LTS Week 4

Monday we started our last week of LTS!! After class, I had my classic lunch which consists of a peanut butter sandwich and a piece of fruit (if we have fruit) then I went to the study center for wifi. Yes I studied a little, but I actually listened to the past messages I've missed from home. It was so very nice to hear James preach! I also got to chat with Big Joe on her Last First Day of High School!! Then I got a nice nap in before dinner. After dinner we had flock time and my flock wrote letters to God of what we want to see happen in this year. It was very cool!


Tuesday the outreach teams left in the morning :( I have missed those guys so much! Three of the five teams left this time so there are not as many people hanging around. Because of that Potters house (my house) moved into Emmanuel house. It was weird to pack up three weeks worth of stuff and head down the hill to the other house. In the morning I my counseling session and right after that was LTS. And after LTS there was a break and in the afternoon I went to an apologetics class where we discussed predestination. It was a very good day and very long day.

Wednesday was another semi-normal day. We had LTS in the morning and then the afternoon free. Usually on Wednesdays I go to the worship service/rehearsal but for the rest of this term they are also having a soaking session during that time. This is a worship service that is open for the Holy Spirit to move and work in everyone's lives. It was a very good and filling service!


Thursday was graduation day!! We had two short LTS sessions in the morning. One of the videos did not work so we had to resort to a back up plan, which was another good video. Then we had chapel, and two of the mid-years gave their testimony. After chapel we had a celebratory lunch with donuts! I cooked dinner and it turned out great! I think almost everyone went back for seconds. After dinner we had duties. Typically we do not have duties on Thursdays but we actually had to go do duties in Potters house to prepare for a kids camp they were doing this weekend.



Friday we had plotties in Emmanuel. I cleaned the bathroom. After plotties we had a little downtime before community project. This community project was......WEEDING! We had to get the village looking very spiffy for Sunday because they are having an 'open' day for potential YOYL students. So we cleaned up and then had the rest of the day off.

Saturday I got to sleep in! Saturdays are always chill days and since I am finished with LTS I can now watch movies or series on the weekend! It was very nice to just veg out. I got to talk with my mom and dad in the afternoon which is always nice. Then I even got to chat with Hannah! It was very nice to sit outside by the church (where the wonderful wifi is) and talk to my people back in Texas.

Sunday was also a great day! I did have to get up and move all my stuff back to Potters for the open day. But I went to church which was a great service and then came back and got to chill until the evening service. After the evening service we have Connect. This time we had a celebration in honor of someone who is about to adventure into a new area. She had been in charge of Young Adult service for a while I believe. But we had food and a live band to celebrate! I even tried to teach my friends how to line dance to one of the songs! It was a very fun evening!!

LTS Week 3

Monday began like normal. LTS in the morning and then a relaxed afternoon. I helped cook dinner and I did not have to do much but it was very good! After dinner all the girls had flock time together at Cappuccino's. I got some cinnamon tea which was delicious!!

Tuesday & Wednesday were similar in that they were regular days. LTS in the morning, chill time in the afternoon, and evening fun in the house.

Thursday was the last day of LTS for the week. After LTS we had chapel and then community lunch. At community lunch we had fat cakes and pasta! It was soooooo delicious! Fat cakes are essentially deep fried sandwiches which I know doesn't actually sound good but it is amazing. After lunch I went back to the house to begin preparing dinner. I cooked lamb for the first time ever!



















Friday was very awesome! We had plotties (spring cleaning) in the morning. I cleaned the bathrooms and then helped re-arrange the lounge area. When we finish we usually have community project, but there was no community project! So we had the rest of the afternoon to chill. Then the guys began a braii. A braii is the African version of an American BBQ. Everyone asked me if it was better than a BBQ but I just don't think you can compare the two! The braii was amazing!! The guys even set up tables inside with roses and candles. For the rest of the evening they served the ladies. It was so sweet! I know I felt incredibly appreciated and I'm sure everyone else did as well. Then we had time to minister and pray for each other. It was such a sweet experience and it made me even more thankful to be living with all these people. Even is so open to what God wants to do in our lives and it is amazing.

Saturday I got to chill and I sat up on the hill for most of the day just enjoying the weather and beautiful day that it was. Later I got to chat with my parents. Then in the afternoon we had a talent show in the chapel. It was so incredible to see all the students present their God-given talents!! I am surrounded by super-stars y'all!

Sunday was absolutely amazing!! I got to spend the day with a bunch of Texans! The Noviskie family picked me up and took me to Hatfield Christian Church South campus where Duane White was preaching. It was an absolutely powerful message!! I felt right at home there. After the service I got to hang out with the Whites and the other two couples that came from Texas. We had a delicious lunch and blessed conversations. I was so so so thankful that I got to meet these new people and hear a friendly accent. When I got back I had a little bit of time to relax until evening service.

