Dumela! (that means hello in Setswana, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa.) This past week has been pretty incredible, and I can already see God moving in our team! After we all recovered from jet lag, our leaders took us on a surprise camping trip, giving us only thirty minutes to pack. We spent three days learning the basics of the local dialects, sharing our testimonies with one another, and getting to know one another through different team building activities.
Before leaving for our trip, we were all asked to completely unplug from social media. While I believe that social media has an important role, unplugging this past week has been amazing. Instead of spending our free moments checking our snapchats, we were spending our time diving into scripture, having meaningful conversation about our Savior, and just laughing with one another about electric fences and howling jackals.
Leaving social media and the rest of our worlds behind gives us the opportunity to experience a whole different kind of community. During our culture training, we learned about the idea of "ubuntu". In Zulu, Ubuntu translates to " I am because you are". Many of the South African villages live by this standard. They live in complete community, looking out for each other, and caring for one another. Being in tight quarters with all of the other interns over the past week has allowed me to experience ubuntu. From working together to assemble our tents, to sharing our deepest struggles with one another, we have had the opportunity to rely on each other and on God.
This idea is reflected in 1 Peter 3:8. " Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." Having these traits at the forefront of our mind as we begin ministry next week will be essential. God can do so much more through our team if we are united under His love.
Before leaving for our trip, we were all asked to completely unplug from social media. While I believe that social media has an important role, unplugging this past week has been amazing. Instead of spending our free moments checking our snapchats, we were spending our time diving into scripture, having meaningful conversation about our Savior, and just laughing with one another about electric fences and howling jackals.
Leaving social media and the rest of our worlds behind gives us the opportunity to experience a whole different kind of community. During our culture training, we learned about the idea of "ubuntu". In Zulu, Ubuntu translates to " I am because you are". Many of the South African villages live by this standard. They live in complete community, looking out for each other, and caring for one another. Being in tight quarters with all of the other interns over the past week has allowed me to experience ubuntu. From working together to assemble our tents, to sharing our deepest struggles with one another, we have had the opportunity to rely on each other and on God.
This idea is reflected in 1 Peter 3:8. " Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." Having these traits at the forefront of our mind as we begin ministry next week will be essential. God can do so much more through our team if we are united under His love.