Hey everyone! Wow, it has been a while since i've been able to catch my breath! I have just been on the go these past few weeks!! So we got to Cape Town last week and I just love it!! It is so beautiful here! So far, I have been staying at a homestay with an adorable family for the last week! They are seriously so wonderful! Their names are Nallie, Trever, Jessie (boy,23), Lisa (girl, 16), and Adam (boy, 15). This family has opened up their home to us so that we can get a little taste of what it is like to live the way they do. They live in town called, "Ocean View" and they leave very simply. I am paired living their with my friend, Daniele, and we already feel like kids in the family. It has been great to talk with them about their way of life and compare and contrast it to ours. They live in a coloured community and are coloureds themselves. I have been informed that they classify themselves as "coloured" people and do not take offense to that title!! They are also not categorized with blacks either. I have learned so much about the history of South Africa and have had the chance to pick at their experiences since being here. I had never known about "District 6" which happened about 30 or 40 years ago, when the government forced all the people leaving in District 6 out because they wanted to use it for something else and develop it because it was a township. My house dad, Trever, has taken us around Cape Town and has pointed out all the places that were whites only and coloureds only and blacks only. There were also designated beaches and shops that they were allowed to go into. It has just amazed me with how far they've come today with all the changes.
My family has been treating us so well and serve us coffee and tea about 10 times a day no joke! They are constantly feeding us and in order to not be rude, we must eat. hahaha. But the good thing is that the food is delicious and Nallie can cook beautifully! Last night, Nallie told me her testimony to becoming a christian and it was so powerful. She was originally Muslim and started dating Trever in highschool. Trever was a christian and as they got more serious in their relationship and were thinking of marriage, trever told nallie that he would convert to muslim. Nallie felt uneasy about this for she felt that trever was a "better" christian than she was as a muslim. So she made the hard choice to convert but this had a huge toll on her relationship with her family. I didn't know that if you convert from being a muslim, your family will shun you and the person who converts will become "dead" to them. This is exactly what happened... Nallie and Trever told her famly and they shunned her immediately. But before she were to become a full on christian, she wanted to make sure her heart was right... And not just become a christian in order to marry trever. So she said she remembered getting down on her knees and just praying to God and I cannot give this all justice as I am writing it on here, but it was so beautiful and this whole story brought tears to my eyes! Since then, God has provided people in their lives who have taken the place of her famliy who have shunned her and she says that she is so happy that God had filled that emptiness and she is so happy!! Nallie has so much strength and I was glad to learn so much about her life last night and of how she became a christian!!
This week we have been taking classes and touring Cape Town. Today we went on a tour around a Township called, "landa" and ate at this meat place. Tomorrow we are taking a Fairy to Robin Island all day. Friday we have class/lecture, and on Saturday we are climbing Table Mountain!! woop woop! 2 weeks are left from today until we take a plane back to the states! I am enjoying everything so much and absolutely love it here! Yesterday, me and a few friends went to the ocean and ran along it and basked in the beauty of this place!! God blessed Cape Town with so much beauty and I am trying to soak it all up in 2 weeks!! If I have time, I will go to an internet cafe to upload some pictures, However, at the moment I am at a Bible Institute (college campus) that has like zero internet! haha So if I don't get to it, i'll put them up when I'm in the states!!
love and miss you all!! Take care :)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Time is flying by! Off to Capetown now!!
Wow! So much has happened this past week and this weekend that I do not know even where to start! Let me first start by filling you all in with what happened last week with the safari/living with the zulu tribe! Half of our giant group went to live with the zulu tribe first while the other half lived on a game reserve and went on a safari! I started at the safari and it was SO much fun! We woke up at like 4:30 am every morning in order to get a good start to finding some animals! I saw the most exotic animals... zebra, giraffe, elephants, rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, scorpions, spiders, mpala, and nyala! They were so amazing and I took about 400 pictures! haha! We were in these open vehicles so it felt like we were really out in the wild! My favorite part was definitely being a few car lengths away from cheetah!
They were so beautiful and we actually got to see the cheetah chase an mpala right in front of our eyes! I seriously felt like I was on Animal planet or something!! We were literally out looking for animals the entire day.. we would only come back to base camp for lunch and dinner! At night we would play games as a group and it was so nice to be able to get to know everyone because we were in a smaller group.
It was time to swap places on Wednesday so all of us were very excited to go live in the zulu tribe... however there was a huge issue that had come about that we were all unaware of its serverity! Apparently 20 of the 27 students had become violently sick
and many spent the night in the hospital the night before! They were unsure of what exactly it was that caused all the students to be sick but they think it was because they drank water that the tribe gave them! It was terrible... as we swapped buses it was probably one of the most pitiful sights I have ever seen. They all looked in pain and it was just so sad to see. It made all of us so nervous to go to the tribe because we didn't want to get sick like they did! But after some reassurance, we were still excited but very cautious and stopped at a gas station to buy a ton of water for the next few days!
