As many of you know (and lifted up in prayer), I had the privilege of going on a ministry-trip (part missions, part personal leadership development, part learning about Teen ministry in other parts of South Africa) for about 2 weeks in August. My friend Meagan, who I've talked a lot about on this blog, went with me! First of all, you must note that Meagan and I have come from totally different backgrounds, our personalities are different and from an outside glance, you'd never put us together as natural friends. However, God has built an amazing friendship between us, given us similar passions and visions for ministry and constantly allows us to see Him in each other- pushing each other toward a deeper relationship and walk with Christ. It's through this friendship that we were able to spend literally 24 hours a day for 15 days together and still come out on the other side as great friends! Having so much time together, spending every meal together, going through the same experiences, etc- naturally brought conversations about life, views on God and helped us both process the lessons we were learning. What an honor it was to be with my sweet, South African friend on such a meaningful time of learning and serving!
We spent most of our time in Shelly Beach/Margate, South Africa. Our biggest ministry was with a group of young adults (18-21 year olds) who are fresh out of high school and are living on the campus of a church – doing correspondence courses for College Credit and learning about ministry by being on staff at this large church. They're called 'Becomers' – a ministry that intends to lead these young people to become deeper followers of Christ while doing deep ministry. Meagan and I lived among them- staying in the girls cabin. We were able to lead leadership sessions with them a few days and teach some of the ministry ideas and techniques that we specialize in personally and at Living Hope; however, our greatest advances with them were in the casual conversations we had after ministry time- just hanging out in the cabin. There were many times that we'd be beckoned into a conversation, asked our opinion and then brought into theology of ministry and strategy and effectiveness among the poor and needy. Our experiences at Living Hope and in life in general were all used during our time with the Becomers.
We did a variety of work in the ministry we served- worked at an Orphanage, organized medical supplies at the AIDS hospice, taught Life Skills and Leadership Development, went to multiple churches, met with ministry leaders, led home-cell-groups, led Bible Studies in local communities…
It was refreshing to see an organization so similar to Living Hope in a region other than the Cape- it was a confirmation that God's plan and purpose in Africa has a lot to do with taking care of the sick and dying, meeting needs, sharing His hope and love and showing others how to live for Christ every day.
Since being in South Africa, I've done a lot of 'learning.' I've learned about the South African culture, I've learned how ministry does and does not work here, I've learned a plethora of names, I've learned how to live without heat and air conditioning, and even learned a little Afrikaans. But what I've really learned is that missions is about a real, honest relationship with the Lord- lived out in front of people, hiding nothing, sharing everything, and walking life together. This mission trip to Margate/Durban opened my eyes to the challenges that are all around us and just how much learning I still have to do.
Thank you for your prayers for this trip and for ministry in general as God continues to reveal His lessons from my wide array of experiences and challenges!
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