I’ve heard/read plenty of stories about travel days, and we got our first experience to kick off the race! Our flight to leave the country was at 6:10 pm on Thursday and spent 15 hours or so on that flight. Before I go much further just know that traveling with 48 people is….involved and time consuming. Thank you to our wonderful logistics team – Ali, Nate and Larisa (and plenty others helping make things happen)!!! There was only one team not going to Cape Town and their host picked them up as soon as we came out with our luggage. The rest of us waited a couple of hours while the team tried to work through lodging details only to find out that they fell through and we’d be sleeping in the airport. After an empty area was located, we all unloaded our sleeping pads and “cleaned up” in the bathrooms (a.k.a. wet wipes, face wash, and teeth brushed). I can’t say much sleeping actually happened, but we were able to lay flat and rest at least. We hung around the airport til about 11:30, got in a bunch of mini vans with drivers that dodged the poles in the parking garage like a video game, and waited for our bus at the bus station. After an 18 hour bus ride, we arrived to our final destination for the month and went straight to church.
We’ve been here barely more than 48 hours, yet it feels like so much longer because everything has just kind of run together! We are tired, but so worth it to be here for ministry this month. Our host and ministry leader are wonderful and very well respected among the community we are working in. I have no doubt the Lord’s hand was in setting our team in this specific place.
What else happened in the first 48 hours?
– We weren’t far from losing our packs, not from the airport but because the gate of the trailer carrying it from the bus station came open while we were driving!
– We’re totally rocking bucket showers, but thankfully are blessed with a western toilet!
– Our team leader broke the bucket and created what we named the Nile River in the hallway
– A pretty plate was broken at dinner time
– We made the sink leak
– Our host still loves us!
– We prayer walked the community in which we are living, met lots of people, played with lots of kids on the streets and prayed for people
Here’s one story to wrap up…
We asked one of the women we met if we could pray for her. She said that no one in her family had a job. She invited us into her home to pray for her, so we did. We spoke blessings over her and lifted up our requests to our Good Father. She was very grateful and we left to make our way to some other homes. After we had met others, we played with the children in the playground in front of her house for a while. As we were getting ready to move on, she came quickly and excitedly to me. She said that we had just prayed with her about the jobs, and her husband just arrived home and received a phone call regarding a job! She was so thrilled and we praised the Lord together as she recognized that it was Him answering her prayers!
We have a full schedule ahead of us, but we are even more excited after this first day working together with our ministry contact. The presence of the Holy Spirit through their faithfulness and influence in this community is incredibly evident. Later this week, we will be visiting a home where elderly people who are sick and left alone are cared for, we will visit an orphanage, we will meet others in the community and there will be an afternoon at the beach included! More details about the community we’re investing in this month to come.
Thank you for your prayers! Keep em coming! We are tired after our 3 day travel period with little sleep, jumping straight into ministry, and being out in the South African sun; but I know the Lord will faithfully strengthen us and carry us through!
Sorry for the lack of pictures. I didn’t transfer them before today, and we haven’t wanted to bring out cameras until we are more established in the community. Coming soon!!
