Ministry of the Month – South Africa

South Africa Ministry Recap:

This month we have partnered with Global Leadership Academy (GLA) here in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. GLA has both a primary school and a discipleship program. Their goal is to see the students of these programs become disciples of Jesus that can lead their peers into the future. Here we have stayed in a house built by past WorldRacers called The Missions House. 

It’s been a really special blessing to be here over the holiday season. We have been able to rest and recover from continental changes as well as celebrate the birth of our Savior and King, Jesus! In celebration, we swapped gifts, visited the beach and attended church in English this Holiday season! What a blessing to be in a church that speaks our native language. 

For organized ministry we have painted walls of a bathroom in the GLA school. We also scraped, painted and sealed a number of classroom desks. A fresh coat of paint will be a nice gift for the students when they return from their winter break. We also spent time working in GLA’s garden which serves to provide food for the school, local missionary employees and local families. In this process we helped expand the garden in order to create more room for more veggies! 

Additionally, we were able to partner with Beats and Books, an organization that looks to help students of the refugee communities to be able to “level up” in school. They offer music classes and assistance with English and Mathematics. Since the students are on break from school, we were able to spend an afternoon spending time with 15 students of the program. We played soccer and baseball, made TikTok dance videos and bracelets, ate rice crispy treats, and painted encouragement rocks with them! It was a joy to get to spend some quality time with these kiddos all 13-17 years old. 

This month I was also invited to partner in fundraising for a student on behalf of my support partners. We were able to help one young lady in the Beats and Books Program to transition from the local public school to a more equipped semi-private school. This will give her an exceeding chance to flourish in her schooling. We were also able to partner in fundraising with our Squad Leaders in order for them to return to the field with us for our Leadership Debriefs Month 8 and Month 11 of our trip. A BIG THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXCEEDING DONATIONS THAT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN! These donations totaled $250. 

My dear friends, supporters and family, I want to reiterate how treasuring it is to represent you and of course, Christ on this journey. Lives are being touched, encouraged and changed because of your financial giving, prayers and words of encouragement. Though the needs are many, blessings abound as we go forth and serve others. 

From here we are headed to Lesotho on January 5th, for just over 2 weeks. In Lesotho we will be partnering with an organization called Africa for Jesus in the remote town of Maealea Valley. Then we will reconvene with our leadership team for our Month 6 Debrief. So stay tuned for more during that time!

Lots & lots of love, 

                    Savanna & L Squad