bittersweet...

This is the weirdest part of my trip so far! Last night Alicia took all the volunteers out to dinner at Pancho's (that wonderful Mexican restaurant) for a farewell dinner to Justine, Ethan and myself. It was all 17 volunteers, plus Alicia and Melanie and it was the saddest part of my trip so far.

I am in this place where I am excited for home, but not ready to leave yet. I'm ready to see my dad and my mom and my friends, but I could stay in this place forever. I don't want to leave Cape Town and the people here, but I know home for the summer is going to be so good. It's just the most extreme bittersweet feeling I think I've ever had. A month sounded so long, and now it's absolutely flown by. Strange to think in just over a month I'll be packing back up for school... Time is weird!

Highs and lows of the trip:

1. High: Meeting other people my age from around the world and the States who have the same idea of ministry and missions. Then getting to live with them for a month... It's been the best learning experience just seeing how they do missions and what they have learned in their time here.

2. High: Getting to spend a month with Melanie in the place she loves, seeing what she does.
3. Low: Having to say goodbye to Melanie again... without knowing I'll see her in six months.
4. High: sky diving :)

5. Low: being sick :(

6. High: Getting a better understanding of who God is, and seeing Him in real life. What a cool picture to see our God at work on another continent... I love to know how big our God is.

7. High: Capricorn church. I have never had such genuine, sincere worship and learning as the three weeks I spent in Capricorn church. God is doing big things there, and I loved getting to see where God has called Melanie.

8. Low: saying bye to Michele, and to the kids in Red Hill at the end of holiday clubs. Especially to feel like I've finally gotten past the new stage... that was hard.

9. High: Getting to spend a month in the most beautiful city in the world, and getting to share ministry with Ethan. That was something new, and we were both doing something different in the same place. Definitely cool.

10. High: having Chi Omega sisters spend a month with me... especially since one is G.M. Duh. Rho Beta.

11. High: meeting Alicia and having her for all of life's questions and problems.

12. Low: leaving tomorrow. ahh.

13. High: seeing my family on friday!!!! :)

even the rocks will cry out

GOD IS SO AWESOME!!! If you didn't know this already, spend a little time on Table Mountain and you will definitely change your mind.

Yesterday I went with four of the other volunteers to Table Mountain. I had never heard of Table Mountain when I came to SA, and everyone kept saying climbing it was their one thing they HAD to go before they left. If you have ever seen pictures of Cape Town, you've probably seen this mountain. It's not known for it's height, but rather how flat it is. It really looks like a table. So this whole trip I have been hesitant to climb it, despite my obvious awesome athletic abilities.... right? But yesterday the group assured me they would be taking the cable cars up and down, so I went along.

I AM SO GLAD I DID! We rode the cable car up, which was cool because it got us to the top in like two minutes, and the floor spins so you get the whole view of the mountain and city and ocean all in one trip! Then we get to the top, and literally I was blown away. I walked out onto the mountain, and it was HUGE. There's so much space since the mountain is so flat, so for yards and yards and yards you just walk around,  taking in the view around you. To the right you can see the entire city, it's beautiful even in the middle of the day. You can see the soccer stadium, the buildings, the little roads. Then look to your left a little and you see what seems like the entire Atlantic Ocean. You can see the way the earth bends at the edges because you see so far. You see the entire sky, yesterday was perfect blue weather. It's incredible. Keep looking and you see how big this mountain is. There are people everywhere, coming to see this incredible mountain view.

As I walked around, taking pictures, taking it all in, I couldn't help but think about the verse where Jesus says with faith like a mustard seed, you can move mountains:
²⁰He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I just kept thinking about that because of the size and beauty of this place. Faith in our great God can move mountains, not just Table mountain, but mountainS. AHHH!!! The simplest things have grown my understanding of God while I have been here. God is so good. Just enjoy this view:

long time, no Internet

I do apologize for not updating this whole week, our internet went out Sunday night and we just got it back today! This might be a lengthy update, bear with me!

What an interesting week it has been. Sunday I went back to Capricorn church which yet again was SUCH a blessing. I am constantly amazed at the process of church in Capricorn. It is the epitome of "Spirit-led" and the congregation is so prayerful and eager to worship. In both services I've been able to attend, we've prayed at LEAST ten times. You know how at Shades we're always sitting...standing...sitting...standing? Well in Capricorn we're ALWAYS praying. And I love it! We pray out loud often, so you can hear Afrikaans prayers, English prayers, all going to the same wonderful God. It's so encouraging! 

