So i decided that the best way for me to explain to you what South Africa is like i thought i would put together a movie. This is a short preview of what Capricorn is like! Enjoy!
-lauren
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Way Behind on an Update
The title says it all guys, i am so sorry i have not been updating. Internet and time became a big problem. They never seemed to go hand in hand. But i have it now, so get ready to be updated live from South Africa!
So much has happened since i have last updated my blog. The week after i left you guys a girls team of 19 came from Shades Mountain Baptist Church. (the church i just started attending when i left). I did not know any of the girls but since 17 of them were from samford i got to know a few of them pretty well! Im excited about this because these people got to experience the same things as me and we will be able to keep in touch and hang out back at samford! & how cool is it to make friends in SA and still see them in the states?
My role as a volunteer changed a little bit when the Shades team came. Instead of being told what to do or where to be i was helping the shades team get adjust and into the routine of things, so that their week stay there would be most beneficial to the people of Capricorn and to them as well. Because we had a team from the states my routine changed a little bit. When a team from the states is here they typically bring money and resources because of this we got to do really cool things for the kids. One day we had hygiene day. We washed the children's feet, cut their nails, and alex and i gave them a lesson on how to brush their teeth and a lesson called "be bitter about litter". Hygiene was a big success thanks to the shades team, i fully believe it would not have been possible without them. All the kids got to go home with a new tooth brush too, along with their typical palony sandwich. :) Another thing we got to do was have an outreach day. THis day both kids, teens, and parents were invited to come to our container and learn more about Living Hope and what they do. This day was a success. We had people passing out flyers, big signs, and loud music. For the kids we had face painting, nail painting, salvation bracelets and a huge soccer game for the kids. Again, all things we cannot do with our typical 3 volunteers. But the most amazing thing we got to do when the team was here was have a girls retreat for the teen girls!! On Saturday, we had all of the teen girls come over to the Team house (the house where the team was staying) for a day of fun, bonding, bible study, and worship! we started the day with breakfast and coffee, then had a bible study led by meagan, and melanie gave all of the girls a spiritual gifts test which we took with the girls. I got to take it with my friend kathleen (14). Taking this test with her opened a ton of new doors for our relationship. We were able to talk on a more personal and deep level. This was such a God thing. After this we had a yummy lunch, and played outside. Then the shades team had organized some relay games to play on the beach, involving balloons. I'll let you imagine how crazy this was. Overall the shade team was great, and i was very blessed to have met them.
So much has happened since i have last updated my blog. The week after i left you guys a girls team of 19 came from Shades Mountain Baptist Church. (the church i just started attending when i left). I did not know any of the girls but since 17 of them were from samford i got to know a few of them pretty well! Im excited about this because these people got to experience the same things as me and we will be able to keep in touch and hang out back at samford! & how cool is it to make friends in SA and still see them in the states?
My role as a volunteer changed a little bit when the Shades team came. Instead of being told what to do or where to be i was helping the shades team get adjust and into the routine of things, so that their week stay there would be most beneficial to the people of Capricorn and to them as well. Because we had a team from the states my routine changed a little bit. When a team from the states is here they typically bring money and resources because of this we got to do really cool things for the kids. One day we had hygiene day. We washed the children's feet, cut their nails, and alex and i gave them a lesson on how to brush their teeth and a lesson called "be bitter about litter". Hygiene was a big success thanks to the shades team, i fully believe it would not have been possible without them. All the kids got to go home with a new tooth brush too, along with their typical palony sandwich. :) Another thing we got to do was have an outreach day. THis day both kids, teens, and parents were invited to come to our container and learn more about Living Hope and what they do. This day was a success. We had people passing out flyers, big signs, and loud music. For the kids we had face painting, nail painting, salvation bracelets and a huge soccer game for the kids. Again, all things we cannot do with our typical 3 volunteers. But the most amazing thing we got to do when the team was here was have a girls retreat for the teen girls!! On Saturday, we had all of the teen girls come over to the Team house (the house where the team was staying) for a day of fun, bonding, bible study, and worship! we started the day with breakfast and coffee, then had a bible study led by meagan, and melanie gave all of the girls a spiritual gifts test which we took with the girls. I got to take it with my friend kathleen (14). Taking this test with her opened a ton of new doors for our relationship. We were able to talk on a more personal and deep level. This was such a God thing. After this we had a yummy lunch, and played outside. Then the shades team had organized some relay games to play on the beach, involving balloons. I'll let you imagine how crazy this was. Overall the shade team was great, and i was very blessed to have met them.
