Postscript

well, dear readers, we are back in the states. if the team is anything like me, they're really missing the kids, and Capetown, and our adult friends Pam, Alison, Liz, the Hastings, and the others. before we wrapped the blog i wanted to leave everyone with our favorite moments on the trip, and let you know the many ways you can help the organizations we mentioned.

FAVORITES: (as  if we could only choose 1...) (also bear in mind that everyone said alot and i am just paraphrasing.)

Karen- kids and their hugs; knowing all they want is to be loved; seeing things from different points of view of the other team mates; hearing Natasha's story (scroll down for more on that).

Kayce- feels like her life is really in perspective; knowing the kids have so much joy, even if they have need.

Shawnie- Thursday night with the parents (Shawnie did a great job decorating for them, by the way); the whole week was great and she wishes we could have done more.

Tracey- gained a new perspective; she is awe-inspired by the kids' response to  Liz and Alison; the teachers tea was full of highlights for her (one of the teachers brought us to tears with her reaction to the things Camp Sonshine showed her about her own behavior with the kids).

Melissa- loved the kids; in awe of Alison and her Servant's heart; wants more of it for her own self.

Alison- amazed at what God can do in a week; so happy that Amy came to dinner and wanted to go to church as well; sad that we don't get to see the lasting impact of our trip.

Pam- loved meeting us, and seeing Alison and Liz at work; amazed by Alison's faith and wants to tear down the internal walls.

Brad- amazed at the church setup, how they do that every week! the heart of Alison, Pam and Liz is a treasure; loving the kids and knowing they love you back.

Matt- playing with the kids- he's never really done that; he's become way more loving and trusting; driving on the "wrong" side of the road; talking to Alison about a life of being a servant; sees that you don't have to be "bored" to serve- instead, taking time out to be an active servant.

Dana- in a sense she never really left South Africa; remembering the girl from Metro Kids who gave her heart to Christ last year, and seeing her this year! knowing that Amy and Sade pray for her just as much as she prays for them; she will miss us all as we go back to our daily lives.

Joy- watching the kids sing and dance during the community dinner, remembering how it felt to be onstage as a kid and look for mother's eyes; loving every one of the kids and being excited about being a penpal!

like i said, these words couldn't possibly say it all about our week. the organizations we worked with and the time we spent... i think we all plan to go back and serve in Capetown again, and i think for me, that makes the time in between a little easier to manage. i know I've come back to America immeasurably changed. I've made lifelong friends and memories. so many things i can never put in words.

if you'd like to help the organizations we were a part of this week visit these links:

http://metrokidsafrica.org/
http://www.campsonshineafrica.org/
http://goglobalx.org/

you can donate at any of these sites, and at globalx, you can even sign up to go on a mission trip yourself! come on, you know you wanna! there's 2 other Capetown trips this year- one for students and one for adults. and  there's many other places you can go and be a vessel of God's love to the world. don't let that sound intimidating;  95% of it is just showing up!

our last team photo in Capetown

God bless
Joy

Thursday and Friday

Hi! Kayce again! It's hard to believe we are nearing the end of our trip here in beautiful Cape Town. The last few days have been amazing (sorry for not posting yesterday...Holy Tired!) and we're so excited about sharing it with you all on the blog and when we return. Also...special props to Melissa for uploading the photos that you all have been enjoying! It makes you want to come to Cape Town doesn't it?!

Thursday
Thursday was our last day at Camp Sonshine. It was bittersweet. It was so sad to say goodbye to these amazing children that we have established such a bond with, but it was also fabulous in that we provided the community with a special dinner! To keep with the list theme, here are our favorite things from Thursday...

