{Malibongwe}

'Malibongwe igama lakho' means 'let His name be praised' in Zulu (one of the 12 official languages of South Africa). 

And truly, this simple phrase sums up my trip to South Africa. Let God be praised! I saw God move in some incredible and unimaginable ways. Reflecting on the past couple of weeks leads me to worship!

     During our first week in South Africa, we were working in a section of Johannesburg called Braamfontein (Braam)- a hipster college town. In Braam, we walked around striking up conversations with people on the streets which hopefully turned into a Gospel conversation. When we asked them if they knew who Jesus is, most people would reply by saying that Jesus was their friend and savior, which is all true, but they didn't know anything beyond that. They didn't know what it meant for Jesus to be a friend and savior. I remember one conversation that I had with two college students. The conversation started off with them saying that they've heard about Jesus, but they didn't really know if they believed Him or not. Once I got to share the Gospel with them as clearly as I can, they said it made sense to them. Initially, they were complacent to make a decision to follow Jesus, but I am so confident that God is working in their lives. After I prayed over them, I  started getting up but they asked that I stay and answer more questions they had. They had all sorts of questions ranging from speaking in Tongues to what a Gospel-centered marriage looks like. Just seeing their eagerness to learn more about the Bible led me to worship. God is definitely pursuing their hearts, and I pray that He continues to put other Christ followers to point them to himself.

    When we continued to tell people of the story of Jesus, many people expressed that they heard it for the first time. This blows my mind- the fact that people heard the Gospel for the very first time these past couple of weeks, and God chose to use me to do so. What a privilege! He doesn't need me at all, but he still chose me. The God of America is the same God of South Africa, and he can easily save everyone in South Africa if he chose to do so, but he invited us to take part in seeking and saving the lost. The Great Commission is something God does through us. He saved us for the sake of missions.

 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? " 

(Romans 10:14-15)

     Our second week in South Africa was a little different than our first week. I'm not sure how much I can share without putting the long-term missionaries there in danger, but we were in a different part of Johannesburg. The town was primarily all Somali Muslims. I had the opportunity to talk with many of them, and they are some of the most loving people I have ever met. They were so quick to give, whether it was a bracelet that I thought was pretty or a ton of food when they invited me into their homes. Talking with these Somali women, I truly understood for the first time what it meant to be set free. Christ has set us free. As believers, we don't have to bow down 5 times a day for recited prayer or fast for two weeks. We are called to pray and fast, but it's all a means to know God more and not to earn points for salvation. The Muslim woman expressed that she was scared because she didn't know if her salvation was secure. She didn't know if she will go to paradise after her death. When I explained to her that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am not scared at all because I know that my salvation is secure. I did nothing to earn my salvation. It was by grace that I have been saved, and therefore, there is nothing I can do to take it away. She was in shock, and that was the moment that I truly realized that Christ has set me free. And God continued to reveal to me that there are SO many people that He loves so dearly and that He has died for, but they don't even know His name. His purpose is to bring all the nations to himself, and He promises that He will do so. Our role is to believe in Jesus and to believe that He will do what He said he will do.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." 

(Revelations 7:9)

"Ask of me. and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalm 2:8)

     City Project came to a close, but I am so excited to take all the things that I learned back home and back to campus. The more I behold the beauty of Jesus, the more I can't help but talk about Him. He is too good not to tell others about! 

     I want to say thank you for all of those who prayed and supported me on this trip. Thank you for allowing me to participate in City Project, because it really has been life changing.

Much love,

Sumi

WOW...

     The past couple of weeks in Durham have consisted of classes and internships. We have sessions in the mornings taught by various Summit Church Pastors, guest speakers, and professors from Southeastern Theological Seminary. My afternoons were spent with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).

     One session that really stood out to me was the class on Resting in God. I realized that I have never participated in a full Sabbath! God makes it clear that we are to observe the Sabbath day. It's one of his commandments! But why do we so often give it less value and significance than all of the other commandments? 

         "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

The Sabbath is important to help remind ourselves that we are not God. As a college student, I often sacrifice my sleep to finish homework. I like to complain about being busy because it makes me feel accomplished; busy-ness has become a badge of honor. Therefore, I realized that time is an idol that I have. Instead of being busy with things to further myself, I want to be busy with the things of God. And to do that, I need rest. Getting enough sleep is evidence that we know that we are not God. It reminds us that everything sits upon God, not us. Most importantly, we need to rest and find our rest in God in order to enjoy our relationship with Him and everything He has created for us to have. 

     Another session that I really enjoyed is learning about prayer! The primary purpose of prayer is not to get something from God, but rather to get to God. It is the means by which we experience and express intimate communion with God. I am guilty of talking to God like a 7-year old approaches his dad- always complaining and asking for more. My prayers reflect God as my servant, not my master. I learned that there are four parts of prayer: Adoration, Confessions, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I definitely have the supplication part covered where I'm aways asking for specific things, and I'm not saying that praying specific requests is wrong. In fact, God desires for us to be dependent on Him. It's just that before I tell God about my circumstances, I should be elevating His character - I should be adoring God. Then, I should be confessing my sins and asking for forgiveness. Also, I should be thanking God for all that He has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future. I shouldn't just be thanking Him for what He has done for me personally, but also for what He has done for the Church, in history, and in the world. To improve my prayer life, the Pastors recommended that we make a list of praises. We called it the 'Adoration List,' similar to a list of prayer requests, but it should be list of characteristics of God, and specific praises and thanksgiving. 

     During my internship with CEF, I have spent the last couple of weeks hosting tennis camps and bible camps for kids living in intercity Durham neighborhoods. Our primary goal was to tangibly show Jesus' love to the kids by encouraging them and to intentionally share and present the Gospel in a clear way. God grew me in patience for the kids. Many of them were not disciplined and would do that exact opposite of what I told them to do. But God gave me a heart to see the children through His eyes. He laid it on my heart that He loves them the same, and that He desires to save them. It brings me so much joy to know that God chose to use me to share the Gospel with the kids - what a privilege!

     We had different events every night of the week. On Mondays, we either had the night off or we would be asked to babysit for some families of the Summit Church so the parents could go on a date night. On Tuesdays, we had small group meetings where we studied the Word together and held each other accountable. On Wednesdays, we had evangelism where we were assigned different neighborhoods to go prayer walk or strike up conversations about the Gospel (much like New York City). On Thursdays, we had something called Family Groups where we spent time with a group of guys and girls and cooked dinner together. Yay for Fellowship! On Fridays, we had the night off! 

     On Sunday evenings, we had social events for the entire City Project group! The first night was a 90s skate night! The second week was a dynamic duo dance party- my partner and I were dressed as teenage mutant ninja turtles! And my favorite social was the dodgeball tournament! (Peep at the pictures below!)

    All in all, the four weeks in Durham have flown by! The biggest take-away I have learned so far is to intentionally meditate on the Gospel throughout the entire day. To wake up with Jesus on my mind, and to abide in Jesus was my daily goal. Knowing that a successful day is a day spent with Jesus has completely changed my perspective! 

     Tomorrow, we are headed out to our respective international locations! I cannot wait to explore South Africa! Please pray for safe travels and everyone's health. Please pray for team unity and accountability. Pray that we will be a blessing to the long-term missionaries there and that I would lay down my preferences and expectations. And most importantly, that I would see and know Jesus more and that I would fall more and more in love with Him!

Much love,

Sumi