A Year of Discovery - My History in South Africa Part II

To read the first part of this two part series on "My History in South Africa," please click here: My Beginnings in South Africa - History Part I
 
After careful consideration and prayer, I stepped forward with courage to face my fears and to discover and pursue my passions and new ministries. Here are some of the things I've been involved in during 2014.

 

I remembered that I love to mentor and disciple people in life and missions - for people to understand their intimate value in God, to pursue deeper relationship with the Lord, and to be empowered to living fully for His Kingdom. I've been able to step out in mentoring these future missionaries and world changers. 

I helped to implement Creative Communications at YWAM Muizenberg, as it’s a new thing. I believe God desires to use communications (writing, photography, art, film) through the internet and social media to demonstrate how God is moving in South Africa. It’s also a significant way people can come to know Jesus and to celebrate and love people in my community. I love that people can be valued and empowered through communications!

I started the YWAM Muizenberg blog, where our missionaries write about how God is moving in South Africa!

Justice Doll educates and empowers people to fight human trafficking and global injustices. It's also a job creation program for vulnerable women. I built relationships with the women and supported their director through intercession and helped her with vision and to write communications.

“Awake” is a YWAM ministry a day a week to the community, which is open for anyone to come, the homeless, nonbelievers, and even Christians.  We listen, pray, share Jesus, and love on them. It’s amazing how God draws and touches lives!

Praying & sharing Jesus.
Photo Credit: Bethesda House Staff

I had the opportunity to go with a friend to Zimbabwe to paint a mural on a prison wall, interview and film the ladies at the ministry/job creation program Gogo Olive, share from God’s Word, pray for people, bless, and serve however we could. I would love MORE Opportunities to GO to the Nations to love and bring the transforming message of Jesus. I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but it is on my heart for the future.

Working with the ladies at Gogo Olive in Zimbabwe.
Photo Credit: Felicity Davies

I am so thankful for the opportunity this year to receive more training in Biblical worldview, how the Bible is applicable to all areas of today's society, in communications, and in spiritual leadership. It has been an amazing growing experience, and I hope to continue to apply what I've learned in my life! 

I praise God for His hand and guidance this year! He has been so gentle and loving and yet so powerful and healing and bringing freedom in my life. Here's to MORE of Him and His Kingdom revealed in 2015!

*If you'd like to learn more about Youth With A Mission Muizenberg, you can check out their website here: http://ywammuizenberg.org/

My Beginnings in South Africa - History Part I

I first journeyed to South Africa for YWAM's School of Biblical Studies in 2010. I had sold what I owned in the U.S. for the move, and I was blessed to buy furnishings for my new home in South Africa.  Also by God’s provision through people, I was able to pay each month for my expenses to live in South Africa. So far I’ve had Five different roofs over my head during two years. I am thankful for a lovely, cozy, and secure flat and a wonderful flatmate.

 

Our first Life Skills class!
Photo Credit: HAC Staff

After a visit to the States, I arrived back in South Africa in early 2012 and served with Youth With A Mission Muizenberg and Hope Africa Collective but had no idea what that would look like. I began by staffing the Life Development course for people who are unemployed in order that they obtain job skills, employment, and to become financially stable. Approximately 150 people a year have received this training, and many have gone on to gain employment!

I took over the administration and management for the Computer Training course from mid-2012 to 2014. My time at Hope Africa also included coordinating and teaching the Bible Overview seminar, teaching job interview preparation, leading small groups, setting up and running the Registrar and computer Database, etc. I wore many hats! If the staff had a question, they knew I might know the answer or how to fix it. All of the students who attended Hope Africa's programs have been introduced to the Bible and Jesus with salvations during each program! 

People's hearts have been receptive to the work and life of Jesus Christ! Praise God!

*If you want to know what happened next in 2014, click here: A Year of Discovery - My History in South Africa Part II

I NOW live in South Africa. As you can tell, I'm really excited about this!

As you can read, I have arrived safely in South Africa,
the land that I now live in and hope to come to love!

At the Airport with my Sister

“See you laters”

After sad goodbyes - or as I like to call them "see you laters" in hopes that I would cry less - from Montana to California to Minnesota and Wisconsin and places in between, my flights from Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Capetown were uneventful. (Yeah!) This is the first time I have ever arrived at my destination in two flights, and to South Africa at that! But my legs did get a bit cramped with back-to-back flights. I arrived after 10:00pm, both of my checked bags made it (yeah!), and I headed out of customs looking for a familiar "YWAM" sign! And there it was, with a little crowd of people!

Destination Africa!

I arrived early, with a few days to settle in and get over jetlag before my classes started Monday. Jetlag was no fun! I was so tired the first few days. But I got a chance get to know my new hometown of Muizenberg (where the grocery store is, Checkers, some coffee shops, and the beach) and my roommate Anne and some of my other classmates and staff.

International Flava'
Both the town and the YWAM base are quite multi-cultural. In my School of Biblical Studies (SBS) alone, there are twenty-two students, representing six continents and fifteen countries (not including my staff)! I have nine classmates from African nations. As a school we are even blessed to have a local pastor attending classes with us! He has an amazing testimony! I am looking forward to get to know my classmates from such diverse backgrounds and experiences.

God Experiences

I have been praying so much about who my roommates would be, and they are so great. So far I have two from two different countries and continents. We get along well and have already had quite a few things to laugh about! I am thankful for all the girls in SBS. Together we are a small group of girls, but it seems we have similar hearts to love the Lord. I believe God will be showing us a lot of amazing things during this season at we seek Him!

The other night, we girls were talking and praying about this new season in our lives and the things that God has placed on our hearts. One thing I felt impressed by – my desire is that the Holy Spirit be evident in love and action in this SBS, my school – in our lives! Most of the time with school, we get wrapped up in head knowledge, but my prayer is that it would be about heart knowledge, centered around the Holy Spirit revealing to us what He desires us to learn! This goes so much deeper than that what I can learn in my own wisdom and effort.

Muizenberg, Beach, Surfing... And Surfing With Sharks???

My little mountain-beach-blustery town

View from YWAM Muizenberg, South Africa rooftop, my home!

Muizenberg is a little town along a bay on the south west side of South Africa. So far, it is pretty much always windy, especially near the ocean, making it cold most of the time! My windbreaker has come in very handy, keeping away the blustery wind and rain. And it is just coming out of winter here, heading into spring. I am thankful to have warm weather ahead of me (summer in December), though I am told the wind Muizenberg gets, keeps it cooler most of the time. The buildings are not heated, so I have to dress warmly inside and when going to classes. I am usually wrapped in a blanket in my dorm room, and my room faces south, making it even colder because of the wind from the south and the lack of direct sun.

God’s creation is so beautiful here – mountains meet ocean! This rock rises above the town on the west side. I will be climbing it one of these days! Muizenberg also borders Table Mountain National Park on the west, with Table Mountain northwest of me towards Capetown.

Muizenberg has quite a few surfers. There was a surf competition on my first Sunday here, and they tried to break the Guiness Book of World Records for the most surfers on the same wave at the same time. They didn’t this year, but it was quite a crummy day outside. And there are great white sharks! I haven’t seen them yet, but the beach has people on shark patrol all day. There are flags they fly according to whether they have seen a shark or not and the visibility for seeing them in the water. There was actually a shark attack on a surfer a couple days ago across the bay. He sustained minor injuries.