The Warehouse

Well this is my blog for Aug 5th, more than two weeks ago. Its funny how even though this day was so long ago I can still remember every moment of it. My mind can play it back almost like a movie. I guess that’s what happens when you meet incredible people with huge hearts and spirits. You make life memories that you will remember for the rest of your life. Those three weeks were filled with lessons, sights, and stories that I know we will look back on forever. The memories will make us laugh, cry, smile, and lift us up during hard times and good times.

After briefly working with The Warehouse staff previously we were fortunate to come back for a second day. Once again we started the morning off with prayer and worship. It’s so interesting how different our forms of worship are. At The Warehouse they stand in a circle and pray out loud all at the same time in whatever language they feel like. Another thing that is different is they do not plan out the songs they are singing that day. One person can just start singing a song they love or one that is in their heart and everyone will join. People also share inspirational bible verses. Although we may see it as unstructured compared to our weekly Sunday routines, it is a great way to express your love for God and just be open. The atmosphere is really stunning in how it lets you really feel connected and almost alone with God. It was great to experience a different form of worship. We also broke out into small groups with the staff and discussed our struggles and hopes for the future. Some people at The Warehouse have grown up in townships and informal settlements. It’s astonishing how selfless many of these people are because some of them have had such tough lives and live in rough conditions but they still focus and dedicate everything they have to the community. The staff has high goals for all of the communities and will never give up on them no matter how difficult it is. The dedication and hearts of everyone in Africa never fails to amaze us daily!

The Warehouse partners with many different churches. The churches reach out and notify The Warehouse what supplies people in their community are in need of. The Warehouse helps enable churches to aid the poor which ultimately leads to showing more people Christ’s love and getting them involved with the church. They are so humble and try to give all the praise and attention to the churches and God. We were happy to assist in any way possible. We were given three different tasks. Some people packed and sealed protein bags for families. Others made toiletry care packages with soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toilet paper, and laundry detergent. And everyone else sorted through donated clothes. We had a blast as always while incorporating some work and play where we invented Packing and Sealing Inc., played dress up, or played mind ball after the hard work was over. Gersh also provided a delicious lunch of Gatsbys, bunny chows (half a loaf of bread with the inside replaced by beef curry), Samoosas (meat and vegetables in a folded, triangular pastry), and CHICKEN FEET! Besides the chicken feet everything was wonderful. Some of us were brave-or crazy-enough to try the gross chicken feet which no one was a fan of.

After our work at The Warehouse we went and visited Zach’s work at Scripture Union. We finally got to see what Zach has been up to these last three months and see his office area and coworkers. We probably mildly embarrassed him since we are always fanatical whenever we get to see him. Its been great to see him after three months. Following our visit we went to Sinnful to have the daily, well deserved 2-3 scoops of ice-cream =] and then spent the rest of our evening with our host families.

Each and every day was such a gift! As we look back I pray we will learn life lessons and discover deeper meanings of the relationships that we built and events that occurred. Being present was half the task. Now relating it to life in America and bringing back our new knowledge will be the real challenge.

Lots of love,
Nikki Valiga

Risk and Realization

Today was the day all you parents and families have been dreading and the day the team has been waiting for with excitement and nervousness with loud shouts of woo-woot. Before I begin, let me just assure you that we are all safe and sound after that 216 meter dive off bridge at 80 mph.

After a six hour drive the group spilled out of the cars, registered, suited up, and walked under the bridge to the platform where the deep ravine was waiting, whistling with wind and cold sea air. Crossing to the platform changed people from slightly jittery to full on nervous, who knew what the plunge would be like?

Afterwards people said that it was silent, that their minds went blank and they couldn't eve scream as they began to fall. Blood rushed to their heads and the thick chord caught them, swinging them upwards again. Time was frozen, everything still and clear and alive. But then again, I wouldn't know. I didn't jump.

