Luke's First Week In South Africa

Well, I definitely can say our first week has been crazier and more joyful than I think I could of imagined. And though it was crazy at times, I found myself feeling more at peace than usual. I still don’t know how me and John found each other in the airport with no internet, phone, or point of reference, but it worked out. So then we landed in South Africa together, stepping into a new place with nothing but each other and a lack of sleep. Pastor Ohm picked us up and immediately things began going fast. Driving on the left side of the road was immediately startling as Pastor Ohm filled us in on a bunch of things. When we arrived at the mission house, John and I each took a quick shower, ate breakfast, and immediately drove to one of African Leaderships day camps they were holding for children. John and I jumped into the mix of Korean missionaries, helping them run the games for the children and cook lunch. When we got back to the mission house, I could barely keep my eyes open, but John and I had to prepare to ride 14 hours at 5 the next morning to go serve in a rural area called Trans-Sky. Our team was made up of 10 Canadian Koreans, two local Xosa people to help us translate and lead, John, and me. Joined by two of Trans-Sky’s local pastors, we woke up in our hut each morning, had coffee, devotion, and breakfast in the main hut, then went out in smaller teams to do door to door evangelism (or hut to hut evangelism) until lunch. Lunch consisted each day of bread and tea and then we would go have children’s church/vacation bible school with the children of the village at 3. Last we would have church in the main hut at 6 with anyone from the village that wanted to come, then close the day with a sharing time amongst our team and dinner. Those four days spent in Trans-Sky were truly amazing and peaceful. God truly revealed himself each day and His spirit worked in so many ways. As we went to each hut to evangelize, it was humbling to be allowed into each persons hut and have them open up to us, sharing their lives, pain, and prayers with us, and in many cases, accepting Jesus into their lives. The children’s church was amazing each day, watching the kids sing and praise God, and fall out in laughter during games. God truly stretched me to be more obedient this week, whether by being bold in my faith, expanding my prayer life, or trusting in his power more.  Now that we are back in Cape Town, I pray that we can continue to work for God’s Kingdom and spread his love here.