March 18, 2008
Two of my teammates went to Mozambique for nine days; three of my teammates were planning to head to Cape Town, South Africa for four days; which left the other three of us wondering what to do. We had some time after a week of teachings with Gary and before our debrief so we wanted to go somewhere. Krystle, Megan, and I decided to drive over to Nelspruit, South Africa for a few days to have some R&R and maybe get involved with some of the local ministry there. Gary has contacts that live there, so he set us up with them. We rented a car and packed up on “road-trip” food and shoved off. Just under four hours later we pulled up to Lynne and Michael’s house.
The trip was just what we needed. The three of us have been trying to have some time together for a few weeks now, and this was a great opportunity for us. We left Swaziland where we’ve grown accustomed to little to no amenities like internet, movie theaters, malls, etc. When we got to Nelspruit it was like stepping back into the states for a few days. We had the use of our own car—no public transportation on stuffy, smelly busses or vans; we had time to browse around the mall—stores that we’d find back home; and even the chance to catch a movie—something we have wanted to do for nearly three months. We stayed in a home with running water, a bathtub, and internet; and we simply relaxed.
We have been moving around from tents to team houses (with fifteen or so regular occupants, let alone adding our team of seven, or even the twenty five when we’re all here—bringing the total to around forty) for almost two months, now. Sometimes I forget what a home is meant to look like…or at least what I remember it looking like back in the states. And I have to admit, as much as I enjoy what I am doing, and don’t mind the “roughing it” most of the time…I miss the comfort of the states sometimes, too. It was nice to just have a refresher weekend.
*We also were able to help out Iris ministry for one of the days. We sorted through bags, suitcases, and boxes of clothes and other miscellaneous items in order to clear out a room they needed. I think we had more fun than anyone would have expected. It took us a bit longer, though, because at some points we couldn’t resist trying on some of the amazing outfits we came across.*
