Today has been a good reminder that the differences between us all are actually a lot less pronounced than we would like to think. For the past six years, Rolling Hills has facilitated a retreat for the life skills educators at Living Hope Ministries and today we had the privilege of  spending another day with this group of mentors and community leaders.

Being a like skills educator is not an easy task. Life skills educators (LSE’s) devote countless hours to working with teens and kids in their communities, teaching them about what really matters in life, how to be all that God has created them to be and ultimately what God’s plan is for their life. This task entails after school clubs, holiday programming, intense relationship building and standing in the gap for many at-risk students in their communities. These folks are some of my heroes! Two of our one missionaries, Nathan and Claudia McDivitt, are life skills educators in the community of Red Hill. Along with Kennedy Dick and Lumka Malima, the McDivitts make up the LSE team in Red Hill.

Throughout the day, whether in a conversation, hanging out at the beach with the LSE’s or eating breakfast together, we were able to be reminded once again, that the struggles, joys, celebrations and concerns we have in ministry really bind us together.  We both struggle with how to make teen’s listen or how to plan the best bible study. We both celebrate when others are obedient. We all struggle with fulfilling our calling God has placed on our life. In moments like this, we often think that the plans we make are important, whereas God is wanting us to catch of glimpse of what it means to simply journey with someone. Today was just that. As a matter of fact, a lot of our work in South Africa is just that.

Over the past seven years, God has afforded us at RHCC to work in a community called Red Hill. Red Hill is made up of about 1000 people and this community has become more than a township on a hill. The faces have became names and friends, with stories and spiritual journeys. The volunteers and servants have expanded from a team we work with, to now include our own missionaries like Nathan, Claudia and Lesli Crawford. The team are our friends and partners in ministry.

Today has been a blessing and the blessings have been manifested in the form of relationships. I cannot think of  a better way to spend a day or to spend your life.

Please continue to pray for our team as serve in the community, invest in others and seek to bring God glory through our time and efforts.

Posted in Missions, SA 2103, South Africa by Jason Hale 1 Comment