Life in JBAY !!!!

A lonnnnnnng overdue update!

HEY HEY PARTY PEOPLE !!!!!!! We officially have 2 WEEKS LEFT in Africa (and 19 days until I’m back in Texas) !!! How is that even possible? We have been in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa for 4 weeks now and BOY HOWDY has it been so much fun !!!!!

We ended our ministry in Swaziland a little over a month ago, and had the opportunity to meet up with two other squads that are on the field (all over the world) right now! We got to spend a few unplugged days with them and hear about the ways the Lord has worked wonders and miracles during their time on the field, as well as share testimonies about our time in Swaziland. It was a time of encouragement, growth, sanctification, and refinement. It was a taste of what Heaven will be like when we all come together to worship the King of Kings for eternity — thank you Jesus.

After our little hiatus, we traveled to Jeffrey’s Bay, where we have been doing ministry for the last month! Ministry here has looked entirely different than it did in Swaziland, but the Lord has been just as faithful! My squad has been partnering with a local orphanage and an afterschool program called Beats and Books. Beats and Books is run by two full time missionaries, Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Carla! Beats and Books is a place where kids from 8-18 years get to come after school to relax, get help with homework, learn an instrument, and get spiritually discipled! My team has had the privilege of getting to know Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Carla while serving at this sweet ministry. We do games, Bible studies, homework help, and administration tasks! *thanks TAMU psych for the experience in Excel — it’s really come in handy!

The last two weekends we got to serve at two youth camps in Jeffrey’s Bay! It was so encouraging and exciting to see a younger generation being set on fire for the Lord. While at camp, ministry looked like:
– getting on stage & dancing like fools for Jesus
– having dance parties to high school musical & footloose
– jumping on the beach at night seeing the bioluminescence
– star tipping
– stomping on balloons with kids
– hiking, swimming, and falling (miserably, multiple times) !!!
These camps were sweet reminders that ministry is found in our everyday lives !!! How lucky are we to get to share our love for Jesus in the daily activities !!!

A verse that truly sums up the way I feel about this mission trip & our time in Swaziland and South Africa is John 21:25. “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written.”

My little blogs could never be enough to tell you of the ways I’ve tasted & seen His faithfulness and provision here. I can’t wait to share more of what He has done here when I get back to the states 🙂

As our time here comes to a close, I have a few prayer requests !!
– to finish strong & not tire out — it’s so easy to see the finish line, but we know the Lord is NOT DONE yet !!
– our health (the enemy is not creative and has been hitting us the same ways since day 1)
– our ministries — that they would continue to focus on the Lord and seek His Kingdom & presence first.

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog and partner with me on this incredible journey. This has truly been the experience of a lifetime and I am eternally grateful for this opportunity and the chance to share what He has done here with you. I can’t wait to hug everyone in 19 short days :’) 🤍