It has been on my mind a lot, for most of this trip actually, that most people given a chance to do the highest bungy jump in the world would gladly take it, yet I easily refused. The idea of jumping never even crossed my mind. From the moment the jump was suggested months ago, I knew I wouldn't be going. Honestly the idea of the jump does not appeal to me at all. There were shirts in the gift shop that said, "Fear is temporary. Regret is permanent!" I knew it would have been one thing if I refused to jump out of fear. But for me it was not necessarily fear, though that was some of it, but a lack of desire, a contentment with watching others jump and screaming and sharing the experience from the lookout point.

Do you want to know the only reason I would have considered jumping? It would have been to prove to others, to the group, to random people at school or church that I was daring and adventurous. People respect you if you've done something like that, they are in awe of you for you have done what they only wish to do. But if you had the chance and refused it, people look confused, or aghast and ask you, "Why?" They don't make any tee shirts for bystanders, or take any pictures of the people who watch.

But today I realized, with surprise, and contentment, that I jumped by not jumping. For me it was a risk to not go, a risk to stand up to the few and the many imagined faces who shook their heads at me and said, "coward." I respect my friends for jumping, for looking into the face of the abyss and saying "here I come." and I also respect me for being content with not going. I've Found God works in many ways, and He will love you, whether you jump off a bridge or not.

Erin Greenhalgh

Another Day In Paradise

Today (or should I say 4 days ago) we went to The Warehouse. It's a very unique place. What they do is they provide tons of necessities - like clothes, food, and hygiene items to a bunch of different churches around the Cape Town area. The churches then use the donations to give to those in need in their community. So not only are the people receiving things they can't afford for themselves, but they are getting connected through the church. But today we just hung out at The Warehouse and go to know all the people who worked there. We joined them in their daily worship and bible study that happens every morning.
It was very cool to worship with people in Afrikaans and Zulu. How ever we could not contribute much, we tried! We have tried to incorporate clicking sounds in our speech, but it never works out! The Africans laugh at us. But at this point we're used to it.

After chilling (literally chilling, the Warehouse is a very cold building)...we went to another informal settlement. We ate lunch there in a small shack that has been made into a local restaurant. It was adorable! And the food was delicious...as always (by the way expect all of us to come back about 20 pounds heavier).

After that, we went to a school, found some kids, and payed with them. Our experience with these kids was VERY different from any other. Their idea of playing with us was much more violent! Basically they were tackling us, jumping on us and ripping out large portions of our hair. It was very entertaining to watch! There was one kid in particular that we all grew to love. His name (that we gave him)...Big Poppy. Big Poppy the cinder block. He was a 60 pound boy trapped in a 2 foot body. You would go to pick him up, and your back would give out. He didn't walk...he waddled. And he fell every time he tried to run because he was so top heavy. And when he fell down, he would just sprawl out around for a few minutes before attempting to get up. But he seemed to be enjoying himself! He was hilarious, I followed him around with a video camera for a while and caught all his antics on tape!

We gave all the kids bracelets and they loved them! They were so happy. After our play session, we drove to the top of this mountain with amazing views. Cape Town is absolutely beautiful! Then we begged our driver, Mr. Ford ("The Man") to take us to the beach. We had so much fun there! We ran around, played Frisbee, and watched the sunset.

As you can tell, we are having a horrible time (joke). We miss you all so much!

Tons of love
Emily Schloesser

P.S. See you on Skype!

Quick Update

All is well! Bungee Jumping was a huge hit (not literally of course). We are all very tired and so we will be making a few posts tomorrow to catch you up on all the events. Hopefully you all will make it to one of the services tomorrow at Greenwood because we will be talking to you LIVE from South Africa via Skype!

