Weekend Recap.

Okay, so the weekend was absolutely beautiful.  The warmest it has been so far- high of 75 degrees, sunny, blue skies, light breeze- perfection.  Thankfully, we were able to hike Table Mountain on Saturday!  We all got ready to go and left the house around 8:15 to get to the mountain by 9.  So, Holden, Mia, Berrit, and I were the only summer volunteers who hiked it; however, another long term volunteer Ivan tagged along, as well as, 2 friends of a long term volunteer here.  That would make it a total of 7 people.  David dropped us off at the start, Platteklip Gorge, around 9:00.  The average rate of hiking is about an hour and a half.  Our goal was 1 hour.  Now, people said this hike would be challenging.... Why did I underestimate that description?!  It was definitely a HIKE.  Hiking up the mountain, literally meant, hiking up the mountain.  It was steep the entire way of only rocks; no flat surfaces, just rock.  We took a few 20 second breaks on the way up to get some water, which I was incredibly thankful for.  Holden, Caroline, Caden, and I went at a pretty steady pace the entire way up.  We all took turns leading up the way too.  The wind was out of control.  There were several times when a gust of wind would come and almost blow us over.  We had to brace ourselves to the best of our ability.  The four of us made it in just under an hour!  Success.  Once we got to the top, the wind was outrageous.  It's like we had to walk hunched over so we wouldn't blow away.  The top of Table Mountain is completely flat (hence the name of the mountain) and covered in bushes.  There is a cable car that takes people to and from the top of the mountain without hiking it, but it's closed for maintenance.  There is also a restaurant at the top, but since the cable car was closed, so was the restaurant.  We had to find shelter elsewhere.  We came upon a lookout area that had been built, and we decided to climb under it to get away from the freezing wind.  There were a lot of rocks to relax on, so it was cool to chill and wait on the rest of the team to get up to the top.  

L to R: Holden, Mia, Berrit, Ivan, Kt, Caroline, & Caden

Views from the top! 

It was so gorgeous to look out and see the city of Cape Town.  I loved being up there and just realizing how vast God's creation is.  I'm so thankful to have the ability to hike a mountain to see God's beauty all around me.  It may sound super cheesy, but at one point I started singing to myself,

"Savior

He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save"

It is so true though!  Our God is so mighty and powerful, He can do absolutely anything! Isaiah 54:10 states, "'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you."  AMEN.  Everyone was just mesmerized by the gorgeous landscape all around us.  We stayed up there for another hour or so and then began the descent.  The hike down was almost as hard as the hike up!  Every step caused my legs to shake.  Regardless, we made it down together in about an hour and a half.  I immediately went over to the gift shop and bought myself a blue powerade- yes please.  

Since all of us were exhausted from hiking, we went to the other side of the ocean to Table Bay, where you can see Table Mountain in the distance.  We hung out there for a few hours laying on the beach, watching the Olympics in a restaurant, and walking around the boardwalk.  It was very relaxing!  Around 6:00, Tim, Natasha, Will, and Becca came to join us on the beach.  We took some pictures and watched the sunset on the beach.  It was so pretty!  Below are a few pictures..

View from Table Bay-- we hiked that!!!!

The Summer Project Team
L to R: Natasha Hoffman, Tim Hoffman (volunteer coordinator), Mama K, Mia, Becca, Berrit, KT, Holden, & Will

We ate at a restaurant called Karoo, which was extremely delicious.  I ordered an ostrich burger!!! Yes, ostrich!  It was delicious.  Now, I usually do not eat red meat.... at all.  However, Natasha was telling me that the red meat here is actually very healthy because it is all free range, no added hormones or preservatives, etc.  So, I ordered the leanest meat on the menu which was ostrich!  It was very tasty, accompanied by the unlimited salad bar- yes please.  Mia and I sat near the end of the table with Natasha and Tim so it was great to talk with them at dinner time.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them and their passion for ministry.  What a great day filled with nature, fellowship, and relaxation.  


