South Africa was not what I expected. I’m not exactly sure what I was imagining, but I forgot what it was like to be in a place that was familiar. From the highway overpasses, rolling fields of corn, cows, hibiscus and plumaria trees, and actual malls, I felt like I was in Midwest Hawaii. The town I stayed in was on the coast and was beautiful and I loved it. I swam in the Indian Ocean, ate a real burger from a cow, and even had a good old fashioned pizza and movie night with our contacts. And that was only what happened outside of ministry.
During the month of January, my team and I were able to partner with Higher Ground, a Christian camping experience for adults with disabilities. We helped with two camps and had the opportunity to meet so many great people. There were so many amazing memories, but I’ll share a little about my favorite week on the race so far.
That camp was for adults with acquired brain injuries. Most of the men and women were there due to strokes or various forms of accidents. Many had wheel chairs and were limited physically but it was so fun to help them enjoy cricket, games, worship, a concert, New Year’s party and so much dancing.
One camper could only communicate to us by writing in this book he had with him but some of my favorite times were sitting next to him as he told me about his life, what he liked to do, and how much he loved his wife. Laughing was common at camp as jokes and goofing around became the norm. It was so great to walk into a room and instantly get a goofy, ear-to-ear grin just because you looked around and saw so much joy.
In every day life, most of the campers live a very lonely existence. Their disabilities most often stop them from being able to do what they did before or hang out with friends on a regular basis. There are simply not as many provisions for disabled people in South Africa as there are in the States. Public places are not always wheel chair accessible and so many of them end up staying home a lot. But at camp, everyone is accepted and activities are catered so that everyone can participate.
No one is left sitting out by themselves and in the process of playing games and having fun, we were able to remind them that God’s love is real and He hasn’t forgotten about them. I was so honored to have the chance to work at these camps. Our contact’s desire to serve this group of people is inspiring. I can’t wait to see how God expands this ministry in the future.
That’s been my favorite part of the race so far. Those moments when you feel that God is using you to show someone that they matter and they are not forgotten.
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As of right now, I still need to meet my final deadline that has passed. If you would like to help me finish these last 4 months, please consider donating to my account today. I’m sending postcards from either Swaziland, Botswana, Mongolia or China to everyone who helps me make this final deadline.
