Got to Lesotho Saturday morning.
Will spend the next month here working at an orphanage in Maseru. Possible ski trip in the mountains some weekend. Will be flying home end of July.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Weballe
Okay wow.... six weeks in Uganda has come to a close.
We're back to South Africa tomorrow morning. I can't believe our time here is over.
It was wonderful... rocky at times... but God really is at work here in this country.
Two people on our team ended up with malaria... Sylvia and David... and three people with jiggers (worms) in their feet. Gross.
So as for now we have a going away party here tonight and then we leave at three thirty a.m. for the airport. I think we will spend the weekend fighting over the washing machines and eating at Spur before we leave Sunday for our last week of outreach at the deaf and blind school in Qwa-Qwa.
Then we have a week of debriefing and then the DTS will be over. Unbelievable.
I will try and post again sometime, but just in case I can't my plans for after the DTS is that I will do some traveling in southern Africa.
I'll spend sometime with friends in Pretoria, then off to Lesotho for awhile where we may even have the possibility to spend sometime in the mountains snowboarding. And then there is a possibility of a trip to Botswana and Namibia but those aren't for sure.
I miss you and love you all. Thank you so much for your continued support.
It's going to be blistering cold when we get back to South Africa... I'm so ready.
Clare
We're back to South Africa tomorrow morning. I can't believe our time here is over.
It was wonderful... rocky at times... but God really is at work here in this country.
Two people on our team ended up with malaria... Sylvia and David... and three people with jiggers (worms) in their feet. Gross.
So as for now we have a going away party here tonight and then we leave at three thirty a.m. for the airport. I think we will spend the weekend fighting over the washing machines and eating at Spur before we leave Sunday for our last week of outreach at the deaf and blind school in Qwa-Qwa.
Then we have a week of debriefing and then the DTS will be over. Unbelievable.
I will try and post again sometime, but just in case I can't my plans for after the DTS is that I will do some traveling in southern Africa.
I'll spend sometime with friends in Pretoria, then off to Lesotho for awhile where we may even have the possibility to spend sometime in the mountains snowboarding. And then there is a possibility of a trip to Botswana and Namibia but those aren't for sure.
I miss you and love you all. Thank you so much for your continued support.
It's going to be blistering cold when we get back to South Africa... I'm so ready.
Clare
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Avos
Okay just a super quick update.
Got back to Mukono/Kampala this morning and will be here for the rest of our time here in Uganda... two weeks.
We spent two weeks in different refugee camps. The first one was called Corabelle and the second Dino, which was very rural and was actually next to the village that Joseph Kony and Alice Lakwena came from. Neither had electricity, we were living in huts, but the water situation was not as bad as we were expecting... so I took the braids out, ha.
This past week we spent building mud houses in a very rural village that our ministry director here actually grew up in. It was very fun.
I have lots to fill you all in on and could probably write for hours and hours but as I have four minutes left on my internet time this will have to do.
Thank you, love you all.
Clare
1 Thess 4
Got back to Mukono/Kampala this morning and will be here for the rest of our time here in Uganda... two weeks.
We spent two weeks in different refugee camps. The first one was called Corabelle and the second Dino, which was very rural and was actually next to the village that Joseph Kony and Alice Lakwena came from. Neither had electricity, we were living in huts, but the water situation was not as bad as we were expecting... so I took the braids out, ha.
This past week we spent building mud houses in a very rural village that our ministry director here actually grew up in. It was very fun.
I have lots to fill you all in on and could probably write for hours and hours but as I have four minutes left on my internet time this will have to do.
Thank you, love you all.
Clare
1 Thess 4
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Bye Mzungo
I have just spent the past five and a half hours sitting on the floor of a beauty salon while three women pulled at my hair and stretched my scalp while braiding it. I experienced pain I didn't even know exsisted. It was like some weird Vietnamese torture device.
And why you ask? Because this coming Sunday I will be going to place where the pathetic bucket and cup bathing method I'm using now is going to be an impossibility, and I will be walking 12 kilometers to fetch my water. This means that I will not be washing my hair for the next month.... hence, the braids.
Ladies and gentlemen you have entered the no comfort zone.
Uganda is very green. Tha is something I have been very suprised by. As the equator runs right through it is also very warm and very sticky.
We spent the week up in a village called Kikuuta (GE KOO TA). In the mornings we went from door to door doing house visits and in the afternoon holding services and childrens programs. Sylvia and I got put in charge of the childrens program and it was an absolute blast playing with the village children. We taught on David and Goliath and Daniel and the Lion's Den. They loved it and were all so smart!
One girl in particular really stuck out to me. Her name was Rebecca, she was thirteen years old. She was our interpreter for the teachings because she spoke, English, Luganda, and Swahili. (Luganda is most widely spoken here). She wants to be a doctor.
Yesterday (Wednesday) morning was definitely the highlight of the week for me. Godwin (the man in charge of the Youth Center we are staying at) took us to meet his pastor way, way up in the jungle, and to show us one of their ministries there. They took us to this little tiny village where their church has planted a coffee and banana farm. They came into this village two years ago, built a church, built the farm, and have completely transformed the village. What once was a place filled with drunkards and prostitutes, is now a proactive, entirely employed community all because of the farm there. It employs close to 100 workers and provides schooling for the workers children. The really cool part to me was that an American Christian businessman in California heard about this ministry and is buying the coffee to sell in his chain of coffee shops back in the states.
It was so awesome to me to see an entire ministry that is really being active and it wasn't based around the leaders ability to preach or evangelize. These people came into the village with a practical goal and by doing so have changed the lives of an entire community.
We leave on Sunday for Gulu where the camp is.
Please continue praying for us and if you get the chance watch the documentary, Invisible Children. We're going to be where this took and is taking place.
~Clare
Matthew 7
And why you ask? Because this coming Sunday I will be going to place where the pathetic bucket and cup bathing method I'm using now is going to be an impossibility, and I will be walking 12 kilometers to fetch my water. This means that I will not be washing my hair for the next month.... hence, the braids.
Ladies and gentlemen you have entered the no comfort zone.
Uganda is very green. Tha is something I have been very suprised by. As the equator runs right through it is also very warm and very sticky.
We spent the week up in a village called Kikuuta (GE KOO TA). In the mornings we went from door to door doing house visits and in the afternoon holding services and childrens programs. Sylvia and I got put in charge of the childrens program and it was an absolute blast playing with the village children. We taught on David and Goliath and Daniel and the Lion's Den. They loved it and were all so smart!
One girl in particular really stuck out to me. Her name was Rebecca, she was thirteen years old. She was our interpreter for the teachings because she spoke, English, Luganda, and Swahili. (Luganda is most widely spoken here). She wants to be a doctor.
