Final days.

Wellllll, bags are packed, cameras are charged, and the schedule has been set.  We (7 volunteers, David, and Tim and Natasha) are leaving for the Garden Route Tour tomorrow morning and traveling over 1,000 miles throughout South Africa for 7 days.  So pumped.  I cannot wait.  More posts to come about what we will be doing each day there!  


Friday was my very last day serving with Living Hope.  This ministry has been such an incredible blessing to me over the last 5 weeks.  The Lord has taught me so much through my experiences within Ocean View and Mountain View.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to travel 8,200 miles away to share the love of Christ with His people in Cape Town.  I will continue to pray for Living Hope as a whole and I look forward to seeing how God uses these people to further His Kingdom.  


On Friday, the shoe project was finally finished!!! The sale took place Tuesday and Wednesday, so it was our job to pack up all of the extra shoes on Friday.  They sold probably half of the total amount of shoes that had been donated.  It went very smoothly, which was definitely a blessing.  So, it was our job to pack them all up by size in order for another company to come pick them up today.  We helped Tim with that for a little while and then went to Living Way soon afterwards to look at the items they have for sale.  The people who make the candles, artwork, frames, baked goods have all gotten training through the Living Way program on how to run a business.  I love this branch of Living Hope so much because it truly lives out the meaning of hope through the stories that I have heard of the people working there.  After making a few purchases there, we all split up between our townships to take our teams out to lunch.  Will and I treated the Ocean View staff to a little surf shop down the road that serves incredibly fresh mexican food.  We ordered 3 plates of nachos to split.  It was really cool to share a meal with them and talk about the last few weeks of ministry.  I am so sad to leave them all, but I know the Lord has great plans for their lives and I will continue to pray for them as they serve the community.  

OCEAN VIEW FAMILY: Will, Ashwyn, Shelby, Melissa, KT, Angie, and Chanette
We were missing Lauren and Julie due to being sick! 

Once we finished lunch, Mr. Shelby drove us around and up into the Mountain View bush (behind Mtn View), where Rastafarians live.  These people consider Rastafarianism just a way of life, but outsiders would say it's their religion.  Fascinating culture.  We drove up there to see a few houses (staying in our care the entire time) and to really be aware of the way they live.  They get their water from a natural stream on the mountain!  Crazyyyy.  I absolutely loved seeing how they lived!  I would love to travel around learning about different cultures like that one day.  


Shelby dropped me off after I said all of my goodbyes to everyone.... It's funny because Chanette was the first one to greet me at Ocean View and she was the last one to say goodbye to me.  I will miss her and the rest of the crazy crew so much!  They are such a fun group that are always in good spirits, so I'm beyond thankful to have gotten to know them over the last several weeks!
Once I was dropped off, we just relaxed the rest of the day.  It was so nice to just chill and relax with everyone.  We did have a braai last night that consisted of many long term volunteers+Tim and Natasha.  Great time fellowshipping, eating, and watching the Olympics.  
This morning we left around 8:30 to go to Old Biscuit Mill, a really neat marketplace open on Saturdays that has been made out of an old factory.  We immediately went to straight to the food section and ate some brunch (a.k.a. nutella crepes).  It was delicious!!!!  Such a cool area to go to on a weekly basis.  

I love me some tea. 

We left around noon to head back to the house before leaving for Boulders Beach, which has African penguins all over it!  Awesome.  It's crazy to think that penguins are in Africa!  They are so small (no more than 14 inches I would assume) and so smelly- yikes.  Beautiful creatures!  We rested on the beach surrounded by huge boulders for about 2 hours watching the penguins.  I was able to speak with Holden for a good bit about what each of us wants to do with our life.  We have similar thoughts about ministry and the desire to be a part of a non-profit organization one day.  No matter what, we both want to glorify God in all that we do.  It was a solid conversation that I was definitely encouraged by on such a beautiful day.  

The team at Boulders Beach! 

Later tonight, we went out to dinner at the Brass Bell with Tim and Natasha on Kalk Bay.  Really cool restaurant that had great food!  I am so excited they will be going on the Garden Route with us!  Definitely looking forward to it!!!  Thankful to have this opportunity! 

Captured.

It's official- today was my last day serving in Ocean View and Mountain View.  Even though it was hard to leave all the kids, I felt a sense of peace inside of me all day.  All of the kids were extremely obedient today too which was such a blessing, considering I was in charge of telling the Bible story today!  I spoke on being the salt of the earth and light of the world using the passage in Matthew 5:13.  I related being the salt of the earth to eating unsalted "hot chips", or french fries, and how tasteless they would be without any seasoning.  I told the kids that as Christians, we are to be the seasoning of the world and that can only be done through Christ.  After club, I was able to go on a couple of "home visits" within the community.  I went with Mr. Shelby who works in the Family Strengthening unit of Living Right, where they connect people with resources to help them in any way.  It was so interesting to me to see how the people of Ocean and Mountain View live on a daily basis.  They live in these tiny shacks that have anywhere from 5-10 people staying in one.  We visited 3 different families who Shelby knew through referrals from the LSEs.  All had a different background story, which I found extremely intriguing.  I definitely was observing with my sociological lens, trying to apply what I have learned in school to each case we saw today.  I talked to Shelby a bit more about what he does and I would love to do something like that one day- be a connection for resources that will provide people the opportunity to find help where it's needed in their lives, while showing them the light of Christ.  So cool to be able to do that on a regular basis!  