After lunch me and Ethan went with Melanie and Meagan to the Muizenberg market where we got calamari and chips at a vendor for 35 Rand(which is FIVE dollars... I love how inexpensive food is here!) we ate on the beach, shopped around the market, then we LOST MEAGAN! This is not a joke. On the drive back towards our house Meagan hopped out of the car to get Melanie a water in a little store. The traffic was bad so we drove down a bit and turned around, but when we came back by Meagan was no where in site. We spent the next 30+ minutes driving up and down Main Street with Melanie YELLING "MEAGAN!! MEAGAN!!" out the window like a lost puppy. Meagan eventually called her own phone (left in the car) from a pay phone and had walked nearly two miles down the road into a whole other town! But the best part was when Meagan called a third time, just because she had money left to call with :) we found her sitting outside, drinking Melanie's water since she was thirsty from her long-distance hike.

Thought this better captured Melanie than a regular picture. And photo credit to Ethan who was taking pictures rather than being in them :)

Monday was the beginning of my first full week of Holiday clubs. Michele splits her time between Ocean View and Red Hill so this week we were lending a hand in Red Hill. I have been able to go and just love these children, which is sometimes challenging but often so rewarding.

The little boy on the right reminds me so much of Ronald Nored, and HIS NAME IS RONALD.

Last week I met this one man named Elomon (we think) who is from Zambia. He’s married and has a son, but spends his time travelling around Africa using soccer as a ministry to tell children about God. I was so blessed by something he said, as he held a little girl in his arms, he reminded me how these children need so much love because that’s something no person should ever live without. It was such a simple truth, but something that has encouraged me each day when I get tired of telling these little boys and girls not to talk during the Bible story, or to sit still when Mzo talks to them. I have struggled to find the balance of babysitter, disciplinary, and just someone to love the little girl who looks at me with her huge eyes and just wants me to hold her.

Tuesday I went back to Red Hill in the morning, and it was rough. The sun was out so more kids came to club, but with the sunshine came the temptation to be outside running around. When you have sixty kids in a tiny room/”Church” it becomes incredibly difficult to stay patient, but God definitely challenged me through my time there. Tuesday afternoon was community project so I rode around with Alicia gathering wood and poles and nails to make a fence behind the crèche/daycare in Overcome. We spent nearly three hours gathering, and ten minutes unloading before it was 4:30 and time to go home. So needless to say, no fence was built.

I woke up this morning at 3 am sick as a dog, and spent the next five hours sick at my stomach. I took the day off to rest and God has already been healing me, no more sickness since this morning! Ethan has acquired a lovely bacterial infection in his throat, but we went to the doctor today and the medicine he got should have him back to normal in 48 hours. Be praying for health, living in a small house makes it easier to spread germs and its hard being sick when there are 75+ children needing you each day!

It’s weird to think this is my last full week here. I don’t think I’m ready for my time to be up, one month seems shorter and shorter the longer I’m here!

Something cool God’s been teaching me:

I’ve been reading the story of the Israelites fighting Amalek in Exodus 17.  My Bible study has been on The Lord My Banner, and discussing the ways Amalek represents the flesh. Amalek was said to be constantly and forever at war against God, Amalek was the first to attack the Israelites after they had seen God’s faithfulness, and the Amalekites were always winning the battle whenever Moses let his arms down. Think of all the ways our flesh is similar: Always in opposition to what God wants, always the first attack on us, and always prevailing when we leave the cover of God’s provision. I just love how God can use any story to point out truth in my life! The Lord My Banner, what a wonderful God we serve!

free falling

If you are wondering if I went SKY DIVING today.. the answer is YES!

If you are wondering how it was, well let me just tell you:

I went with five of my fellow housemates: Ethan, Brock, Stuart, Carley and Hannah. We drove about an hour away past the city until we finally made it to this simple gravel road, nothing special, with a few ‘phone a friend’s along the way for directions. We arrive to our destination: Wings Over Africa skydiving. Let me just paint you a little picture… This open barn-like area has about eight guys standing around who could all pass for surfers or hippies, a few throwing a ball, a few laying out parachutes, and a few working on one of the three “planes” if you will.