Yesterday (Wednesday) morning was definitely the highlight of the week for me. Godwin (the man in charge of the Youth Center we are staying at) took us to meet his pastor way, way up in the jungle, and to show us one of their ministries there. They took us to this little tiny village where their church has planted a coffee and banana farm. They came into this village two years ago, built a church, built the farm, and have completely transformed the village. What once was a place filled with drunkards and prostitutes, is now a proactive, entirely employed community all because of the farm there. It employs close to 100 workers and provides schooling for the workers children. The really cool part to me was that an American Christian businessman in California heard about this ministry and is buying the coffee to sell in his chain of coffee shops back in the states.
It was so awesome to me to see an entire ministry that is really being active and it wasn't based around the leaders ability to preach or evangelize. These people came into the village with a practical goal and by doing so have changed the lives of an entire community.
We leave on Sunday for Gulu where the camp is.
Please continue praying for us and if you get the chance watch the documentary, Invisible Children. We're going to be where this took and is taking place.
~Clare
Matthew 7
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Safe and sound in Uganda.
No running water. No showers. No toilets.
Have been blessed with electricity, although power outages are frequent.
Hair is coming out by the handfulls because of my anti-malarials.
The people are beautiful. Can't wait to get more into the ministry.
I am very uncomfortable and I know that God is really going to stretch me these next six weeks.
Please continue praying for us.
Kampala/Mukono til Sunday and then leave for the camp
My cell number here is 0771674185.
- Clare
Ephesians 4
No running water. No showers. No toilets.
Have been blessed with electricity, although power outages are frequent.
Hair is coming out by the handfulls because of my anti-malarials.
The people are beautiful. Can't wait to get more into the ministry.
I am very uncomfortable and I know that God is really going to stretch me these next six weeks.
Please continue praying for us.
Kampala/Mukono til Sunday and then leave for the camp
My cell number here is 0771674185.
- Clare
Ephesians 4
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Watermelons
I would like to dedicate this post to Melissa Redd, so I'm going to start out by saying:
Hello my good looking friends!
I kind of can't believe that it is outreach time. It seems like just yesterday to me that I was sitting in the Norfolk airport sipping Starbucks waiting for my plane.... And then getting off the plane, going home, going to Panera with two of the most amazing people I know, and then doing it all over again the next day. You know what they say, third times a charm. (Wait...what?)
Uganda has seemed like a far off dream to me and the fact that this time next week I will be in the country I have felt my heart pulling me to since before I even set foot on this continent is surreal to say the least... to be entirely honest I am quite frightened. I have no idea what to expect. We'll be in the capital, Kampala, for at least the first week and then we'll head up to the northern Sudanese border to the refugee camp. I know this might seem silly, especially since we are only going to be there for two months.
And I know that this next statement is going to seem even sillier but I just feel like after all of the documentaries I've watched on Uganda (I'm not a na•ve American judging an entire country based on documentaries, really I'm not ...but my mom did always tell me to believe everything I see on TV) - child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, fat women (did you know that in Uganda really fat women are considered beautiful, and that young girls will actually go through a "sitting in" period where they stay in a hut and drink full fat milk all day to fatten up... sehr interessant), well it just seems like this country has so much pain, deep seeded wounds. I know that Uganda needs Jesus, and Aslan is already on the move so much there. Actually, because of the missionary work being done in Uganda, it is the only African country that has a negative HIV growth rate. It's beautiful to hear about all the work there. But then you hear about the child sacrifices. You hear about the witchcraft. You hear about Sudanese rebels crossing the border and gunning down two hundred people in a church.
So yes, I'm frightened.
But as it grows closer I am so thankful for my classes here. I really do feel that because of all the spiritual tools I have learned here, well I feel like I have a whole arsenal to throw at Satan's face... I'm ready to destroy his work in Uganda, and bring Christ's work.
Our last week of class was on Biblical Theism. Basically, what a Biblical worldview should be like. It was very interesting. Marguerite, our teacher, told us that if you have the wrong idea of God, especially His character, then it is going to effect everything, and basically you'll have a wrong view of the world. If you don't understand that in Genesis we were created to have dignity then you'll never fully respect the dignity of any individual, whether its Bill Gates or a the mother of six living in a shack in Soweto. They were created with the same amount of dignity. That mother is a candidate for sympathy, not just charity (Please read "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller). Putting her in Bill Gates mansion and providing her with everything she could ever desire doesn't give her dignity. And by looking at her, anyone in need, and attempting to do that, well we are in fact taking their dignity away. And this is where the difference between community development and aid comes in.
Sidenote: She also used a lot of talks from Louie Giglio... please check him out. This guy is awesome, and so casual and humble about the pure gold that God puts through his mouth.
We had a nice long weekend break, so myself, Wilma, Sylvia, Lizzie, Nancy (Nigeria), and Jessica (Paraguay) all went and spent the weekend in Lesotho. We stayed in Maseru with two British girls who are volunteering with the Durham Link. Lesotho is a beautiful country. It is very mountainous and we went up one night to watch the sunset on top of this mountain that overlooks all of Maseru. It was so beautiful. The Besotho people are so lovely. They are so happy to have you in their country, and proud to show you what they have to offer. I am hoping to spend some time in Lesotho after my DTS since I will have a full six weeks afterwards. There is a village/town called Simongkong way up in the mountains where I would love to go. You have to use horses to get around up there.
We left Friday afternoon and came back Tuesday evening, around five o'clock. We wanted to be back before it got dark because this week was South African elections, and there was some talk of riots in the towns.
So we're sitting in the hall around six-thirty, casually eating our dinner, and sharing stories from our weekend apart when we hear this big bang, kind of like a bomb going off, right outside the hall. All of the sudden, four South African Army men come charging in the hall telling us that we have thirty minutes to pack a bag and then we had two move because the "rebels" were on their way. This is what they call outreach/survival week. I would like to call it hell. They took us off in the middle of the night, no clue where we were going, with only a backpack and a map. We hiked 5km in the pitch black, freezing cold (its almost winter here) to get to this farm. When we got to the farm we were split up into groups of two, given a quick (five minutes, literally) lesson on how to orientate a map, and a watermelon (turns out that was to be our only food for the whole week) and then taken off and separated. I was set in the middle of a sunflower field and told to wait there until he came to get us in the morning. Luckily, I had an amazing partner, Lean, from Pretoria, because otherwise I don't think I would have made it through that first night let alone what was to follow.
