First Week of Ministry in J Bay!

Beats and Books

My team started ministry at Beats and Books this week! It is an after school program that helps students grow academically, musically, and spiritually. The students are currently at the end of their first term, so they are all taking exams. We helped them study and prepare all week. I was with some students doing work as simple as sixth grade math and some as complicated as Physics.

It has been special getting to know the kids. Learning names is always difficult, but it is crucial in building relationships with them. I got most of them by the end of the week. I love that we get the opportunity through academics to gain influence in their lives and speak life into them, encourage them, and love them.

On Friday we had a day where we put academics to the side and had a more relaxed day with the kids. We started our day with worship. It was super cool because it was led by the kids. They have lessons to learn their instruments throughout the week, so some were playing guitars, some drums, and one played the piano. The leaders of Beats and Books then went over the core values of the ministry. The core values are: Christ-Centeredness, Contribution, Consistency, Compassion, and Consideration. It was neat to see them involve the students in why the ministry exists and what the vision is for it. To end our day, we did a Girls Connect and Boys Connect time. The boys went and played soccer, and the girls stayed back and separated into groups of 3-4. Each girl on my team took a group. The leaders provided sugar scrub, water, lotion, and nail polish for each group, so we just got to have a fun time together, relax, and forget about any worries for a little. The stress of the exams has really been getting to the students, and it was awesome to give them a break from that. It was also a time that I got to share Scripture with them and pray over them. I do enjoy doing math with them, but being able to share the heart of the Father with them just made me come alive on the inside. In the time I have with them while I’m here in Jeffrey’s Bay, I want them to grow in their relationship with Jesus, even if it’s just a small step.

Prayer

One of the days here, a couple of my teammates and I helped out with compost out by the garden. Before we started, the leader prayed with us and just invited the Holy Spirit into our time. He also casted vision for us and helped us see what our work would be going towards. It stuck out to me because he could have just sent us on our way to do the task, but he took the time to first look to the Father and keep Jesus at the center of what we were doing. Also, each day at Beats and Books before the kids get there, we worship and pray together (the leaders of the ministry and my team). It’s a great reminder that God is first in everything we do, and it’s always a great way to make sure our focus is fixed on Him. No matter how mundane or how important the task is, we get to do it with the Holy Spirit, and knowing that is a game changer.

Fresh Love

I love my squad and am very thankful for each of them. Although, being with the same 17 people for over 1500 hours in a row is definitely challenging at times. It doesn’t matter how much you love someone; spend that long with them, and you’re going to get a little tired of them. 🙂 There have been some days in the past couple days where it has been difficult to choose to love those around me. It just wasn’t flowing naturally out of me; it seemed like work. On Friday morning, I had a cool moment where I could sense the Holy Spirit fill me up with a fresh love for the people around me. He filled my heart with compassion, and I was more freely able to genuinely love my people here. It showed me that I literally cannot love people well on my own. I can only love people as I spend time with the One who is love, the One who fills me with His love to pour out onto others.