Hello from Johannesburg, Africa!

Hello from Johannesburg, Africa!
It has been 35 days since I left America! Unfortunately my blog has been inactive for the last month and a half with technical issues, but it has just been fixed! Now that I am able to update you all, we have a lot to cover!! In the last 49 days I’ve been through 2 weeks of preparation and training in Gainesville, GA, 48 hour travel day from Atlanta to London to Johannesburg to Eswatini. Currently I am Johannesburg airport, flying to our second location on the trip and country, Jeffery’s Bay, South Africa. Before I tell you all the amazing stories thus far, let’s take a look back at training camp.

Training camp was a time for a deep dive into understanding the Bible and the gospel for what they truly are and to understand my role and purpose as a believer and a part of the living Church of God. We learned evangelism techniques, how to contextualize scripture, and how to be empowered in the true radical redemptive beauty of the gospel. We also spent many sessions and days understanding the culture, customs, and the do’s and don’ts of the countries we were going to. While in America we were able to evangelize in the city. I was excited and returned to the feet of the Lord in preparation for this time. Asking the Lord to use me, whatever the cost during this trip, I prayed His glory and majesty would reign through his Holy Spirit and the love the living God can bring into peoples and communities. I was able to have a 45 minute conversation with two 40 years old men and discuss the nature of God and his desire for relationship and freedom, not a God who holds record of our sins. As we prayed multiple times the presence of the Lord was present. One of the men, Thomas, began to hold his back in pain. I asked if he was okay. After explaining his traumatic injury from when he was a child and showing me a large scar across his back. I asked if he was in pain. He said his pain was constant and was a pain that felt like a gunshot wound that never left. The Lord is kind and Real! The Holy Spirit guided me to pray for Thomas. After our prayer he sat down swiftly, I asked, “how does your back feel?”. With a sincere and soft smile he said, “there is no pain”. Praise and Glory to the Living God!
After 15 more minutes communicating and laughing with my new friends it was time to go, I asked again how his back was before leaving. Nonchalantly he replied with a sincere smile, “there is no pain man, no pain at all.” The Lord is alive and his glory is all around us, he just wants our “yes” to partner with him in his kingdom that is here on earth!

Training camp in Georgia wrapped up and the travel day began! After the long 2-day travel day, the journey in a foreign place finally began. Here in Eswatini, the people here are warm in nature and are always smiling. They are a relationship oriented people, as it is super easy to make new friends. As the last monarchy country in Africa, the political climate is very divided here as the people want democracy and the king and his parliament want monarchy to reign. While the political climate is heavy, the name Jesus reigns higher than that of policy and kingship among these lands. The words “Jesus is King” reigns through the majority of these lands, therefore, joining in this anthem is a sweet honor. To join the swati people in praising the Lord awakens the faintest heart as the power of God moves simply and triumphantly through the name JESUS!

As the weeks have gone on it has been filled with a variety of emotions and introspective challenges in every sense. A common week may look like this; Mondays are evangelism days. Followed by Tuesdays through Fridays spending time at care points/schools where we mostly participate in children’s ministry. I’ve been able to play soccer with the kiddos, share the gospel, help build a soccer field, and help with administration work like helping kids receive sponsorships to help feed them! Saturdays are our sabbath days, while Sundays are our day for church, evangelism in the city, and finding WiFi to talk to family back home for that week! One of my favorite stories so far was I saw a man walking down an African dirt road and I loved his authentic hand sewn African style shirt. As I ran after him and introduced myself I was able to share the gospel with him and create a new friendship. At the end of the conversation, I asked if he wanted to trade for my athletic American tshirt. He was very much inclined and there on a random African dirt road we traded shirts. It was such a fun, spontaneous moment that was full of the Lords joy. After swapping shirts the day prior, the next day I saw him walking the same road with the shirt I had traded him yesterday. The next three days he was seen passing with the very shirt we had traded for. He said he had been telling all his friends he had traded with an American saying, “look at my shirt it’s from an American!”. The joy and the glory of the Lord and a sweet memory of trade made something so minor like a yellow athletic shirt I had bought on clearance before my trip, acted as a bridge between two very different people brought together in the love of the King of Kings. Thank you Jesus.

Taking a look back after the month in Eswatini, I see how sweet my time was there. The Kids ministry was amazing and seeing the Joy and Love of the Lord come over our hearts and theirs in fellowship together was truly a gift. The evangelism days were powerful with countless people prayed for, others the Lord healed, and many truly heard the gospel for the first time. While emotionally I was met with various challenges, the spiritual and physical time spent in this country was powerful and filled with the Lords glory and power. I’m grateful God meets me in understanding my every emotion and delivers us closer towards his presence. As I see God for who he truly is, u realize he’s always seen me for who he created me to be. That my friends, is freedom. Knowing God sees you, and you get see him in his true nature. The king of kings. Prince of peace. Lord most high. Judge and defender. Creator of all. And LOVE himself.

The Lord has been teaching me and harboring me in his presence. As I run to the quiet place with him and discover deeper companionship with the Lord he never ceases to sustain, teach, and love me more than I could ever imagine.

There is a big journey ahead, as this is only the halfway mark… I can’t wait to further fall in in love with the marvelous mystery of getting to know Jesus while here in Africa.God has much to reveal and he has much to do. May we always join him in companionship.

Ways to pray:

1. Strength and courage to keep running to the quiet place with the Lord and cultivating further covenant with him there.
2. That the Lord would continue to go before myself and our team paving the way in safety and love.
3. For endurance of my spirit and for God to further create adventurous moments between the Holy spirit and I.