Friday, May 18, 2012
We arrived in Cape Town after many long hours of travelling and headed to our house, Silver Palms, in Fish Hoek, which is just outside of Cape Town. And no, that is not a typo; they really spell Hoek that way. (= As we were riding to the house, we saw wonderful views and more than one rainbow. God was already showing us his promises and blessings the minute we arrived! Once we were at Silver Palms we rested and then sorted through bags of clothes, toys, medication, and school supplies to give to Barcelona Children's Home the next day.
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| The rainbow we saw on the way to Silver Palms. |
Saturday, May 19, 2012
We did some sightseeing in Cape Town and on the waterfront - beautiful! - in the morning and that afternoon we went to Barcelona Children's Home. Barcelona was a great place and the pastor and his wife who run it (Julius and Irene) are extremely dedicated to the Lord, His work, and His love for children. We were able to give them the cases full of supplies and they were very appreciative. They said that they had been praying for medicine (Tylenol, Vitamins, etc) because they did not have enough to last them through the winter - their seasons are opposite of ours - and we brought them one case FULL of medicine. Thankfully, God always provides!
The kids were so much fun! They LOVED our cameras. They all posed for pictures and wanted to take pictures of one other. They were very loving and had so much energy! All they wanted to do was talk, play, sing, and dance. They were awesome jump ropers, dancers, and singers. They sang Justin Bieber. It was hilarious!
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| A few of the kids at Barcelona |
Sunday, May 20, 2012
We went to King of Kings Church whose pastor is the founder of Living Hope. Living Hope is a wonderful ministry in Cape Town. They go into the townships, kind of like subdivisions, within the city and work with the people in the community to educate them about what it means to work, be healthy, and live a lifestyle pleasing to the Lord. It was a blessing working with them!
Oh, we also went sightseeing. We went to the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern tip of Africa. We also saw penguins and baboons, no big deal. ;)
Monday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 23, 2012 - Afternoons
Monday was our first day in Red Hill! Red Hill is the township where we served. It is a place full of beautiful people! Mondays and Wednesdays were kids club. Wow! They were awesome! After all the kids arrived they began with praise songs. It was such a blessing hearing those kids sing songs to our one true God and His son Jesus! One of the songs they sang said, "God is real in Red Hill!" That was one of the ones they sang the loudest. It was also the one that got stuck in our heads all week! They said the Lords prayer at the top of their lungs and I think that they really meant "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." They sang and prayed with more fire than most "churched people" that I know. It is amazing how when you have so little, you really realize how awesome God is. I think we can all learn a lesson from them; I know I did!
After singing and prayer they split off into age groups. Two other girls and I were with the preschool kids. They were adorable! Most of them did not speak English because most kids are taught English when they start school. Kennedy, the preschool leader, told the bible story in Xhosa (pronounced ko-sah) and Afrikaans. Then, we did crafts and games with them. On Monday, they made masks and Wednesday they made crowns. After that, we gave the kids food and sent them on their way.
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| Some of the preschoolers. Aren't they cute?! |
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| The crowns that they made. |
Tuesday, May 22 and Wednesday, May 23 - Mornings
On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we went around with Phyllis, who works at the medical center in Red Hill, to deliver information about TB and Diarrhea. We passed out pamphlets, talked to people, and prayed with them. It was really nice to walk around the community and meet more than just the kids. It was a blessing to work with Phyllis, she lives in Red Hill and she and her husband are very well respected in the community. TB is a very serious illness in SA, especially in the townships. In America we get tests done and if we get it, we take medicine. Other than that, there is not much education or emphasis placed on knowing how to prevent or take care of TB. It is interesting to see how different populations and cultures are affected by different things.
Tuesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 24 - Afternoons
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons we worked with the Teens. On Tuesday a couple of us shared parts of our testimony and on Thursday we split up into small groups to help lead discussion after the bible study. The teens were awesome! Their group is not much different from youth groups here in the States. Some of the teens were pumped to be there and be a part of the bible lesson, others were just there because their friends were there or they got food after. Sound familiar? Haha. The teens taught us A LOT of dance moves! We taught them how to play Ninja and Karate, classic youth group games. We had a great time with them and it was awesome to see how God is growing them in the environment they are in. It's just extra proof that God can work anywhere!
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| Playing Ninja |
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| One of the girls in our small group on Thursday |
Thursday, May 24 - Morning
Thursday morning we helped clean and decorate the new Living Hope building in Red Hill. We swept, washed, and painted. Most of us girls were able to help paint a verse on the wall. It is kind of a "theme verse" for Living Hope and the leaders at Red Hill chose that one to be on the wall. It comes from 1 Peter 1:3.
Friday, May 24, 2012
Friday morning we went to the main office of Living Hope and sorted through boxes and boxes of donated shoes. A large shoe store in South Africa donated boxes of mixed-matched shoes to Living Hope. We were only a small part in going through to find matches so that Living Hope could use them. We sorted through Men's, Women's and Children's sandals splitting them into sizes, finding matches, and boxing them up. We were able to find some matches. Hopefully, while not the most glamorous or fun job, our work will be beneficial to helping families who cannot afford nice shoes.
Friday evening and Saturday we did more sightseeing of the beautiful Cape Town and surrounding mountains and beaches. It is an extraordinary part of the world with views and sunsets that illuminate the creative power of our awesome God!
I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve, the wonderful team I was able to serve with, and the place where we were. God does amazing things all around the world every day and I feel so blessed to be even a small part of of that work!
Thank you all for the support and prayers. If you ever want to go to South Africa, let me know. I'm sure we could find you a way there. ;)
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| One of the many beautiful sunsets we saw. |