1. Food delivery and praying with Natasha. Now, let me explain who Natasha is. Brian and Natasha have a daughter named Shivonty who is a child at Camp Sonshine. They live in an 8x10 shack with 5 people total (Brian, Natasha, Shivonty, Shivonty's sister and her young son Larenko). Early in our trip, we wanted to provide the family with a few items (food parcels, rice, diapers, etc.). A few of the team members delivered the items to the home earlier in the morning. Only Brian was present, but he was extremely grateful for the items. A few hours later after she had been home and seen the items, Natasha, overcome with emotion, asked to pray for us. Can you imagine?! She wanted to pray for us!! We who have so much and want for nothing...it's still amazing to think she wanted to pray for us. As if that wasn't enough, she later told us that Larenko only had 2 "nappies" left when she left for work that morning. She asked the Lord to provide diapers and she put her faith in the Lord that he would provide. It was an incredible experience to know that we were vessels the Lord used in their lives! She touched us all, and we were so grateful for the experience.

2. The Community Dinner. First off...special thanks to Shawnie, our resident event planner, for having an eye for the details and helping make the community center look amazing! The dinner was a great opportunity for us to bond with the families of Camp Sonshine, and also an opportunity for the pastor and other members of Southpoint Church to meet these families. Food + Dancing + fabulous children = A room full of awesomeness.

3. Pen Pals!!! We plan to keep in touch with the kids we met through Camp Sonshine's pen pal program. It looks like someone special just might have a Justin Bieber poster coming their way. I'm just sayin'

4. Getting to bed before midnight! Seriously...our bodies were thanking us for the sleep. We woke up refreshed and ready for...

Friday

It's hard to believe today was the last full day in Cape Town. After a week full of Camp Sonshine, we ventured into a township with an organization called Metro Kids Africa, which brings Jesus into the townships through creative "Sunday School" type of activities. In fact, it's called " Sidewalk Sundays." Umm, let's take a moment and pause...AMAZING experience. The township we visited was called KTC, and is the "murder capital of Africa." It's, quite possibly, one of the most dangerous places in the world according to Janet who, along with her husband James, run and organize Metro Kids Africa. To give you one statistic, 33% of the KTC population is HIV Positive, and the majority of the children do not know their fathers. It's a heartbreaking environment, which makes Metro Kids Africa so special. The children have an opportunity to learn about their Heavenly Father who loves them and cares for them. To be a part of this was something the team really felt blessed to be a part of.

To close, I hope you all enjoy another couple of lists...

What We Will Miss Most About Cape Town
1. The children!!! I don't know if I have been a witness to earthy unconditional love like this. The children at Camp Sonshine and Metro Kids love without end. Their love in innocent and unblemished and to be the recipient of it was really great and special.
2. The people...between Alison, Teacher Liz, and Becky at Camp Sonshine, the Southpoint Church folks, Pam, Janet...we have been so blessed to be a part of what God is doing in Cape Town through our beautiful and gracious hosts.
3. The view!!! Table Mountain deserves its own blog. The waterfronts and hillsides are a close second.
4. The accents. How is it possible for regular things to sound so (insert South African accent) "lovely" coming from a South African?
5. The team bonding. Seriously, we have an awesome group of people here.

And a quick shout out to the boys. Brad and Matt both drove (on the wrong side of the road might I add) the entire time. It was quite a learning curve and they managed beautifully...well, save for one minor accident in which one car ran into the other. The driver of said "accident "will remain anonymous.

What We're Looking Forward to Back in the States
1. Bringing experiences, changed lives, and a new perspective to the people we encounter back home.
2. Can anyone say Starbucks?
3. And why do South Africans measure things in kilometers, liters, and Celsius?

Until tomorrow...Good Night!

"Love one another deeply, from the heart..." 1 Peter 1:22

Some more pics from the last few days

Here are a few pictures I took over the last three days.  Enjoy!- Melissa

Camp Sonshine is the building in the far right of the picture and all the other buildings are school classrooms

Brian and his grandson, Lorenco

Brad and Lorenco playing

Our group talking with Brian in front of his home, that he built.  Three adults and two children,  share a one room house that has no electricity or plumbing.  Brian's granddaughter is one of the children that Camp Sonshine sponsors to attend a much better primary school.  We are all hopeful that she will end the cycle of no education and poverty in her family.

