Tonight we answered the most frequent question we get on the road. For the first time, we had a public conversation about Monique's backstory and how she came to be a missionary in South Africa, her emergency transition off the mission field and why she went back, even though she thought she might die there for the sake of the Gospel.
Back in November 2023, one of our Giving Tuesday campaign goals was to raise money for Monique to do a ministry trip to South Africa. She had been invited by a small ministry called Apologetics SA, to speak at their Women’s Retreat and talk about unity within the Body of Christ.
Brief history of South Africa:
Apartheid = a government-supported system of separating people based on race, which was in place from the late 1940s until 1994. Nelson Mandela was a key anti-apartheid figure, who was imprisoned for 27 years. After the end of apartheid, Mandela became the country’s first elected president.
South Africa includes 11 national languages
Ethnic groups: White, Black (African), Colored (mixed white & Indigenous), Asian, and Indian
In the beginning (2010), Monique went to SA to teach basic dance to primary students. Eventually, her work evolved and she became more of a counselor/mentor for students who had experienced significant trauma. She also served as a support to teachers, who often had 50+ students in a classroom, many who had experienced serious traumatic life events (eg violence, gang activity, drugs, poverty, trafficking).
In 2018, what was supposed to be a quick trip back to the States, turned into a permanent departure from the mission field. There had been a threat on Monique’s life, on top of the hundreds of stories of violence and trauma she heard about from students, that led to serious episodes of PTSD.
So, after a 6-year hiatus (and much spiritual growth and healing!), Monique returned to SA! It was a journey of faith and overcoming fear, and, wouldn’t you know it, the Lord provided! Monique had a very busy speaking schedule and got to connect with new and old friends. Praise the Lord!
Mo’s favorite things:
The food!!! Many tasty options, such as lamb, ostrich, cinnamon rolls (no gluten sensitivity in SA!)...alllll the things!!
We are thankful for the opportunity to share the Biblical message of unity on a global level! Monique saw that the church community in SA has its own struggles with racism and ethnic partiality and some churches are completely unaware of CRT and woke ideology. We look forward to seeing how the Lord will use this trip, and possibly even bring about new opportunities to return to South Africa (and beyond!)!
THANK YOU, DONORS!
You made this trip possible!! And your contributions allowed us to gift our brothers and sisters with a copy of the Reconciled Curriculum! Thank you!!
Resources:
Come visit us at the Unshaken Conference in 2024! Check out the trailer and find out more at the website:
Ratio Christi is a ministry on university campuses that helps equip students and faculty to give historical, scientific, and philosophical reasons to believe Christianity is true. To find out more, click the link:
Off-Code is a podcast that looks into issues within the Black Community. This podcast is hosted by Monique and Kevin Briggins and now has its own YouTube channel. Check it out and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@OffCodePodcast
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Tonight's show is brought to you by the Center for Biblical Unity, Theology Mom podcast, Family 210 Clothing, and Impact 360!
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Tonight's featured shirt was designed by Krista, "Created to Reign":