Long story short we spend the next three days hiking forty kilometers, sleeping in the mountains in shelters we made ourselves, taking courses on how to drudge through the bush, how to spot land mines, and purify water, all courtesy of the South African Army. [Ben Travis - I'm not really sure why, but this kind of seemed to me like something you would like.... And I mean that in an entirely masochistic sort of way.] I would have to say that the highlight of my week came on the second night, though. We all had to hike to the top of this mountain and set up our own individual camps, making shelters out of what we found there. Lean and I were really set way away from the rest of the group on the other side of a swamp on top of this hill. At first we didn't really mind because there way this cozy little cave there that we decided to clear out and use for our shelter... and then, it got dark at about six. As we were sitting in our cave casually discussing what we would rather be eating then watermelon we heard a growl just outside the cave. Yes, that's right ladies and gents, we had a visitor - your friendly neighborhood mountain lion. So Lean goes out and scares them off, or so we think. About an hour later we go to bed, and Lean is sound asleep snoring away and I hear it again, only this time there were multiple growlers. I frantically wake up Lean, we pray, and then decide that we are going to try and trek down the mountain, in the dark, to make it to one of the other camps. So we set out, nervously singing praise and worship as we take baby steps down and after about twenty minutes (should have taken us ten tops) and several wrong turns we made it to another groups camp where we were able to spend the night next to a big warm fire.
All in a day's work in the life of a bush missionary... I think I maybe called to a more urban ministry.
Well I'm sure you're all used to this by now, but I'm not sure when I will be able to post again. I leave for Uganda Thursday morning and the next few days are going to be pretty busy getting ready to the trip. I'll be in the capitol for a bit, so hopefully I'll be able to post something there - give you my first impressions of the country and more details as to what exactly our work will be there.
Please pray for us - for us and the other team from our base which will be going to Mozambique. Pray for safety, particularly in the area of malaria. A team from the School of Frontier Missions just got back from their outreach in the Refugee camp and every single one of them got malaria, and that was while they were on anti malarials. Pray for the hearts of the people that we'll come in contact with... that got will prepare the way for them to hear the gospel, particularly in the refugee camp where Jesus could bring such hope to these people. It is amazing to see what God has already done for this trip, I can hardly wait for what is to come.
Thank you all so much for your support, for taking the time to read this, and for your prayers. You are all such an encouragement to me here.
- Clare
Colossians 3:15-17 ....this passage as become a real comfort to me and it is something God has showed me a lot during my quiet time these past few weeks, I hope that it speaks the same to some of you.
Hello my good looking friends!
I kind of can't believe that it is outreach time. It seems like just yesterday to me that I was sitting in the Norfolk airport sipping Starbucks waiting for my plane.... And then getting off the plane, going home, going to Panera with two of the most amazing people I know, and then doing it all over again the next day. You know what they say, third times a charm. (Wait...what?)
Uganda has seemed like a far off dream to me and the fact that this time next week I will be in the country I have felt my heart pulling me to since before I even set foot on this continent is surreal to say the least... to be entirely honest I am quite frightened. I have no idea what to expect. We'll be in the capital, Kampala, for at least the first week and then we'll head up to the northern Sudanese border to the refugee camp. I know this might seem silly, especially since we are only going to be there for two months.
And I know that this next statement is going to seem even sillier but I just feel like after all of the documentaries I've watched on Uganda (I'm not a na•ve American judging an entire country based on documentaries, really I'm not ...but my mom did always tell me to believe everything I see on TV) - child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, fat women (did you know that in Uganda really fat women are considered beautiful, and that young girls will actually go through a "sitting in" period where they stay in a hut and drink full fat milk all day to fatten up... sehr interessant), well it just seems like this country has so much pain, deep seeded wounds. I know that Uganda needs Jesus, and Aslan is already on the move so much there. Actually, because of the missionary work being done in Uganda, it is the only African country that has a negative HIV growth rate. It's beautiful to hear about all the work there. But then you hear about the child sacrifices. You hear about the witchcraft. You hear about Sudanese rebels crossing the border and gunning down two hundred people in a church.
So yes, I'm frightened.
But as it grows closer I am so thankful for my classes here. I really do feel that because of all the spiritual tools I have learned here, well I feel like I have a whole arsenal to throw at Satan's face... I'm ready to destroy his work in Uganda, and bring Christ's work.
Our last week of class was on Biblical Theism. Basically, what a Biblical worldview should be like. It was very interesting. Marguerite, our teacher, told us that if you have the wrong idea of God, especially His character, then it is going to effect everything, and basically you'll have a wrong view of the world. If you don't understand that in Genesis we were created to have dignity then you'll never fully respect the dignity of any individual, whether its Bill Gates or a the mother of six living in a shack in Soweto. They were created with the same amount of dignity. That mother is a candidate for sympathy, not just charity (Please read "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller). Putting her in Bill Gates mansion and providing her with everything she could ever desire doesn't give her dignity. And by looking at her, anyone in need, and attempting to do that, well we are in fact taking their dignity away. And this is where the difference between community development and aid comes in.
Sidenote: She also used a lot of talks from Louie Giglio... please check him out. This guy is awesome, and so casual and humble about the pure gold that God puts through his mouth.
We had a nice long weekend break, so myself, Wilma, Sylvia, Lizzie, Nancy (Nigeria), and Jessica (Paraguay) all went and spent the weekend in Lesotho. We stayed in Maseru with two British girls who are volunteering with the Durham Link. Lesotho is a beautiful country. It is very mountainous and we went up one night to watch the sunset on top of this mountain that overlooks all of Maseru. It was so beautiful. The Besotho people are so lovely. They are so happy to have you in their country, and proud to show you what they have to offer. I am hoping to spend some time in Lesotho after my DTS since I will have a full six weeks afterwards. There is a village/town called Simongkong way up in the mountains where I would love to go. You have to use horses to get around up there.
We left Friday afternoon and came back Tuesday evening, around five o'clock. We wanted to be back before it got dark because this week was South African elections, and there was some talk of riots in the towns.
So we're sitting in the hall around six-thirty, casually eating our dinner, and sharing stories from our weekend apart when we hear this big bang, kind of like a bomb going off, right outside the hall. All of the sudden, four South African Army men come charging in the hall telling us that we have thirty minutes to pack a bag and then we had two move because the "rebels" were on their way. This is what they call outreach/survival week. I would like to call it hell. They took us off in the middle of the night, no clue where we were going, with only a backpack and a map. We hiked 5km in the pitch black, freezing cold (its almost winter here) to get to this farm. When we got to the farm we were split up into groups of two, given a quick (five minutes, literally) lesson on how to orientate a map, and a watermelon (turns out that was to be our only food for the whole week) and then taken off and separated. I was set in the middle of a sunflower field and told to wait there until he came to get us in the morning. Luckily, I had an amazing partner, Lean, from Pretoria, because otherwise I don't think I would have made it through that first night let alone what was to follow.
