1st Week:
Well the flight, ouch, it was terrible. You cant make an 18 hour plane ride okay. You can watch 5 movies, take a 10 hour nap, and play every card game and still not be there. Although, landing in South Africa has been one of the greatest moments of my life. We arrived in Durban at around 1:00 a.m. local time on July 3rd (South Africa is 7 hours ahead of us). The first day we were about useless, due to the jet lag. Therefore, we took the day to get familiar with the area. We walked down many streets and around the beach area. South Africa's landscape is absolutely beautiful. The next day, we attended a local church that was similar to churches in the states. The presence of the Holy Spirit filled that church like crazy. It was absolutely amazing to be praising our Father and Savior in another country! We kicked off our first week with training on how to share the Gospel/Testimony, took part in a inner-city soccer league, and also shared the Gospel with many natives on the beach walk. I was extremely nervous about the conversations I would have and how I would have to share my faith. But then again, I was on a mission trip with the main purpose of sharing the Gospel. So, I learned through prayer and conversations that it was not myself speaking, but the Holy Spirit through every word. My strength and confidence grew through my obedience. Having the opportunity to take part in the inner city soccer league was awesome. Although my team was absolutely terrible, we took the field with happy hearts and had so much fun. My team was the smallest and youngest, but through the week we grew spiritually, bonded, and learned what it meant to be a team and work together. I am so proud of this growth that I was able to take part in. My heart breaks for the hearts and lives of these kids. Many of these kids do not have a father, some are without mothers, and some only get one meal a day. As a spoiled nation, we have so much to be thankful for daily, but why do we always take everything for granted? Why aren't we ever satisfied? These kids are so happy just to have some americans show them something that they never get, attention and guidance. I am proud to have been able to invest my time into these kids and show them meaning, purpose in life, and the wonderful story of Jesus Christ.
2nd Week:
This week we decided to spend our time at a HIV/AIDS hospice by the name of Ukukhanya, which means "light in the darkness" in Zulu. Ukukhanya is a non-profit treatment hospice that runs completely on US donations. This hospice holds about 11 patients that receive treatment and care daily. During the week here, we spent our time painting, picking up trash, fixing bathrooms, and preparing rooms for patients. This week taught us all how to serve with our hands and share the love of Christ without saying a word. On Thursday, some of us went to an orphanage that held children of all different ages. This time saddened my heart. Not only are these kids left father and motherless, but they are also fighting the problem of finding a home. The sad part with this orphanage is that they are only allowed to hold the children for 6 months. After the six months, if they are lucky, they are put into another orphanage somewhere else. But if they cannot find another orphanage, they are left out on the street. You can imagine how heartbreaking this is. The one and only relationship they have is with a foster-care mother that can only hold them for 6 months. This is destroying the bodies of these children physically, emotionally, but most of all, spiritually. On the other hand, there was a huge spiritual uplift at Ukukhanya (HIV/AIDS Hospice) about mid-week when one of our team members led an elder HIV/AIDS patient to Christ. Timba, an HIV/AIDS patient that was spiritually dead and on the verge of being physically dead, found salvation. This elder man had an arrogant and un-pleasant attitude before becoming a child of God. Here's the story on how it happened. One of our team members, by the name of Austin, felt led to enter Timba's room. Quickly realizing how spiritually lost Timba was, Austin began to share the Gospel through deep, intimate prayer. Upon leaving that room, she felt as though she needed to continue in prayer for Timba that day and night. She journaled all night on how she wished that God would take Timba home and relieve him of this physical pain that he was enduring. The next day we pulled up at Ukukhanya, we quickly realized that there was an extra vehicle there that we didn't recognize. That vehicle said Durban Funeral Service. Tears began to fill the team, as we all knew what occurred. After having a couple of conversations with care-tenders, they began to fill us in on how happy Timba was after our team left and how gracious he was that Austin prayed for him. They not only shared how happy he was for the first time, but also shared with us the presence of the Holy Spirit in his heart and body. Timba found Christ only hours before his death. The story of Timba brings tears of joy to my heart every time I share it. Austin had no idea that she would be making an eternal difference in Timba's life before she entered his room. She was simply following what God had placed on her heart. Where would we be if we followed God's will for our life? Could we save lives by putting the fear of sharing our relationship with Christ aside? I know that there has been plenty of times when God has placed something on my heart and I ignored it completely and went in the opposite direction. From now on, I no longer seek my best interest, but Christ's. And with that, I want to encourage everyone to share the Gospel with no regrets. Share the good news of Christ as if He is coming back tomorrow. Then, you will find yourselves seeking what He wants and desires for your life with no selfish ambition.
