Final post from South Africa

Greetings Friends, Family, Supporters, strangers who happened to stumble across the blog, this will be our final post from South Africa as we're going to be pulling out of here in about 7 hours.

By now I'm confident you've heard about the many different opportunities we've all had to serve here with Living Hope. You've heard about the kids/teens clubs (and about how cute and adorable the little guys are), the painting jobs we mastered, the home health care stories from the nursing students, and you may have heard about all the fun little trips we've taken. By now, you're all preparing 1,000 questions to ask us as we set our feet back on the beautiful American soil we call "home", so I'm not going to describe our last days, that will be something for you ask us about in person.

What I will discuss is what I have learned here. I'll share with you all my struggles, my victories, and what I hope to bring back to my life in Delaware.

It may shock you read this, but I'm not especially skilled when it comes to dealing with small children. I'm not very confident in my abilities to win over a child's affection. However, I also learned that I lack patients in dealing with small children. After the first couple days of roasting in the sun in Overcome for the holiday clubs, my neck was a little sensitive to all the little finger nails digging into it. I knew my attitude needed to change if I was going to make it another day without going crazy. I needed a Christ-like attitude. No, I needed to BE Christ to those kids. To be a Christian is to be a keyhole for non-Christians to see Christ through. My bitterness was not giving these kids a good image of Christ at all. So I reasoned that if Jesus could come down from His throne of honor and glory and present Himself as a servant to mankind only to be crucified for it, I could suffer through a sun-burnt neck and a little clawing.

That was just the first week. From there I feel like I learned so much about what faith I thought I had. It turns out I am not one who lives by faith, and it really bothers me! We heard stories of people being called to ministry without any resources by which to do it, yet here they are. We heard stories of entire churches being built without having more than a penny to pay for it. We heard stories of a simple road trip from England to South Africa turning into a decision to stay in Capetown permanently by the time they hit Egypt. People here have such a dependence on God, and they see Him working in their lives daily. I found myself wondering why I don't have very many stories like that in my own life. Then it occurred to me, I'm not giving God any room to work in my life. Everything I do is very safe and logical. I do not live my the risk-taking faith that is required for meeting God. I asked myself if I could give up everything I hold closest to my heart if that was what God wanted. That is, can I give up my desire for a wife, a family, a nice home, a nice job, good health, etc. if it were God's will and calling that I not have any of that? And my answer can not be an honest yes...yet.

So now we've chipped off the chip of the iceberg that has been my internal conflict with my spiritual life and how I feel about it. These are not feelings that are exclusive to myself, I'm sure you can find very similar feelings from a number of other people on the team. You'll just have to ask them about it.

Moving on. Yes, today is our last day of waking up to a beautiful beach and amazing weather. It's our last day of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. It's our/my last day of not having to cook for myself. But rather than think about our time here being over and going back to the states to our lives, I would rather think of this return to the states as being our moving on to our next mission field. Our work here is done, but I think our work back home is just beginning. It's easy for me to say this since I'm not coming home to an overloaded school schedule (I'm done with school woot woot). But I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we want this experience to change our lives. We've met Christ here face to face. We came here with the idea that we would be helping these people, but now we feel as if we've received so much more than we're given. We want to be able to give that back.

Looking ahead, some of you will be seeing us in just a day or so. Yes, we'll have all kinds of stories to tell you. Yes, we'll have many pictures to show you. Yes, we'll be able to tell you about all the fun we've had. But this trip has meant so much more to us than a mere "good time". It will be very difficult for us to tell you everything about the trip and what we learned along the way. My challenge for you is to challenge us. Ask us how we're sharing Christ with those around us. Ask us what kind of Christ-like example we're being to those we see everyday. Ask us what risks we're taking for Christ. This is my challenge to you. This is my plea. Don't let us forget what we've learned. Don't let us forget South Africa.

Be Blessed. Be Cool. Keep it Real. Love Ya all.

-Eric

P.S. sorry for any grammatical errors/misspelled words. grammar and spelling aren't really priorities right now.

