Fuel Team!!!!!!!!

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  There is a lot of stuff that I could say about the Fuel Team of Common Ground Church including the words fun, crazy, unexpected, and sometimes just flipping hard. So I have been with Common Ground church for the last 3 and a bit years and I have not only taking this community as my church but it has became my family. I have a bit of a side story on the way I  came to this particular church, it was because one of the hottest girls I meet at the time started to go to the youth group and I thought that it was the "perfect" time to let her now "whats up". Well..... that failed but I experienced something so much more and that was Jesus. I not trying to sound like a "Jesus freak" or a super "Religious" person, I'm just saying that I experienced a love that I never felt before and a sense of calm as the Holy Spirit came in my life. Any way I just finished Matric, which to the rest of the world is Grade 12, and I had a plan to study the following year because that's the way things go. Unfortunately, for my matric Afrikaans exam I didn't show up because I thought being exempted from the exam because I was American meant that I didn't have to show up..... little did I know that I had to show up and this resulted in having to wait a whole year to get my results, aka Gap Year. So I decided to do Fuel Team as a couple friends of mine did it last year and it sounded fun.

  So Fuel Team has really changed me and my experience in South Africa, one of the changes is having a year that I am continually growing in skills development, leadership, and my relationship with God. We learn a range of skills from how to properly run a event to self-defiance. My favorite so far has been the use of the technology in terms for the work space and communicating with one another via web (I'm not talking about social media like Facebook or Twitter). Also I've learned what it means to became more of a leader not only in the church but also in Fuel Team. We have this thing that during each week you have to leaded a day; which can either mean leading the Fuel team for the day or leading certain activities like exercise or a pray meeting.  My relationship with God increased hugely when I got the opportunity to go to Zimbabwe for a mission trip. God had showed me what it means to love the people of Zimbabwe. I mean this is a country that has experienced so much injustice and poverty but yet when I was there it just seemed that community was the number one priority. One of the stories I heard from my homie, Dylan, challenged me on how I treat my family. Basically, the kids had to stand in line from youngest to oldest from snack time and one of the younger boys took his apple and went straight to the back of the line, giving his older brother his apple. Hectic. This is coming from a country that doesn't really have a lot.

Finally, I would like to do a quick describes on the people that are on my team.

Dan: This dude is hectic….. in a good way. This guy is South African but has been living in New Zealand since he was around 8 years old so he considers himself from New Zealand. Dan has a powerful way of teaching others God’s Word as well as being that person that challenges you on your understanding of any topic. But it has been a great pleasure to see this man grow more in his gifts for learning God’s Word but also literally growing. That I mean is when I first mean this guy he was skinny like a stick now he is flipping built.

Saskia: When I first meant this girl I was like ……. dang, this girl is tall!!!! It took me two freaking terms to understand this girl and I realized that I wasn’t looking deep enough and when I did it all just clicked. I find Saskia to be a very important member to the team in term of her love for admin. She is one of those people that know the whole team schedule by heart and is the perfect person to copy notes from. When it comes to debating on the bible, she is the lady that you want to have on your team. It has been cool to see her open more up on the team.

Dylan: This man………… is one of the most manly men I know. Not only is this guy good a every flipping sport but he is has also been given the gift a strong leader and has lead us as a team really well. The thing that stands out to me about Dylan is that he will never back down easily until the job is done as well as his loyalty to his friends. He has a relationship with God that is vulnerable as well as strengthening.

Sarah: Now I’ve know Sarah for a while because we went to the same school and it has been so cool to see her growing her ability to love people. I would say that one of Sarah’s top strengths is Empathy. The ability to share emotional experiences with other people by relating to them. I know in high school she have a couple of rough times in her life but I have never seen someone as happy as she is in those times and when I asked her why, her answer is, “God is in control”. Sarah out of most of the people on the team knows how to really relay on God.

Cuen: Originally from Kommetjie this dude ……….. is probably the most chilled guy I know. His catch phrase is “I’m chilled” and he uses it everything ……. EVERYTHING!!!!! As much as this annoys me, I get along with him the most. Cuen is the go to guy if you would like someone to play worship music or need someone to set up sound for any event or occasion. Its been awesome to see Cuen understanding the Gospel more and using the Gospel to love people especially homeless people and university students. Also he has a love for youth ministries which I would love to see him grow more.

Chandre: Chandre is like a little lion cub not only because she is short but she has strength in her name. Chandre means “African Princess” and that what she is. Her skills in doing finance for the team are insane. When I first meet Chandre she was a bit shy so it was awkward because I am the exact opposite but when I found out we had common interest like we could both just chill out at a game park like forever, we because closer. Her love for the group of girls that she mentors it really inspiring as well as challenges me to do the same.

Gill: I don’t have much to say about Gill because she is truly a jem. She is always positive and when we as a team are over each other she is like the mother of the group and is always worried and cares for all of us in her joyful moods. Gills love for kids is awesome and she would make an awesome mother one day.

Leader: I do have stuff to say about my leader because it would take a while.

Pam
Dave
Caleb

So that my side of the story for Fuel Team. Hope you enjoyed it.

Tuyali Ikemefuna