Hey guys!
I just wanted to give everyone an update on what we have been doing for the last few weeks in South Africa. We got to South Africa on May 20th. Team Cake stayed at a farm in Nelspruit for 9 days. Getting to the farm was an experience, to say the least. Claire, our air b and b host, came to the bus stop and picked us up. She told us we could not get an uber and a taxi was not safe for 4 girls with all the luggage we had. So, she was kind enough to pick us up with a friend of hers at the bus station. The farm was out in the middle of nowhere. It was about 30 minutes away from anything in town. From the moment I met Claire, I knew that it was going to be a special week. You know when you meet someone and there are no awkward conversations and it just flows perfectly. That is exactly what happened with Claire. From the moment I hopped in the back of her bakkie (truck), we connected in a very special way.
The week on the farm was something so special it’s hard to even say in words how special it was. First, Claire had impala, monkeys and other animals in her backyard. It felt like we were in a scene from Snow White. The beautiful scenery, the animals, the calm peaceful atmosphere that surrounded us from the mountains was part of what made the farm special. But then there were the people. The People that lived on that farm and community that was around it made this week what it was. Everywhere I looked I could see Kingdom. I was in awe at how well everyone loved in that community. When someone needed help with painting a wall, they would help in an instant. You ran out of coffee and needed some more? Don’t worry your neighbor will run some over to you so you don’t get that caffeine headache. It is a community of love. The kind of love where you don’t look for anything else in return. In these 9 days, we did not become friends we became lifelong family.
Claire took us to the Kruger National Park where we got to see lions, elephants, zebra, and even cheetah. They took us on a hike up one of the mountains. They brought us to a waterfall and were able to cliff dive from a 45-foot cliff. Cari and Emily showed us all how-to cliff dive well, and I showed everyone how not to cliff dive. Haha, I even have some bruises to prove it. Even though they brought us to all these amazing places, and we got to experience the beauty of South Africa, the best moments were not those. The Best moment were the ones when we just sat at the fire talking and getting to know each other. Making food together for the Braai that we had. Sitting having Coffee n Rusks. Having a nice Homemade meal together. Even just going to get groceries with Claire and Sean. We had some amazing conversations and amazing moments that I truly believe we’re all brought on by God. God was there in every single moment and every single conversation. We loved them hard and they loved us even harder back. I think that is what made it so hard for us to say goodbye after those 9 days. We really struggled to leave them and I know we all will be back someday. All four of us girls sat in the driveway when they dropped us off to our next destination just crying in silence trying to process what had just happened.
The most memorable moments of the world race so far have not been the rock climbing or the cliff diving but the simple act of sharing a rusk and coffee with someone. The best conversations and the most Holy Spirit filled times start with a Rusk. For those of you who do not know a rusk is a South African treat that is kind of like a scone or biscotti but so much better.
Since Nelspruit, we are now in Jeffery’s Bay. This month we are working with a Ministry Host for the first time. We are working at Global Leadership Academy and living on the campus. We all have different roles and are doing different things for the couple of weeks we are here. Although it is very cold here we are all loving the ocean views and of course the conversations. The conversations that start with Coffee n Rusks.
