It’s been months since I have written my last blog, but I feel convicted to write about the things God has been doing in my life and the lives of so many others. Since we were in Guatemala my squad has traveled through 2 more, amazing countries. God has been moving and transforming my life as well as the lives of everyone that He encounters.
South Africa
Our squad was split for South Africa so I was only with half of them in a small town called Heidelberg. This was a community where everyone knew everything and within 2 days of us being there, everyone in the town had heard of us. It was a sleepy town with farms and cows everywhere you looked. This beautiful place would be a struggle for many of my teammates as it was very slow with not much to do. However, with much encouragement from each other we looked to make the most of our time. Our days always started with prayer and intercession together. This completely changed the course of our day as we started each morning focusing on the One who had brought us to the town in the first place. Our ministry consisted of VBS for the kids and helping with the church every Sunday. In addition, we helped teach the school that was also held at the church building. We also got the opportunity to serve at a soup kitchen a couple times which was so incredibly rewarding. This was one of my favorite parts as we got to become friends with the kids and also help them in advancing their education. We had worship nights every week and braai’s (barbecues) with our church family there.
God taught me so much in this season of slowing down, including learning how to be content with His presence alone. Most of our afternoons were free with not much to do in the town we lived in. I learned how to prioritize God and His word in this time. In addition, I didn’t really have much else besides Him and learned how to be okay with that. Even if I never saw my family or friends again. Even if I never did another day of ministry again, God would still be enough for me. I was also brought through a lot of insecurities with comparison and my identity. It was through the heartbreak and tearing down of everything that I put my identity in, that God taught me to build my identity on His foundation.
By the end of South Africa, I was incredibly sad to leave the kids behind and the members of the church that we had become close with. I saw how God can turn any situation into something good and profitable for His glory!
Eswatini
This country started off with overwhelming amounts of joy as our squad was reunited!! Though this moment was filled with so much joy, it also brought some old insecurities back into my mind. However, God soon completely removed those insecurities from my mind. It’s amazing what happens when you seek God’s wisdom and listen to what he says back. Our ministry consisted of going to care points every day and doing house visits, being able to pour into the communities around us. Most of the day was playing with kids and simply being able to love them the way God loves us. Most of the kids were taken care of by their grandparents meaning that they didn’t get much love and affection at home. It was exhausting work, but we came home feeling full every single day.
My attitude about the ministry was not great the first week, however, I learned that God really is the giver of energy and that focusing my eyes on Him can change my attitude in a day. One day I was dreading ministry and the next I was looking forward to going . We saw so many healings (mentally and physically) going to house visits, and so many smiles from kids who loved us just as much as we loved them. It was also so good being able to get closer with the squad, forming new relationships as well as deepening old ones.
Malaysia
In Eswatini, our squad learned that we would once again be split with half of us going to Indonesia and the other half of us being re-routed to Malaysia. My team and another team were the ones being re-routed to Malaysia and honestly it was a very hard thing to adjust too. It was extremely sad thinking about being split from everyone for our last months together before the end. However, with much prayer and encouragement from those around us, my team slowly adjusted to this new reality.
Before I share any of the things we have been doing here, please be careful not to share any pictures that I post with anyone or the names of the ministries or our ministry hosts names with anyone as it is illegal to be a missionary in this country.
One of the biggest obstacles in the 2 weeks that we have been here is the fact that we are not allowed to share the gospel with anyone. We also have to be careful if people ask us what we are doing here and also where we are staying. While it is not illegal to be a Christian here, it is illegal to be a missionary and share the gospel with the people. In addition, our Christian ministry hosts have gotten a lot of hate for their faith and have struggled with being made fun of. Most of the people in Malaysia are either Muslim or Buddhist, making it a very spiritually dark place.
Honestly, I have had a very difficult time in this country. The first week I found it extremely difficult to be motivated to spend time with God and this past week I have been sick and not been able to go to ministry. The enemy is definitely after us here, making it even more important to press into God and the purpose that He has for us here. Each day we go to a refugee school and teach them English, Math, and Science. The refugees are not allowed to go to school in Malaysia so this simple school we are teaching at is the most education that they will get. Please pray that we will have wisdom to teach them well. Most of the kids are Muslim and so it has been amazing to be able to be the light of Jesus to them and love them with God’s love without them even knowing it. This situation has made me realize that in every moment of every day life, we have the ability to share Jesus with every person simply by the way we love them. In the evenings we have house visits, church, and prayer meetings. We have very late nights, usually not coming home till midnight but we have the afternoons to rest and take naps after ministry. I have also learned the importance of intercession here. While we are not able to physically share the gospel, we are able to fight for these people’s souls through prayer. We have also been able to pray for strangers to come up and question us about our faith, giving us the opportunity to share about Jesus with them and build relationships.
Another cool thing is that it has been Ramadan while we have been here. We are able to get the opportunity to talk to people about fasting and why they are doing it. It has also been an opportunity to share that Christians also fast and sharing our reasons for it. It has also been important to pray for the kids during this time as most of them are tired and hungry during school. We have also been praying for people to have dreams of Jesus even though they are not sleeping well during Ramadan. This coming week marks the end of their fasting so we are praying for so many opportunities to talk to people and for them to have questions for us.
As we have the next month in this country, please pray against spiritual oppression and for us to continue to fight the good fight. I also ask that you would intercede for these people in your own homes. Pray for dreams and visions of Jesus and for them to question their faith. Also pray for supernatural encounters with people where we are able to build relationships and share the gospel with them. This is a people that are some of the most kind people ever, but they are also so lost. Also, pray for us to have motivation and patience with the kids we are teaching and also for their minds to be strengthened to learn everything they can as this is the only school they are going to be getting. Thank you so much for your prayers!!
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