Hello All

It being the last few days of our time here, I've been trying to think of the most meaningful moments that I've had here. This month has felt like a whirlwind of different people and places, and it can be overwhelming to try and pinpoint exactly what God has been trying to teach me. However, one person in particular has really challenged my worldview, caused me to question my lifestyle at home, and helped me understand the love of God in a more powerful way.

 Our team has really enjoyed the time we spent at Living Grace, which is a ministry that reaches out to homeless people in the community. At first the idea of interacting with homeless people was really intimidating - mostly because homeless people are so foreign to me. I was worried that I would have nothing to say to them, that I couldn't relate, that I wouldn't be able to encourage someone whose life is so tragically different from my own. I was wrong.

 

The second week into our trip I met a woman named Deena at lunchtime. I approached her as she was eating her lunch alone, and within seconds she began sharing her story with me. At 68 years old, she has been abandoned by both her husband and her daughters, raped, and left to live out on the streets without a home. While sleeping on the street, a couple of young kids stole all of her possessions, leaving her with nothing to her name. This woman is completely alone. She shared with me how angry she feels, how unjust her circumstances are, and how hard it is to keep from getting frustrated when your life is entirely about survival. As she spoke, I was struck with how normal she was. Talking to her was easy and simple, and hearing her story made me realize my stereotypes and prejudices about people in her situation. She told me that one of the hardest things about being homeless is that people pass you by and treat you like you're gargabe, like you're not even human. Her words struck me with such an intensity because I realized that I look at homeless people as subhuman as well.

 

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." I've heard that verse many many times before, but this time my heart really understood what it meant. Deena was the least of these. She is forgotten, bypassed, misjudged, and disheartened, and for one of the first times in my life I was able to love her instead of just passing her by. I got to pray with Deena and encourage her. The next two weeks I saw her again and spoke with her, hugged her, listened to her stories, and said goodbye. Its awesome to see her rely on God to protect her and keep her safe despite all of her hardships. She told me that when I go home I must stand up for people like her because I can make a difference. As she spoke, I felt like that was God talking directly to me saying, "you have seen both the horrible reality of injustice and the hope that God's love can bring, now go and do something about it."

 

As I prepare my heart to go home I am struck by how easy it is to forget that there are people out there like Deena who have so little and are reaching out for God's love. I'm not exactly sure what God wants me to take from my experiences with her. What I do know is that at Living Grace I saw God change people's lives in a radical way. There is no denying that God's love is powerful enough turn around the most dismal circumstances. I also know that the need is great at home. I feel like God is calling me to step up and do something about it, to humble myself and recognize that following God means loving the least of these.

 

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. I speak for everyone by saying as sad as we are to leave such an amazing, beautiful place, we cannot wait to share our stories with the people that we love. :)

 

Denise

Hey this is Mark,

On Monday we went to Living Grace (the soup kitchen). When we got there they asked us if we could prepare a devotion for the afternoon and if we could lead the worship. So we went about our day, cutting vegetables as we usually do. I forgot that we even had to do the devotion and worship until the leader came back from the store to join us. She asked if anyone wanted to help plan the lesson. At first I didn't think much of it and kept on cutting, but she asked a few more times, sounding more and more desperate with each request. Each time I felt like the Spirit was calling me to speak up. This is something that I would never usually volunteer to do. Just the night before I had been talking about how I feel like God uses me the most when I am working outside of my comfort zone and doing things that I would never normally do. This trip I felt very comfortable and not very effective. I decided that I would share my testimony, something I do not enjoy doing because I have to rehash the parts of my life that I don't like the most. I also can't stand public speaking.

God used those things that I had been through to speak to the homeless people. I could tell that they were really listening, not just spacing out like I normally see them doing. There were head nods and all of their eyes were on me. We shared the story of the lost sheep that is in Luke 15. Then I shared my testimony, and ended with an excerpt from The Hole in the Gospel that had a verse from 2 corinthians 12:19 [I think it should be something like my grace is sufficient for you my power is made perfect in your weakness (not a direct quote)].

