As I sit here typing this story on my computer in a place far away from home, I am so amazed at what is going on in my life. I am a part of an rGroup with the distinction of being the farthest from San Diego. I’m not just far, I’m on-the-other-side-of-the-world far.
How? Why? You might ask.
I’ll explain. I had gotten saved at the Rock years back and found myself completely surrendered to Jesus because of how He saved me out of the darkness of the world and opened my eyes to His precious light. So I plugged into all sorts of different ministries to find community and grow more in my faith—hiking, surfing, salsa, island praise and worship, volleyball, microsites—13 in all, which was great, but something felt amiss. I had been a competitive lifter since 1997 (Powerlifting & Olympic lifting). How do I make my two worlds meet? There was something about lifting that always felt entirely about me. What does a lifter do to make it about other people?
“Lord,” I prayed. “How can I use my talents?”
I was at an Impact 195 (now Rock School of Ministry) meeting when I heard a speaker talk about his organization that tries to reach people in remote parts of the world. One of their recent ideas was to launch a new group in East Africa that would come into the country to start a Crossfit team, and they were looking for coaches who knew how to raise up other coaches. I nearly fell out of my chair. THAT WAS ME!!
It was one of the most exciting thoughts that I could imagine. Was God confirming that He had a plan to use me for the Kingdom?
In time, God paved the way for me to be a part of the Crossfit team and now I live and work on the other side of the world in a place that I could never have guessed would be my home or a part of my life. I am so excited to be a part of it. I still can’t believe God is using me.
I have started asking the Africans that I live among if they believe in Jesus. Most will answer in the affirmative but with an attitude like they are answering whether they believe in gravity. Of course! But none of them seemed to be able to articulate anything about their faith or much about Jesus. It seems that there are believers miles wide but inches deep.
I was thinking about what to do to help and better connect with the community here. That’s when starting an rGroup came to mind. I thought, Why not? We don’t have to be in San Diego to do an rGroup! It was the perfect thing to do because I was also missing the ministries I had taken part of over there and wanted to feel plugged into my Rock community. I was so excited.
Today, we meet at a gym, have short introductions and a quick prayer, then workout, have a devo or discussion that follows the rGroup guide, and then have food and fellowship. When it works out, we finish around 6 p.m. Sunday night which is 8 a.m. Sunday morning in San Diego when the Rock service starts. So we stream it live online! It is amazing how God has made it all come together.
We are making community, friendships are being forged, and lives are being transformed. We average 15 people each rGroup. It is a testimony to God’s faithfulness to use us where we are. How blessed I am to be a part of something so meaningful.
God is so good.
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To find out how to support and stay informed about her ministry, please email globaloutreach@sdrock.com.
To join an rGroup, click here.
Not able to attend Rock Church in person on Sundays? Find out more about our Online Campus here.
Interested in Global Outreach? Click here.
Photo by Chase Kinney on Unsplash
