After a month in the desert of Botswana, you can just imagine the elation felt when we rolled into Cape Town, South Africa and low and behold….stretched out in a sparkling sheet of blue as far as the eye could see, was the ocean in all of it’s glory!
In the desert, water was so scarce that we had to pack it from the town well through the sanddunes in buckets. Water was such a commodity that we did not waste a drop if we could help it. Usually our washing water would be used for several purposes including dishes, handwashing laundry, and washing hair before we disposed of it. Often we did not even wash our dishes but instead just wiped the chunks off them with a wet wipe and called it good enough! But here, right in front of us, was a never ending supply of water. As I stood and looked out, I was reminded how a lot of times we go through dry seasons in life where things do not always make sense. Yet, when we look to the Lord, He fills our parched souls with His never ending abundance of love.
My team and I were placed in an area of Cape Town called Freedom Park where we worked with Pastor Danny and his wife, Vivian, at the school they ran. Our first week we worked alongside some great girls who were putting on a VBS for the school. We led groups in games, crafts, Bible stories, music, skits, and joined in with them in fitness boot camp. This gave us the opportunity to jump right in and get to know the kids quite well.
Week two found us working at the Kreche not far from the school. Large farms in the area require the labor of most of the people in the community. Babies often were taken to the fields strapped to their Mother’s backs all day. The Kreche offers care for these young children while their families are working. The girls on our team enjoyed some quality time loving on the babies while the guys cleaned up the grounds, planted grass, and built a fence.
The last week found us back at the school doing what I love…teaching the kiddos. The best of all worlds collided for me as I was assigned to teach my favorite subject for the week, art. It did my soul good to be back in the classroom again.
The kids at the school really touched my heart. They have some big odds stacked against them in life yet they persist and even thrive. Please join me in continuing to pray for the staff/students at the school and the community in Freedom Park, Cape Town.