Sunday morning we went to Capricorn Community Church and heard the sermon on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27-- one of my all time favorite passages.  The very charismatic pastor spoke on the need for self-discipline and having a purpose tying it in to the Olympics.  " 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."  It was really great to hear these words when my time here is coming to a close.  It is now my final week of ministry, which is CRAZY!!!  I am praying that the Lord will allow me to finish strong in Ocean and Mountain View.  The worship in the service was incredible.  Their is a 17 year old boy who has lead the service (singing) since he was 12 or 13.  His name is Basil (pronounced Basel) and has the kindest heart... and I just spoke with him for about 45 minutes.  So, he definitely shines with love whenever you speak to him.  [Ms. Deanna, if you're reading this, he wanted me to tell you hello and that he misses you and the rest of the Brookwood team!!!]  He has an incredible testimony that he openly shared with Mia and I after the service.  So encouraged by his story! 


After the service, Tim and Natasha had the idea of buying some food at the nearby grocery and then going to the beach to hang out and chill by the water.  So, off we went!  We went to a new grocery store that is similar to a Whole Foods, but much cheaper.  I bought some pesto and feta pasta, a chicken and sun dried tomato wrap, freshly made trail mix, and a big cinnamon roll to split with Mia.  YES PLEASE.  It was SO GOOD.  We went to Long Beach with the team and Tim and Natasha around 3 in the afternoon.  I brought the soccer ball hoping someone would want to kick it with me; Natasha eventually stepped in to play.  We had a great time just hanging out, laying out, throwing the football (and practicing throwing it like a rugby ball), etc.  Berrit was very persistent on getting me to come into the freezing cold water with her... I attempted... I couldn't stay in the water for more than 15 seconds.  So painfully cold!  We did see a seal along the sandbar swimming, which was cool!  We left the beach a few hours later and came home to Ms. Bernie's cooking!  Fantastic, as usual.  I will definitely miss Ms. Bernie and Ms. Anita when we leave!  They have been so great taking care of us the entire time.  Beyond thankful to have them with us! 


Looking forward to this week of ministry.  Trying to soak in every second!  Please pray that I will continue to seek Christ in all that I do here and allow Christ to prepare my heart as I begin to leave this city physically.  

To Be Continued.

I SURVIVED TABLE MOUNTAIN. 
MORE DETAILS TO COME.

Here is a sneak peak of the beautiful view! 

The South.

Today was definitely a busy one, which I absolutely loved!


This morning, we helped Tim and Natasha again with the shoe project instead of going to LSE training like we usually do on Fridays.  We finished pricing all of the men's shoes and most of the women's which was definitely a weight off of our shoulders.  We need to be finished with pricing them before Tuesday because that's when the shoe sale starts!  It will be interesting to see how this all plays out!  


Around lunchtime, Berrit, Mia, Will, Holden, David, Tim, and I all went to a very famous "restaurant" in Masiphumele.  It is the same meat place I went to a few weeks back with the Samford ladies.  Just a little hole in the wall that serves steaks bigger than my face.  Crazy.  Definitely a cultural experience because they only provide the meat and soda.  It's your responsibility to go out and buy bread to eat it with.  Awesome.  


After lunch, we went back to the house to pick up Mama K and Becca (who is still sick- pray that she will quickly heal) to go to Cape Point!  Blue skies all above us so we made the most out of the beautiful weather!  David drove us (-Will) about 30 minutes to Cape Point which is right next to Cape of Good Hope (the most southern tip of the Western Cape).  Here is a map to show you where it is in relation to South Africa as a whole. 

On our way into Cape Point, David was telling us that zebras, ostriches, springbok, and other animals could be seen on either side of the road in the bush.  I was pumped!!!  I have always wanted to see an ostrich in the wild just hanging out, and guess what we saw?!  FOUR OSTRICHES!!!!  It was incredible!!  David slowed down so we could take pictures of them on the side of the road.  They weren't skittish at all, which really surprised me.  It was so COOL to see them that up close!  

THERE THEY ARE!

YIKES.

So Cape Point, here we come!  We made it there, parked the van, and then hiked up the path to get to the very top where a lighthouse was located overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  BEAUTIFUL!!! The water was absolutely breathtaking!  Holden, David, Berrit, and I walked down a little further on another cliff to get a better view.  It was stunning.  Below are some pictures of the scenery!

KT, Mia, Berrit, Mama K, Becca, & Holden overlooking the Cape of Good Hope!

