As I stood in the damp, sometimes muddy soil of a South African farm, our Afrikaner host shared a dilemma that stopped me cold: “It’s difficult. We must find solutions to honor everyone, even the thieves.” His words, born of navigating post-apartheid realities, became the lens through which God transformed my understanding of partnership, restoration, and the holy work of honoring one another across every divide. He wasn’t excusing harm; he was longing for restorative answers to protect the vulnerable while honoring every person’s dignity.
As someone who teaches God’s Creative Process™ for rebuilding lives, I arrived in South Africa expecting to share my expertise. Instead, God used our hosts, people rebuilding a nation while navigating daily complexities, to rebuild my perspective on what “more” truly means.
When Hospitality Becomes Holy Ground
The hospitality lavished on our team became God’s first lesson in transformation. Our hosts welcomed us not as visitors but as family. We shared meals that became sanctuaries, from a farm feast where resilience and risk sat side by side, to the mayor of Jeffreys Bay opening his home for a jubilant braai (South African barbecue) where flame and fellowship fused strangers into friends.
But the most memorable meal embodied creative restoration itself: each of us prepared our dinners in small pots, individual yet communal, forging connection through shared experience. These weren’t mere customs; they were Kingdom demonstrations of how to honor each voice while building unity.
Divine Appointments at Beats and Books
From the moment we arrived in Jeffreys Bay, I recognized God’s architectural hand. Beats and Books is more than a literacy and arts ministry; they are spiritual architects™ rebuilding lives through rhythm and story. During their Redemptive Enterprise & Marketplace Conference, I witnessed transformation blueprints coming alive.
The conference gathered believers across racial, economic, and cultural lines, each carrying unique histories of brokenness, each commissioned to rebuild. Through sessions on marketplace ministry and kingdom entrepreneurship, God began weaving us together in ways that transcended our differences.
Yet His most penetrating lesson was not just in the pulpit or the classroom.
When Creation Preaches
Midway through our visit, God provided a sanctuary I did not know I needed: Addo Elephant National Park. As our diverse team climbed into the van, something shifted. For the first time in months, maybe years, I was not documenting, strategizing, or producing. I was simply… present.
Watching an elephant family protect their young, I sensed God whisper: “This is how I see you—one family, protecting each other.” In a holy hush, away from platforms and productivity, “honoring everyone” transformed from concept to experience. That is when “more” shifted from activity to capacity, less doing, more receiving.
That is when my word-for-the-year changed. After nineteen months of “believing” myself into exhaustion, God whispered: “More.” But this “more” looked nothing like my vision boards. It looked like less doing and more receiving.
– Dawn Mann Sanders
The Sacred Complexity of Honor
Throughout our week, God revealed that “honoring everyone” requires constant surrender:
- When cultural norms created tension, He taught us to speak truth wrapped in love.
- When hospitality overwhelmed, He showed us grace maintains healthy boundaries.
- When historical dynamics influenced interactions, He reminded us, in His Kingdom, the last become first.
These weren’t failures; they were divine appointments for growth, each one teaching me that my framework for rebuilding must include space for God’s surprises.
Rebuilding Together
My strategic mind began to see what God was revealing: true partnership requires spiritual architecture that protects everyone’s dignity while advancing His Kingdom.
- His Spirit must guide our communication. When discomfort arose, we learned that addressing it with grace does not dishonor our hosts; silence does. God showed me that my natural tendency to take charge must be submitted to His leading, balancing authority with humility.
- His vision must shape our planning. Looking ahead, God revealed teams need proactive protocols rooted in prayer. When we seek His face first, He reveals potential challenges and helps us build frameworks that honor both cultural sensitivity and personal boundaries.
- His wisdom comes through many voices. My hunger for diverse perspectives aligned with God’s design for the Body of Christ. The most transformative moments came when we stopped assuming and started listening for His voice through every brother and sister.
The Ongoing Construction Project
The team at Beats and Books understands they are co-laborers with Christ, rebuilding a nation one transformed life at a time. Their work, from conferences that unite the Body to daily programs that restore hope, demonstrates what happens when we submit our plans to the Master Architect.
Back in America, our team carries God’s commission to continue building partnerships to honor everyone. Like both our nations’ ongoing journeys toward reconciliation, this is holy work that requires:
- Surrendering our comfort to His calling.
- Seeking His wisdom before our solutions.
- Protecting the vulnerable as He protects us.
- Celebrating unity while respecting diversity.
Prayer and Partnership
Please join us in seeking God’s face for Beats and Books:
- Provide resources for expanded programs.
- Guide their cross-cultural navigation with Spirit-led wisdom.
- Protect team, facilities, and relationships.
- Transform young lives by the power of the Gospel.
Most importantly, pray the global church would reflect His heart, building partnerships that preview His Kingdom, where every tribe and tongue truly honors one another.
The Blueprint Forward
From conference room to safari vehicle, from awkward conversations to unexpected joy at shared tables, God showed us that finding solutions that honor everyone is not human work; it is Kingdom work. And He has already provided the blueprint in His Word and by His Spirit.
Our partnerships will not be perfect, but they can be purposeful when submitted to Him. Each interaction moves us closer to His vision where dignity is protected, voices are heard, boundaries are respected, and love covers all.
Ultimately, we are not just building programs. We are co-creating with the Master Architect, designing previews of His eternal Kingdom. That is the blueprint worth following. That is the God worth serving. That is the restoration worth pursuing.
