Africa

I'll try to keep this pretty simple, but so much happened in Africa! Let me first tell you where we went. Bulembu, Swaziland was the first destination. Next stop, Pretoria, South Africa. The home of Hatfield Christian Church. There we stayed at host homes and then drove out to Mamelodi to the Berakah daycare center.

Our journey began here in Texas where the team actually met for the first time at my house. 20 people, from 4 different churches. Next thing ya know we were all loaded up on a plane to South Africa. Our flights were smooth and there were no hiccups. Almost as soon as we landed we loaded up in the vans and drove 6ish hours to Bulembu, Swaziland. In Bulembu we "slashed" a mountain, made some tire steps, and painted.
 We cleared the mountainside so the people in Bulembu could prepare the land to grow fruit trees. I thought it was amazing how we were literally preparing land to be sowed into. We also painted panels for a daycare center. God showed me all of His personality in Bulembu. It was so incredibly beautiful to be on top of a mountain slashing and then to sit and rest and look down and see the town of Bulembu.  I think in Bulembu is where our team really bonded and became truly unified. Having a 3 hour prayer session can do that to a team.

Then we drove back to Pretoria to stay. The last few days were spent doing a VBS at Berakah. We got to play with the kids and teach them the simple truth -- that God loves them and so we should love each other. It was very emotional because all these kids desired love and I will continually pray that they now understand God's unconditional love. God touched my heart in Berakah and I fell in love with all the children there. Even though the children lived in poverty they managed to put a smile on their face.

We finished our trip with an African Safari! We got to hold baby lions pet cheetahs and see tons of animals!

I am so thankful God sent me on this adventure. I can not even remotely express how all the leaders from Texas and South Africa touched my life. I am extremely grateful for the friendships I've made there and I am looking forward to seeing them again soon!

--sea'sadventures--