At the top of Cape Point

I absolutely loved it!  Possibly my favorite touristy thing we have done so far!  It was gorgeous every where I looked!  We spent probably an hour and a half walking up and down exploring Cape Point.  Once we left there, we drove down and around to Cape of Good Hope, the most south-western point of Africa.  Once again, fantastic view.  God has definitely blessed the world to be surrounded by nature.  I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to experience and embrace His beauty all around me!  

It's so beautiful everywhere!  Holden got a great view of everything by climbing the top of the cliff.  I tried to do the same, but failed epically by not finding a direct route up.  Oh well... I still got to do some rock climbing by myself, which was really fun! 

Holden at the very top!

Once we left the Cape, we were driving back and Mama K shouted in her amazing British accent, "Baboons! Oh, just look at them!"  Now, baboons are known for jumping into cars if you're not careful, so David made us lock all of our doors and close the windows just to be on the safe side.  There was a family of about 7 with 3 little baby baboons walking across the street!  They were so cute, yet so ugly at the same time!  I was so thrilled to see them out in the wild just being monkeys!  It was so cool to experience that! 

On our way home, we stopped at a beach to watch the sunset!  It was beautiful!!! Great way to end a great and productive day!  Thankful to have such a loving community around me all the time.  I am so fortunate to have the little things that bring so much joy, like the impression of me that Mia does all the time, or the facial expressions of Holden.  Can't wait to soak up every second with every one over the next 2 weeks!  Looking forward to it!  Thanks for reading!  

Cheers,

Katherine

I like these shoes.

The Shoe Project continues.... 

This morning, Berrit, Mia, and I helped Tim with the infamous shoe sorting.  They are having a shoe sale next Tuesday and Wednesday for all of the LH staff.  A local shoe store donated 300 huge boxes of shoes (over 1,000 pairs), some exact matches while others are close matches.  So, we have been sorting them by size and what not.  Today, Natasha helped us with pricing of the shoes.  She is South African so she knew how much would be too much to charge and so on.  We are pricing them at 25, 50, 100, and 200 rand; this translates to $3, $6, $12, and $24.  Great deals on very nice shoes never worn!  We actually had a lot of fun doing it.  The boys were elsewhere painting the inside of an office and Becca actually stayed home today because she is sick with a chest infection (hopefully, she will get better ASAP!).  We started at 8:30 and finished at 2:30.  Tim bought us pizza for lunch... the BEST pizza I have had in a very long time.  I'm not even going to type how many pieces I had.... shame.  My logic was that I would be dancing with the kids later in the day!  I really enjoyed spending some time with Natasha.  She is so spunky and carefree, which made working with hundreds of shoes entertaining.  No complaints here.  We are working on them again tomorrow morning as well.  

Afterwards, Tim took Will and I to Ocean View.  We were a little late, so I immediately hopped in the car with Chanette when I got there to head to Marine Primary School (few blocks away).  Once again, "Oh Happy Day" was taught.  Praise the Lord!  We had a great time!  Lauren led the Bible story in Afrikaans, which was so entertaining!  She does a great job at keeping the kids focused on what she has to say... kudos.  It began raining so we had to work inside the classroom.  We made crafts with all of them and then fed them their afternoon snack- an orange and a sandwich.  Great day in club even amidst the rain! 

Melissa reading from the Bible before Lauren

Tonight, Tim and Natasha came over for dinner which was lovely.  We had cottage pie, rice, peas and corn, salad, and for dessert- brownies with whipped cream.  Yes please.  Fantastic.  After dinner, I went in to the kitchen to visit with precious Ms. Anita.  She had more wisdom to share, so I gladly took it.  She told me whenever she talks to people about the Lord and what she feels He is telling her, they always question it with, "Are you sure?" rather than, "That's so great!"  She says she has two friends who she can truly rely on to be there for her and to pour into her daily.  They are very encouraging to her and never bring her down in a negative way.  I am always wanting to go and do, so those questions will often come up, but I must trust the Holy Spirit to lead me to wherever Christ has called me.  I am thankful to have conversations like this with Ms. Anita because she always gives me something powerful to think about.  What a blessing she and Ms. Bernie are to me! 

Looking forward to what tomorrow brings!  