Goodness, so much has happened in the weeks that I did not get to blog. There are so many stories I could tell, so many things I could tell you we did. I do not know where to begin. I leave tomorrow. I have a 6 hour car ride to the Cape Town airport, a flight to Jo-berg, London, Chicago, and then finally Atlanta. It is going to be a long time, but I am excited to have that alone time to reflect on the relationships I have made, the things I have learned, the places I have been, and how God has changed me.
Who are the people I have made relationships with? Melanie. Melanie is from the states (Shades Mountain Baptist church to be specific). Melanie is one of the first red-heads I have met that does not have quick temper. In fact, Melanie is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Melanie gives, gives, and gives to the teens of Capricorn. Teens are teens no matter what country you are in. They all think they are too cool and they can’t appreciate the fact that someone is dedicating their life to invest in them and make their life better than it was when she first met them. Mel is such an inspiration to me. I don’t know how she doesn’t give up sometimes, she has strong faith in the Lord and I am confident that she is doing His will in Capricorn. Mel has also brought to my attention a lot of things about missions. For example, Tim brought up the book “When Helping Hurts” during orientation (a must read) Mel was able to give me personal accounts of when helping hurts and the affects positive and negative of short term mission trips. Mel was the person I would look forward to riding in the car with her for an hour because I knew she would have some knowledge to share with me. It was such a blessing getting to work with Mel for 5 weeks. If anything she has quite the humor. I am looking forward to staying in touch with her.
Mel lives with Meagan. Meagan, (pronounced Meegan) is from South Africa. She works along side with Mel with the youth in Capricorn. Both of these ladies are truly amazing. I learned a lot about the culture and what it means to come from that culture from Meagan. Meagan is the kind of person that you would want walking beside you when you are scared, although short you can tell this girl has some fight in her (especially under her toboggan). Meagan is not only a strong girl, but she is also a strong daughter of Christ. The teens at youth completely see this in her. My prayer is that they not only see what she does, but do what she does. God has put Meagan through what she has been through for a reason, and for now that reason is this youth. Mel and Meagan are a great pair together and we can only pray that Capricorn is open to what they are doing.
Meagan mentors Kathleen. Kathleen is a beautiful 14 year old from Capricorn. Kathleen is the loud one in the group. She has GREAT potential for leadership, but isn’t doing and thinking the things that a leader in Capricorn needs to be. Kathleen is very closed off to changing, but can tell you a few things about the Bible. Through the girls retreat she and I were able to talk more about her potential and how she needs to use it for the right reasons. There is just something about Kathleen that grabbed my heart. My prayer for her is that she becomes broken to her ways and open to God’s way.
Let me not forget about Jaydee. Jaydee became one of my closest friends in Capricorn. Jaydee and I were blessed with the opportunity of sharing our life stories early in my stay in Cape Town. Because of this, she and I were able to pray together weekly and support each other with what we were going through. She and I became really close, and I have God to thank for that. We both experienced similar things in life and it was really cool to teach her things I have learned, and learn things she has learned. Thank goodness Jaydee is able to get on facebook through “mix it” because I do not know where I would be without a girl like Jaydee in my life. My prayer for Jaydee is that she is able to have some fun, she is so worried about being perfect for her mom that sometimes she doesn’t let herself have some fun. (the girls retreat was awesome for her, for this reason. It was about her and not about what she could do for others). Jaydee has a great spirit and much potential, I have no doubt that she will use it the right way.
