The team from Ridgewood Pentecostal Church in Woodhaven, NY traveled to Oshoek, South Africa late May and early June in 2019.
“When you surrender fully to God, you will see the amazing things He is able to accomplish in and through you.”
That was the advice of Morgan Efferson who, with six other students, traveled for ten days to Beeskop and Sthobela, South Africa to work with Hands in serving the most vulnerable. After expressing the desire to do missions work in Africa, Ridgewood Church put together a team of seven girls, enthusiastic about following the call to serve the widows and orphans. Recalling how they stirred pap with the gogos (grandmothers), got their hands dirty with gardening, played with the children at the service center, and shared stories with Care Workers, it became clear that God used these ten days to challenge and grow them in unimaginable ways.
“It was hard seeing the way people live, but it made me realize that we should appreciate what we have,” Jasmine Quinones says. “They are more appreciative... They were always joyful no matter what.”
No matter how often you read about communities in Africa, seeing how they are firsthand is eye-opening and even shocking at first. Ashley Austin certainly understands this as she remembers how surprising it was to see the joy of the children despite their harsh circumstances.
“Seeing their struggle challenged me,” Ashley says. “But seeing their attitudes encouraged me.”
Rashell Aldas holds a similar view as she was encouraged to see that those who seemingly had nothing smiled as if they had everything. She recalls several children who even talked about their dreams for the future as one seven year old girl expressed her desire to become a nurse when she grows up.
Despite their circumstances, these children radiate God’s joy as they imagine incredible possibilities—and these are not far fetched possibilities, Ashley realized as she heard the story Sifiso from the local Hands at Work team.
Sifiso, Ashley explains, was one of those guys that seemed to have his life together. He was always smiling, always willing to serve, and always energetic. But, Sifiso had been in the same position as these children. He was among the most vulnerable: homeless and orphaned until he was one day found by the local Hands team.
“It’s just really encouraging to hear that story, see him now and see how he provides hope for these kids because they know that he was in the same position,” Ashley says.
Beyond seeing pure joy emanate from those living in Africa, the girls experienced the beauty of building relationships. Anita Austin appreciated that they could spend multiple days with the same people, building connections with them. In the same way, Jasmine really enjoyed the Holy Home Visits and the time they got to spend with the gogos.
“When we went to the Holy Home Visits, this one gogo called me ‘my friend, my friend’ and she was so happy,” Jasmine says. “It touched my heart because I didn't expect it to be that big of an impact.”
Ten days of cooking, gardening, and playing with children resonated in the hearts of Jasmine Khan, Ruth Knecht, Rashell, Morgan, Ashley, Jasmine, and Anita. Thousands of miles away from their comfort zones, these seven girls were able to see God’s strength in the gogos, His joy in the eyes of the children, and His love in the Care Workers.
They even got to see God’s hand at work through their own actions.
“This trip ignited this new flame in my heart because I saw God use me in a different way than before,” Morgan says.