Working in a team

4 ladies and 1 guy, which collectively made my internship team of 6 including myself. My team is made of recent graduates, with 3 of them leaving campus the same year that I did – that is Thandekile Hlongwane (Hammersdale), Slindile Nhleko (Tongaat) and  Thandeka Zulu (Umlazi). All these ladies had been involved with campus ministry before I got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ on my campus. They all have amazing testimonies of how they came to know the Lord and further grew in their spiritual maturity and dependence on Him through other ministries on campus such as His People Student Ministry and Student Christian Fellowship (SCF). Likewise with Anele Hlongwane (Hammersdale) who from his first year came to know the Lord through a summer project that had come to our campus and since then his burning desire has been to reach other students with the Gospel, fueling his decision to work as a full time missionary leading the campus ministry of Kwa-Zulu Natal which in itself is epic. Lastly Noscelo Duma (Pietermaritzburg) has a somewhat dissimilar record, having come from a background of high school ministry with iThembalethu in Durban, she over those years discipling young primary and high school girls felt a great need to reach female university students and recognised Campus Crusade for Christ as a vehicle to do so.

Slindile Nhleko

Individualism for me was not quite far from my vocabulary and yet I had put myself in a position where it would be required of me to be a team player...honestly speaking...that wasn’t really a highly prized idea for me. Going into it I could say I had numerous unhealthy idea’s fuelled by having being independent since I can remember in everything that was asked of me. What was strikingly more threatening was the duration of the internship arrangement. Right there I knew there was no room for insensitivity, arrogance, self-righteousness, belittlement, superficiality and pride. The Lord had cast a light on what was overdue to be sorted out. That challenged me tremendously. Having to sacrifice what mattered to me for that which was far more important for my team mate. Having to create, converse and work in a dynamic environment which would rather encourage my mates more than demotivate them. I won’t arrogantly say I have found the art of it all but I certainly have come out more refined, more learned, more sharpened with more wisdom due to things said and those unsaid by my team mates.

Noscelo Duma, Thandekile Hlongwane, Thandeka Zulu

Last year when Alyssa Monda challenged me to intern she said: “... apart from reaching students for Christ, the internship will grow you holistically...”, and so true that came out to be. There are so many cherished moments through it all that I would not trade. There are variety of skills I learnt about working with others, much knowledge handed down onto me. The multi facets of ministry cannot be all exposed in one year of ministry but that of team dynamics was for me and I loved it. 

+Anele Hlongwane