Hello! Since I am leaving South Africa tomorrow and making my way to Lesotho, I decided to reminisce on this past month using the alphabet.
A is for Africa School of Missions- the beautiful campus we’ve been living at for the past month
B is for Backdoor- the name of the neighborhood we’ve been working in for most of this month.
C is for Crazy Dave- the charismatic owner of the hostile we stayed at for debrief. Really cool guy!
D is for Drought- There is a severe drought here in South Africa. Luckily, it rained for the first time in a while when we arrived here. They are extremely low on water here!
E is for Evangelism- I tried door-to-door evangelism for the first time in my life here. It’s not at all what I thought it would be like and I found that I actually really enjoy it.
F is for Flowers- There are such beautiful wildflowers growing all over the place here. During this season, God showed me through the image of flowers and Matthew 6 that I don’t have to worry so much all the time.
G is for Gratitude- I’ve become really aware here of the abundance of blessings I have had in my life and all the ones God wants to give me in the future. Not to mention, I spent the Thanksgiving season here!
H is for Hair (or no hair)- One of the girls’ favorite things to do here is braid your hair. For hours. I leave ministry with a new hairstyle everyday! Also, the guys on my squad got bored and decided to shave their heads and now they are all bald…
I is for Iris Ministries- the ministry that we worked with for the first week doing evangelism.
J is for Just Dance- The IT guy on this campus is named Sean and he is so cool! For a straight week, he invited small groups of us over to his house to eat his homemade waffles and play Just Dance. It was so fun!
K is for Kruger- the beautiful and massive nature park here in South Africa. I went on a safari there last Saturday and saw so many animals!!
L is for Lake view- There is a spot on this campus that is right by this dam/lake and I like to go there every morning to pray. It is so beautiful!
M is for Michaels Children’s Village and their Macadamia Farm- We spent a few days here in the first week and it is so incredible. The Children’s Village is a home for kid’s who are in between homes or don’t have one. We did a lot of cleaning and playing with the sweet children there, and we had so much fun. I had the opportunity to help with some farming at the Macadamia Farm they planted. The trees are still very small, but they are surviving! God is doing miracles here!
N is for Nelspruit- the city we are in.
O is for Outside my comfort zone- a place I’ve had to be in a lot this past month but I’ve only found good things there J
P is for Patchi- a women that works for Ten Thousand Homes. Patchi is from Brazil and probably one of the most friendly and joyful people I’ve ever met. She taught me that trusting in God’s plan for your life is the best way to live your life.
Q is for Quiet- The other day, we went up to this amazing view called God’s Window. It overlooked miles and miles of the South African plains. Despite the gorgeous scenery, the first thing I noticed was the peaceful quiet it was from up so high. Quiet is something I’ve had the privilege of enjoying a lot of here at the gorgeous ASM campus as well. It’s very peaceful here.
R is for Rock- Jesus has been showing me His identity as my rock and how even when I’m shaken and worn down, He is always there to be my consistency.
S is for Squad- This is our all- squad month, meaning that I have been here all of November with 35 other people, not just the 6 other girls on my team. I’ve treasured every day with these people and I’m going to be sad to leave them for two months!
T is for Ten Thousand Homes- the ministry we had the opportunity to work alongside this past week. With their amazing staff, we went to several afterschool feeding programs and got to hang out with children and woman from the neighborhood all day.
U is for Ukulele- my instrument of choice and travel companion. I love the afternoons I get to spend sitting by the lake and playing my ukulele!
V is for Village- One thing I’ve loved here is the ‘village’ or family custom that everyone has. There is no separation just because you live in a different house, everyone is there to help you and support you. There is such a great sense of community here.
W is for the Women at the feeding programs- At each feeding program, there are around five women from the community that volunteer to run the program. They arrive hours before the kid’s to prepare a meal for them. Their sacrifice, their faith, and their commitment to their community truly inspired me.
X is for eXpecting God to do the unexpected- an idea I’ve become obsessed with during my time here. Ephesians 3:20 says that He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. That’s incredible! I don’t want to just believe that’s true, I want to live my life expecting to see His glory in ways I don’t expect.
Y is for Yes- saying yes to everything God puts in my path has changed the way I live!
Z is for Zzzz- the loud buzzing sound of the bugs at night.
I leave for Lesotho tomorrow! I don’t have much information other than I’ll be living there for two months, it’s very rural, there is a chance I’ll be staying in my tent, and the only way into town is by donkey. Be expecting some great blogs about my time there!