We got to the tribe (which was literally in the middle of nowhere... like an hour from civilization) and moved into these adorable looking huts with mud floors! We met a bunch of people who live there and a ton of people and kids from nearby villiages came by to hang out with us! They performed a zulu dance our first night.. which was so interesting and they pulled a few of us out of the audience to perform with them... It was fun trying to dance like them... but I have to admit, it was awkward too! haha But the next day we went on a super long hike and it was so hot out! We met a medicine man in the forest and that was sweet! We also stopped at this one woman's hut to buy some of her bead jewelry! I learned how to make some jewelry with them too and we hung out with them for a while and sang praise songs in zulu and just talked. The bathrooms and showers were very interesting! the toilet was literally a hole with a sheet of cardboard over it! It was disguting and anytime any of us had to use the restroom, we dreaded it BIG TIME! The shower part was interesting because we had to get hot water from this giant boiling pot over the fire, poor it into a bucket, and then carry it over to the shower to poor it into another bucket, and then lift it up on a rope so that we can shower ourselves with it. It was a lengthy process but a necessity if you wanted to be clean! We spent our second evening sitting around the campfire with all of our group and all the zulus! We sang sons and just chatted... It was so much fun and I cherished the whole weekend for what it was.... I appreciate the way they live and the hard work they put into everything! It is amazing how different of a lifestyle they truly live!
And so I thought I got through living with the zulu tribe being healthy, but that shortly failed today when I had a super upset stomach and found myself needing to use the restroom a ton... Along with the majority of both groups! It is not fun to be sick, but it has been comical to find our group talking about these very personal issues concerning "diahreea and throwing up" in depth and so freely! I love it.. haha... But we are unsure of what exactly caused us all to get sick... but for sure it had to be something while at the zulu tribe :/ But many are still sick and please pray for everyone to heal as we are getting ready to have a week's travel by bus down to capetown! It is such a necessity to be healthy as we are constantly going going going! Many have made trips to the hospital... so this incident was definitely not a good thing, but I feel it has brought us all closer in a very unique way.
Today I packed pretty much all day and cleaned out my room at African Enterprise. Tonight we had our fairwell dinner and it was very fun! We all got dressed up for the occasion and had a delicious and fancy meal! We had some of our friends from ethembeni come to join us for dinner and it was lovely. It was nice to have one last goodbye! They are like family for sure!
Tomorrow we leave at 7 in the morning and are driving all day!
Alright, well I am gone for the rest of the week and will not have internet until Friday and by then, I'll be in Capetown!! During this next week, I will be bungee jumping off the largest bungee jump in the WORLD!! YEA BABY! And also exploring into the deep Cango caves! I am SOOO FREAKING EXCITED! Hope all of you are doing well! love and miss you all!!
love, Jamie
They were so beautiful and we actually got to see the cheetah chase an mpala right in front of our eyes! I seriously felt like I was on Animal planet or something!! We were literally out looking for animals the entire day.. we would only come back to base camp for lunch and dinner! At night we would play games as a group and it was so nice to be able to get to know everyone because we were in a smaller group. It was time to swap places on Wednesday so all of us were very excited to go live in the zulu tribe... however there was a huge issue that had come about that we were all unaware of its serverity! Apparently 20 of the 27 students had become violently sick
and many spent the night in the hospital the night before! They were unsure of what exactly it was that caused all the students to be sick but they think it was because they drank water that the tribe gave them! It was terrible... as we swapped buses it was probably one of the most pitiful sights I have ever seen. They all looked in pain and it was just so sad to see. It made all of us so nervous to go to the tribe because we didn't want to get sick like they did! But after some reassurance, we were still excited but very cautious and stopped at a gas station to buy a ton of water for the next few days!
We got to the tribe (which was literally in the middle of nowhere... like an hour from civilization) and moved into these adorable looking huts with mud floors! We met a bunch of people who live there and a ton of people and kids from nearby villiages came by to hang out with us! They performed a zulu dance our first night.. which was so interesting and they pulled a few of us out of the audience to perform with them... It was fun trying to dance like them... but I have to admit, it was awkward too! haha But the next day we went on a super long hike and it was so hot out! We met a medicine man in the forest and that was sweet! We also stopped at this one woman's hut to buy some of her bead jewelry! I learned how to make some jewelry with them too and we hung out with them for a while and sang praise songs in zulu and just talked. The bathrooms and showers were very interesting! the toilet was literally a hole with a sheet of cardboard over it! It was disguting and anytime any of us had to use the restroom, we dreaded it BIG TIME! The shower part was interesting because we had to get hot water from this giant boiling pot over the fire, poor it into a bucket, and then carry it over to the shower to poor it into another bucket, and then lift it up on a rope so that we can shower ourselves with it. It was a lengthy process but a necessity if you wanted to be clean! We spent our second evening sitting around the campfire with all of our group and all the zulus! We sang sons and just chatted... It was so much fun and I cherished the whole weekend for what it was.... I appreciate the way they live and the hard work they put into everything! It is amazing how different of a lifestyle they truly live!
