African PENGUINS!!!

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger for nearly a MONTH now!! It's hard to believe that I've been home from Africa for nearly a week now, and away from my daily routine in Cape Town for two weeks now...but my last week in Cape Town, I was able to see the cute (but stinky!) African Penguins!

But to be perfectly honest, the animal title was simply the way to suck my readers in again....these nowhere close to the highlight of my week, so I'll move on!  It was my final week in Red Hill and my final time to spend with not only the kids and teens of the community, but also with the wonderful Life Skills Educators (LSE) and long-term volunteers I had been working with.  I was so fortunate to have lunch with this group of dear friends TWICE my last week - both times at the well known South African chain called Spur, which I could categorize and a mix of Applebee's and Chuck-E-Cheese...aka Awesomeness!!! They have a special Spur sauce that is for fries and salads and it reminds me of the pink sauce that you get at Japanese steak houses - so good!!!

L to R: Julia (long-term vol from VA), Kylie (summer vol from Australia),
me, Lumka (Red Hill LSE), and Pastor Kennedy (RH LSE)

But aside from meals and fellowship with one another, I was given the opportunity to lead the devotion for Teens Club my last Tuesday.  I was so nervous, but everyone was so supportive and I think it went pretty well overall.    The teens were so respectful and listened to what I had to share and I can only pray that they heard and understood my message and will take it seriously.  It was based on "self-talk" and how important it is for us to believe in ourselves and how difficult it can be to always choose a positive life perspective, especially when life gets tough!  But I see so much potential in the kids and teens of this community that I know they can and will do BIG things if they put their minds to it and believe in themselves!  As I said goodbye to so many of them on my last Thursday of club, I started to cry.  So many of them gave me the biggest hugs and told me not to cry.  I tried to explain that they were happy tears because I loved them so much and was just bummed to be leaving for now, but that I looked forward to seeing them again one day!  There is no doubt in my mind that Ryan and I will be visiting Red Hill again some day in the future, and I can't wait to see how those kids have grown and developed!

Tania - one of my little angels who loved sitting quietly and learning about Scripture.

The kids are also so eager to learn.  More often than not, when the Bibles are handed out, they get quiet and are so anxious to find the memory verse and follow along with their fingers.  They seem to have such a reverence for Scripture and it's beautiful to witness.  Not to mention listening to the cadence they have when reciting the Lord's Prayer in unison.  Oh my goodness, it brought me to tears nearly every day!  And on more than one occasion as we were washing up the dishes after serving them lunch on a "hot food" day, one of the little girls would offer to help with the dishes.  They are just so grateful for the work Living Hope does in their community and so much look forward to spending time there!  But as much as they love that place, I love them 10X more...they taught me so much that I will be able to carry with me for the rest of my life, and for that, I am forever grateful.

The last Sunday that we were in town for church, we all went to Capricorn Community Church.  Capricorn is another community in which Living Hope works, and the church was actually planted in 2009 by John Thomas, the founder of Living Hope.  I had been dying to attend this church because the main worship leader is a 17 year old boy named Basil who Ryan had mentored in music during his year in Cape Town.  I was able to meet Basil and witness him leading this community in praise songs.

Now I knew how excited I was to meet him, but I had no idea what a treat I was in for...he embraced me as though we had known each other for years, he offered to share his incredibly difficult and moving life story with me, and told me how much he admired Ryan and viewed him as a brother.  Needless to say, I cried more than once that Sunday morning!!  His voice is amazing, his spirit is inspirational, and both his attitude and his smile are contagious!  I was SO glad that we made it to Capricorn that last Sunday and will remember that morning for the rest of my life.

I don't think the hike up Table Mountain has made it to my blog posts yet, but that happened...and boy did I feel it for a few days following! I was so sore, and my joints hurt - ha! I felt like such an old maid since all the college kids with me didn't exactly feel the same pain!  Anyway, despite the freezing cold wind at the top, the views were so worth the pain.