We walk in, sign our lives away, and within five minutes have a harness on. There was no pre-game video, or pep talk, there were just a few guys with instructions of how to tuck your legs back, lean your head on my shoulder, keep your eyes open and smile. Next thing we know, the pairs we split into are now trios because the “big plane” is magically fixed. So Carley, Stuart and Brock are the first to fly. They head to the “big plane” and take off. The flight up lasts around 15-20 minutes until you are successfully 9,000 feet in the air.

Fast forward…. We’ve now watched all three fall and land successfully so its our turn to go (Hannah, Ethan, me). We pile into the plane with our three flight attendants and head up. My guy, Timmy was the BOMB. He has jumped over 12,000 times. Twelve. Thousand. So that was a little bit reassuring. He walked me through the steps and pointed out all the landmarks on our ride up as I cozied up on his lap and prepared to fly out of a plane.

I went last, so after watching Hannah… then Ethan fall off the edge of the plane, we shimmy over to the edge, throw our legs over, tuck them under the plane and… FREE FALL. The free fall they say lasts 40 seconds, but it felt like ten. IT WAS AMAZING. I have never been so giddy in my life, I just giggled and smiled and okay maybe screamed a bit. It wasn’t scary was the weird part. I thought I would be so nervous, but instead I enjoyed every second.

Eventually the parachute kicks in and we start to cruise. Timmy took my glasses off and adjusted my straps so we could sit more comfortably in the middle of the air. He let me fly the parachute, spin us in a few circles, then eventually just enjoy the most beautiful view of Cape Town. We nailed the landing (on his feet while I tucked mine) and I haven’t stopped smiling since.

My dad jokingly asked how this adventure contributed to the ministry of Living Hope to which I assured him my being so close to God helped me have a new appreciation of His creation…. But seriously it is so true. As I sat in the plane flying up, I couldn’t help but think how cool God is, and plus how awesome His view from Heaven must be. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever done and I can’t wait to go again!

me and Timmy before lift off

this face lasted all day, don't worry

greatest moment of my life after salvation :)

top five

So we've made it past the half way mark, less than two weeks to spend in this beautiful place. I thought I'd share my top five favorite moments so far.

1. Camel Rock Beach: the first weekend a few of us went shopping about 45 minutes away. We decided to take the scenic route back home and stumbled upon this beach. I literally stood still with no words for a minutes because I couldn't even take in how beautiful this place was. It was the definition of breath-taking, and maybe one of my favorite moments I've ever had.. in life.

2. The sunset: Last week we went out to dinner for a goodbye celebration on Zuzanna's last night. Spur of the moment, we decided to run to the beach and try to catch the sunset before dinner. I'm finding my favorite moments are those that aren't planned. I watch the sunset and had to force myself to look at all the different places: the water, wow. the sun, OH wow. the mountains, woah. All side by side. Goodness.

3. Spending the day at the market with friends: yesterday we stumbled to the market and wandered around for hours. It was another pleasant surprise, and I loved the experience. We found this little Panini/Pasta/Pizza place and I got my entire meal for R50 which is less that $7.00. I love the little finds tucked around the city, and the biggest bonus was getting to spend the day with some of my favorite housemates.

4. Meeting Synovia: I think about this precious little one everyday. I only spent about one hour with her, but I couldn't get over how easy she was to love. She told me she loved me after ten minutes, she hugged my neck instantly, and couldn't stop playing with my hair. She showed me her butterfly tattoo and whispered "BUT-TAH-FLIE" and couldn't stop giggling. She was my favorite.

5. Gatsby night with Melanie, and just time with Melanie in general: as soon as I saw Mel in the airport I couldn't help but cry. I have been able to spend at least two days each week with her since I've been here, if not more. One night we went to watch the sunset by her house before eating dinner, and it would have been okay with me if we just never left. I've missed my friend!

this one's for AFRICA

Today was public holiday, and it was GREAT! A bunch of the volunteers had the day off since our communities weren't having events, so we spent the morning and afternoon in Green Market Square, the center of Cape Town. Louise and her sweet little arms got us all the way into town, complete with parallel parking (which took a few extra hands from Brock) and no stalling out.

action shot.. multiple hands. but we managed to parallel park

Four Americans and a Britt in front of the market. left to right: Carley, me, Ethan, Louise, Brock.

Darling Street + mountains + city = perfect

Ethan, Brock, Louise, Carley and myself had such a good day, getting all sorts of prizes for friends and a few for ourselves... Tonight I'm going to Melanie's for dinner with her and a few other girls. I'm excited for my first African girls night! Tomorrow morning is back to normal, Michele should be back and we'll be back in the office. But it's been a nice day just getting to rest and have fun.

