Here are my top 11 pictures from my month in South Africa –
Once a week we visited a preschool to feed and play with the children. This is the granddaughter of the woman who started the school in an area so poor that most children can’t afford schooling, so that kids could have a place to study. Because of this school she has the chance to educate herself and one day help the Township she’s grown up in just like her grandmother. [Durban, South Africa]
Every now and then you lock eyes with someone you’ll never actually speak to. I’ll never know what this young girl was thinking as my team and I sang and preached. I’ll never know her life or her story. But I’ll never forget the shine of her eyes and the grin she struggled to hold in as she watched me taking pictures that day. [Durban, South Africa]
Line of schoolboys in this predominantly Zulu school eagerly joins us as we sing to open the school assembly. As we come to an end we hear a single tenor voice begin a new melody in words we don’t understand. Another voice joins in harmony. Suddenly clapping hands and stomping feet create a beat as kids all around us join in. [Durban, South Africa]
There are more butterflies in South Africa then I’ve ever seen. This one posed perfectly for me. [Durban, South Africa]
In the Townships of South Africa it is taboo for women to play soccer. But these grandmothers are going against the grain and using their love of sports to share the gospel in a league for women between 45-65 years old. Here they are warming up for their weekly practice. And YES they play in long the skirts they consider appropriate women garb. [Durban, South Africa]
This little boy came to soccer practice with his grandmother. After enjoying the sandwiches we passed out for lunch he played a little soccer with me. But he doesn’t quite have the kicking part down. [Durban, South Africa]
This month was filled with children’s laughter and little voices calling for me to come out and play. The kids of Ingane Yami stole my heart. Though all of these children were orphans – some removed from families and others abandoned – they love with full hearts and without reserve. Their joy through life’s rough circumstances reminded me to cherish each day. To protect them I can’t post pictures of their faces, but here’s a glimpse into what made this month so memorable for me. [Durban, South Africa]
The World Race is full of surprises! Sometimes that surprise is the pack of zebras you bump into on a morning hike. [Durban, South Africa]
I didn’t know what to expect from South Africa. To be honest I didn’t think it would capture my heart like it did. But, as soon as we entered the country and I saw the rolling green hills that continued as far as I could see, I was entranced. This is what I looked out to from my home for the month. [Durban, South Africa]
Part of our ministry was helping to sew pillows to launch a new business initiative meant to create job opportunity in the surrounding community. What was one of the most dangerous parts of Durban is slowly changing because of opportunities like these. [Durban, South Africa]
WavOn our last weekend in South Africa our host blessed us by inviting us to her mother-in-law’s beach house. I spent most of my time there playing in the waves of the Indian Ocean. [South Africa]
My final deadline is this month and I’m still fundraising. Please consider making a donation and helping me continue in this incredible journey. God bless! 🙂