These are just a few of the relationships that I have made here on my stay. I didn’t eve get to start with the volunteers of Living Hope that have made my experience that much better. The 6 other people I have been living with that all bring something unique and special to the table. And people like the amazing Alicia.
I have seen so many things, from poverty, to tourist attractions, to God's beauty, to the ugliness that man has brought to earth. So much to process. My eyes have been open to this trip, and letting it soak in so that i can learn. i want to learn. i want to be the best i can be for my Heavenly Father. and let me tell you, i have learned.
This is all for now, but when i have time and internet i will add more, including pictures, and HOPEFULLY videos. but for now here a video we used a youth one night! Our youth got second place for this video! Check it out and see why they are crazy for Christ! Capricorn Youth is Crazy for Christ!
Thanks for reading!
Lauren Elizabeth
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Penguins In South Africa
So there is something going around the Cape Lodge, and it isn't the smell of Sandezul's cooking-- it the South African common cold. This cold feels what an intense stage of mono may feel like. One by one this common cold has kept a team member home. My day was last Friday night, but thankfully this "cold" is only lasts for 24 hours max. I say this, to thank each of you for your prayers of health for our team. Yes although we may be affected by this "cold", it does not last that long and it also give each of us to catch up on much needed sleep to be ready to go for the next day!
Saturday was an amazing day for us volunteers. Alicia, also know as the coolest person ever, let us sleep in a little bit & picked us up at 10am for the adventure of the day. We first went to Boulder Beach. Now for those of you who hang out with me at Samford know that i love climbing boulders at boulder fields, well i have a new favorite place-- Boulder Beach. Boulder Beach is magnificent. You hear the sound of the waves crashing on boulders as you drive up, you can distinctly smell the salt water in the air, and not only is it a beautiful view... there are also penguins!! Everywhere. They do the penguin waddle, swim from boulder to boulder, and there is even one that likes to give kisses. We hung around on the boulders for a few hours, played with the penguins, looked at the crystal blue sea, saw starfish and other sea critters, and went exploring. We didn't think anything could top Boulder Beach until we ventured down to Cape Point. *Now some background information-Cape Point is the most South-Western point of Africa. This is also a quite a view. On our drive into the park we saw many baboons, more than one ostrich, and all kinds of birds. We took a hike up the mountain to the very tippy top where the light house is located, and my was it beautiful. Words and pictures will never be able to express the beauty of God that we were blessed to see. We were on a narrow strip of land that darts out into the ocean. You can see the ocean for miles on both sides. We stayed there until the clouds opened with rain. Then we quickly darted down the mountain and drove to a restaurant for dinner.
Sunday i had the honor of worshiping our Father at Capricorn alongside the people i am with every day. The worship was so incredible that people were getting up and dancing in front of the the church. I was on baby duty so i was in the back of the one roomed church, but still got to experience everything. The rest of our Sunday was pretty relaxed at the house, until about 4. At 4 the Langfords and their four children, Amy, Tim, & Natasha, came over for a South African Braai hosted by us vols. We made steaks, chicken, mashed potatoes, sh-ka-bob's, and other random sides. A very successful Braai at the Cape Lodge. Once the Braai was over we hit the sacks to get some much needed sleep for the next week!
This week has been a gift from our Father.
Monday we started the day off at Living Grace, the homeless shelter. The relationships are started to grow even deeper, it was great to see old and new faces. At Living Grace i have learned how to cut just about ANY vegetable or fruit any of you could ever come up with. Aunt Joann says that will come in handy one day, we'll see!! Teens club on Monday went really well. A team from Shades Mountain (birmingham) is here, and that makes everything a little different but the kids and staff are LOVING it! Such a blessing to have them here. I'm at the point where i have some pretty stable relationships with the teens, especially the girls. What a blessing. I also HAVE to give a shout out to the staff at Capricorn that i have fallen in love with--Meagan, Melanie, Lauren, Leroy, Sandele, Rodger, Elorena, & Stacy. All of these people are incredible and need to be in your prayers. They have become my adopted South African family! These are the relationships that will never end and i will never forget about. We have so much together and can also connect on so many deep levels. Anyways, Monday was also a big day in Cape Town because i got to have real Heinz ketchup. There is no ketchup in SA, only at McDonald's, so i swallowed all i had learned about McDonald's at Wesleyan and went and got a double cheeseburger with a coke and fries for $3 just to have some Heinz!! It was so yummy, but i think that can tie me over the rest of the trip.