Katherine and I had a few glamour shots up there, and Berrit gave us a few "Ber-attack hugs" on the teetering edge!  But we had a blast - aside from battling the dussies, which are these little weasel looking things that are supposedly related to the elephant?!? (still hard for me to believe...but I trust my Ryan!)  Then after the hike, we drove all the way to the other side of the bay from Table Mountain to what's known as Table View.  Tim and Natasha, the volunteer coordinators for Living Hope who hosted us in their home every Monday night for a devotion, met us there for dinner.  We spent some time on the beach, watched some of the Olympics in the restaurant, and ate a delicious dinner after a long, exhausting day!  

I really savored every last moment of my final week in Cape Town and the time I spent in Red Hill.  I treasure the relationships that I was so fortunate to have built and hope that the miles do not separate me from keeping up with my new and valuable friends.  On our final Sunday morning, Mrs. Bernadette and her sweet mommy, Ms. Anita, came over to cook a hot breakfast for us before we hit the road for the Garden Route Tour through South Africa.  I will be sure to make one more post this week that includes all of the adventures we had on that road trip!  Despite the exciting life changes that I still have ahead of me this summer, I am missing my friends in Cape Town dearly...rather than saying "goodbye" we just said "until next time!" and I cannot wait for that to come true. :)

CHEETAHS!!!

I've learned that the animal titles get the most viewers interested, so I'm sticking to it!!  But before the details on the cheetahs, first I want to discuss my amazing week last week.  Since the kids went back to school, Holiday Club is over, so I only see the kids and teens in Red Hill in the afternoons from 4-6 for the after-school programs.  As much as I miss seeing the kids all day, I now have the incredible opportunity to explore some of the other ministries within Living Hope.  So on Monday morning, I had a training lesson at the home office with all of the Life Skill Educators (LSE's) for the Kids Clubs in the communities.  Then Tuesday I was working for Living Care in the In-Patient Care Unit.  Basically I was a hospital chaplain for the morning, visiting with and praying over various patients in the 16-bed hospital on Living Hope's campus.  While I would never have expected to fall in love with this ministry, I was certainly touched and inspired by the two men I was able to speak with - Mr. Willie and Mr. Davis.  I'm so glad I was given this opportunity to spend time there each week!

My view as I drive home from Red Hill every day...

On Wednesday morning I was working at Living Grace, which is the homeless ministry where those in the rehab program have access to a shower, washer/dryer for their clothes, and locker for their belongings. Not to mention the hot meals they are fed by the incredible kitchen staff there, all of which come from the food and produce that the grocery would have thrown away due to expiration dates. Yet all of this food that is perfectly edible turns into a FEAST for these wonderful people in need. I'll have to take a picture of it this week - it really is remarkable! Thursday morning was a project day with the Volunteer Coordinator at the home office. Hundreds of boxes of shoes had been donated by another non-profit locally, so we have been sorting them, matching the pairs, and preparing for a shoe sale in a couple of weeks. Then finally on Friday, I was back at the home office for a debrief with the LSE's from all of the communities, then began planning for Kids Club this coming week.



Friday afternoon the sightseeing began as we went downtown to the District Six Museum.  This was a humbling experience as I read about the history of District Six and how so many people were forced out of their homes and dislocated only because of the color of their skin.  Learning more about the history of Apartheid was quite devastating to say the least.  We then stopped by the craft market at the V&A Waterfront and I bought the cutest little necklace charm of Africa...I can't wait to wear it!  When we got home, Ms. Bernaddette and Ms. Anita were cooking up a storm for the Braai (BBQ) we were having!  They were grilling all kinds of amazing meat outside, and making homemade potato salad and all other kinds of goodies inside.  (I'll be sure to upload some pictures to facebook this weekend, so check them out! Sorry I haven't already put them on my computer to include in the blog...) After eating, we somehow all wound up in the living room for a serious dance party!  It was the most I've sweat since being here, and we had so much fun!  Oh, and the night before John and Avril Thomas had come to the lodge to tell wonderful stories about how Living Hope and each of its separate ministries came to life.  They were so inspiring and most of the room was in tears before the end of the night!!