God is REAL in reddd hill!

The good news is, movies only cost about three dollars here. Sunday night Ethan and I got to see Prince of Persia for a whopping 50 rand which is about seven dollars... Total. Monday morning was the start of holiday clubs for the kids. Michele had Monday and Tuesday off, so I used my free day helping the LSE's at Red Hill with their kick off. Since I hadn't been involved in any of the planning I wasn't very useful for the activities. So instead I got to spend the day playing with the little girls and having them play with my hair. We started out with just a few kids due to the rain/cold. But by lunch time we had nearly 40 kids.

This morning I woke up to a wonderful surprise! Today is Ethan and my two year anniversary of dating. Even though we're in Africa, he still found a way to make it special. He got me all my favorites and a few little African extras as well.

This afternoon we spent our time in Overcome playing with children in a daycare. Tomorrow is a public holiday so we get the day off to sleep late, rest, and maybe shop a little ;)

God has been teaching me about himself as Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals. It's so hard to see these little children with so much need and hurt, and just realize I'll be going home soon back to my pain-free life. But at the same time its so refreshing to be with little kids who have no cares in the world, they just want to be loved by you and let you hold them. God is real in Red Hill :)

can I fit one in my carry-on??

This is Synovia, my new carry-on I've decided. She hopped up in my lap the first ten minutes of being at Capricorn and instantly began playing with my hair. Within another ten minutes, she told me she loved me and I decided I would be bringing her home with me. Mom, you ready for a adopted grand-child??

This little cutie is the Pastor of Capricorn's son. Don't even have to say how precious he is.

I got to do my favorite kids activity: face painting. South African flag to cover your face? Well of course.. Some things never change.

Yesterday we spent the day at Canal Walk, the largest mall in South Africa. After shopping the day away, we had dinner at a MEXICAN place called Pancho's aka my favorite food of this entire trip. It was the best Mexican I've ever had. Okay it's possible I was just having withdrawals from the lack of Habanero's lately, but seriously the quesadillas were incredible. And the queso... We'll definitely be going back before we leave!!!

This is from the other night, we drove out to the beach to watch the sun set before we went to dinner at The Toad. I have a few pictures of the sun where the camera just couldn't handle the brightness and you can hardly tell that there is an ocean in front of the sun.. Don't you love the times we're unable to capture God's creation? I sure do!

Church this morning was.. well I don't really have any words to describe it besides Spirit-led. I really liked how we were in this warehouse-esque building without comfortable pews or heat. It was just a natural congregation of believers without the fancies of a normal American church. The music was led by Kendra, one of the girls who lives here in the volunteer house, and three middle school aged girls (which I also liked). After worship the pastor got up and encouraged anyone who had something to share to come and do so. This led to me crying as a woman began to sing for everyone about her Savior. After sharing and a little more singing, we had a time of prayer to lay hands on anyone in need. The sermon was about Noah and the lessons we can learn from his obedience to the Lord. It was such a blessing to see people being vulnerable before a group of believers and letting the Holy Spirit lead a sermon, even if it meant changing the schedule or plans. God is worthy of our praise without limitations!

vuvuzelas gone wild

Things I saw/heard more of today than I ever knew existed:
1. Bafana Bafana jerseys
2. vuvuzelas, the loud obnoxious noise makers that EVERYONE who's anyone has
3. South African flags, especially those prominently placed on the entire face by me, the American face painter. Oh irony
4. The colors yellow and green together
5. Little children doing the diski. what's that? This is what.

Today was great though. I loved the energy that Cape Town had, the spirit of the little children who are so excited for their country to be a part of something so incredible.

What's Bafana Bafana doing after they win the World Cup??? turning the playstation off ;)

This morning I got to go on another home visit with Michele, which was pretty sad, but me and Michele had a good talk afterwards about how to cope with seeing such hard situations and broken hearts each day. I definitely had plenty to cheer me up when I was surrounded for the afternoon with beautiful little children, sitting in my lap to play with my hair, or running up to have their South African flag prominently displayed on their faces. Pictures to come tomorrow...

Tomorrow is Table Mountain... Good thing I'm so naturally athletic and all, it should be a breeze to climb.. duh.

Jehovah-jireh.

Today was so great! It was my first day to really interact with people outside of the office. I went with Michele on three home visits. Two of them were with people who only spoke Afrikaans, so I did A LOT of smiling and nodding then asking what was happening later. But this one visit was such a blessing….

