For the first time in almost a year I thought of how I got to this place in my life. It has been 15months since I started pursuing God with everything I am; just to find that He has been pursuing me my whole life. Back then I was standing at the beginning of a bright and promising career in Dentistry with an unparalleled ambition to make a difference. I was going to conquer the world, alone, one smile at a time! Now, many months later, I find myself on the other side of the world, hardly recognizing that...
Participant Blogs
Global Challenge Missions Blog Archive: These are real blogs, from real people, bringing real change...
It rained today, the type of weather that screams 'stay in bed'. I didn't feel like going to the camp but I promised you I would, so I went. I had lots of plans for new games we could play and I also promised to still braid your hair. But you weren't there... I walked through the camp, expecting you to come running, screaming my name as you always did, but you didn't. There were no running footsteps, no waving hair and bright smile. No one eagerly grabbing my hand and saying 'come, come' to play a new game. The...
Thailand!! Wow it's an incredible place! Filled with beauties that only seeing in person can be understood! It definitely lives up to its phrase "the land of smiles" everyone here is just amazing. This country is special for me! We started in Bangkok just relaxing at the hostel for a few days doing some important paperwork and then we get too that we are doing our Luke 10 in Chiangmai ! So now I'm really excited ! We get given our teams and then we get ready! We took a 10hour bus ride to Chiangmai to a church where we were...
Good day! Since we have arrived we have been given so much it actually frustrated me. I caught myself praying for a road to build. God really sent us to such a serving community to show us what it means. It is sacrificial. We had to find secret ways to avoid getting served more tea by none other than those who were stripped from all they had. Their family sits in the other room waiting to eat the food we are cannot manage to finish. The Middle Eastern culture is now of my favorite. It seems like a life time...
Freaking turkey! Not the bird, the country! It wasn't my favorite place but man I learnt a lot about trusting God! And letting him lead you no matter how hectic it looks! Starting in Istanbul after being flipping sick, I recovered then we hitchhiked or auto-stopped to Ismir which was amazing, trekking with my leader Louw I really learnt a lot about his intricate personality! Which was nice! We where blessed so much meeting Random people who just bought us food and drove us far, it's also fun trying to speak to a Turkish person who can't speak a word...
wow!! I'm so stoked these past 42 days have been something else. Learning more about myself, God, the people around me and how situations can effect you when you beyond tired. I've really been blessed to be here with all these amazing people. From surviving in the freezing cold nights at our makeshift campsite with a sheltt that didn't even work and our fire being to far away from everything, all the "dear diary" entries made it just all the more funny. My survivor team was the orange team and already in 5days we had made a bond that wasn't...
Hi all so this will be my first entry ever and I don't know wear to start. So much has happend but most of it can not be put into words, my journey with Jesus has been a long one but the past month I feel that I have only just scratched the surface of it. My emotions has been on a rollercoaster up, down, left and right but yet feeling closer to God like I never felt before. Thank you Jesus! I still have a lot to learn in my quiet time and journey with God, and my...
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 This was said to Joshua just before he crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, and it was as applicable for us as it was for him. With a truly intense border security (not joking) I found myself praying similar prayers to the first two Israelites who entered the country: Lord, please make me invisible and give me favour with the people. And He, being the same yesterday, today and...
Today I'm reminded of the wonderful lyrics by Jeremy Riddle: What a priceless gift, undeserved life Have I been given through Christ crucified You've called me out of death You've called me into life And I was under Your wrath Now, through the cross, Im reconciled At the cross, You beckon me You draw me gently to my knees And I am lost for words, so lost in love Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered Throughout this week we've had the privilege of being taught by Norman Wakefield. He broke scripture down in a new way, with emphasis on being anchored...
Growing up next to the ocean, I have always been drawn to water sources: oceans, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, etc. I find the rhythmic flow of water calming and soothing. Watching the constant eb and flow of the ocean evokes the feeling of all worries and troubles being carried away. At times of great trouble I have hurled stones into the waves, watching it disappear under the foam, as a prophetic act that I give the situation over to God. I associate water with God's grace and enjoy watching my troubles be engulfed by it. Once released from my captivating trance,...
