Participant Blogs

Our time in Cuba was almost like a time warp going back to the early 1950’s, vintage cars, horse carriages, music on every comer, no internet and street vendors everywhere. What an experience and privilege to have had a month in Cuba. We faced the language barrier with body gestures and our Spanish booklets. Embraced every moment and laughed a lot with those first country giggles when you still in shock that you’ve left South Africa. In Cuba we slept our first night on the airport in true global challenge style and then slept a night in Havana. The following...

    I always thought the words  and then  were a prelude to something wonderful. Like seeing a ship come in or finding a note in your letterbox, when you weren't expecting one. That swift, surprising transition from nothing to everything.  And then .   Two little words that hold a world of promise.  And then  the light pierced through the dark sky, and the rain stopped falling.    And then  I met you.    Uganda, experiencing you was like being ten hears old again, scaling a tree with my eyes bright and skyward, wanting to get higher and higher...

    We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place. We stay there even though we go away, and there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there. Kenya is such a place. It is truly like Narnia.  There is something beautiful  about Kenya that is thousands of years old. Too old to be truly captured by poems and songs. Loved by everyone, loved so very deeply. Kenya is everything real in a world of make believe.    But even though I left some part of me behind, I also found...

  'Come on,' they said, 'make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this man Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt (land of slavery).'... Then Aaron took all their gold, melted it down, and moulded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, 'O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt and slavery! " - Exodus 32 - This was written thousands of years ago and might seem ridiculous - how could people just decide to make...

“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...

This whole Global Challenge has been tough. I've really been struggling to fit into my team and to find my purpose. I spoke to my leader and she said a few things that was needed, but I want to tell you about two things. Fitst she said that you're value is not in your purpose, it is in who you are. Second thing is that we are not human doings, we are human beings. I am not going to elaborate on that, but think about it. Anyway, continuing. It went really bad with my emotional and spiritual state. I started...

After an excruciating two days of travel by bus and train and hanging out at various interesting stop over stations, we arrived in Macedonia in the middle of the night - tired, dirty and hungry. Our moods were immediately lifted when we were welcomed by our friendly hosts who received us at the train station with big smiles and joyful hearts. They treated us to a midnight feast of the biggest hamburgers we have ever seen and it was not long before realized that Macedonia, like the Middle East has a very late night culture. Nothing happens before 10 in...

New year...new beginnings   Second last week of training and with it one week left I can honestly say that I am not ready yet. Rewind on all the weeks of training and learn everything again. That said I don't think I will ever be ready for a privilege like this. Going out into the nations and speaking His love over them...I'm wonderstruck.  These past weeks I have learned to know and feel God in the stillness but also in the storm. I have learned that He calls me beautiful (Song of Solomon 2:10) and that He loves me with...

"During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." - Acts 19:9   What would've been a fifteen day stay turned into a 27 day visit. This ultimately means we're skipping our Turkey leg of the journey. All for good reason because the Lord is in complete control. Although, at the moment we don't see in full we know God will reveal the reason of our extended stay to us soon.   We, as a team realise God has a bigger plan and purpose for...

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...

When gardening, one always starts with the end in mind. There is always a sort of rigorous planning and planting, but soon it is all about maintenance and persevering in the commitment to keep the garden contained. This is also true of our spiritual gardens. At first our spirit dwells in a desert, with no living water and no plants. But as soon as Christ comes and changes our truth and understanding of the good news, He starts planting the first tree…The tree of freedom and salvation. As we start walking an intentional road with Him, God starts bringing new...