Final Week!

This week was crazy! The first half of the week, us mid-years had class. Then we got to join the full-years for the last day. And the weekend was full of activities and goodbyes :( But I am so thankful to have met these wonderful people and I can't wait to hear about what they do in the year after YOYL.

Monday we had devotions altogether and then I went to class: Sex, Dating, and Relating. We watched a teaching from Andy Stanley's series called "Love, Sex, and Dating". It was very good. Unfortunately after the tea break, the computer was no longer working so we got out early! My favorite line from the teaching was "Are you the person you're looking for is looking for?" It definitely changed the way I look at dating and "finding" the right person. Instead, you have to become the right person! After class I grabbed lunch at Cafe Andante. I spent some time in the study center in the afternoon and then hung out with Ntsako and Meghan. We went to Waterglen to buy gifts for our secret santas. Then there was dinner as usual.

Tuesday was a fun day! I started the morning with my own personal devotions and then went to class. We watched another of Andy Stanley's teachings and a teaching from an Australian guy. After class, Nomvula, Lorika, and I hung out in Emmanuel House for a while. Then I got to hang out with the Noviskies! We went to the Brooklyn Mall for ice cream! It was so nice to see them and spend time with them. After dinner, we did mini-plotties instead of regular duties. We had to clean our rooms and bathrooms and then the rest of the house. We had to wipe down the walls and the skirting, and we began the process of cleaning the curtains.

3D Art in Brooklyn Mall

Wednesday was our last day of class for the term. We finished the Andy Stanley series which I believe was absolutely incredible. Afterwards I went to the training center to print off some stuff and then headed to the house. I began washing my clothes so I could start packing up. Later I began cooking dinner. After dinner, we had house time. This is where the secret santas came in. First we had a prophecy/encouragement circle and then we got time to talk to everyone and say our favorite memory or something we will miss about them next year. It was a very sweet time and the house was full of people chatting, laughing, crying and just spending some family time with each other. Then we all got to open our secret santa gifts! We also had waffles with whipped cream. After awhile, we all started throwing cream at each other and once that ran out, we resorted to using flour. It was so much fun! The aftermath was extremely messy, so we had duties and cleaned up.

Thursday everyone was together for "class". We sat in a huge circle and told our "warmest" moments. In the beginning of the year everyone shares their "coldest" moment and so to end the year we share our favorite moments! It was amazing to hear everyone's encounters with God, and their favorite memories with their friends. I know I will cherish all the memories I have made!! Then we had chapel and community lunch. We got pizza for lunch! Nothing happened until later, when we had our final fitness. Guys and girls were altogether and it was actually optional. But we played a game of volleyball, Potters house vs. Emmanuel house. We didn't actually keep score, but I'm sure Potters won! Then we had super and later a group played mafia.

Friday we had plotties and everyone had to clean out their cupboards and begin packing. I had a meeting up at the church about graduation and what my serving duty would be. Once the house was all clean, I went to Menlyn with Ntsako and Nonto for last minute gifts. While we were there we ran into Meghan and Lorika. We had a fun time! Later we had a combined final house time with Potters and Emmanuel. It was awesome! We took the couches outside and sat in a huge circle and ate and then shared something about ourselves that no one knew. Then we played a few games of Murder in the Dark. I spent the "final" night in Ntsako's room.

Saturday morning was graduation! Everyone looked so so nice! My service duty was to put the coffee and tea out 15 minutes before graduation was over. Minx, Nonto, and I took care of that and then once it was over I got to meet my friends' families. It was very nice and we took some pictures and ate as much of the snack food that we could. Ntsako, Meghan, and I watched movies when we got back to the house and then later we had dinner at KFC. A lot of people left after graduation so the house was very empty and quiet.

Sunday morning Ntsako left. We all got up and said bye before we got ready for church. I didn't cry...very much. Then the remaining group of people here went to church. After church I said bye to Meghan and Lorika. For most of the afternoon I just made sure I had all my stuff in order, since we had to be out of the houses on Monday by 1. Then in the evening I went to the Young Adults service and met Lanina and Jonas (German volunteers at Abba house) there! It was so nice to introduce them to our church. They really enjoyed it too! After service we chatted until they started packing up. When I came home I got a chance to call my parents and do some last minute laundry.

It was an amazing final week and I'm looking forward to the next half of the year! But for now it's time to go home and spend time with family and friends!!


--sea'sadventures--

Biblical Worldview/Outreach Week

Well, I realize I am two weeks behind...again! But the past week was quite busy with outreach and so I didn't have time to post about the week before! So let's time travel back to November 2.

