the church without walls !

Day 1 of ministry and outreach into the communities and I’ve already left a huge chunk of my heart here in South Africa. There was so much waiting leading up to this day. First, waiting for the trip to come, then waiting for training camp to end, then waiting a little bit longer for negative covid test results, then finally getting to Impact Africa and waiting a few days to actually go into the communities. Can I just say, the waiting was so worth it. For one, my team and I got to pour into each other and learn more about each other, ourselves, and Jesus. It’s been a beautiful past few weeks. Throughout the whole period of waiting, the Lord continually put on my heart and reminded me of the verse:

“he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

He kept saying, “Jordynne, I WILL carry you through. You’re not here for nothing. I WILL see you through.” So, I continued to press in and have faith that He was setting up divine appointments for me to experience in the next few months, and we got to experience them today. Today we went into the community in Kya Sands and allowed the Spirit to lead us to a few really special people. After lunch, Alli, our translator KB and I were walking down past the houses and the Lord sent this inner witness to all three of us to turn back around and meet these three people that were sitting in this opening in the middle of their houses. 

So these were the beautiful faces we were walking in on, not really knowing what we’re doing, but allowing God to lead us. We met a couple from Diepsloot (top photo) holding a young woman named Elizabeth’s beautiful chunky little baby boy. This place was so filled with God’s presence and beauty. Elizabeth is Alli and my middle names also, which God used to whisper, “Yes, you. You’re supposed to be here.” From there, we began to get to know these people and they had such sweet and kind hearts. This older woman named Rosa entered and got so excited that we were there to share the word of God, so she kept asking us to share and to tell us about Jesus. She was from Limpopo and was such a sign of God’s peace and love. Once we started talking about the Lord and his goodness, she started inviting more and more people in to hear what we were saying. Elizabeth and Rosa were talking about how they haven’t been able to go to church since the pandemic, so they haven’t connected or heard the word of God in a very long time. I really felt the Lord telling me that this is a church right here with these people. So, we started sharing testimonies and studying scriptures and it was unlike anything I have ever experienced. They welcomed us in so willingly, bought us these guava-flavored ice things, and were so interested in hearing what we had to say. It was so so beautiful.

Rosa, pictured above, shared a story about how she was diagnosed with epilepsy and struggled with seizures for 7 years. She would go to a doctor and visit a specialist, but one weekend her sister made her go to church with her instead. Rosa said that she had no interest in going to church, but her sister dragged her and at the time, she had been struggling with a toothache also. As she walked into the doors of the church, she immediately felt no more pain in her tooth. Then a few days later, she went back to her doctor and they could not find any signs of her having epilepsy and she hasn’t had a seizure in years now. Praise God! 

As we kept talking and sharing the word, KB started to share his testimony, and Rosa saw some women walking past and told them to come in and hear us talking about the word of God. They came in and happened to already be holding Bibles in their hands. It was so sweet to find that fellowship. Then, we began to talk about John 10:10 and how the Lord says that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy but I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” We all began to talk about God’s great power and how He could have used it in any other way but wanted to use His great power to give us this great life we live and bless us abundantly. 

The Lord really showed me this morning that what He said in Matthew 12:20 is so true. Where two or more are gathered in His name, He truly is there and is working. I really learned what it looks like to pour into people and passionately pursue the Lord even when the church building may not be available, families are in another country, and it seems like the world may be against us. The Lord has set aside places of joy and places to find church beyond walls if we just look for it. He truly is a promise keeper and light in the darkness! Join with me in praying for these beautiful people, that God would continue to provide church for them and keep them safe and healthy. Sometimes, it’s so hard for them to see the light in such dark and difficult places, but these people are doing it, and God is so present in their lives. We can all learn a lot from the people here and their passion for the word and for community.