3rd Week:
This week we spent our time at another HIV/AIDS hospice called "The Highway Hospice." This hospice was massive and partnered with many different kresh's (day-care center for kids). Therefore, we invested most of our time with he children at the kresh's. At the first kresh we went to, we planted a nice vegetable garden for them while having simple fun with the kids. These kids are crazy for americans and they loved to play. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to go to this kresh and be able to leave a mark. A mark of God's everlasting love. We were truly blessed. The next day, half of the team went to the same kresh as the day before, while some of us went to a new kresh. This new kresh that I went to needed some labor and fixing up. Therefore, we cleaned and painted for the day that we were there. This also was encouraging knowing that God had great plans for that very kresh and just to be a part of those plans was amazing. The next day we decided to spend our time at a secondary school (high school) in one of the townships (area with much poverty). At this school, we had the opportunity to sit in as a student and then share the Gospel in front of the classrooms. We shared the Gospel through testimonies and through the plan of salvation. Many children found us after with multiple questions on what it meant to be a christian and how to obtain a personal relationship with Christ. To see Christ moving in the lives of these high school students was breathtaking. Before leaving, some of the students got together and wanted to share something with our group before we left. They began to line up and start singing praise music. They sang 2 songs in zulu and 1 song in english. Amazing. Thats all I can say. These children were praising the same God that I do, but in another language. It just reminded me that God is bigger than any language or ethnic background. Even though we are from complete different place, at the end of the day we praise and worship the same God. A great experience. On friday, a small team went back to Ukukhanya to finish tiling a bathroom. Unfortunately, I was the only one on our team that had tiled floor previously haha. Getting through the bathroom was a challenge, but was a great experience.
4th and 5th Weeks:
These special weeks we spent on the college campus's of UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal). There are two campus's, Westville and Howard. Therefore we decided to split up and cover both campus's. I had the privilege and honor of going to the Westville campus. Here, we quickly got to business about sharing the Gospel. Our theme of the week was "I did a 180." So, we tried to use the power of testimony throughout the week. We had the opportunity to speak with many students on their religion background and ethnic culture, while trying to get them involved with Campus Crusade for Christ on campus. One student stood out to me in particular, Sindi Ngiwenya. One of the days when I went out sharing with Mpumelelo Sphesihle Kunene (lelo for short haha), we stumbled upon two girls sitting down on a bench. After introducing ourselves, we began to ask a couple of questions about their beliefs on God. One of the girls proclaimed to be a christian, while the other was unsure of where she stood. I began to focus my time with the girl that was unsure about God and lelo sparked a conversation with the christian girl. So Sindi filled our conversation with questions and doubts, but I began to read scripture to her. After sharing with her the plan of salvation, she quickly realized that this was something she was very interested in. She looked up at me, responding with the exact words "I want to be born again." Now, as a missionary in a different country, we are not allowed to say or use any confusing terms. The term "born again" never came out of my mouth at any time and I have no idea where she heard it. Therefore, to hear her say those exact words to me was an awesome experience. Sindi Ngiwenya accepted Christ that day and became a child of God. Many stories began to fill up conversations throughout the week about leading students to Christ. The presence of Christ was moving all over these campus's.
In conclusion, South Africa drastically has changed my life. As a team, we shared the gospel individually with 465 natives and 26 accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. What a blessing it has been! The memories and people will forever fill my heart and prayers. The need is present everywhere: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If we as a christian body do not make a stand for these people, we are failing. We are not only failing ourselves, but also Christ. James 1:27 states, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." The Lord has given me a passion for these people. I want to help them. I need to help them. I not only want to make a difference this life, but I also want to make a difference in the next. I feel God calling me back to Durban and this time not only for 6 weeks, but for a year. I have been in deep prayer about the program that Campus Crusade for Christ offers and I feel Him drawing me there in January. This would mean me leaving a loving mother and father, a best-friend sister, and my education. The thought of this occurring scares me. Although, I feel God's calling to Durban to be urgent and strong. I know that in my life I have not always been obedient and sought His plan for my life, but I will refuse to live like that anymore. I refuse to live a content, selfish life. I want to experience Christ first-hand. In a section of the book "Radical" by David Platt, he says, "And i want to be a part of a people who are risking it all for Him. For the sake of more than a billion people today who have yet to even hear the gospel. I want to risk it all. For the sake of 26,000 children who will die today of starvation or a preventable disease. I want to risk it all." While reading through this book, those lines really stuck out to me. That's what i want and what I want to experience. True and genuine religion, that is what I seek after. I pray that God gives me persistence and strength as I make my decision for this upcoming year. Lord, guide my feet as I walk in Your direction rather than my own.
With All Love in Him,
So happy to hear from you! Can't wait to SEE you! Thanks for the blessings and encouragement! Love ya, CB
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