‘Our main aim for this trip to Swaziland was to find out what various missionaries are doing in Swaziland, how they are doing it and how 3D-Outreach can be coming alongside them and be a support and resource to them.

This was OUR plan. But as we often find out, God had plans of His own. A plan to challenge me and my fears…

Right in the middle of our trip, while driving down a dusty, rural road I got a call from our director Rolf. He had some sad news for us. So I had to stop on the side of the road and tell Nathan, in the middle of nowhere, that his gran passed away. It was tough news to have to share. We stood there for a little while trying to absorb the news and figure out what to do next.  After some tears, Nathan decided to go home. We got him on a bus and he left later that day. It was now just myself and Tisetso. I had chosen to keep going as I felt our job wasn’t done yet and there were more missionaries to meet and visit. But there was one missionary I was concerned about visiting. She was up on a mountain, in a very rural area, where the roads were not great. My first instinct was that we can’t go there alone. There were a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios going on my head. To be honest I succumbed to the fear and made the decision not to go visit that missionary, but rather stay closer to the main town and do visits there. But God did not leave me alone, the Holy Spirit convicted me and challenged me to face my fears and the unknown. So I changed my mind and decided to take a step of faith and trust that God would take care of us. And He did! It was a smooth ride there and back, and we enjoyed an amazing visit with the mountain missionary. She was overwhelmed and grateful that we had come and spent a night with her. I found out how lonely she has been and how excited she was that we decided to come. This was just an awesome confirmation of what God did in my heart and how he pushed me out of my comfort zone.

For Tisetso, our Jump team intern, this trip to Swaziland was the first time she had been out of South Africa. So she was also being challenged to step out of her comfort zone. This is what she had to say about the trip:

“I was blessed with the opportunity to go on my first missions trip to Swaziland. I did not know what to expect but I was so amazed and in awe of the beauty it possessed. I met amazing individuals, who taught me the importance of serving others for God’s Kingdom. One of the things I enjoyed doing was sharing my testimony on forgiving yourself and others. During this trip God taught me to put my trust in Him, especially when I am anxious, so that I can reach out to other people.”

I was so blessed on this trip by all the people I met and if I had allowed my fear to overtake me, I never would have experienced ALL that God had in store for me. Don’t allow your fears to get in the way of what God is doing with you. When we step out and trust in Him, we experience His amazing provision and guidance in a way we never could whilst in our familiar surroundings.’

By Megan Jackson

Filed Under: News and Stories
Associated Tags: intern, Jump Team, Missionary, Short-Term Missions, Swaziland