Gershwin

Adventures in Kruger

This entry is for July 26-28. Sorry for the delay with this entry, but I just found out that nobody had boggled about Kruger yet, so I gladly volunteered to do it. There is a lot to say about those three days though, so this might be a long entry. There's really only one thing that I can say to start this off: "Elephants, zebras, giraffes, oh my". But let's start at the beginning. The morning we left was a very, very early morning. To put it in perspective, we got breakfast at 8:00 AM after driving 2 hours. That would prove to provide extreme grouchiness from everybody during the drive which lasted until 3 or 4 PM. When you drive that long, you have lots of time to look out the window and by doing that we saw and learned what this country in about. A big highlight was seeing the sunrise. It was a big and bright red ball slowly bouncing up over the horizon. (Don't worry, we got pictures.) Also we passed by Soccer City and saw the big stadium. It was cool to imagine it full of thousands of screaming fans.

After many hours of driving, a book of Mad Libs, and conversations that will never be forgotten, we pulled into Kruger National Park full of excitement. The concept of the park is awesome. It is just a huge open space full of animals with roads running through it. The roads aren't fenced in and neither are the animals, which provided us with some shocking, yet exhilerating experiences, pictures and videos. On our approximately 2 hour drive through the park to our site, we became a team of 15 lookouts, on the hunt for wild animals. During that stretch of time, we saw flocks of springboks, impalas (both very common), elephants, ostriches, zebras, warthogs, and thanks to a great eye from Kim, a lion sleeping from afar. Our camp was just a cluster of about 80 one room, two bed huts with bathrooms and communal kitchens (one for every ten huts). There was also a store, a center of operations, and some beautiful lookout points over the river, where hippos and crocodiles were constant. We settled in and went to bed satisfied, thanks to a great sausage dinner from G-Win and the knowledge that we would finally be able to get a normal teenage amount of sleep.

After waking up, getting ready and eating breakfast, we were ready for our safari adventure. The idea is you just pile into cars and drive around the vast park, trying to spot animals through the bush. You really just have to get lucky to see them, and lucky we got. It took a while and some grumpy complaints until we saw all the the things we did, but it taught us good things come to those who wait. We had been driving around for about an hour and had seen just the common things like impalas and springboks, plus kudus, zebras, and giraffes. The kudus actually scared us because they looked like mixes between zebras, giraffes, deer and horses. Anyway, after a big period of seeing no aniamls, we were amazed to come across an entire herd of elephants literally 10 feet off the road. They all decided to cross the road right in front of us and a few brave ones charged after us, causing us to back up right into another group. (Editor's note: We didn't really get "charged"...It was more of a steady walk toward the vehicles. No humans, animals or vehicles were damaged in any way. Gersh and Lara were nervous at this point, but everything was ok.) We saw about 30 or so elephants in all, some from about 5 feet away. It was amazing to see the power of God's creation in its natural habitat and beauty.

Then we had lunch and returned back to camp to register for the guided tours which is where guides drive safari vehicles. There is a morning, night and sunset drive, and then a morning walk for the adventurous ones (Nicole & Kim). Everybody did at least one tour, with some people doing two. I did the night drive and the morning drive which is what I will explain here. The night drive is very cold so you have to deck out in warm clothes. You also have to use these mega-spotlights to see anything. On this drive we saw two leopards, elephants, impalas, spring hares and stuff like that. Oh yeah, we also saw a pride of lions hunt down an impala ten feet in front of us and heard it get eaten. We also saw a hyena luking in the shadows, waiting for the remains of the carcass. It was awesome and mind-blowing to see these things, and it really helped to show the diversity between here and home. After finishing the drive and hanging out at the huts, we went to bed for a nice 3 hour sleep because the morning drive left at 5 AM. We saw the same pride of lions on the morning drive but really not too much else. We then packed up our gear and embarked on our journey out of Kruger and back to Joburg. On the way out, we were speeding along the roads with the mindset of getting home quicly and not stopping for animals. But that's not waht God had in mind. We slowed to look at an elephant and realized we were amongst a group bigger than the first one. We were surrounded on both sides by hulking monsters and cute little babies. It was God's way of telling us to appreciate his Creation and not take for granted or get content with what we'd seen. We needed to realize that we could be blown away at any time, whether expected or not, wanted or not. No form of God's creation should ever be overlooked, from little flowers to majestic sunsets. It's all there to be looked upon with awe over its existence. So don't ever get content and forget to appreciate what you have, because God loves everything, and hopefully, so will we.