Tuesday, we started our day off at the staff devotion. It is very early in the morning but it is also very refreshing. After devotion, we walked over to the Health Clinic to hang out with patients who are infected with HIV, Aids, TB, and some cancer. We know that this is a very important part of trip, but it is also the hardest. We want to be able to talk and interact with the patients, but a lot of them can hardly speak-let alone english (which is not there native tongue). People are also in and out of the clinic, but some are there for long periods of time. What our team decided to do was just have a 3 hour worship service in the Men's ward. This is great, we give each man lyrics to the songs so they feel like they are apart of the service even if they cannot verbally sing. It is also very rewarding to see the smiles on the sisters' (nurses) faces as we sing some of their favorite songs. We have a guitar and a bongo. This week i got to play some bongo!! Who would've thought i had a little bit of rhythm in me? After the Health Clinic we headed to Capricorn for Hygiene Day!! It was GREAT to have the team from Shades here to help make this day possible and even smooth. We had different places set up for the teens and children to go to to get their feet and hands washed, their nails clipped, a place to eat, and place where they could come hear Alex and I talk about the importance of brushing your teeth along with a demonstration on the correct way & a presentation on the affects of littering on our health. Both were very successful!
Today, Wednesday, we went to Living Grace to help out again. I had the privilege of hanging out with Craig. Craig works at Living Grace by making cards to sell in town to raise funds for Living Grace, and also a little for himself. Craig has been a wheelchair for 6 years now after a shooting he unfortunately walked into one day 8 years ago. The shooting left him completely paralyzed, but now Craig can move everything above his waist. Praise the Lord! He makes these beautiful cards, but does so very slow. I got to help Craig make cards today--I was covered in glitter when i left. After Living Grace we headed to Capricorn to have a Gatsby with the Shades team. A Gatsby is a sandwich (kinda like a sub) with lots of chips (our french fry). It is soo yummy! After some great fellowship it was time for Teens Club. Teens club was very chill today. We just hung out without any structure. We painted each others nails, made some bracelets, and just laughed! It was precious.
His,
Lauren Brown
Saturday was an amazing day for us volunteers. Alicia, also know as the coolest person ever, let us sleep in a little bit & picked us up at 10am for the adventure of the day. We first went to Boulder Beach. Now for those of you who hang out with me at Samford know that i love climbing boulders at boulder fields, well i have a new favorite place-- Boulder Beach. Boulder Beach is magnificent. You hear the sound of the waves crashing on boulders as you drive up, you can distinctly smell the salt water in the air, and not only is it a beautiful view... there are also penguins!! Everywhere. They do the penguin waddle, swim from boulder to boulder, and there is even one that likes to give kisses. We hung around on the boulders for a few hours, played with the penguins, looked at the crystal blue sea, saw starfish and other sea critters, and went exploring. We didn't think anything could top Boulder Beach until we ventured down to Cape Point. *Now some background information-Cape Point is the most South-Western point of Africa. This is also a quite a view. On our drive into the park we saw many baboons, more than one ostrich, and all kinds of birds. We took a hike up the mountain to the very tippy top where the light house is located, and my was it beautiful. Words and pictures will never be able to express the beauty of God that we were blessed to see. We were on a narrow strip of land that darts out into the ocean. You can see the ocean for miles on both sides. We stayed there until the clouds opened with rain. Then we quickly darted down the mountain and drove to a restaurant for dinner.