Aunty Joan came up and said that if anyone wanted to get help from Christian counselors. I got a few handshakes which has never happened from a bunch of the people there. I decided to sit down next to a guy who had been a part of something like the Merchant Marines. He told me that he has some of the same problems that I was having. Ricardo was his name, our conversation got interrupted because we were supposed to be leaving. As I started to leave I asked if there was anything that I could pray for him for, and he said work and his addiction. So I started to leave but got held up. God was definitely working in him because he came up to me and said he wanted to start his recovery and wanted to know how to. He made my whole trip with this. God worked through me. Wow! Could there be a better feeling than this? He took this broken person (me) to help plant the seed. Hopefully there were others that will come because of the ministry that is present there.

Trust and Obey

What an amazing adventure God has taken us on, both leading up to departure, and while here in South Africa. I have already recognized that I have been taught so much in the last three weeks and am excited for years down the road when I will be able to look back and say, "Wow God really prepared me for _______ by my experience I had on a missions trip in South Africa in 2011."

One way thing that God has been teaching me is that he will do anything to get our attention to draw us back to him. This weeks example was getting me to realize that I was getting caught up in the busy-ness of everyday life instead of taking the time to be in the moment with people I encounter, or making the most of opportunities. Also, to realize that I need to lay aside my pride in having everything organized. This lesson was taught in the form of having to stay home sick for two days with a fever and a lower GI bug. It was through that time that I was forced to "be still" before God instead of going out doing home based care and helping with teen/kids club in Capricorn. It was a much needed time that enabled me to refocus and remember that we are here to serve God and not just be busy doing things.

Friday afternoon my health started to come back, what a blessing! We went to Green Market Square to do some final souvenir shopping, and we had a hands-on lesson in bartering. We were quick to learn that if something supposedly cost 150 rand they would likely tell us that just for us they would give us a "discount" and take the price down to 120 rand, but really if you bartered hard you could get the souvenir for 1/2 of the asking price.

Friday evening we went to Capricorn Youth Group. Those kids are so much cooler than we are! Seriously! They are so impressive at playing soccer and dancing. We started out by playing 'move if' with them and then broke into teams and did the human knot challenge, I am sad to say the boys won. Then they introduced to the teens this year's theme "make it real" and painted posters representing the theme. Pray that the teens will continue to grow in their faith and apply it to their everyday life.

Saturday was a fun filled day. We started at Old Biscuit Mill. They have a lot of neat clothing jewelry, and things to decorate your house with shops, as well as two huge rooms of vendors selling some of the most delicious milk tarts, and other baked goods, bacon egg avocado and feta cheese crepes, lemon mint smoothies, and a variety of lunch foods.

From there eight of us went to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spend 18 of his 27 years in prison. It was wild to see how tiny the cell that he lived in was. It was also interesting to hear stories of how the political prisoners nicknamed Robben Island a university of learning because they dedicated themselves to self development and freedom, and believed that they each had something to learn from one another. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!

Next we hiked Lions Head. I think this was my favorite hike of the trip. It started out as a fire road trail and then as we wound our way around the mountain the dirt road ended and the fun began. We came to a fork and could either take the recommended route or the use at your own risk route... I bet you can guess which one we chose :) The use at your own risk route was like a jungle gym for big kids. It started with a ladder of which at the top I was greeted by a cute dog and his owner. It then progressed to a vertical rock face with square metal handholds sticking out to aid you in climbing and then switched to a metal chain to hold onto while you shimmied your way on a thin ledge over to where the main path started again. Next we reached the final part of the climb over boulders & finally we made it to the top. It was SO much fun! The view from the top (as well as during the whole hike) was spectacular. I love hiking I feel like it is a time where I can experience God through his creation and through the sense of adventure and freedom He has placed in me. I also love the picture that it paints in that often the things that are hardest in life are most rewarding and teach us the biggest lessons, as the harder sections of a hike are often more rewarding and when we reach the top we are best able to see why we had to go through the hard sometimes seemingly endless times in our lives.