Jack

Beautiful Gate

I am supposed to write about Tuesday, our day at Beautiful Gate. While I will do just that, I also want to share something more, something that has been lingering in my heart throughout this trip.

Tuesday morning, we were all picked up at about 7:30, an early start to a long day. We then headed straight to Beautiful Gate, a facility centered around kids who have AIDS. It is a very impressive facility (unfortunately we don't have pictures) working to do incredible things. Not only do they help these kids, but they know that kids must be surrounded by a strong family and families surrounded by a strong community. They work to provide all of this.

Our job for that day was simply to help clean up a few things. We washed windows and gutters, a few people did dishes, and some people helped clean up the garden area. However, while we did get a lot done, we also had our fair share of fun. A few played soccer, a few had a mud war, and a few, including myself, played with and held some little kids. It was during that short 20 minutes or so of holding a little girl that made me think about what I wanted to write for the day. You can sum up cleaning gutters and working in the garden in a sentence or two, but what takes explanation is the construction of a relationship.

When we went to the orphanage in Soweto, I met a girl named Lesego. She taught me how to do their laundry and supervised as I learned. I believe she was 17 years old and through a simple chore, we became family. She wrote me a letter that I got a few days later that stated, "I love you with all my heart. I need you with all my life." Now what do I do with that? That same day, we got on a plane, distancing me from this girl.

My question from that story was raised again on Tuesday at Beautiful Gate. After holding a little girl for a bit, I gave her back and we walked away. I glanced back and the little girl started crying. I so badly wanted to turn back, but with sobs in the background, Lara encouraged me to keep walking. That would be the last time I would see that girl, at least for this trip and most likely, forever. Again what do I do with that?

I built awesome new relationships with people my age and with tiny kids all in such small time frames. Then I had to just let them go so easily. It's hard to grasp.
That's where I am at, a state of blurred confusion and mixed emotions.

~Abby

UNDER THE SEA

Today we had the opportunity to take 14 amazing kids to the aquarium here in Cape Town. After many wrong turns, U-turns, and finally stopping to get directions from the locals, we made it to Fikelela. Fikelela is an orphanage for kids who have been abandoned by their families because of AIDS. When we showed up, the kids came running out and were overjoyed to spend the day with us. It was amazing to see how much joy we could bring to them just by being there. There were huge smiles on each and every person’s face. The kids made a mad dash to the vans, and they immediately found a lap to sit on. As soon as we got into the aquarium, the kids ran wild! There was an overwhelming amount of small children, so Gersh-burger told us to “find a kid and attach yourself!” The kids were so amazed by each and every little piece of God’s creation. They were in awe of the outside world because they never have had the chance to explore it past the gates of Fikelela. Simple things like a sandbox and a ball pit, which seem normal to us, were overwhelmingly exciting to them. They could have spent all day playing in them.
After the aquarium, we took the kids to lunch at KFC. To us it was just another fast food burger, but to the kids it was the most delicious food they have tasted in a long time. The speed that they ate it and the licking of their fingers said it all. We treated them to ice cream, and it was so cute to watch them eat it. One boy didn’t understand that he could actually eat the cone, so he was trying to get every last drop out with his finger. There was not a single kid in sight with a clean face! The way that the kids laughed and were so full of life, I completely forgot that they had AIDS. They were just like normal 6 year old kids. I don’t understand how anyone could turn away such a beautiful child. I am so grateful that we got to spend the day with those kids and show them the love that they deserve.
After a humbling day with the kiddos, our whole group had the most amazing ice cream EVER on the beach. It was so nice to spend time with the gang since we have been spending most of our time separated with our host families. We stood on the rocks in the ocean and managed to get SOAKED by the occasional massive wave. We were all starting to get home sick from constantly being in a home that is not our own, so it was nice to be back as a “family” again. Overall it was a great day, and I am thankful that I got to share God’s love with the kids.
Oh! No big deal or anything, but we saw Halle Berry at the aquarium gift shop…buying her daughter an excessive amount of toys. Typical Hollywood star with her massive and intimidating body guard!

