A Change Of Heart In Africa : Part 1 of 4


Ashleigh Boyd, daughter of MAF-US President John Boyd, recently took part in a ministry trip to conduct VBS for the MAF family conference in South Africa, and to visit the MAF base in Lesotho. The following blog is part one in a series detailing her experiences and all that the Lord taught her during this trip.


As I was packing, I was praying and trying to mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually prepare myself for what had yet to come. I woke up the morning I was due to leave with such excitement! The flights were all on time and we had a blast traveling there.

Ashleigh (right) and the MAF preschoolers she led during VBS, along with fellow teammate Emily (left).

Ashleigh (right) and the MAF preschoolers she led during VBS, along with fellow teammate Emily (left).

Once we had arrived in Durban, South Africa, the VBS preparation had begun! Between Angela preparing for story, Erika preparing for craft, Becky (our leader) running around finalizing everything, Emily preparing for games AND worship, and me getting ready to pour into the lives of five preschool students that were going to be in my group, it made for a busy first day!

The night before VBS started, we met up to talk and pray. We fell asleep full of joy for the day to come.

That first morning, all went well, although it was a bit crazy. But what do you expect with 20+ kids running around!

I never realized just how much I needed Christ until I had only Him to rely on.” — Ashleigh

Thankfully the last member of our team, Bailey, arrived the night before. She helped Emily lead worship and jumped right in, so instead of just five of us there were now six.

My team was amazing! For three days we rallied around each other with prayer and encouragement, and God really worked through all of us—from the inside out. The Lord was revealing some heart issues I needed to work on.

Sadly, our time in Durban had to come to an end. We loaded up the car and began our six-plus hour drive to Lesotho with the Eygabroads.

After crossing the Lesotho border, you could immediately see the change.

Part 2 will be posted on Friday, September 13th.

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