When Obee laughs...

When Obee laughs, I can’t help but giggle with him

When Obee laughs, the world somehow seems right for once.

When Obee laughs, I am reminded that maybe, just maybe, my time here did make a difference in someone’s life….

It took a while to get Obee to smile. It took about 2 weeks to figure out how to get him to smile at me…he’s ticklish. It took me 3 weeks to get him to voluntarily smile at me and about that amount of time to get him to play with me and some of the other children. By week four he was running up to me as soon as he got there, playing with other kids, and LAUGHING! He also began to actually TALK to me at the end of the week. Today, he laughed more than he even had before. And on top of that, he SPOKE to me…voluntarily! Before I even asked him how is day was or how school went. Maybe I’m not supposed to say this but oh well. About 2 weeks into holiday club, Obee came in not feeling well, and one of the volunteers asked if he had eaten that day; he said no. She asked if he had eaten the night before; he said no. So he ate an apple and then had lunch when we served it. But it broke my heart…he’s so tiny! Then at the beginning of week 4, I randomly asked one of the other children who plays with Obee and I, why he doesn’t talk to anyone. Expecting to hear that he only really speaks Afrikaans, I was shocked when this was her response. “His mommy yells at him and hits him all the time. His daddy too.” ………………………………… What?................................. No………….This can’t be real.

                                                                                                                                                                        

But the reality for SO many children in Capricorn, in Cape Town, and in the whole world is that they don’t know love. Like Obee, it could take them weeks to open up to someone who loves them. It breaks my heart.  I knew that Obee had a trust barrier; that was obvious. But I really hoped it was just that I was WHITE or something haha. It is good, however, to know that Christ has come and can change that. He can love those who don't have it. Whether that be through a Living Hope Life Skill Educator, a church, or some crazy white girl from America, GOD has loved us so that we can Love others; we CAN be the Hands and Feet of God. YOU can help make another little Obee laugh....

Although Obee chose my last day- of all days- to be naughty and get sent home early for the first time EVER, today was a good day. We spent all of ‘play’ time, laughing and talking, and laughing some more. My last day in Capricorn could not have been any sweeter. 

Natalie, Roger, Ilana, Stacy, and Shagmie- all of the Life Skill Educators for Capricorn and it’s connecting township, Overcome Heights,- joined all of us volunteers for some AMAZING ice cream at this place called Sinnful Temptations haha. It was SO wonderful to spend my last Club afternoon with them, even if just for a few minutes. I just love them. If there is one thing I would change about my time here, it is that I just did not spend as much time as I would have liked with the Life Skill Educators and other local volunteers. I’m telling you, they are fabulous. They are the true heroes of Living Right and I have been forever changed by simply knowing them; just being around them for 6 weeks has shown me a little bit more of what it looks like to Follow Jesus. 

I will get to say goodbye on Monday, my last full day here before my plane takes off at 11:55pm. It’s certainly bittersweet. Where I am saddened at the thought of saying goodbye to all the friendships I have built here, I am equally just as excited, if not more excited, to get home and reunite with the friends that I have had since pre-school; The family that I have only seen via computer screen on Skype for 6 weeks. I’m excited to come home and show pictures, tell stories, and have dinners with my friends that turn into sleepovers that don’t last very long because none of us can stay up past 9pm without falling asleep because we are all grandma’s at heart.  To sit on the back porch with my parents in the morning while they drink their halfcaf coffee and I drink my South African rooibos tea, and we swap summer stories. I can’t wait. I absolutely cannot wait. 

 

But for now, I must say that today might have been the best day ever. I got a FULL tour of Living Hope since I was unable to have one when I got here because things were crazy. I am still processing. Again, Living Hope is incredible. No wait. GOD is incredible. Living Hope is just the vessel through which He loves on the people of this city. I had a wonderful last day of Club, as I said earlier. I got to talk with my parents which always makes my day! And I had a much needed conversation with Christy Ridings (among many other wonderful things, Christy is a Univeristy Minister at Belmont- she also basically helped open the door for me to come to South Africa- Thanks Christy!!) that just gave me SUCH a Peace about what this year might look like for me when I go back to school. This week, that has been one of the main things that the Enemy has been taunting me with, so that conversation was definitely ordained by God. I don’t know. Best day ever? Maybe.