We then finished the day with dinner at Marco's Place. I had Ostrich, Kudu, and Springbok for dinner. I think the Springbok was my favorite, all three taste similar to steak with different levels of gaminess. That night there was live music, and yes I did swing dance one song :) as well as Jess, Eric, Gordon and I learned some "African dances" from one of the locals... there may or may not be footage of our sweet moves on Dave's camera ;)

Today (Sunday) we got to see my friend Richard (who we met last year when he was the pastoral intern at the Living Hope's Health Care Center) preach at Muizenburg Methodist Church. His sermon was really good. It was on Numbers 21:4-9 (Moses and the bronze snake) and John 3:14-18. One analogy used was that of the bank, we see it and we know what it does. We trust it and actually deposit our money into it (and do not take all of it out every other day). As a result we are able to experience the freedom of not having to spend our whole day guarding it, or worrying about it. With Christ we can experience the freedom of being able to give our worries, guilt, and burdens to Him through prayer. We can trust that God is great enough to handle all of them. When we give our worries, guilt, and burdens to Christ, we are then freed be Christ's hands and feet. We are then able to engage with the people around us, be present in the moment, and share the love of Christ.

Pray that we will boldly share the love of Christ in our words, and actions this week. Also pray that we would continue to trust in God and depend on His guidance.

-Jennifer

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It has still not settled in my head that it is already January 25th, soon to be January 26th in a few short hours. Everything about this journey has been a true blessing from God and it is difficult to think that it is going to be ending soon. However, not to dwell on the sadness of leaving, rather I will continue to fill you in on what it is that we have been doing here in this beautiful country.

Saturday January 22nd

The team spent the the day with South African wildlife on Saturday. To get our minds in the right place we set up The Lion King and watched it on the big screen. There were about 20 people in their early and mid 20s crowded around watching the movie. We were all taken back to our childhoods and joined in for a lot of the singing! It was a fantastic evening. The next morning seven members of the team woke up around 4a.m. to head to the Aquila game reserve where we were taken on an actual safari. At the beginning of the trip we were taught that safari means journey, and a journey it was. We were greeted by the staff and then served a fancy breakfast complete with sparkling grape juice. Then we loaded up the truck and were on our way. We were fortunate enough to see pretty much any African animal you could think of: Rhinos, zebras, springbok, a giraffe, elephants, hippos, leopards, cheetahs, a cape buffalo, warthogs, and of course the king of the jungle the Lions! I would venture to say that between the seven of us we have over 500 hundred pictures! Some of you may even be lucky enough to receive some of our photography as gifts.

The other five members of the team spent the day at the aquarium, where they too got to enjoy some South African Wildlife.

Sunday January 23rd

Sunday morning the team attended church in Capricorn. This is where we have spent a great deal of time working throughout our time here so. The pastor at this church is so animated and truly inspiring. It is quite clear that God speaks through him every morning, and we are all blessed with the chance to hear him preach.

After church we spent the afternoon site seeing. We visited a gorgeous winery and vineyard, then continued on to an outdoor concert. That is right, on January 23rd, we were sitting outside, soaking up the sun, and listening to music. Life was definitely good that day. The best part about the concert was the scenery. We were in a botanical garden full of some of the most beautiful landscaping that I have ever see as well as a spectacular mountain backdrop. Everywhere you look in this country you can not help but to be in awe of God's wonderful creation.

Monday/Tuesday January 24th and 25th

We got back to work on Monday morning with a trip to Living Grace and the nursing students continued their work with home health care in Ocean View. We worked diligently to chop vegetables upon vegetables that would be used to make a stew for the people who attend Living Grace. Thankfully we did not have any injuries on our second trip here!

On Tuesday, and for the remainder of the week we will be painting in Capricorn and Overcome Heights. While there is much less interaction with people while we are doing this type of work, it is a blessing to know that we are helping the Living Hope organization in some way. They have so many details to worry about so it is nice to take a little bit off of there plate.

Being in South Africa alone is the opportunity of a lifetime. We get to see, live, and experience one of the most beautiful countries in the world. However, being in South Africa and having the opportunity to serve God, learn about God, and teach people about God is the opportunity of a lifetime on a completely different level. Coming here I thought it was going to be my job to teach people and spread the word of God, but as the trip continues on I am realizing that I am really the one who has become the student and because of this I have so many lessons to take home with me.