2 Corinthians 4: 12-18

"So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Writing Math Curriculum?!

Never in a million years did I imagine myself writing up a math curriculum!!!  The Lord definitely has a sense of humor, because math has never been my strongest subject.  But here I am, at Living Way, creating math worksheets on multiplication, division, percentages, etc.  Thankfully, they are all very simple problems, but it is still challenging to have so many different versions of one problem!  It's making me realize how time consuming curriculum writing can be.  I am so glad that I am able to contribute to the program they teach for the people in the surrounding communities.  It's cool to think that they will one day be taking my math practice tests in order to learn simple ways of calculating money.  I really enjoyed helping out there this morning.  There was also a great devotional given by one of the staff members.  They spoke on being on a journey and how when you go to a location, the journey shouldn't just be in the final destination; it needs to continue on wherever you are in your life.  Very encouraging to hear those words, especially since I will be continuing on in my own journey when I head back to the States.  


Afterwards, David picked me up to head back to the house so I could eat before kids clubs.  Mia and I really wanted to go to Compass Bakery, a huge factory that distributes fresh baked goods daily at great prices, so we had David take us after lunch!  It was awesome.  I bought some banana bread and marble cake.  Yes please.  


When Will and I arrived at the Ocean View office, we all devoured the banana bread like it was our job.  So great.  I was talking to Laureezy about teaching the kids "Oh Happy Day" in clubs today and how it would be so much fun.  So what did we do?  We printed out the lyrics and practiced for club!  It was hysterical.  Now, this is the song from Sister Act (follow the link to hear some incredible Gospel tunes), not the one we sing at church camps.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLY7yI1xV-M Chanette and I were the ones to repeat Lauren when she would sing the first part, and then it would switch over to us to lead the kids.  We practiced in the office for a while and then walking to Mountain View.  We were shouting it in the streets and received many stares, but hey, we were praising the high and mighty Christ Jesus!!! PRAISE HIM!  So, we got to Mountain View and played with the kids for a little while.  Several girls came running up to me with big hugs shouting "Katie, dance! Dance!"  So, we did!  They had all been practicing the hand jive that I taught them on Monday!  It was great to see them smiling and laughing all over the place.  Melissa called everyone in for club, so the kids gathered around and began saying the Lord's Prayer in Afrikaans.  It is the most precious thing to listen to ever!!!   Today they said it in English as well!  Angie recapped what Lauren taught on Monday: compassion, faith, and prayer.  


Next up, praise and worship!!!  We started off with the Cha Cha Slide again [substituting the words to fit the theme of hygiene from last week]; that led in to "Give Me a J-E-S-U-S"; and eventually, "OH HAPPY DAY!"  We had the kids swaying back and forth and snapping on the beat.  It was fantastic.  Below is a snapshot of the video that was recorded! 

Teaching the kids "Oh Happy Day"! 

"Give Me a J! J you got that J, you got that J..."

The highlight of my day was teaching that and then hearing all the kids sing it the rest of the day!  What a great day in Mountain View.  David and the rest of the team picked me up from there and then we went to get Mia from Red Hill where she works.  Red Hill is one of the rural communities that consists of tin roof shanties lined up side by side.  We got out and walked in to where they were feeding the kids lunch.  While we were waiting on Mia, a young boy came over to us and began harassing several of us.  His name was Carl and he called us names, shouted profanities, etc.  He said we were the "white oppressors" and that we didn't need to come and help them, so we should just leave and go home.  Apparently, it was all talk because Mia says Carl acts like this some days and then other days he is very engaged with the Bible stories.  Nevertheless, it was extremely heartbreaking to hear him say stuff like that right in our faces.  Please pray for Carl to be Christ-like in everything that he does and to truly find peace in Jesus Christ.  He comes from a rough family life, which causes a lot of his behavior issues to come out at club.  Please keep him in your prayers!!! 

All in all, it was another day living in God's Kingdom that I am so thankful to be a part of.  I am learning so much here and I pray that the Lord will give me the strength to finish strong in the next couple of weeks.  Thankful for the prayers!

1 Timothy 6:12

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

Great day for singing songs.