Sweet Lorenco..  By the way, he was playing with a kid size University of Georgia football when we arrived at his home. :)

All the kids loved to pose for the camera and then want to see their picture immediately.  So cute..

Me and some of my new friends

Matt the jungle gym

Beautiful girls...  Look at those smiles!  Can't get enough of them!!

Kayce was mobbed after she did her flips through the line of kids.  They had never seen anything like it and went crazy!

Homestretch

Hi everyone back home! Kayce writing here...It's hard to believe we're all on the home stretch of our AMAZING journey here in Cape Town. It's late here (11:30 PM), so I apologize for any typos, random sentences, words that don't make any sense, etc. And, in the spirit of wanting to convey the day, yet being incredibly tired, I am going to keep this short and sweet and give you a lot of info packed into my favorite form...lists. So here goes:

Our Favorite Things Today
1. Serving tea to the teachers at the Maitland Garden Village. These teachers have an incredibly hard job. They are packed into a small "container" (imagine a school trailer back home, except half the size and without air conditioning), often with over 45 children. To be able to serve them and pray with them was awesome. They have the capability to lead a generation and to serve them was an honor.
2. Having an 'American Day" with the girls of Camp Sonshine. We taught them about America through arts and crafts projects...things like making American Flags, glitter and paint (because what says America like glitter? Yea, I thought so), and t-shirt making.
3. Spending time with Community Groups from Southpoint Church. These wonderful people opened their homes and served us and learned more about our mission here with Camp Sonshine. And, on a sidenote, I now know way more about the game of cricket than I ever thought imaginable!

Is it Just Me or...
1. Do we have an awesome team or what? A few things about our group:
2. The roles have been defined. See below for a few highlights:
3. Thank you Brad for being our resident Security guru. The cars are locked and the seatbelts are on. Our parents, significant others, and family and friends back home thank you as well.
4. Dana, you get the award for the best laugh I.Have.Ever.Heard. I laugh listening to you laugh! If laughter was a spiritual gift, you would own it.
5. Matt and Joy, your randomness makes all of us laugh on a daily basis. Thank you for keeping us all refreshed and light and providing a breath of fresh air!
6. Tracey and Shawnie, your kindness and your heart are why these children see Jesus through our team.
7. Melissa and Karen...you both lead in a way that makes the rest of our team better.
8. Me? Well, I am still known as  "the gymnast" around Camp Sonshine. Who knew a few tumbles would be such a big hit?

Finally...and I will not be using the list on this one...it is tough to convey the experience we have all had here (and have yet to have in the short time we have remaining). So often, back home, our circumstances can seem bleak; whether it is a difficult time at work or a tough financial situation or a difficult relationship or a death in the family. Whatever our circumstances, let me tell you something, we have been blessed beyond all that we could imagine or think. Just by being born an American, we are in the top 3% in terms of the world's wealth. Y'all (yes, we have brought the word y'all to Cape Town...you're welcome), we are so blessed!!! When you see the poverty and circumstance of the people in the Maitland Garden Village and the children at Camp Sonshine, it puts things in perspective. So, I leave you with this...It is my prayer for this team and for our friends and family back home, that you will pray and ask how the Lord can use you. How can you serve people in your own community?

