This month my team and I, along with another team from the squad, are serving with Global Challenge in Jeffery’s Bay, Shout Africa. Jeffery’s Bay has been a blessing we did not see coming as we are staying a 5 minute walk from the beach in an apartment with hot showers, nice beds, a kitchen, and even a couple of couches! We are quickly learning that the Lord did not call each of us here just to push us and refine us but also to bless us. The people of this community have welcomed us as if we are family inviting us to house church, dinners, and traditional South African braai’s! Our hosts from Global Challenge do check-ins weekly and look to see where we are interested in serving so they can partner us with people in the community who do that type of work!
Global Challenge is similar to AIM in the sense of having a program that sends young adults all over the world to serve with mission organization and help propel the Kingdom forward. It’s like a world race for people on this side of the world! The nonprofit runs mission programs, a church, and a private school for students from Jeffery’s Bay. They also partner with other profits in the community to try and spread the Gospel to all in Jeffery’s Bay and provide for those in poverty in their own community. When was the last time we didn’t just give money to charities but actually went out and met the poor in streets? It is convicting and inspiring to see these people meeting the needs of those around them up close and not just from a distance. And it is humbling to be a part of that.
A typical day in Jeffery’s Bay looks like Bible study in the early morning, manual labor at the school before lunch, and working with Beats and Books in the afternoon (an after school program for kids in a not so great part of town to help them with their schoolwork and teach them music). Being able to help with the school has been incredible. We will not really have the chance to see the fruit of our labor with this particular project but helping to provide a place for kids to get an education centered around Christ is very humbling. In the afternoon at Beats and Books, we have been given a lot of freedom on what we do with the kids. We lead worship, do a bible Study with the older girls, teach the younger children their ABC’s and how to read in English (as this is a primary language in South Africa), and a couple people teach music to the kids. Seeing the kids get excited when we walk up makes coming here a fun time! There are enough of us that each kid can get individualized attention which allows us to teach English at the level they are at and individualize their studies. Currently, we are working on creating Literature and Math assessments for the children! (So if you have any tips or anything you can send me, please do!).
The Lord has been teaching me a lot this month and it feels like this month is about putting the pieces together. About building a firmer foundation of trust in the Lord and continuing to stay present and passionate about what the Lord has for us. Being halfway through the race, things start to feel familiar, believe it or not. It is easy to get caught up in just going to serve day-to-day because it has become a habit and lose the drive and passion that motivated us to go on the race in the first place. But this month, I can see and feel the Lord building that passion back up in us for the second half of this journey!
So I would like to ask you to pray for us as we head into the second half of this journey: to stay present in Jeffery’s Bay, for the kids we are working with, and for us to allow the Lord to continue using us the way He wants to. Also pray s for my squad mates that are not fully funded – we could not do this thing without them so if you feel led, please donate to:
Annagilbery.theworldrace.org
Sheagreaves.theworldrace.org
Elyssaranck.theworldrace.org
Lyndenhuffman.theworldrace.org
Thank you for following this journey and loving me well from so far away!