Everyone really misses their friends and families, and they send lots of love!!!

~KIM DALTON

Saturday in Cape Town

After some quality breakfast time with our host families, the team was sadly informed that we would not be able to visit Robben Island. Without much of a plan for the morning, thanks to the bad news, Gersh thought it would be a good idea to learn about his hometown. We spent the day in downtown Cape Town. Apparently we looked like a bunch of tourists with our backpacks and cameras, because on multiple occasions we got the life stories and views on the world cup from some drunk guys. A few of the girls had come up to me explaining their thoughts and feelings about the day’s agenda and how we weren’t spending much time helping the people of this country and spreading God’s love. We were blessed to have affected the lives of so many in Soweto, and blessed to have helped change the effects of apartheid and the racial relationship in that community. With that said, its obvious the team is desiring more. I tried to restore the reality that this trip was a 20-day mission that it was also a time for us to strengthen our faith and come home different people. Some time in the city wouldn’t hurt.

Lord behold a Zimbabwean man by the name of Smart. As we were walking through the downtown area with Zach, a man stopped Peter asking for bread (not money, which many have asked for). Peter grabbed me (who was totally clueless to what was going on) and told me to join him on what would soon be one powerful experience. Thankfully Zach, our designated communicator and guide, joined us on our short walk to an underground grocery store. Long story semi-short, the three of us bought him some bread, peanut butter and milk, along with a few essentials such as a toothbrush. Zach made it clear to Smart that we weren’t buying him food solely because he’s poor and needs help, but because we believe that Christ calls us to love on others and help one another through Him. Smart quickly understood the gift wasn’t out of pity, as many gifts to the poor are. Anyway, we asked Smart to join us in prayer before we departed. We pray that Smart will find the Lord and understand that God will provide enough for his survival.

Gershwin has reminded us to just be open and God will do the rest. Although Peter is typically found dozing off into his own little world ☺, I am so thankful he had the open and caring heart to jumpstart God’s work.

Colton

PS We took the train back to Retreat (the suburb where Gersh’s mom lives) and then spent the rest of the night with our host families.

Dia numero uno in Cape Town…

Mr. Ford (our driver) picked each of us up from our host families this morning. It was quite different to not be with each other all the time, but a lovely change nonetheless. From eavesdropping on all the conversations in the car, I can honestly say we all adore our host families who have treated us with upmost kindness.
We anticipated the drive to be far longer to the Fikelela headquarters, so we were left with an extra forty-five minutes. In order to not waste a second of our time, we stopped at the waterfront and enjoyed the beautiful waves crashing upon the shore. Cramming back into the van, we continued our journey, making one more stop outside the soccer arena in Cape Town.
Reverend Rachel Mash, the founder of Fikelela, told us all about her project and what they are doing to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS . It was an incredibly inspiring experience, especially after we met one of their agents for change, whom are students our age. The agents for change are placed in a role of leadership and role models who promote change by changing themselves.
After our lovely meeting, we grabbed a quick bite at a restaurant known as Nando’s for lunch before heading on a hike. The hike was much warmer than the rest of the day had been, and we were all sweating by the end. The view at where we stopped, however, was worth it and entirely breathtaking. A place where we all took a moment to breathe and reflect. A moment of peace and silence, we all spent some alone time connecting with our wonderful Creator.
Ravenously, we arrived at the home of Ms. Sandberg where she fed us a delicious dinner of hot dogs, salad, and fruit, with donuts to follow! With our stomachs full, we followed Zach and Gershwin to the church down the road to the youth group. Youth group was so much fun. It was student-run too… something we should try at home. Course, without the wonderful seniors, I’m not sure how that would work! ;) We played fun games, engaged in a meet and greet, sang some worship songs, oh! And we learned the “waka waka”. For those of you who don’t know, that is the song from the World Cup. One thing is for sure, we danced like fools and tried our hardest, but we don’t quite have the rhythm they do, especially me! The dancers of our group nailed it pretty well! Nonetheless, we provided many laughs as they attempted to teach us their moves.
Lots of Hugs and Love!
Kelsey

