I’m sitting here on the final night of debrief wondering where the first month went. Blink and you miss it. We head for Swaziland tomorrow and have spent the last few days rejuvenating, talking with our team about the last month, and encountering God in worship. So as we head to our next ministry, an orphanage called El Shaddai, I will leave you with some if the top moments in South Africa that I may not have shared previously.
Our contacts: Erika and Louis
In our first breakfast together, I knew that our team had something special. And as the month continued, I was so blessed by them. While our team was there to help in any way we could, Erika and Louis were so ready to pour into us. They continually shared their knowledge, wisdom and experience without us even asking. I even had the opportunity to sit one on one with them and share my heart and experiences. They encouraged and prayed over me and prophesied and oh my goodness, it was so good. What an amazing couple that has changed each person on the team forever because of their lives.
(Spencer, Melissa, Erika and Louis, two awesome couples that gave so much to our team)
Moving bricks, bricks and more bricks
The beautiful thing about the world race is that it is never quite what you expect. We thought we’d be a team of seven women holding babies and playing with kids. Well, that didn’t happen. Our team found the joy in the manual labor, and even as we worked, we could pray for the furthering of their ministry in spite of the hardships.
And let’s face it, we all have pretty ridiculously muscular arms now. Who doesn’t want those?
African wildlife
When in Africa, you go on a safari. And it was awesome. I saw so many different kinds of antelope that I couldn’t even count them. We also almost got charged by a rhino. It was that awesome moment when I thought everything was normal, turns out it wasn’t. And we got to see baby warthogs running around. Can I just say adorable?!?
Katie the Snake Killer
That moment when you realized you were sitting three feet away from a snake and didn’t realize it, um yeah, pretty creepy. Thank goodness we have Katie the ex-marine to annihilate the snake with a shovel.
Being the only team in Pretoria
While the rest of our squad was in Cape Town, we were by ourselves, like really by ourselves. It was hard at first knowing that they’d see each other and we wouldn’t. But by only having our teammates for a month, we grew in our friendships in such a profound way. I’m not sure that would’ve happened if we hadn’t been by ourselves.
Actually getting to play with kids
I’ll never forget the first Saturday we showed up to play with some kids who struggled with addiction. They saw us on the property and ran straight for Danielle. Not only does she love kids, but has beautiful golden blond hair that made her an instant hit. And if only for a few hours, we got to show those kids some love and attention that they may never have known otherwise.
God’s love
Okay, okay, I know that sounds cheesy. But God has revealed a part of His love that I’ve never experienced before. He’s practically doting on me. Everything He has done has been to show me that He loves me and cares for and will do anything to see my needs met. I was given the oppurtunity to go to a great conference with a worship band blew my mind, like seriously… mind blown. They even played a couple of my favorite songs, and I knew it was just for me. There was also a fellow YWAMer volunteering along side our team. Him and his wife spent so much time getting to know us and even getting words for everyone on our team. There are so many other little things it would take too long to list. I had that awesome moment where God showed me Psalm 34 as His heart for me right now…
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.
Yep, so South Africa was pretty awesome. Debrief has been pretty incredible as I had the chance to spend some quality time with God, and process with Him what journey He is leading me on.
Swaziland, here I come!
