As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the last month has
been quite packed. At times, I felt as though I barely had time to breathe but
the Lord was faithful to bring me through and consistently remind me of my
total dependence on him. I have so much to be thankful for and stand in awe of
all that the Lord has been doing and allowed me to be a part of.
Holiday Bible Club
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| All of my little guys. |
During the last week of June, I had the opportunity to help
with a Holiday Bible Club (VBS) along with our DTC students at a local church.
I got to be a part of this event last year so I had a good idea of what to
expect but one thing I didn’t expect was to be leading a group of grade 1 boys.
The Lord definitely grew me in the area of patience over that week. I had one
little boy in particular that seemed to need a hearing aid because he didn’t
listen to a word I said. I often found myself frustrated and had to keep him
separate from the rest of the group to discuss the lesson as he was a
distraction to the rest of the boys. During one of our small group times after
days of feeling like he hadn’t learned a thing, the girl assisting me with the
group had taken him aside to discuss the lesson with him. As they were talking,
he made a simple comment that demonstrated that he was really starting to
understand the gospel. After much frustration and tears, that felt like such a
huge victory. Though he didn’t make a decisions to trust Christ at that time, I
am so excited about how the Lord revealed himself in this little boy’s life and
am trusting that what he knows about Christ will one day move from his head to
his heart.
During every small group time I spent with the other boys, I
took the chance to make sure that if they learned nothing else that week, that
they would really know the gospel. Several of the boys in the group claimed to
understand the gospel and believe it for themselves while others were a bit
more pessimistic about the whole thing. However, while I am not totally sure of
where each one stands in their relationship with Christ, I am confident that
the Lord will continue his work in their hearts and I pray that he continues to
solidify the truth of the gospel in their lives. I am so thankful for the
privilege the Lord gave me of planting seeds in their young hearts, some of
which I believe are already blossoming into a beautiful relationship with Him.
BattleZone Camp
Just two days after Holiday Bible Club ended, we welcomed a
group of about 70 campers to our property for our first ever BattleZone winter
camp. The Lord brought all of the details together just in the knick of time.
In the few days leading up to camp, the number of registered campers almost
doubled. We were so grateful for how the Lord provided in the midst of that
chaotic time with different ministries and preparations. During those three
days of camp, we tackled the controversial issue of racism and how to handle it
as a believer. Considering all that is going around the world in regards to
this issue, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Campers representing
every race were confronted together with the truths of God’s Word and were
challenged to immediately put it into practice as they interacted with campers
of a different race. While I didn’t get to play a direct role in leading and
counseling the campers, since my role consisted mostly of background work as
well as being available to those who were counseling, I got to hear story after
story of how the Lord was working in these camper’s lives and convicting them
of the racism in their own hearts. They began to see that the problem and
solution begins and ends with us as individuals. I believe that many of them,
for the first time, began to see racism for what it is: a sin issue. They began
to see that change starts with them. It starts with them choosing to love and
seeing others the way Christ sees them. For others, it started with them seeing
Christ’s love for them and choosing to trust Him as their Savior so that they
could begin to see what true love really is. Overall, it was a great
introduction to winter camp and lives were most definitely changed for
eternity. I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to serve both the campers and
counselors and that in the midst of it all, he still allowed me to interact
with them and speak truth into their lives in the short conversations I did get
to have with them.
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| Getting into God's Word! |
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| Had the opportunity to help lead worship for the camp. |
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| Got to see one of my campers from December camp! Such a blessing! |
Student Fusion
Two days after camp ended, a group of 40 American teens and
young adults stepped foot on our property for a two week Student Fusion missions
trip. Part of the team left for Mozambique shortly after their arrival to help
with some WOL camps there while the rest of the team stayed to minister here in
South Africa. While they were here, we got to be involved in many different
ministries including the normal ministries we do during the week (high school ministries
and children’s ministries in local communities) as well as several kindergarten
ministries, youth fun days, and door to door evangelism. It was so awesome to
see the Lord break the team out of their comfort zones as they got to take part
in each of the ministries. They were stretched in ways I’m sure they never
expected as they were thrown into the different ministries and given different
responsibilities. I am so thankful for the opportunity to interact with them
and hear the things the Lord was teaching and challenging them with during the
course of those two weeks as well as encourage them through those different
struggles that they faced. For many of them, this trip was a major wakeup call.
They caught a glimpse of a different way of life, connected with people like
they had never met before, and saw God through a new set of experiences. As I
served alongside them, I couldn’t help but think back to my first missions
trip, one that made an irreversible impact on my life and in a way, was a
stepping stone to where the Lord has me today. Those memories made me all the
more excited about how the Lord was impacting each of their hearts and where he
would take them from here. Like me, I’m sure that many of them have been
forever changed by what the Lord did in their lives here. Many of them came
expecting to reach Africa for Christ but instead, found themselves the most
impacted by what God did in their own lives. I am so excited for how the Lord
will continue to use them as they are home now reaching the people right around
them. Many of them are currently students at the Bible Institutes or will begin
attending in the next year or two and my hopeful anticipation is that one day,
the Lord might lead them back here or to another country to serve more long
term. However, my ultimate prayer for them is that they would continue to fully
follow and serve Christ no matter if they’re in a foreign country or in their
own. Though I came out of those two weeks thoroughly exhausted, I thank God
that he allowed me to be a part of what he is doing both in the lives of those
teens as well as in this country. We had the privilege of seeing and leading
many people to a saving knowledge of Christ as well as establishing new
ministries with the help of the team. I can’t wait to see how the Lord
continues to work.