Now for the cheetah news...I got to pet a cheetah named Joseph on Saturday - and he was a famous Hollywood cheetah, too!! He has been in a couple of movies as well as used for National Geographic films and photos.  We went to a cheetah reserve and they had some jackals and mere cats in addition to nine cheetahs.  When we went into the caged area, a trainer was rubbing on Joseph's neck and ears and he was just purring away as we took turns rubbing his back and sides.  It was so awesome!  After that we headed to a local vineyard for a wine tasting.  We went to Steenberg Vineyards and it was so modern and beautiful! We had an incredible view of some of the mountains, including a well-known one called "elephant's eye."  Later that evening, we actually got to take a good hike up those mountains and see the vineyard from above!  A couple of large dogs who were with their owners, but not leashed nearly scared us to death after we had just seen animal prints on the trail.  They started barking when they heard us, then came running towards us - it was hilarious to watch the 18 year old boy with us jump back so fast!  But it started raining towards the end of our hike, so we ran back down the mountain to the van, and were full of laughs and stories.

Check out that crashing wave!! :)

On Sunday, we went to our driver, David's home church in Hout Bay.  It was an incredible service with great praise music and the pastor was awesome - very well spoken and easy to follow.  We visited the Hout Bay Market again that afternoon - we had lunch there and did a little more shopping.  Then, we went to Llandudno beach and climbed out on some big boulders.  We jumped down to where we could feel the giant waves crashing and splashing up onto our faces.  The wind was amazing and the water was truly spectacular!  We were all hooting and hollering and just having the best time out there!!  After that, we headed home for a short bit before loading back up for worship at Hillsong.  Now that was an experience...I felt as though I was at a concert!  Everything was a production and I couldn't see the main stage from where I was sitting in the balcony, so I watched most of it from a TV screen.  And the sermon was great, but it was pre-recorded from the head pastor at the Hillsong church in Australia.  Needless to say, it was an amazing day, full of some awesome bonding moments with our group! :)  This week will look similar to last, but I have no doubt that I will still have so much to report, so check back this weekend for a new post, my wonderful family and friends!!!

SEALS!! If only they were balancing balls on their noses... :)

Finishing up another awesome weekend, and really settling in and feeling right at home here in Cape Town! :) Yesterday, the five girls from my summer project loaded up the van with our driver, David who is from Hout Bay, which we had driven through last weekend on the Chapman's Peak drive. He wanted to show us his hometown, and we were all in! Despite the off & on rain and crazy cold wind, we boarded a boat to Seal Island. It was quite a spectacular site as yet another incredible rainbow stretched across the sky and we could see it crystal clear, from end to end. As we bundled up and cuddled on the boat for warmth, it was difficult to imagine how incredibly cold the seals must have been swimming in that water!! After the boat ride, we headed to an indoor market that is only one year old and open every weekend in Hout Bay. It was incredible and I had not brought enough money to buy all that I wanted, so we will have to make a return trip! :) But they had an incredible food area, clothing and fashion area, as well as an upscale souvenir area, where I made a couple of small purchases...the best part though was lunch, when David took us across from the market to a place called "Fish on the Rocks" where I had the best fish & chips that I've ever had in my life, and it was SO cheap!! I was such a happy girl...can't you tell?? ;)

After our fish & chips, we of course had to go back to the market for dessert! Katherine and I happened to stumble up to a sweet place where a local woman had brought a huge tupperware container of her own to fill up with goodies from this one bakery booth, and she told us this was the only place in the market worth buying sweets from! SOLD! Katherine got a huge slice of chocolate mousse and ganache cake, and I got a slice of baked vanilla cheesecake that was so dense and divine!! David was thrilled that we were falling in love with his hometown...we were already discussing when we could make a return trip in order to stock up on more souvenirs! So I'm pretty sure we decided to go back on a Friday night so that we could go for dinner and live music, as well as see the village lit up at night...needless to say, I'm certainly looking forward to it! Later that afternoon, we went to a rugby game and that was a cultural experience! People get so into it, maybe even moreso than American football?!?! Anyway, it was interesting to somewhat learn the rules and follow along, but I was so concerned that these giant guys would hurt one another since they don't wear pads and just go at it with full force!

Then last night, my three wonderful roomies and I cuddled up on two of our beds and watched the Jennifer Lopez chick flick "The Backup Plan" as we ate popcorn and peanut M&Ms. It was just what I needed after our long day full of adventure! We loved having our girl time and I definitely lucked out with some awesome roomies...Katherine is a rising Junior at Samford University in Birmingham, AL; Berrit is a rising sophomore at Gordon College in Boston, MA but was raised in London; and Becca just graduated from UAB in Birmingham, AL. Above is a pic of us last weekend at the Hout Bay overlook - a quick favorite of all of ours!