It was a fantastic week and I am looking forward to the last week of LTS!

LTS Week 2

This week was very nice!

Monday was a public holiday in honor of Women's Day! GO WOMEN! There were no classes so I got to sleep in which is always nice. The morning was very relaxed and I had time to write out my LTS homework (I finished it and I promise I did not wait until the last minute to do it). In the afternoon there was a Heartbeat Social. Heartbeat is the women's group at the church. At this social we learned self-defense! I went with Meghan, Nonto, and Nomvula and we had a great time! We were definitely wanting to learn the cool karate moves but we were taught valuable skills and techniques. After Heartbeat, Daniel took us mid-years out to Cappuccino's. This is a lovely restaurant that has a wide variety of food to choose from (quesadillas, seafood, steak, pizza, pasta, burgers, etc.) I got a delicious Stromboli and we had some more bonding time. And when we got back there was a little bit of chill time and then duties!

(big birds that hang around the church)

Tuesday we started back up with LTS. And let me tell you what, it just keeps getting better and better. In the morning, on the way to class, I already felt empowered and ready to face the day. During LTS we focused on Hebrews 6:1-3 and talking about the Work and the Way of the cross. I again felt empowered after the days sessions! It is truly an amazing and wonderful thing to be learning and receiving in this atmosphere. After class I was super blessed because I got to have lunch with Dr. Graham and Marie! They are so wonderful and caring. We got to chat and I was comforted knowing that they wanted to make sure I was settling in well and getting used to South Africa. The rest of the afternoon I had time to rest and reflect on what I learned. We also had flock time in the evening. My flock just chatted, and when we finished I joined another flock and "helped" them with a pudding they made. It turned out different than they said it should've but it was still delicious!

Wednesday The Church Network conference began but I did not help at it because I had LTS in the morning. After lunch, I went to Waterglen with the mid-year girls. When I got back I helped Daniel cook dinner. It was a very nice and relaxed day!

Thursday, class was in the afternoon. I got to sleep in which was soooooo very nice. Nothing else extremely important happened.

Friday we had LTS in the morning like usual. For those of you who have done LTS, we watched the video about holding the key to your own happiness. It was very good!! After class, I helped shop for the house. It took two hours, but we got all the groceries for Emmanuel and Potter's house. Friday night was full of adventure and jamming and late night talks with my friends! We had amazing time and it was a great start to the weekend!

Saturday was fairly uneventful as far as stuff going on here. But I did get to talk with my parents and that was very very nice.

Sunday was awesome! I went to church in the morning and afterwards Minx got baptized! We headed over to the Function hall where she got baptized and when we were waiting, Nsako was talking about how she hasn't been baptized so a guy grabbed her hand and led her up to get baptized! It was so spontaneous but it was great! Then we chilled until the evening service. Evening service was great and we talked about experiencing God. It just made me more excited to experience God here in new ways!

I am more and more excited about the things I am getting to do here! And the new friendships I am developing are going to last a lifetime. New adventures and memories are in the making!!

LTS Week 1

This week we began LTS! It is such an incredible and intense experience. There is so much information and Bible teaching happening!! It has been absolutely fantastic!

Monday was the first day of LTS! It is amazing how many notes, and information that I received in just one day! I spent some time after lunch soaking it and processing all the new info. In the evening I helped cook and then everyone just hung out. It was a great start to the week!

Tuesday was another great day of LTS! Afterwards I had some free time to process and rest. It was a normal day after that.

Wednesday, LTS again but we had a surprise. Dr. Graham came by! We are watching videos of his teaching so it was so cool to see him. Plus he is a family friend now since they've been to Texas a few times. It was such a blessing to get to talk to him for a little bit. Me and the other two mid-year girls had lunch together and then we went to get coded so we can go through the church.

Thursday was the final day of LTS for the week. We only had two sessions because there was chapel. Chapel was actually in the chapel this time! It was very good and we talked about "golden threads" that God has given us. The thing about these threads is that nothing, absolutely NOTHING, can change these. It was a very good lesson and after that there was community lunch. We had time to talk about LTS and ask questions and process some more. In the afternoon I decided to help the rest of the year of your lifers with TCN (a conference happening next week) prep.We peeled off labels of alcohol bottles so they can be painted and used for decor. By the time we finished and got back to the house, the two teams that have been on outreach got back! Everyone was excited to see them and I finally got to meet the rest of the people.

Friday we had nothing to do in the morning! This was lovely because I got to go back to sleep after announcements!!! Resting is so nice after a week of LTS, those of you who have been through this say Amen. After being fully rested I decided to begin working on my homework. There are seven questions and my notes are very helpful in answering them. After lunch I went and helped with some more TCN prep. We began spray painting the bottles silver and gold. It was tiring after a while but we got a lot done!!

