Great times in October :)

Hello beautiful people! My sincerest apologies for another 2-week gap! So much has happened during the second half of October.

The weekend of the 16th was lovely and relaxing. On Saturday, we went out for lunch for the birthday of one of my coworkers at the Botanical Gardens. It was gorgeous! It was hilarious though, because it was my first time eating “white people food” (basically anything that doesn’t involve pap lol) in a week and I definitely felt sick to my stomach afterwards! My friend says I’m becoming truly African… I can’t go a day without pap! That night I watched the BET Hip-Hip awards for a taste of home (lol!) and seeing the rappers from Detroit perform made me miss home a little bit, I’m not gonna lie… but God’s timing is perfect and I know that when I come back it will be exactly right.

On Sunday, church was so wonderful! The message was great, and at the end the pastor shouted me out, saying how impressed he was that I dance like an African, like I belong. He even invited me up to do the closing prayer! I think they really love having an American at their church – after last week’s sermon the pastor jokingly (or so I thought) announced that now, with my presence, Eph’phatha “Stress-Free Church” (as it’s nicknamed) would now be called Eph’phatha Stress-Free Church International! Then, when I walked in this week, the chalkboard on the wall that usually has a big welcome message said “Welcome to Eph’phatha Stress-Free Church INTERNATIONAL” in huge block letters! It was the funniest thing! It’s a blessing to be a part of their community.

After church I went to Spur (my favorite restaurant!) with a friend and we pretended it was my birthday so I got free ice cream – yay! (Only a month late!) Then I went to the office with the intention of working on my master’s applications and ended up calling Marta, my beautiful roomie from Georgetown, and Jack. It was such a blessing to catch up!

The week of the 18th was a bit all over the place, because they were thinking of moving me from Bushbuckridge, which was going to be really, really sad. Luckily, it all worked out! So because they weren’t sure where they were going to place me, I did lots of different things: on Tuesday I was in at Bushbuckridge service center with the bookkeeper, helping her organize some files and just chatting, and Wednesday I was in the office here at Hands hub, helping collect stories about successes from the kids’ camps, primary caregiver trainings, and other projects that Hands does. It was great to hear about the work that others are doing, because Hands does so much and oftentimes I only see a sliver of it, the part in which I’m involved. That evening, a pair of British ladies who have been visiting cooked us an amazing dinner of their traditional shepherd’s pie – what a treat! On Thursday, I was at the Hlau-Hlau service center (the other group of villages we serve in South Africa). It was a fun and relaxing day, the highlight of which was walking for what seemed like forever just to find a small snack shop where I could get something to munch on for lunch. I was proposed marriage, which is always fun, and definitely made the shopkeeper’s day to have met an American. It’s so funny, walking around these communities as a mlungu (white person) – there’s always an adventure. : ) That night, we celebrated one of my fellow volunteer’s birthdays with a home-made pizza dinner. It reminded me of being little, buying crusts and decorating our pizza just how we wanted it. It was so much fun! Then on Friday, I went to Home Affairs with another fellow volunteer to sort out some visa stuff, which didn’t get sorted until Monday, but it was a nice excuse to see the city of Nelspruit.

Then, on the 23rd (Saturday), we had our Youth Conference at church! 15-25(ish) year-olds from various different churches in the area came together to praise and worship and to hear from a pastor from Swaziland. It was such a great day! I was signed up to be an usher, so it was a lot of fun ushering with my new girlfriends at church. What I didn’t know was that as ushers we would lead the way to the front to dance during praise and worship! But I think I did alright ; ) Those girls LOVE to see me dance in the African way, it’s so funny… and really exciting to think of the bridges that are being crossed by me becoming friends with them. Racial and national boundaries being crossed… it’s a great feeling. Then, in the afternoon, a friend and I went to the home of one of my co-workers, who lives in Masoyi, the community in which Hands started. He’s my parents’ age, and has been with Hands since its humble beginnings. He walked us around the community, showing us where they used to visit AIDS patients who were dying, and explaining the roots of the organization to us. It was such a moving experience. Then we had a braai at his house and got to meet his wife, kids, and even a granddaughter! It was such a great family day, and it warmed my heart to see how he welcomed us into his home and his family. It really made me realize how blessed I am to be a part of such a loving community. On Sunday, I went to church and then worked on my master’s application a bit. Then, a bunch of us went out to dinner spontaneously (to Spur again, YAY!) and it was so much fun! A great way to close the weekend.

