This morning, we had a special project to work on at the LH office, rather than going into our communities to work. We arrived at the LH offices around 8:45 for a devotional with the staff. It was great to sit in and be a part of what they are all about. Afterwards, we were told that Living Hope received a donation several months back of 350 boxes filled with mismatched shoes. They have been working on this project for many weeks and are so close to finishing! We spent a few hours Friday morning sorting out as many shoes as possible. Although it was very frustrating to find matching pairs of shoes, it was still an act of service that we should take delight in. I was reminded by the verse in James (1:2-3), "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." This really helped me focus on one of the many reasons why I am here.
Here is a picture of the some of the shoes we were sorting:
Once we finished sorting them, we went into the conference room and ate lunch with all of our life skills educators. We ate sandwiches that are famous in South Africa called, Gatsbys. They are sub rolls stuffed with meat and french fries.... what in the world. Here is a picture of what one looks like!
When eating with our life skills educators, we learned a lot about the history of the community that we work in. It was fascinating to hear about the history of Ocean View. The township was formed in the late 1960s during the Group Areas Act; all colored people were forcefully relocated from the 'white communities' of Simon's Town, Fish Hoek and Noordhoek to this settlement. It was ironically named Ocean View, with residents being removed from their previous sea-side homes and views. Its history is embedded in apartheid and all of the injustices that have resulted from that. Today there are about 40,000 people who live here in brick houses and apartments. Because housing is not much of an issue here, they face many other discrepancies such as drug use, alcoholism, gangs, teen pregnancies, and huge unemployment rates. Unfortunately, many result to selling drugs to earn their income, specifically a form of crystal meth which is very inexpensive to make and is sold for less than $1. HIV is also a problem, with the infection rate being up to 13%. The people in this community face struggles of all kinds which leads them to a sense of hopelessness. Please join me in praying for the people of Ocean View for God to allow them to find their identity solely in Christ in order to gain a sense of purpose and worth within their community. I pray that God will use me as an instrument to share His love with anyone I come in contact with.
After lunch, the summer project volunteers (all 7 of us), had our last orientation session. We did a study on Nehemiah and the way that he stayed strong in His faith even when people doubted him and rebuked him. Very interesting to break down and make it relatable to working within townships. We then played Never Have I Ever to get to know each other a little better. Mama K always has us cracking up with her little British sayings.
Fransi picked us up from there to take us to the mall to exchange our money into rand. It's a very crazy currency. A 200 rand bill is the equivalent of $24. I am so confused every time I purchase something. I always ask Holden or Berrit to do the conversion for me. Once we left the bank, we headed back to the house. Around 6:15, we ate burgers, homemade french fries, and a salad. The boys went to bed immediately afterwards. The girls (all 5 of us) sat on the couch and played with Photo Booth for about 2 hours. Endless entertainment, every time. Below are some shots from the night...
It was absolutely hysterical. I was laughing so hard at everyone that I could not stop snorting.... I absolutely loved taking them with these ladies.
I can't remember if I mentioned that 5 students from Samford (all girls) are doing research with Living Way for their business majors.... Well, the 5 of them, Mia, Becca, and I all went out around 8:30 to explore the city. We went to Kalk Bay and walked around for a bit. There was a pub that we went into, which was definitely equipped with a dance floor. Needless to say, I spent most of the time dancing while I was there. Definitely got a great cardio workout in! I had an absolute blast with all of those girls!
Great Friday! Many things to be thankful for!
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