God has shown me many things on my three week mission trip to South Africa. One lesson I have learned is even if I do not have a specific skill to offer people, I can always give my time and love. The little things we do for people can be the biggest blessings. Washing their clothes, or their dishes or even cooking a little meal for them, God uses us to be His hands and feet. God has shown me that I am very fortunate. God has given me so many experiences and I would like to share some with you.

Being in the townships is really heart changing. Seeing the people living in poverty makes me feel blessed for the home God has given me. The kids live in shacks. Shacks have no electricity or running water. My heart really breaks to see the kids living there. To them the township is not bad because that’s all they’ve ever known. They have so little but they are so happy. The only way to have that kind of joy is Jesus. When the kids would see me walk in the townships they would run and jump on me. They would hug and just play with my hair. All they wanted from me was my love and time. Money is not everything and we need to be grateful for what we have. So many have so much less that we have. I am learning to be more grateful for what I have.

One of the camps I attended was a teen conference called “Imagine.” It was awesome. I met a few girls that spoke Afrikaans. They were so welcoming to me. They were so anxious to hear my story and to just get to know me. It was cool that we become so close in just a few days. The best thing that happened was God used one of the girls to speak to me. She said: “God told me to tell you that He mends broken hearts.” My life has not been easy and I knew God was speaking to me. From her obedience, I learned the importance of obeying God. Sometimes it is hard to obey because of our pride. Her courage taught me the importance of humanity.

Another camp I attended was in the bush. Imagine being in the middle of nowhere in the woods and being the only American. On top of that, it rained the whole time. The weather was freezing cold, and we stayed under a crowded shack or in our tents. Even though the weather was foul, we did not let it ruin our weekend. We played over 20 different games, all with purpose, to help us realize what kind of person we are. I know the games were teaching us our character. God really revealed Himself to me on this trip to the bush. He showed me that even though it was a hard trip, I was stronger than I thought and I could not give up. I had to press on and enjoy the rain and freezing cold from His strength. From the games I realized that I struggle to communicate and not quit. God is showing me that I can learn more about how to express my feelings and be transparent. I do not want life to be all about me, but I want to be real with people. When life gets hard my normal tendency is to want to give up, but God wants me to press on and run the race He has called me to run.

I volunteered at Natalie’s mom’s fish and chip shop while I was in Port Elizabeth. I got to help cut and peel potatoes and fry chips and fish. I really got to know Mr. Alvin while I was there. He was nice to me. He explained to me so much about South Africa. He was so eager to tell me as much as I wanted to know. He even refers to me as his “American Daughter.” I really enjoyed every conversation with him. God showed me that missions can be as simple as going to help someone at a little takeout fast food joint. Also, Mr. Alvin’s love for me taught me the importance of valuing people. God wants us to love and respect everyone whether we know everything or nothing about them. I want to love people the way Mr. Alvin loved me.

To sum up what I have learned in South Africa, life is hard for everyone. We cannot cope by just crying. We must go deeper with Jesus. God is ok for me to cry, but He wants me to cry to Him and talk to Him. He wants to know my heart. He does not want me to go to the world for help or comfort. When we believe life is only hard for us, we become self-centered and selfish. I want to acknowledge that everyone is hurting and in pain. We all need Jesus and He is the only one who can truly heal us.

While I’ve been here, God has really changed my whole attitude about helping people. My attitude use to be that I would help people because I was told to or I felt it was necessary, but now I do it just because I want to serve. I long to bless someone by giving my time. I love when I can just see happiness on someone’s face by something I’ve done for them. Another thing that I’ve learned is that I am a missionary no matter where I am. I don’t have to be in another country to be a missionary, I can do that in Alabama too. All it takes is sharing Jesus with someone and telling them what He’d done in my life. Some things I can do in my community to be a missionary is to offer my help to everyone, volunteer at Grace Klein Community, and be a friend to people who need one. Our community could be so much better if we all help one another with our daily struggles. I thought I came on this trip to teach and serve others, but I really was the one being fulfilled the entire time. I am excited to go home and share with others what I have learned. BUT, I am going to miss the people, the family atmosphere, like minded Christ followers, the faith these people have to not worry about tomorrow, and how much God has spoken to me in Africa.