And so I thought I got through living with the zulu tribe being healthy, but that shortly failed today when I had a super upset stomach and found myself needing to use the restroom a ton... Along with the majority of both groups! It is not fun to be sick, but it has been comical to find our group talking about these very personal issues concerning "diahreea and throwing up" in depth and so freely! I love it.. haha... But we are unsure of what exactly caused us all to get sick... but for sure it had to be something while at the zulu tribe :/ But many are still sick and please pray for everyone to heal as we are getting ready to have a week's travel by bus down to capetown! It is such a necessity to be healthy as we are constantly going going going! Many have made trips to the hospital... so this incident was definitely not a good thing, but I feel it has brought us all closer in a very unique way.Today I packed pretty much all day and cleaned out my room at African Enterprise. Tonight we had our fairwell dinner and it was very fun! We all got dressed up for the occasion and had a delicious and fancy meal! We had some of our friends from ethembeni come to join us for dinner and it was lovely. It was nice to have one last goodbye! They are like family for sure!
Tomorrow we leave at 7 in the morning and are driving all day!
Alright, well I am gone for the rest of the week and will not have internet until Friday and by then, I'll be in Capetown!! During this next week, I will be bungee jumping off the largest bungee jump in the WORLD!! YEA BABY! And also exploring into the deep Cango caves! I am SOOO FREAKING EXCITED! Hope all of you are doing well! love and miss you all!!
love, Jamie
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Saying Goodbye to our family at the Family Center
Wow. I honestly do not know where to begin except to start by thanking God for the amazing experience of spending the last four weeks at Ethembeni/Mpophomeni Family Center. I am not going to forget the friendships I have made with the staff and kids here. They have all touched me so much.
Yesterday was our last day at the site, and I could not have even imagined the way it played out. Everything was so humbling... Our group decided to throw a pizza party with lots of good treats for everyone! So in the morning, a few of us picked up the pizzas and headed to the family center.
We got there and set up all the food and drinks and organized the staff to eat in one room and the kids took all their food outside to eat and play. The time we had with the staff during lunch was one of my most memorable times I have had at the family center... We were preparing to say our goodbyes... We started off by thanking them by opening their arms and being the people that they are. This turned into personal speeches for everyone to share about the impact that this whole experience has been for us. Little did I know, that they would open up and share what their hearts were feeling as well. Each staff member: Ellen, Pindi, Nanhlanhla, Zwe,Claire, Nambu, and Hlaka all shared with us what their time has been like for them since we have been here. I can tell you it was such a humbling experience. They spoke in Zulu and Zwe translated... I don't think their was one dry eye in the room... We all were in tears as we went around the circle sharing the impact that each has had on us. I was so thankful for this time..... 
And God was definitely surrounding us in that room. After all of this, we surrounded the staff and were blessed with the opportunity to pray over them and their impact on the family center. And after, they surrounded us....It was honestly one of the most beautiful gatherings I have ever experienced. I cherish all the joy, tears, and laughter that was expressed during this time. [Above is Claire and I...She is such a great woman of God and I am so glad and blessed for these past few weeks of getting to know her and have a friendship with her. She devoted 3 years of her life working at the family center and has such a servant heart!]
Another amazing thing that God blessed the family center with on this day was the opportunity to show the kids and staff the, "Everything by Lifehouse" skit.
I encourage anyone who is reading this right now to watch this skit on youtube. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever watched and it makes me cry every time, as it symbolizes and resembles each individual's personal relationship with God. So we made the playroom into a movie theater and all the kids watched it. After the skit, we had everyone who had questions or comments about the video to come into another room so we could have question and answer time. Right after this was said, a bunch of teens flooded into the room and we all sat down in there. We had Khlaka and Zwe there and they took charge and really led the discussion and translated for us. They asked and commented about the video and the struggles that the girl in the skit faced and how they were hurting her relationship with God. The questions were deep, vulnerable, and creative. It was great to have this time for them to ask these questions... They have so many questions about sin, dealing with money, and promiscuity.
