Testimonies

I've always struggled with perfectionism, and it caused me to live with fear, hesitation, and a lot of anxiety. I constantly felt like I had to get everything right, and it held me back in so many ways.

But this year at ROOTED, as Iu2019ve spent more intentional time with the Lord, Iu2019ve begun to truly know Him as my Father, my Shield, and my Provider. In His presence, Iu2019ve learned that I donu2019t have to strive or be afraid. I donu2019t have to carry the pressure of perfection, because He carries me.

Now I know deep in my heart that I donu2019t need to worry about anything. The Lord protects me, He looks after me, and He leads me with love. His plans for my life are good, full of hope and purpose.

u201cFor I know the plans I have for you,u201d declares the Lord, u201cplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.u201d Jeremiah 29:11

Throughout my ROOTED journey, Iu2019ve always had one thing in mind: to be intimate with the Lord. At the beginning of the year I didnu2019t know what it was going to look like. I wondered what He would think of me whenever I spoke to Him and revealed my dark moments or who I really was.

Over time, as Iu2019ve gotten to know the Lord better, Iu2019ve had such amazing close moments with Jesus. He has revealed Himself to me as a protector, a provider, a healer, a friend, and more. He has shown His face to me more than I could have ever imagined.

At the beginning of the year I wanted a stable, good relationship with Him. He has blown that desire out of the water. Iu2019ve been closer to Jesus than I ever have been before. It is like He is right there next to me, and He is.

I was very scared of other people, especially at the beginning of the year when I came to ROOTED. I was not able to pray for people, take part in community groups and social spaces, trust people, or share the gospel.

The Lord came through and did great work through the leaders. On orientation camp they pointed it out and challenged me to be bold and pray for people. I took very small steps, such as praying in a group during devotions and choosing not to go last when sharing.

The Lord did beautiful work. He took my fear of man and instilled His boldness in me to share the gospel. He stretched me through leaders. Now I love praying for people and sharing the gospel. I donu2019t mind even when it is scary, because He is with me.

Psalm 23

Coming into this year, I already knew that some things in my character were not healthy and didnu2019t really reflect Jesus. The Lord opened quite a few wounds and, in the process, began doing heart surgery on me. He revealed self-defence mechanisms and coping mechanisms I had developed to survive, take control, and take care of myself.

It had become very much about me: my safety, my insecurities, and making sure that I was fine first. I would lose sight of the Lord and the people around me, which put me in an unhealthy survival mode. This made me unfaithful and volatile.

This year Iu2019ve learned to have more balance together with the Lord and to communicate where I am. Iu2019ve also learned to step out with Him in whatever I have to do and, in that, to be more faithful.

I trusted the Lord to provide my ROOTED fee costs for the year. I felt He said I should be obedient with the little He had given me and tithe it, and so I did. It was what I heard the Lord asking me to do: take a step of faith and believe that He would provide more money.

The Lord was faithful. He paid all my ROOTED funds and I am paid off in full. I think the Lord would still have done it even if I wasnu2019t obedient to tithe, but having faith with a little, specifically with the ROOTED funds, and obeying the Lordu2019s voice made it more beautiful.

I needed to do my part by listening and obeying.

While attempting to return to ROOTED midyear, I was held back from flying to South Africa because of an error on my boarding pass. In that moment I wondered how it had happened and thought I would simply book the first ticket I saw.

Then I felt the Lord say not to do it and to stay a little longer. Even though I was confused, challenged, and almost angry, I listened to Him and was at peace with staying.

During that period I had so much time to spend with Him. I could hear God so well and He blessed me in that time. Being close to Him was amazing. Always listen to Godu2019s voice and donu2019t follow your own desires. Follow Him and obey, and then you will bear the most fruit.

Proverbs 3:5u20136

Before coming to ROOTED, I had applied to another discipleship program far away, hoping that I would be able to completely rebrand myself into an extrovert who was loved by all and throw away the person I had been. But the Lord had other plans and clearly said to go to ROOTED.

Coming into ROOTED, I didnu2019t believe I was worthy of much in the Lordu2019s house, particularly with leading and serving from the front. Throughout ROOTED, I was asked to lead worship, facilitate and teach AV, and even do AV at a Regional Equip. It felt like a heavy weight at the time.