Irene is this sweet woman of God who is 84 and bed-ridden. She has cancer in her spine and it’s been spreading to her breast. After eight years of illness, and four of severe cancer, Irene is still kickin’ it. Irene lays in bed all day, every day and therefore LOVES the chance to chat with company. She shared her entire life story today, just telling us stories of her life and her memories. She kept telling us of how she “had always been so active”, she used to knit, and work in a hospital caring for others. Now all she can do is sit and read, most days she doesn’t even have the energy to put her teeth in! But the other consistent statement Irene made was how she was confident in the Lord, the Lord had given her hope and she knew her life had been blessed.

I was able to pray for Irene at the end of our time together. As we were getting ready to leave she told me I had blessed her, made her feel good for the first time in a long time. What a blessing this was to my heart, just to see how a simple prayer to the Lord could encourage a dying woman so much! I am constantly amazed by the Lord and how He is working in the lives of people I meet. This same God has carried Irene through years of pain, and given her hope for what lies beyond this life. Wow!

Tonight we went to the beach to watch the sunset, and if I could sit there forever I would have. It was absolutely beautiful. I wish I had a better word to describe all that I see here… but there just isn’t much to do it justice. We had dinner at The Toad for Zuzanna’s last night, and felt like I was back in the States with my New Orleans pizza.

Oh, and we have a new roommate, Megan! She got in late last night after we were asleep. Ok maybe it was 11, but that’s late when you’re catching up from American time ☺

Life is great. Today I am seeing God as Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides. Our God is indeed providing, constantly! And what’s even cooler is that word jireh, means to see. Because the Lord can foresee our needs, he can make provisions in His own time. Ah I love our God!!

just another day...

Things I love about South Africa:

1. red lights are called Robots
2. I've seen more stray dogs than people
3. the little girls think my hair is the coolest thing ever
4. all the ACTS staff look like Abercrombie models
5. the have the next generation Nutella, which is a million times better
6. people say "shedule" instead of schedule
7. the accents are sweet
8. you see baboons on a regular basis, with the occasional camel or peacock
9. Gatsby... mmm
10. Apple Nectar juice. yep.

rain rain, yet again today...

Lauren Reeves quote that summarizes this trip: Being in a place like Africa is really wonderfully overwhelming, and our brains dont always have room for that moment right then. 


Today was another morning with Michelle which I am enjoying more and more. The office work wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoy the time to just have peace and quiet (with the exception of constant dogs barking outside). After lunch we went to Red Hill for our community project. This is another thing that surprised me about this trip, I didn't know how much physical labor we would be doing, but today we painted the inside of a container (like a trailer) for the kids club at Red Hill. I was right back on New Wind using oil based paint and getting high from the paint thinner... I didn't mind really ;)

After breathing in all the fumes I could handle, I found my way outside where Simone was waiting to climb aboard. The kids here are so easily approachable and have no concept of Stranger Danger like in the States. Simone latched on my back and wouldn't let go for a good thirty minutes. We ran away from the dogs, and talked about school. The children here are so beautiful, and so desperate for love. It's hard not to love them though, so it works out for both of us.


And to cap off the night, we all piled into Bettie.. literally piled, and drove to McDonald's for a little dessert before playing cards. Living in the house with fifteen international new friends is one of my favorite parts of the trip. Tomorrow Justine and I get a new roommate, Megan! 

We have 24 more days left (I was just informed by Callie, Ethan's little sister). I'm trying not to let that become a distraction and be sad about leaving, but rather just think about the three awesome weeks we still have left to grow and see more of Africa. God can do a LOT in just three weeks, of this I am sure! But I will definitely be missing plenty of this wonderful country when it comes time to head back. Guess I'll just have to come back, eh? As Louise would say... Cheers.

God is COOL!!!

woke up at 7 am not feeling too hot... hoping to avoid the stomach bug my roommate had yesterday, I went back to sleep until noon. Rest was just the medicine I needed, and this afternoon has been so incredible. I've spent my time catching up on emails, listening to Travis Cottrell and having the most wonderful time with the Lord.


So far I've had time each night to have my quiet time, to reflect on what the Lord has shown me, but each night I find myself a little more sleepy. So today was so refreshing to have all the time I wanted and all the energy I needed just to remember what the Lord has done and who He is.


I'm reading through Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur, and I love those little moments each day where my Bible study parallels just exactly what I walk through that day. The names of God have been revealed to me so consistently through my time here, and I've enjoyed the length of this trip to learn more about God.