"Share with God's people who are in need; practice hospitality."  Romans 12:13

Until tomorrow...good night!

camp sonshine kids!

days 3 and 4 in Capetown. kids! they can be so much fun and a great way to burn energy and end up very sleepy at the end of the day. so sleepy that you cant blog! sorry! Monday we went to Camp Sonshine for the first time officially. we were under the guidance of Allison, the organization's director, and "teacher Liz" as the kids call her. they are the two permanent fixtures at Camp Sonshine, with interns and student teachers who help up to 6 months of the year. it's amazing to think that Allison had once run all this on  her own. there were 9 of us helping and we could barely keep up! but she really has a passion for it, and we can tell she loves it. Matt said "it's great, Allison can get warm and fuzzies any time." and it's true. the kids are so full of love. they all want to hug and love on you and take pictures. we taught them American games, like red rover, kickball, freeze tag, and a few other games that really don't have a name, but everyone knows. they had so much energy! Allison officiates over 45 kids on Tuesdays, and they are all so spunky. they love pictures, but are so polite about waiting to pose and see what they look like on the screens. they taught us some of their slang, which we will be implementing when we get back to the states, and we taught them "whats up bro!" and "hey yall!"

in addition to being with the kids, we walked the village and visited some of Allison's sponsored kids' families. Amy, one of the grandmothers, was so sweet. she believes in the power of prayer and it shows. she remembers the day she was converted and the things the team from last year, which includes Shawnie and Dana,  prayed for her. Dana and Amy have become especially close in the past year, writing and praying for each other. Dana sent Amy a care package, which included a dishtowel that Dana got from the dollar store, and Amy keeps it in such pristine condition. she takes such beautiful care of her home! she reminded me of my grandmother in a way i cant describe. but their faith is so similar. she prayed Jeremiah 29:11 for us.

we also visited Brian and Patricia, whose children are sponsored as well. their families are so proud and loving to their children. Patricia lived in and added to the home she'd grew up in, and knowing what it was like to grow up with 7 brothers and sisters, she wanted her daughter Chelsea to have her own space. it's so funny, the parallels of between a parent wanting better for their children here and in the US.

yesterday and today have the most tiring days so far, but it is so worth it. to play  with these kids, keep up with them, and love them unconditionally, and to know i can do it again the next day... it's unbelievable. all the kids have a favorite, i know it. the boys hanging with Brad and Matt, Tracey and Karen doing the "dead bug" and "superman" poses, Kayce doing her gymnastics, Shawnie and Dana have their gentle spirits with the kids, and Melissa showing the kids you can take pictures and look at them at the same time! they remember what we said and promised from the day before, they hang on our words and stories. i just like to hope that the happiness they feel right now is just the beginning of what's to come, and that they see God's love for them through us. i kept making sure to say "we came from America for you!" because that's just what we did.


"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jer. 29:11-13

on top of a mountain at the bottom of the world.

day 3 of cape town!
today was very different for me.  i woke up early, really excited, but i wasn't sure what for. just the excitement of it was alot for me. i knew today held something special.

matt, joy, and tracey, setting up waumba land.

we went at 6am to help Southpointe Church Set up for their Sunday services, waumba land, and up street. Brad was especially excited about today, and said that he thought he was "going to just come and serve and be a blessing, but i never expected to see such organization and love for what they're doing. they impressed me with how they put together an entire Sunday service out of one 15ft storage trailer. i was definitely encouraged by their dedication." their services are held in a public space because they outgrew their church site, and the volunteer staff unloads a trailer of decorations, partitions, signs, toys, workbooks, A/V equipment, etc... every Sunday, rain or shine. it's clear their dedication. the staff has it down to a science. sometimes i felt we were slowing them down because they had to explain things to us that otherwise they would not had to express.

matt setting up at parking

service was indeed great. there was a little skit for the kids on courage, based on the story of david and Goliath. then pastor John Hastings spoke on the impressions people have and had on Jesus, based on his own words and those people closest to him. it was very illuminating, which, coincidentally was the title of the series. i took more from that sermon than i could have known at the time.

after, the team served tea and coffee, and Tracey and i sold muffins, cookies, and juice for 4-5rand apiece (about 55-60cents American). the kids loved it and left with such smiles on their faces. i noticed that no matter how rushed they were, or how anxious they were for their snack, they waited patiently and didn't dare leave without paying. there was no need for crowd control or lines, they just waited until we were ready, no pushing or shoving.

