YWAM Living Expenses in South Africa

Hi there! My name is Lizzie Bisogno (formally known as Elizabeth Bisogno).  Here is my story: I have felt the call to go into children's ministry for most of my life. I've always had the passion to go into the darkest places to find children with the least amount of hope, and share the love and hope that Jesus can pour out on them. Chapter One- Following the Footsteps of Jesus: I started my journey in April 2018 by attending Discipleship Training School at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) where I was given a taste of being a missionary and reaching places with the light of Jesus that no one dared to reach. I fell in love with the work: going into villages and sharing the hope of the good news of Jesus where a situation may seem hopeless, encouraging long-time believers with prayers over their families and lives, getting to run and play games with children, and the list goes on and on. The opportunity to experience other cultures on our outreach to Central Asia was an amazing experience that I will never forget. The Lord taught me so many things about my identity, has given me so many insights about my family and life, and showed me the meaning of living life for a greater purpose.  Chapter Two-Finding the Call Jesus has put on my Life: After my Discipleship Training School, I was curious about what the Lord wanted me to do next. The Lord spoke to me about serving in Children's Ministry in Africa in  April 2019. I wasn't sure where in Africa He wanted me to serve at first, since it is such a large continent and there are many places to serve there. But one night on a phone conversation with one of my YWAM mentors, we were interceding about the next steps in following the Lord's call. Sure enough, the Lord led me to South Africa to find a YWAM base to attend a secondary school. I did my research and there it was, Children At Risk Secondary School in Cape Town, South Africa. I read about how we would be finding the children with tragic pasts in broken areas and broken homes and show them the love of Jesus to beautifully transform their future. That is my heartbeat and what I feel called to in my life!  By attending this school, it opened so many doors in the future of serving in Africa. I came in contact with HOSA (Hope Southern Africa), one of the organizations that partners with YWAM. Their shared vision lit a fire in my heart.  There are many opportunities to empower children in the township by teaching them english and math. With the growing numbers of school dropouts in South Africa, it creates a drive for me to show the children that they are valuable enough to get the education they deserve. I love the mindset of HOSA  because they show the people in the streets of Cape Town that life doesn't have to be hopeless and that they are loved and not alone. Because it's true, Jesus is fighting every battle alongside all of us and He always will be there for that constant reminder of hope in your life. He won't let you down.  That is the message I hope to spread to people all across the world!  I am so excited and honored to be volunteering for HOSA and serving in the media department at YWAM Muizenberg.  I look forward to sharing this journey with you and I would love for you to join me in this fight for love in South Africa!