And just like that, I’m in Ecuador! I can’t believe my time in South Africa is over! I have learned and grown so much in the three months that I had in Africa. God taught me so much in this season but three lessons stood out and I just so happened to have learned one of the lessons per month.
Month 1: Contentment
Oh month 1, you were a whirlwind of change. One week, I was home and the next, I was in Africa with 41 strangers. I had so many expectations of what being a long term missionary was… and none of my expectations were met. Instead my ministries were an after school program and a kids camp. If you know me, you know that’s literally my life at home. Month 1 was a big smack in the face of unmet expectations.
Through this, God taught me to be content no matter the circumstance and to look for God in the little things. This lesson of contentment taught me a bunch of little lessons like joy, gratitude and faithfulness.
Month 2: Intimacy
Unlike month 1, month 2 included a very challenging ministry. If you don’t know, my team and the guys team moved across the country to Johannesburg for month 2 and 3. Our first two weeks of ministry was going to multiple schools a day and preforming the everything skit, sharing the gospel, and doing a few dances. Even thought kids ministry is kind of my thing, this ministry was super out of my comfort zone. The rest of our time in Johannesburg was almost all evangelism which is super spiritually taxing. These two months taught me that I am nothing without Jesus. I learned that there is no way I can preach in front of crowds of kids and share my faith with unbelievers all day if I didn’t spend time with Jesus every morning. And when I wouldn’t spend enough time in the Word in the morning, it showed. None of my conversations in the communities were Spirit led and I would leave the day feeling discouraged and defeated. But when I spent time in the Word before ministry, God would MOVE!! I’d see salvations, healings and break throughs left and right. It made such a difference when I lived out of an overflow rather then out of my own strength.
Month 3: Identify
If Satan is going to attack you, He’s going to go straight to the root of who you are because if He can mess that up, He wins.
During this month I reflected a lot on who I was before the Race and who I am now. I had this expectation that I was going to become almost unrecognizable when I got home because of how much I was going to change while on the field. I thought that my whole personality would change and I’d be this completely different person. I’m happy to report, that’s not happening.
The Lord didn’t take me half way across the World to turn me into a different person, He just wants to refine the person I am now. If He didn’t want me the way I am why the heck would He have made me this way just to change it? I’m still Skylar. Just this version of Skylar knows how to love and is completely reliant on the Father for strength and guidance. This Skylar is confident in the person the Lord made her to be and she loves herself.
Appearance-wise, yeah, I’m a little different. I don’t wear makeup as often, my hair is longer and now I have a tattoo (oops). But I’m still the same person I am when I left, just a little bit cooler.
I look back on the three months I’ve had and I’m blown a way. The Lord is freakin working and it’s only been three months! I have six more amazing months left and I can’t wait to see what He has in store next!
Thanks for reading! Love y’all!
