An Ending and a Beginning

I leave for the states tomorrow. I’ll leave Bethesda around 1 and my flight will depart at 9:30 p.m. As I look through my pictures, it seems like I got here yesterday. Time flew by so quickly. I pray that as I leave here, God is saying well done faithful servant. This is how I want to live my life, even though I fall so short.

Today I spent quite a bit of time with the kids. Some of the older boys found a stereo that was broken. They literally spent hours working on it. Once they fixed the radio all the kids danced and listened to the music under the lapa all afternoon. I tried some dance moves. I got schooled and the kids got a good laugh out of it.

As I ventured out to find the younger kids I was bombarded by them. They all ran up to me and gave me big hugs. Oh how I will treasure that moment. Even little Dipuo gave me hugs. Dipuo is a sassy little 2 year old who has a ton of attitude and character. As I was holding her she gave me hug after hug. A mood she is rarely in. That was a great way to say goodbye to her.

As I reflect on my time in Africa I see that the children here have had a bigger impact on me than I on them. I’ve been so blessed by their hugs, smiles, laughter, and the time I’ve been able to spend with them, whether working or playing. I am one of many interns who will be a part of these children’s lives. I will miss my title of “Auntie Kat” or “Auntie Kat Meow” according to Lawrence. Again, my life has been blessed richly. I will never forget what Africa has taught me and how it has changed my life. I am coming back to the states to start a new chapter of my life. I’m ready to apply what God has taught me in Africa. I’ll continue to praise his name for giving me this experience.

Christmas at Stinkwater

Today Grace Baptist Church went to a township located in Hammanskraal called Stinkwater. There is an orphan ministry there that Josh Mack and his wife Marta have done a lot of outreach work at. They planned a Christmas day for the kids. When our ride came to pick us up we followed a caravan of about 20 cars to Stinkwater. It was wonderful to see how many people in the church came to minister to these kids. It is what the church is called to do.

It was a wonderful Christmas celebration. Josh and his interpreter told the most animated story of Jesus. The children were definitely attentive and laughed quite a bit. 4 refugee boys from the DRC formed a rap group called Blessed Boys and sang for everyone. They were amazing! We also sang and taught the children some classic kid songs. It was a great time of worship.

After worship, the kids were able to open their gifts. Different church members brought shoe boxes for the kids. They were filled with toys, snacks, and hygiene products. It was another humbling experience to sit and watch my girl as she opened her box. I was reminded of how much I have. These gifts we gave the children are the only Christmas gifts they will receive. When was the last time they had a toothbrush and toothpaste? Body wash? A new shirt? Blanket? These items are a luxury for these kids – common items for me – items I purchase without a thought. It was wonderful to see the joy they had as they opened their gifts. I was so blessed by this experience.

Thanksgiving in Africa

I am so thankful for the community I have here in Africa. I had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving at my pastor’s house with my Bethesda family. There were about 20 of us including Josh Mack (our pastor) and his family, some DRC refugees, and the Bethesda staff. It was a great time of fellowship. The refugees (obviously) had never experienced Thanksgiving. I enjoyed sharing this experience with them. We shared the history of Thanksgiving and some of our favorite traditions. It was a time of laughter, community, celebration, and thanksgiving. There is no greater thing than spending time with other believers. I am going to miss these people so much.

Before we left for Thanksgiving dinner it felt like an ordinary day. My roommates and I had a great lazy afternoon that included movies, junk food, and the Internet. It was hard for us to realize that it was Thanksgiving Day. My family is on a different continent and I’m not in America where Thanksgiving items stock the shelves and T.V commercials advertise shopping specials. It is interesting to think how these things have had an impact on my life when it comes to the Thanksgiving holiday.

As I am writing this it is December 1. I have 9 days left until I leave for the states. I’m praying that I will continue to seize the moments God gives me to minister to these children. This is my last week in the school and for tutoring. Graduation is on Friday, ministry day at Stinkwater on Saturday, a Christmas party, church on Sunday, and then I pack up and get ready to leave on Wednesday. I still have a lot to look forward to.