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| Sheratin loving on the kids at a youth fun day in a local community! |
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| Jennifer sharing her testimony at a high school. |
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| Some of the teens from my youth group joined in with the student fusion team for ministry one day. Such a blessing to get them involved! |
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| Sharing the gospel during small groups! |
I mentioned that the Student Fusion was stretched in ways
I’m sure they never anticipated, however, I also found myself being stretched
just as much. The Lord has taught me so much in the whirlwind of the past
month. He has consistently challenged me and convicted me in different areas
and shown me things I need to change. Oftentimes, I was most challenged most
with my self-centredness. Funny that it’s often in the times of intense ministry
and service when we should be most focused on others, that we are most
confronted with the fact that we are most focused on ourselves. Over the past
month, the Lord has been faithful to continue to remind me that my life is not
about myself but it’s about loving and serving Him by loving and serving others
even when I feel exhausted and am tempted to use that as an excuse to let
opportunities pass me by. There are so many more things that the Lord has been
teaching me but one thing that sums it all up: this earth is not my home. My
life is only a vapor and I am determined to make my vacation on this earth
count before I go to my true home.
Just two days after Holiday Bible Club ended, we welcomed a
group of about 70 campers to our property for our first ever BattleZone winter
camp. The Lord brought all of the details together just in the knick of time.
In the few days leading up to camp, the number of registered campers almost
doubled. We were so grateful for how the Lord provided in the midst of that
chaotic time with different ministries and preparations. During those three
days of camp, we tackled the controversial issue of racism and how to handle it
as a believer. Considering all that is going around the world in regards to
this issue, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Campers representing
every race were confronted together with the truths of God’s Word and were
challenged to immediately put it into practice as they interacted with campers
of a different race. While I didn’t get to play a direct role in leading and
counseling the campers, since my role consisted mostly of background work as
well as being available to those who were counseling, I got to hear story after
story of how the Lord was working in these camper’s lives and convicting them
of the racism in their own hearts. They began to see that the problem and
solution begins and ends with us as individuals. I believe that many of them,
for the first time, began to see racism for what it is: a sin issue. They began
to see that change starts with them. It starts with them choosing to love and
seeing others the way Christ sees them. For others, it started with them seeing
Christ’s love for them and choosing to trust Him as their Savior so that they
could begin to see what true love really is. Overall, it was a great
introduction to winter camp and lives were most definitely changed for
eternity. I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to serve both the campers and
counselors and that in the midst of it all, he still allowed me to interact
with them and speak truth into their lives in the short conversations I did get
to have with them. 
Two days after camp ended, a group of 40 American teens and
young adults stepped foot on our property for a two week Student Fusion missions
trip. Part of the team left for Mozambique shortly after their arrival to help
with some WOL camps there while the rest of the team stayed to minister here in
South Africa. While they were here, we got to be involved in many different
ministries including the normal ministries we do during the week (high school ministries
and children’s ministries in local communities) as well as several kindergarten
ministries, youth fun days, and door to door evangelism. It was so awesome to
see the Lord break the team out of their comfort zones as they got to take part
in each of the ministries. They were stretched in ways I’m sure they never
expected as they were thrown into the different ministries and given different
responsibilities. I am so thankful for the opportunity to interact with them
and hear the things the Lord was teaching and challenging them with during the
course of those two weeks as well as encourage them through those different
struggles that they faced. For many of them, this trip was a major wakeup call.
They caught a glimpse of a different way of life, connected with people like
they had never met before, and saw God through a new set of experiences. As I
served alongside them, I couldn’t help but think back to my first missions
trip, one that made an irreversible impact on my life and in a way, was a
stepping stone to where the Lord has me today. Those memories made me all the
more excited about how the Lord was impacting each of their hearts and where he
would take them from here. Like me, I’m sure that many of them have been
forever changed by what the Lord did in their lives here. Many of them came
expecting to reach Africa for Christ but instead, found themselves the most
impacted by what God did in their own lives. I am so excited for how the Lord
will continue to use them as they are home now reaching the people right around
them. Many of them are currently students at the Bible Institutes or will begin
attending in the next year or two and my hopeful anticipation is that one day,
the Lord might lead them back here or to another country to serve more long
term. However, my ultimate prayer for them is that they would continue to fully
follow and serve Christ no matter if they’re in a foreign country or in their
own. Though I came out of those two weeks thoroughly exhausted, I thank God
that he allowed me to be a part of what he is doing both in the lives of those
teens as well as in this country. We had the privilege of seeing and leading
many people to a saving knowledge of Christ as well as establishing new
ministries with the help of the team. I can’t wait to see how the Lord
continues to work.
So happy to read this and see how the Lord is using you Ashley. So thankful for you openness to Him using you. Will continue to pray for you. Love to you.
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