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/

Hope this will give you a glimpse of what I do in the School of Biblical Studies in South Africa. This is my Final Theme Summary, where I traced 1 theme through the book of 1 Timothy. Enjoy.

I desired to trace the theme of Paul’s encouragement to Timothy through the epistle of 1 Timothy. Paul calls Timothy his “true child” in 1 Tim. 1:2 and implores his to correct false teachers in the Ephesian church who are leading people away from the faith. Paul uses the example of his own life and Christ’s example to demonstrate to Timothy the example he should be also so that people may believe. Paul emphasizes twice the prophecies Timothy has received so that he would be empowered to walk in the gift and call that placed on his life. Not only does Paul encourage Timothy to be an example of godliness and sound doctrine in his own life but to train himself and to teach others in the church how to live out a godly life. This includes encouraging, teaching, and disciplining in church order, behavior, with leadership, young and those older than him, men and women, slaves and masters, widows and elders.

Paul is addressing this letter to Timothy because of the false teachers in the Ephesian church and how that is affecting people’s doctrines, their beliefs, but also how they live out their lives as believers. So Paul is imploring Timothy to teach and correct doctrines and behaviors, but he says that the aim of this is for “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” in 1 Tim. 1:5, and so the Ephesian believers should feel corrected and encouraged out of Timothy’s love and devotion. Paul’s attitude towards Timothy throughout the letter is one of encouragement, especially as Paul emphasizes his father heart for Timothy. But toward the end the letter Paul addresses Timothy as “man,” implying that Timothy is fully grown and fully called by God and fully given gifts for the task set before him. In difficult, confusing circumstances with attacks surrounding him, Timothy is reminded by Paul of the strong call of God on Timothy’s life, that God is his strength, is guiding him, and working through him. Timothy feels empowered and believed in by Paul to live godliness and to be an example, even to men much older than him and to people so different from him. Timothy feels supported by Paul to teach with confidence because of Paul’s encouragement and because of Paul’s organized, almost simple instructions. Paul is bringing Timothy back to the basics when people are heaping controversies about the meanings of words and that this or that means to do it this way and not that way. In all the Ephesian stew of syncretistic beliefs and teaching, Timothy is reminded he is not alone.

Encouragement should be significant and a part of the contemporary Christian believer’s life! Paul is a great example of how this should be done. So as Paul encourages Timothy in love and sometimes with strong words, Timothy is to encourage the Ephesian believers in love and even with strong words and correction, but all in love. In we could bring this into the church today, into discipleship, even into the secular workplace, I believe there would be changes. The greatest example I have is in my own life where I can think of many people who have encouraged me. God has used their encouragement to influence me to be the person I now am and to live the life I now lead. If I think of life without Christ and without Christians obedient to God in pursuing me, I would be a very different and sad person.