Participant Blogs

Hi there ! My name is Jana Nel, I am 22 years old and my hometown is in Johannesburg. I studied law for 4 years and I have been waiting about 4 years to start my Global Journey with Jesus. I am so happy that 2020 is finally the year to travel, serve and love the nations, although I do not believe that these things happen only in the nations, we can love and serve wherever we find ourselves. I am looking forward to cultivate a lifestyle of simplicity and freedom with Jesus, getting re-rooted into what really matters. So...

Global challenge is all about learning. I’m currently still working on time management though so reader, prepare yourself for a speed story.   The first couple weeks of the challenge have been filled to overflowing with.. well challenges... personally, spiritually, in groups, while being far more unclean (literally covered in dirt and sweat) then I’d anticipated and also in spaces I’d never dreamed I’d be in before (like the time I was sleeping in a shelter with my team and a snake slithered up against my arm and there was NOTHING I could do about it). Suffice to say one...

To become a beautiful sculpture, there is first some chiseling to do and to my expectations I didn't think God will do it so quickly. In these few weeks of training I have experienced a kind of love between friends that I never experienced in my life before.  Thank you to the Lord, His Gace and a lot of love, i am now able to connect with people on a deeper level than I have ever been able to connect with people in the past. From day one I felt love and acceptance God chipping away all these lies. Coming...

I knew that coming into Global would cause me to be more attentive, listening to testimonies with an ear to hear. Manifested itself in the form of great breakthroughs in testimonies, even before we embark on our journey  People seem more real when you realize we all have 'dirt'. Everyone has a story be it longer, shorter, dramatic or seemingly boring. It has power none the less and the blessings received through it into the year is unique and a key to broadened thinking.

How do you begin to explain to people why you want to do a journey like this? Simply put, I am Chasing Happiness. Although this might seem like a strange statement, for me nothing has ever made more sense. Initially when I applied to Global I was expecting an adventure, but it soon became abundantly clear that this was so much more. In the little time I have spent with both the Global community and my fellow team members, I have experienced God in a totally new way. He has opened my eyes to seeing Him in the smallest of...

At the end of our stay in a country we are given questions to answer. These questions usually go along the lines of what did you think, how did you feel, etc. The purpose is for true reflection to take place and so that everything isn't internalised. This is called debriefing and I admit that it's really empowering. In Benin, a small West African country, we've each been given the task of writing a blog. It's a good thing since I'm also overdue on writing a blog anyway. But, and here's the reason for this explanation, this isn't just any...

A beginning and an end. The obvious is that this was our first country and that this was the beginning of our journey. From the onset of our journey God has come and shown me the joy in serving other's, specifically those that serve Him where others dare not stay. The end is less obvious and, more... An end to self deception, an end to self pity and most importantly an end to past fixation. I  had been clutching like a corner stone. Wearing a grudge like a crown, unable to forgive. But not anymore! I can gladly say that...

It's truly happening. So many things, people and circumstances have conspired together to have me not on this journey. To name but a few obstacles; a lack of finances, an old flame and most notably my dark past. I was lack lustre to believe that this journey would come to be a reality for me. I initially withheld from engaging with my teammates fully. Why build friendships and relationships if it won't bear fruits? Why build up any plans or expectations if chances are they would just come to naught?  Why risk getting hurt if you have nothing to gain?...

First of, hello from this, my new blog with which I'll be sharing some of my experiences of the journey that I'm partaking in this year. This first entry is a short synopsis of what has precluded this journey and also what has happened thus far. After having to say goodbye to a significant other in my life I also tried to say goodbye to the world... Fortunately God had other plans for me and decided I should stay a little while longer. This is when I had reached the lowest point of time in my life and I finally embraced...