The plan this week changes up a bit since holiday club is over and the kids are back in school. I will be working at Living Grace, which is the homeless ministry one morning each week, then with Living Care in the In-Patient Unit one morning, planning in Red Hill with the LSE's on morning, working in a project at the main office another morning, then I'll be in Red Hill every afternoon for kids club and teens club. I feel so fortunate to have had so much time with all the kids at the very beginning in order to build relationships and now know them when seeing them for only a couple of hours every other day (kids M/W & teens T/Th). Stay tuned for another blog post late next week, then again next weekend and thanks for staying interested in my journey! :)

Growing Immensely...

This week has been absolutely incredible, and I'm not sure that I can do it justice, no matter how much I right, so I'll try to keep it brief!  But the church services on Sunday were incredible.  The founder of Living Hope, John Thomas, preached from 1 Corinthians 12 and discussed how we are to use our individual spiritual gifts to work as a unit, and how churches are to utilize their spiritual gifts to work for the body of Christ as a whole.  He made some really powerful points that have me thinking about what it really means to be a community working together for a common good, because it seems to me that this requires trust and a willingness to be vulnerable with one another, which I find is generally lacking among people in the US.  Then, the service at Masi Baptist was all in Xhosa and full of music, so we would get up and clap while they sang and listen as they shared testimonies.  This was a powerful experience because despite the language barrier, we were all worshiping the same God and their faith was so very evident.  I feel that I have so much to learn from the people here.

Speaking of the people here, I cannot go another blog post without mentioning the two incredible women who prepare all of our meals for us - Ms. Bernadette and her mother, Ms. Anita.  These women work together in a tiny kitchen, no bigger than 7X11 feet, and create these dinners that are absolute masterpieces!!  Just to name a few of the meals thus far: chicken pie in filo, chicken curry, spaghetti, and the list goes on...but the main course is always served with rice, fresh veggies, and a green salad.  Then on Thursdays, we get dessert, which have been very traditional South African desserts that are to die for!  Last week we had a peppermint crisp tart, which is ultimately a pudding-like dessert and last night we had two different kinds of malva pudding with vanilla ice cream.  All I have to say is YUM!!  I am certainly not going hungry, nor am I losing any weight!!  But after conversations with both Ms. Bernie and Ms. Anita, they view their cooking as a ministry - Ms. Bernie told me that she considers it a privilege to cook for us and take good care of us while we are here because who else is going to?  She wants us to really enjoy what she calls home and for us to feel welcome here!  She even bought me honey and lemon juice to put in my tea when I told her that I had a sore throat...so loving, and make me feel right at home.  They are amazing women who I look forward to learning more from during my stay.

Then as for my week in Red Hill, it was the last week of Holiday Club (the kids have been on school holiday, or winter break for 3 weeks now) so we have had the kids and teens all day rather than just seeing them for after-school programs.  I feel so fortunate to have started my work during this time because I am able to spend so much time with the kids and really begin building relationships with them.  The kids have had so much fun playing games, reading Scripture, and doing a craft each day.  It has been beautiful to watch them follow along in their Bibles to the lessons, because they really seem to have a reverence for Scripture.  They generally understand that it's time to be quiet and follow along, and they get very upset if they haven't found their place yet when the leader starts reading, so we help them find it and follow along.  They also love making things as crafts and showing off their finished products!  They really are incredibly gifted and love the encouragement from the volunteers - I just love them!!  Then during teens club this week, we split them up into 3 groups: drama, art, and dance.  They all worked in their respective areas M-W, then put on a show on Th in front of all of their peers.  It was incredible to watch as the artwork was revealed from behind a curtain, and the drama team performed their skit (which was written by one of the teens and was incredibly deep, touching on many of the issues these teens face in their community), and the dance crew (which was all boys) really come together and perform their hip-hop routine that they learned from a DVD and came from the movie "You Got Served".  I helped with the dance crew alongside Pastor Kennedy and wound up sweating each day despite the weather in the 50s!  Needless to say, it was a week full of excitement and I am so fulfilled!  

Week 1 Wrap-Up + Sight Seeing!