Life passes by like a Blur.

Yesterday as I was chatting with my roommates I realized how quickly my time has passed. I leave for the states in eleven days. As I first realized this I wanted to panic. My train of thought was; “I don’t want to leave these kids, I want to continue building relationships, I am going to miss church, the Bethesda community, my life here. I’m not ready to leave”. I had to stop myself. This was a perfect opportunity to reflect on my time here. To think about some of my favorite memories and what God has taught me in Africa. Here are some experiences/thoughts I want to share.

Some Favorite Memories:
Chasing Rudolph (a boy I work with) around his house with a big inflatable yellow banana. Oh the fun we had that day.

I always forget to pray before I eat my snack in Grade R (whoops :D) Maria, one of the students always tells me afterwords with a big smile on her face. Oh how I am going to miss her beautiful smile.
Horseback Riding. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life (or have been more terrified). This was an amazing day!

I’ll miss playing games with the kids. Their version of volleyball is fantastic! Oh and I’ll definitely miss playing hours of marbles with the kids.

South Africa is a beautiful country. The hills, trees, flowers, animals, sunrises, and sunsets are unforgettable. This is a beautiful place to give thanks to God for his creation.

Listening to the children sing. They have beautiful voices. It’s been such a blessing to hear them worship through singing and dancing.

The hugs, smiles, kisses, and the times I have had with the children here. I am sure they have had a bigger impact on my life than I on theirs. It is going to be hard to say goodbye.

I’ll miss playing in the rain and twister in the dark. Oh the fun I’ve had with my roommates.

Some things God has shown me:
How beautiful it is to see people worship God. I’ve been able to attend church in the townships and in the city. Two completely different experiences, but it doesn’t matter how we worship God, as long as we are praising him. My experiences worshiping in the township churches have been powerful.

I have seen that a person or organization cannot solve an entire epidemic or problem, but a big difference can still be made. Bethesda is an amazing organization. They have taken in thirty or so orphans. These kids belong to a family – are educated – eat 3 meals a day – are ministered to. As Christians we are called to help the orphaned, widowed, and the oppressed. My heart has been changed. I don’t want to go back to my old way of life when I return home. It is time for me to help the oppressed in my community. I have a responsibility and it is time for me to fulfill it.

God has challenged and stretched me in sharing my faith, which I shared earlier. It has been an amazing journey. It’s okay if I don’t have the perfect words to say, God still uses me. I need to be faithful.

Planting Seeds

It has been amazing to see how God has used me to minister to the children here at Bethesda. In this past week alone I have had numerous opportunities to share Christ with the kids.

In Grade 4-7 the teachers have had the children and different Bethesda staff share their testimonies. As I was waiting to tutor my girl, one of the boys asked me to share my testimony. It was wonderful to share my story of how I came to know Christ and how my life has been changed. Oh my goodness, these kids had questions galore. I think I was up there for at least another 10 minutes or so. Praise the Lord! :D

I also had the opportunity to share Christ with the girl I tutor. It all started with a conflict with another child. We talked about how we need to love others even if they are not our friends, because that is what Jesus told us to do. By the end of the conversation she told me she couldn’t hear Jesus knocking on her heart. I didn’t quite know what to respond to that statement, but I did my best. Oh how I pray I was able to plant some seeds that day.
I just finished Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne (great book by the way!) He had a section on sharing the gospel of Christ. Here are two quotes from his book.

“In a distracting, violent, and tempting world, keep sowing the seed of love. Sow it everywhere, even when Herod cuts it down, and even when the world’s riches try to choke it. You never know when it will spring up and make great fruit!”

“Jesus’ revolutionary patience claimed that another kingdom is coming – one that you can participate in but not build, a seed you can plant and water but cannot make grow. You can’t drag the kingdom of God into the world. But you can’t stop sowing the seeds either. Sow them everywhere!”

