They say distance makes the heart grow fonder…Well this is something that I can attest to. Africa was three months of growth and love that I am beyond grateful to have experienced. As I look back on my time in Africa, I am eager to see when and how the Lord will take me back to a land and people who now have a huge piece of my heart (more on that later!). But, now I want to dive into sharing all that was “Month 3: South Africa”.
We left Swaziland in early October and took 15 passenger vans to get us to Durban, where our squad dispersed and found their month-three-home. Ours was in Pinetown, South Africa with an organization called “Hope House”. This organization is a home for abandoned babies, and we were blessed to take care of 10 children ranging in age from newborn to 5 years.
As we pulled into a neighborhood and a driveway of a beautiful house, I was immediately faced with thoughts of comfort, running water and air conditioning (things that were scarce in Swaziland). All of these gifts came to pass, but Jesus didn’t call me on this journey to be “comfortable”. Even with these small blessings, we realized quickly that squeezing 7 women in a 25x15ft space was a sure fire way to rattle a few nerves. Irritability and frustration were something we all dealt with, but it wasn’t until about two weeks in that we were vulnerable in sharing those thoughts.
Looking back, we feel like the enemy had a hand in our emotions, and if we had let him, he would surely have de-unified our team. In coming together in prayer and worship, we fought the enemy and pressed into one another realizing that this journey isn’t just about serving our ministry hosts, but one another. Once we did that (and changed our ever changing schedule), we began to see the other beautiful blessings God placed before us.
In South Africa, we found community. We found family. We found joy.
While working, we would learn a little about ourselves and parenting, say a little (BIG) prayer of thanksgiving for the patience our parents must have had with us and share in the joys of loving on little humans. Not a day goes by that we don’t share in the triumphs each little one in that home has (Thanking the Lord for Facebook and Sonia and Lynne’s diligence in sharing first roll overs, steps and water splashes!)
In our down-time, we were blessed with community that became family through the various churches we attended and the love that was poured into us by our neighbors. From dinners out with Trish, to prayer meetings at Daryl and Gill’s, we were blessed immeasurably with people who loved us well and made South Africa feel like home.
Leaving Africa was very hard for me (trust me, tears were shed), but I live in the hope that this was only a “see you later”. As my team and I looked forward, we pressed into our ministry for Vietnam as “Unsung Heroes”! This program through Adventures in Missions is an opportunity for teams to connect with future ministry hosts in order to spread our reach in nations around the globe. In knowing that the Lord had big things planned for us in Vietnam, we rested easy in His presence and eagerly awaited to be a small part in His Kingdom-work in Vietnam (more on our journey in Vietnam to come!).
That’s all for now! Don’ forget to check out photo’s from South Africa and our first two months on the field at facebook.com/groups/morganswrmission. Here’s a peek –
