Stories from Africa: Rural South Africa - Lessons learned

This will be my last post about my outreach now a year ago to Rural South Africa.

It is always interesting a year after the fact to look back and see how something changed you or grew you in some way.

The Rural Outreach by far was the most physically challenging for me with three kids to take care of, ministry to accomplish and our first team to learn to live with and love. (Picture at Right - Trust in God Church in Mabarhule, South Africa)

I look back and really only remember that - "The Family" made it.
We survived for 17 days with all 5 of us in a tent. (Our tent was the one on the right side of the photo at left.)
We did ministry - and made an impact on the people around us.  Could we have done somethings better, or differently - yeah.  Was it hard, yes, was it fun, yes, was it interesting yes.  Would I do it again - yes!  Wow I don't know if I would have said that the day we left.

We left by the way on my 8th Wedding Anniversary - waiting for the base van to come pick us up.  We had all the tents and camp packed by 10 am and then proceeded to wait until 6 pm and the pitch black night before we got ourselves into the van for the 6 hour ride back!   That was a frustrating day.

Now almost an entire year later - I look back at that whole experience as such a time of growth, uncomfortable as it was - it really showed me that we could endure through anything.  Is that my ministry of choice?  I don't think so - I would rather live in a two bedroom cabin then a tent full time.  But cooking over a fire wasn't too bad - of course I did have a team to help carry the load.  Alone as a family might be a different story.

I am curious as I look into the future what I will see as the benefit of the waiting we are doing right now. The changes we are facing the new direction we are going and the ministry that seems to be waiting for us.

God is so interesting in how he challenges our perception of what he wants us to do with our lives.  How he calls us to obedience and then just asks us to trust Him through it all.

Are we willing to be sent?  If so are we willing to go where he calls us to go.

I am a planner by habit - I like to see my life stretched out before me and kind of have a good idea of how it will all play out.  I can change, but I don't really like change to happen to quickly and I like a bit of a warning.  God continually calls me to stop that planning to put my trust entirely on Him and if I can trust him here in comfy Aberdeen, South Dakota then I really should be able to trust him anywhere.  Out of comfort in Rural South Africa,  in comfort of the expected path of ministry, and "Oh," in the unexpected detours that will ultimately lead us to where He wants us to be in ministry.

So what does this have to do with Rural South Africa - As our first Outreach with our Mission Organization it taught me to go with the flow, stop trying to control everything in my family, depend on the team.  Team life isn't always easy - different people have perspectives on life that are in direct conflict with your own - even though they too love the Lord.  It was hard being the mom and I think for Tony being the dad - because we never got the down time that our teammates enjoyed.  Though they probably enjoyed less of that down time because we "The Family" were on their team.   I can honestly say that I don't think we would have made it without the team.  Not then, not under those circumstances.  We needed the team.   I guess I do hope they ended up needing us in some ways too.

I know they learned something - even if it was only how to change a diaper.