We're in Cape Town

We arrived safely in Cape Town a couple hours ago, and we're getting ready to have a wonderful dinner at Gershwin's mom's house. Sorry for the lack of updates on the blog. The students are all excited about updating, but the internet went down just as Nicole finished the Day 2 post. You are just now getting that. Then we were in Kruger National Park from Monday until last night. Shannon and Kim's stories of our time in Kruger. This morning we said a quick goodbye to Gigi and Sihile before jumping on the plane to Cape Town. More updates coming later, but for now know that we're safe in Cape Town and can't wait to share our stories of the last week. Now I'm being called to dinner... :)

Ahh...day two.

Love. Compassion. Trust. Laughter. Tears. Acceptence. Faith. Friendship. Family. Care. Hospitality. Richness. Poverty. Gratefulness. Humbleness. Today these words took on an entirely new meaning for all of us as they were weaved throughout what we did.



We started off the morning with a great breakfast at the 'Castle' which was served promptly at seven. We were then hearded into the cars we have rented and prayed for our lives as we braved the backwards streets of 'Joberg.' If you think that us Colorado teens aren't the most capable of drivers..you should go for a ride out here!



After a few missed turns and plenty of laughs, we arrived at the Soweto Community Church. It was an incredible service with some of the most loving people I have ever had contact with. We were greeted with hugs from literally every person in the room.



From there we went off to yet another amazing meal in Soweto. Although the sound of ox tail was far from appetizing, I will have to admit it was some of the best meat I have had in a long time. We even got to joke around with some kids playing soccer. We wanted to join the game but Dad (Gershwin) wouldn't let us, only thinking about protecting our vulnerable shins that he was convinced they would shatter. With Sihle's help, I was able to regretfully turn down a playful invitation to stay at a young kid's "five star shack." ;)



This is about when God drowned us in His undeniable presence. Unable to ignore it, we saw God today. We journeyed to an orphanage in Soweto that is one of the most incredible places I have ever been. We toured the three bedroom home that proudly housed 45 joyous kids despite broken plumbing, crumbling walls, no refrigerator, few beds, and the lack of a working stove. 'My Sister' opened her home to kids in the late 80s and has been hard at work since then. Whenever they were able to draw us away from the kids we now adore, we were also put to work! We washed clothes by hand (thank you, Mom, for having a washing machine), tore down a roof, fed the kids, and helped with whatever else was needed.



We then went to dinner at one of Gersh's good friend's, Ashley, house. We all fell instantly in love with him. He is the regional director of Scripture Union (a version of Young Life). He was charismatic to us all and had a great time with us..at first observing and then jumping (literally) right into our antics.



A few minutes ago, as a bunch of us were just hanging out, Kelsey pointed out, with a decent scream, that there was a lizard in the corner. I, pretending to be Crocodile Dundee, decided to pick it up to take it outside. Great idea until the little monster bit me. haha! In the end, we got it outside and do not worry, I will be just fine despite the fact that I am foaming from the mouth and have occasional convulsions. KIDDING!!

Much love and lots of hugs,

Nicole



P.S. We are heading to Krugar in a mere few hours and will most likely not have internet so do NOT panic if we miss a few days of blogging, we will phone if there are any casualties via hungry lions, trampling elephants, stumbling giraffes, mad hippos, vicious rhinos, or angry youth leaders. But really, don't worry. :)

Day 1!!!