I know I said I had exciting news for you yesterday, but yesterday our power in the house decided to go out. I know you think I am probably always making this stuff up, but alas, I am not. And since the power/internet always seems to go out when I make a promise of some kind to blog, I will just tell you the exciting news next time I get a chance!

Praying for you!

To God be the Glory,

AC

6 More Sunsets left...

So, I am sitting in my room watching the sun go down. This is definitely my favorite part of the day. But I only get to watch 6 more sunsets here in South Africa, and that fact is beginning to settle in....bittersweet. As the sun sets, the moon is rising and the stars are coming out from their hiding places. The moon seems so close that I feel as if I could touch it. I'm not trying to be dramatic or anything, I'm just stating a fact. This place is just so beautiful.
As a side note- I'm also wishing I had some good instrumental Celtic hymns in my iTunes...it just fits my mood right now :), but alas, I will just have to settle for Sigur Ros...

Holiday Club ended last Friday with a bang! Living Hope sponsored a HUGE tournament, inviting ALL the children, ages 7 and up, who were consistent at Club to attend. It was a BLAST! Although, all the adults, myself included, agreed that just that ONE day felt like an entire WEEK of Holiday Club at the end of it. It was quite hectic...I think somewhere around 1,000 kids were in attendance. We bused them in from all the townships and of course there were wonderful volunteers from the area that helped out. We hosted soccer and netball tournaments that seemed to go over really well. Capricorn did really well, if I do say so myself. We won in both sports for several different age brackets...Auntie Anna was quite proud to say the least. I stayed with the non-sporting children throughout the day and we went around to different stations and played games, did crafts, had Bible quizzes, etc. Praise God for his faithfulness! It very easily could have rained that day; there was no way of knowing. And so much advanced planning was involved that rain would have just been devastating. God is good. And I believe it is HE who gets the glory for that day. These kids received a day that they may never forget. Hallelujah! 

If you've been keeping up with my recent blogs, then you know that things here in South Africa have been quite chaotic. Xenophobia has had us all on our toes, waiting and watching. It is only our Lord who can be given praise for the lack of violence in the recent days! Threats have been coming for months now, and the fact that nothing has happened is nothing short of an Act of God...seriously. Living Hope is still fully prepared if something were to happen, but my prayer...OUR prayer is that Peace would continue to reign. The police and security around here are fully prepared as well. They have been great about responding quickly to calls placed by locals who are watching for suspicious activity. God is good, yes? Thank you for your prayers! God is listening!

Oh goodness. There is so much to catch you all up on. I have been terrible in the recent weeks about sitting down to share with you. The internet has not helped with that either. Hopefully, some updates will come soon!

Until then, God be with you!

AC

P.S.- I will be sharing some VERY exciting news with you all tomorrow, so be sure to watch for any updates!

Thank You

WOW! I just got off the phone with my parents and all I can say is WOW! I knew that many of you prayed last night, but I had NO idea how many. My parents told me stories that just put the biggest smile on my face and brought so much comfort to my heart. I now believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God heard the cries of His people all over the world last night, interceding on behalf of Masi and Capricorn. My one prayer request to my parents and Carolina WENT OUT among the Body of Christ and you all did something with it. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Also, to clarify about the previous post...
Not ALL of the Xhosa people are behind the threats and attacks. In fact, many of them are not. I just want to make that clear. Many Xhosa's are wonderful peaceful people who love the Lord...but as in all cultures all over the world, many are without Christ, and without Love. I just wanted you all to know that.

Thank you, again, for your prayers.

To God be all of the Glory!

ac

Xenophobia

Xenophobia (pronounced 'Zenophobia')- an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

Do not freak out at this entry. Please. If at any point you feel any kind of uneasiness, I would just ask that you pray. Worrying does absolutely nothing. As Followers of Jesus, we know that the battle has already been won, yes? 
I will also say that I am fine. All of us here are fine. 
Alright, now that I have your full attention, let me explain the word and definition mentioned above.