The sunrise this morning was absolutely breathtaking on our way to Living Grace.  Berrit, Becca, Holden, and I left the house around 7:30 with David.  We walk in to Living Grace and start helping out with sorting fruit and vegetables that had been donated.  We started a devotion this morning with about 25+ people.  It was so cool to see all of them there just completely in tune to what was said and really listening to each word.  You can see the passion that they have for Christ just by looking at their faces when they sing songs.  They truly rejoice in the Lord, which is so encouraging to me.  I have only been to Living Grace one other time, but I have loved going each time.  What a blessing!  Ms. Joan is the supervisor of the program, and she is an absolute saint.  She is the feistiest 79 year old woman I have ever encountered and people have so much respect for her.  It truly shows!  We helped prepare the food by chopping up various fruits and vegetables; we also helped organize the pantry.  I absolutely loved being there with everyone just soaking it all in.  To end our time at LG, we had another devotion and sang several songs.  Our favorite one to sing is "Give Me Oil," which I filmed them singing today.  Ms. Joan gave one of the men there a tambourine to use while singing; at the same time, some other guys were making drum beats with their hands on the table.  It was awesome.  In fact, it was so awesome that we sang it twice.  

Auntie Joan, Living Grace Supervisor

After Living Grace, David took me back to the house so I could get a few things before I left for Ocean View.  It was a great day at work.  Chanette and I were in charge of making the crafts for grades 5-7.  We have a team there this week from Danville, Arkansas who have been to Ocean View twice before, so it is nice to have more helping hands! 
So, my schedule for afternoon clubs (in terms of location) is as follows: 
M: Mountain View
T: Ocean View
W: Mountain View
TH: Marine Primary School (in OV, but further down from main office)
F: Training Day at LH office
Monday through Thursday I work with the kids, while Will works with the teens the opposite of my location.  I absolutely love it!  I have learned so much from the LSEs and have really appreciated all they do for the ministry.  They are all so incredible with the kids and I respect them more and more every single day.  


While I was helping a few girls make the craft, they began asking me about America and where I'm from.  Michael Jackson was brought up, so obviously I loved that conversation with them.  Then they asked me if I knew Justin Bieber and if he lives close to where I'm from.... not quite.  I taught them a few dance/hand games here and there, which they really enjoyed.  Lots of laughs.  Whenever I ask them what my name is, they always give me a blank face at first and then begin to remember by guessing.  I always correct them with "Nooooo, it starts with a K..."; "Kasey?!", "Kaitlyn?!"; "No, Katherine, but you can call me K.T.!!!"  So now, they all shout "Katie," which is very ironic because I have never ever wanted to be called "Katie."  Well, the name has stuck... at least in Cape Town.


It's hard to believe we only have a week and a half left of ministry!  I really wish I could stay for a longer period of time.  God has shown me so much over the last several weeks and I am so thankful for every day spent here.  Tonight after dinner, I spoke with Ms. Anita (Ms. Bernie's mother) in the kitchen for a good bit.  She asked me how I have enjoyed my time thus far in South Africa.  I went on and on about how much I have loved every second here and how God has been teaching me so much through the people that I have met.  She brought up faith and how people have a tendency to doubt the Lord's plan for them.  She told me to never ever doubt the Lord and to always trust in Him even when people are telling me differently.  I learned that Ms. Anita lost her husband 4 years ago from cancer and always had to stay strong for her family.  She told me that the Lord was by her side the entire time for her to always lean on Him and trust that everything would be okay.  Another great point that she brought up was when we were discussing about going on journeys for Christ and how we need to surround ourselves with people who will build us up rather than question our motives for following God's plan.  That was so powerful to me!  It was such a blessing to hear a strong and loyal South African woman share part of her journey in the Kingdom with me.  The Lord truly shines through her all the time!  What an incredible woman!!!  Thankful that God allowed me to have that strong conversation with her tonight.  Great way to end the evening.  


Thank you for all of the prayers! Please pray that I will continue to make the most out of the ministry that the Lord has set out for me.  Also, I mentioned on a few posts ago about becoming a D.A.D. using the Dollar A Day program.  I pray that you will consider looking into this program in order to help Living Hope continue their ministry in Cape Town through Christ!!  


Katherine
K.T.
"Katie"


Matthew 6:25-27
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Encouraged.

