My name is Heidi Anderson and have lived in South Africa since 2013. I grew up in the Chicago area, being raised by amazing Christian parents who always challenged me to chase my dreams. I had a heart for Africa since I was a young child, but never really knew how I would end up there. My journey took me to nursing school in Colorado and then I worked as a pediatric intensive care nurse for about 6 years before moving to California to go to ministry school. God really did some incredible things in my life during that time. He awakened my heart to my true identity in Him and I caught an even greater passion to love people and see God’s power displayed in practical ways. I have always had a love for travel and taking missions trips to experience new countries and people groups. After finishing ministry school in 2013 I felt God leading me to South Africa through a number of different open doors.
I now work with Global Legacy (the relational network for Bethel Church) where I help train, equip, and provide a place of connection and unity for church leaders in South Africa. My role finds me organizing lots of retreats, conferences, and places of connection for pastors and leaders. I also help lead a part-time school of supernatural ministry where we have about 75 students who come together weekly to learn and grow in their identity in Christ. We take them on a variety of outreaches into cities, hospitals, and smaller towns praying for people for healing, sharing the gospel, and ministering to the practical needs of the poor. We often go out on weekend ministry trips and equip other churches in outreach.
Recently, a team of our students were on an outreach in Durban. They decided to go to a township where people in the local church had been regularly going to pray for people. While they were at a home ministering to an elderly man, 3 prostitutes came and knocked on the door. They said they heard about people coming to pray in the township and they wanted the students to pray for them. The prostitutes brought their drugs with them and burned them that day. They also gave their lives to Jesus!
Another area I work in is helping out in a local baby house where they take in orphaned babies and children (mostly from parents who have died or are ill from AIDS/HIV). The great news is that they have several hundred adoptions every year, so the baby house really serves as a temporary place for the children to be loved and taken care of.
One area I could use prayer for is that I would really thrive and fulfill God’s purposes for me here in South Africa. Adapting to a different culture takes a lot of time, trust in God, and real tenacity. My prayer is that God would continually move through me and that I would truly enjoy this journey He has me on. Pray for courage for me when things are tough being so far away from family. Another area for prayer is for our school of ministry students to continue to have profound transformation in their lives and that their influence around them would grow. We love partnering with God in this call to see South Africa changed by His power and love!
©2016 Thrive.