Official Name: Republic of South Africa
Population: 53 million
Capital: Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein
Official Language: English and Afrikaans
Official Religion: Christianity is the most common
Possible Ministry Opportunities:
Door-to-door evangelism, sports camps, afterschool programs, orphanage work, ATL, drug rehab, working with local churches
Famous Landmark: Table Mountain, lots of game and nature preserves, beaches!
Strange Foods I May Eat:
-Grilled ostrich
-Bobotie (like meatloaf with raisins and a baked egg on top)
-Koeksisters (a sweet pastry like a donut)
-Mealie pap (more porridge, just in case I didn't get enough in Swaziland!)
-Biltong (cured and dried meat similar to beef jerky)
-Bunny chow (curry stuffed into a hollowed-out loaf of bread)
-Lots of stews
-Lots of pumpkin
-Walkie Talkies (grilled or deep-fried chicken heads and feet)
FUN FACTS:
-South Africa is in a floral kingdom all its own
-South Africa is rated 3rd in the world in supplying safe, drinkable tap water. We could potentially be free from buying purified water!
-The deepest mine is a gold mine in South Africa
-South Africa is the only country in the world to voluntarily abandon its nuclear weapons program
-South Africa is the world's largest producer of macadamia nuts
-South Africa is the world's leader in mining and minerals. It has nearly 90% of the platinum metals on Earth, 80% of the manganese, 73% of the chrome, 45% of the vanadium, and 41% of the gold
-Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in the world in South Africa.
-There are more than 2,000 shipwrecks off the South African coast
-South Africa is partnering with Zimbabwe and Mozambique in tearing down fences between the countries' game parks to create the world's largest conservation area. It will be bigger than Switzerland!
-South Africa has the second highest number of official languages in the world. India has the highest number
-South Africa has the cheapest electricity in the world
-The most popular sports in South Africa are soccer, rugby, and cricket
-South Africa is actually home to a population of penguins! Who knew there were penguins in Africa?
-Off the coast, there are a lot of great white sharks, as well as a good number of whales
Prayer Opportunities:
-Pray for our squad and my team, as we finish our Race! Pray that we would be able to finish well! Pray that we would be able to focus on ministry and give our all to what the Lord has in store for us!
-Pray for each member of our squad as we prepare to go back to the States and take our next steps after the Race. Pray that we would go through Re-Entry clinging to God and His plan for our lives after the Race.
-Pray as we prepare to separate from each other, that we would use this month to create memories and enjoy our time together instead of dreading the separation. Also pray that when the separation happens, we would walk in joy and thankfulness for our time together, instead of sadness that it's over for a season.
-Pray for all of our families, that they would be prepared to receive vastly different people from the children they sent out 11 months ago! Pray they would be able to listen and embrace the new versions of ourselves we will have become.
