A lot has happened this week so I am going to try and sum this up a little. 

     On Wednesday we had to say goodbye to our dear friend and teammate Logan. His time here has been completed and it was time for him to go home. It is very touching to see hoe the people love him and how he impacted their lives after being here a little over a year. And it is crazy to think of how fast your field time go by, it just gives me a motivation to live it out to the fullest. 

     Thursday was our first day at Sanctor High School. Me along with Tyler, Mike and Neysia are volunteering out the as TA's (teacher assistants). We just help the teachers in whatever they need us to and we get to talk to the kids and hang out with them. The only problem on the first day (hope it is not a problem for long) is that the boys were a little crazy about us being there. Whistling, asking for our numbers and asking us out on dates is something that happened all day long. It is hard to want to be their friends and still be an authority figure so they can respect you. It is going to be a challenge for me and Neysia to achieve this kind of relationship with them, so please keep us in your prayers. 

     This month was Tata Madiba's 90th Birthday... the beloved Nelson Mandela. We were invited to one of his birthday celebrations here in the city. There was a rumor that he was going to be there but we were not that lucky. It was a day filled with a lot of culture, color, food, dancing, praise singers and songs for Mandela. Some of the elderly woman came up to us and invited us to dance with them and it was very exciting to be in the middle of so many people dancing to their music. It was a very neat experience.

Towards the end of the celebration, the leader of the ANC, (African National Congress) political party and the most likely to be the next president os South Africa showed up to give a speech. We were sitting very close to where he was, so if he gets elected president... I have pretty much met him. He did touch Neysia's arm when she took a picture of him which is pretty cool. 

It is getting pretty late here and tomorrow we have a long day ahead of us, so I call it quits. Good night and God Bless you. 

Life in the deep parts...

This morning we went to a township, the part of the city that is composed of shacks made out of cardboard and plastic walls, tin roofs and dirt floors. These parts of town are usually very dangerous if you don't go accompanied by a "colored" person (one of their own). The girls (Diana, Tara, Neysia and myself) are helping out with this non-profit organization that goes into the community and organizations to see the needs they have. Then, through the radio and their website (www.touchproject.co.za) they get the city involved in sponsoring their projects. So, this morning they invited us to go deliver some blankets that a factory had donated to them. We went into Walmer township, there is no running water at all and no electricity in most houses. We visited three families.

 The first home we went to had 6 adults and 2 kids living in 3 rooms with 2 beds all supported by one man who finds odd jobs on daily basis. The lady had just lost her youngest kid two months ago, and she said there are too many things happening in her life to pray about, so we prayed with her and left her some blankets.

In the second home we visited we were met by this elderly lady who told us about the little money they get from the government to support their kids, the only income they have. We prayed with her and she was smiling while we were praying, sometimes the simplest things can make someone smile. 

After that we went to the last house and met with a lady that had a little baby in her arms. She greeted us with a smile and led us into her home. She also gets a R200 check for each kid she has (almost $30) a month. She is taking care of two orphan kids. 

God is good to me.

Starting life in Africa.

My life in Port Elizabeth South Africa has started... 

Things for my team and me have been crazy lately but finally I am able to sit and start my blog. There are so many things that have happened in my life here so far that it would take a while to explain them all so I will explain them gradually as time comes by. 

God Bless.