South Africa: Learning to be a ‘Jozi’

I am learning to be a Jozi—a common term for residents of Johannesburg, South Africa, or “Joburg” for short. My teammate Austen and I are learning the ropes here. I was shocked when we arrived to see that our flat is nicer than my apartment in Texas was. 

Leah AllenIn our first week here, we learned about the International Mission Board structure and gained a better understanding of what the next four months will look like.

I will be interviewing people serving on the field and writing their stories so readers of http://imb.org and http://africastories.org can see what God is doing in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also will be editing reports people send in and posting them online.

It’s been eye-opening to see how God uses people on and off the field. I may be sitting in an office all day, but that doesn’t make my mission any less important. My hope is that stories I write will encourage someone to pray, give, and/or go. 

In our spare time, Austen and I are able to connect with ministries in the area. One of my favorites so far has been teaching English to Somali immigrant women. They are all Muslim, so sharing the gospel is a challenge. I am praying about whether this is the ministry God wants me to plug into or not. If so, I hope to build relationships with women and share with them the same love Christ gives me. 

Leah Allen, a former communications intern at the Baptist Standard and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, is serving as a semester missionary in South Africa with Go Now Missions.