the cable car up Table Mountain

after Church came a delicious lunch which included ostrich chili, and then a trip to Table Mountain. on the way up, co-leader Karen said "oh yeah, is anyone scared of heights?" and i remembered- oh yes, ME! but Pastor John, who was still  guiding us through the city, along with his delightful wife Becky, said "remember your courage!" and so i got in the cable car, took deep breaths, held on to the rails, and trucked it up the mountain. there was no way i was going to stay on the ground- i didn't come halfway across the world to not step out of my comfort zone.

when i say this was the most beautiful thing i had ever seen, I'm not exaggerating. we could see the whole of Cape Town, and then some. there was a view like no other. listened to a psalm read by John, then prayed over the city and our team and hosts. we prayed for courage- "it takes more courage to be down there than up here" is what i said while i  was up there, for the strength to continue to be unceasing givers, and for the hearts of those we'd meet through our trip. for kindness and energy. and that they would see God in us. He is the whole reason we are here at all.

I've always been the type to feel God most in nature. i was eye-level with clouds today. i saw animals i have never known existed. i stood atop God's table. i watched my newest friends and total strangers stand at precarious peaks and smile and laugh about it. i saw the beauty in the children and the church. this is only day three.

the view of the city from Table mountain

God bless-
Joy

A few photos from our first few days!

Maitland Village area where many kids attend Camp Sonshine

Kids at play :)

Many of these homes house 8-15 family members and share one toilet and a kitchen sink where they bathe from

Table Mountain from the beach

Sunset in Cape Town

View from the top of Table Mountain where we prayed together for our week

They call the table cloth for Table Mountain....beyonds words beautiful

Another view of Table Mountain, close by our hotel

day 2!

our first full day in Capetown is almost over. it was so great to see everything in the light of day. im like a little child discovering new things and meeting new people. Table Mountain is right outside our window. tripmate Dana says it's historically known as "God's table." There's Lion's Head and Devil's peak on each side of it. it's amazing to see. i took so many pictures! we met up with Pam, who is our host this week from Southpointe Church, and Alison and "teacher Liz", our leaders from Camp Sonshine. theyre such awesome people with a great passion for what they do. Pam said "i get paid to work for God, which i would do for free." what a purpose to have. i cant wait to get going tomorrow at Southpointe, bright and early, and helping serve wherever they want us.

God bless!
Joy.

Touchdown!

Hey everyone! Joy here!
After almost a day of flying, being miles above everyone, and some light turbulence, we made it to Capetown! What a beautiful place, from what i can see... it's midnight here, and so everything's lights. tomorrow is our first full day here, and we're going to the famous Table Mountain to catch  the view and pray over the city and our trip. I'm so excited to be here... when i am flying i am so amazed at what beauty God has given us. and I'm seeing a whole different side of it, literally!

Joburg from the plane.

in addition to our group, there were two other mission groups on the plane to Johannesburg (our layover) as well. a plane full of people doing God's work. can you imagine? i wish them all the best and pray for their success and safety as well.

thats all til tomorrow! it's time to hit the hay. goodnight, and god bless.

Final Preparations

Well, we are getting our final preparations ready for our flight tomorrow to Cape Town! This time tomorrow we will be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean eagerly anticipating our stay in South Africa. The team and I cannot wait to get there and see what the Lord is going to do in our hearts and lives and those lives of the people we are serving at Camp Sonshine, South Pointe Church, and the surrounding community!

Please pray for Karen, Melissa, Brad, Tracey, Joy, Matt, Dana, Shawnie and I as we open our minds and hearts to the community and serve them in anyway that we can! To quote one of our fearless leaders..."we cannot wait to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves."

Our bags are packed!!! We'll see you from South Africa!! In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of our group from our retreat!



P.S. Feel free to also pray for those of us in middle seats on the 17 hours flight.
P.S.S. Wishing Karen a Happy Early Birthday...the big day is March 4!