SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town | University of Cape Town

Johannesburg | University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria & University of the Witswatersrand

South Africa

As a LEAD staff member in South Africa, you will serve with an ethnically diverse team with open access to the university campus. South Africa has 11 official languages, though most people commonly speak English.

Around 80% of South Africans would self-identify as Christian. However, most people describe Christianity as a blend of cultural and ethnic beliefs and not true Biblical faith. Since most South Africans see themselves as Christian, discussing religion is a normal part of life. This allows our team easy access to the university campus and makes it natural and acceptable to start spiritual conversations. Because of this, LEAD Staff are crucial in evangelizing, encouraging, and establishing young leaders to be salt and light in their communities and churches.

Interested?

An essay by Amber Vinson, LEAD Staff

Imagine South Africa.

You wake up the sound of the Hadedahs outside of your bedroom window. South Africa’s alarm clock; a bird with a sound indistinguishable from a child’s cry, to the untrained ear. You hear the faint sound of the recyclers collecting from the houses on the street as you brew your morning coffee. You take in the sound of all of the birds and the stillness of the morning; so different than the streets you will be on soon. You take your time to read and to pray over the day ahead, and check the weather outside to prepare, because you can never quite trust your weather app. You finish cleaning the coffee grounds from your french press, and at the last second you grab an extra sweatshirt to bring with you, just in case.

Street vendors take their spots at the stop lights and road signs, selling anything from fruits, to art, to windshield wipers. Beggars join them.

You drive by the mamas walking to work, some with children in hand, others walking with goods on their heads. You take the longer way to campus, avoiding stalling your car on the big hill even though that way really shaves off a few minutes. As you drive you hear the familiar sound of honking taxis, looking for their next takers. You can’t help but notice the tall, green trees that line every street: two different worlds, existing at once.

You’ve learned that on these roads, people and cars move together, with pedestrians weaving in and out of traffic and taxis making frequent stops in the lanes.

Campus guards greet you and welcome you on, at this point knowing your face and your car all too well. You are excited for what the Lord has in store for the day and to go to some of your favorite places. You wave to the man at your favorite lunch spot, and meet up there with a friend, hugging and greeting every familiar face you see on the way. You are sharing the Gospel with a student you met earlier this year, listening, answering questions, and asking even more of them.

She tells you about her families rituals, and shares about how her ancestors are the mediators between her family and God. You get to share about Jesus—the only true mediator between God and man.

You leave campus, giving a thumbs up and a smile to the guards who let you out of the gate. You are on your way to your small group with your church. You’re tired, but excited to gather together. You make the trek to the other side of town, trying to remember each side street and turn it takes to get there. You pull into the gate, and are immediately greeted with children’s hugs and tea on the table, with milk and sugar to add, of course.

You are all studying the letter of 1 Corinthians together. The room is full of laughter, sometimes tears, and with so many different accents that the room feels like a painting of the world. Not one person in the room is the same, but you have the Lord in common, and that seems to be enough.

You are ready to head home, turn on your fan, and climb into bed. The streets are quiet now, and you drop some friends home on the way to yours. You pull into your gate, make another cup of tea, and settle in for the night, getting ready to do it all again tomorrow. You wait in anticipation, excited for what the Lord has next!