Long story short we spend the next three days hiking forty kilometers, sleeping in the mountains in shelters we made ourselves, taking courses on how to drudge through the bush, how to spot land mines, and purify water, all courtesy of the South African Army. [Ben Travis - I'm not really sure why, but this kind of seemed to me like something you would like.... And I mean that in an entirely masochistic sort of way.] I would have to say that the highlight of my week came on the second night, though. We all had to hike to the top of this mountain and set up our own individual camps, making shelters out of what we found there. Lean and I were really set way away from the rest of the group on the other side of a swamp on top of this hill. At first we didn't really mind because there way this cozy little cave there that we decided to clear out and use for our shelter... and then, it got dark at about six. As we were sitting in our cave casually discussing what we would rather be eating then watermelon we heard a growl just outside the cave. Yes, that's right ladies and gents, we had a visitor - your friendly neighborhood mountain lion. So Lean goes out and scares them off, or so we think. About an hour later we go to bed, and Lean is sound asleep snoring away and I hear it again, only this time there were multiple growlers. I frantically wake up Lean, we pray, and then decide that we are going to try and trek down the mountain, in the dark, to make it to one of the other camps. So we set out, nervously singing praise and worship as we take baby steps down and after about twenty minutes (should have taken us ten tops) and several wrong turns we made it to another groups camp where we were able to spend the night next to a big warm fire.
All in a day's work in the life of a bush missionary... I think I maybe called to a more urban ministry.
Well I'm sure you're all used to this by now, but I'm not sure when I will be able to post again. I leave for Uganda Thursday morning and the next few days are going to be pretty busy getting ready to the trip. I'll be in the capitol for a bit, so hopefully I'll be able to post something there - give you my first impressions of the country and more details as to what exactly our work will be there.
Please pray for us - for us and the other team from our base which will be going to Mozambique. Pray for safety, particularly in the area of malaria. A team from the School of Frontier Missions just got back from their outreach in the Refugee camp and every single one of them got malaria, and that was while they were on anti malarials. Pray for the hearts of the people that we'll come in contact with... that got will prepare the way for them to hear the gospel, particularly in the refugee camp where Jesus could bring such hope to these people. It is amazing to see what God has already done for this trip, I can hardly wait for what is to come.
Thank you all so much for your support, for taking the time to read this, and for your prayers. You are all such an encouragement to me here.
- Clare
Colossians 3:15-17 ....this passage as become a real comfort to me and it is something God has showed me a lot during my quiet time these past few weeks, I hope that it speaks the same to some of you.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Okay quick run down of the past two weeks.
The last two topics have been Deliverance and Discipleship. Both speakers Jorge and Tabo (from YWAM Lesotho) were amazing. Discipleship was really awesome because it talked about the difference between fellowship ministering and discipleship.
Last weekend was a nice quiet one. Myself and two other DTS students stayed on the base and watched Lizzie while everyone else went to a wedding near Durban. It was very relaxing and for sure needed since we went on ministry two days this week (Tuesday to Bohkolokong and Wednesday to the hospital ward where myself and two other girls, Wilma and Anna, got to go pray in the maternity ward. What and amazing experience!) and am about to leave for a mini outreach to Lindley - so again everyone is exhausted but excited to see what the Lord has in store for the upcoming weekend.
Love and miss you all! Will write more after this weekend and will hopefully be posting pictures soooon! Please keep us in your prayers. We leave for Uganda in a little more than three weeks!
Clare
Psalm 121
The last two topics have been Deliverance and Discipleship. Both speakers Jorge and Tabo (from YWAM Lesotho) were amazing. Discipleship was really awesome because it talked about the difference between fellowship ministering and discipleship.
Last weekend was a nice quiet one. Myself and two other DTS students stayed on the base and watched Lizzie while everyone else went to a wedding near Durban. It was very relaxing and for sure needed since we went on ministry two days this week (Tuesday to Bohkolokong and Wednesday to the hospital ward where myself and two other girls, Wilma and Anna, got to go pray in the maternity ward. What and amazing experience!) and am about to leave for a mini outreach to Lindley - so again everyone is exhausted but excited to see what the Lord has in store for the upcoming weekend.
Love and miss you all! Will write more after this weekend and will hopefully be posting pictures soooon! Please keep us in your prayers. We leave for Uganda in a little more than three weeks!
Clare
Psalm 121
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mangoes and Toothpaste
I am SO SORRY that I have let it go this long without posting. These past few weeks have been utter chaos, but I will try and do better. Here is a quick rundown on what we've been up to here at YWAM Bethelehm.
Qwa Qwa - so last time I wrote was before our mini outreach to the deaf and blind school at Qwa Qwa (with a click in between the q and wa). Let me just tell you, we were only there for two and a half days, but that was by far the most amazing time I have had since I have been in South Africa. We got there on a Friday afternoon and were instantly best friends with all of the kids there. I would say the vast majority of the students were deaf, with just a handfull blind, so we learned lots of sign language and were even given all of our own face names! (Mine, you make the shape of an L and then swing it over your hair - they really liked braiding my hair, for some reason). Saturday began with team devotions where we talked about "Let the little children come unto me..." which I gained whole new insight into during my time there. After devotions, I spent most of the day in the creche, just playig with the kids and a few other team members. Saturday night we performed one of our lighter dramas for them, which they loved because it was all mime. Then we had a dance party! It was amazing to see how they could move to the music just by feeling the beat, and not being able to hear anything. Saturday night we were all exhausted, and it was an early night for the team. Sunday morning we got to host church for them. David from Houston gave the sermon, and some of the team performed the more serious Evanesnce drama (it's amazing, if you haven't seen it you should youtube it). It was really sad to leave on Sunday, but I will admit that it was nice to come back and get some downtime in before classes started again on Monday. We are all hoping to get back to the school though sometime before the DTS is over.
Monday we had a new speaker in from Pretoria who spoke on the Father Heart of God, and the Plumbline (Amos 7:7-9). It was very interesting to hear about the different kinds of rejection, and how to minister to them, especially in Uganda when we come across people who have faced such serious rejection.
Because we had a mini outreach before we were given this past weekend off from Friday to Monday. One of the other YWAMers on the base is from Pretoria, so he invited some of us to his home for the weekend. It was such a nice break beging off the base and getting to see more of South Africa. Pretoria is a beautiful city, and his family was so gracious and hospitable!
This past week's topic was Community Development and our speaker was Dr. Graham Catto, also from Pretoria. This was, for me, the best week so far. Dr. Catto was such a wise man and I just felt like I could sit there and soak in all his Biblical wisdom for hours. I took about fifteen pages of notes, and everything he spoke on was practical, and things that I know we will use. He talked about how our worldview plays a role in how we see our spiritual lives. He taught a lot on how a biblical worldview should be, and how while we're on outreach we're going to need to be very aware of the different worldviews in order to minister to them. For us, he focused mostly on the animistic worldview since that is what we'll come across in Uganda. He spoke on the difference between aid, relief, and community development, and on all the different kinds of poverty. Hearing him speak got me so excited to go on outreach!
