Watching that video, you would think that we did ministry one day a week and had adventures the other 6 days. Thankfully, that was not the case. It’s just easier to take pictures at tourist attractions than when you’re swinging kids around a sandy soccer field.
Ministry
At training camp, it was prophesied over us that we would get to work kids a lot this year. This month was the first month I got to work extensively with kids. Was the wait worth it? Absolutely. Ministry was great this month. Our two primary ministries were street kids in the morning and soccer camp in the afternoon. What it looked like on a daily basis was going out to the beach in the morning to talk to people around Muizenberg and play with any kids we find on the beach. It could look like playing with kids on the beach, talking with homeless people, or having great one-on-ones with teammates. Since we couldn’t find the specific street kids our contact was looking for, we made it our aim to bring joy to everyone we came in contact with.
Afternoons were legit. We would walk 25 minutes over to the township, which is government housing, round up a bunch of kids, and bring them all to the sand soccer field. There we would lead prayer, stretches, drills, games, and a bible story. But more often than not, we would just love on the kids, swinging them around by their ankles or letting them sit in our laps. These kids run around the township all day, their parents aren’t looking out for them, and don’t get a love from home. Being able to legitimately love these kids is one of the highlights of the race for me. Yeah, sometimes they were a little rowdy and needed a talking to, but it was so worth it to see the joy on their faces when you would give them a big hug and flip them upside down.
Our final piece of ministry was taking 3-8 kids each Sunday morning to Hillsong church in Cape Town. This was another chance to have more one-on-one interaction with the kids and give them a chance to get out of the township for a little bit.
Adventure
Our time off this month consisted solely of doing fun things around Cape Town. We relaxed on beaches, climbed Table Mountain, explored the city of Cape Town, ate fish and chips once a week, climbed Muizenberg peak several times, went surfing, and lounged on a beach with penguins…twice. Oh, and swam with sharks, both in a cage and out of one. I should explain that one; we went cage diving on Christmas Eve, and then one day when we brought some of the township kids to the beach and were swimming, the shark alarm went off. Good times.
Needless to say, we had our share of fun this month. It didn’t hurt that Muizenberg reminds me of Southern California, and the weather fits the part as well. In terms of “fun” things on the race, this month puts everywhere else to shame. I mean, where else can you swim with sharks one weekend and hang out with penguins the next?
Community
It’s hard to believe, but this was the first month where my “new” team was living in the same place by ourselves, and it was so good for us. Yeah, our lodging was on the tight side, but it allowed us to grow closer together and call each other into greatness more. We are becoming more vulnerable and open with each other. We are working to be bolder in our faith and call each other up if need be.
Of course, living with people in close community can be a challenge, but that’s part of the fun of the race. It stretches us, but it’s for our good. We spent several days processing what we desire from God this year, and now we are praying expectantly because we know that God DOES answer prayers. We know that the race is half over, and we want even more growth this second half. Will it be messy and awkward? Yep, but again, it’s worth it.
I can’t finish a month without an ever-classic By the Numbers!
Number of kids at soccer camp: 20-40
Square footage of our lodging: 500 sq feet
Number of shark alarms that went off while in the water: 1
Number of beach visits with penguins: 2
Number of kids at Hillsong with us: 6
Number of rides in the back of a truck: 2
Number of people in back of said truck: 12
Number of mountains climbed: 3
Number of minutes in cage surrounded by sharks: 25 minutes
Number of trips to fish n chips: 4
Number of bands we saw on New Year’s Eve: 3
Hours on bus from Joburg to Cape Town: 29
Minutes from the beach: 10
Here's another recap video of our ministry this month, courtesy of my teammate Emily!
