Hi dear friends!
I’m sitting here on a Sunday night in the living room of our house in Ocean View, South Africa, belting Dashboard Confessional with Juliana and reminiscing on high school. It’s been a full day that started with an incredible morning worshipping with our brothers and sisters at Hillsong South Africa. What a blessing it was to be fed and nourished by something that felt like a piece of home. I loved every second of it. We then spent the afternoon in the mall across the street from church eating and enjoying the free and unlimited Wi-Fi. What a glorious thing that was. I got to call and text home and upload pictures of my recent excursion to swim with great white sharks! Now I can be found relaxing and gearing up for a full week of ministry ahead of me and team Bold.
This month has been flying by. Our ministry is incredible and stretching. It is the first month that the team gets to be alone just as a team and not with the rest of the squad. We’ve been able to challenge each other and encourage each other in new ways that have been edifying and growing. Community living with seven other girls and just one sink, one mirror, one bathroom, and two little bed rooms can be a challenge at times, too. Regardless, we enjoy each other’s company and love to just be with one another so I think we have it pretty great, honestly.
I want to present you with an hour-by-hour run down of what ministry this month has looked like so far. I was told that this would seem boring to write (which is true…) but that it would be valuable to the readers who just want to know a day in the life of a racer. So, here goes!
6:00-7:30am: Wake-up call. Pry myself off the sleeping pad and make myself a cup of instant coffee. Yummmmm… Quiet time.
7:30-8:00am: Cook breakfast for the team. I’ve taken up kitchen duty and feel like I’m right at home! Usually we have eggs and toast, yogurt and granola, French toast, omelets, or oatmeal. We tried for a smoothie and found that the blender doesn’t work. So much for all that frozen fruit…
8:00-9:00am: Enjoy breakfast with the team. Finish up cleaning.
9:00-10:00am: Finish getting ready for the day and journal/read more.
10:00am-12:30pm: Meet Joslyn for ministry in the neighborhood. We walk around Ocean View and talk to the people we see on the streets or walk up to the houses with their front doors open. It’s quite the open door policy here. This is also a time to just pray over the streets and houses, as there is a lot of drug dealing and whatnot here.
12:30-1:30pm: Make lunch, which could be a tuna salad sandwich, pb&j, wraps, or grilled cheese. I could eat pb&j everyday and, Dad, I have discovered that I love crunchy peanut butter. Thought you’d appreciate that.
1:30-3:30pm: R&R. We get this time to spend however we want to whether it looks like one-on-ones with team members, quiet time, nap, exercise, blog, or just zone out with some music.
3:30-5:00pm: Love on the Ocean View kiddos! This is honestly my favorite time of the day. We just get to hug and hold these kids and tell them how much Jesus loves them and how much we love them. We play Stuck-In-The-Mud, “World Cup,” and Duck-Duck-Goose. These kids are pretty rough around the edges, but I love what Bradley said to us, “Adults are just as rough around the edges as the kids. We just are trained to hide it better.” Bam. I just love these kids so much and never want to leave them!
5:00-6:00pm: Team time! Fam Jam! Feedback! Whatever you want to call it, we rotate whose day it is for running team time. This is where we usually take much longer than intended to talk about the day and everything that was hot and what was not, as well as giving feedback. We like to talk. A lot.
6:00-8:00pm Cook dinner. Come in like locusts and devour all of it. Dinner is usually tacos, chicken and rice, spaghetti, or fried rice. We have family dinners every night. I love it!
8:00-10:00pm: R&R. Watch a movie, have heart-to-hearts, talk about our sunburns or how three kids jumped on us at the same time and just about broke our backs.
10:00-11:00pm: Go to bed. It’s pretty early and I’ve kept my “granny” status from back home and usually go to bed around 10.
There you have it! A day in the life of a racer with the Barnes’ ministry in Ocean View. Sometimes we have ministry in the morning at the Fish Hoek beach. Some mornings, we pray for injured people and see them healed before our eyes. Some mornings we just pray and walk. And then sometimes we meet people like Margarita who poor into us and encourages us even though we came to poor into and encourage her. This place is incredible and so thirsty for God’s presence to fall afresh.
Pray that Ocean View has a revival. Pray that a church would plant itself right in the middle of this neighborhood. Pray that drug lords would turn to Jesus who provides the best high for eternity. Pray that these kids learn to love one another and run after the Father. Pray for revelation of the Father’s heart of loving-kindness and compassion for each community member.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and your loving, encouraging prayers. I would love to return the favor and pray for you personally, as well! Either comment with your need or email me at [email protected].
May the God of all peace bless you and be with you as you live a life worthy of the Gospel.
Love, Heather