I am sorry that this post is belated, but we had quite a busy night last night. Yesterday was amazing and such an eye-opening experience for us all. The day started off with a great homemade breakfast at the "castle" that we're staying at. After that, we spent nearly four hours at the Apartheid Museum. It was absolutely huge and it was amazing all of the information we took in. After that, we went to a huge mall to eat lunch. There were hardly any white people in the mall, but it feels so weird being such a minority among so many people. One of the most surprising things that I realized was how nice and accepting everyone is! The children are among the most loving people I have met in my life, and they seem to never be able to give enough love. We met manhy children like this in a huge "informal settlement". This is basically a gigantic city made solely out of shacks. No matter who we met, we were granted with names, hand holding, and plenty of hugs. We have been so blessed to meet as amazing of people as we have. Many of them work at Soweto Community Church and they have been very amazed how wrong we have proved the steriotypes of whites. Time for bed!
-Andrew Martinek

In the beginning...

So here we are in a suburb of JHB called Chartwell West, it's 5:32AM in the morning and I cannot sleep! I guess that's what comes with traveling 26 + hours (a 16 hour flight straight from Atlanta in JHB no less). But we're here...our feet has walked on the African soil...although at this stage it has just been the paved halls of an airport and the parking garage.

Today the exploration and adventure starts in earnest. Last night looking into the eyes of 13 tired, unsure, excited high school students I talked again of just simple honesty. I short time to remind us that if we are able to show up to this with honesty and openness that God will do the rest. I don't say that in a coy or flippant way but I say that having done enough experiences like this to know that there is an overwhelming desire to want to control, to want to label and to just make sense of. It is much harder to show up open, honest and say. "I don't know to much of anything right now...can you please show me? Can you please lead me?" That will be our aim spot, to show up asking, pleading and hoping.

Today, we jump right into the cauldron! After breakfast it's onto the Apartheid Museum with our friends Gigi and Sihle (who have just been phenomenal hosts) and then for the rest of the day with them and some other friends in Soweto and another informal settlement where some of their church members live. From here on out Lara and I are less likely to be doing the posting and you are more likely to read the words, thoughts and experiences of one of the 13 great young people we have with us.

So..."Lord, today it will be very easy to want to control, pretend like we know what's going on. It will be very easy to just breeze through everything just looking but not really seeing, to hear all these noises and sounds but to never really listen. Our confession is that we to easily label and try to define, we feel like it makes things easier that way. Teach us today to not just to look, but to see, to listen and not just to hear. Today, teach us..." AMEN

Johannesburg!!!

We've arrived safely in Johannesburg and are in the process of getting everyone settled in their rooms for the night. Lots of exhausted faces and blurry eyes at this point, but everyone is in good spirits and excited to be here. Flight was really looooonnnnngggg, but we were met at the airport by our wonderful host couple despite the fact that the flight was late. The students grabbed dinner with them (hooray for food that wasn't cooked on an airplane!) while Gersh and Lara got everything set up with rental cars and cell phones.

Lara's cell: 011-27-82-379-5748
Gersh will be switching to a South African number tomorrow morning, so we'll get you that number tomorrow.

Driving on the left side of the road went well too... We were all so slap happy at that point that it was pretty entertaining. :) Thanks for all the prayers over the last two days for safe travel!

Right now.... must sleep.....

Welcome!

Thank you for joining us on our South Africa journey! Our intention is to update this blog regularly throughout our trip, so we can communicate with friends and family back home. Each of the students and leaders will be contributing posts, so our hope is this page will be filled with a variety of thoughts and experiences as we embrace what God has in store for us.

One week from today we will be boarding the plane... it's amazing how fast this time of preparation for the trip has gone. We are grateful to everyone who has supported us over the last several months! Next Wednesday, July 21st at 6pm we are having a time of prayer before the group leaves the following morning. All are welcome to come join us. We will meet in the high school room at Greenwood. Hope to see you there!