My name is Sabbath McKiernan-Allen. I am a 20 year old student at Samford University. Up to now, most people would say that I have lived a pretty good life. I have a family that loves and supports the woman I am and the woman I hope to be some day. I have good friends who keep me on track as I strive for excellence.  I attend a school that challenges me to see the world in a unique way. I believe that all of these things are a blessing from God.  Usually I am grateful for that fact.  However, all this time I never realized that simply being grateful is not always enough. 

In Luke 12:48, Jesus, talking to Peter, says “For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more.”  How often in my life this verse has been ignored.  I recognized that I was blessed with the things that I had, but I never went the next step to use the blessings to further the kingdom of God. 

Because of funding generously provided to me by Global Ministries, I was able to go to South Africa, where I was able to share from the abundance of my own life.  In the summer of 2011, I traveled to Cape Town for a 10 day mission trip.  As I reflect on the time I spent there, on my own life, and on what I know of Jesus’ will, I began to see how connected those three things are.

I went to Cape Town with a young-adult missions group from a congregation in Birmingham, Alabama.  We worked with an organization called Living Hope.  Living Hope has different branches which try to reach all kinds of people.  Their main goal is to combat poverty in the monetary sense and poverty of the mind. A lot of the people we worked with live day to day with no hopes or dreams, not even looking forward to tomorrow.  They seem content to live in 8'X10' shacks, despite struggling to find food for their families.  Many who live in this area have sex with multiple partners. In the communities that we worked in 1 out of every 2 women were HIV positive, 82% of the families have no father figure, and a lot of the children go days without eating a decent meal or bathing. So our mission team spent the majority of our time in these communities working alongside the Life Skill Educators that Living Hope already has in place. We played with the kids and held a little Bible study, emphasizing God’s love and mercy.  After Bible study we were able to give the children sandwiches or some soup.

Other members of our group went to Living Hope's Health Care facilities where we were able to visit with the patients.  One particular moment, I saw Christ speaking through one of my mission partners at this health facility. We went with only a hymnal. When we got there, a lot of the patients were in bed sleeping or just lying still. As Leanna began to sing, the patients began to wake up or roll over to face her. Some patients went a step further, clapping or joining in with familiar hymns such as Rock of Ages.  It was a really wonderful experience.  Lifting our voices together helped me remember we are all truly brothers and sisters in Christ no matter how different we may be.

The whole experience was extremely powerful, but it left me feeling a bit strange and pretty guilty. Here I am, a girl who has been given SO much. My parents have provided a safe, Christian home for me. I always have food in the refrigerator, I have running water and electricity in my house. I don’t have to share a bed with my brothers and sisters. The things that people in the poorest communities in Cape Town struggle with on a daily basis aren't even real issues for me. I have learned to believe I am always going to have food on the table and that everything is going to be okay.  I have so much and they have little. 

But I don’t believe God wants me to feel guilty. I believe God called me to Africa not to feel guilty but to develop a sense of responsibility. I have seen the conditions the kids and their families live in. Now it is up to me and people like me to bring awareness to the situation so that we can combat poverty. And that doesn’t mean sending these people money or giving them food, because what does that teach in the long run? That Americans feel sorry for you; we'll send money but not spend time talking to you.

That is not helping, that is crippling. We, as Christians, want to help our brothers and sisters realize there is more, so much more to look forward to. In Philippians, Paul talks about how our citizenship is not here on Earth, but in Heaven with God. In the book by Denver Moore and Ron Hall, A Same Kind of Different As Me, Denver says, “The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or something in between, this earth ain’t no final restin' place. So in a way, we is all homeless – just workin' our way toward home.”

So when looking back on this entire experience I'm so glad to realize God has an agenda for me.  God has poured out blessings on my life:  now I may turn around and pour blessings on others' lives.  I want to go back to Africa and speak the word of life.  I may not be able to give these people food or clean water, but like the woman at the well, I can invite others to "come and see" as we seek to share the gospel and give the water of life.  I can share what I have, working to help the people of Cape Town not only to survive, but thrive as they are reminded that God will provide and God is enough.

Sabbath McKiernan-Allen served as a short-term volunteer in South Africa, appointed by the Common Global Ministries Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ.