Contributed by Ryan Richards, Member of the South Africa Team
Over the course of the past two summers, I have had the opportunity to go on mission to South Africa with ROCKHARBOR. South Africa for me has become more than a memory of a past destination, but has become a representation of change and transformation in my life. While there are many ways in which South Africa transformed my life, one specific area of transformation spurred by South Africa is my understanding of mission. This transformation took place over the course of about a year.
Rewind back to summer of 2010. A group of fellow ROCKHARBOR folks and I rounded the lines of the globe landing in a place most of us were completely new to, South Africa. During our time in South Africa, we were exposed to the reality of a broken world. Our eyes were opened to the reality of AIDS, the reality of extreme poverty, the reality of fatherless children, the reality of rape and murder…the list goes on. It was much for our eyes to bear. It was like someone had pulled back the bandage on a gaping, bleeding wound. Despite the pain and suffering that we were newly exposed to, we saw hope. We saw the work of Christ weaving in and out of the lives of those we met. Children accepting Christ into their lives, people being prayed over in their homes, persons infected with HIV/AID’s singing and praising the Lord. God opened our eyes and transformed or vision of His mission globally. For the two weeks we were there, we got to see and participate in Christ’s global mission and it was simply extraordinary.
As I returned home with fresh eyes to the reality of brokenness across the globe and attempted to jump back into ‘normal’ life, I struggled. My heart had been burdened for South Africa and I longingly wished I was still there participating in God’s work. I could hardly do the simplest of tasks at work as everything seemed less than the mission we were a part of in South Africa. I wrestled and prayed about this position that I found myself in. It wasn’t until the plane ride home of my second visit to South Africa in 2011 that everything would fully come together and make sense.
In August of 2011, I had the opportunity to return to South Africa for my second visit. My visit in 2011 was, again, extraordinary. After our two weeks were through, we made our way onto our planes to return home. As we flew back home I sat contemplating, again, how I could possibly return home to worthless work and feeling mission-less. Sometime during my contemplating and thinking, I lifted my head to peer over the seat in front of me, and was struck with a sight that transformed me. As I sat gazing over the seat back in front of me, I saw a sea of people quietly sitting in their seats. Something looked different. In that moment, God had given me eyes to see a plane full of people as souls, as people no less in need of Christ than those I had come across in South Africa. At that moment, God transformed my thinking and connected the dots between what I had learned about mission in South Africa and the mission that continues at home. I don’t know why I hadn’t seen the connection before. The people on that plane looked like my coworkers. They looked like my neighbors. They looked like the folks working the registers at Target. Maybe their lives looked different, maybe the pain in their life looked different than what I had seen in South Africa, or was even hidden in their hearts, but the need for Christ was no less.
Through my global mission experience with ROCKHARBOR South Africa, God transformed and widened my eyes to be conscious of His mission that plays out globally as well as His mission that continues locally. God transformed my eyes to see His mission as something that transcends physical location. Whether we are thousands of miles from the places we call home, whether we are inches over the threshold of our neighboring cubicle, God’s mission remains the same, our mission remains the same.
God’s Calling: South Africa
ROCKHARBOR Church is a tremendous blessing to Orange County California but we also have four strategic partnerships throughout the world to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of those partnerships is in the country of South Africa. These are some people’s experiences with God’s focus on our development to a place closer to His own heart. God’s pursuit of their hearts lead them to South Africa.
How does God actually transform one’s heart?
Growing up as a Christian I have often heard rallying cries for congregants to “be transformed.” However, It’s easy to throw around this phrase without considering the implications. But as Christians, I believe there are tangible moments in each of our lives, where God has transformed us. This happened to me about two years ago when I decided to go on a Mission to South Africa with ROCKHARBOR.
Even before I heard about the Mission, I had been working through a season in my life where I was dealing with “fear”, the fear of not being in control, of trusting God, fear of resistance, and doing things differently. For a variety of reasons I felt that the Lord wanted to grow and mature me in my faith. In Romans 12 Paul describes what it means to live a transformed life. Christ makes this possible, but He is always calling us to be transformed further, deeper. So as I worked through my “fears” I would intentionally do things, or seek out projects where I could essentially address and overcome these fears. It felt exhilarating. At the time, I remember having an excitement, and a slight trepidation, about “what is next.”
Then one day at ROCKHARBOR, I was minding my own business, when I felt a nonchalant punch from God. There on the screen was an announcement for a mission trip to South Africa. My heart sank. I knew I had to go. Now, I had never done anything like this before in my life! I was 29 and had never been outside of the country (save a few times to Mexico). It had been ten years since I last flew on an airplane, and I generally didn’t like traveling, or the possibility of acquiring communicable diseases like Typhoid or Malaria. This sounded scary! It sounded like I would not be in control, which is exactly what God wanted. He had been transforming me, drawing me through a process of addressing fears, and developing trust and faith in Him.
So, I said yes, and went to South Africa.
It was an experience that not only met, but completely exceeded, all of my expectations. God had taken me through a process of transformation (addressing and conquering my fears) in order to bring me to a place where I was willing to step out in faith and totally trust in him. For me this was expressed in the form of a Mission Trip to South Africa. Having gone on that mission, God transformed my heart even farther, beyond what I could have imagined! I discovered a newfound joy of traveling and serving people. Celebrating, laughing and crying with people. Hearing about injustice, and striving to enlighten others to the suffering that is going on around the world. Suffering that grieves the Lord! My heart was transformed in an unexpected way!
Global mission work is now a natural expression of my faith. In the two years since going to South Africa, I have served with other mission organizations in Central America, the South Western U.S. and most recently to Israel/Palestine. Now I am by no means suggesting that everyone must go on a Mission trip to Africa to be transformed, but for me, that helped. The idea is being open and willing to be transformed, allowing God to take you to places you never would have dreamed. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).”
Here is another story about being obedient to God’s calling on your life no matter the consequences.
In 2007 I got the opportunity to go to South Africa. I returned from that trip and immediately went into planning for the next trip. In 2008, I went back to South Africa. I remember stepping off the plane and hearing God ask me what was holding me back from being in South Africa full time. As I went through the two weeks of non-stop ministry I found myself realizing that I didn’t want anything to hold me back from living completely for God’s glory.
God made it clear that He had called me. Not because I was highly skilled, but because I was willing. It took 3 years and then in 2011, my husband and I moved to South Africa. God has transformed me.
I have never felt qualified. I have never felt like a missionary. I have only felt like I had to go and live my life for God. I have so many wants and desires from living in Orange County that have nothing to do with God. Living in South Africa has made me realize that I don’t *need *a whole lot. I don’t need a big paycheck, I don’t need a fancy car, I don’t need a nice house, I don’t need new clothes. I am constantly checking to see if I am living my life to glorify God. I am so not perfect and I can’t tell you how many times I fail. All I can do is persevere.
As I work here, I am overjoyed by the fact that I can make a small difference in lives here. I love teaching the students at Bridges Academy. Bridges of Hope International started the Academy for students who have lost one or both of their parents. Here we can help the students get a really good education. The class sizes back where they live are 60 to 80 students. At Bridges our biggest class size is 16. We get to disciple these students daily. Our hope is for them to go and be a light in their community. God has transformed me, and through that I try to live for Him in all I do.