Right now I am currently sitting in a hostel in Joburg, South Africa. My team arrived here yesterday after an 18 hour busride from Cape Town (much better than the 29 hour ride we had on the way there). There is something strangely exciting, but also stressful, about World Race travel days. Obviously, this is probably the only time in my life that I will ever spend 4 days traveling via bus from opposite ends of South Africa to Mozambique; this is something that is uniquely World Race and this gives it an element of intrique and a “once in a lifetime” thrill about it. I honestly think that if given the chance to do it again this way in the future I would take the “lazy American” airplane option, no offense South African buses, but this is still an experience I would never change. Before I move on to Mozambique tomorrow, I want to reflect on South Africa and what made this month so special for me. Here’s a recap of the highlights, the things I’ve learned, and the growth myself and the team have experienced:
– Cape Town, and more specifically, Muizenburg, was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The rolling mountain hills; clear, gorgeous beaches with perfect surfing waves, the captivating landscape; the perfect weather. Everything about Cape Town was incredible this month.
The view from the top of Table Mountain. Is this real?
– Our contact, Brittany, was so much fun and made this month awesome for us. She is very similar to me: laid back, go with the flow and relaxed attitude, but at the same time was passionate about minstry and getting to know our team. She did everything with us, and honestly, she was like a 7th member of our team this month. It would not have been the same without her enthusiasm and desire to pour in to our team, take us on adventures, and lead us in the soccer ministry.
The team with Brittany outside the Friday evening market in Muizenburg.
– Ministry: playing soccer with hte kids every weekday afternoon and having team ministry on the beach in the mornings. This was my favorite ministry yet; I absolutely looked forward to soccer every single day no matter how I was feeling or how how it was outside. The chance we had to spend two hours in the afternoon with the kids, to play a sport I love (albeit, a modified, torn-acl version of playing), and to just have fun; in the words of my teammate Jamie, to just “be a kid again.” If this is ministry, sign me up; I could do this forever.
Me leading the warm-ups during our afternoon soccer ministry.
– Hillsong Church: I know I said I had a hard time here on Christmas, for various reasons, but looking back on this month I realized what a cool opportunity it was to attend this church every Sunday and take the township kids with us. I really got a lot out of the pastor’s messages and the worship was obviously incredible. It took me a little while to get over the flashiness of the church’s presentation, but at it’s core its just a bunch of people who love Jesus and want to share Him with the world!
The team and Brittney outside Hillsong church with some of the township kids.
– Adventures: This month offered so many opportunities for us to explore and be adventurous during our offdays and even in the mornings before ministry. Some highlights include: a hike up gorgeous Table Mountain, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World; surfing at “Surfer’s Corner” right next to our apartment; spending an afternoon (or two) with African penguins right next to us – literally, we would be laying out and they would just be standing there next to us, apparently sleeping standing up; and the high point of our adventures for me – Great White Shark cage diving! We were constantly on the go with ministry and all the adventures to be had!
Myself, Emily, Nicole, and Nick all suited up to go cage diving!
Oh you know, just hanging out with some penguins by the beach. We had a special connection.
– Christmas and New Year’s: This was definitely the place to spend these holidays! Although I missed home on Christmas, I had a great time celebrating with my team and enjoyed our White Elephant gift swap at the end of the night. New Years Eve was spent at the beach with penguins and at a music club listening to reggae and jazz and hanging out with the team. We had a lot of fun just relaxing and celebrating these holiday’s together.
The team in our apartment celebrating Christmas with a white elephant gift swap. Looking back, the umbrella was the best gift.
– Team Growth: This month our team lived in a tiny two room apartment catering to a lack of privacy and intimate team time, whether we liked it or not! This was the first month we had lived in the same place with only our team, and we really used this as an opportunity to invest in each other and really challenge ourselves. We have really gotten over that hump of sharing things that may be hard, giving that tough feedback, and encouraging and praying for each other. My team has also committed to praying for me and for healing for my hearing every night, regardless of what we are doing or how tired we are. This team expects God to step in and do great things, and we are actively looking and seeking Him in everything.
– Personal growth: This is something that is hard to really gage without a bit of time to give you perseptive, but I know already that this month has pushed me to call out things in people that may otherwise go usaid. As a team leader, I have to set the pace, to be the one who challenges, and also the one who says things that aren’t easy. This has reaped benefits for me and for individuals on the team. I also got to a place this month where I realized I had a lot of unspoken frustrations built up and pretty much just hit my team with them all at once. I was so glad to find this release, my team responded well and encouraged me for sharing, and it really gave me confidence to speak my thoughts sooner and not let them build up. I am finally finding a safe place with my teammates and really learning to trust them. I am also learning to really rely on and ask God for wisdom in all things.
This has hands down been my favorite month on the race so far, six months now completed. I can definitely see myself coming back here in the future, working with the kids again or even pursuing other opportunities. Cape Town and the people I met here will always hold a special place in my heart.
Jamie, myself, and Brittney overlooking Muizenburg from the mountains.
As I head on to Mozambique, I am excited to see how God will use the momentum from South Africa and carry it over to our ministry next month. We will be working with an all boys orphanage and living pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I’m not sure how often I will be able to get online, if at all, but just know that God is at work. Keep me in your prayers and I will hopefully be able to update this blog again soon. I also only have $1,071 left to raise to be fully funded. Please consider helping support me, and thanks to everyone who has stepped up and blessed me so far, especially in the last two weeks! Finally, Check out the video below that my teammate Emily made summarizing the ministry from this month!
Cheers!
Steven
