I left for launch in Atlanta, GA on Friday September 6th at 6:30am. Had 4 days of awesome learning, bonding, and growth during launch with AIM staff and my squad. We left our hotel at 10:30am Tuesday September 10th for Atlanta airport. We took our first flight on Delta for 9hrs to Amsterdam and had a 5 hour layover and then another 10 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. We landed around 9pm Wednesday. We got shuttled to a Hostel in Johan and slept there for the night. Our teams started to separate and we had 5 teams go to the main bus station and 1 team was being picked up separate. Four teams were going to Cape Town and 1 team to Port Elizabeth.
My team (with 3 others) got on a bus at 2:30pm Thursday and drove all day and night to arrive in Cape Town at 9:00am Friday. We ran around Cape Town for several hours looking to internet and getting paperwork for India visas ready and then finally took a train to Muizenburg, Cape Town, South Africa.
We landed in Muizenburg and were absolutely amazed by the scenery, mountains surrounding the most beautiful ocean with a town that is to die for. God is so good in his creation and placing us here in this town to help wherever we can. Our contact Malcolm came to meet us on the beach (where the train dropped us off) and started to shuttle us to the hostel where we are staying at.
We then had a free day on Saturday and walked into town (supposedly a 45min walk), which took 3 hours. Had the most delicious ice cream, really good fish and chips, and an awesome walk down the coastline. Sunday we had church at a Hillsong Satelite campus in the morning, went to a giant mall and had lunch, and then went to Hillsong Cape Town in the evening.
Monday we had an introduction/orientation day with Malcolm and got to see the ministry sites we would be working at. New Chapter Foundation is an after school program as a place to have kids come and be kids, have fun, learn, and be safe. Camp Joy is a rehab center. Men and women come here to fight to get out of gangs and drug addiction. The leaders here are awesome men and women of God, who are very strict about their rules and really want to you to come clean and rely on God for your strength.
Tuesday we went to Camp Joy in the morning and New Chapter in the afternoon. Wednesday we went to New Chapter location to help at the daycare and then helped at the after school program. And now here I am tonight, catching up with my to-do list and getting things ready for when I get access to Internet on Friday morning.
Tomorrow, Thursday, we will be going to a School for the disabled, to help wherever we are needed and then Friday is our free day. We will be getting Internet, feeding children at New Chapter and then something fun in the evening. I will be sure to post another blog soon to explain what is happening at these ministry sites and what God is doing in my life here in SA. But for now I say goodnight and thank you for your continued support and prayers.
{Picture Blog to Come Soon}
