Friends and Fam and everyone else,
Sorry it’s taken me so long to actually update about what we’re doing this month. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed and internet is never reliable or close at hand.
We are in Western Cape Town which is basically the very bottom of Africa. It’s beautiful here. There is usually ocean within a few minutes of where we are and mountains just behind us. It’s so weird having the two meet, but so beautiful all at once. We hiked a bit in Ocean View our first weekend here. The mountain was right by an ocean so when we got to the top it was breathtaking.
Since then we’ve been in the Ottery/Grassy Park area staying on a Nature Reserve at a hostel, which is kind of cool. Currently there are two hippos lost somewhere on the reserve. We are hoping to see one floating by in the marshy lake-like deal behind our hostel. Beyond that, the wind is terrible at night and sometimes howls like nothing I’ve ever heard in my life. I enjoy it most of the time. We have hot showers, toilet paper, beds, and a kitchen so we’re living the high life basically. We have made spaghetti, tomato soup, chili, burrito bowls (minus the tortilla because they don’t have those here) and many other things.
Our ministry this month is with a school – Fellowship Bible Church Christian School – that is free for students. There are about 100 students that come from the surrounding farms (it’s pretty rural where the school is located) and a few communities beyond that. Because alcoholism is so prevalent in this part of Africa many of the students suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which affects their ability to learn (it takes them much longer to understand lessons) and often affects their attitudes (they are often hard to discipline). The school is pretty strict, but overall so very good for these kids. It’s free for them, which is a change from the outrageous costs of public schools. I know, so backwards.
There are 13 of us here (two teams). Several are working in the classrooms or as art, music, or computer teachers.
I am in the kitchen! It has been so wonderful getting to know the ladies there, ministering to them, and serving beside them. I wash somewhere around 250 spoons and bowls a day (this includes two meals for the students and lunch for our teams as well). The ladies have been so sweet to teach Caitlin and I how to cook, make sandwiches “the African way” and so much more! I have so many great older and wiser influences in my life at home that I’ve been missing here on the Race. God has definitely provided this month in a huge way with these ladies!
The guys have been doing a lot of manual labor this month. They have been cutting down trees and large bushes in several of the fields surrounding the school. These fields are how the children get from school to home and back again. Unfortunately the trees and large bushes in these fields provide ample opportunities for men to hide, snatch children, and molest them. I wish I could tell you I was kidding. When the guys told us a few days ago (yes, only a few days ago) I felt my stomach turn. This happens. These children are raped in a field on their way home from school. It makes no sense. So, though the guys haven’t had direct contact with the children, they are doing a huge service to them. Beyond this being such a heavy subject, it proves that God often uses those who are behind the scenes to protect and minister to others. What is unseen does not always go unnoticed.
Our ministry contacts are a couple that run the school – Pastor Daniel and Auntie Vivian. I’ve had several opportunities to chat with both of them and, though they are SO intense and hardcore in their ministry and expectations, it has been such a blessing to see their hearts. Auntie Viv is definitely a kindred spirit. Her heart is huge both for her children and for Racers. They have had a WR group here once before and have been involved with missionaries for so long that they are able to minister to needs that we don’t even know we have. Auntie Viv pointed out something that I deal with so much that is a struggle for so many. We have moved away from home and are experiencing issues because we’ve been uprooted from those we care about. We are in a country for one month, build relationships and begin to love so deeply, then are uprooted once again. She pointed out that it’s definitely a lesson in how God fulfills our every need, but also proves to be difficult because you are ripped from those you love and thrown into a completely different environment so often.
Needless to say, it doesn’t feel like we only have a few days left here. I will miss these incredible people dearly just as I miss Jenni, Felix, Ingrid, and so many more from Zim already!
God is still God and He is still good!
