During our time here in South Africa it has been a struggle simply to take a shower, it is a surprise if the pressure is more than a trickle, and to actually have warm water all the way through is considered a true blessing. Cold, quick showers fast became the norm, with everyone seeming to be fighting for the water at the same time nearly every day.
Around here, it is hard to let the ‘norm’ settle to some kind of a routine. The norm is going off on adventures almost by the day. Even though we are living in a sort of bubble, it is hard to think of any two days being the same.
In the past few weeks we have done so many things it is hard to keep track of when it all could have even fit in! We made our final visits to the service sites which we then signed up for. We spent a day at uShaka Sea world and water park, going from a Dolphin show - where I got to dance with one of the stars of the show! - to countless water slides, lunch with the group out in the parking lot, and then more slides before heading to a professional Rugby match between the Sharks and the Cheetahs. The guys all painted their stomachs and everyone put on some facial war paint in support of the Sharks - who ended up winning the match - and even though most of us had no idea what the game was really all about we cheered as loud as any of the other fans in the stands.
For our biology field trip this week we got to visit a local game reserve where we spent about an hour in a jeep driving along bouncy roads checking out the local ‘wildlife’ and hearing all about the life of our epic guide, Divon. We saw Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Warthog, Ostriches, Impala, a large number and variety of bird life, some turtles and even Rhinos! We heard about how Divon raised two leopards, used to steal Ostrich eggs that the mothers had kicked out of the nests - still a dangerous pursuit - and spent much of his life in the wilderness. He trained as a ranger and had to make several trips into the bush with a bottle of water and a knife and survive for a set period of time - sometimes while he was followed by ‘hunters’, forcing him to become stealthy, fast and silent, while trying to complete any of a number of objectives before getting caught. He also told us about many close encounters with the African animals as well as some which had tragic endings - including taking a newly wed couple out on some boats just two days after they had said their vows, they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and one extremely territorial and dangerous Hippo wound up killing the new bride, right in front of the husband who was in the same boat. He talked about getting charged by lions, and how to interact with Black Rhinos (the more aggressive of the two kinds) and many other animals. He had a great deal of stories which had us all focused for the whole of the time that he was our guide. On the other side of that day, we got to plot grids and count grass...while more involved than it sounds, it is actually not as daunting as we had expected it to be.
Then, this weekend we spent Saturday doing a Canopy Tour of zip lining between 8 platforms, 7 lines in total. Speeding between the trees and taking in the incredible view on both sides as we came in and out of the canopy cover - long expanses of low rolling green hills to one side and a waterfall against a rock face to the other side. Going out for Ice cream when the day was done and then watching a movie with some of the group later in the evening was a good way to end off a great day.
Just so that you do not get to thinking that all we do is goof around, you should know that this coming week marks finals for us, and people are constantly working on papers and projects or studying while we are not out having the time of our lives...not to say that the learning has not been enjoyable, indeed it has been incredible. The opportunity to take classes in a place like the one we have been blessed to live in for the past month already makes even the seemingly mundane into a new experience. The knowledge that our professors have so willingly poured out to us is the kind that one hopes for in every class and only seldom finds. Personally, Life and Teachings has been one of the greatest courses so far, the fact that we are learning from a man who has so much life experience makes the lessons he teaches that much easier to listen to and at times I find myself unwilling to leave class when it is over.
After this next week is over we will be heading into the community to work with the service sites we have all signed up for. We will be working with the children, visiting people in their homes - including AIDS patients - and helping with building and other local needs, as well as getting to know the people and learning from them. The fact that we have been in a relatively ‘North American bubble’ here on campus up to this point makes the prospect of getting out and digging in very exciting. God is going to do big things in the hearts of each one of us, my prayer is that we would be open and receptive to it. Hearts are going to break, relationships are going to grow, assumptions will be shattered, and in the end, I am confident, hope will be sewn and restored. It has been my personal experience that God does not allow our hearts to break for the things that break His heart without giving us the promise of hope in the end.
On top of the adventure and the academic, I have had the wonderful opportunity to co-lead a D-group with Allie Schlafer. We have 11 in our group in total, including Allie and myself. We have been meeting three times a week, Monday evenings - when we go through a chapter of Romans, Wednesdays at dinner times where we share a time of just coming together in the middle of the week for support and overall good times and conversations, and Friday mornings before breakfast in the prayer chapel when we go through the minor prophets together. Keeping in mind that we are all relatively the same age, Allie and I have been working to be less like people who are ‘in charge’ to being facilitators of conversation, study and relationship. It has been an incredible blessing to be in this group with each of the other ladies in it, to hear about their lives and to work through some of the questions that come up during our times of Bible study has been challenging and rewarding. I look forward to continuing to get to know each of them. Prayer for our group would be greatly appreciated.
Prayer for prepared hearts and minds as we get into this week of finals, and as we ready ourselves to step out into the community would also be a huge blessing. Thank you all for prayers and support.
Until next time,
No comments:
Post a Comment