Well, we made it to our first county! Yayyy 🙂 The only words to describe traveling from Atlanta to South Africa is “an experience”. It was interesting, fun, and a little crazy. I can now check off “running through a South African bus terminal” on my bucket list, because I got the chance to sprint down stairs and weave through people to deliver a passport to my departing logistics leader. It is one of those things I will always look back on and laugh at. And then I will remember the high five and hug between the two of us; the embrace that let us both breathe a sigh of relief and a smile because we knew that making this deadline happen had nothing to do with us and all to do with Him.
ohana means family: family means no one gets left behind…literally! < our logistics motto
^me and Mike(the 2 xsquad logistics leaders), prior to our crazy adventure in South Africa^
So…traveling is fun. Our first World Race travel days lasted 64 hours and 3 minutes. We traveled on 2 planes, one shuttle, one bus, and one car. We slept in a hostel, on an airport floor, on a plane and on a bus. We traveled through 3 continents, 3 countries, and used 3 types of currencies. I spent my birthday in 2 continents and only slept for a few hours on the plane that day. I did get an amazing birthday card from my squad..i seriously love them! (I think it is in Dutch, but regardless it rocks!)
September 12, 2013…WE FINALLY MAKE IT TO PORT ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA!
and yes, those are the colors of the South African flag! nerd status.
Our first day, aside from traveling, in South Africa was spent with our new ministry host Tristan. We got settled into our living arrangements, which are a two bedroom home with a kitchen and living room (we are SO spoiled!) Then we spent the afternoon being tourists around the city. Tristan took us on a tour, told us about the history of our new home and the country we were residing in for the next month. It was awesome. The city is much like those in America, except for the whole driving on a different side of the road! lol We discussed apartheid in South Africa, the major steps that this country has made and the many improvements that are still needed. We spent some time on the beach! Ahhhhh Yes, that was one of the things I so longed to do, actually stand on an African beach, toes in the sand and just admire the beauty of the country. It was perfect! My team skipped hand in hand down the pier and stood in silence at the end as we just took in the beauty of the crystal clear water and the laughter of children playing in the ocean.
We were home.
It is weird to think that this small ocean city is now our home, or at least for the next month. Tomorrow we will begin our crisis center ministry and this weekend we began spending time with the Lighthouse Youth. These high school kids are so filled with the Spirit of the Lord that many times I have just observed Him working in them. They are typical high school kids; the girls love One Direction and the boys, well no one actually understands them.
Today we attended the morning church service and I got the chance to work in children's church and absolutely loved being back with kids and helping them learn about the love of their Father. Later tonight we attended their night time service and enjoyed an amazing night of worship and a message. Between church services we took a 3 mile walk to the beach. We swam in the ocean, climbed on rocks, did cartwheels, ate McDonalds, and had a lot of 90s sing alongs. It was perfect. This team is my family. We have been together for a short time, but these girls are my sisters and the joy that I find from their company is so uplifting. Definitely stay tuned for a video of our beach adventures 🙂 we won’t disappoint!
For those that don't know, our ministry this month is with a local church, Lighthouse Family Church and a community center, Human Dignity Center. We will spend the week working at the center with children from the local township, and then on the weekends we will work with the youth groups at church. We have spent the past 3 days with the people from Lighthouse Church and to say that we have been blessed is an understatement. These people are amazing. They are loving, hospitable, joyful, and they constantly exude a pure servant heart for Christ.
We have been saying how we are totally spoiled on our first month of the race, but after church tonight we decided that it isn’t that we are spoiled, it is that we are outrageously loved by our Father. We may not know yet why we have been brought to PE, but we can feel His presence showering on us and it is a constant reminder of how much he loves us. The race has just begun and it is already proving to be an amazing experience.
"so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:17-19
What I am trying to share in a lot of confusing words is the race has only just started and I am already experiencing the OUTRAGEOUS and GENUINE love that my Father has for me. He loves me so much more than I could have ever imagined and I can’t wait to see how our relationship continues to grow and develop.
I am also about to start using my personal hashtag thanks to my awesome little sister! Anytime you post on social media sites about my trip, don’t forget to include this hashtag 🙂
#searchingforsam
with love from PE.
sam
