After a 24 hour bus ride we safely arrived in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. The transition from slow-paced rural Swaziland to the hustle and bustle of urban city life was more of a culture shock than our first landing. In this season I have seen first-hand the importance of trying to limit one’s expectations and maximize flexibility in every situation. Coming from the Bush of Africa where you had to walk 10 miles to reach any form of civilization to now being a step away from many coffee shops, malls, or the shore of the Indian Ocean baffles me. I came to Jeffrey’s Bay with the expectation of needing to use bucket showers…and was pleasantly surprised by the luxurious accommodations that we are so blessed with on this leg of the journey. I’m not going to lie, once arriving to our missions’ home I had a twinge of guilt thinking that if I am a real missionary I should be sleeping on a mat covered in ants rather than a mattress with full lumbar support. The Lord sure does have a sense of humor, for which I am very grateful.
Once reaching our missions destination we had no idea what we were going to be doing. At 7:00 the following morning after our 24 hour bus ride and not fully recouped from the ordeal, we were told to pack an overnight bag for the weekend because apparently we were leading a camp of 100 high-schoolers. After a couple minutes of panic and stress trying to wrap my mind around what this would all entail, I got my “Let’s do this!” face on. Was I running on little to no sleep? Yes. Am I still sick? Yes. Am I physically and emotionally drained? You betcha! But it’s game time! And games we did play.
This camp experience was again different than what I was expecting. It was a government sponsored educational based program where handpicked students from Port Elizabeth can grow in Math, Science, and English subjects in a fun way. Being that the camp was a government based curriculum, we were not able to share the gospel openly unless asked. Not being able to verbalize our hearts was challenging, but it was such a perfect opportunity to show Christ through our actions. My specific job was working with a handful of my teammates in event coordinating and activity planning. Thank the Lord for coffee because my energy tank was far below zero. Through the migraines and sleep deprivation He has faithfully proved to be a sufficient user of my weakness. I was blown away by how many open doors the Lord granted to share His name and use our lives as a walking testament of His glory. Even though there was no prayer before meals or scheduled sermons, there were personal, intimate conversations about life with the students. Even though the Government would not allow for evangelization, we were permitted to tell our personal stories when asked… and asked they did. Sharing the love of Christ with 100 students through relationship building, hot meals, and playing outrageous games was an absolute honor to be a part of.
Transitions can be difficult. I miss the people of Swaziland with all my heart, but I am so open to what the Lord has in store for the remainder of my time in South Africa.
Prayer Requests
Week 4
• Health: I am unfortunately still struggling with sickness and can’t seem to get over a persistent cough. Six weeks is long enough.
• Opportunities: Prayer for continual open doors to share the gospel.
Thank you all so much for your continuous outpouring of support. Updates and new blog posts will hopefully be uploaded every week. WIFI is a little more accessible here. I will be posting vlogs as well as photos and other video’s so stay tuned! Your patience is highly appreciated.
Father,
Your will be done, nothing more, nothing less
