What another few crazy weeks it has been!! We finished up LTS and had an amazing off-weekend so we could rest and prepare for work week!
LTS Week 4:
Monday: LTS went by quickly but was amazing as usual. It was Ntsako's birthday so throughout our breaks I made sure to send her voice notes to celebrate her birthday! The rest of the afternoon I chilled in the lounge and read. That evening there was a Touching Nations event specifically on Somalia. A couple of YOYLers went and it was intense. They really focused on portraying how intense it is to live in that area. We were even split up into groups of 5 and given a box of rations that represented what a family would get per week. We prayed over certain areas and then tore the banners down and put them on a cross. It was very symbolic and beautiful to be a part of.
Tuesday: LTS was great and the rest of the afternoon was quite chilled. We had fitness in the afternoon and we played a game called 'spider'. It basically a group version of 'monkey in the middle'. Then it was a normal evening of supper and then duties.
Wednesday: LTS was extremely incredible! Gerben came and spoke about worship and it really changed a lot of people's (including my own) perspective on worship! After class, I went to Waterglen with some girls and then we got food and came back home and ate outside. After supper, we went to the seeking session which was also extremely incredible!! Afterwards, it was raining outside, so on the way back to the houses Lesinda, Anika, and I danced in the rain!
Thursday: The last day of LTS! We had two more sessions and then people shared their testimonies and then we had lunch together outside! It was really really nice, but it started to rain. Luckily it was after everyone had already eaten anyway so we helped pack up and then had a meeting about work week! For the rest of the afternoon I chilled. After supper, I had cell (life group). It was really fun!
Off-Weekend:
Friday: We still had plotties in the morning, but no community project. And it was the beginning of the off-weekend! I got to home with Lesinda!! Her dad came and got us in the afternoon and on the way to her home I met her grandparents and cousin! Lesinda's home is so beautiful and her family welcomed me like I was part of the family. That evening we also walked to her other grandparent's house so I could meet them too.
Saturday: Lesinda and I slept in. Then we just spent time together and chatted and spent most of the day relaxing. We went to her grandma's house that afternoon and ate delicious paella. After we got back, Lesinda and I stayed up late watching tv since we can't at YOYL.
Sunday: We got up and went to the English service at Lesinda's church (they usually attend the Afrikaans service). After church we had lunch and watched Disney movies. Later we did each other's hair and make-up just for fun. We had tons of laughter!!
Monday: We slept in a little later than planned, but we still had time to go to the mall and watch a movie. We watched Vir Altyd which is an Afrikaans movie but there were subtitles. I really enjoyed it! We also finally found overalls! Then we packed up our stuff and headed back to YOYL. Once we got back I unpacked from the weekend and re packed for work week!!
Work Week:
Tuesday: My team went to Viva! foundation in Mamelodi. When we arrived, we put our stuff away and got to work. We all began by moving rocks and beginning to dig a trench by a sewage pipe. And yes, we did end up breaking it a little. Fortunately the pipe busted on the opposite side of where we were working but it was still disgusting. A guy on my team fixed it as quick as he could and we all got back to work. It was a fairly tiring first day but it was fun. That evening we braiied. The ladies got to sleep in a shipping container that was being used for storage and we even had mattresses to sleep on. Let me quickly explain the set up. There were two shipping containers on ground level being used as classrooms, and then two on top placed perpendicularly, one was another classroom and the other was the place we got to sleep. There were other classrooms on the property but they were used for the younger kids (more for day care) and that's where the guys slept. It actually got quite cold at night, but I absolutely loved it.
Wednesday: A group of guys continued digging by the sewage pipe, while the rest of us carried bricks from one side of the property to where the pipe was. This was so the next team coming that weekend could build a wall by the pipe. It was hot during the day and I got a sunburn. But it never bothered me while we were working. After working I took a shower and helped Erin cook supper. The day went by super fast!
Thursday: We weeded around the fence and a garden that had been planted there. It was more like pulling out overgrown grass in the garden but we had fun while we did it. It was our last full day of work and we made it count. We actually even finished a little bit early.
Friday: We did not have to work! We took our time with breakfast and cleaning up and then we waited to be picked up. We got back home around lunch time. Another team was still working so a few of my team members and I helped them work in the community garden. It was really fun too! Later I got to hang out with Lesinda (we were not on the same work week team) and we shared our work week experiences. Everyone had dinner together in Emmanuel house. Then we had flock time in the evening. It was tons of fun and it was so good to be back together with everyone!
Saturday: I did absolutely nothing!! My goal was to stay in my pjs all day and that's exactly what I did. Later I did get to call my parents which is always nice.
Sunday: Lesinda and I wore our matching overalls to church!! It was so fun and we got lots of compliments. I also got to see Mike and Chandra! It is SO good to have them back in SA. Ken Costa preached and it was very good. Lesinda and I went to Waterglen after church and then we chilled until evening service. My volunteer team was up to serve that evening so I went up early. I was on the prayer team, so before the service we prayed with everyone and then after worship we went up to Family Room 2 where we could still see the service, but we were able to pray during the service as well. It was a very cool experience to be able to pray over the speaker and the congregation while service is happening! Then after the service we prayed over people who needed prayer. Then Connect was outside and it was a lot of fun!
Work week was an absolutely amazing experience!! This term is almost over and I just can't believe it!
--sea'sadventures--
Monday: We had worship before class started and then we began with Auntie Pam giving us an introduction to the week. After class, I had a normal ish afternoon. In the evening we had a community social for all the students who live in the village community at the church. It was tons of fun and we played games and ate and got to know our neighbors.
Wednesday: "Wise Wednesday" as it is now called in our house. Our house leader began the day with this question (from an Andy Stanley teaching): "In light of my past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?" This really makes you contemplate what you do with your time huh? After breakfast, I was sitting and chatting with Lesinda and a bee stung me! It was quite random but no worries, I'm not allergic. Class was amazing again and it was a rainy day all day which I think is absolutely lovely! Then we had the seeking session that night.