Monday we started back up with classes. We came back to Nation Changers/Biblical Worldview. We watched an old movie called "Luther" which was about Martin Luther. It was a very good movie and I enjoyed the re-enactment of the church history. After class I had a normal afternoon. Later I went to Waterglen and it's already decorated for Christmas!! I was so excited!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS! After dinner, we had flock. My flock leader isn't here right now, so another leader, Angie, took care of us. We walked to Grace House and made pancakes (crepes) and took a right/left brain test. I am apparently half and half. We had tons of fun though!

2 A.M. So unfortunately we were on punishment for not doing self-wash for a few weeks. Over the weekend, more self-wash was left and so we ended up having punishment. Guess what that was? Running two laps on the field in the middle of the night. I can't say I enjoyed any bit of it, except I was trying to adjust my attitude. When I looked up, I saw the beautiful night sky, and bright stars. This made my heart happy and reminded me of how beautiful this earth is and I am so thankful God created so many lovely things.

Tuesday most everyone was tired from our night-run, but we persevered. For devotions, we had to write down what we were trusting God for in these last few weeks of the year. Then we began class, watched some more Francis Shaeffer videos. After the tea break we had a guest come and speak to us about restorative justice. I really enjoyed it. The concept is about bringing the criminal and victim together for reconciliation and forgiveness so after the incident, neither party holds on to bitterness. After class I went to Waterglen. Later, Micaela offered to do my nails for the end-year function...and just for fun. The evening was full of lively conversation, indoor games, songs, and fun.

Wednesday we had another guest speaker in class. He discussed end times and how our worldview of that effects the way we live and interact with people. Nothing too exciting happened in the afternoon. After dinner, there was the seeking session which was amazing as usual. It was particularly special because Auntie Pam shared a vision she had for the church. It was quite powerful and inspiring to experience the amazing changes happening here!

Thursday was quite a chill day. Neil talked more about the end times and cleared up misconceptions we might have about Revelation. Then we had chapel and my friend Nomvula "led" worship. It was so awesome to see her step up and sing in front of everyone. It was also a powerful time in worship. I believe there is a season beginning in this church of recognizing all of us are united. All tongues and all nations coming together to worship God. They had us sing in our mother tongue and pray in different languages. Then there was community lunch as usual. And then we had a fun afternoon!

Friday we began the day with cleaning and plotties as usual. I was on garden and Meghan and I sang Christmas songs while we cleaned out the dust bins. It made the work not as gross. For most of the afternoon everyone just chilled and then began to get ready for the end-year function! My friends were fascinated when I curled my hair with a flat iron. It was very entertaining for them. Everyone got ready and looked B-E-A-utiful!! We walked up to the function hall, which was decorated to look like Sophiatown (South Africa circa 1950s). It was incredible! We took pics, had snacks, people performed dances and songs, we ate, and then they cleared the tables for a dance floor! It was an amazing night!!

Saturday I slept in and when I woke up I went outside to enjoy the day. Nothing else happened until the evening and my friends and I went up to the church because they were showing the Cinderella movie. We thought it would be a low-key event so we didn't really dress up, but when we got there lots of people were in dresses. We still had fun!

Sunday was my first time to work tuck shop (basically a concession stand). We loaded up all the goods, took 'em to the area, set up, sold stuff, packed up, went home. It was fun for my first time! In the afternoon, I offered to help Jenny dye her hair. I'd never done it before but it turned out great! That evening we had a meeting about our outreach. I had already packed and I was super excited!

Monday we got up early so we could leave by 7. We got to say bye and load up and head out around 7:30. We went to Mokopane which was roughly two and a half hours away. Once we got there we met up with the pastor. His name is Brother Mike and he did YOYL in 1999 I think. We took him to a few schools just to confirm what time we were supposed to go over the next two days. We got to back into town to shop for groceries for the week. Around 1 we went to a school and did a program. The kids were so sweet and I think they really enjoyed it! As we finished, we prayed for the teachers. On the way out I was high fiving and hugging all the kiddos, I was especially popular because I am white and we were in an area where that is very rare. We went back to the church and settled in to our "community" room where we would chill and eat. That evening I helped Daniel make supper, we fixed Texan steaks that we bought. They were amazing, but not quite Texan. Later, us girls got dropped off and the house we would be staying at. We all slept in the same room, Minx and I shared the bed, and Nonto offered to sleep on the floor. It was incredibly hot, all day and all night. There was no A/C so that made it a little bit uncomfortable, but we did get some sleep because we were all just exhausted.

Tuesday we went to two schools back to back early in the morning. We had a few technical difficulties but everything still worked out. At one of the schools we had extra free time to play with the kids. They were a lot younger and since I don't speak their language it was difficult for me to communicate but they still laughed and smiled at everything I said. We didn't have another school until 1 so I tried to take a nap in the church. The last school for the day was a little difficult. They had just finished writing exams so I think they were ready to go, but we still did our thing and prayed for them. We went back to our "community" chill spot until it was time to head over to Minx's church. Her dad is a pastor at a church in Mokopane so we just set up a time to visit them. They kinda had a special service just for us. They did worship and then introduced us. We did our dramas and dances and talked about the meaning behind them. Each of us gave our testimony and Minx sang two songs. It was so touching to see her do that! Then Daniel preached for a bit and after the service we met everyone and talked. Minx's mom even had food for us! It was a very nice and memorable time.