This past weekend we were invited to a local Afrikaaner farmer church, which was very nice, but in all Afrikaans. We performed the Evanesence skit again and it was really nice to get feedback from the community. This week we have a team from Argentina visiting, with our speaker - Jorge Rios. This man has an amazing testimony. He grew up in Peru, and when he was seventeen he joined a group of guerillas fighting for the communists in his country. He has only been speaking for two days, but so far it has been amazing to hear this man's testimony and how the Lord has changed his life. He is now leading a YWAM base in southern Argentina. I will try and write more about him in my next post since he'll be our speaker for these next two weeks. His topics are the Lordship of Christ and Spiritual Warfare. Colossia
Just a quick footnote - I am definitely going to be going to Uganda for outreach and I will leave at the end of April. There are fifteen other people on the base that feel the Lord has called them to do their outreach there as well, but of course, money is an issue. We have to have our money for our visa and plane ticket in by the end of March ($550 or R5500) so if anyone is interested in helping sponsor a team member you can e-mail me at cshanley89@hotmail.com or my Mom at j.shanley@cox.net
Well, sorry again about the long break in between posts. I'll try and write again this weekend since we'll have Saturday off. Please continue to keep this base and team in your prayers. Love to all!!
Clare
Romans 12:2
Qwa Qwa - so last time I wrote was before our mini outreach to the deaf and blind school at Qwa Qwa (with a click in between the q and wa). Let me just tell you, we were only there for two and a half days, but that was by far the most amazing time I have had since I have been in South Africa. We got there on a Friday afternoon and were instantly best friends with all of the kids there. I would say the vast majority of the students were deaf, with just a handfull blind, so we learned lots of sign language and were even given all of our own face names! (Mine, you make the shape of an L and then swing it over your hair - they really liked braiding my hair, for some reason). Saturday began with team devotions where we talked about "Let the little children come unto me..." which I gained whole new insight into during my time there. After devotions, I spent most of the day in the creche, just playig with the kids and a few other team members. Saturday night we performed one of our lighter dramas for them, which they loved because it was all mime. Then we had a dance party! It was amazing to see how they could move to the music just by feeling the beat, and not being able to hear anything. Saturday night we were all exhausted, and it was an early night for the team. Sunday morning we got to host church for them. David from Houston gave the sermon, and some of the team performed the more serious Evanesnce drama (it's amazing, if you haven't seen it you should youtube it). It was really sad to leave on Sunday, but I will admit that it was nice to come back and get some downtime in before classes started again on Monday. We are all hoping to get back to the school though sometime before the DTS is over.
Monday we had a new speaker in from Pretoria who spoke on the Father Heart of God, and the Plumbline (Amos 7:7-9). It was very interesting to hear about the different kinds of rejection, and how to minister to them, especially in Uganda when we come across people who have faced such serious rejection.
Because we had a mini outreach before we were given this past weekend off from Friday to Monday. One of the other YWAMers on the base is from Pretoria, so he invited some of us to his home for the weekend. It was such a nice break beging off the base and getting to see more of South Africa. Pretoria is a beautiful city, and his family was so gracious and hospitable!
This past week's topic was Community Development and our speaker was Dr. Graham Catto, also from Pretoria. This was, for me, the best week so far. Dr. Catto was such a wise man and I just felt like I could sit there and soak in all his Biblical wisdom for hours. I took about fifteen pages of notes, and everything he spoke on was practical, and things that I know we will use. He talked about how our worldview plays a role in how we see our spiritual lives. He taught a lot on how a biblical worldview should be, and how while we're on outreach we're going to need to be very aware of the different worldviews in order to minister to them. For us, he focused mostly on the animistic worldview since that is what we'll come across in Uganda. He spoke on the difference between aid, relief, and community development, and on all the different kinds of poverty. Hearing him speak got me so excited to go on outreach!
This past weekend we were invited to a local Afrikaaner farmer church, which was very nice, but in all Afrikaans. We performed the Evanesence skit again and it was really nice to get feedback from the community. This week we have a team from Argentina visiting, with our speaker - Jorge Rios. This man has an amazing testimony. He grew up in Peru, and when he was seventeen he joined a group of guerillas fighting for the communists in his country. He has only been speaking for two days, but so far it has been amazing to hear this man's testimony and how the Lord has changed his life. He is now leading a YWAM base in southern Argentina. I will try and write more about him in my next post since he'll be our speaker for these next two weeks. His topics are the Lordship of Christ and Spiritual Warfare. Colossia
Just a quick footnote - I am definitely going to be going to Uganda for outreach and I will leave at the end of April. There are fifteen other people on the base that feel the Lord has called them to do their outreach there as well, but of course, money is an issue. We have to have our money for our visa and plane ticket in by the end of March ($550 or R5500) so if anyone is interested in helping sponsor a team member you can e-mail me at cshanley89@hotmail.com or my Mom at j.shanley@cox.net
Well, sorry again about the long break in between posts. I'll try and write again this weekend since we'll have Saturday off. Please continue to keep this base and team in your prayers. Love to all!!
Clare
Romans 12:2
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hey Guys!
Just a really quick post here because I'm not sure if I am going to be able to put anything up this weekend.
So Sunday we went to a Sosotho church, for the first time. It was crazy! The worship was amazing! It was loud and people were singing at the top of their lungs, and dancing all over the place! It was one of my favorite things I have done so far BUT the pastor gave a sermon for an hour and a half!!! Towards the end we are all getting a little antsy, but I for sure can't wait to go be part of that worship again!
This week's topic is "Hearing God's Voice" and we have two speakers from the Durban base teaching - Grace and Esme. It is only the third day, we have two more to go, but so far this might be my favorite week. They are so practical in their teachings and are chock full of wisdom! I can't wait to see what these next two days holds in store. (I'll write more on class later.)
I got to be part of the team that went to give out soup at Boholokong yesterday, always a blesssing. There were only four of us this time though, so it got a little hectic.
This weekend we are going on our first mini outreach to Qa-Qa (pronounced with a click and a w in between the Q and the A). It is a deaf and blind schoool about an hour away and we will be ministering to the students there. I am helping lead the team that will be in charge of the kids under ten and the intellectually disabled students. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us this weekend! Please pray for our team. Also, I have to have my decision on our major outreach in by Friday. I think I know where I am going, but I am still waiting for God to confirm so please continue to pray for that.
I hope to post something on Sunday after our return from Qa-Qa!
- Clare
"Believers, look up - take courage. The angels are nearer than you think." - Billy Graham
Just a really quick post here because I'm not sure if I am going to be able to put anything up this weekend.
So Sunday we went to a Sosotho church, for the first time. It was crazy! The worship was amazing! It was loud and people were singing at the top of their lungs, and dancing all over the place! It was one of my favorite things I have done so far BUT the pastor gave a sermon for an hour and a half!!! Towards the end we are all getting a little antsy, but I for sure can't wait to go be part of that worship again!