The day before, we also had another question/answer time with them the day before and it was an open discussion which led to a deep discussion about sin and the temptations they are faced with every day in the township. I found this time to be such a beautiful thing for the teenagers...I know that these types of things are not discussed in their daily lives and they may have never even talked about it before. Another amazing thing that came about through this time with the teens was that Khlaka and Zwe led this time with them and it opened a door for these kids to see them as people they can be comfortable with to come to with questions or struggles. I pray that Zwe and Khlaka and Claire and all the care givers at the family center can be someone these kids can come to with questions. It was a great thing to be a part of and see this door open for everyone at the family center.
As if the day could not have been more filled with love, it continued to be displayed more and more.
Claire, Zwe, and the other staff members put on a little ceremony for us to receive these beaded pins with the South Africa flag on it. Each of our mentors placed it on us and they told us that it was a gift for being here, working with them, and becoming a part of the family. They are beautiful pins and everytime I where it, I will think of them : ) As the day came to an end, I was sad to say goodbye... 
But I hate goodbye's so I turned it into, "I'll see you later." These people have made such an impact on my life. The way they serve these children every single day just amazes me. It is not easy work and I am inspired by each and every one of them and the way they devote their lives to making mpophemeni a better place! I am still processing all of my emotions... so as I speak, I am getting all worked up! haha... But I will definitely never forget these wonderful people : )
<3 Jamie
Yesterday was our last day at the site, and I could not have even imagined the way it played out. Everything was so humbling... Our group decided to throw a pizza party with lots of good treats for everyone! So in the morning, a few of us picked up the pizzas and headed to the family center.
We got there and set up all the food and drinks and organized the staff to eat in one room and the kids took all their food outside to eat and play. The time we had with the staff during lunch was one of my most memorable times I have had at the family center... We were preparing to say our goodbyes... We started off by thanking them by opening their arms and being the people that they are. This turned into personal speeches for everyone to share about the impact that this whole experience has been for us. Little did I know, that they would open up and share what their hearts were feeling as well. Each staff member: Ellen, Pindi, Nanhlanhla, Zwe,Claire, Nambu, and Hlaka all shared with us what their time has been like for them since we have been here. I can tell you it was such a humbling experience. They spoke in Zulu and Zwe translated... I don't think their was one dry eye in the room... We all were in tears as we went around the circle sharing the impact that each has had on us. I was so thankful for this time..... 
And God was definitely surrounding us in that room. After all of this, we surrounded the staff and were blessed with the opportunity to pray over them and their impact on the family center. And after, they surrounded us....It was honestly one of the most beautiful gatherings I have ever experienced. I cherish all the joy, tears, and laughter that was expressed during this time. [Above is Claire and I...She is such a great woman of God and I am so glad and blessed for these past few weeks of getting to know her and have a friendship with her. She devoted 3 years of her life working at the family center and has such a servant heart!]Another amazing thing that God blessed the family center with on this day was the opportunity to show the kids and staff the, "Everything by Lifehouse" skit.
I encourage anyone who is reading this right now to watch this skit on youtube. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever watched and it makes me cry every time, as it symbolizes and resembles each individual's personal relationship with God. So we made the playroom into a movie theater and all the kids watched it. After the skit, we had everyone who had questions or comments about the video to come into another room so we could have question and answer time. Right after this was said, a bunch of teens flooded into the room and we all sat down in there. We had Khlaka and Zwe there and they took charge and really led the discussion and translated for us. They asked and commented about the video and the struggles that the girl in the skit faced and how they were hurting her relationship with God. The questions were deep, vulnerable, and creative. It was great to have this time for them to ask these questions... They have so many questions about sin, dealing with money, and promiscuity. The day before, we also had another question/answer time with them the day before and it was an open discussion which led to a deep discussion about sin and the temptations they are faced with every day in the township. I found this time to be such a beautiful thing for the teenagers...I know that these types of things are not discussed in their daily lives and they may have never even talked about it before. Another amazing thing that came about through this time with the teens was that Khlaka and Zwe led this time with them and it opened a door for these kids to see them as people they can be comfortable with to come to with questions or struggles. I pray that Zwe and Khlaka and Claire and all the care givers at the family center can be someone these kids can come to with questions. It was a great thing to be a part of and see this door open for everyone at the family center.
As if the day could not have been more filled with love, it continued to be displayed more and more.
Claire, Zwe, and the other staff members put on a little ceremony for us to receive these beaded pins with the South Africa flag on it. Each of our mentors placed it on us and they told us that it was a gift for being here, working with them, and becoming a part of the family. They are beautiful pins and everytime I where it, I will think of them : ) As the day came to an end, I was sad to say goodbye... 
But I hate goodbye's so I turned it into, "I'll see you later." These people have made such an impact on my life. The way they serve these children every single day just amazes me. It is not easy work and I am inspired by each and every one of them and the way they devote their lives to making mpophemeni a better place! I am still processing all of my emotions... so as I speak, I am getting all worked up! haha... But I will definitely never forget these wonderful people : )<3 Jamie
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