Family and friends, hello! I hope you are well and enjoying football season + fall and all that comes with it! I am currently in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa and have been here for a little over two weeks. We had a long four days (80 hours) of travel, but Jesus is faithful and it has been so sweet and so incredible so far. I actually can inform you that in about three weeks, my team + the guys team will be moving to Johannesburg for the next two months- I will update more on that as time gets closer. BUT, I would love to share a little bit about what I am doing here, how Jesus is working, and my experience so far.
The ministry my team and I were assigned last week is called Beats and Books. If you are from Huntsville, it is similar to Lincoln Village or The Boys and Girls Club- It is an after school program for children ages 8-14 in the community and they receive help academically, spiritually, and musically. There are 29 students that come on a regular basis, and an incredible staff of about 6 people. We serve them snacks when they get there and as they leave, they have a literacy and numeracy class, worship, teaching of scripture, and then music class where they learn to play either the violin, guitar, drums, piano, or trumpet. We are there from about 10-5 during the week and help out with housekeeping tasks, the preparation of lesson plans, cutting fruit/making food for their snacks, and anything else that the ministry may need for that day or week specifically. We have only been there for a week and a half, but it is so encouraging to see their desire and hunger for an education as well as Jesus and His word. It has also been super sweet to build relationships with each child and hear their stories, as well as spur them on in finishing out their school year in a few short weeks.
In the midst of that, my squad was asked to lead at a church camp called Ucsa. From this past Thursday to Tuesday, we lived at a camp with about 100 students. Due to my team and I being at Beats and Books and the staff needing help Thursday and Friday during the day, we were on kitchen duty! The rest of my squad had a group and led them through camp and although I really love camp, kitchen duty was great! We cooked for about 180 people everyday as well as did loooottttssss of dishes. It was truly a blessing and we got to build sweet relationships with the kitchen staff there as well.
At the end of our work days, we have an incredible home and incredible hosts to come back to that loves and serves us so well. Our host “mom” is Wendy and she has been such a blessing. She has been through a lot in her life but sets such a good example of being obedient to Jesus and continues to share of His faithfulness. We are actually living on a school campus called Global Leadership Academy. It is a private school for those in the nearby area that cannot afford a typical private school- Hearing the story of how this ministry came about and how Jesus has provided is such goodness and I hope to share in the future! The founder of Global and the founder of The World Race are actually friends and Global has a ministry that is just like The World Race, just in South Africa. Super cool fact: Lots of the staff here were actually on the first World Race team ever! The photo below is my home for a few weeks (we are living in the school house because the kids are on break) and it is truly such a happy place. A sweet spot to refuel at the end of a long day. Praise Jesus for a bed!
Jesus is showing me the importance of slowing down, spending time with Him, investing in people, and making my life a mission for Him alone. I know this blog was super long, but I wanted to give you a more detailed update so it will be easier to follow along in the future! Please feel free to comment, email me, WhatsApp me, or text me anytime! Wifi is really limited and I only have my phone at night for the first month, but I do try to get wifi for a few minutes once a week and I would love to hear from you and chat! Thank you for your support to get here and thank you in advance for the support in the next nine months!!!!!!