Again, I can speak for everyone on the team when I say thank you for your support and prayers throughout our time here and for faithfully following our experiences. We love and miss you all and can't wait to be with you again soon!

Much Love,

Greta

Blessed Beyond Measure

"They took this [leg] from me, but no one will ever be able to take where my heart is . . . I am so blessed."

-Philip (amputee from Living Grace)

I don't think I've ever spent so much time staring at empty pages before. It's a struggle to even find a starting point. This journey has been so humbling, in so many ways. Beyond what I have been able to imagine, beyond my volatile attitudes and petty meandering doubts, God's hand is moving. I am so unfit. I feel so inadequate and yet God continues to use me. This place has gripped my heart in such a short time and to even think about leaving, even though we are only a few days past the halfway mark of this trip causes my stomach to drop a little.

This week we (excluding our lovely nurses who continued their ministry to Ocean View) spent time outside doing some good ol' manual labor (painting, to be specific) and worked on our tans. During the afternoons we all returned to kids and teens clubs in Capricorn and Overcome. The attendance was not nearly what it was for the Holiday clubs, but it was still a great blessing to see both new and familiar faces and spend some more one-on-one time with the teens and kids. On Friday morning we visited the patients of Living Care, Living Hope's medical facility.

Doubts began creeping in as we started our time there by singing to the patients and sharing Scripture with them as a group. What do I have to offer? Why am I here? I have nothing to say to these people. After singing we began mingling with the patients and before I knew it me and Eric found ourselves in the middle of an intense table soccer game with two of the men. I was almost immediately aware of the strength, determination, and good spirits of one of the men, an amputee named Philip. He'd had his leg removed just below the knee after a serious infection had attacked his foot and set into the bone. He told us he was thankful. Because it was below the knee it will make getting a prosthetic much easier and allow much more mobility.

Once again I was humbled. Later as we sat around conversing like old friends, Philip looked at me and Eric and said, "You know that God brought you all the way to South Africa, just to meet me? Doesn't that amaze you?" It does. It also amazes me to think that maybe this wasn't about me ministering to him, but about him ministering to me. I don't say that flippantly or selfishly. It's just something I've realized. When I put myself in a place where God can use me, in spite of all my weakness, it seems that I am the one who walks away blessed. And it is for that reason that I am sharing this story with you. In hopes that in some small way, it will be my blessing to you.

I would love nothing more than to continue rambling on about the lessons I am learning, but it is now 2 am and my creativity and storytelling abilities are both lacking. I thank you all for your loving prayer and support--it is much needed and much felt! Until next time :)

In Christ's love,

David

Groete! (Greetings in Afrikaans!)

It's hard to believe it is our second week of serving the people of South Africa. There are so many beautiful places, and we have met a lot of different people. I am one of the nursing students so I am working in Ocean View in the morning and then in Capricorn for After-School Club in the afternoon.

Working in Ocean View has been one of my favorite growing experiences on this mission trip. You had to get used to all of the tiny tin shanties guarded by dogs with trash lying around the dusty ground.  It felt ironic whenever I saw the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain in the background. How could there still be beauty and hope while there is so much poverty? How could someone live like this every day - old or young, sick or healthy?

It is through God that all things are possible. Hearing Rev. John and Avril Thomas' recount their story about the beginnings of Living Hope and the countless ways God has provided for them without going into debt was amazing to hear. Living Hope has helped improve the communities within South Africa with not only social services, but also the hope of salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been inspired by their boldness in speaking about God and their humble servitude towards their communities which I hope to bring back to the States.

Through Ocean View I have also learned about the powerful impact of prayer. I remember a day when I was with Amanda and a carer (they are not nurses but do basic tasks such as wound care, bed baths, and check blood pressure and sugars). We went to our first patient's house and prayed with them. She prayed passionately (I learned later for her community and their issues of drug abuse), as we huddled in a circle together. Afterwards, we came to our next patient's house (who was two doors down from the first patient), only to find out that they heard our group praying. When she heard us she started to pray for her community too! It was awesome to hear that the community wants to step up and fight against the poverty they are living in because of their complete dependence on God. Because of the many blessings we have in America, I feel we have more difficulty depending on God and instead depend on ourselves.