This weekend was such an incredible blessing to do a lot of different things in the city.  We all woke up early to go to David's church, Valley Church in Hout Bay.  Oh, and it was raining... shocker.  Therefore, our plans for hiking Table Mountain obviously changed.  Thankfully, it began to clear up later in the day, yet it was still pretty cold and windy.  So, we went to David's church and the contemporary service was great!  Really great worship and sermon.  The pastor spoke on defeating discouragement (Nehemiah 4:1-23) and how we must overcome fatigue, frustration, and fear through requesting God's help, reorganizing our priorities, remembering who God is, having a right attitude of the heart, and relying on other people.  Great message! 


After visiting there, we drove to Hout Bay Market.  We have been here before, but we all agreed to go again to check it out... and to eat the incredible food.  It was unbelievable.  Mia and I both ate homemade soup for lunch.  SO GOOD.  Once we left, we didn't really have a plan so we drove by Llunado Beach near Hout Bay.  We were able to get out and see the gorgeous view (just like any other view) and take a few pictures.  

Signature pose.

Holden and I noticed some huge boulders out in the water and wanted to go check them out, so we drove down there and stumbled upon them by walking through some residential areas.  They were amazing.  

Yes, I am a giant. 

We just jumped around and crawled under/through them all, and came upon Holden on a huge rock right by the water screaming and shouting for us.  The waves would crash against the rocks creating huge splashes every few seconds!  We eventually met him out there and were getting soaked by the water.  It was beautiful!  Our God is so BIG and we were all reminded of his beauty watching the water crash against the boulders.  A view that I will always remember!  

Holden taking it all in! 

SO COOL!!!!

After chilling on the rocks for about 30 minutes, we drove back to the house to pick up Will and then leave for Hillsong Church!  It was about 35 minutes away so we arrived around 4:45.  The service began at 5:00 with a lot of praise music and announcements.  It was a really neat experience.  I don't know if I would attend Hillsong on a regular basis, but it was still cool to see how they do things as a church.  

  

Today was a great day as well!  I went to Living Way this morning to help out with some of the curriculum for the Agri-business program.  It was cool to read through what they have so far and contribute bits and pieces to it that will be used by people who are trying to break out of the cycle of poverty.  It is so rewarding to know that the curriculum will be used to teach those about business and how to live sustainably, not only in the world, but in Christ.  I will be there on Wednesday and next Monday, Wednesday as well! 

Kids club today was really fun too.  I was able to teach several kids (8 or so) the hand jive again and the chicken dance, along with the "bernie".  Awesome.  We combined it to make a really funky dance. Throughout club, they would run up to me and start flapping there elbows and then leaning back into the bernie pose.  Soooo funny!  Haha, I loved it!  I have been learning more and more names too, which allows me to not only show them love by name, but also be able to discipline them when needed.  We spoke on compassion today and how to show it to your neighbor.  After speaking on showing kindness to one another, I saw two boys kicking each other.  I called them both out by name and tried to reiterate what they just heard so that they may be reminded of how to respect one another.  I will be praying that these children really take to heart what we speak about each day, and that the Holy Spirit would just move through them.  

After clubs, we ate a delicious dinner of chicken, rice, butternut squash, potato wedges, and a salad.  We had Bible study over at Tim and Natasha's house tonight.  It was wonderful, to say the least.  They asked us 2 questions: 1) How have you seen the glory of God in the past week? 2) What are you struggling with in your faith?

We had an incredible 2 hour conversation that consisted of everyone speaking up about what the Lord is doing in our lives.  It was truly a blessing to hear what everyone had to say, because I was so encouraged the entire time.  I absolutely loved hearing people's stories and relating to them on a deeper level.  It was much needed for us to do something like this as a team.  A lot of insight and wisdom was given by Tim and Natasha, which was absolutely fantastic.  Even though I am sad that I only have 3 weeks remaining, I can't wait to finish this journey walking alongside these people who are going through similar circumstances like myself.  What a blessing!!!! Thankful for these brothers and sisters of Christ! 

Making the best out of a rainy day.