Of all the mission trips I've been able to go on, I've found a common theme of short trip, quick message to be learned, then turn around having seen this drastic revelation from the Lord or some super spiritual high of an awesome few days. This trip is completely different: the pace is slow, so there's no rush to get it all in at once. The trip is longer, so there is more to be learned over a month. I'm not with my entire youth group or core group, so the dependancy on the Lord is increased. And it's been SUCH A BLESSING. God is just taking His precious time, slowly revealing His characteristics and qualities to me. On the days I've felt insecure, God is El Roi, the God who sees. When I am weary and needy and missing the comforts of home, God is El Shaddai, the all-sufficient one. I'm loving getting to know my God as Adonai, Jehovah, El Elyon. God is so gracious and good and I am being reminded of that everyday!

Great Gatsby...? yes please.

Interesting fact about Cape Town: the weather can be all four seasons in one week. Today was a sneak peek at winter.

This morning we went to church at King of Kings, John Thomas' church where Living Hope is founded from. It was definitely NOT what I was expecting. When I think of South African church I did not picture primarily white families sitting in their chairs singing Prince of Peace quietly. But this morning I felt like I was right back in Anytown USA. John Thomas spoke on the ways the Lord speaks to us, and it was such a great message just reminding you of the importance of spending time with the Lord before you can hear His voice. However, the similarities were shocking and the differences were few.

Tonight was the adventure of the Gatsby. For those of you like myself who are new to Cape Town culture, let me paint a little picture of the Gatsby for you: Huge french loaf of bread over a foot long + chicken + "chips" aka fries + lettuce + tomato + sauce + mayo + all on one sandwich = THE GATSBY. This one sandwich can comfortably feed FOUR people, and one fourth is the size of my hand! It was great, such an adventure, and definitely a memory.

don't be fooled.. the sandwich is missing one fourth. oh and check out my sweet ring :) thanks Africa.

Ethan and I went to Melanie's for the night and had such a fun time catching up, playing cards, asking questions. Its such a nice feeling to have a little piece of home tucked away in such a foreign place. The comfort of stability is something that's been missing lately and tonight was a great reminder of that!

waves on the weekend

this was our first weekend in Cape Town. a few of the guys in the house rented a car... if you can call Betty that. Betty is approximately 55 years old, an old beetle you can paint on, that is everything but fallen apart. and I do mean fallen, not falling, we're way past that. Josh drove the stick shift, on the left side of the road, from Cape Town to Simons Town, and back again. We went shopping in a few of the little stores in Simons Town, had fish and chips at the bayside restaurant Bertha's, then headed back toward Cape Town. We stopped at the beach and walked along the rocks for a little while. The sun was shining, the day was virtually perfect, and it was the most peaceful, relaxed day one could ask for.


I knew I was in trouble when I walked into this little store and they were playing Heart of Life by John Mayer... and then I was in love. Got all sorts of little goodies, half for me half for friends :) and mainly just enjoyed the company of Louise, Carley, AC, Justine and Josh. It was a wonderful weekend!

don't worry, our album will be released soon..

This is Betty.. on her way to the coast.

double this, double that...

If I were to tell you my telephone number, I would simply begin with 2-2-3, spoken "Two, two, three". This is normal, this makes sense, yes? Well if I were to give you my telephone number with the Cape Town rendition of English, I would say "Double two- three- oh- two- double five" (all spoken with a lovely South African accent). This doesn't seem too complicated, but you are oh so wrong. The same goes for letters. If I were to spell letters from South Africa, I would say "l-e-double t-e-r-s". Well let me just say, my brain CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS. So when I'm on the phone asking for the Pregnancy Help Center's address today, I ask her to repeat "Wherry Road" THREE TIMES. Dumb Americans... can't comprehend. I don't know what it is, but it gets me every time.

Other than that, oh and the time I was typing out an email and asked Mrs. Genevere to email me "HIS number" when Jean is actually a woman, I didn't make too many mishaps today. I spent all morning in Oceanview with Michele doing some office work, and compiling a list of telephone numbers to create a reference index for social work related problems. Although this wasn't the most thrilling task, I kind of enjoyed the quiet and the calm.