It has also been a great experience serving for the Teens Club in Capricorn. In all honesty, it was hard to get to know them, as they tended to be shy (at least around me). After awhile they would start to open up to you. The dreams they have for their futures are just as real as anyone else's, yet most of them never get to achieve them. It is heartbreaking to hear that reality; however, there is still hope as we continually pray for the kids and trusting in God, as He knows the plans for them (see Jeremiah 29:11).

That is all I have for now, though I am sure there are many more stories to come. I will leave you now with these verses, as they have been encouraging to me these past couple of weeks:


"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:12-14


Totsiens! (Good-bye!)

Week One Report- Royer Style

Hey all, Friends and Family!
Here we are in South Africa and it is beautiful, there is no other way to describe it. Every morning I wake up to a breathtaking landscape of the beach and mountains and then I get to spend the day with the most amazing people, it is incredible.
I am one of the nursing students so I spend my mornings out in Ocean View which is a community just a little distance away from Masiphumelele (aka Masi), but with a very different community structure. The community of Masi is currently waiting for the government to build them the housing promised to them under the previous administration, but Ocean View has this housing. The houses are a modest size and then in the middle of the community are the flats which are more of an apartment complex than anything else. This community has a base of home carers who work for living hope and travel from house to house to care for the people. Patients vary in severity of need, some have weekly blood sugar checks and bi/tri weekly blood pressure checks, while others need assistance bathing and dressing or a wound dressing change. The humble way in which the home carers take care of their patients is such a blessing to witness and the ferverence with which they love the Lord and pray with their patients is incredible. One of the blessings of working along side of living hope this winter (summer really) is that I get to pray with my patients.
NOTE: Prayer here in South Africa is something mighty powerful my friends. The way in which they talk to God like He is an old Friend, a Father, a Provider, a Comforter, the almighty Shepherd, and the incredible and wonderful Creator is so inspiring. Prayer is not a quiet affair, addressing God is taken very seriously and I find that I cannot keep silent when we do pray. Saying Amen, and Thank You Jesus used to really catch me off guard, but now when I pray, I find myself saying the same things and really meaning it. When a patient thanks the Lord for having a good blood sugar reading, at first I though, well yeah, because you stuck to your diet and took your medicine, but now I know it is so much more. Every thing we do in medicine is so integrally related to God, that we cannot help but to cry out thanks to the Lord for every good and wonderful result, as well as trust and rest in Him with every poor result or negative reaction to treatment.
My first patient assignment ever was a wound change. I was nervous because I did not know what I was going to see or how I would be able to help at all but I simply walked in hoping for the best. When I entered into the room, I was greeted by a man that was hobbling. He got salt water for our basin (makeshift saline) and then went over to the sofa, took off his socks and showed me his feet. Needless to say his feet were infected and as I saw the feet he used to walk, my heart broke. Think on how often you stand on your feet, you walk around, you lean on your knee putting pressure on your foot, or even just lay down and have pressure on your heals, and then imagine your feet swollen and sore with infection. My first response was to feel useless, I was upset that all I had was salt water and supplies for a dressing change, but as I washed his feet something incredible happened. I remember Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and how much love he must have felt for them and Jesus filled me with that love for this young man. I was not washing the feet of just anyone, I was washing the feet of a beloved child of God.
When work is no longer work, when it becomes a joy and when you can live in that joy and serve the Lord with all your heart something incredible happens, your perspective changes, the people you see every day change, because they are not just people, they are the children of God. It has been incredible working this week in home care and every time I feel discouraged I remember washing the feet of that beautiful child of God and I am at peace. How great is our God.
That my friends is only just the morning :-) In the afternoon we nursing students go to either Capricorn or Overcome Heights and serve with the teens club.
NOTE: Capricorn and Overcome Heights are neighborhoods much like Masiphumelele that are awaiting housing from the government. Some building has occurred in Capricorn, none has occured in Overcome Heights. These neighborhoods are full of shanties, or shacks which are essentially pieces of scrap metal formed in to squares and called houses. Capricorn as roads and sidewalks, Masi has roads, and Overcome Heights is where the roads and sidewalks literally end. Our "building" in Overcome for kids club and teens club is akin a trailer and is called "the container" :-)
I have the pleasure of working in Overcome Heights and it has been a blast. In the mornings, the non nursing students are working with the kids for kids club and in the afternoon there is teens club. At Overcome however, there are some children who come in the afternoons and play outside, so I spent the week with them. Something I learned which I am sure is universal to all children everywhere is, if you pick up on child, you have to pick up ALL THE CHILDREN. Once I thought my arms would fall off we would play the "you sit on my feet while I walk around" game which was a winner. When I felt that one group of children was done, I would tickle them until the fell off, run away and stop only to find two new children on my feet. It was great!
The evenings are spent doing reading, journaling, fellowshiping etc... then dinner....then group meeting...then some more free time until we go to bed. I am turning into quite the early sleeper and early riser which I hope I can keep up for clinicals (I wish). :-)