What a fun-filled day here in Cape Town!  Since it was supposed to rain all day today, we decided to hold off on visiting Cape Point until next weekend.  Instead, we left around 9:15 to go to the cheetah reserve (about 30 minutes away).  It was incredible.  The reserve takes care of cheetahs, meerkats, and jackals.  They have a total of 9 cheetahs, most being male because they are known to be more social than females.  AND GUESS WHAT?!  WE GOT TO PET A CHEETAH!!!!  His name was Joseph and he has actually been featured in National Geographic and King Solomon's Mines (movie with Patrick Swayze)! 

There's Joseph with Patrick Swayze!

It was so cool to be able to actually pet one!!! Mia, Becca, Mama K, and I walked in with the trainer and walked over to where the habitat was in order to see it up close and pet it.  So cool!  Below are some pictures from this morning.  When Holden, Berrit, and David went to pet him, Joseph actually began to growl at them.  Holden's face was priceless!  The trainer just started saying, "Stand up, stand up, stand up!"  Intense.  Look how beautiful they are! 

We also saw some adorable meerkats there!  See below!  (McAlister and Mortensen, they made me miss you guys!!!)

LOOK AT HIM!
Sebastian the Meerkat

Once we left the reserve, we headed back to our area of town and drove alongside the beach for quite a while.  Holden noticed a cliff overhang on the side of the road, so David pulled over for us to check it out.  It was pouring down rain, but Holden and I were still curious to know what it was like!  So, we jumped out of the car, sprinted probably 200 meters in the rain, and arrived at the cliff/cave made of sandstone.  It was AWESOME.  We explored all around it and looked over the edge to see the beautiful light blue waves crashing against the rocks below!  It was stunning.  Holden kept shouting against the wind, "SO WORTH IT- OH MY GOSH- SO WORTH IT!" I  would have to agree with him on that.  It was so cool to climb down and see it.  We climbed a little further down and ended up being on the beach.  From there, we ran along the water to get back to the car.  I was laughing so hard for a couple of reasons: 1) It was SO windy and misty which I find extremely comical for some reason, 2) Holden was running/flailing along the beach, which was funny to watch, and 3) We had just gone through a sandy dust bowl that had attacked both of our faces.  Needless to say, I was cracking up at the situation we put ourselves in.  So funny.  We eventually made it back from our spontaneous adventure 10-15 minutes later....soaking wet.  

Only form of shelter! 

After being drenched by the rainstorm, we headed back to Fish Hoek to visit a wine vineyard, Steenburg Winery.  It was beautiful!  Granted it was raining, but still gorgeous!  

We left there around 3:30 to head back to the house to get ready for an afternoon hike.  Holden, Mia, Becca, Berrit, David, and I all had a quick bite before heading out.  We left to go to find a trailhead and came upon Silvermine.  We started on the trail and then somehow quickly veered off of the trail.  Holden, Mia, and I went ahead of the group and explored many paths along the way.  It was so much fun!  We had a great time walking all over these mountains; it was a fairly easy hike too.  The rain was literally falling at a 45 degree angle, which was just comical.  I found it quite humorous.  We actually came upon some animal tracks that looked similar to a dog, and then suddenly heard barking.  Holden was in front and immediately jumped when he heard it, while Mia and I screamed like we were being attacked.  Come to find out, two ladies were just walking their 3 dogs (none of which had leashes) and were on their way down the trail.  It was hysterical.  We all had a freak out moment, but were immediately relieved when we heard the two ladies consoling the dogs.  We kept walking and came upon some cool cliff areas (see below) that overlooked the same winery we were at just hours before! 

We had a great time hiking our way up and down the mountain.  Holden was our fearless leader the entire way- thankful for that!  Praying for a pretty day to hike Table Mountain soon!!! 

To finish off this fantastic Saturday, we went to the movie store to pick up Jumanji to watch.  For the last several days, we have all been talking about that movie and how much we want to see it, so we did tonight!  It was definitely a throwback.  A lot of us had not seen it in over 10 years or so.  So great.

Tomorrow morning we are going to David's church at 9 AM, which I am very excited about!  Afterwards (weather permitting), we are planning on hiking Table Mountain!  Hopefully, that will happen.  Also, tomorrow night we are planning on attending Hillsong Church in Cape Town, which I am very excited about!  Once again, so thankful to be here!!!