Sunday i had the honor of worshiping our Father at Capricorn alongside the people i am with every day. The worship was so incredible that people were getting up and dancing in front of the the church. I was on baby duty so i was in the back of the one roomed church, but still got to experience everything. The rest of our Sunday was pretty relaxed at the house, until about 4. At 4 the Langfords and their four children, Amy, Tim, & Natasha, came over for a South African Braai hosted by us vols. We made steaks, chicken, mashed potatoes, sh-ka-bob's, and other random sides. A very successful Braai at the Cape Lodge. Once the Braai was over we hit the sacks to get some much needed sleep for the next week!
This week has been a gift from our Father.
Monday we started the day off at Living Grace, the homeless shelter. The relationships are started to grow even deeper, it was great to see old and new faces. At Living Grace i have learned how to cut just about ANY vegetable or fruit any of you could ever come up with. Aunt Joann says that will come in handy one day, we'll see!! Teens club on Monday went really well. A team from Shades Mountain (birmingham) is here, and that makes everything a little different but the kids and staff are LOVING it! Such a blessing to have them here. I'm at the point where i have some pretty stable relationships with the teens, especially the girls. What a blessing. I also HAVE to give a shout out to the staff at Capricorn that i have fallen in love with--Meagan, Melanie, Lauren, Leroy, Sandele, Rodger, Elorena, & Stacy. All of these people are incredible and need to be in your prayers. They have become my adopted South African family! These are the relationships that will never end and i will never forget about. We have so much together and can also connect on so many deep levels. Anyways, Monday was also a big day in Cape Town because i got to have real Heinz ketchup. There is no ketchup in SA, only at McDonald's, so i swallowed all i had learned about McDonald's at Wesleyan and went and got a double cheeseburger with a coke and fries for $3 just to have some Heinz!! It was so yummy, but i think that can tie me over the rest of the trip.
Tuesday, we started our day off at the staff devotion. It is very early in the morning but it is also very refreshing. After devotion, we walked over to the Health Clinic to hang out with patients who are infected with HIV, Aids, TB, and some cancer. We know that this is a very important part of trip, but it is also the hardest. We want to be able to talk and interact with the patients, but a lot of them can hardly speak-let alone english (which is not there native tongue). People are also in and out of the clinic, but some are there for long periods of time. What our team decided to do was just have a 3 hour worship service in the Men's ward. This is great, we give each man lyrics to the songs so they feel like they are apart of the service even if they cannot verbally sing. It is also very rewarding to see the smiles on the sisters' (nurses) faces as we sing some of their favorite songs. We have a guitar and a bongo. This week i got to play some bongo!! Who would've thought i had a little bit of rhythm in me? After the Health Clinic we headed to Capricorn for Hygiene Day!! It was GREAT to have the team from Shades here to help make this day possible and even smooth. We had different places set up for the teens and children to go to to get their feet and hands washed, their nails clipped, a place to eat, and place where they could come hear Alex and I talk about the importance of brushing your teeth along with a demonstration on the correct way & a presentation on the affects of littering on our health. Both were very successful!
Today, Wednesday, we went to Living Grace to help out again. I had the privilege of hanging out with Craig. Craig works at Living Grace by making cards to sell in town to raise funds for Living Grace, and also a little for himself. Craig has been a wheelchair for 6 years now after a shooting he unfortunately walked into one day 8 years ago. The shooting left him completely paralyzed, but now Craig can move everything above his waist. Praise the Lord! He makes these beautiful cards, but does so very slow. I got to help Craig make cards today--I was covered in glitter when i left. After Living Grace we headed to Capricorn to have a Gatsby with the Shades team. A Gatsby is a sandwich (kinda like a sub) with lots of chips (our french fry). It is soo yummy! After some great fellowship it was time for Teens Club. Teens club was very chill today. We just hung out without any structure. We painted each others nails, made some bracelets, and just laughed! It was precious.
Thank you for your prayers, and thanks for reading!!!
