Participant Blogs

Surprise! I am writing this blog now, not while perched on a hill in Malaysia, or by the side of the fire in Kenya, but in my bed in my old room. My global journey was last year but yewwww it did not hit a wall there. I can, however, see the sun rising over the Jeffreys Bay sea. I came home for the weekend to visit my parents. Now why am I writing this blog? I want to share about “life after global”, but I don’t particularly like using this phrase since surely there was also life before Global...

    Now that I’ve been to many places and I’ve met all kinds of people, I wonder. I wonder about the heart behind my actions and I wonder about the heart behind the actions of other pilgrims I’ve met. I wonder about the heart of the good Samaritan. I wish I could see the story play out.   Did he run to kneel beside the man and whip out his smartphone on selfiecam? #serving #humbled #helpthoseinneed   Suppose the innkeeper asked him for a little bit of extra cash to provide for some bandaids or medicine. Did the Samaritan...

Bikes, brakke, die baba Jesus Ek smag na wysheid, ek sien die krisis   Ligte gly verby oor ‘n besige pad Niemand wil gee nie, almal wil vat   Is jy gemaklik in jou 5 ster hotel? Is jy gemaklik, voel jy tuis in die hel? Noem my skynheilig, noem my ‘n vegter, noem my ‘n sendeling, maak my ‘n enkeling   Dis donker waar die lig nie skyn nie Almal lieg, “my lewe is great, ek het nie pyn nie” Hoe lank wil jy lewe?  Eintlik is jy dood. Jammer as jy skrik  Maar God is groot   Cebu...

 I don’t know how deep the water is. I don’t know what’s underneath me. Through the murky blue I can see eery shapes in dark brown and black, but nothing more. I am trying to swim as fast as I can while still putting in the effort to appear graceful and in control.   The truth is, I am not at all in control and I am honestly really really scared. I don’t understand why I’m feeling like this.   Usually, I’m like a fish in the water. I have always loved the ocean. Its actually the one place where...

Kosova was close to home. Coming from a farm in the Western Cape, nothing is closer to home (or my heart) then rolling hills, fields that stretch into the distance and most shades of green. God the Father knows this about me. I think He did what did in me here, because He knew I would need it. I’ve had one of the toughest weeks of my life here. On the other hand, it was one of the most refreshing and freeing weeks of my life. It was a time of becoming. Team became family. Uncertainty became adventure. Tiredness became...

During our time in Jordan, I was asking God lots of questions.    “God, do you see the people dying? Do you see their scars? Why aren’t you stopping this? What is my point here if I can’t stop this?”   The worst part is not the suffering. The worst part is the suffering without knowing God. That people are experiencing loss without knowing God. Its not just here. All over the world, people are living without knowing God. People are dying without knowing God, people are “happy” without knowing God. People are living the high life, without knowing God....

Vyf hemde, ‘n bybel, toiletpapier Wat maak jy hier?   Lê jou kop neer waar die vliegtuig opstyg Probeer drie bakke pap en rys in ryg   In Narok moet jy ry soos jy lus kry Maak vas jou tas op die dak  Maar later sal dit af sak   Middernag hardloop deur die modder oor die veld Agterna die bus wat die dood net-net mis Geen tyd vir wonder, net herhalende bid Here help ons uit die pit   Reën elke uur van elke dag Sopnat slaapsak na die kampvuur lag   Mense in komberse met tyres vir skoene...

Barefoot In Kenya   I wrote a poem about Africa. Unfortunately for some and fortunately for others, it is in Afrikaans. I did consider translating the poem but it just wouldn’t be the same. So I’ll put it in the next seperate blog post if you want to read it. I’ll post it right after this one.   There is much to say about a lot of things. I like to think think think and sometimes I sink in my think, but when I let the Holy Spirit breathe into my thoughts it feels like I’m floating on my back...

“It is quite true that the way up to the High Places is both difficult and dangerous,” said the Shepherd. “It has to be, so that nothing which is an enemy of Love can make the ascent and invade the Kingdom. Nothing blemished or imperfect is allowed there, and the inhabitants of the High Places do need ‘hinds’ (a deer) feet. I have them myself,” he added with a smile, “and like a young hart or roebuck I can go leaping on the mountains and skipping on the hills with the greatest ease and pleasure. But, Much-Afraid, I could make...