God has shown me many things on my three week mission trip to South Africa. One lesson I have learned is even if I do not have a specific skill to offer people, I can always give my time and love. The little things we do for people can be the biggest blessings. Washing their clothes, or their dishes or even cooking a little meal for them, God uses us to be His hands and feet. God has shown me that I am very fortunate. God has given me so many experiences and I would like to share some with you.

Being in the townships is really heart changing. Seeing the people living in poverty makes me feel blessed for the home God has given me. The kids live in shacks. Shacks have no electricity or running water. My heart really breaks to see the kids living there. To them the township is not bad because that’s all they’ve ever known. They have so little but they are so happy. The only way to have that kind of joy is Jesus. When the kids would see me walk in the townships they would run and jump on me. They would hug and just play with my hair. All they wanted from me was my love and time. Money is not everything and we need to be grateful for what we have. So many have so much less that we have. I am learning to be more grateful for what I have.

One of the camps I attended was a teen conference called “Imagine.” It was awesome. I met a few girls that spoke Afrikaans. They were so welcoming to me. They were so anxious to hear my story and to just get to know me. It was cool that we become so close in just a few days. The best thing that happened was God used one of the girls to speak to me. She said: “God told me to tell you that He mends broken hearts.” My life has not been easy and I knew God was speaking to me. From her obedience, I learned the importance of obeying God. Sometimes it is hard to obey because of our pride. Her courage taught me the importance of humanity.

Another camp I attended was in the bush. Imagine being in the middle of nowhere in the woods and being the only American. On top of that, it rained the whole time. The weather was freezing cold, and we stayed under a crowded shack or in our tents. Even though the weather was foul, we did not let it ruin our weekend. We played over 20 different games, all with purpose, to help us realize what kind of person we are. I know the games were teaching us our character. God really revealed Himself to me on this trip to the bush. He showed me that even though it was a hard trip, I was stronger than I thought and I could not give up. I had to press on and enjoy the rain and freezing cold from His strength. From the games I realized that I struggle to communicate and not quit. God is showing me that I can learn more about how to express my feelings and be transparent. I do not want life to be all about me, but I want to be real with people. When life gets hard my normal tendency is to want to give up, but God wants me to press on and run the race He has called me to run.

I volunteered at Natalie’s mom’s fish and chip shop while I was in Port Elizabeth. I got to help cut and peel potatoes and fry chips and fish. I really got to know Mr. Alvin while I was there. He was nice to me. He explained to me so much about South Africa. He was so eager to tell me as much as I wanted to know. He even refers to me as his “American Daughter.” I really enjoyed every conversation with him. God showed me that missions can be as simple as going to help someone at a little takeout fast food joint. Also, Mr. Alvin’s love for me taught me the importance of valuing people. God wants us to love and respect everyone whether we know everything or nothing about them. I want to love people the way Mr. Alvin loved me.

To sum up what I have learned in South Africa, life is hard for everyone. We cannot cope by just crying. We must go deeper with Jesus. God is ok for me to cry, but He wants me to cry to Him and talk to Him. He wants to know my heart. He does not want me to go to the world for help or comfort. When we believe life is only hard for us, we become self-centered and selfish. I want to acknowledge that everyone is hurting and in pain. We all need Jesus and He is the only one who can truly heal us.

While I’ve been here, God has really changed my whole attitude about helping people. My attitude use to be that I would help people because I was told to or I felt it was necessary, but now I do it just because I want to serve. I long to bless someone by giving my time. I love when I can just see happiness on someone’s face by something I’ve done for them. Another thing that I’ve learned is that I am a missionary no matter where I am. I don’t have to be in another country to be a missionary, I can do that in Alabama too. All it takes is sharing Jesus with someone and telling them what He’d done in my life. Some things I can do in my community to be a missionary is to offer my help to everyone, volunteer at Grace Klein Community, and be a friend to people who need one. Our community could be so much better if we all help one another with our daily struggles. I thought I came on this trip to teach and serve others, but I really was the one being fulfilled the entire time. I am excited to go home and share with others what I have learned. BUT, I am going to miss the people, the family atmosphere, like minded Christ followers, the faith these people have to not worry about tomorrow, and how much God has spoken to me in Africa.