In October 2011, 25 members of Grace Family Church went on an international mission to Worcester, South Africa. Our team spent 10 days working with The People’s Church. May we take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of you who helped raise funds to pay for this trip!
Below is a firsthand account from Lamar Walters:
I truly believe this trip was a life changing experience. As it was my first mission trip, I did not know what to expect and did not know what I would see. At the beginning of the trip, we visited the townships in Worcester. The standard of the housing was low; some of the houses were made up of nothing but metal sheets. The township where we were to build a football pitch was called Riverview.
One of the things that stood out for me on the first day in Riverview was one of the men at the Riverview Township.We went to build a football pitch, which required digging holes to place the goal posts. This man strived to help us dig the holes but I was very reluctant to give him the pickaxe (it was the last one we had left!). I finally I let him try and watched him put his all into digging this hole. Watching this guy work up a sweat I realized these guys want the change as well. They want to make the difference in their community.
I was amazed at what The People’s Church has achieved in South Africa. The first Saturday we had the privilege of leading worship for their youth club ‘Next Level’. The children were engaged in praise and worship; most of them I had seen in the townships, but from this atmosphere alone you would not have guessed where they had come from, what they had to go home to. It was incredible to see how God moved and to see that His love and joy aren’t dependent on our circumstances or even our culture. It was so encouraging to see that the young people who attend the church were actively evangelizing their community, their friends and their family.
Another thing that surprised me was how easy it was to relate to people. The youth shared a lot of the same interests as me. They loved their music. From the people I talked to I got insight into the lives that they lived. I discovered some of the difficulties they went through. Gangs were a problem and police were scared to deal with the issues. The guys I talked with even told me of their personal encounters with some of the gangs.
We also held a Football tournament during the trip. The community came out and took part and much to my surprise I later discovered the gang members had come out to play football as well. Some of our team even got photos with them. We were told that the fact they came out and engaged with us was rare and a real testimony of success.
The trip was amazing and when I think back on it I will remember my time there, the impact it’s had in my life and the impact we’ve had in Worcester. I won’t forget the seniors in the old peoples home who had awesome faith and satisfaction with life. And I won’t forget the hospitality of The People’s Church either. I believe what we have done has made a lasting change, in South Africa and in me.