His,
Lauren Brown
Me at Boulder Beach.
Cape Point.
The bottom of Cape Point.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Real Deal
Hey Guys!
So the last time i left you guys, i was in the middle of orientation. Well i am happy to announce that i am now "oriented". We did a lot in orientation. We began to learn the language of African & Xhosa. Xhosa has a ton clicking and clacking, so i was glad to find out i was going to be in a village where they spoke mainly African. In orientation, we also learned all about the history and culture or South Africa. I have never really enjoyed history, but i was glad that Tim taught us everything we needed to know so we could better understand why there are villages and why the different races interact the way they do. We also had a lesson an HIV and STD class. In this class, we discussed all the ways of transmission and how to avoid getting aids, along with the medical side of it. Along with all of the learning, we also got to start relationships with the staff and volunteers at Living Hope, Living Grace, and Living Way.
While i am on the topic of Living Hope, Living Grace, and Living Way, let me go ahead and explain to you what they are. Living Hope, which is in Capri, is the main overall ministry. They take part in kids clubs and getting plugged into Living Grace; which is the homeless ministry of Living Hope. Living Grace serves a breakfast to all who come to the building in Muizenburg before 8:30. At 8:30, there is worship and a devotion. Then they serve a warm roll and a cold piece of bread with a cup of coffee. Then most of the people who come have a job through Living Grace to pick up trash on the streets. So the men go out and do this, while a few women stay to help cook. The people have to be back at the building before 12 in order to have lunch. Lunch is a huge meal and take a long time to prepare. My team and i help out here every Monday and Wednesday. Living Way trains people to be entrepreneurs and teaches them how to do a specific skill (i.e. baking bread loaves, growing tomatoes and green beans, and making art or sculptures).
On Thursday of orientation, Tim announced who would be going to which village. I was assigned Capricorn!! I was very excited about this! This village is around 30 minutes from the town of Cape Town (capri) where i am staying. 30 to 45 minutes may seem like a far drive for a kids club, but the view of the mountains and beach is spectacular. Simply breathtaking.
Alex and I were both assigned Capricorn, so every afternoon we drive with Alicia (the backbone to this mission trip) to Capricorn. On Monday and Wednesdays, I do kids club in Overcome Heights. On Tuesday and Thursdays i do kids club in Capricorn. But as of today, this is going to change to where on Mondays and Wednesdays i do teen club with Alex in Capricorn, because the girls need another girl influence in their lives. These are also the teens that come to Friday night worship, so it will be great to hang out with them during the week as well. I also attend church at Capricorn, so i am able to be with the people 6 out of 7 days, which is really cool if you ask me!
The days are so jam packed with different relational activities with the Africans. IT IS SO AWESOME, but at the same time at the end of the day we are all wiped out. But we had last weekend off, so we went to Oceanfront to go hang out at a nice mall and eat South African food. I also got to ride a ferris wheel that gave a great view of Table Mountain, the ocean, and the port. Along with going to the museum of District 6, in downtown Cape Town.
**This is just an overview of what is going on at Living Hope right now. I will update you guys on experiences soon!! Thank you so much for support! It means and helps a whole lot.
p.s.-please do not read my updates for grammatical errors because if you do you will find plenty. haha. i also dont like capitalizing "i". :)
thanks for reading!
His,
Lauren
A Picture of the Team in the District 6 Museum!
So the last time i left you guys, i was in the middle of orientation. Well i am happy to announce that i am now "oriented". We did a lot in orientation. We began to learn the language of African & Xhosa. Xhosa has a ton clicking and clacking, so i was glad to find out i was going to be in a village where they spoke mainly African. In orientation, we also learned all about the history and culture or South Africa. I have never really enjoyed history, but i was glad that Tim taught us everything we needed to know so we could better understand why there are villages and why the different races interact the way they do. We also had a lesson an HIV and STD class. In this class, we discussed all the ways of transmission and how to avoid getting aids, along with the medical side of it. Along with all of the learning, we also got to start relationships with the staff and volunteers at Living Hope, Living Grace, and Living Way.
