Out of a place of intimacy

Today was our first day of class on the Tabernacle of David in School of Worship. At the end of class we were asked to spend some time reflecting on what stood out to us and how it applies to us as worship leaders. Here are my thoughts:

The thing that has stood out to me the most from class today is the freedom that I should feel in Christ, even in the midst of my calling. Yes, there is a lot of responsibility on me as a worship leader, as I am called to usher people into the presence of God, but I'm not able to do it in my own strength, so I shouldn't stress about it and try do it by myself. Leading people into God's presence and living a life that glorifies him will be a natural outflowing of a life of intimacy with him.

David was called a man after God's own heart, not because he lived a perfect life, but because he sought after God, even in the darkest times of his life. He was willing to admit to his shortcomings and surrender them to God and ask God to make him new and forgive him. He had great intimacy with God and because of that God used him to lead the entire nation into true worship of him, and used his kingdom as an example of what the kingdom of heaven looks like. 

I just find so much freedom in this example of the life of David and the intimacy that he had with God. Out of that, everything else was birthed. The only thing I need to concern myself with is focusing on staying in a place of intimacy with God and out of that everything else will flow. We learnt in class today that intimacy with God allows us to proclaim the truth about God as we get to know him better and through our proclamation God brings fresh revelation into our lives. This revelation takes us into a deeper place of intimacy with God. And so the cycle continues. But it all starts with me choosing a life of intimacy with God and guarding that as the most important thing in the world to me. 

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Graduation Speech for CDFM

My CDFM class - students and staff: (back) Dante, Sarah G, Kai, (front) Me, Chrissy, Kourtney, Jonathan, Keri, Angie and Jenna

Honestly I didn't know what to expect of this school when I applied. I hoped I'd learn something about God's heart for the poor and how to combat poverty, but I didn't have incredibly high expectations. But within the first week of teaching God had already blown me away with a complete change in worldview and I learnt more that first week than I expected to learn in the whole school. 

And from there on the learning and amazing teaching continued. Each week brought new insight and revelation into topics that God can use in us to change the lives of people all around the world. Things like water & sanitation, healthcare, education & teaching, economics, how to start an NGO, amongst many other things. But while this school did teach us a lot of practical skills that we can use on the missions field, these would be a lot less meaningful without the Godly foundations that everything was built on and the biblical worldview through which everything was seen. 

I know I speak for my whole class when I say that I now definitely have a much better understanding of how to go into a community and be able to empower them and help them build themselves up without doing more harm than good in the process. This school has revealed to us so many misconceptions we've had about missions and the ways in which we've done things in an unsustainable and unloving way in the past, even though we thought we were doing the right thing. I feel equipped to go out and make a much more long term impact in the world now, wherever that may be. And I know that I will be able to use the principles taught in this school to bring God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven in every sphere of life that I may be in: whether that be in church, on the missions field, in social circles, education, IT or in business sphere. I know that God is going to use each one of us to bring about his intentions for mankind wherever he may take us in life. And I'm really excited to be a part of it. 

I would like to thank all our staff for all their input in our lives over the past three months. We really appreciate you and would not have made it through without your love and support. And thank you YWAM Denver for this amazing opportunity that you have given us. I look forward to seeing where God takes each one of us from here. 

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So far so good :)

It's been two weeks, but it feels like so much longer than that! Being back at YWAM Denver is so amazing and I'm really really enjoying it so far. At first a I was a little nervous about coming back, because I knew that a lot would be different from my last time here in 2007, and also because of how much I have changed and grown since then. But it's only been a week and I already feel like I've known everyone for a few months and my room mates totally feel like family! It is especially awesome having Paul here and, even though we don't get to hang out that often, it's just great having him nearby and seeing the way that God is working in his life. 

Paul at the lake near the YWAM base. The YWAM base is directly behind him in the distance.

There are just five of us in my school, Community Development for Missions (CDFM). We are a really nice mix: Dante is our only guy and he is from the Bahamas. He is going to MIT in September to study Chemical Engineering. Kourtney is from Viginia and she went on her DTS outreach to South Africa and volunteered in Haiti for 9 months after the earthquake. She wants to study nursing after this school. Sarah G is a Missionary Kid who lived in Thailand and Burma for 4 years. She is now studying Renuable Energy for International Development in the States and taking a semester break to do this course. And finally there's Crissy who is originally from Colorado but has travelled a lot and is passionate about helping women caught in trafficking and prostitution.

My CDFM class: Crissy, Sarah G, Angie (staff), Keri (director), Jonathan, Kourtney, me, Jenna (staff and my small group leader), Dante and Kai (assistant director)

Our leaders are also really awesome people. Keri is originally from the UK and he has his Masters in Mechanical Engineering with a specialision in Community Development. His wife, Angie, is a nurse and they both have a huge heart for missions. They also have a really adorable 2 year old son called Jonathan who I am very quickly falling in love with, and another baby on the way :)

Angie and Jonathan

Last week we spent most of the time bonding and getting to know each other. We also went over the basic introductory things about being in YWAM and rules of the base etc. This week we are doing a video conference with a lady called Christine from the YWAM base in Khona, Hawaii. There have been quite a few issues with the technology, but they got stored out by Tuesday. 

