When I was at my lowest, and loneliest, I found myself walking into a church one rainy Sunday night. Almost ten years later, I’m still at this same church, and every part of my story has been rewritten as a result…

I was lonely. I am now surrounded by people who know me and love me, and who I know and love in return.

I was grieving, hurt and felt betrayed. I now help others who feel this way, and show them, through my own example, that real freedom and healing is really possible.

I had no vision or real purpose, working in a demanding corporate job. I now spend my days doing what I love, and also, what is most important to me.

As I reflect on my journey, one of the primary tools God has used to transform me and change the trajectory of my life, has been the Explore Course.

Together with a group from church, we dived into our first Explore Module in 2016. I recall being so excited. In the months preceding, I had felt a growing desire to know and understand God’s Word more, but hadn’t known where to start. The Explore Course sounded perfect – a solid course that one could do alongside others, without studying full-time.

Looking back, I think we all underestimated just how challenging it would be! The course demanded a lot from all of us, but for those who stuck it out and put in the work, the rewards far outweighed the effort.

Right from the first Module, I began to see how everything fitted together. Like puzzle pieces falling into place – I could finally appreciate the ‘big picture’ and stand back and admire the common threads woven through every page of the Bible.

This has not just changed the way I see God and His Word, but how I view all of life. I’ve grown not just spiritually, but emotionally, mentally and in my love for our community too.  

Today, I am privileged to be at the forefront of witnessing the impact of the Explore Course across ever-wider regions of Africa.

I also minister to teenage girls, and show them how to faithfully wield God’s Word for themselves – against all the challenges they face.

And I’ve developed a course to help children who are grieving from loss or divorce and struggling with the overwhelmingness of life to process their emotions  and discover (like I have) that God can take even the worst parts of our stories and redeem them.

Like me, many of my fellow Explore graduates are taking what they’ve learnt and using it to help others grow in their faith too.

As I reflect on my own story, I marvel at how God really can use anyone!

He has been so patient with me.
He has been so faithful too.

He has given me a hope and a future, and the priviliege of sharing this wonderful news with others.

CHRISTINA Van Zyl

Explore Graduate (2018)

Explore Africa Administrator

Creator of the Care Connect Grief + Divorce Care Course for Children and Teens