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