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!
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