Ocean View, Western Cape, South Africa
Kingdom Sports Ministry
1. What were your living arrangements like?
My team and I lived with a family in the same neighborhood our ministry was in so we could walk everywhere daily. I shared a bunk bed with Laura because the mom, dad, and 12 year old son gave up their bedrooms for us and cooked us dinner every day. They did a wonderful job serving us with God’s love in our month with them and even put up with sharing a bathroom with 5 girls!
Me with Robben Island in the background
2. What was the food like? What was the best and worst things you ate? Weirdest thing you ate?
South Africa had the closest food to America of all the places I went. We were blessed with peanut butter and lots of fruit and CEREAL. Fun fact: our hot dogs were pink!
3. What is the culture like? How is it different from ours?
SA is the closest culture to America of all the countries we went. There were roads, malls, schools, and grocery stores. Everyone drives on the left side of the road and slang is a lot different from America though. Although English is the national language of South Africa most residents speak Afrikaans meaning we call certain things something different than them. (Ex. barbeque=braai and rainboots=gum boots). We were also in the southern hemisphere so it was winter in July!
4. What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I enjoy people. I always knew I loved being around people and that I loved them deeply but I never understood that it wasn’t really normal to love people. I don’t say this to sound stuck up but it helps me understand why it takes me longer to grieve lost friendships and want to be in other people’s presence (not just as an extrovert).
5. What did you learn about how the culture effects the way the people understand the gospel and live as Christians?
Environment can really mold your opinion of Christianity and influence the kind of person you become. The more of Jesus we experience the more like Jesus we will want to be. The less people we know like Jesus the harder it will be for us to find Him but that doesn’t mean He isn’t pursuing us.
Me and some of my kiddos
6. What was your most memorable moment from this month?
Hanging out with my usual group of kiddos was pretty rewarding. We danced, made friendship bracelets, and they loved doing our hair. I miss them!
7. What was the hardest thing about your month?
When our second team leader had to leave the race a week early. Her sister gave birth to twins early and one of them went to heaven soon after. Please continue to pray for their family!
8. What was the biggest lesson you learned?
We all need people to believe in us – kids especially.
9. What did you see God doing among the people of South Africa?
God is answering prayers and giving gifts to the people of South Africa. He is using unlikely people to do BIG things and it is clear this is only the beginning.
10. What did you learn about the community and the people you served?
They are hungry people! The children of Ocean View so badly want to have a relationship with Jesus and their leader, Bradley, is so faithful to the Lord fruit is already being shown in the ministry. Big things are in store for those kids and that neighborhood.
My hand and a shark
11. What FUN activities did you get to do? You were quite the daredevil!
When I picked my route way back in the day I was already hoping to go to Cape Town so getting to be there amongst such beautiful landscape was a blessing in itself. Since CT is one of very few “touristy” towns I traveled to on the race I decided to live it up in celebration of my last month. I got to hike Table Mountain, go skydiving, and shark cage diving. It was a blast!
12. What one thing surprised you the most?
How nervous I got skydiving!
13. Explain your “typical day” this month.
We would meet the kids at a neighborhood field in the morning and do some sort of warm up activity and stretching (to promote activity). Then we would separate into different age groups and I would play with the kids who didn’t want to play soccer. We would chalk, climb the jungle gym, and do lots of clapping/dancing games. Before lunch we would all gather together again to listen to a Bible lesson each day. After lunch we would come back out to the field and entertain usually by all of the kids doing our hair. The last week of the month we worked at a k-12 school teaching different sports in gym class while building relationships with the students.
14. What different projects or work did you do this month?
We worked with Kingdom Sports Ministry and Simon Town School focusing on discipleship through one-on-one mentoring.
15. Name one main difference between this month and previous months?
My first team leader, Kate, left at the end of month 10 to go to a family reunion and my teammates Marissa and Kristen left early due to emergencies so this month had a lot less people than we were used to on our team!
16. You were looking forward to being in Cape Town, how was it to finally live there this month?
It was sooo great! Everywhere I looked God’s beauty was there, in the mountains, the ocean, the clouds. I felt spoiled the entire month. I would definitely go back.
17. How did this month go knowing it was your last month?
It was definitely bittersweet. Knowing I was almost home made me more grateful for all the typical “race” moments and made the time go a lot faster.
18. Anything else you want to add? Fun story?
We went to see the penguins on pebble beach and they smell bad in the wild too!
19. What are you looking forward to most about being back in the USA? Any “American life” material goods/pleasures that you have missed the most? What foods are you looking forward to eating again?
Home cooked meals, my bed, hot showers! (Since I’ve been back I still love all of these plus driving)
Thanks for keeping up with my blog! I appreciate you!
-C
