Hello Everybody!

I hope you are all doing well! As my squad leaders say’s, “we are blessed and highly favored” here in Eswatini :)!

The past few days our team needed to get our visas renewed in South Africa, so that involved traveling from Eswatini to South Africa and crossing the border. Our ministry host took this time as a little bit of a break from ministry. We went to a super cute little beach town called Saint Lucia and enjoyed swimming in the Indian Ocean, spending time as a squad and taking some much needed alone time with the Lord. We were there for only about two days, and I disliked the idea of the trip at first because I felt that it was not needed and would not be a good way to spend our time while we are here in South Africa. However, our whole team agreed the little trip was much more needed than we even realized.

For me this time was spent processing the last few months and bringing the Lord my questions. This trip has been a fire hose of God teaching me new things, reworking me like a potter does the clay, and bringing things I know in my head to understand in my heart.  I want to just share a bit of what the Lord has taught me specifically when thinking about our ministry in Eswatini compared to in Johannesburg.

Here in Eswatini, our main way that we are serving the Lord is through loving the children at the care point and building relationships with the women that serve there. I’ve been grateful we’ve gotten to build relationships with the older children as well who know English and we can talk to. There are two specific young girls I’ve gotten to get to know and encourage in their walk with Jesus! However, much of our time at the care point can be difficult as the language barrier in Eswatini is much more harder here than in Johannesburg. This means we spend a lot of time simply sitting with the women or the children, playing games with them, having broken up conversations, holding children, and dancing with them. Of course this is in addition to the food we help prepare for the children with the women. Over the past three weeks I have been somewhat bothered because I simply have not seen the value of this ministry in comparison to, as an example, sharing the Gospel with unbelievers in the town. I talked to my squad leader about it but didn’t fully bring it before the Lord.

So, over the past few days as I took a step back and brought so much of what was on my mind to the Lord, I asked the Lord what His purpose was for us here, what the value was in it, and are we fulfilling the Great Commission by serving at these care points. Through conversation with my team, reading the Word, and the Holy Spirit I felt like God gave me an answer that restored peace and gave me new purpose as we jump back into ministry.

The Great Commission calls us to make disciples, and this commission isn’t intended to stress us out because we must realize our strength and power in comparison to the Lords, He doesn’t ask us to save the world, He asks to us to go and be faithful. After all His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). He calls us to love (1 Cor. 13: 1-13), and the greatest act of love was Christ’s death on the cross. So we love by pointing to Christ and leading others to Him. But we must also realize that leading people to know and follow Christ takes many steps, it includes planting, watering, harvesting, etc. (John 4: 35-38). In a plant’s life, all of these are vital for it to grow and not die out. This is the same in a person’s life, a person needs the Gospel and truth to be planted in their life, but they also need the Lord and believers to come along and encourage and walk with them as their faith takes root and grows. God is always faithful to give us opportunities to do one or all of these steps of making disciples in the relationships we are given. Our job is to love the people in our lives in whatever way God calls us to and they need, sometimes this includes leading them to accept Jesus, sometimes this means showing them Christ’s love more on a day to day basis.

This realization is similar to the last blog I wrote about serving the Body of Christ, but I’m writing this blog as I realized a pressure I had been placing on myself in the command to make disciples. In Johannesburg we would go into the communities meeting people in whatever stage they were in their walk with Christ, and often sharing the Gospel. We would then give them resources and churches near by they could attend. Occasionally we would revisit these homes, but often the one conversation was all we had with people. This made me uncomfortable as I was not sure if we were being effective in truly reaching the people. However, I’ve realized that in that season we were fulfilling a piece of making disciples which is planting the seed in those people’s lives and giving them the opportunity to seek out more growth. In Eswatini, each day we are loving children who we teach lessons to about Christ around twice a week. But so much of our ministry is actually showing them what the love of Christ is through our actions, and that too creates disciples as these children come to know Christ’s love for them more through our example. We can have peace knowing all areas of walking with a person is vital, and we can trust that Christ will be faithful to accomplish His will in others lives as we are faithful to love others in whatever way we can where we are.

I have specifically loved spending time and pouring into the middle and high school girls at the care point! They will have a special place in my heart forever! I’ve gotten to dance with them, learning their dances and them learning mine! I’ve gotten to talk about silly girl things, and encourage them in walking in a way that glorifies Christ. And daily I get the opportunity to open my bible with them, encourage them in their faith, and pray with them! It’s a privilege and a joy to my heart!

I hope this encourages and uplifts you today! I love you all and cannot wait to see you all in just about a month! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Love,

Abigail Bonus