This week our Leadership Summit Director, June Blanshan, is sharing her heart and the journey she’s taken with God, wrestling with the issues of poverty and unemployment while serving in South Africa. You can view her past three posts here.

Needless to say, I have been learning what it means to have Jehovah Jirah as Provider.

As I walk through personal challenges and learn to stand on the truth of God’s Word I am encouraged and strengthened.It is that same encouragement and strength I am blessed to be able to share with the coaches.  God’s Word is truth, hope, and life.

When He states He will provide for our every need, our only job is to believe Him and stand on that knowledge.

My prayer, my hope, my hearts desire is to see them (our coaches) at a place where provision is no longer a care or concern.  Where they are able to provide for their family and put food on the table.

I dream of the impact that this would have on their lives, their confidence, and the testimony it would become. I imagine how this would increase their ability and desire to pour into the lives of their learners, and how the results would be magnified without carrying the burden of provision, the pang of hunger, or the bitterness of being cold…

I dream, I imagine, I pray, and I wait… for our God is able.

This week our Leadership Summit Director, June Blanshan, is sharing her heart and the journey she’s taken with God, wrestling with the issues of poverty and unemployment while serving in South Africa. Just joining us? You can find the first two posts here and here.

In the midst of the financial hurdles and obstacles, our coaches still choose to prepare, attend, and teach classes to the youth of Qwa Qwa sharing our curriculum and the truth of God’s Word. The coaches infuse hope, dreams, and futures into the lives of the learners they teach even while they may be struggling to survive or pay their bills.  They maintain a walk of faith at all times, teaching and mentoring their students to do the same.

I am amazed as I watch them invest their time to serve, holding onto the word of God and His promise to sustain and provide.  My heart is divided between being so proud, so encouraged, so filled with thanks for them…and the deep sadness that I/we cannot provide, cannot be the ones to meet their financial needs in a tangible way.  All I know right now is that I am grateful God who can, who will, and who does provide, and am in awe of watching His provision everyday.

Join us tomorrow for the final post in June’s series!

This week our Leadership Summit Director, June Blanshan, is sharing her heart and the journey she’s taken with God, wrestling with the issues of poverty and unemployment while serving in South Africa. Check out her first post here.

Our coaches work with us part-time, and rely on these wages to sustain them. A few also rely on their income to provide for both their immediate and more extended family. If they are the only ones with any form of income or employment, as some of them are, basic survival can be a challenge.

It’s hard to try and mentor lifestyle skills- such as pulling extra money for a grocery budget when all of the money is spent on necessities. It’s hard to encourage them to attend classes and teach in order to earn more income – whenbasic expenses like money for personal transport are real barriers.

Knowing the challenges that the coaches deal with has impacted how I hear and respond to needs. My first thought or instinct was to purchase what was needed and move on. However, when that same need resurfaced one month later I quickly learned that I had only thrown one small bucket of water on a raging fire. Challenged to creatively seek longer-term solutions to ongoing problems has stretched both me, and the ministry I serve, as we trust in a willing and capable God for answers.

…June’s story continues tomorrow.

This week our Leadership Summit Director, June Blanshan, is sharing her heart and the journey she’s taken with God, wrestling with the issues of poverty and unemployment while serving in South Africa.

Being the director of Leadership Summit and working with our team of coaches is an amazing blessing. What I didn’t realize was that the blessing would also cause me to wrestle with the larger issue of poverty that grips South Africa in a very real, very personal way. I did not anticipate that growing closer to the coaches meant I would be entrusted with their burdens and the hardships they face, including that of basic survival.

Having grown up in America I have to admit to never experiencing want.  As an adult I held a great job that provided daily necessities as well as extras for my family. In fact, it wasn’t until I relocated here as a missionary that I personally encountered any real financial challenges. It was here that I learned I can no longer just “work harder” to earn the money I need to buy groceries, or pay rent.  Today I can see how God is using that knowledge to give me a glimpse into the lives and frustrations of the coaches. An initial understanding and compassion for poverty and the hopelessness it can bring.

What I have found is that my first response to problems or challenges is to face them head on and “fix” them however, I have learned that much is outside of my control.  So here I am faced with this unexpected challenge; walking with the coaches through hardship while knowing that I’m not called to be their provider – He is, and trusting Him to be just that, in the midst of so much need.