WEEKEND
TABLE MOUNTAIN kicked my butt. It was really awesome, but if I'm being honest, it kicked my butt. We started at what I think was maybe the halfway point from the base of the mountain but where the stone stairs from Satan started. These stone stairs were deceiving because you'd think you were ok for the first few, then your heart would just race...or maybe just me...my heart would race. We would hike for a while and then take brief water/sunscreen/I'M ABOUT TO FALL OVER breaks which made the hike more bearable. It was super fun to be with Greta, Anna, Kayte, and Eric for the hike and they were all great motivators. Once at the top the view was breathtaking. We could see practically all of Cape Town (I may be exaggerating, but not by much) and it was just really awesome to relax and enjoy the view.
CAPRICORN CHURCH service was so uplifting. The sermon was about God's love and based a lot on John. One of the points that stuck out to me the most was when the pastor said to us, how can we love our neighbors without God when God is love. How can we even say we have accepted the Love of Christ, but not share it, not love our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters. I know this is something I definitely struggle with and I was thankful to be reminded about the importance of God's love.
CAPE POINT was the southern most tip of Africa. This is where Africa ends and the endless abyss of the ocean begins. You can see in the distance a rock where water is constantly splashing over and it is said that this is the point at which the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. SWEET.
...on our way to Cape of Good Hope we ran into some baboons and ostriches...they're fun...
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE was a beautiful little beach with a lot of rocks and kelp, but so absolutely picturesque. The waves crashing against the cliff and the wind made for some awesome pictures. (check out facebook, I'm sure someone has em posted)
BOULDER BEACH is where the Penguins live :-) They were very cute and positively tame in comparison with some other wildlife we saw. It is kind of weird though to see them without snow and ice, but hey, whatever makes them happy :-)

Well this is about all I have the brain power for. I'm sure there'll be a lot of great stories to come, I hope you keep posted for the next post (hahaha...pun intended) and I pray that the Lord keep and bless you all.

May the Lord keep watch between you and me while we are absent one from the other.

-Amanda

South Africa through the Lens of Kehfin

We arrived at Capetown International Airport at 9 am on Friday January 7th (2 am back home), and after 19 hours of British plane rides with "proper right" meals and toilets instead of bathrooms, and 9 hours of loitering in the London airport, the best thing we could have asked for was to have our smelly, greasy, un-showered bodies greeted by the warm, South African summer air! IN JANUARY boo-yah!

It took a while for it to register in my mind that I was actually on a different continent for the first time in my life. The Sun was shining and we were all trudging through the airport with our thick winter jackets that were so essential hours before in London. The ACTS staff readily greeted us and we loaded up the vans and headed to The Team House in Noordhoek, which is where we are staying for the entire month. On the way to the house where we would be staying

for the month, we passed a section of the highway where just off the road there was an enormous cluster the size of a common suburban neighborhood of small "shanties", which is slang for metal shacks. These shanties were no bigger than the shed in my backyard where my family stores our lawnmower, and yet it was apparent that many families were living in these and calling them home. At that point in the car ride, which was minutes after we left the airport, the car was completely silent. No one was speaking, but we all knew what each other was thinking. I didn't expect to witness such a harsh reality so abruptly in the trip, however, it was the first eye-opening experience I had.