This week's topic is "Hearing God's Voice" and we have two speakers from the Durban base teaching - Grace and Esme. It is only the third day, we have two more to go, but so far this might be my favorite week. They are so practical in their teachings and are chock full of wisdom! I can't wait to see what these next two days holds in store. (I'll write more on class later.)
I got to be part of the team that went to give out soup at Boholokong yesterday, always a blesssing. There were only four of us this time though, so it got a little hectic.
This weekend we are going on our first mini outreach to Qa-Qa (pronounced with a click and a w in between the Q and the A). It is a deaf and blind schoool about an hour away and we will be ministering to the students there. I am helping lead the team that will be in charge of the kids under ten and the intellectually disabled students. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us this weekend! Please pray for our team. Also, I have to have my decision on our major outreach in by Friday. I think I know where I am going, but I am still waiting for God to confirm so please continue to pray for that.
I hope to post something on Sunday after our return from Qa-Qa!
- Clare
"Believers, look up - take courage. The angels are nearer than you think." - Billy Graham
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Moy Halalelang
Sorry I haven't been posting much these past two weeks. It has been really crazy here and I feel like trying to fit all of the amazing things that have been going on here into one blog post is an insurmountable task. But still.... I will try and give you the short version of it.
Last week's topic was the Holy Spirit (Moy Halalelang in Sosotho), particularly the gifts of the Holy Spirit found in the New Testament. Our speaker was amazing. His name was Stefean Hugo and he is in charge of all of the YWAM bases in southern Africa. We even had another DTS from the Drakensburg base come and stay with us for the week, which was so great to fellowship with different YWAMers! Their DTS focus is Extreme Sports and at the end of their outreach phase they are going to climb Mount Kiliminjaro. They were a small team, just five members - Pierre, from Swaziland, Cassie, from Sacramento, Melissa, from Mauritius, Tatiana from Switzerland, and Hanalee, from South Africa.
I think I have already said this, but I absolutely love the classes here. Learning about Jesus in the classroom, and then getting to go out and experience Him in our practical work has been so amazing. My favorite teaching this week was when Stefean went into the Bible and pointed out all of the practical things invoving health and hygiene that missionaries often don't speak on. A lot of missionaries will go into a village, preach to the people, convert many, and then leave the mothers with dying babies, unable to grasp the concept of their new God allowing this to happen. So he really stressed the importance of teaching health and hygiene from a biblical standpoint. For example, in Deuteronomy it talks about making sure that your bathrooms (holes in the ground) are far away from your living area.
For our ministry we have been going to Eden orphanage these past two Wednesdays, and Bohoklong on some Tuesdays and Thursday, and always on Fridays. I absolutely love our time at the orphanage. Playing with the children there has been such a blessing. We usually help feed and bathe the little ones and when it's time to go, it is so hard to walk out of those front doors. I have grown particularyly fond of a little two year old boy named Promise. He is so stubborn and grumpy, but when he does shoot you a smile, it will literally melt your heart. I think he is sick though, so please keep Promise and the other children of Eden in your prayers.
Going to Bohoklong has been a completely different experience then our time at the orphanage. Since we are actually running a soup kitchen in the squatter camp, we have been getting to know families as a unit and not just the children. Although, every time we pull up Ain our YWAM vans, the screaming BAMBALELA children continue.
One of the biggest challenges in the squatter camps is among the HIV positive people. Even though quite a few of them call themselves "Christians," animism is huge here, and many of them continue going to the ancestoral witch doctors for treatment, instead of taking their AZTs or going to see real doctors. I was told that beause of this the number of HIV positive people living in Bohoklong is uncountable.
This week's classroom topic was the Character of God. We had a local Afrikaaner pastor come and speak to us, and we went over a list of characteristics of God, and what they mean. Classroom conversation was very lively to say the least.
We also found out the location for our Outreach phase! We will be split in to two teams, (which will be very difficult since we are already such a close group) and one group will be doing some local work and going to Mozambique and another group to Uganda! Our outreach phase will be two months, and the work in Uganda will involve running a mini Discipleship Training School at a church in Kampala, and living and discipleing in some of the refugee camps on the northern border. Right now I am leaning towards Uganda, but I have until the end of the month to continue praying about it, and seeking where God wants me. I hope that you will also help me in that.
I'm not sure what this upcoming week holds in store for us, but thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I love getting on and seeing all the comments from loved ones back home. So thank you.
- Clare
Psalm 34:10
Last week's topic was the Holy Spirit (Moy Halalelang in Sosotho), particularly the gifts of the Holy Spirit found in the New Testament. Our speaker was amazing. His name was Stefean Hugo and he is in charge of all of the YWAM bases in southern Africa. We even had another DTS from the Drakensburg base come and stay with us for the week, which was so great to fellowship with different YWAMers! Their DTS focus is Extreme Sports and at the end of their outreach phase they are going to climb Mount Kiliminjaro. They were a small team, just five members - Pierre, from Swaziland, Cassie, from Sacramento, Melissa, from Mauritius, Tatiana from Switzerland, and Hanalee, from South Africa.
I think I have already said this, but I absolutely love the classes here. Learning about Jesus in the classroom, and then getting to go out and experience Him in our practical work has been so amazing. My favorite teaching this week was when Stefean went into the Bible and pointed out all of the practical things invoving health and hygiene that missionaries often don't speak on. A lot of missionaries will go into a village, preach to the people, convert many, and then leave the mothers with dying babies, unable to grasp the concept of their new God allowing this to happen. So he really stressed the importance of teaching health and hygiene from a biblical standpoint. For example, in Deuteronomy it talks about making sure that your bathrooms (holes in the ground) are far away from your living area.
For our ministry we have been going to Eden orphanage these past two Wednesdays, and Bohoklong on some Tuesdays and Thursday, and always on Fridays. I absolutely love our time at the orphanage. Playing with the children there has been such a blessing. We usually help feed and bathe the little ones and when it's time to go, it is so hard to walk out of those front doors. I have grown particularyly fond of a little two year old boy named Promise. He is so stubborn and grumpy, but when he does shoot you a smile, it will literally melt your heart. I think he is sick though, so please keep Promise and the other children of Eden in your prayers.
Going to Bohoklong has been a completely different experience then our time at the orphanage. Since we are actually running a soup kitchen in the squatter camp, we have been getting to know families as a unit and not just the children. Although, every time we pull up Ain our YWAM vans, the screaming BAMBALELA children continue.
One of the biggest challenges in the squatter camps is among the HIV positive people. Even though quite a few of them call themselves "Christians," animism is huge here, and many of them continue going to the ancestoral witch doctors for treatment, instead of taking their AZTs or going to see real doctors. I was told that beause of this the number of HIV positive people living in Bohoklong is uncountable.
This week's classroom topic was the Character of God. We had a local Afrikaaner pastor come and speak to us, and we went over a list of characteristics of God, and what they mean. Classroom conversation was very lively to say the least.