All of South Africa is experiencing what can be called a Xenophobic crisis. There are many South Africans, most of them Xhosa (pronounced Kosah), who are extremely frustrated, angry, and bitter toward all of the foreigners from Zimbabwe, Somalia, Malawi, and other places who are 'taking their jobs.' From what I have heard, the Xhosa people were most affected by apartheid and feel a large since of entitlement since its banishment in 1994. I'm not saying this in an ugly way, this just seems to be a fact. All of this boils down to employment or their lack of it. Let me try to explain; if two men, one Xhosa and one from ZIM, are standing on the road waiting for someone to come by and offer them a job (this happens, by the way) and an outdoor job is offered for R100 (100 rand), the Xhosa wants more money for his hard labor but the man from ZIM wants any money he can get, therefore the man from ZIM says he'll take the job. The Xhosa then says "Well, he took my job." This is how it has been explained to me, so I hope you are able to follow. Either way, animosity is growing, and we are all afraid that action is about to be carried out...probably through violence. Apparently, the last time this happened, many women were raped and shoved out of their homes....it's stuff like this that we fear.
Many threats have been made and some attacks have actually been carried out. You should know that since before the World Cup came, many Xhosa's within the townships were threatening and telling the foreigners within the townships that as soon as the World Cup was over, they were going to kick them out, etc, etc. We do know that people in the communities are all armed and ready, on both sides.

Well, the World Cup is over. SO, Living Hope is gearing up for what MIGHT happen. Masiphumelele and Capricorn are where attacks are most expected to take place. Both have a large portion of both Xhosa's and foreigners. Capricorn, in case you haven't been keeping up with previous blogs, is the community in which I have been working for the past 5 weeks. I have grown to love the people there, especially the children, obviously. With that said, will you join me in praying for Capricorn? That the Peace of God would reign; that no attacks would actually be carried out; and that if should anything happen, the children would be safe. Living Hope has offered its building there as a safe haven for people to come and calm down before finding a more permanent place to seek safety. I cannot bare the thought of anything happening to my sweet precious babies. I know that they are in God's hands, and He loves them so much more than I ever could. But still, it would be fantastic if these threats would become a thing of the past. 
Masiphumelele- located almost directly across the street from the Living Hope Community Center which is right down the road from our house. I just got back from the LHCC where some of the other volunteers and I worked to prepare the chapel and other rooms for what MIGHT happen in the near future. If anything takes places, people in Masi can seek safety there for a few hours until they move out to find a more permanent place. If it gets real bad, some of us may be called in to help. We have a freshly graduated nurse here who will help with trauma counseling and others who will be a great help to anyone who might come in. We will have other people in healthcare who will help bandage wounds and what-not. Me? If I am asked to help, I have no idea what I will do. Serve food? Distribute blankets. Who knows. I just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 
Let's pray that none of this happens. Let's pray that the Peace of God would reign across South Africa tonight and the following weeks. But that if He chooses to allow it to happen, that His Gospel would be spread and that He would use this time to show people His Love, His Healing, His Comfort, His Forgiveness.  
No fear here. All of us will be perfectly safe, and we have been instructed on what to do if we ever do face danger, but this probably won't happen. 
Last night, many of you prayed, and I am grateful for that. At 3am here this morning (8pm your time), when attacks were supposedly going to be carried out, some of us in the house got up to pray. It was a good time of clinging to God, and interceding on behalf of our friends in Masi and Capricorn. Please join us again tonight in praying for them. 



This is real life, folks. I went to bed last night thinking of the mothers and fathers in Masi and Capricorn, tucking in their children then going to sit by the door, waiting...watching...wondering if they would get to tuck their children into bed again. 


And this happens all over the world everyday....





what if this was you? 





What if it was your wife in danger of being raped?




what if it was your children in danger of losing their parents in violent and unforgettable ways?





Would you want someone to do something about it if they could?









Would you want someone who could actually do something about it to ignore it?










Would you want someone to pray for you?








What do YOU want to do right now?










Do it.




Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
AC 

T.I.A.

This Is Africa. Haha. And thanks to Africa, internet has been down for quite a while now. I apologize that I have not been able to update as much as I would like! Please know that I am journaling as much as possible so as to give you all the best update EVER next time I have internet! Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.
1 week and a half and I will be back in the U.S.A.!!!
I am praying for you!
Serving Him,
AC