The road outside the YWAM base, very often full of geese!

Thankfully God is able to work regardless and I have learnt so much about the lies that hold back cultures and societies and how we need to go to the root of these beliefs in order to bring about change, rather than just trying to bring change on higher level without looking at the reason for the lack of development in the area. Because so often the reason for the community being in that situation is rooted in a lie that they or someone else believes about them and until that lie has been replaced by God's truth. For example that we are ALL made in God's image and that he has given us dominion over the earth and we are not controlled by it. Through this truth God can bring about lasting change. I'm really looking forward to what else I am going to learn this week and I'm really excited for the rest of this training school!

The YWAM base covered in a fresh layer of snow :)

The weekly outreach that I'm involved in with the rest of my CDFM class is teaching English to Karen refugees from Burma who are now living in the States. We had EFL training on Sunday which was pretty interesting. Monday was our first outreach and I got to take the two hyper 10 year old twin boys, who were distracting the class, aside and teach them Maths, which I thoroughly enjoyed! They are such characters! I'm really looking forward to going back and working with them every week.

Ahtim and Ahtow

UCT Allan Gray Academic Prize entry 2011

I got a rather interesting email three days ago:

"Your overall academic performance this year has put you in a position of eligibility to apply for the prestigious Academic Awards sponsored by Allan Gray. The top prizes are worth up to R25 000, so it is well worth taking the time to enter this competition. Note that if you are a winner of one of the prizes we will let you know on Tuesday 13th December and you will be invited to receive your award at the Ceremony at 17h30 on the 14th December."

And so I decided that I might as well give it a shot. Here is my response to the two questions that were posed: 

Q1: What are the qualities of an excellent leader and describe the experiences that have contributed to your leadership qualities?

An excellent leader is someone who leads not only by their words, but also by their actions. They live out what they tell others to do, without having double standards. They set a high standard for themselves and strive for excellence, but are also transparent and honest about their humanity and able to confess their failures and shortcomings. They live a life of integrity and those who follow them trust them with ease. An excellent leader is a visionary who can share their vision through their contagious passion. They inspire those around them and take time to build relationships with their followers. They are not aloof, but approachable. They support those under their leadership when they fail and encourage them to learn from their mistakes.

An excellent leader mentors people who show potential and spends time investing in those who may take over from them in the future. They enable their followers to develop new skills and to grow. They also allow others to stand on their shoulders and rise higher than them. An excellent leader is someone who is willing to both teach and learn. They never lose sight of the big picture and always keep in mind their objectives and goals. They provide a good structure which others can depend on, but allow for flexibility when needed. Finally, an excellent leader is able to laugh at their mistakes and see the lighter side of things. They bring humour at appropriate moments and draw out the best in those around them.

During school I was given a number of leadership opportunities, including being House Captain, Head of Orchestra, Head of Christian Union and on the SRC. I was also involved in leadership in church and community service. Retrospectively, I realise how often I fell short as a leader and that I failed to acknowledge my mistakes. I always believed that an excellent leader was one that set high standards for themselves and held to them constantly. Consequently, I pretended that I did not struggle and I covered up my faults. However, during my gap year I had the privilege of being under very inspiring leaders. Chris and Sarah trained and led my team on service opportunities around North and South America. What immediately drew me to them was their openness and honesty. They did not pretend to be perfect, but readily admitted their struggles and asked for support. I was amazed by how much this made me respect them.

They inspired me to be more than I ever thought I could be as an individual and a leader and I have aspired to put what I learnt from them and others into practice in my various leadership opportunities during university. I have subsequently worked with the youth in my community and in the Transkei; mentoring younger girls and running life-groups, amongst others. In addition, at UCT I was a class representative, tutor, society committee member and project leader. Throughout I endeavoured to always go above and beyond what was expected of me. I am so grateful for the inspiring leaders who helped me grow to where I am now, and I continue to seek others from whom I can learn and with which I can share what I have learnt.

Q2: What should business leaders be doing now to make the most of the world in 2021? 

One of the most important assets of a business is not the products or services, but the people. Thus the most important thing that I think business leaders should be doing now to make the most of the world in 2021 is to develop the promising young people connected with their business through mentorship and internship programs. They need to identify those with strong leadership potentials. These young people should not be seen simply as future leaders, but as current leaders. This is because the ability to lead is not determined by one’s rank, position or seniority, but by the way in which they inspire and impact others. As such, the identified young people need to be mobilised in their potential and given the freedom to lead in a way in which they can learn and grow from their mistakes. They should be given the opportunity to lead alongside established business leaders and to both learn from and teach them. Through this, business leaders can instil good values and leadership skills in those who will be shaping the business world in 2021.