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.

Church and Electricity

Dumela! (Hello!)

This past week was a good week.

I went to a Bible Study with a couple of girls who work at Bethesda. I loved it. It has been a long time since I have fellowshipped with others in that way. There were about 30 of us. The room was full of people of all nations. Germany, America, South Africa (obviously), the Congo, and South America to name a few. We worshiped through praises, prayer, and study. The people were welcoming and I felt at home. I plan to go again this upcoming Friday.

I also went to Grace Fellowship this Sunday. The man who led the Friday night Bible Study is one of the pastors. Again, I felt at home. I already knew familiar faces from Friday and I felt like I had been going to this church for years. The pastor was so passionate about what he preached and I left both services that day challenged. I plan to attend Grace Fellowship during my stay here. I already know I am going to miss this family when I go back to the states.

Our electricity and water went out during the weekend here at Bethesda and in the surrounding Hammanskraal area. We left at 6 am on Sunday to go into Pretoria so we could shower before church. We played Twister by candlelight on Saturday night, found entertainment in ping pong, and I was stinky and sweaty all day because we had no fans. I had a great weekend! Bethesda’s property was fortunate to get power and water back so quickly. Many people around us will be out of water for 3 wks. This is common for them. How would you have to adjust your lifestyle if you did not have access to water for a month?

The rainy/thunderstorm season has started. Storms in Africa are amazing! The lightning is incredible and extremely dangerous. The lightning comes so low to the ground and a lot of fires are started. It is so dry here and the majority of the homes here don’t have fire alarms. It’s so beautiful though – the whole sky lights up – thunder roars – rain pours. All this equals to the perfect thunderstorm. Way better than the storms in Idaho. That’s for sure.

I’ve been getting up at 6 everyday to walk with my two roommates. (5 consecutive days so far)! It is nice and cool. It’s a great way to enjoy the beautiful nature of Africa.

This sums up a big part of this past week. God is doing great things. Peace with you all.

Life as an Intern

I am officially an intern here at Bethesda. All of the members of my team left today and here I am in South Africa.

The transition has been different. As a part of the team, I did a lot of community outreach work and exploring. Now, my life consists of Bethesda. My schedule varies, so it's good I am flexible. Thank you Twin Rocks for that characteristic! Right now I am working in the school. I assist in the Grade R classroom, which is kindergarten. There are about 10 kids in that class. It has been wonderful to be able to work with them one on one and to get to know them better.

The transition has been different. As a part of the team, I did a lot of community outreach work and exploring. Now, my life consists of Bethesda. My schedule varies, so it’s good that I am flexible. Thank you Twin Rocks for that characteristic! Right now I am working in the school. I assist in the Grade R classroom (which is kindergarten). There are about 10 kids in that class. It has been wonderful to be able to work with them one on one and to get to know them better. They are all so precious. Even though they all have their little devil moments haha…

I have also done childcare in the homes, which is tons of fun, but I am definitely exhausted at the end of the day. I house sat the Manakas this past Saturday – 8 kids total and it was so much fun. The kids LOVE bubbles… I think blowing bubbles kept them busy for a good couple of hours. Awww… the joy of simple things. It is amazing and heartbreaking to hear how some of these children came to Bethesda. Some came from a hospital. A few lived there for years, not because they were sick, but because they had no where to go. A family of 4 was abandoned after their mother passed away. They had gone without food for 5 days before they were brought to Bethesda. Now they are loved by all staff members, are taught about Christ, are educated, and go to bed with full stomachs. I am so thankful to be a part of an organization that brings such change to children’s lives. Bethesda can’t solve the problem of HIV/AIDS and the outcome in has on children, but it can do their part.

I’m excited to serve the Lord, the Bethesda staff, and the children. I have been so blessed by the people here.