While i am on the topic of Living Hope, Living Grace, and Living Way, let me go ahead and explain to you what they are. Living Hope, which is in Capri, is the main overall ministry. They take part in kids clubs and getting plugged into Living Grace; which is the homeless ministry of Living Hope. Living Grace serves a breakfast to all who come to the building in Muizenburg before 8:30. At 8:30, there is worship and a devotion. Then they serve a warm roll and a cold piece of bread with a cup of coffee. Then most of the people who come have a job through Living Grace to pick up trash on the streets. So the men go out and do this, while a few women stay to help cook. The people have to be back at the building before 12 in order to have lunch. Lunch is a huge meal and take a long time to prepare. My team and i help out here every Monday and Wednesday. Living Way trains people to be entrepreneurs and teaches them how to do a specific skill (i.e. baking bread loaves, growing tomatoes and green beans, and making art or sculptures).
On Thursday of orientation, Tim announced who would be going to which village. I was assigned Capricorn!! I was very excited about this! This village is around 30 minutes from the town of Cape Town (capri) where i am staying. 30 to 45 minutes may seem like a far drive for a kids club, but the view of the mountains and beach is spectacular. Simply breathtaking.
Alex and I were both assigned Capricorn, so every afternoon we drive with Alicia (the backbone to this mission trip) to Capricorn. On Monday and Wednesdays, I do kids club in Overcome Heights. On Tuesday and Thursdays i do kids club in Capricorn. But as of today, this is going to change to where on Mondays and Wednesdays i do teen club with Alex in Capricorn, because the girls need another girl influence in their lives. These are also the teens that come to Friday night worship, so it will be great to hang out with them during the week as well. I also attend church at Capricorn, so i am able to be with the people 6 out of 7 days, which is really cool if you ask me!
The days are so jam packed with different relational activities with the Africans. IT IS SO AWESOME, but at the same time at the end of the day we are all wiped out. But we had last weekend off, so we went to Oceanfront to go hang out at a nice mall and eat South African food. I also got to ride a ferris wheel that gave a great view of Table Mountain, the ocean, and the port. Along with going to the museum of District 6, in downtown Cape Town.
**This is just an overview of what is going on at Living Hope right now. I will update you guys on experiences soon!! Thank you so much for support! It means and helps a whole lot.
p.s.-please do not read my updates for grammatical errors because if you do you will find plenty. haha. i also dont like capitalizing "i". :)
thanks for reading!
His,
Lauren
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Beginning
Hey All!
First off, I am pleased to announce that everyone on the 6-week volunteer program for Living Hope is here! (including my new roommate). There is now a total of 7 of us. But first I should back up a bit and tell you what has been going on down in the cape!
Saturday was opening day for the Living Hope campus. Now this may sound confusing, since the campus did open around 1999. But Natasha, who is the new public relations manager, decided it would be a good idea to have a public event to educated people in the town about Living Hope and what they do and want to do for the communities surrounding. The turn out was great!! There was a huge tent, like one you may find at a circus, where they sold food, a jump and play for the kids, and lots of information and tours for all of the people. After all the people left, Alex and I (the only vols here this early) helped take down everything they had set up for this awesome event. Then we came back to the camp lodge and rested before going out with pizza with Time, Natasha, Amy, and Danielle (who are long term vols at Living Hope). It was really nice to sit back and enjoy a meal with these people, at a place that was very "South African".
Sunday we went to a South African church called King of Kings Baptist church. After awesome worship and a great sermon we went to go back to the camp lodge to change. We then met up with one of the vol's families and went to a nice lunch at "The Toad". I decided to keep it safe and stick with Pizza and a Salad, both of which were very good. Then we went back to the house to have some down time, before we drove over to Fish Hoek Beach for a huge South African BBQ. it was very yummy and the company was fantastic with many long term vols from Living Hope! The View was GORGEOUS!