Join us tomorrow for the next part of June’s series.

Our coaches are an invaluable asset to our Leadership Summit department. While many of our missionary staff members are gifted teachers, we know that the life-changing material being taught will be be most effective coming from someone of the students’ own culture. Because of this, we employ indigenous Christian leaders who are passionate about spreading the Gospel and the truth about HIV/AIDS.

Another positive result of having these young leaders teaching the Leadership Summit classes is the employment we’re able to offer. The area we work in has a 88% unemployment rate, so we’re determined to do whatever we can to make a dent in that incomprehensible number. By offering a part-time salaried position we’re able to help them support their families. However, sometimes being the only wage earner in an extended family means that this income isn’t enough.

Next week, our Leadership Summit Director, June Blanshan, will share her heart and the journey she’s taken with God, wrestling with the issues of poverty and unemployment while serving in South Africa.

This week Jill Marshall, our Outreach Director, is sharing how she went from corporate America to missions in Africa.

What began with a small step of faith was met by a huge revelation from God, and it’s been an amazing journey ever since!

During my first mission trip the Lord revealed His purpose for my life, giving me His heart to help others.  From there, the Lord guided my steps as I prepared, provided for my needs, and strengthened me when doubts crept in.  I’ve now been with Thrive Africa for more than a year, and it has been a joy serving here in South Africa!

So, do any of my experiences ring a bell? If you are wondering about stepping out, serving on a missions trip, making a big career change, or even becoming a full-time missionary, here are just some of the things I learned along the way…

First, make your relationship with God your top priority. Study the Bible, reflect, pray and listen to God.  We need to hear from God in order to do His will.  We need to love what He loves, hate what He hates, and exchange our worldly perspective for an eternal one.

Second, begin with small steps as a way to learn and discern God’s direction for your life. I did this through short-term mission trips, volunteering through work and church, and taking classes – but it will look different for everyone.  Keeping seeking answers until you get them.

Third, trust God in all things. If God calls you, He will equip you and meet your every need.  That doesn’t mean everything will come easily, but it will come together.  Each time I trusted God with one of my “…buts” He showed up big-time strengthening my faith and further confirming His will for me.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28, NIV

This week Jill Marshall, our Outreach Director, is sharing how she went from living the corporate life to packing up for the mission field. Here’s the next part of her story.

In some ways making the change from the corporate world into full-time missions was easy.  One reason is that there are many similarities.  Like any organization, we have a vision, a mission, objectives and goals.  We plan our work, steward our finances, develop ourselves as leaders, and strive to lead by example.  We value integrity, excellence, and teamwork – core values common to successful organizations.  In these ways, I felt right at home.  It also helps to love the work you’re doing and to feel like you can really make a difference in the world.

The big change also came with its challenges.  One such challenge was financial.  Moving from a steady paycheck to having to depend on the charitable contributions of others was a big step.  It was scary for me.  I hadn’t realized how much I valued my independence until God “forced” me to depend on Him and others. But the blessings are greater, the rewards are sweeter, and my faith is so much stronger as a result.

For me personally, another challenge has been the reaction I get from people.  Many think that this is a great, noble thing I’m doing – whether they attribute it to me, or to God where the glory really belongs – they think it’s admirable to dedicate my life to helping those in need.  But then there are others who view it differently – that I’m throwing away a masters level education, a career that took 20 years to build, a much needed retirement package, my very future. I’ll admit, in my weaker moments I wonder the same thing.  Thankfully, that’s when the Lord reassures me that he will take care of my every need.  And again, my faith grows so much stronger as a result.

It’s hard to express how wonderful it is to do what you feel called to and created for by the Lord Himself.  Awesome, blessing, rewarding, amazing…  My words seem so cliché and trite, but they’re true nonetheless.

…continued tomorrow

This week Jill Marshall, our Outreach Director, will be sharing how she went from living the corporate life to packing up for the mission field. Here’s part three of her story.

As I mentioned in my previous blogs, it was during my first mission trip that the Lord filled me with a passion for missions and a calling to serve others around the world.  I wanted to be a full-time missionary someday, but I didn’t yet know the Lord’s timing.  Over the next few years, I remained active in missions, leading short-term trips to South Africa, Malawi and Palestine.  It was during those trips that I met Thrive Africa and was deeply moved by their vision and their heart to change South Africa by training up Godly leaders.