We soon pulled to the Team House in Noordhoek. The house is awesome and sits literally next to the beach. We get to wake up to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks and a view of the Atlantic Ocean and mountains in the distance that requires hours to take it all in. The only downside is that the ocean water at the beach is absolutely frigid and only someone who has gone completely zonkers would swim in it. From how I've already described this place, one might think that there is little room to complain, and I would have to concur.

Aside from all the awesome landscapes and beautiful weather, I feel that it is important to not get lost in the appeal of this trip as a vacation, but to remember that I, as well as the rest of my team, am here on a mission to serve God and serve others. I hope that I can keep Him as the center and focus of every interaction and experience I have. Some ways to reinforce that mentality are daily devotionals that we are encouraged to do. The devotional guide has been prepared by Molly Baker, she's the bee's knees, and it is really providing some great Scripture to encourage me.

One of the best verses I've read so far in my devotions is 2 Timothy 2:7-"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."

This verse really calmed any fears or insecurities I had about this missions trip. I know that if I rely on God and fill myself with His holy spirit, He will use me for his purpose and that any ministry I complete will be pleasing and glorifying to Him.

So, this being my first blog entry, I'll leave it at that and describe more of my first week in South Africa later. Please continue to pray for our team and I just want to say that I am blessed to be here and glad to have so much support from everyone back home!

Our First Weekend

For me, our first full day in South Africa was one I will never forget. I turned 21 and I couldn't have asked to be anywhere else. Although I was not able to celebrate with family and friends back home, God intended me to be here and provided me with so much love! To wake up to the crashing waves and beautiful view was truly a blessing. We spent the day exploring Cape Town and familiarizing ourselves with the culture of the region. We visited the Slave Lodge and the District 6 Museum, which were so interesting and eye opening. Then we spent some free time by the waterfront. We returned to the team house and watched Yesterday, a South African film portraying the reality of HIV and AIDS. After debriefing and discussing our feelings and attitudes about the movie, a group from the house (World Race) walked into the room singing "happy birthday" with a cake. What an amazing moment! I was so thankful for the love, support, and joy we all shared and I am so thankful to God for an amazing 21 years.

Today we attended two church services, King of Kings and Masi Baptist. Although the services had two distinct atmospheres, both were amazing places to worship and we were able to see and experience God's presence in a new environment. We then returned to the team house and welcomed a new team from Nevada. Now there are three teams - about 30 people here! Tim and Natasha, the volunteer coordinators of Living Hope joined us and introduced to the ministry. We split up and toured the Living Hope sites and communities that we will be working with. The sites were overwhelming and almost impossible to describe. I know that God will be challenging us throughout the month but our mission here is all due to Him and I can't wait to see how He will be working through us in these communites. That's it for now...off to worship! Tomorrow is our first day so please be praying for us!

Zoey

We are here!

Hey everyone!

We arrived safely to Cape Town yesterday morning after a long flight. Thankfully we are now mostly caught up on sleep and are ready to go.

Cape Town is beautiful! The mountains, the ocean, and the people. It doesn't hurt that we have great hosts who have all made us feel very welcome. Today we went to two museums and saw the sights. We also celebrated Zoey's birthday which was very fun.

Hmm, I'm not so good of a writer so sorry if this is not the most exciting first post of the trip. I'm just very glad to be here with a great group of people and we are all looking forward to what God has in store for us on this trip. (Not to mention, it's fun being so near the beach ;) I also look forward to kissing facebook, cellphone and other American distractions goodbye, and focus on my life on more important things.

Well, thats it for me. Thanks everyone who's reading this and/or praying for us. Again, we are all looking forward to seeing God's work on this trip.

:)

Anna

Halfway There!

Just a little post to let everyone know we landed in London successfully!  Thank you for all of your prayers... especially for the next flight b/c it's 12 hours instead of 6...

Next post, we'll be in Cape Town, South Africa...here we go!