Whatever was asked of me, I did because I wanted to be obedient. The Lord revealed how much He loves me and how much He has in store for me. Iu2019ve been able to serve and lead, not with pride, but with the assurance that the Lord will work with my hands and through my open heart. Serving became a great joy because it was not about me, but all about Him.

When I look back on my ROOTED journey, I realise how much growth there has been in certain areas, although it didnu2019t feel like the focus of the program for me.

Some examples were leading kidsu2019 church, praying for people, worship, or leading other kinds of teams. By doing it, often at the last minute, I learned skill, flexibility, and readiness to serve whenever and in different areas.

ROOTED taught me to rely on the Holy Spirit in everything I do: simply listen and obey. This makes every believer ready and able to do Godu2019s work. One night I felt the Lord tell me to join youth even though I wasnu2019t part of it. I went and had the privilege of praying for one of the girls and leading her to Jesus. Moments like that show that it is the Lord who does the work and uses us when we are willing.

John 16:13

Over the past few months, the Lord has been teaching me what it is to serve Him with a sincere and sacrificial heart. It is one of the biggest places where God has shaped me in ROOTED. It has not just been about doing the program, but has been a place where God is drawing me closer to Him.

While serving, I learned to slow down, listen to His voice, and love people the way He wanted me to love them. He taught me to love well, serve with patience, kindness, and humility. Being part of a servant-natured church like City on a Hill has been a blessing.

God showed me that serving is not about the task, but the heart behind it. He desires us to work together, support one another, and use whatever we have to be a blessing. It is not always easy, but it is worth it because it draws us closer to God and points others to Jesus. Iu2019m grateful for everything God restored in me and pray that I will continue serving Him with joy, love, and a willing heart.

I reluctantly joined ROOTED in January 2025. The main reason I hesitated was that part of the program involved serving at The Almond Tree Childrenu2019s Village. I had been very involved in childrenu2019s ministry growing up, but became familiar and lost my desire for children.

When the Lord led me to ROOTED, I didnu2019t expect the restoration that took place in this area. God softened my heart and deposited something of His heart for children into mine.

A testimony of His goodness is that I will be working with children and studying to be a teacher. I can now say that I deeply desire to see children loved and cared for. Thank you, Jesus.

In the first few weeks at ROOTED, my prayer was, u201cLord, why did You bring me here, and what do You want to do in me?u201d I was seeking Him and waiting for an answer. When we seek Him, we will find Him, and I did.

He changed my prayer from asking whether He wanted to take away my insecurity to asking whether He wanted to make me secure in Him. That one glimpse of Him changed my perspective.

He said, u201cI am going to show you more of My beauty so that you can see your own beauty. The way I made you is so special.u201d I became ready to see more of Him and have more face-to-face encounters. During worship I beheld His beauty and sought His face.

He revealed so much of who He is and who He is to me. I aligned my heart with how He sees me. Now I have joy deep in my soul and a fire for Him because He is so good. I could sing forever about how He made me whole.

Before coming to ROOTED, I always struggled to fully give myself in worship and prayer. I found myself running to other things first when I was struggling instead of going first to the Fatheru2019s feet.

Throughout this year I have truly seen how this has changed. I have learned that my devotion to Jesus is what is most important. Now I find myself running to His feet in prayer and worship. I know that He is where I find true comfort.

Philippians 3:8u201310

This year at ROOTED, the Lord has brought restoration into so many areas of my life, but the one that has gripped my heart the most is how He has restored my love for prayer.

Philippians 4:6 has become a whisper from Him that follows me everywhere: u201cDonu2019t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.u201d

Over and over again, the Lord has reminded me of this truth. Sometimes we forget that the all-powerful, all-knowing God actually wants us to tell Him everything. Nothing is too small, too messy, or too heavy. He wants the fullness of our hearts.

God has also drawn me into deeper intimacy with Him through worship. In His presence, He has revealed Himself to me in ways Iu2019ve never experienced before. One powerful moment was when He gave me a glimpse of the Throne Room. His glory shone so intensely that even the small taste I saw overwhelmed me. It left me breathless, overjoyed, and in awe that He would show me something so sacred.

Through all of this, Iu2019ve learned that God calls us to pray and worship Him in spirit and in truth. He is restoring my heart, drawing me closer, and showing me that His presence is not distant. It is right here, inviting me deeper every day.