- What Does It Mean to Be a Follower of Jesus?
What does it truly mean to follow Jesus?
Does it mean going to church every Sunday, giving your 10%, and saying that’s enough?
Does it mean religiously praying before every meal?
Does it mean posting Bible verses on your Instagram story?
Or does it mean knowing His character and letting Him know yours?
Does it mean full surrender to Him?
Obedience to Him?
Serving Him—not yourself?
Dear reader, I hope this finds you well. I encourage you to dwell on that question, and I would love to hear how you follow Jesus or what your view is on following Him.
Before I dive into what’s been happening in my life, I want to apologize for the delay in this blog post—it’s been a minute. I also want you to be in a place where you can truly receive what I’ve written… so grab some popcorn and get cozy.
From Swaziland to Malaysia
In my last blog, I was in Swaziland. Now, I’m in Malaysia—but I haven’t truly been able to reflect on Swazi until now.
The ministry in Swaziland was with kids ages 4–14 every day. We would arrive at the care point around 9:30, love on these kids, and play soccer with them (they’re really good). Seeing their smiles filled me with so much joy—but there was also hurt.
At times, it was hard for me. I wanted them to know they are deeply loved. I wanted to be a vessel and pour into them with the love of Jesus, but I struggled with how to do that well. I kept thinking to myself, “Ministry is not a set time in the day—ministry is my life.”
I spent a lot of time in prayer, asking the Lord how I could show His love and be a vessel outside of structured ministry. I asked Him to bring someone into my life that I could disciple and minister to while on the base—Joy Mission House—where we were living.
Meeting Samkeliso
One day, while relaxing in a hammock with my friend, a man walked up to us and we struck up a conversation. His name was Samkeliso—or Samu for short.
He shared that he had just been kicked out of the home he was living in and was forced to move in with his mother and sister. He told us why.
He had been living in a home where people worshiped idols. When they found out he had been going to church, they told him he could no longer stay. Persecution is real.
So he came to Joy, where his mother was living. He was confused—Why did this happen? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?
My friend and I talked with him for about two hours. He shared his heart and his passion for the Lord. I was so encouraged by how on fire he was for Jesus. As I listened, I thanked the Lord for bringing him to us—this was the ministry I had been praying for.
Before we left, I asked if he wanted to do a Bible study together. He said “Yes!” with the biggest smile.
We began meeting every morning at 6:30 in this grass hut on a hill. Some days we studied Scripture deeply; other days we talked about sports for two hours. We built a real relationship. He poured into me, and I poured into him every day for three weeks.
He is truly on fire for the Lord, and he encouraged me deeply.
Thank you, Jesus, for that relationship—it was truly special.
Lessons From Manzini
Every Monday in Swazi, we went to Manzini, one of the bigger cities. We would spend time with the Lord beforehand, asking Him to bring people to us who needed to hear about Him—or to place us in divine encounters.
One Monday, my friend and I saw four men sitting on a bench in a park. We approached them and asked about a gold statue nearby. It was of a former king of Swaziland. The statue showed him holding a coin in his right hand and a Bible in his left—holding the Bible higher.
The men explained that this king valued the truth of the Bible over money and worldly possessions.
That sparked a question in my heart: What do you hold higher?
I asked them that question. Three said money. One said the Bible.
The man who chose the Bible began sharing why. His friends were shocked—they didn’t even know he was a follower of Jesus. He shared how faithful the Lord had been in his life, and it was amazing to watch him pour into them.
In that moment, the Lord revealed something to me about childlike faith.
I asked one of the men if he had kids. He said yes. I asked who his children go to for support, love, and care. He said, “Me—I’m their father.”
And it hit me.
The Lord is my Father. Why do I try to depend on myself?
I asked him, “Do your kids come to you for love, comfort, advice—even to celebrate their accomplishments?”
He said yes.
I shared, “That’s how we’re meant to be with our Heavenly Father. We should run to Him, let Him hold us, comfort us, love us, and trust Him. And when we say, ‘Abba, look what I did,’ He probably says, ‘No—look what I did.’”
Not only did I pour into them—the Lord was pouring into me at the same time.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as saying yes and giving Him your heart.
Lessons From the Wild
While in Southern Africa, I had the incredible opportunity to go on a couple of safaris. Going in, I was just excited to see some cool animals.
The first was at Hlane Royal National Park in Swaziland. On the way, we saw baboons and giraffes along the road. In the park, we saw elephants—and my second favorite animal—the lion.
We were only about three feet away from two male lions resting under a bush. At first, I just thought it was amazing. Later, I reflected on their strength and power—how they could have attacked, but instead chose to rest.
That led to a revelation:
If I am always pouring out, I will become exhausted. I must learn to rest in the presence of the Lord and allow Him to fill me before I pour into others.
God’s Intentional Design
The second safari was at Kruger National Park in South Africa. We woke up at 4 a.m. and drove in an open safari truck. It was cold and windy—I was shivering until the sun rose.
As the sun came up, the valley we were driving through was slowly revealed. Rock spires stood on either side, with dense jungle surrounding them. Eventually, the land opened into a vast wooded savanna—it was breathtaking.
Our guide, William, was incredible. He even gave us fresh kudu biltong—so good.
The first animals we saw were about 30 elephants crossing the road, from babies to grandparents. It was beautiful to see their loyalty and community.
One animal that really stood out to me was the plains zebra (not Marty from Madagascar). Our guide explained that plains zebras can only survive in the plains, while mountain cape zebras live in the mountains.
Mountain zebras have hooves that grow very fast, so they rely on rocky terrain as a natural nail file. If they moved to the plains, their hooves would overgrow, they wouldn’t be able to walk, and they would die.
The intentionality of God’s creation amazed me.
God places His creation exactly where it belongs.
He is the greatest conservationist.
This also showed me how deeply God loves us. If He is this intentional with animals, how much more intentional is He with us?
Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
Matthew 6:26
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
We are more valuable than the creatures of the earth.
How incredible is that?
What’s Next?
Soon, I’ll be sharing two more blogs about Malaysia—and they’re going to be epic. The Lord is doing so much in my life right now, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
I am still in the process of fundraising, im at 61% and im only $7,500 away from being fully funded…this goes towards, food, housing and all that good stuff. I would love to parter with you and have you be a part of this mission with me! One thing that would be so helpful, is monthly support so that i can keep doing this mission, grow, and spread to love of Jesus. Thank you for all the support that has been given…you guys all rock!
Thank you so much for reading 🙂
Bridger:)
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