I am basically going to share with you my "homework" for this trip. Hope you enjoy!
Mission/plan:
Support the work in Enkanini (informal settlement of Cape Town) from Sunday to Thursday-
Sunday=meeting-usually with drama and gospel based
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-English class, math class, dance class
Wednesday=Bible study-mostly involve gospel topics
Personal time with the children-getting to know our targets and their needs. Helping them to experience God personally through singing hymns.
Set up UCT Love Your Neighbour Club
Establish the club to approach local youths and have another door for gospel work and help the local brothers and sisters to see their position in God's work.
Morning team
Worship and pray with the whole team. This was essential to have a strong foundation first everyday to do God's work!
The Lovely Team!!-Abby, Peter, (sometimes Enoch from Pretoria) + THE FIVE PRINCESSES!
First and foremost, I want to say that I love the five princesses! After spending January to March with them, I did not get sick of them, but through them, I learned what sisterly love is!
I never thought that I could be so close to sisters. Through living together, we became so comfortable with one another. I know that many of us (me included) are often very closed about ourselves, but eventually because we work so closely, we became very open with one another. I had a breakthrough in this, and understood what being true sisters in Christ is. Since I don’t have any brothers or sisters, I don’t know at all how brothers and sisters treat each other or how the relationship is. But through this trip I found it so very joyful to live with the sisters and share everything with them, to know that they will support you, and that they will also remind you, sometimes they would bug you, but we also have lots of fun and laughs! We have so much fun together, this must be what living as sisters is like! I believe that I know how to be a better sister and how to be closer to the sisters. I also treasure this family a lot more.
Through planning, praying, worshiping, playing, living, cooking, eating, ect with the whole team, I got more comfortable with "older/mature brothers and sisters". Before I may have the concept that I need to respect them and it is very hard to get to know them personally. But through this trip, I can finally feel that they are brothers and sisters too, with no distance or generation gap….they are just a little bit older. But they are still cool and they also need our "young brothers and sisters" support. It is really no pressure co-working with them, I really enjoyed being with the whole team, young and old.
For our meeting in Enkanini on Sundays, the whole team plans together. I felt that everyone gave their part and created something beautiful. We mostly rehearse last minute on Saturday nights for dramas (which was super fun! I was always the protagonist hehe). Sometimes that morning I may not feel like that we are that ready to present, but I always feel God's presence in the car ride to Enkanini, and He confirms that He is with us. I feel that I understand what having "the bravest faith" means. I feel that my faith was so strong to present in front of the children and that even though sometimes it feels like they don’t understand, I have faith that God will do something in their hearts through us.
Local Ministry
The local church in Cape Town is very young, they just started having a church there I think 2 years or a little more than 1 year ago. It reminds me of the young Calgary church. We have meetings in a rented house (the house that we lived in), but after a few weeks we started to rent a sports club to have meeting there. Just like how Calgary was, from a house to renting a room in the university! It brought back good memories :)
I was responsible to shepherd a elementary school girl, shes the daughter of a local family.I was touched by her pure heart towards the Lord. Having cell group with her helped me to be more flexible. Sometimes I might have something well planned in advance, however during the day when I draw near to God, God might remind me something different to do with her. I realized that in the past I was too rigid and I didn’t let the Lord guide me too much.
Through helping the local brothers and sisters, I realized the challenge of starting a church and being responsible to help brothers and sisters to be in condition. I can say that it is hard and its a battle, but there are also many victories! I appreciate so much more the brothers and sisters in the early stages in Calgary and even till now. I must not have been easy, but brothers and sisters are so commited and they never gave up.
Actually one time in Cape Town, thinking about the church in Calgary helped me to keep going. At one point, many of us were starting to loose hope. I was really struggling because it felt like what we were doing was ineffective. And even if it was effective now, in the future, I dont know how the young b/s will be like. But thinking back to Calgary, even though it seems like there are not many people now, but we brought many back to God who are now very glorious brothers and sisters in this movement. It touched me to tears how all that we do for God is not in vain. and that He will use what we do to become a blessing somehow.
I learned to support the local sisters and to help them to have an appetite for God. Their "level" is totally different than ours, I learned to go back to the basics and just worship with them. I also shared my own experiences so that they can know what it is like to truly experience God.
Going to Enkanini, I learned to target potential believers and to first develop good relationship with them. I also learned to plan how to preach to them, to see their needs and to preach in simple ways in which they could understand. I was also able to preach the gospel to a large group of children, I experienced the Lord's guidance helping me. We also had quick improv skits which were so fun to do and presented the gospel to the children in a different way! Preaching the gospel was so fun!
Breakthroughs/Improvements
The worship with the team helped me to enter into truths that I rarely meditate about or truths that I thought may be hard to meditate about in the past. When we used the seven treasures of the universe with the Bible verses, it helped to understand these truths clearly and know how to enjoy them. Brothers and sisters' prayers also helped me a lot. When I voiced out, even though I may not know much about that truth, it helped me to enter into it more.
I realized that I am an "older sister". I have always relied on older b/s' guidance and decisions. However, through this trip, I realized that I am capable of giving guidance and decisions. I also realized that I have believed in God for the longest in our team of 5, my capacity should be of that of a spiritually mature sister. My concept changed that I too can be a leader. I have more confidence in myself now.
Trying new things was always hard for me. When I know that I might fail or be not so good at something, I often avoid it. I have a fear of failure, and a fear of not being perfect. When we started to build the new house, I was excited, but scared at the same time. I have never build a house before, and I didn’t think that I would be very good at it. However, throughout the process, I can experience the Lord cheering me on. We worshiped about His admiration towards us, and about the commission. I was deeply touched that He admires us and chose us for His most important work! He doesn’t regret this decision at all, but treasures to have us in His work. After that, I helped to build the house without burden. I enjoyed to give what I can and not mind the things that I cannot do. The Lord admires what I do for Him even if I may not be that good or skillful at it.
I also learned that there is no harm in trying new things. If I fail at it, then I fail, brothers and sisters will still support me. In trying to cook new things, I actually learnt a lot, through some failures. Now I can face my failures with joy, and am more open to different ways of doing things.
I understand why the Lord told us to abide in faith, hope and love. Starting the work and doing the work in Cape Town, the Lord trained me in these. Sometimes the work in Cape Town may seem very difficult and that the people that we are help are not changing, or that we don’t have enough supportive local brothers and sisters. However, through shouting for joy for the commission, the Lord caused me to have faith again and again that He will bless our work, and that what we do is not in vain. He also caused me to have hope to endure all things, even though some things may seem to move slowly and there are many obstacles in our ministry. I am really confirmed that the battle is already won by Him, we have the hope to go forward. Most of all I see that love is the greatest. When I do all things out of love, nothing is a burden or worry. I learned to truly love the children, the locals and the team no matter how difficult it seems to help them. I saw the good that was in them, and it became my great joy to be with them and help them in whatever ways I could.
Conclusion
This has been a dream come true. A dream that I did not dare to dream before. But a dream that the Lord prepared for me. He truly sees my full potential, I treasure that I can dream dreams with the Lord. I treasure that I can respond to the Lord's love in this way in my youth.
I am so blessed to go for the Lord to Africa! To have this team! To have these preparations for me in this movement!
My life is super glorious and influencial. The Lord has made me see that clearly. This is only the beginning of even more glorious trips ahead!
http://southafrica.lightandlovehome.org/
I realized that my face is on a couple of websites now lol.
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