Good day ladies and gentleman, fellow gentiles and people who accedently followed this hash tag. Global challenge training has been the best time of my life! And that is the truth! i learnt the meaning of life! Yes I know 'what a 'cliche'. A young adult finding herself and the meaning of life during her gap year, but dear unknown reaaders, this is a whole diffirent experience from other life defining gap years. i quote the lyrics from that Hillsong song "I found my life when i lay it down". now i get that it might sound proud, but bare...
The first time I saw this movie I thought it was ridiculous. Who would merely dream of adventure instead of living it? And why is the possibility of unemployment the motivation to get out of one's comfort zone? The second time I watched the movie, I re-examined my own life. I always considered myself adventurous: in eating habits, hobbies and always saying yes to silly scenarios. I have traveled the world and done some pretty cool things. But it is only now, while on a shaky bus through the mountains of Nepal on the way to a remote village that...
Kosovo has been good! My mother said she was going to step into interceding for me and it is amazing how powerful prayer is! I feel like this is the most God has ever revealed of Himself to me. It started with being met by love when I was vulnerable ( dancing and singing like a mad person). A lot of healing happens when you show yourself and in return get a standing ovation from a Star Breather. So imagine this scene. There are three judges and the contestant reluctantly steps out on the stage. Music starts and this poor...
As humans we instinctively fear the dark and the unknown that comes with it. We often imagine monsters lurking in the shadows - watching us, waiting to attack. As children we have night-lights and soft toys to comfort and protect us against these monsters, with a graceful parent to check under the bed every now and then. Once we reach adulthood the monsters change into more realistic things to fear such as burglars or LEGO blocks on the floor, anything that could cause physical harm. Either way we still approach the dark with caution and heightened senses, ignoring the...
Our first few days in Turkey was resting and exploring with our hostel being right behind the Hagia Sophia museum. We had no ministry point here so we were trusting God to open new doors for us. So between just trying to process Israel and trying to soak up Istanbul, we took it pretty slow, praying on where we should go and what we should do. Our only other mission was to apply for our Macedonia visas, which we prayed about a lot. But God is good and the application process went super smooth, something that is impossible according to...
As a child I often looked at the rain and imagined it was God’s tears falling from heaven because of all the terrible things in the world. As an adult with knowledge of science, I now sit and mostly just enjoy the trickle of water down the window or the pitter-patter on the roof. This morning, however, I found those thoughts of old returning together with a feeling of longing that was not from me. In my past ignorance I have prayed that God would break my heart for what breaks His (a truly irresponsible prayer if you are not...
Arriving at ouwer first country with so low expectations thinking that we will probably be camping ouside the church dew ro lack of rooms but was so seprised to find us sleeping in warm beds(no one expected that) but the beds was not the onley things that was so warm the hospitality of the loving people that live here was overall the best experience of all welcoming us with open arms showering us with love and blessings making us veel so inportant to them appreciating everything big and small thing we do and blessing us with so much FOOD but...
There are few things more enjoyable than getting to a bus stop in a new city, after many hours of travelling, and being greeted by a familiar friendly face... And so our stay in Yogyakarta started with our global friend, Annami, and her posy of scooters fetching us one by one from the bus station. Mental picture time: Imagine five scooters rocking up and lifting us five girls with 2-3 day bags each and weaving through the traffic filled city streets, to drop us at an unknown location, then departing without a word to fetch our friends and our...
Good day dearests Since infancy i've been fascinated by rings! You know you only remember certain childhood memories? Well one i distinctly remember is my using my positive carving tools (manipulating) with a friend of my gran's. I remember thinking if i make a massive deal about how much I love her rings, she'll think " the hell with my own grand daughter. This one appreciates it more." So if that doesn't say enough about my 'mild' obsession with rings then just know it is bad Subconsciously I still do it. My friends will tell you! I always fit their...
Arriving at our frist country with such a low expectations thinking that we will probably be camping ouside the church due to lack of rooms but was so surprised to us sleeping in warm beds (no one expected that) but the beds were not the only things that was warm,but the hospitality of loving people that live here was over all the best experience of all.Welcoming us with open arms showering us with love and blessings.Making each of us feel so important to them,appreciating everything BIG and small thing we do and blessing us with so much FOOD. this community blessed us...