Wednesday was our last day and we had another early start. We went to a school and they were very lively. I really enjoyed it. Then we went to another in town and it was difficult to get them to pay attention because there were a lot more of them. But before we started I got to chat with some of the kids and they spoke English very well and they were so surprised and intrigued that I was from Texas! On the way out from this school I was bombarded with kids reaching to touch my arm and my hair. I ended up being dragged and tugged around a little bit, but I still put on a smile because I know I might be the only kind white person they meet. Afterwards, Brother Mike took us to get spatlow (I have no idea how to spell it, but it sounds like spot-k-low) this is a South African meal of fries, balogni, cheese, chicken patty, hot dog, cheese, fried egg, and hot sauce, all between a few slices of bread. I could not eat the whole thing. We went back, gathered our things and headed home. We got a nice welcoming and even though we were just gone three days, I missed everyone so so much! I got cleaned up and got to go to the seeking session.

Outreach was an incredible time and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to share God's love with those kiddos!

Thursday we had the day to relax and recover. I slept in and then did my laundry and re-organized my stuff. Then we had chapel and community lunch. After that, Wesley took Ntsako, Meghan, and I to the police station so Ntsako could get some stuff certified. As we were about to leave, an older gentleman began preaching and sharing some interesting stuff. At first I was very guarded and worried he might just be crazy. But in the car we talked about how he is really just unashamed and brave to openly speak as he did. Later we celebrated Ndzaka's birthday! We sang to her and there was even cake! We usually don't have duties on Thursdays, but in order to begin preparing to leave, we had a mini plotties.

Friday we had plotties, but it was a little different since we did most of it the night before. We also had extra time in the room to clean the walls and deep clean like usual. During plotties the pegging game resumed. Ntsako and I tagged people with clothes pins, it was just as hilarious as the first time. Karabo even joined us! It makes the cleaning go by faster and more fun! As we were outside cleaning the freezer, Nomvula had the hose pipe and she was drenching people. For community project, the mid-years cleaned the van that we took to Mokopane. That place was dusty, so there was dirt inside and outside. Later, Meghan and I fixed dinner. We decided to make chicken and veggies and tortillas! It was my first time to ever make homemade tortillas and they turned out ok! Everyone said it was delicious! And later that night a few people from Emmanuel house, Nthando, Angie, and Bandile came over to our room as well as people from other rooms in Potters. We had tons of fun! We played mafia and chatted until late!

Saturday was actually a little boring. I had nothing to do all day. Although later I got to call my parents and Big Joe and Mathile!! It was very nice and I think I spent almost four and a half hours in total talking to those Texans. Jenny had been waiting for me that whole time so we could go sit on the hill and chat. She really is a sweetheart and we had some good conversation.

Sunday YOYL students were honored in the morning service. So we had to wear our YOYL t-shirts. They had us stand up at the end of the service and they prayed for us. We also had communion and prayed for rain again. Nothing else really happened in the afternoon. Then we had the evening service where we were honored again and this time we went to the front to be prayed for. It really hit me that we only have a week left and then a lot of these guys will be moving on and away into God's call on their life. I am really going to miss them when I come back but I am so thankful for the friendships I've made in this time!!

I only have one more week of classes and then Term 2 is finished! This has been an amazing first half of the year of my life!! I can't wait to see what the next half has in store!!

--sea'sadventures--

Ladies Week & MAD Rave Week

I know I am behind on my blog but the last two weeks were busy! But they were amazing!!

Ladies week:
It was a wonderful time to connect with each other and learn more about being soft and strong women of Faith!

Monday we got up and had breakfast and had one teaching from Auntie Pam then went to a park. We had a picnic and enjoyed the great outdoors with each other. After we ate, we had time to wander around and my friends and I took pictures and walked in the little river. It was tons of fun! We even made bracelets in the park. Later we had a yoga class and then after dinner we watched Becoming Jane and had delicious dessert!

Tuesday the morning routine was very similar, except we did not have a teaching in the morning. Then we went hiking at Fairie Glen! This was also amazing and of course we took more pictures!! After the hike, we came back for lunch and had most of the afternoon to chill. We also had a "practical" session, Carin came and taught us how to make malva pudding! It was so fun and now I can make it back in Texas! Also, more people came and shared their testimonies and gave encouragement and we had a Q&A session. After dinner we watched the first episode of the series Sherlock.

Wednesday morning Auntie Pam's niece came and talked about incredible things and about being a woman of faith. She has even written a book! After lunch we had another session and then we did aerobics...in the rain! Ok, it wasn't actually raining that much but it made it very fun! We had another session in the evening, after dinner.

