June 2011
Africa. The land of bugs, mud huts, dusty roads and “the big five” (the 5 animals you’re ‘supposed’ to see while on this continent). For the four months leading up to this one, one phrase has cropped up over and over “Just wait for Africa.”
We thought the busses were bad in India? Just wait for Africa.
We were tired of eating the same meal over and over in Nepal? Just wait for Africa.
We thought the bugs were bad? Just wait for Africa.
We roasted in our beds at night? Just wait for Africa.
The showers weren’t always hot? Just wait for Africa.
So. . . .we arrived in South Africa on May 5th and spent one night in a hostel in South Africa. The next morning, we boarded a bus (AIM bus – haven’t experienced true local Africa travel yet) and headed out to our ministry site. I fully expected to spend the next month of the Race living in my tent, eating ugali and popping Malaria pills. Because it’s Africa. Right? Not quite.
Here’s a little idea of our living conditions here at El Shaddai.
- We are living in cabins with 24-hour electricity and running water.
- We have our own kitchen and common area where we eat meals and hang out.
- We are surrounded by AMAZING views on all sides. We’ve been on several hikes and even found a waterfall (and maybe did a little swimming).
- We’re too high in the mountains for the malaria-carrying mosquitos to survive, so no pills this month!
- Other than church and walking around the nearby community, we are not expected to wear skirts everyday.
- The children here all speak English in addition to Sawati, the local language.
- Ugali? Not quite. We’ve had Corn Flakes, hot dogs, PB&Js, and spaghetti, to name a few dishes. We’ve been able to try a few local foods as well.
- We’re working with Dave’s team this month, so there are 13 of us staying here this month.
Needless to say, it’s not quite what I expected of this country, but I absolutely love it here. El Shaddai is an incredible ministry site. It’s an orphanage with about 80 children, ranging from infants to high schoolers. We’ve only interacted with about 50 of these kids, as the high schoolers live near their school about an hour away. It’s run by a wonderful South African couple – Charmain and Kallie. They started the orphanage 12 years ago, and what’s truly amazing is that they do no official support raising. All the financial support for the ministry is purely provided voluntarily. They truly rely on God’s provisions to take care of these children.
At the beginning of their journey, Charmaine heard from the Lord that He would send people to help, and over the years they have had numerous teams come in to assist. She doesn’t even know how The World Race got their contact info.
Our job here includes several things. While the children are at school, we do various projects around the grounds. The first week, I got to stay at the “baby house” all day with the little ones – precious! The rest of the team worked in the field husking corn. This past week, we worked on repainting the oldest building on the property, which is currently empty but will be converted to the new baby house, as they are preparing to take in 20 more babies and toddlers.
In the afternoons, when the kids get home from school, we help them with homework for two hours, and then we are in charge of the daily chapel service, where we sing songs, play games and tell Bible stories. The evenings are free for us, so after dinner we have team time, worship, relax, or watch movies.
As I mentioned before, there are plenty of great places around to go on hikes. The scenery is breathtaking, and the sunsets are incredible. They’re never the same two days in a row. The pictures cannot even do it justice!
Back Row: Scott, Rachael, Tabi, Anne, Elaina, Roberto, Andrea
Front Row: Me, Daniel, Lindsey, Dave, Allison, Faith