Finished out the week and am loving every minute of it, to say the least.  Thursday was a full day in Red Hill - kids club (ages 3-10) before lunch and teens club (11 & up) after lunch.  The team from Knoxville that was there for the week was leaving, so we tore down all of the olympics decorations in the shelter to prepare for a new theme of creation for next week.  After meeting with my team of Life Skill Educators and long-term volunteers, I was put in charge of making the moon and the stars to hang in the shelter next week.  I feel like a school teacher having crafts to do over the weekend! :)  

During our planning meeting, we were spoiled with lunch.  They bought us 3 different kinds of Gatsby's, which are what Americans would consider supreme sub sandwiches - get this, a hoagie bun with the typical fillings but also...wait for it...french fries!!!  That's right, there are fries ON the sandwich - YUM!!  Then my team finished up our last bit of orientation with a study of Nehemiah and how it is a good parallel as to how we, as outsiders should approach the communities here - or any community of which we are not a part.  Living Hope has really begun to be intentional in making sure that their volunteers are in fact helping the communities they enter, rather than accidentally hurting them even though their intentions are good.  This may not seem to make sense, but it's so true that "helping can hurt" if you go into a foreign community with pre-conceived notions about how they need to be "fixed."  Anyway, the study and exercise we did was wonderful, and I feel sure I will apply it to other situations in the future.

Then last night was an amazing night, full of laughter!  After yet another incredible meal made by our cooks, Ms. Bernadette (Bernie) and her mother, Ms. Anita, the five lovely ladies of my 6-week crew sat in front of my roommate's macbook taking crazy pictures with PhotoBooth.  We were all laughing so hard we were crying...great memories being made!!  I also had my first experience out on the town.  One of the Samford girls is from S Africa and knows her way around, so we all (8 of us...yes, it was a circus car!) hopped in her car and traveled about 10 minutes away to a pub in Kalk Bay.  It was such an interesting experience...people look different, dress differently, dance differently, and anything else you can imagine!  We had a great time together and thoroughly enjoyed our people watching! :)

Today was an incredible day of sight seeing.  We drove around the mountains on Chapman's Peak, which is an absolutely breathtaking drive.  Check out the album I posted on facebook - my first album ever!  Unfortunately it was pretty foggy this morning, but by the end of the day, it had completely cleared up.  Then we drove through Hout Bay, saw the Imzamo Yethu township, overlooked the town of Llandudno, then came upon Camp's Bay...and wow!  This is the location where Hollywood stars and such supposedly vacation in Cape Town.  The homes and views of the Atlantic were spectacular!  Then we carried on through Signal Hill and then to the Open Market in Greenmarket Square for some souvenir shopping.  I was the only one not to buy anything because I was so overwhelmed and not ready to barter!!  Our last and longest stop was the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Waterfront, which has a large mall.  We ate lunch in the mall at the Mugg & Bean, which quickly became my new favorite place!!  HUGE menu with anything your little heart could ever desire!  I had a BLT&E (fried egg on top!) with a side salad and a bottomless cup of filtered coffee - and if you don't know, filtered coffee is a BIG deal here, because normally it's just instant!  Anyhow, it was delicious and so inexpensive!!  After lunch, we spent all of our time outside, walking and shopping along the waterfront, which was so beautiful!

On our drive home, then again once we got home, we saw some gorgeous rainbows.  For Cape Town, this is so normal.  The incredible natural beauty of this place makes me wonder if the people who live here enjoy and appreciate it as much as we do or if they take it for granted.  I say this because I know how much I take for granted at home!  This pic you see here is from the doorway of my room...I discovered this rainbow with my head on my pillow when my roomie opened the door to go make a cup of rooibos tea (aka the best tea on the planet!).  Tomorrow, the plan is to attend King of Kings Baptist Church, which is the church where the founder of Living Hope is a pastor.  After that 9:00 service, we are headed to Masi Baptist Church, which is apparently a 3-4 hour lively church service in one of the largest townships.  The plan is to show up a little late, then leave a little early because apparently if you stay until the end, they try to get you to stay for lunch, and as kind as that is, we would rather not take food from them when we have plenty at home!  Such incredible people here...so loving and hospitable - I feel that we Americans really have a lot to learn from their sense of community here...I love it.  Until next time...Cheers! :)

 

BABOONS!!!

