I’ve been spending the last couple days doing a lot of reflecting on everything South Africa was and everything it meant to me, so I decided to write down a jumble of thoughts of everything I loved and don’t want to forget about this beautiful country. I decided to share them with everyone to create a full picture of what these past 3 months were like, and to say a big thank you to South Africa, so here they are!
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Ministry:
Month one we had random ministries throughout the Global community, just helping where we were needed. We dug trenches and moved bricks for the foundation of a new classroom, led a middle school Christian camp at UCSA, cooked and cleaned for our squad, painted school bathrooms and swept classrooms, varnished bricks, and organized a storage shed. Months 2 and 3, where the squad was separated, we had a set ministry with Beats and Books. We spent the mornings doing admin work, cleaning, grading spelling tests, adding over 1,000 books to their library, and doing crafts and making decorations. In the afternoons we made and served a snack, helped kids memorize spelling words, helped with homework from school (sometimes in Afrikaans), had worship and/or a bible study, and helped with practicing math. We also helped prepare them last minute put on a worship night for the community, we did a skit about being kind and gentle with your words, we put on a spelling bee, and helped them practice for a Christmas play, making up a dance for them to do in it.
What life was like:
We lived in a log cabin called the mission house on a school campus for the majority of the time in Jbay. The walls were paper thin and you could definitely hear someone pooping on the 3rd floor from the first floor. We shared 2 bathrooms! There were 2 weeks when more teams came to stay so we had to move out and set up camp in a few of the school classrooms, but that was honestly a really fun experience. We could walk down the little dirt road to Fountains Mall and shop at Pick n Pay or go eat at Global Junction, or walk a little further to the McDonald’s (shoutout to Smarties Mcflurries and ice-cream cones for 6 rand). It was reallllllly windy for the majority of the time in Jbay, but overall it felt like really nice spring weather. The last 2 weeks we were there the sun came out and decided to stay, and the weather was perfect. The ocean was cold but relaxing, and the waves were definitely brutal at times, which is probably why it’s the surfing capital of the world. If we wanted to go downtown we called Jbay Cabs, and over the 3 months we created really good relationships with all of the drivers. On Saturdays we walked to the market that happened every weekend right down the dirt road by the mall, and enjoyed coffee, crafts and jewelry, and sometimes live music! Getting up and walking to the market every Saturday morning was probably one of my favorite things to do. On Sunday’s we attended Father’s House church which was located at the school we stayed at, so we literally walked out our front door, across the parking lot, and into the main area of the school and were at church! Church was amazing (you can livestream their services on youtube if you want to know what it was like!) and they had free cappuccinos every Sunday (the best part). My alarm clock every Sunday morning was the worship band practicing 50 feet away from my bedroom window. We also made friends with people from Victory Church in Jbay. Victory has a gap year program where people around my age have an opportunity to serve their local community for 9 months, and some of them served at Beats and Books every now and then, so it was fun to build relationships with people here who could relate to things I was walking through. They were even so kind as to invite us to their evening services at Victory, so they picked us up a few times and took us to a worship night (which was probably my favorite night of the Race so far) and to youth services! My team’s favorite place to eat in town was a restaurant called Nina’s, and I have so many good memories from there. My favorite coffee shops we’re First Light (where we walked to most days during lunch) and Machine (shout out to their caramel cappuccino). These were 2 of my favorite places to be in JBay because they felt so much like home.
People:
Our ministry hosts at GLA in the Mission House were some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. One of them, Anita, was on the very first World Race team, and she poured into us and led us with such grace throughout our time there. Our house mom Wendy was an amazing cook to say the least, and her testimony truly has the power to move mountains. And Lehanie (hi if you’re reading this! Thank you for playing Christmas music on the way to ministry and letting us catch rides in the back of your truck!) was our big sister in Christ. She told us about all the good places in Jbay, loved each of us so well individually, wrote us sweet notes and baked us cookies. Every person and host at Global poured into us more than I could have ever imagined or asked for. Also, some of the people who impacted me the greatest were the staff at Beats and Books. Cornie and Prima (missionaries from Zimbabwe) are the founders of the program, and they love every one they meet like I’ve truly never seen before. They are prayer warriors, and they fight so hard for every kid who comes to the program to see a piece of Jesus each day. Grace (a missionary from Australia) led the kids in music lessons, and brought such a calming, peaceful presence to each day of ministry. She is one of the kindest people you could ever meet. Jonathan and Carla (missionaries from Chile) led the kids in spelling and math times, and they are 2 of my favorite people in the whole world. They were truly my family away from home these past 3 months. Carla sees so much potential in the both the kids, and in us as volunteers, and Jonathan speaks so much truth and peace over everyone he talks to. Their testimony of how they got to South Africa gives SO MUCH glory to the Lord, and they both put their full trust and lives in the hands of the Father.
How the Lord moved:
Jesus moved in SO MANY WAYS these past 3 months, both in my heart during quiet times and in simple moments throughout ministry. Through digging deep into the Word, I learned so much about the character of God, and how since I am made in his image, those same characteristics live within me. He has opened my eyes to how faithful he has been in my life and how I can, in turn, live out of the abundance of faithfulness and love he has so freely given to me. I’ve deepened my understanding and perspective of God as both my father and my friend, and I’ve learned so much from my kids at ministry about how to live life with a foolish, childlike joy. The Lord has grown me in so many amazing ways, and I know that this is only the beginning. There is so much more to come.
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I have so many amazing memories and funny stories from these past 3 months, so don’t be afraid to ask me about any of them when I return to the states! I would be more than happy to tell you about how much God worked here in South Africa. But until then, I’ll see you reallllll soon Ecuador (we fly out in about 24 hours)! Then Cambodia!
