unbelievable…completely inspiring and has pushed me again and again. It is ALWAYS uncomfortable to walk up to a stranger and start a conversation, let alone a conversation about your beliefs, LET ALONE in a culture that you are not accustomed to. But I have been welcomed with open arms and curious hearts. I have had some of the absolute best conversations about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I did hospital ministry which was new and hard at moments because of the language barrier. I have learned more than I really expected about myself and what exactly I believe. Standing in front of someone explaining what you believe or answering questions about the gospel really makes you think about where you stand in your faith.
Our teams have done skits for the church, for the elementary assemblies, and for the high school assemblies. We have shared testimonies during church services, gone to the police station every Tuesday morning, and visited the gas station and restaurant at 1:00 am to minister to the graveyard shift workers. Afternoons are often free, which means making meals for people, doing our own outreach, or using our imaginations to find ways to serve our community.
OUR community. It has only been 6 weeks, but Heidelberg feels like home…
The bible college students, which go to school at our church, have made a habit of coming to our house to hangout. We have made real friends here, people who have intentionally spent time with us and gotten to know us outside of scheduled ministry. We have made friends in the community. Families, and girls from the high school, and homeless people that we see often. We have gotten to spend time with our hosts and watched as they have poured themselves out to us over and over and over. Tania, the pastors wife who we live with, spent a whole week with me when my team had to border hop to Swazi. She has set a new standard of what walking in the spirit looks like. Whether she and her husband are in front of a congregation or sitting alone with me or are around my whole team, they exemplify what it means to love fully and and hold grace in your heart. Heidelberg feels comfortable. Ministry feels like normal life. My everyday here has been full of laughter and close friends and happy moments.
But Heidelberg is like any other place in the world. It is not heaven, it is not perfect, and it is not ideal. There are a lot of homeless people here. The Africans people are often very separated from the white english. The town of Heidelberg and the surrounding country is beautiful, yes. But go across the highway and there are hundreds of people living in poverty. In tiny houses in rough neighborhoods, in houses with no electricity or water. In areas where drug and alcohol abuse is apparent and has been brought up to us by locals themselves. There is a divide of classes here, a separation that I don’t think is in line with what I would picture “ideal” to be. The people here are not as united as I pictured they would be in the “land of milk and honey.”
Obviously not all of the ministry I listed was done by me, our teams as a whole covered all of that and definitely more, but I did a lot of ministry in different areas over the past 6 weeks. I’ve had a lot of fun times and memorable moments, and I’ll look back on this season as beautiful, trying, inspiring, full of wonderful community, and a time where I discovered a lot about the Lord’s heart. In two weeks I leave Heidelberg to head to my last stop on the race! Saying goodbye will be harder than the other countries, but it’s only hard because of how sweet this time has been. I really serve an amazing God.
Hey God,
Thank you for putting me and my teammates here. The way that you have showed up again and again blows my mind. You’re continual kindness and provision is more than I deserve, but Lord I’m grateful that you have shown me the love you hold. I hope beyond hope that I make you proud somehow Abba. I want to walk in abundance. In abundance of outpour and faith and devotion. I want to speak words of truth and value, and I want to represent you with integrity and humility God. I’ll remember the friendships you’ve handed me, the smiles that filled my everyday, and the growth of the kingdom that you allowed me to witness firsthand. Love you more than Life Lord.