That title made you want to read it, huh?!? I'll go in reverse chronological order to report the past few days, but this morning I saw a large pack of baboons on my drive to Red Hill!!  I had asked our driver, Fransi, if I would get to see baboons, and he had told me more than likely I would in my time here.  So as we come to a stop sign, he says, "do you have your camera?" and I say "no." He says, "WHAT?!?! WHY NOT?!?!" And as I'm trying to explain to him that they told us not to bring our cameras until we build relationships with our friends in the townships, he interrupts and says, "well, your wish is my command!" and points to the baboons on the side of the road.  I was SOO happy and excited to see them!!!  They were just chillin', riding on one another's backs, picking in the grass for food, looking at us as we slowly passed.  Here's a pic I was able to grab from my iPhone.

Anyway, after getting to Red Hill today, we had our daily staff devotion in the shelter, which I learned today is only a few months old, and shared communion with one another.  I have been reminded time and time again of how small the world is, because the group that is working in Red Hill for one week is from Knoxville with a church of Middlebrook Pike...seriously?!!?  Then, all of the Samford girls staying in the house with me here know one of the youth from Oak Grove who went to Samford - they are sorority sisters and one works in the same doctor's office as her!  Next, the kids came swarming into the shelter!!  The electricity was out, which is a common occurrence here in Africa, so we did not have music this morning, but we still danced and had a good time together!  Wednesday is the day that they are fed a "hot lunch" by Living Hope, so after they ate, I headed back to the Living Hope office for another round of orientation.

Yesterday was my first day in the township - I was so excited to see Red Hill, where Ryan had spent so much of his time while he was here!  It is a wonderful place, full of vibrant and joyful children!!  Like I mentioned earlier, I won't be posting pics of my time there until my last couple of weeks, but I'll be sure to do so once I am able!  I met all of the staff and longterm volunteers in Red Hill - Pastor Kennedy, Lumca, Gordon, Kylie, Julia, and Leslie.  They were all wonderful and helped show me where things are and helped me learn the basics of the office and surrounding area.

This week and next week are what they call "holiday club" because the kids are on holiday right now and do not have school, so we have kids before lunch then teens after lunch.  We start at 10am and the kids stream in for about 15 minutes before we gather for songs. The music was playing over the portable speakers and before I knew it, I was holding hands and dancing with the most beautiful children, just smiling and laughing away! Then we got into a big circle to sing together. It's pretty incredible hearing these kids sing praise songs we have all sung in youth like "How Great Is Our God" and "Where You Go, I'll Go."  Then to top things off today, they all said the Lord's Prayer in unison...it brought tears to my eyes.  God is so big and so good! :)  But then we all get in 3 lines, ages 3-5, ages 6-7, and ages 8-10, and parade around the township chanting and singing.  Today, all of the American who were present sang our national anthem to recognize July 4th!  After the parade, we break up into the three age groups for VBS type stuff - games, Bible lesson, memory verse, and crafts.  Most days, they receive a lunch that consists of a sandwich and a piece or 2 of fruit.

The staff then has a lunch break as well before Teens Club from 2-4pm.  So yesterday, the teens made their way in and we kicked around 3 beach balls for a bit, then started with a game, then songs and Bible lesson. Oh, and how have I gotten this far and not mentioned the infamous dog of Red Hill!! So last summer, Ryan came home from his 10-day trip and was showing me the pictures - I was like, "aww, look at that cute puppy!!"  His response, "that's Roxy, she may be cute, but she's the biggest nuisance EVER!!!"  True story, she's super cute and just wants someone to love on her and play with her, but she's everywhere that you don't want her to be!!  She helps herself right into the shelter where we all are, and I learned quickly to yell, "PUMA, PUMA!!" at her, which means "get out, get out!!"  Surprisingly, she responds well, and turns around immediately to leave.  I'll be sure and post pictures of Roxy later as well.