Meanwhile, I continued working full-time in the Automotive Industry.  Looking back I can see how the Lord used my career to develop me as a leader, strengthen my faith, and prepare me for His future calling.  I also continued to pray that dangerous prayer – “Lord, send me.”

After years of dreaming, praying, and wondering about full-time missions the Lord closed one door and opened another.  I was laid off.  What?  That wasn’t the way things were supposed to “go down”.  That wasn’t at all what I had planned.  I was shocked, angry, sad, a bit embarrassed – all mixed together.  But I was also intrigued, cautiously optimistic, even hopeful and excited about whatever was to come next.  And I knew that I was getting the Lord’s answer about the timing, just not in the way I had expected.

Did you ever pray for something, get it, and then go “Yikes, what was I thinking?”  That’s what happened next, doubts and fears came crashing in …but what about fundraising, but what about selling my house in a tanking economy, but what about moving overseas alone, but what about leaving my family…but, but, but…

That’s when the Lord reassured me that this is what I had been praying so fervently for, what had been on my heart for so long because He Himself put it there, and that He loved me and would take care of the details if I’d just trust Him.  So I took a deep breath, a couple a small steps, and then a giant leap halfway across the world.

…continued tomorrow

This week Jill Marshall, our Outreach Director, will be sharing how she went from living the corporate life to packing up for the mission field. Here’s part two of her story (read part one here).

When I decided to step over my hesitations and board a plane to Ecuador for my first missions trip, the Lord knocked my socks off!

While on foreign soil He showed me so much:  First, that He loved me just the way I was, but didn’t want to leave me that way. He stretched me and surrounded me with an amazing team of people to help me learn and grow.  I’m always in awe of how the Lord builds mission teams with the perfect mix of strengths, weaknesses, personalities and gifts to share. Second, He showed that not only could He use me, but that He wanted to use me as well.  That was so shocking to me because, like I said, I felt like a pretty wimpy Christian.  Third, He revealed His heart for the nations, the suffering and the poor.  I’ve often been asked:

If God is all-powerful, why are so many people poor and hungry?

If God is loving and compassionate, why do people suffer with diseases and disabilities?

If God is merciful, why are we losing an entire generation to HIV/AIDS?

These are tough questions that have even tougher answers…  You see, WE are His answers.  The Lord demonstrates His power, love, compassion, and mercy when He sends us out as the hands and feet of Christ.  God chooses us and uses us when we choose to step out and follow him.  And when we do, the blessings are incredible!!

On that first mission trip, the Lord also gave me a glimpse into His unique purpose for my life.  From that point on I felt called to serve others around the world, and it was that calling or passion that fueled my hunger for the Lord and for spiritual growth.  I knew that someday I’d be a full-time missionary, and set out to prepare and pray for the Lord’s timing.

…continued tomorrow

This week Jill Marshall, our Outreach Director, will be sharing how she got to Africa. Here’s part 1 of her story.

Missionaries are called into the mission field in unique ways – I’ve haven’t heard the same story twice.  For some it’s a dramatic event, but for most it’s just a journey of steps fueled by a desire to obey God and a heart to help others.  So here’s a little about my journey and my heart:

I was raised in a Christian home.  I’ve believed the Gospel and was assured of my salvation as long as I can remember.  But somewhere along the way I missed the part about having a personal relationship with Christ and living for Him on a daily basis.  My faith guaranteed that I would go to heaven when I died, but it didn’t really impact how I was to live, if that makes sense. It was during my adult years, when circumstances in life through me for a loop, that I started looking for answers, meaning, and purpose in life.  After several unsuccessful attempts, I ended up back at church.  Hmmm, what would things have been like had I pursued God with the same energy and determination that it took to search everywhere else?  I guess that’s a whole other story…

When I plugged back into a church the Lord opened my eyes and softened my heart. Then in 2002, I stepped out on my first mission trip.  I’ll admit – I was scared.  I didn’t feel “Christian enough”. I didn’t think God could use me to help others.  And my persistent prayer was that I wouldn’t be called on to pray out loud.  Can anyone relate?  Fortunately, my excitement outweighed my fears and I went to Ecuador.

…continued tomorrow.