After meeting the families, David picked me up and we headed back to the house for dinner!  Ms. Anita made chicken, pork, rice, potato wedges, cauliflower and broccoli casserole, a salad, and a chocolate cake. YES PLEASE.  It was all so fantastic.  Tim and Natasha both joined us for dinner to discuss our week and the week ahead- GARDEN ROUTE TOUR a.k.a. SAFARI.  We all have the opportunity to participate in a week long journey around the coast of South Africa.  It will be a great way to unwind and relax from the past 5 weeks.  Looking forward to traveling with everyone (including Tim and Natasha) and getting to know each other even more!  

So, since it is getting pretty late here.... 11:45 PM.... I am just going to post some pictures of my kids from this past week.  They are all so precious to me and I will miss them dearly!!!  Please keep them all in your prayers!

                          

                           Chanel & Tarryn are both 14 years old and help out with kids club 

Ashwyn is a pouter for pictures,
so I played it his way. 

The LSEs (-Melissa)

Cherishing every second.

I cannot believe that I am in my last week of ministry with Living Hope.  Time has flown by!!!  I am doing my absolute best to make the most of every second here and to continue serving Christ in all that I do.  I pray that I will continue to stay in touch with the LSEs of Ocean View and the other incredible staff members of Living Hope that I have gotten to know over the past 5 weeks.  There are some incredible people within this organization that I truly look up to.  


This week has been great so far; definitely bittersweet working with all of the kids in Mountain View and Ocean View.  On Monday, I went to Living Way and continued working on the math curriculum for their business training program that they offer.  I am writing up questions similar to, "If jeans cost R79 per item, how much will it cost for 3?"; "If you buy 3 shirts for R90, you save R27.  How much will you have saved per shirt?"; and so on.... I have actually enjoyed working on it, not only because the problems are simple for me to come up with, but also, I know that the program will be using them to teach the people within the community who are seeking job training skills.  So cool to put it in that perspective!  I worked at LW from 8:00-12:45 or so and then David picked me up to take me to the house to eat lunch before club.  My lunch consisted of leftover mac and cheese from Ms. Bernie's cooking the night before.  Yes please.  Will was sick on Monday, so it was just me heading to club!  We got the crafts together and headed to Mountain View around 3:00 to set up.  I can't remember if I have mentioned this in past blog posts, but I "attempt" to beatbox with the kids.  My friends back home know how obsessed I am with beatboxing and they always laugh at me when I try and do it.  I just think it sounds so cool when people do it themselves.  I consider myself a wannabe beatboxer.  So, I have done it to a lot of the kids here and they are absolutely mesmerized by this tall white girl just making a complete fool out of herself.  I get down to where they can hear me, cup my hand over my mouth, and begin to "beatbox" with them.  They tend to react 3 different ways.  1) Staring straight at me with a confused face, 2) Begin to point and laugh uncontrollably, or 3) Participate in making their own sounds.  It's awesome.  A lot of the little boys find it quite entertaining and try their hardest to do it as well, and most of the time, they actually sound really good!  A few minutes later, Chanette called all the kids in for club!  We started with praise and worship which led into the Bible study and the craft.  Another great day with the kiddos!  


Monday night, we had a Bible study at Tim and Natasha's house with other long term volunteers.  I have loved going over there every week to get to know everyone and really be there as a body of believers.  We watched this short clip for discussion.  It's really interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Expao2nWdAU We began to speak about doubting God and how we should handle it, whether to talk to people about it or just leave our thoughts alone.  I was so encouraged by what everyone was saying.  I think the most important thing for us to do is to speak to God directly when we begin to have questions because He is the one with answers, instead of only running to people.  Granted, having conversations with others and learning from one another's experiences is essential in life, but at the same time, having time with God and studying His word will be the most beneficial way of learning about faith first.  It was really neat to hear everyone's thoughts on the matter.  Great night of fellowship! 


Tuesday was Living Grace day!  Holden, Becca, Berrit, and I cut up vegetables to prepare for the lunch yesterday.  The three of them began to cut onions, which of course, led to many tears streaming down their faces.  We really enjoyed serving at LG and being able to help in any way.  So thankful I have gotten to have that experience! 
  

Berrit vs. Onion

During my lunch hour, Tim asked for my help with the shoe sale!  It's finally here!  So, I helped Natasha unload all of the pairs and set up the sale in the chapel at the LH head office.  Over 1,000 pairs were donated by a local shoe store of unmatched shoes.  Since March, the Living Hope volunteers have been sorting all of them in order for this shoe sale to take place, and now it's finally here!  All 190 Living Hope staff members have been invited to participate in the sale- doors opened at 2:30! 

 

Yesterday afternoon, we had club in Ocean View with all the kids.  It went very well!  I'll miss these kids so much.  Tomorrow is my last day with them, which will be very hard!  I took a few pictures yesterday of the kids that I have gotten to know over the past 5 weeks.  Precious! 

My 6th grade girls! 

Great start to my last week of ministry.  God is so faithful!!! Looking forward to the rest of the week!!!


John 14:6
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

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."