The week of the 25th was great, because I was told I would still be able to work in Bushbuckridge! On Monday, though, I had to go back to Home Affairs, but I finally got everything sorted out for my visa! The problem was that it’s waiting for me to pick it up in Cape Town, but I’m technically “illegal” right now, so they were going to give me trouble at the airport when I fly to Cape Town next week for my visit. But God led me to the right person to speak to, because I just asked a random guy in the Home Affairs uniform if he could help me, and he sat me down in his air-conditioned office and chatted me up about all the great tourist spots I have to check out in Mpumalanga, about what life is like in America – and, oh yeah, he also gave me the documentation I need to say that I’m not actually illegal because my visa’s waiting for me in Cape Town. So that was great, and very successful! Then, on Tuesday, I helped out in the office with some random tasks since I wasn’t heading back out to Bushbuckridge until Wednesday. But the evening was so much fun – I cooked fried chicken and macaroni and cheese for 24 people!! Nearly everyone who lives at Hands came, and it was so great to share some American culture with them. The best part was that an American couple was coming to visit Hands for the week, so they got to share in the meal too! The husband is from South Carolina originally and he even helped me fry the chicken – how sweet is that? Afterwards, we had ladies’ group, where about 6 of us get together and study the Word. This time, though, we just talked and prayed for each other, because everyone was carrying burdens of some kind. It felt so wonderful to support one another in prayer and just by listening, and God really sent comfort and encouragement to each of us. So it was a great night!

Then on Wednesday, I went back out to Bushbuckridge, to stay with my other co-worker, who’s the field coordinator. She has a husband and three lovely kids, two teenage girls and a 9-year-old boy. What a blessing it was to meet her family! I was out there to support here during the last of the careworkers’ trainings, but the best part was just spending time in her community. On the first evening, we visited one of the careworkers that works at one of our community-based organizations and who also attends church with my coworker. It was so sweet, sitting outside in the dusty village, drinking from her finest teacups, chatting as the sun set. She spoke a lot about her son, who’s attending University of Cape Town (she was convinced I would know him, as he was doing his first year while I was studying abroad there, but the school’s too big!) To hear the pride and joy in her voice that her son was studying there put a smile in my heart. The next night, I went back to visit because she told me that her second son, who’s about to graduate from high school, wants to study social work next year! So I came over to chat with him about social work but we ended up talking about EVERYTHING – I have never met such a funny and charismatic young man! Among other things, he told me that Americans speak the poorest English in the world, and that we are the dumbest country because we only speak one language “while I, as I sit in front of you,” he told me, “can speak 11.” He then proceeded to say “I can speak [insert language here]” in each of the official languages of South Africa. It was all in fun, of course, so we had a great time just laughing about it. He was even asking me about the Vietnam War (trying to understand why we would never admit that we “lost”), and I promise you he knew more about it then I did! I’m so confident that he has a bright future ahead of him, and it was so inspiring to see that he is going to get an education and then sow into the lives of people in his village who so desperately need his help.

It was also amazing talking to his mom, the careworker, about why she volunteers with the community-based organization. She shared with me that working with the orphans is therapeutic for her, as both of her parents and her husband have all passed away. She said that she understands the hole that has been left in their hearts, and she wants to fill it, to be their parent because they have none. To see her passion and the sincerity in her eyes made me want to cry! And it was obvious from the fact that at least 5 of the orphans she works with had come to visit her in the couple of hours that I’d been at her home, that this woman is having a huge impact on the lives of the vulnerable children in her community. My conversation with her assured me that Hands is indeed doing incredible work.

Friday was the last day of the careworkers’ training, and it was so sad that it was over, because out of all the villages we work in, the ladies from Belfast are truly one-of-a-kind! They are so happy and loving and have been so accepting of me from the beginning, when I first went to stay in their village for the weekend with my host sister in September. I can’t wait to see them again soon! That evening, I had a movie night with some coworkers (if you couldn’t tell, movie nights are pretty much the main form of entertainment around here, lol!) Then on Saturday, I spent the whole day working on my master’s application to University of Michigan, and I FINISHED it!! I could not be happier! That’s a major weight off of my shoulders. That evening was the birthday of one of my co-worker’s daughters, who’s turning 15. We had an AWESOME girls’ night and sleepover, painting each other’s nails, eating candy, and watching chick flicks. It reminded me of all my sleepovers back in the day! It was a really fun night. Then yesterday (Sunday) we went to two beautiful waterfalls, which Mpumalanga is known for. I’ll post pictures soon! It was absolutely gorgeous, and so nice just to spend time with friends, laughing and basking in God’s beautiful creation. We had a lovely picnic, walked around a little craft marker, and just enjoyed one another’s company. Then there was a huge thunderstorm, so we curled up and (yes) watched movies for the rest of the evening! It was such a fun weekend.

So now you’re up to date! This week I’ll be back in Bushbuckridge… and then a week from today, I fly out to Cape Town to visit for the week!! I’m going mostly because one of my best friends is getting baptized, and her drama students are doing their final performance. It’s also my other friend’s birthday party, which will be so fun, and other than that I’ll just be visiting friends and family and enjoying a week-long vacation! I’ll update you all again as soon as I can. Love you lots!