Saturday was the beginning of off-weekend. A few people went home, and the rest of the people stayed in their rooms to watch movies. Since it is F6W I can not watch movies yet. So I slept in and then Nonto, Daniel, Leon, and I went to the chapel to play music. It was really cool and we jammed for almost three hours! In the evening we had our mid-year social. We had ice cream and hot chocolate and we sat outside and chatted. I think everyone is bonding more and getting more comfortable around each other.

Sunday was another chill day. There was a Praise Party after the YA service. It was awesome!! Everyone was dancing and praising the Lord (we even nae nae'd in church!!) It was a very good and the presence of the Lord was there! After that, we all hung out. It's really cool how everyone acts like a family here, I love it!








--sea'sadventures--

Orientation Week

Hello everyone!! This week I started my first 'class' ....it was really just orientation this week. But it was fun and I have finally begun to be busy! I am one of four mid-years. Yeah, there's not a lot of us! We spent this week getting to know each other.

Monday, all the mid-years arrived for registration in the afternoon. Not much happened except we hung out and everyone else settled in. We had combined house time in the evening so everyone could get to know each other. We played lots of games and it was loud and full of laughter.



Tuesday, we got a tour of the church which was amazing! I don't think I'll get lost but it is very possible. The rest of the day was very chill. That evening we had fitness, every Tuesday and Thursday the YOYL students have fitness. It's not incredibly intense and us girls had fun! After dinner we had flock time. My flock is awesome! We played silent football (which I taught everyone last week) and they love it!! SHOUT OUT TO MY YOUTH GROUP FOR PLAYING THIS GAME! We also played Uno and chatted.


Wednesday, we had devotions in the morning (this is basically a smaller worship session before we begin the day) and then more mid-year orientation. This time we had to answer questions about ourselves like "What's your name? Where do you come from?" and that sort of stuff. After our tea break though, we got into more intense conversation. "When did Jesus become real to you? And what is your coldest/darkest moment?" It was a little intimidating to be sharing this information with people I had just met but I understand that it was good for us to draw closer as a family. The leaders are incredibly encouraging and helpful. Homesickness has started kicking in but it's hard to be sad when I am so excited about the future here. In the afternoon I did laundry. It is a lot different than what I am used to. The washing machine is older but hey, it works. What I am not used to is drying my clothes on a clothes line. I actually kind of like it! No one bothers you while you are busy hanging your clothes up and you are outside enjoying the fresh air...I really think I'll enjoy it! Later that evening, everyone was hanging out in the lounge area and a jam session started. It was amazing! Everyone jumped up and started singing and dancing!!

Thursday, we finished our orientation with bowling! KerryAnn and Daniel our leaders, took us to the Menlyn Mall to bowl. It was fun. By the time we got back it was almost time for chapel. Chapel is another service during the week for the community students and staff at Hatfield...however it is not actually held in the beautiful chapel. It was in the minor auditorium. Anyway, it was great! A Korean missionary team was here and they are all from a music college and so they performed some classical pieces for us and it was beautiful! I was in awe. The pastor's wife came with them and she played a Korean heglum (?) I can't remember the name of it but it was so neat!! They shared their testimony and worshipped some more with us. After Chapel there is community lunch. Then I went to audition for the media department's film they are working on. I was a little nervous but it seems like it will be fun so I auditioned. Auditions went really well too! They gave us a script and then we went in with someone and acted out the scene in front of a green screen. I really enjoyed it and I think this film will turn out great! After that, I had to go back to the house to cook dinner for everyone. My friend, Megan, was my helper. We fixed shredded chicken (with taco seasoning from TX..,thanks Mom!) and pasta and green beans. Then one of the online students who is visiting for the week joined us and made a really delicious cream sauce!

Friday, is cleaning day! We clean our rooms after breakfast and then from about 9-11 we do Plotties. This is like spring cleaning. Everyone is on a certain duty and we rotate on Fridays. So I will be on Kitchen duty from now till next Friday. We cleaned the cupboards and swept and mopped, some people cleaned the bathrooms, other people were working outside, and another team was cleaning out the fridge and cleaning the lounge. After plotties we usually have a community project which is outside work that benefits the village community where we live. But we did not have it!! So we got more time to chill. In the afternoon we have Menlyn Friday, where we go to Menlyn mall in order to get stuff we may need or to just hang out. I got some groceries I needed and then we went to Mugg & Bean for some cheesecake. That's when we saw Miss World!! Rolene Strauss is so sweet! We stopped her and asked for a pic. It was such a neat experience!

All in all, it has been a great week! I'm looking forward to starting LTS next week!

--sea'sadventures--