Jeffrey’s Bay Training

We are the Global Challenge Teams of 2024. Committing this year to the Lord, we go out to the nations in trust and faith, trusting to see His will and His work out in the world be done. Chronicling our year so far, we wanted to share the incredible things God has in store for this year and for us as a team. From the beginning, He has been working in incredible ways, and we want to share what He’s done…

Arrival…

We arrived in Jeffrey’s Bay on the 7th of January. Little did we know that this was the start of a new chapter in our lives. We were welcomed into the Global Community and into a family of believers, rooted in Christ, and so firmly in His word. Over the course of the next 6 weeks, they changed each and every one of our lives and belief systems. The truths we thought we knew were tested and prodded, until we were refined into the seeds of the army which we are called to be. We saw the Father move in incredible ways from that day forward, healing, delivering, loving, holding and changing lives in ways that only weeks before, we would have refused to believe. That first evening, we shared an incredible meal together, and, just like that, something beautiful began.

The first of the many gifts we received were the testimonies of members in the community. Each evening, sitting down as a group, listening to the stories of what Jesus has done with lives that were simply surrendered to Him. Listening to these stories, something began to happen within us. A flame was ignited in us, the beginning of something…

The Lord met each one of us in incredibly beautiful and personal ways. This began our first week of training, a fire and a revival that fuelled us for the 6 weeks, where we learned and grew in Christ to such an extent, that our loved ones back home began to remark on the difference in us, in just those few short weeks.

An essential practice which was encouraged from the very beginning was starting each day with the Lord, in a personal quiet time or a group bible-study session. This is so important for teams going out into the nations, to ensure we are ALWAYS walking in the Spirit, and to equip ourselves by relying on the Lord’s strength. Making this decision at the start of the day sets the tone for each day. Putting our priorities in order. It was in these moments of fellowship together that the we as a group began to relax into new the relationships, which we now know we will take into Eternity.

Gifts Released

We were blessed to be able to learn from Uncle Joe Ewen towards the end of our first week of training. Going in expecting a lecture, and instead receiving and learning more than we could ever have imagined. We sat down that first session, and began to learn about the Gifts of the Spirit. Uncle Joe didn’t believe in just sitting us down and making us listen. He taught us by example, and then in practice. On the Friday after we had arrived, just 5 days after we had started, Uncle Joe prayed over us, that we would receive the gift of Tongues. Those who had already received theirs prayed over those who had not, and, one by one, each received. More than 40 people praying in a room, speaking out the words of God, is something so powerful, and so precious. After we had prayed, we began to share testimonies. Story after story of the deliverance of Jesus, what He did in each of our lives. Cheer after cheer, as we recounted strongholds freed, hurts healed, pains gone, relationships restored. The Holy Spirit worked so strongly, and so beautifully. All glory to Him who conquered the grave, and every hurt we brought before Him.

After that day, nothing was the same. From one day to the next, we went from a ragtag bunch of strangers to family. To brothers and sisters who loved each other with the love of Christ, an all-encompassing, all forgiving, encouraging love that carried us through 6 weeks of intense, hard teaching.

Over the next few weeks, we were blessed to receive practical teaching in every area imaginable. These sessions involved understanding and applying the core values of Global Challenge as an organisation, learning how to engage with the Bible as it was meant to be read originally, ministry training, understanding conflict resolution and even learning how to function in our different roles within the team.

We were blessed after our sessions with Uncle Joe, to receive a Veritas Module 1 course, from Tannie Tertia Kellerman, as well as a session with Uncle Norm Wakefield on Living to Love with Jesus. These sessions brought freedom and taught us how to boldly walk in our callings and our identities as children of God. For many of us, foundations were radically shaken, revealing the truth or Christ beneath.

We also blessed in this time to be able to work in the Village and with the Global Community on various projects in and around the campus, learning how to garden, compost, paint, and work on finishing a building project! These skills are invaluable to what we will be doing in the nations, ensuring we are able to help in any capacity we are needed, from children’s ministry to construction, sharing messages or worship.

We have truly been so privileged to be able to learn from true warriors in Christ, men and women with their hearts and minds firmly set on things above, to be mentored and led along the path, which will ultimately lead each one of us to the foot of His throne. This time has been a blessing and a great lesson to each and every one of us, and without a doubt a time we will always cherish for its incredible impact on our lives.

We truly fell in love with Jesus, learning about the Father heart of God. Team members began to open up and the Spirit of the God was poured out onto many. Freedom and a revived fire for the Lord were the fruit of this. Songs, poems and testimonies were shared as accounts of what Jesus was doing in their hearts.

Even in funny moments shared, moments that only come from a group of strangers living closely together, we bonded and learned truly what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.

Time for goodbyes…

In the end, when the time came for us to separate into our teams and leave for the Nations we had been assigned, it was met with a joy and an excitement, a passion so rare, so beautiful, coming straight from the Father’s heart. Now, we are out travelling, experiencing the beautiful things He’s prepared for us out in the world. We have been astounded with the incredible things He’s done already, and we look forward to what He still has planned for us. We are expectant, excited, and ready to see His plan worked out in full! We’ve submitted everything to God, trusting Him wholeheartedly with our lives, pouring them out like water at the feet of Jesus. We are so blessed to have been able to embark on this journey. This is a privilege few receive, and we are determined to experience everything that God has for us.

Niel Langner shared the following testimony from training:

“I hadn’t gone to church since Matric in 2021, I believed that there was a God but did not care to have a relationship with him. I loved the world and got involved with smoking and drinking a lot. After careful thinking I decided to do Global Challenge (my sister had done it the year before). During training, I was really challenged by the things that were taught, I didn’t believe what was taught by the Holy Spirit. I did personal research to prove them wrong but, in the end, I proved myself wrong. We went on a long hike over the course of a couple days and in that time, I could process what was taught and connect more with the group. My relationship with God has grown so much and I’ve learnt so much during training, it’s amazing.”

This poem was written during training:

“The raging sounds of my mind
suddenly got quiet
When the love around me started to
dominate the dark thoughts
deep in the back of my head
I cry out to You and ask Lord,
to accept this love and
to receive this love
for these people around me
truly loves me
Help me Lord
to be able to love like that too
Help me Lord
To love As much as you love us
Teach me your ways Jesus
I want to learn
I’m so hungry
only You can satisfy my hunger
You are the way maker, miracle worker
And promise keeper
May You just embrace us
Fill our cups with Your love
Let us be content in your presence and your presence only
Thank you Jesus for absolutely everything
I will continue to surrender my life to you”
-Simoné Froneman

Our three teams, Westbound, Eastbound, and Travel Varsity