Saying goodbye, and saying hello

Want to get a glimpse into what I’ve been doing the past 3 weeks at my service site of iThemba?  Check out this video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MGljaPgiWs

Well, this is my last night in Pietermaritzburg where I’ve been for the past 2 months.  In 5 hours we are leaving for a weeklong trip along the Garden Route on our way to get to Cape Town.  One chapter of this adventure is ending and another is beginning.

I know there are so many great things awaiting me in Cape Town, but I just can’t fathom leaving this place.  It still hasn’t hit me yet.  Imagine establishing an identity somewhere and making that place part of your home and it holding a piece of your heart and then you’re just expected to leave knowing that you may never return to that place again.  It seriously hurts my heart so much.  I have found my identity here. I have a beautiful church here and wonderful South African friends and so many memories and experiences; I just don’t want to leave.  Tomorrow is going to be really really hard…

Ithemba, my service site, has been such a blessing in my life.  Gosh I love that place.  I can’t begin to explain all I got to learn and experience there, but here is one great story…

One week we visited the home of two boys, ages 13 and 16, whose father is out of the picture and their mom burnt down their home years ago and tried to kill them.  She left them with absolutely nothing except a half burnt down mud home.  No food, no water, basically no hope or feeling of love.  One of our leaders at iThemba, Donald, has kept them under his wing, helping them create a garden as a source of food, establishing a hose for running water for them, and making sure they stay in school along with mentoring them to ensure their future.

However, Donald is moving in a few weeks to Pretoria and is leaving iThemba.  He has been worried about what would happen with these boys.  The day we decided to visit the boys and take them out for milkshakes, they were not home.  We were so bummed that we couldn’t meet them.  Seeing their home made us so incredibly sad.  All we could do was pray.  I placed my hands on that mud home and we prayed so hard for these two young men that God may protect them and keep them and if it was His will, provide them with homes and families that would love them.

As we drove home after praying for the boys and their future, we felt a sense of helplessness.  There was NOTHING we could do except pray.  As we sat there sulking, we realized that praying is a BIG deal.  Prayer is so powerful: how dare we treat it as almost worthless?  We had to trust that God will hear our prayers and will answer them in His time and in His way.

Well, 5 days later we found out some amazing news.  Donald told us that both boys had been adopted.  Not only were they going to be adopted, but they would be in wonderful, loving Christian homes.  WOW.  God, you are so awesome!  Prayer IS so powerful.  Don’t doubt that for a second.  He hears every single prayer and He CARES.  So so so great!!  We are all so overjoyed.   My heart is just smiling!

Well, I need to start packing I think.  Yeah, I do.  I had a perfect last day here in Pietermartizburg going on adventures with my South African friends, standing in a refrigerator talking with Megan Harris for 45 minutes (it was so hot today), having a farewell dinner, spending a little more precious time with my service site team, and ending the night in the prayer chapel reflecting and praying with the one and only Adam Wengronowitz.  SO thankful for a perfect day.  

I only have 3 more weeks left in this beautiful country and I’m not sure how I feel about it.  I just don’t know how I’m ever going to answer the question of “How was South Africa?” when I get home.  There’s no way that I’m going to be able to answer that appropriately.  Please, friends and family at home, be patient with me and have grace because I am going to be processing so much.  Just be glad that God has been working and is continuing to work so much in my life.  I am excited to see it all unfold.  I love you all very much!!

Over and out from Pietermaritzburg.  Talk to ya in Cape Town!

Tons of love,

Britt

Springtime in South Africa

It is indeed spring here in the Southern Hemisphere and everyday is just perfect!  Everything has transformed into a brilliant green, which lights up every place.  The flowers here are beautiful, and spring showers are the best.  It's 10 at night here and I am currently laying on the grass of the lawn on my kitty blanket (thanks Sarah Knaapen) and looking up at the stars/Jupiter and listening to frogs, locust, and a waterfall.  I had a great day of rest today and just feel so content.  God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve!


I can't believe I have to leave this place in 12 days... I honestly don't even want to think about it.  I have grown so attached to this place: the people, the land, the environment, and my new South African friends.  I can't believe I have to leave Pietermaritzburg so soon.  (We leave next Saturday to begin our weeklong trip down to Cape Town, where we'll be for 2 weeks.)  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for Cape Town (and for home for that matter), but it's just different knowing that when I leave, I'm leaving for good.  I know I can come back here someday, but it just won't be the same.  I'm trying so hard not to think about the small amount of time that I have left here, but it's hard.  Please pray that I would get cherish every day here and just get everything out of these last couple weeks in Pietermaritzburg that I can!

My service site is going AMAZING.  I can't even begin to describe the things we're doing.  We do so much every day that it's hard to remember.


Some highlights:
- Meeting the induna (mayor-type guy) of Sweetwaters
- Meeting the KING of Sweetwaters (well, that's tomorrow actually)
- Getting a completely new outlook on forgiveness after having a Bible study with some teenage boys of the community during a thunderstorm
- Understanding the HUGE importance of education after talking with several teachers here and visiting many schools.
- Learning how a little extra amount of attention can change a child completely as I saw with this precious little 4 year old, Pilah.
- Learning that smiling/laughing is a universal language :)
- Visiting the preschools
- Bonding with my 6 other wonderful teammates
- Gathering four grocery bags full of HUGE avocados (I have learned how to make awesome guac and I plan on bringing that skill home)
- Realizing the myth of inadequacy of our youth today
- Visiting a plant pathologist to learn how to keep the garden that we will cultivate alive and healthy

I also learned this week that there is a difference between me as a white American visiting the black community of Sweetwaters versus the white South African community visiting Sweetwaters.  NO white people go into these black areas.  It's so sad.  Apartheid worked, and that's something that I'm beginning to understand.  It's a big deal for us as white people to come visit these people of Sweetwaters and that means a lot to them, but it is a whoooole different story if a white SOUTH AFRICAN were to do the same.  This would be an even bigger step of faith.  This is why we are trying to get the youth of the Sweetwaters/Hilton area, black and white, together for a day of fun and a day of worship this coming Saturday.  It's called Teen's Day and we have a lot of great things planned to make it lighthearted but also tied into the biblical fact that we are all different and each have our own unique gifts and talents.  It will be a day of encouragement and we are praying that it brings together the youth to  somehow contribute to a more integrated future for them.  PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS SATURDAY :)


Well, that's all I have for right now.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.  Side note: I'm going to a soccer game on Wednesday night!!  Yessss... Rugby game and soccer games - Check!  No cricket sadly... I guess I'll just watch it on youtube sometime.

Me and Pilah- such a goof! I love that kid

Some of the team- missing Alle and Joanie! Oh and that's Mlo, one of the interns at iThemba

AVOCADOS- highlight of the day.  No, week. Maybe even the year

I looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove YOU!
Britt

Just pure joy

Here are some pictures that I took today at iThemba, my service site.  We went to a preschool and did some activities with the kids and then went to a primary school and ran a PE class for all 100 students.  Such a great day.

There's nothing to describe South Africa except beautiful.

Love.