Arriving back in South Africa, I was frustrated by the fact that at every airport I had been, as a South African, I found myself in the longest queue, South Africa being no exception. After finally getting through customs, it felt really weird seeing my family again. They were there, but for the first few days, they felt like strangers. Upon arriving home, I walked into my bedroom; put my things down and the next moment I was in darkness… Eskom and load shedding welcomed me home. I thought about the cloud of smog over Cape Town as the plane flew in, and then flashed back to Scotland and realised how much more ‘welcome’ I had felt upon my return there than here. I was home, but felt homesick for Scotland.
The next few weeks were difficult. The summer had passed, but the heat was still here (late March) and the mosquitoes were as bad as ever! I didn’t have the freedom to ‘just go’ anymore, the people and friends with whom I had lived with for what seemed like a life time, were gone. I really missed them! The transition back was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever dealt with. The most problematic thing for me was that even God seemed to have grown silent. I prayed, worshiped, fasted, but there was nothing… Soon the days all mulled into each other, becoming indistinguishable – a week was passed, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, I’ve been home a month… the only things telling my days apart were the odd testimony shared or Word by Heart seminar I attended. The most difficult for me now was, while my life seemed in limbo, everyone was asking me, ‘So what’s next?’… but God was silent…
I had come back intending to do either TESOL or Word by Heart at the local base from April to June, and then make my return to University. However both TESOL and Word by Heart fell through, as there weren’t enough students for the schools to run. I even considered doing Bible distribution in Mongolia, which neither worked out. This disorientated me further… I thought about the word that I had received: ‘my time in the UK is not over’… So I prayed about what to do next, should I apply for University or should I start planning to go back to Scotland. At the mention of the possibility of not going back to university, I got many looks and frowns. They wreaked havoc internally because I wanted to return to University, and compared to further missionary work, it was the easiest… but was the easy way the right way?
On the 14th of April, (roughly a month after my return from Scotland) the silence was broken. God asked me: “What is more valuable to you? Security in Education or investment in your Eternity?” Investment in my Eternity of course! To be honest going back to YWAM or staffing DTS seemed like a dream, an adventure, something that was fun … but naturally one works first and plays later… (While missionary work is in no way a game, the Joy it brings makes me want to question, ‘what makes me so special that I could pursue such a lifestyle?’) Yet at the same time it would mean I’d need to raise a support group (which I’m not really motivated to do). YWAM does not pay a salary. They believe in a faith based mission and lifestyle; in providing an opportunity for individual’s to partner with missionaries who work to furthering God’s Kingdom on Earth, or in other words, they believe in creating an opportunity for individuals to participate in the Harvest, by supporting others in the field; making it a collective operation.
After God asked me this question, I knew He wasn’t going to force me either way, but I also knew that He had hinted at what is best for me. To my shame, despite knowing this, I kept writing to universities, applying and trying to find something I was happy with… but I did not have peace. For me the biggest problem with going back to staff in Scotland – was money. I would need a support group… and I really didn’t want to ask people for money or help. So I kept praying that God would close the doors that were not in my best interest, but was stubborn and kept looking into different universities and different opportunities, frustrated when they did not work out. Despite so many God given confirmations about returning to YWAM, I kept delaying, I kept on pushing away from it. Why? Because even after all I had been through and experienced, I still felt more secure in getting a better level of education, than being in the place God wanted me to be.
Finally I went to my pastor to discuss the idea of a support group. I started meeting people, preparing to create the support I needed to return to Scotland in September. In the meantime other things started to happen. I was involved in running a week-long Word by Heart seminar, and then assisted in the local base intersession for a week. During this time I got a letter from Scotland regarding visa problems, saying that visa regulations had changed and that there was now a waiting period before I could reapply for one, so I’d probably only be able to re-apply next year (2020). I also stumbled upon an Online Global English program with which I could do TESOL, so I prayed, got the go ahead, applied and got accepted. Two weeks into that, I was asked by the local YWAM base whether I wanted to join the staff for the Passion and Pursuit DTS. I prayed about it, and accepted, so now I’m staffing at YWAM Worcester base. In the meantime, an opportunity has also arisen for me to staff a Word by Heart school in the Philippines later this year (September to December). I feel really positive about this, because while doing the Word by Heart course, before I left for Scotland, I had actually considered the possibility of doing a Word by Heart outreach to the Philippines immediately afterwards… why had I forgotten about this?
So, to summarise… for the time being I am staffing a DTS school in Worcester, South Africa, (still studying TESOL online) and will be flying to Philippines in September to staff a Word by Heart school there. I find myself (stubbornly) still applying for university to study further in 2020, but I am also applying to join YWAM staff in France. (Yes, you read right – France – but that’s a story for another day.) At the moment, I am able to make do financially, but will need financial support for my future endeavours. For this I am putting my faith in God.
P.S. Should you feel led or inspired to partner with me and actively “participate in the Harvest” by ‘’supporting me in the field” you can do so in two ways:
1st – through prayer, for strength in great challenges, further growth, providence, wisdom and for more amazing encounters with God.
2nd –financially: Banking detatils
FNB – Branch Code: 200407
Account Number: 62736570757
I also have a Paypal account: paypal.me/DanielFaure1079
Thank you! Best regards and blessings, Daniel.
United with Dan on a Mission 
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