Sharing Christ and the gospel is so important! I’ve struggled with evangelizing for a long time, because of the bad reputation it has received in our society. This past summer, I realized that I hid behind this belief – using it as an excuse not to share my faith. That realization hit me hard. I was ashamed by my lack of courage and faith. Now God has shown me how important it is to share my faith and has given me opportunities to do so.

Yesterday, the school principle asked me to lead devotions at the next school assembly. I didn’t know how to respond at first. I’m not the biggest fan of speaking in front of people. I perspire – my body shakes – and I fumble over my words. Despite these things, God still uses me and on the 19th of November I am leading devotions. God is definitely stretching and using me in Africa. Praise the Lord!

My Life as I Know it

This past Saturday a bunch of us girls went horseback riding, something I’ve only done once at age twelve. I can say that I enjoyed myself but I feel no desire to do it again anytime soon. Our guide called my horse’s name for pure entertainment because of my reaction. With every horse trot I laughed uncontrollably. I couldn’t help it. Unfortunately, that meant no game animal spotting. :D I ended the afternoon with scratches from the thorn trees my horse trotted me through (or my inability to direct the horse – whatever your perspective is), fun pictures, and good memories. What an adventure.

Right now my life is a routine. I live here at Bethesda. Each day I get up around 6 – go for a walk – get ready for school – help in grade R – tutor – help grade assignments – play with the kids –lounge around/read/send emails – go to bed early. Weekends are a little more exciting. We may go out on Saturday and then on Sunday we go to church and stay at Ruth’s for the day or go shopping. That is basically my life right now. I am not fully content with it. I want to do more community and outreach work, but that is not available right now. This is difficult for me.

I see the poverty stricken people every morning as I walk around the perimeter. I smile, wave, and say hi but that is it. I’ve been in the homes of women dying from AIDS. How am I helping now? After seeing these things I feel like I am living an ignorant life. Just like America, there are expensive stores, upscale restaurants, and resorts. I feel like I’m falling into this type of world again and I don’t want to. The type of world that pushes the needy aside. They type of world that allows a person to forget about how the majority of the population lives. I don’t EVER want to be desensitized to the AIDS epidemic or the poverty that all countries face. My fear is that it will happen.

Yes, I am a little discouraged, but I was also reminded that I am helping. I’m not helping the people living in the townships directly, but I am making a difference. I have to remind myself of that. The children here at Bethesda lived in these townships. They lived in poverty and experienced the effect AIDS has. I am working in the school. I am tutoring in math and English. Education is key. It is the only way to end the cycle of poverty. At Bethesda, our main goals are to minister, love on, and educate the children. I am doing much.

Please pray for encouragement and my perspective on the ministry I am doing here. Thank you.

Love you all.

Katherine-

The Small Things

Today in grade R we talked about the different seasons. I started to miss home a lot. Fall, my favorite season is the one I am missing while here. All those small things about fall make me want home. The tree leaves turning orange and yellow – the fall aromas – jumping in the tree leaves and hearing them crunch on the ground. Pumpkin spice lattes – dressing warmer – the cooler breeze – pumpkin carving – fall festivals – Thanksgiving.

I miss and want to experience these moments so badly. It is hard to think I have to wait another year for these things. I’m so glad I am in Africa and I wouldn’t change being here for anything. I have to remind myself that it is okay to miss and want fall, family, and friends. It is amazing how small things can mean so much especially when I cannot experience them.

Speaking of small things, last night I found joy in a small thing. (in the sense that it doesn’t take much work) a thunderstorm! It started to pour as my roommates Meredith, Alyssa, and myself were eating dinner. We decided to go out and play. It was so much fun. We took tons of pictures, laughed, swam in the puddles, and did the Macarena. Great times! I love those moments where I feel like a kid again.