*Please read until the end*
South Africa
It’s crazy to think of all that has happened since I posted last! Team Thunder finished out our time with Impact Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. Then, we spent a week in Nelspruit with the whole squad and our leadership beginning the much needed time of processing the 11 months of the race…
-What we’ve learned
-How we’ve grown
-Listing out fun, as well as, hard memories
-Tracking our relationship with God, others, and ourselves from then to now
For me, Johannesburg was one of my favorite months of ministry and with my team, but it was also draining as we near the end. So, Nelspruit was a time for me to just relax, connect, but also disconnect.
Holding two girls during our Friday event called Jabulani Kids (JK)
Team Thunder with our beloved translators in Johannesburg!
Last day with Impact Students at local Secondary School in Diepsloot
Leading dances with the interns for the kiddos at one of Impact Africa’s preschools 🙂
Eswatini
Coming into our last month in Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), it was a hard transition for our squad as a whole. And we began without two of our team leaders (TL) and one squad leader(SQL), which made it feel a bit empty. As the only remaining TL, I became the liason for the squad with the majority of our ministry host communication. Although it has been a huge learning curve for me, I am so grateful for the lessons in communication, grace, humility, patience, and most importantly love. We are all exhausted here at the end, and in much need of love and grace from one another.
Transitioning to ministry this month…I had the pleasure of working in agriculture for the first week of ministry. We pulled a lot of weeds in the garden and cut down toothpick bushes in a field (look these up – they’re scary!). The best part of that is the garden was being prepared to begin growing vegetables to feed the kids who went came to that Carepoint as part of a feeding program. Most of the kids also go to school on site, and this will help them have a wider variety of food. Clearing the brush and bushes was also awesome because the area where we started clearing used to be a soccer field. So, clearing the area would allow the kids to play safely, as a lot of them run around with bare feet.
The last three weeks, I have had so much fun helping at Bhalakene Preschool, which is also the Carepoint Site where we helped with the garden! At an Adventures In Missions (AIM) base this month, it is cool to see how the organization that sends us out, also is planting permanent roots in countries all over the world!
Carepoints are the name of sites where there are feeding programs for kids to come Monday-Friday to get a meal. Kids are also able to receive a special friend (sponsor) to help support the things that they need. This was sweet to be part of too on one of the holidays here.
Squeezing on the van with the Squad!
Week 1 Agriculture Team!
Teaching students “Waka Waka” after school
Hanging out with two of the girls at the Carepoint
Serving food at the Carepoint
Reflecting
A month of joy, but also much challenge! All of this is a picture to me of the kingdom: growing in intimacy with the Father, who is always there for me; recognizing the impact of a close-knit community spurring one another on to love and good works; and giving generously of what we have to the communities around us (next door or across the globe). It has truly been a ride and there is so much more I would love to share, but will end with some exciting news!
Next…
Because of the impact this year has had on my life, and also the growth that the Lord has taken me through in leadership and discipleship this year, I have committed to Squad Lead for a new group beginning in August! This will be a quick turn-around for me, as well as my family, so please be in prayer over us.
I would love to see as many of you as I can, so please reach out to me on social media or whatsapp to coordinate. Thank you is not a big enough word to express my gratitude to those of you who have supported in any way during this year! Every message, prayer, and dollar donated is precious. Whether you hear all of the stories or not, know that it was used and blessed people.
Squad leaving Nelspruit, SA for our last month in Eswatini!
Support
If you feel led to give financially for my next journey, I will hopefully be sharing that information soon. If you feel led to partner with me in prayer or just be someone to encourage me weekly or monthly while I’m away, that would mean so much! I won’t have time to do a lot of face to face support raising this time, so if the Lord prompts you, please be encouraged!
[Mark 4:26-29]
And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
[Matthew 13:31-32]
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