Many of times we hear how much God loves us and wish nothing but the best for all his children; the ones that know his love and the ones that don’t know it as much. Looking back at my life, knowing all the wrong that I have done to others and myself, I’ve said and done things that I will always be ashamed of, the worst was not knowing if I am really forgiven. I’ve read the scripters and have said the words out loud, but still every detail of my past was not forgiven; well at least not all,...
Every Luke 10 faith journey looks different. The single similarity however is the golden thread of God’s greatness that is weaved into each adventure. This greatness is often displayed in the provision, protection and extraordinary miracles God does through ordinary people. With the memory of my previous 3-day journey from Mthatha to Jeffrey’s Bay still in the back of my mind, I felt slightly nervous hearing about the next level of trust: 7 days (and 7 nights) relying on God to lead, provide, cross a pretty broad language barrier and use us to display His glory in a foreign land...
A Second Hand Paradise I came here as Me, as Myself, as I, and i'm leaving with a desire for me to be so filed with the Holy spirit so that people can only see the Christ in me. Even if you never get to know my name. I will love you . To make a perfect clay sculpture, water is used for smoothing out the rough edges...Thank you Jesus for being the perfect artist at work, using my tears of all emotions to perfect all the edges to become an image of You. May I...
Going to Turkey was different for many of us. Some enjoyed not knowing where to go, what to do or what God has planned for us there. We only knew that He wants us to serve but the question was who first. The first guess was the refugees. Makes sense…they need help… we are here to serve… so we aimed for them, but it was like shooting a moving target in the dark. We heard so many rumours about where they are or should be but arriving only to see a lack of people to serve… Praying to God for...
3:00am the alarm went off. Lord what is happening?? 2 hours of sleep and emotions bigger than the 20kg bag of luggage. I'm scared? Lord, this is taking a blind step of faith.. This is leaving my family behind. This is stepping into the unknown. This is frightening.. This is EXCITING!! Predestined for greatness. This is just the beginning! My heart bursts with excitement, not even my tiredness can hold it back. This is madness! Reality is too real for the moment. Should I pinch myself? 8 months of faith building. 8 months of seeking God. 8 months of discovering...
Thailand has been fantastic! Our team has developed so much in terms of unity as well as individually in the Spirit. How can one not have increasing faith after being sustained by God for more than a week. All of our Luke 10 experiences were majestic and to the purest form, a Father spoiling His children. Going into a stage where we started asking questions about our futures, this new faith He has given us tends to the fears and uncertainties about our lives after Global. God is good and sovereign. He has proven Himself faithful beyond measure and through...
Indonesia: 258 million people spread over 13 000 islands and the reason I joined Global… Generally speaking I have a rule to not build expectations but rather approach every situation with an open mind and teachable spirit. Unfortunately this was not the case in terms of my view on Indonesia. I have never had much interest in travelling to the east so when my attention fell on Indonesia one night while praying, I knew this country was special. Since that evening more than a year ago, I have not been able to shake the idea that God wanted me to...
To suffer: to undergo, be subjected to, or endure pain, disability, death etc. patiently and willingly…. If I look back on the past few weeks and conversations I had, many topics come to mind: love for others, serving without reward, true wisdom, grace and mercy, forgiveness etc. But the theme that seemed to make its way into every situation was suffering. What does it mean to truly suffer? This question can be easily answered by my mind but for the first time I was confronted with a response from the heart. As the definition above describes, suffering is normally involuntarily...
Yes, sometimes Global feels like survivor. Every day you get a clue about what will happen next (because God doesn’t give you a road map) and often you are unsure where the next meal will come from. Only difference is that instead of voting off a team member you don’t get along with, you deliberately fight for love and to keep unity…. So still in Izmir we woke up one morning to notice half our team’s shoes had been stolen during the night. It was only then that we thought maybe camping in a dodge public park was a...
Macedonia was beautiful. We were received with open South African arms and felt so at home, but the atmosphere changed when we entered the colorless Tavanoche camp. By the time we reached Macedonia most of the refugees had traveled on and it was only those without money or with children that were left. It was hard to lift spirits without even being able to communicate. So we fully relied on God. It was inspiring to see how people are obedient to God even if it was to their expense. We expected life for missionaries would be careless and fun. It...