Let me paint a little picture of Michele for you: She's precious, she's got this fair skin with freckles and red hair (it's like I'm drawn to those women who do in South Africa...), and you literally must crane your neck towards her to hear what she says when she quietly whispers in a normal conversation. She has this sweet, patient heart, and a bit of spunk that you miss at first glance simply because you can't hear her sweet meek little voice. After working with her just two days I feel like I've known her for months, she's so easy to get along with and actually quite funny the more time I learn to make out her jokes. Thank goodness Ethan is a natural born mumbler, because I've acquired the handy skill of deciphering mumble-speak, a difficult and peculiar tongue.

Another interesting fact about me in South Africa: because I'm fond of accents, and hear them all day long, even at home with two British housemates, my thoughts have begun to be heard in an accent. It's a combination of English and South African, but everything I'm saying in my head as I type right now is in the British. It's crazy, but I kind of love it. Rest assured I'll be using it to talk when I get back home.. get excited :)

Tonight I went with Ethan, Melanie, Shagmie (pronouced Shock-me) and his wife Lauren to the Capricorn youth. I'm still contemplating how I felt about it, so I'll let you know. But here are four words I never want to see combined again: indoors, ice cream, fire, and blindfolds. What a night.

Tomorrow is shopping :) and sleeping in.. Ohhh Saturdays...

& so it begins..

Today was my first real day doing what I've been assigned. I worked with Michele, the most tenderehearted, meek, sweet lady I've ever met. As soon as I met her I basically jumped right into the Social Work life at Living Hope. I sat in on a meeting with Kevin, one of the volunteers from the UK who is coordinating a bid "Celebration Day" at the end of the Holidays in July. The day is designed for about 1,000 kids to come and hear the Gospel. The setting will be divided with a soccer/netball tournament going on, and a rotation of games and events for those not so sportsy kids, aka the other 750. I was really encouraged when he took one of my ideas in mind and completely rearranged the schedule.. I felt semi-useful ;)


After our meeting we went into Oceanview for a home visit, only the lady we were visiting wasn't ready to be visited so our "visit" was about 3 minutes. We then spent a few hours in the Oceanview offices. She put me right to work--I made calls to find pregnancy mentoring for a 14 year old girl who is pregnant. She is a rape victim, but her and her family have decided to keep the baby and need somewhere to help her through the last four months. I typed up the notes from our meeting, and helped Michele brainstorm some ideas for the Celebration Day. It was so encouraging to see how I could already contribute to Living Hope. 


Afterwards Allysha, our wonderful driver who has more spunk than anyone I know, drove Ethan and me to the mall to exchange some of our cash for rand. It was exciting to get back an amount in the thousands when I had less than $200 to exchange :) I also ate my first South African fast food meal at a place called "Wimpys". We had a Wimpy burger and chips (fries) with about two sips of Fanta since the cup is the size of a McDonald's Kids meal toy... Oh Americans, how we value size everything.


We spent the afternoon working in Red Hill again, picking up trash, trying not to be attacked by a mother hen who was protecting her chick, and laying mulch in the meeting area for the kids clubs. Afterwards we got a tour of the area and went into the ACTS Day Care. The most precious children were all around, climbing on backs and wanting to be loved. Even in five minutes I made a friend:

my new friend, whose name I cannot say but starts with an R I know :)

please love her eyes like I do???

Today was so encouraging. I'm anxious to see how my time here is used, and looking forward to what other opportunities I will have to serve. God keeps reminding me that the smallest things can still make a big difference. And He's also in the process of teaching me to rely solely on Him. Ironically (not really) my Bible study this week is on God as El Shaddia, the all sufficient One. Don't you love God's humor? 

day three is a good thing

I am currently sitting in my bed, waiting for dinner to be cooked, and enjoying this view:

What's NOT to love?


Today Michele was still not at Living Hope, so my job has not been detailed or determined yet. Instead I spent the day working with a few of the people who are helping in Kids Club. Danielle, one of the LH staffers had an entire list of things to do. Item number one read: "Finish 1,000 kids armors of God". Well rather daunting eh? So we set off on our to-do list and worked the smaller tasks first such as sorting/counting clothes and materials, peeling toilet paper off the rolls and hole punching them to become noise makers, and other various tasks. Although this sort of busy work can seem pointless at times, I was reminded of how the small things still matter when I was given the chance to have such good conversations with a few of my house mates.


