Month 2 has been bitter/sweet. Bitter being my team mate going back home because of her mom passing away. Our prayers were definitely with her but we missed her so much. Good news is that she just came back today and will continue on the race with us. I'm so excited for her. The sweet is everything else about this month. We have been working at an organization called Beam Africa here in South Africa with an amazing couple, Louie and Erika. When we arrived to the center in the township of Nellmapius, we immediately got put to work unloading boxes of bananas, jugs of tomatoe sauce, and bags of vegetables. We were hot and messy and I loved every second of it. We then distributed the food to other local organizations an to people in the community. We also got to meet some of the staff and children of Beam Africa. At the end of the day we all left the center and went to Beam house (this is where we have been living this month). As we drove up to the gate our mouths dropped open because the sentry was so beautiful. I thought we were going to a resort. Beautiful trees, flowers, plants were abundant; a garden. When we walked into the house we were taken back by how beautiful it was. There was a living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (one of them was beautiful and had a jacuzzi tub). We also met our roommate, Carmen, who live in Beam house. She is an amazing woman who I have come to love.
So our first day was great. The next day we chopped a lot of butternut squash and played with the children. When we returned to the house we all received horrible news about Laine's mom. She left that night to fly back home and another teammate, Jillian, accompanied her and them returned alone. This has been the harder thing this month. Ministry has been pretty cool. The children don't come to the center until around 2:30pm. So we made ourselves available to do whatever they needed done. Some cooked food for the children in the kitchen, others did office work, and at times we waited around until they have us work or until children came. Some days we stayed at Beam house and either sorted through donated clothes, pulled weeds out of the garden, washed a car, cleaned the bbaptismal pool, and other things. I have enjoyed the time spent with the children. They are really amazing, bright, and fun. The staff have been amazing as well.
I believe that God has brought us to Beam house to find rest in Him and to become closer as a team. I have felt like a princess living in Beam house (I even took a bubble bath with flower pedals which we called the queen Esther bath). Louie and Erika have been amazing in caring for us and loving on us. Their daughter Louise has been amazing as well and we have enjoyed movie nights at her house. I am so grateful for our time here. We even had the opportunity to do a Safari. A real one where you sit in an open truck and an elephant came up to our truck and my heart almost stopped. everything about here is awesome and I can't wait to see what else God has planned for us.