Today, was a great day! After not sleeping through a terrible storm that came through. (doesn't help with the jet lag). But anyways, we woke up and went to Living Hope's main campus for the beginning of orientation. A lot of information. After this we got in the van and went on a tour of all the villages Living Hope helps: Red Hill, Capericorn, Overcome Heights, Mountain view, Ocean View, Masiphumelele. The poverty at these places is unbelievable. Theses are the places I will be working at the next 6 weeks. I cannot wait to get out of the van and meet these people! Today was also one of the team members, Alex, birthday. So, Tim, Natasha, & Amy came over with cupcakes before dinner!
Overall, my experience here has been great! I miss everyone back in the States more than they know, but God is doing incredible things.
First off, I am pleased to announce that everyone on the 6-week volunteer program for Living Hope is here! (including my new roommate). There is now a total of 7 of us. But first I should back up a bit and tell you what has been going on down in the cape!
Saturday was opening day for the Living Hope campus. Now this may sound confusing, since the campus did open around 1999. But Natasha, who is the new public relations manager, decided it would be a good idea to have a public event to educated people in the town about Living Hope and what they do and want to do for the communities surrounding. The turn out was great!! There was a huge tent, like one you may find at a circus, where they sold food, a jump and play for the kids, and lots of information and tours for all of the people. After all the people left, Alex and I (the only vols here this early) helped take down everything they had set up for this awesome event. Then we came back to the camp lodge and rested before going out with pizza with Time, Natasha, Amy, and Danielle (who are long term vols at Living Hope). It was really nice to sit back and enjoy a meal with these people, at a place that was very "South African".
Sunday we went to a South African church called King of Kings Baptist church. After awesome worship and a great sermon we went to go back to the camp lodge to change. We then met up with one of the vol's families and went to a nice lunch at "The Toad". I decided to keep it safe and stick with Pizza and a Salad, both of which were very good. Then we went back to the house to have some down time, before we drove over to Fish Hoek Beach for a huge South African BBQ. it was very yummy and the company was fantastic with many long term vols from Living Hope! The View was GORGEOUS!
Today, was a great day! After not sleeping through a terrible storm that came through. (doesn't help with the jet lag). But anyways, we woke up and went to Living Hope's main campus for the beginning of orientation. A lot of information. After this we got in the van and went on a tour of all the villages Living Hope helps: Red Hill, Capericorn, Overcome Heights, Mountain view, Ocean View, Masiphumelele. The poverty at these places is unbelievable. Theses are the places I will be working at the next 6 weeks. I cannot wait to get out of the van and meet these people! Today was also one of the team members, Alex, birthday. So, Tim, Natasha, & Amy came over with cupcakes before dinner!
Overall, my experience here has been great! I miss everyone back in the States more than they know, but God is doing incredible things.
This is a picture of the team at Red Hill.
His,
Lauren Brown
Friday, May 20, 2011
Arrival
Arrival- What a sweet word that is to hear once you have been traveling for 30+ hours. After a delayed flight and a missed flight, I finally arrived in Cape Town. God protects. I was picked up and packed all of my stuff in a tiny car and drove to the house I will be living in during my stay. There are already two team members here right now, and the rest come tomorrow and monday! I cannot wait to meet them! As for now, I am going to take a much needed shower and headed to bed.
p.s.- I tried to attach a video clip from m flight, but it wouldn't work. hopefully I will figure out how to do that soon!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Traveling
Well, I made it to Washington DC! The first plane was real small, and I am sure that I annoyed the man sitting next to me with my king size pillow. But he had been to Cape Town before so we talked a little bit about that before I fell asleep. True story: at one point during the flight my head fell on his shoulder while I was sleeping. VERY EMBARRASSING. ha oh well. hopefully this LONG flight to SA goes well & once I get there I have a connecting flight to Cape Town. I'm off to watch a movie until my next flight! Talk to you guys soon!!
His,
Lauren Brown
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)