My Vision!

My Vision

I came here to Belfast without any vision, just looking for God. But God had different plans for me. I was talking to my sister in December 2008, and asking about what was happening back in my community at home. She told me that one of the girls I was leading in the Zulu Tribal Celebrations died of AIDS in that same month. She was eighteen years old. After that conversation I felt a burden in my heart for the entire day. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but once I shared what was going on in my heart, I discerned what it was. I felt like I have to take responsibility to lead the youth in my area at home, because it was only through the grace of God that my life was transformed. I want to teach them about how to live life, like I was taught with the Life Skills Course, and give them the tools needed to turn their lives around. I want to inspire them with hope and vision, because the youth really suffer from a lack of hope, and many are dying of AIDS. After receiving this initial burden, I started to dream of what I could do back home. I received a vision from God: There was a garden with many dry trees around, and I came into the garden in the form of water. God used me to revive the trees and bring them back to experiencing abundant life. It was after this dream that I was reminded of the story of Nehemiah. He heard that things weren’t going well for his people, and he felt great sorrow for them. He fasted and prayed for several days. He cried out to God, asking for forgiveness for his people because they were leading sinful and disobedient lives. After praying and waiting on God, Nehemiah immediately began taking action. He started making preparations.

God really used this story to speak to me. Like Nehemiah, after praying and crying out for my people, I now know I need to start making preparations before this vision can come to be. There are many skills that I need to begin this work, and I will have to give up my career and go back to University for Community Development Skills, Administration Skills, and Facilitation/Leadership Skills. I would like to start a youth Bible Study as well, and I will need these skills here too, as well as a venue – like a community center – to run this. With all of these things, I will face the challenge of finances. During this time here on this DTS, and the time leading up to it, I have really learned to trust God to provide. When I get back home, I know I need to continue my studies and I will need to talk to the guys I lived with for encouragement and wisdom in starting something new like this. I will need to start fundraising as soon as I get back home too, in order to pay for all these things. There are many practical things I need to get started with, and I need to keep focused on the original vision that God gave me for my people so that I don’t get overwhelmed. He gave me the verse in 1 Chronicles 28:20 that says: “Be Strong and Courageous and get to work. Don’t be frightened by the size of the task, for the Lord my God is with you; He will not forsake you. He will see to it that everything is finished correctly.”