Monday was a full day of orientation.  We climbed in the van (or "quantum") to get the driving tour of the townships and surrounding areas. Since Red Hill is the farthest away, we did not make it there on the driving tour Monday, but I must say that it is the most beautiful drive I have ever been on, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to drive that route 5 days/week for 5 weeks!!  (Again, I'll take pictures to post later!)  The tour did, however, include each aspect of Living Hope: Living Way (the economic empowerment sect), Living Care (the medical sect), Living Grace (the homeless sect), and Living Right (the education/prevention sect).  Living Right is the main one I will be a part of while I'm here since it involves the children.  After the tour, we discussed many things that would help us understand what it would look like to enter all of these communities as outsider.  We learned that we cannot take our pre-conceived notions with us; rather we must enter with an open heart and open mind to notice how much these communities have to offer and all that we may be able to learn from them while we are here.  I cannot wait to see how these wonderful people are involved in transforming my life!  I am loving it here already, and can't believe that tomorrow will already be one week away from home...I feel right at home here! :)

I HAVE ARRIVED!!!

After an exciting journey here, I have made it safe and sound to my home in Cape Town.  Before leaving Atlanta, Ryan and I had wasted all the time we could in an effort to wait for the Kavu bag he had bought and have overnighted to my house.  Since my flight wasn't until 9:20, we thought that it surely would have been delivered by 7pm when we needed to head out...but no.  Low and behold, 10 minutes after leaving my house, it arrived.  Well my luck couldn't have been any better that my roomie's boyfriend had already agreed to pick up one of his friends at the airport at 9pm. SO, they left a few minutes early to swing through the new International Terminal at the airport, literally pass off my package through the window, just before I ran through security and boarded shortly thereafter! Thank goodness I have the sweet gift that Ryan gave me to use every day while I'm away! :)

Then I wasted a LOT of time in London for the 9 hours that I was there - reading magazines, doing sudoku & crossword puzzles, eating and drinking junk food, journaling, people watching, etc.  It was a flashback to the bathrooms in the youth building when I used the bathroom in the London airport because it had the little tissues you pull out rather than a roll!  Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Cape Town...then we sat on the runway for an hour!!!  SO frustrating, but hey, I made it safely and for that, I am grateful.  As I made my way through Passport Control and Customs, I was anxious to get my luggage and make my way to the hands of people I knew would be with me for the next 6 weeks.  Sure enough, I walk out and hear, "Mia!" Before I knew it, I was in the arms of sweet Danielle, who I had just met briefly while she was in the States over Christmas, but hugged me so good I started crying!  It was so amazing to see a familiar face and be hugged like that after such a long travel day all alone!!  She was with 3 other Living Hope/ACTS people and then a girl who was on my flight and doing the same 6-week program as me.

We all piled into a big van and made our way to the lodge where we are staying, which is beautiful!  I have a wonderful roomie from Samford University, and we both freshened up before heading to lunch with Danielle.  Before eating, we ran by the market for each of us to buy a power adapter (and some cookies that taste like Samoas!).  Then we headed across the way to quite an interesting restaurant in the mall.  Danielle described it to us as a Chuckie Cheese meets Applebees, and this couldn't have been more accurate!  I was craving fresh whole foods after yucky airplane food for over 24 hours, so I had a standard chicken, avo, and bacon salad that hit the spot!!  I had to laugh because I had totally picked on Ryan last week when he had raved about how good his "avo on toast" was, and referred to South Africa as calling it "avo" and sure enough, I ordered it for my first meal here!  I also learned at lunch that I will be working in the township of Red Hill, which is SUPER exciting for me because that was Ryan's stomping ggrounds much of the time he was here.  Yippee, now I get to see it and share in his stories and experiences!

OK, I'm getting super tired, so I'm gonna wrap this up quickly!  When I got back home, I took a much needed shower before opening up my computer.  I immediately had 2 Skype calls from both Ryan and my parents, and it was amazing catching up with them after a long day of travel.  I was beaming both because I was able to speak with them, but also because I'm in AFRICA!!  The rest of my evening has been super low-key (which is why I can write such a long post!) and I've just been trying to stay awake so that I will actually be able to get a good night of sleep tonight.  I have no doubt in my mind that I will be successful in doing so!  I'm just grateful to have a couple of days to recover and adjust before beginning work in Red Hill on Monday - the first two weeks of which will be helping with what they call "Holiday Camp" and is ultimately like VBS here in Cape Town.  Stay tuned for more later! :)