Greetings friends and family from sunny Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa! It's about time I wrote another blog so here we go!
What an amazing privilege to be a part of the Global Challenge team! Thankyou to all my supporters with their love, financial and especially prayer support during the past few months in getting me here- without you I would not be doing this year with God so thankyou so much!
We began the year here in Jeffrey's Bay on the 12th January and since then have moved around to a couple of camp sites and places in the Eastern Cape, experiencing and working in different ministries. There are 43 of us challengers mixed in the Southbound, Northbound, Explore Africa and Work your Way teams for all of 2011. The staff that are based here in J.Bay have really put alot of time and effort into training and preparing us for our year ahead, with all sorts
of practical, mental and physical training...and most importantly working on preparing our heart and mind with God for the journey that lies before us.
I have learnt to 'buy a donkey' when saying thankyou; pack and repack my bag to fit everything in numerous times; set up my coffin tent in the dark; sleep overnight in a mall; go without a shower for a week; hitch on the back of a buckie for a whole day; get bitten by ticks and not get sick; eat pap (porridge) every day; survive without a daily dose of chocolate; go without sleep; sing Xhosa songs; build a fence, playground, and fix leaking rooves; push my body to the limit just to get some food; win an immunity challenge; build my own shelter in the bush; and even catch a bush pig with my bare hands! ...Ask me about them sometime and I'll tell you its story!
I have also learnt to trust God completely without holding back; rely on team members; pray continuously; have no team money and see God provide; experience God's healing and miraculous power in mine and other people's lives daily; learn how to do an exegesis study on a passage in the bible; learn about theophostic prayer ministry; establish a daily quiet time with God; and most importantly what it means to be in constant walk with God- following God in everything and transferring that into a God-seeking lifestyle (one of the GCEX core values). What a privilege to live in the knowledge of God's love each and every day!
Where to now you may ask? With only 2 &
frac12; weeks left of training before we head out to South America and our first ministry country of Brazil, we still have so much more to learn and grow as a team. I am so excited for what God has in store for me in the coming weeks, months and for the rest of the year as I learn what it means to seek God daily- its all about the God-seeking lifestyle!!
Until next time,
Cheers in Christ, Erin x