I never imagined that I would be living in a place so beautiful that each morning I am still taken back by the magnificence by the environment around me. The rolling mountains all around us shelter our house in their valleys. The crystal blue waters bring in a chilling wind each and every day. The white sandy beaches are safe haven for surfers, sunbathers, and even the occasional penguin. Yes, Cape Town, South Africa is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
The even stranger thing about this place is that, as beautiful as the environment is, we are living in what is essentially a ghetto. Walking in groups is always mandatory, there are drug dealers just down the street, and gangs are common everywhere you go.
The juxtaposition of poverty and wealth is so much more present in this place than I have ever experienced before. In one neighborhood people are living in shacks with little to no education or money and then five minutes down the road are beautiful houses ornately designed nestled on the edge of the coast.
This is a place of many ethnicities, many religions, and many racial inequalities. Racial discrimination was only outlawed in this place within the past 20 years and so tension between white people, black people, and mixed people is frequent and expected.
Though life here is so difficult for some it is amazing just how much better life has gotten for these people over the past two decades. God is a common conversation topic and many call Jesus as their Lord and savior.
It has been such a blessing to be able to minister to peoples here through childcare, teaching sports, sharing the gospel, and leading youth groups. In everything that we have been doing we have had the opportunity to share an aspect of the gospel everywhere we go.
Bradley, our ministry contact, encourages us to love those around us and take advantage of every opportunity to share our stories or the a testament to God’s glory with the people we interact with. We have been so blessed to be able to minister to many South Africans and we are praying that the Lord will continue to use us to impact people’s lives.