We also found out the location for our Outreach phase! We will be split in to two teams, (which will be very difficult since we are already such a close group) and one group will be doing some local work and going to Mozambique and another group to Uganda! Our outreach phase will be two months, and the work in Uganda will involve running a mini Discipleship Training School at a church in Kampala, and living and discipleing in some of the refugee camps on the northern border. Right now I am leaning towards Uganda, but I have until the end of the month to continue praying about it, and seeking where God wants me. I hope that you will also help me in that.
I'm not sure what this upcoming week holds in store for us, but thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I love getting on and seeing all the comments from loved ones back home. So thank you.
- Clare
Psalm 34:10
Saturday, February 7, 2009
BAMBALELA!!!
So we seem to be getting into the swing of things here at Youth With a Mission Bethlehem. Wake up is at 6:30, breakfast is at 7, then we either have quiet time or praise and worship for an hour and then class starts around nine. I love the classes. This past week our classes focused on quiet time and the meaning of intercession. Oh my goodness, I could just sit there and soak it all up for hours. Especially intercession! Friday morning we sat in the hall for three hours and just waited for the Lord to speak to us. It was amazing. Dan, one of the leaders from Nigeria, began an intercession for Elizabeth and Wilma. It was one of the most moving things I think I have ever experienced. By the end I think all fifteen of us were in tears!
Friday afternoon we went into Bocholochong for the first time. We were just going to go in and walk around a little bit, introduce ourselves to some of the people there, since we're not starting our official ministry there til next week. It was unbelievable being there. I have never seen anything like it, not even in India. All of our vehicles from the base have YWAM written on them, and as we pulled into the camp about fifty children came running out of their houses, their shacks really, screaming BAMBALELA! (Bambalela is the name of our ministry there, it means hold on to Jesus.) When we got out of the cars the little ones just came running up to us with their arms outstretched, grabbing on to our legs or hands or whatever they could reach, just wanting to be held. We walked around the entire camp, and I held this little Sosotho boy the entire time, he was just nuzzling his face in my shoulder. Uh, I can't wait to go back! About half way through the camp this unbelievable storm came about with some of the loudest thunder I have ever heard so we all had to make a mad dash back to the vehicles, but we were still completely soaked through and then had to go do the grocery shopping for the next week at the base dripping through the Pik'n'Pay downtown. The rain came before I got to take any pictures, but I will be sure to take some next week.
Weekends are completely free here, so last night we went and rented some movies and the entire DTS piled into the common room of the girls dorm to watch Sunshine (Cillian Murphy, Melissa!). As we were sitting there all curled up I think that most of our minds kept wandering back to the children of Bocholochong who were sitting in their probably still in their wet tattered clothes, in their leaky shacks, with their neglectful parent. There are over 600 children living in Bocholchong, and considering the number of AIDS pamphlets and billboards in the camp it is probbably safe to say that at least half of them are HIV positive. Please keep the families of Bocholochong in your prayers.
This morning twelve of us went into town and just wandered around for a few hours. There is supposed to be a storm this evening, so a group of us are going to go swimming in the dam before the rain makes it too cold to. Church tomorrow! I'll try and post with some pictures sometime early next week. Thank you guys for keeping up with this!
- C
Matthew 19:14
Friday afternoon we went into Bocholochong for the first time. We were just going to go in and walk around a little bit, introduce ourselves to some of the people there, since we're not starting our official ministry there til next week. It was unbelievable being there. I have never seen anything like it, not even in India. All of our vehicles from the base have YWAM written on them, and as we pulled into the camp about fifty children came running out of their houses, their shacks really, screaming BAMBALELA! (Bambalela is the name of our ministry there, it means hold on to Jesus.) When we got out of the cars the little ones just came running up to us with their arms outstretched, grabbing on to our legs or hands or whatever they could reach, just wanting to be held. We walked around the entire camp, and I held this little Sosotho boy the entire time, he was just nuzzling his face in my shoulder. Uh, I can't wait to go back! About half way through the camp this unbelievable storm came about with some of the loudest thunder I have ever heard so we all had to make a mad dash back to the vehicles, but we were still completely soaked through and then had to go do the grocery shopping for the next week at the base dripping through the Pik'n'Pay downtown. The rain came before I got to take any pictures, but I will be sure to take some next week.
Weekends are completely free here, so last night we went and rented some movies and the entire DTS piled into the common room of the girls dorm to watch Sunshine (Cillian Murphy, Melissa!). As we were sitting there all curled up I think that most of our minds kept wandering back to the children of Bocholochong who were sitting in their probably still in their wet tattered clothes, in their leaky shacks, with their neglectful parent. There are over 600 children living in Bocholchong, and considering the number of AIDS pamphlets and billboards in the camp it is probbably safe to say that at least half of them are HIV positive. Please keep the families of Bocholochong in your prayers.
This morning twelve of us went into town and just wandered around for a few hours. There is supposed to be a storm this evening, so a group of us are going to go swimming in the dam before the rain makes it too cold to. Church tomorrow! I'll try and post with some pictures sometime early next week. Thank you guys for keeping up with this!
- C
Matthew 19:14
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
O little town of Bethlehem!
Okay ... here we go .... my first official post. This one's for you Tilden, since I'm pretty sure you will be the only on that reads this. Haha.
So, I arrived in Johannesburg on Saruday at 5:20 P. M. after a very long three day flying extravaganza that involved canceled flights, a run in with 12 blackwater guys, a twenty hour plane ride, and very, very intimidating Senegalese (?) airport security...more than the blackwater guys! As I exited the customs area in the airport, there was a huge crowd off to the right welcoming the South African cricket team home from their victorious tour of Australia. It was really something to watch, although, I don't think it beats out India in the hard core cricket fans department... at least not yet.
South Africa is beautiful. I absolutely love it here. Every thing around me looks like a post card. The people are so friendly, and even though Bethlehem is considered "desolate" it still has quite a lot to offer! We've been getting to know the town over the past couple of days, we even did a walking tour yesterday. It is unblelievable how racist the people still are here. I was told when I first got here that if the people in town see a white person and a black person walking down the street together that they automatically assume that it is YWAM because we are the only people that really mix here. We did go to a church on Sunday that was considered a mixed race church, but even then the people did not sit next to eachother. We got the dirtiest looks walking around the shopping center in town....mostly from the white people.
The base is great...although it is a little more rustic than I was expecting it to be, but I'm definitely not complaining at all. I actually really like it, and I was told we were the lucky ones because we are the first DTS to be here with indoor plumbing.