I absolutely LOVE Carley. She's my fellow Chi O sister and we spent a good 30 minutes talking about Chi O.. the differences in our chapters, sharing ideas. Not only is she a Chi O, she's also her chapter's pledge trainer.. like me. Which was so nice to talk with someone who's already been planning! She also loves John Mayer, so we could basically be best friends, yes? We had such good conversations today about boys, our faith since Carley is Catholic--I had many questions! She's full of energy and life and so willing to share with you when you ask. She has the ability to make just about anyone feel welcome and I am so excited to get to know her the next few weeks.


I also had good conversation with Stuart, Josh, Justine and Ethan about Hillsong, religion, and the new trend of "religious experiences". It's so encouraging to be surrounded by other Christians around my age who come from such different back grounds and hear their heart.


Although today was calm, I am thankful to be easing into things as jet lag has been taking its toll on me! I did however get nearly 11 hours of sleep last night, so I guess it could be much worse :)


It's so beautiful here I never want the days to end just so I can sit back and enjoy the views... I haven't stopped smiling since I stepped off the airplane! Tonight I'm getting coffee with Melanie which I could cry I'm so excited for! This weekend we may go to the beach with her sweet friend Meagan. I love this trip!

ostriches, baboons & SOUP... oh my!

Today was beautiful. Even though it's "winter" the weather the past two days has been ideal--blue, bright skies with the ocean breeze and a high around 65. It's perfect. This is the view just off the side of the mountain that we drove up to get to our work site today.

The view on the road past Red Hill

Today after breakfast we headed off for a short orientation. We had a daily devotional/praise time with the Living Hope staff before the five new comers headed off for their meeting. Mike and Pam, the volunteer coordinators who answer countless emails pre-trip, gave us a run down of all that Living Hope encompasses. It's SO MUCH MORE than I know! I won't explain all the details but basically Living Hope serves as care for people with AIDS/HIV through their hospice, as well as through teaching prevention in the communities (Capricorn, Masi, Ocean View and Red Hill... I'll be working mainly in Ocean View just a few minutes from the main Living Hope building). Living Grace is a homeless soup kitchen and locker service where men and women can store their belongings. Living Way is an economic planning program that works with men and women in the communities to teach them how to make and save money as well as learn to budget and spend wisely. It's amazing how many people are being reached with the Gospel through all of the services Living Hope provides.

There are fourteen of us staying in the house: Carley and Hanna (two CHI OMEGAS from TCU :) Justine, my sweet roommate from Samford, Chelsea from Kent State, Louise from England, Zhusana from Czech Republic, Kendra from Tennessee, Amy who plays for the women's AND men's soccer team here in Cape Town, Stuart from UK, Josh and Brock from Samford, Ronnie from Michigan, then me and Ethan. It's quite an interesting mix and I love having people from all over the world to share this place with.

After Carley, Hanna, Justine, Josh, Ethan and myself got the official orientation, we were taken on a tour of Cape Town. We went into Masi (technically its called Masiphumelele... say that one for fun), which reminded me of a city in Mexico. The neighborhood has about 3,500 people who occupy shacks that surround a brick "house". The neighborhood is black, which means it consists primarily of Xhosa people (you get to say Xhosa with a click!). Just down the road is the colored community of Ocean View, which is just a little nicer, but equivalent to a ghetto in any American city. The colored people are what we would consider mixed, and generally speak Afrikaans. This is where I will be working for most of my time.


After our tour and a lunch break, the few of us who will not be working with Kids clubs participated in our first community service project, which we will do each Tuesday and Thursday. Today we went to Red Hill, which is made of three different "camps". We worked in middle camp where the Living Hope hosts a kids club. We picked up trash and pulled weeds around the dirty floor that kids club is held. I was amazed at how friendly and welcoming the people are, they are so generous and kind even in the midst of all their hurt and suffering.


Jet lag set in around 4:00 this afternoon when I was fast asleep on the van.. But not before we stopped on the side of the road for the baboons! Plenty of baboons surrounded us, baby baboons, mating baboons... you name it! The baby ones were so cute it's easy to forget their terribly mean animals!

For dinner, we had soup. Homemade chicken soup. And, for the first time in many many years, I actually ate soup. It was such a rare occasion, and bound to happen many more times this trip, but I survived... and ate plenty of homemade bread to fill me up and limit my soup intake ;)

And to cap off the first wonderful day, was the beautiful view from our front door. I love this place! I am so eager to see what the Lord has in store once I start tomorrow. I am appreciating the beautiful views that this city offers because it's such a remind that our God sees, our El Roi, the God who sees, can appreciate the beauty He created just as we take Him in. How great is our God!