So, we have officially landed in the States, which means that I can now consider myself a retired World Racer. How fast did the past year of your life go for you? Mine flew by! I’d like to start off by including my final thoughts on South Africa and then I’ll reflect a bit on some of my initial thoughts on the first few hours back in the States!
Top 11 South Africa Moments
- As I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, our initial travel to Pretoria proved to be very interesting with a sketchy subway ride. What should have been a comfortable, safe, quick ride, turned into a long, slightly frightening, cramped trip from Johannesburg to Pretoria.
- The building we lived in was one of several that house the ministry, PopUp, that we were partnered with for the month. It used to be used by the railway and consequently, there were tracks less than 15 feet from the outside wall. Many of my teammates got to know the schedule of the train quite intimately. For some reason, I managed to sleep through it all month, and I’d credit that to the fact that I lived on a college campus for four years with a train that insisted on letting the entire state of Michigan know it was passing through, regardless of the time of night. It was awesome to see the old building and how the organization has made good use of it.
- I’ve described the building but neglected the actual living space. For the first week, Wesley, our squad leader, was bunked in an eye clinical that is part of the organization while our team lived in a big conference room. After the first week, desks and chairs were set up for the Life Skills program and we needed to pack up our mattresses and belongings each morning. There were several instances where guest speakers arrived early. Our normal schedule involved being packed up by 7:45. On one occasion, a dancing group arrived at 6:30 while all of us were still asleep and shall we say, not publically presentable. What was somewhat funny is that the dance team thought we were being inconvenient and turned on the light without much consideration for our predicament. A different speaker followed suit but realized that we were not exactly ready and kindly offered to give us a little time. Oh, adaptability!
- We got to be a part of Life Skills training for two weeks of ministry while we were there. As part of the PopUp program, the individuals do the training for two weeks during which they get tested for English proficiency (many do not have English as their first language). If they have a high enough English level they are able to continue on in a particular skill such as hospitality or office administration, otherwise, they go on to study English until they are proficient enough for the program. During the two weeks, all manner of topics are discussed such as suffering, forgiveness, purpose of sex, purpose of self, and all of it is done through the lens of the love of Jesus Christ. Vasti and Alistair were the two main teachers and they were absolutely incredible. Some of their descriptions were so simple and on point that I wish I had been taught those things about faith much earlier in life.
- Here’s a funny confession: I had never used a French press before this month. Normally, that would not be an issue, however, this month, it mattered. On my first attempt, after listening to an explanation from some of my teammates, I grabbed the first bag of coffee I saw and loaded it up. Side note but incredibly relevant: I loaded full beans. Yep. So, as the coffee was steeping, you can imagine that without the beans being ground, that attempt did not prove to be particularly successful. Here’s another confession: the beans I used were actually Wesley’s. Oops. So I hurried to dispose of the evidence and in the midst of this activity, Wesley walks into the kitchen to make his morning coffee and offhandedly comments on how his coffee bag feels lighter. Meanwhile, I’m scooping beans into the trash. He didn’t notice, HA! I later confessed using his coffee and my ignorance on all things French press. I can now successfully use grounded coffee via French press and Wesley and I are still friends. Cheers.
- We got the opportunity to go to a lion park as well as see some gorgeous views of Pretoria. Kingsley, the CEO of PopUp, invited us on this day of adventure and it was so fun! We got to pet lion cubs, feed a giraffe, and lay eyes on ostriches. Fun day!
- One of our last days in Pretoria, we got the opportunity to go see a sunset from up on one of the mountains. What started as a sunset adventure turned into a zebra viewing. There were three wild zebras right by the area we were watching the sunset. It was such a treat and zebras are quickly becoming my favorite animal. Fun fact: people have been trying to domesticate them for years but they are too stubborn.
- Our month consisted of many random and goofy moments late at night in the kitchen and conference room where we stayed. My favorite was a night of spontaneous worship where we connected our devices to the sound system and pumped out some worship music. We stood on the chairs, clapped, laughed, did Zumba, and had an awesome time. Zumba for Jesus. Try it sometime!
- The learners who took the Life Skills course have heartbreaking stories, but they are such sweet people. Most of them were around our age and many had children. Listening to their stories and interacting with them in class was such a gift and an awesome way to spend our last month of ministry.
- While the learners were awesome, the staff was absolutely incredible. Joanne is from England and was our primary source of contact. She reminded me of a cool aunt. Alistair is a pastor and an incredible teacher. Kingsley is the CEO and was so kind to invite us into his home and take an interest in our lives. Ta Bita and Mareike were the German interns who were our age and hung out with us during the month. They definitely became our buddies. Madelein has an amazing life story and was such an encouragement to us. Vasti is our age and one of the clearest teachers of faith that I’ve encountered. She is truly gifted to share the word of God with those who have not had good teachings. It was such a difficult good-bye to end the Race with, but it showed how much we loved our last month in Pretoria.
- I wrote a blog about self-forgiveness and that proved to be not only one of the most pivotal moments of the month but also of my Race. I ended on a good note!
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We have landed in the States. One of the first things that was said to us was “Welcome home!” as we were going through customs. That alone nearly brought me to tears because it was such a relief to hear.
Observations:
– Air conditioning is such a foreign concept to me now. Even the shuttle from the airport had AC as well as a large TV inside it.
– It’s a bit like sensory overload because I can understand everything from advertisements to airport announcements since they are in English. My brain doesn’t quite know what to do with all of the input.
– Unlike many of the places we have been, America does not have a standard physical appearance for its people. I’ve never been more aware of how much of a melting pot our country is until looking around these first few days back.
Once I’ve been home a little longer I’ll have more updates on how I’m feeling and some crazy statistics from this past year.
I want to end off with a quote that I love and heard only recently. This is how I want to live my life:
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast, the decision has been made, I am a disciple of Jesus. Therefore, I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present is empowered, and my future is secure. I am done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, praise, or popularity. I don’t have to win, be first, be right, recognized, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with power. My goal is God’s glory. My face is set, my pace is fast, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own He will have no trouble recognizing me, my banner will be clear.
AMEN!