There are people from seventeen different countries living here. Just in my school we have a German couple (from Bavaria), a guy from the Netherlands, two Canadians, a girl from Nigeria, a girl from England, a guy from Ghana, two white South Africans, two Sotho South Africans, a guy from Pakistan on his way, a boy from Bolivia, a girl from Paraguay, a girl from Honduras, and then a boy from Houston, an older man (62!) from just outside LA, and then my leader is from Kansas, Ariel. Quite the mixer! Dinner conversation is interesting for sure! Today was our first real day of classes. We had orientation yesterday, but today we started the bible work and a book we are going to be reading called Foreign to Familiar, about cross cultural encounters. I cannot wait to get into clases more. I know the conversations are going to be so interesting, with so many people from different backgrounds. Tomorrow we have our first ministry day. There are two squatter camps in Bethlehem. One called Bocholochong and one I don't remeber. Tomorrow we are running a soup kitchen in Bocholochong.
The two Canadian (Mennonite) girls have the most amazing story. They went to high school together in Alberta, and then when they graduated they decided to work for a while and just pray while God told them what to do next. Well they decided that God was telling them to go to Lesotho, even though they didn't know anything about it. When they went they were both 20, and they were just going to go work in a orphanage and rent a house for six months. While they were there working in the orphanage this man brought in his very sick one and a half year old daughter and left her there (she was HIV positive). She was so sick that Sylvia and Wilma ended up taking her to hospital where she stayed for three weeks, and then finally the doctors decided to discharge her with, basically, a death sentence. So Wilma and Sylavia took her in to take care of her, thinking they were just going to keep her safe until she died. Then God worked a miracle, and now she is a bubbly three year old, and Wilma is in the process of adopting her!!! Wilma is only 22 years old she has completely taken care of Elizabeth, nursing her back to health, and Elizabeth is the sweetest little girl, running around the base, just loving on everyone. Even now, while I was typing this she came in to give me a hug and tell me she missed me while she was at pre school. And the looks that Wilma gets while having Elizabeth around town is so difficult to watch, but she just turns a blind eye.
It is completely one thing to hear about AIDS orphans, but now that I have actually come in contact with one it is so much more emotionally difficult then I ever imagined it would be, and I know that sounds ridiculous. Here is this precious little baby girl, and before she was even born she was given a death sentence and has had her life stolen from her because of the actions of others. And this is just one baby. I can't help but think of all the other ones out there who do not have a Sylvia or a Wilma.
Last night in small group we were talking about our expectiations for this Discipleship Training School and why it is that God brought us here ... and I couldn't answer. I have know idea why it is that God has brought me to Bethlehem, South Africa of all places, but he placed on my heart and now I am here. All I know is that he has some big things to show me over the next seven months. Please pray for me, and I am always praying for you.
I am going to be able to get on about once every other dayto post something, so please keep checking. I am going to try and put up some pictures in the next post so please... stay tuned. God bless!!
- C (or D :-))
Hebrews 12:25
So, I arrived in Johannesburg on Saruday at 5:20 P. M. after a very long three day flying extravaganza that involved canceled flights, a run in with 12 blackwater guys, a twenty hour plane ride, and very, very intimidating Senegalese (?) airport security...more than the blackwater guys! As I exited the customs area in the airport, there was a huge crowd off to the right welcoming the South African cricket team home from their victorious tour of Australia. It was really something to watch, although, I don't think it beats out India in the hard core cricket fans department... at least not yet.
South Africa is beautiful. I absolutely love it here. Every thing around me looks like a post card. The people are so friendly, and even though Bethlehem is considered "desolate" it still has quite a lot to offer! We've been getting to know the town over the past couple of days, we even did a walking tour yesterday. It is unblelievable how racist the people still are here. I was told when I first got here that if the people in town see a white person and a black person walking down the street together that they automatically assume that it is YWAM because we are the only people that really mix here. We did go to a church on Sunday that was considered a mixed race church, but even then the people did not sit next to eachother. We got the dirtiest looks walking around the shopping center in town....mostly from the white people.
The base is great...although it is a little more rustic than I was expecting it to be, but I'm definitely not complaining at all. I actually really like it, and I was told we were the lucky ones because we are the first DTS to be here with indoor plumbing.
There are people from seventeen different countries living here. Just in my school we have a German couple (from Bavaria), a guy from the Netherlands, two Canadians, a girl from Nigeria, a girl from England, a guy from Ghana, two white South Africans, two Sotho South Africans, a guy from Pakistan on his way, a boy from Bolivia, a girl from Paraguay, a girl from Honduras, and then a boy from Houston, an older man (62!) from just outside LA, and then my leader is from Kansas, Ariel. Quite the mixer! Dinner conversation is interesting for sure! Today was our first real day of classes. We had orientation yesterday, but today we started the bible work and a book we are going to be reading called Foreign to Familiar, about cross cultural encounters. I cannot wait to get into clases more. I know the conversations are going to be so interesting, with so many people from different backgrounds. Tomorrow we have our first ministry day. There are two squatter camps in Bethlehem. One called Bocholochong and one I don't remeber. Tomorrow we are running a soup kitchen in Bocholochong.
The two Canadian (Mennonite) girls have the most amazing story. They went to high school together in Alberta, and then when they graduated they decided to work for a while and just pray while God told them what to do next. Well they decided that God was telling them to go to Lesotho, even though they didn't know anything about it. When they went they were both 20, and they were just going to go work in a orphanage and rent a house for six months. While they were there working in the orphanage this man brought in his very sick one and a half year old daughter and left her there (she was HIV positive). She was so sick that Sylvia and Wilma ended up taking her to hospital where she stayed for three weeks, and then finally the doctors decided to discharge her with, basically, a death sentence. So Wilma and Sylavia took her in to take care of her, thinking they were just going to keep her safe until she died. Then God worked a miracle, and now she is a bubbly three year old, and Wilma is in the process of adopting her!!! Wilma is only 22 years old she has completely taken care of Elizabeth, nursing her back to health, and Elizabeth is the sweetest little girl, running around the base, just loving on everyone. Even now, while I was typing this she came in to give me a hug and tell me she missed me while she was at pre school. And the looks that Wilma gets while having Elizabeth around town is so difficult to watch, but she just turns a blind eye.
It is completely one thing to hear about AIDS orphans, but now that I have actually come in contact with one it is so much more emotionally difficult then I ever imagined it would be, and I know that sounds ridiculous. Here is this precious little baby girl, and before she was even born she was given a death sentence and has had her life stolen from her because of the actions of others. And this is just one baby. I can't help but think of all the other ones out there who do not have a Sylvia or a Wilma.
Last night in small group we were talking about our expectiations for this Discipleship Training School and why it is that God brought us here ... and I couldn't answer. I have know idea why it is that God has brought me to Bethlehem, South Africa of all places, but he placed on my heart and now I am here. All I know is that he has some big things to show me over the next seven months. Please pray for me, and I am always praying for you.
I am going to be able to get on about once every other dayto post something, so please keep checking. I am going to try and put up some pictures in the next post so please... stay tuned. God bless!!
- C (or D :-))
Hebrews 12:25
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