Thursday we had more sessions about prayer. After lunch we went to Jam & Daisies for tea and cake! We all got dressed up and fancy. We took tons of pictures there too! When we got home we had the rest of the afternoon to chill and then we had dinner. After dinner we had a Q&A session with some of the guy leaders in the church.

Friday was the last day of Ladies Week and we finished strong. Raquel talked for a bit and then we got to listen to music and chill while we colored. It was actually quite relaxing to just sit and chat and color. The guys came back around lunch time and so we cleaned up the houses and settled back into our normal rooms. I also finally received a package my mom sent me from home!! It was a perfect way to end the week.

Saturday was quite average and it was also an off-weekend so lots of people went home. I went to Cum Books, a Christian book store, and then we all watched season three of Arrow. It is so so so good.

Sunday was more of the same. However, in the evening, I got to go out with the Noviskie's! We arranged to pick up the two German volunteers from Abba House and then eat at Ed's Diner. The food was delicious and the milkshakes were wonderful but the time together was even better. It is so easy to connect with them!

Monday I got to go to Berakah again with Chandra! Because it was an off-weekend, we did not have class on Monday. We went and it was great! The kiddos are starting to learn my name now so I hear "Mamma Sarah" instead of "Mamma Chandra" when I go. It always warms my heart to see their smiling faces. When we got back I got to stay and have lunch with the Noviskie's. They also had some co-workers over to honor them for helping Berakah. We had a delicious Mexican meal! Enchilada casserole, rice, beans, guacamole(that I made!), chips, and salsa. It was so awesome. Chandra even let me take the left over chips and salsa home so I could let my friends taste it!

MAD Rave Week:
Tuesday classes began again. The mid-years split up from everyone so we could focus on preparing for outreach. This whole week was dedicated to coming up with ministry dances, songs, games, and ice-breakers to use on outreaches. The first day we came up with our team drama, and kid songs. After class I had some time in the study center and then we had fitness and dinner. Then after duties we had our salsa party!! My friends came into my room and we all had chips and salsa. They all thought it was good...but too spicy. haha! We had to eat the skittles my mom sent to cool off.

Wednesday we had Walk the Word on Revelation. Then we came up with the ladies dance and the guys came up with their dance/drama. And we also finished up more of the kid songs. Because we got most of it finished, they told us we would go on a picnic the next day! So after class I went to Waterglen to get my picnic food. Later we had dinner and then we went to the worship rehearsal and then to the seeking session. The last thing I had to do was write out my testimony to finish outreach prep.

Thursday we handed in our written testimony and reviewed all the dances and dramas we had come up with. Then it was picnic time! We went to the Union Buildings and sat under a tree and just chilled. It was a nice way to end the week of preparation. After we came back, Ntsako and I jammed out and karaoke sang random songs. It was tons of fun! For fitness, we went on a walk. Then I went to get dinner from Steers with Kerry. Later I got to talk to Christy because she got engaged!! I am so excited for her and Chase and I can't wait to start helping with wedding prep!! Then a bunch of us were just chilling in the room and Ntsako braided my hair and people were also jamming out in the lounge. It was a great way to end the day.

Friday we had plotties in the morning. Ntsako and I were running around putting pegs(clothes pins) on people and it was so so funny! Joely taught me well :) Then we had community project and for the first half we were on garden duty. We were digging holes for a future garden. The last half we got to switch and go weed. In the afternoon we went to apologetics class and we talked about suffering. It was a very good discussion. After dinner, Meghan, Ntsako, and I sat outside and talked. Then we decided to make sugar cookies. It was so fun and they turned out pretty good.

Saturday, Lisa, Nomvula, Meghan, Ntsako, and I got up early and went to Menlyn. We went in search of outfits for the end-year function which is next week. We went in several stores, tried on stuff just for fun and Ntsako found a dress for me. We had tons of fun! I think we spent almost five hours in the mall! We were exhausted and we did not want to walk home, so we called a taxi. It was so worth it. When we got home Ntsako and I tried to find the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice but it would not load. But never fear, we shall watch it before the year ends! I got to call my parents and then before I knew it, the day was over.

Sunday we had a guest speaker at church and he was great! We all got on our knees and prayed for rain and then he talked about Defeating Anxiety. It was an incredible and encouraging and powerful message. Also it was my brother's birthday!! In the afternoon, Jenny, Meghan, Ntsako, and I went to Menlyn for a movie. We walked back in time for the evening service. Afterwards, we came home and we jammed out once again karaoke style until duties time.

These past two weeks were really really great!! I can't believe how fast time has been flying since I've been here. We have three more weeks left and I will get to go on a three-day outreach in that time. I am really looking forward to what God will do!!

--sea'sadventures--