Exactly 1 week left

So this time next week I will be on a plane. Actually I think I will already be in Jo-berg waiting to catch my flight back to the USA. I have such mixed emotions about next week. On one hand I do miss my family and friends back home but on the other hand I absolutely LOVE Cape Town and the friends and family I have made here. So I have done so much the past few weeks. I have still been staying full time at the Rainbow House. When I first went there I thought I might go back to Pinelands every now and then for a break - but I have enjoyed it so much and has also enjoyed Goodwood as well. I will just give you a brief rundown of the things I have done.

I have helped out with MetroKids a little. I did a proposal for them to help raise funding. Today I actually went visiting with them. It was so fun - I love going and visiting the children.

I went to Vincents 21rst. Turning 21 is a BIG DEAL here in South Africa. Everyone always has a big 21rst - with lots and lots of family and friends. 21 is the age that you "become and adult." The 21rst I went to was out in Gordon's Bay and it was a Braai. They had a "Spit Braai" which is when they turn in this case a lamb over a fire. it was very nice.
I have been helping out every couple of Sundays at SOUTHPOINT doing registration for Waumba Land.
I visited the largest township Khayelitsha. I believe it is the largest township in Cape Town. It was created for 400,000 black - but now they figure over 1.2 million black live there. I went and visted a project there - Learn to Earn. It's a really neat project - it teaches people life skills as well as trades that they can use to earn an income.
One Friday, 4 Sept I went to and "Old School" Dance/Fundraiser. I went with Alison. It was a lot of fun - we danced the night away to a lot of Michael Jackson. It was a fundraiser for a little boy that is trying to go to a school in London. He goes to a school here that is for children that have social development issues. He wants to go to there sister school in London - but his family has to pay for it. A group of people have gotten together and are putting on a series of fundraisers. It was a lot of fun and it was for a good cause.
On 5 Sept I spoke briefly at a breakfast fundraiser at the Rainbow House. Alison raised R1500 - it was a great breakfast. Then I went and visited some countrysides in the northern part of town with about 9 friends.

So you know I have been talking about how much I love it here and how I want to come back. Well I've been praying that God would open doors and I wouldn't try to force something. Well God has certainly opened some doors. Out of the blue last Tuesday or Wednesday Alison - the project manager at the Rainbow House had a conversation with me about being the "face" of Rainbow House and doing all of their PR, Event Planning, Fundraising, and Marketing. Hello - this is all right up my alley. If you remember when I talked about the career assessment test - these are all the things it said I should do. I feel this was a direct sign from God - and Him opening a door.


I am planning the first fundraiser. It is going to be at the Barnyard. We will buy tickets to a show at discounted price and then sell them and keep the profit. I went and met with the lady from the Barnyard, Lorraine, on Monday. We had such a lovely time. I chatted with her for over an hour and she invited me to a show that night. They were putting on a show for all people that had had fundraisers at the Barnyard. We say a Celine Dion/Neil Diamond tribute show. It was great. Carla, Alison, Nastaja, and a few other people went with me.


So I told you - today I went out visiting with MetroKids. This is my absolute favorite thing to do. I wish I could do it everyday. I love visiting, playing with, and loving on the children.

Okay - basically this is my plan. Oh yeah - I forgot to tell you - I have a job when I get back to the US. Again God has provided. I have a part time position at UPS as a legal assistant helping in the brand management position. It is part time - 730 - 430 Monday - Thursday. I am just thankful it is a job. I plan on raising full time support for 3 years during my time at home. From October to January. I want to also apply for a visa and then make plans to return around March, April or May. I can also work at my favorite place in Cape Town - Ashley's - part time for extra money.

So that's my plan. Please pray that everything will work out according to God's plan.

Another team arrives from Northpoint on Saturday. They are going to visit and do a project at the Rainbow House the day before I leave. I am so excited - I feel I have been a part of exposing the Rainbow House to a new audience. I am also excited about seeing David!

Alright - so my flight lands in ATL 07h00 on Thursday 17 Sept! Have a great week!

Love you all!

The Bucket List

In South Africa, the term township usually refers to the often underdeveloped urban living areas that, under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites - blacks and coloreds. Informal settlements are also known as squatter camps. These mostly exist only in the black areas. These are areas where people literally have "squatted" on a piece of land. They build shacks right up next to each other and can sometimes create quite a large community. There can be 1000's of shacks made out of just about anything including scrap metal, plywood, and plastic. Many of them are one room - about the size of my parents bathroom. Some have electricity and some do not. When you walk down the rows of shacks you must duck your head and watch out for the power lines. Most of them do not have running water. In fact many do not even have out houses. They use a bucket system. The buckets are then collected once or twice a week.

Monday night I had quite an experience with James and Janet from Metro Kids. I went with James, Janet, and Mabha to KTC after dark. KTC is one of if not the most dangerous place in Cape Town. I believe it is the gun crime capital of the world. For those of you that went on the trip back in November, KTC is where we did SideWalk on Friday - where the riots broke out giving away the back packs.

I had first been with James and Janet at a Metro Kids leadership meeting. We met at Kinyisa Church with all of the student SideWalk leaders. ( I will write more about that later.) During the meeting Janet received an SMS (aka text) from a lady, Z, whose sons come to Sidewalk in KTC. Janet has gotten to know her recently and is even doing a story on her. She is a single mother living off of the child grants she gets from the government totaling R460 per month. Using an $8 exchange rate that equals out to less than $60 per month - just to put it in perspective. She is also living with HIV and is very outspoken about it. This is something that is incredible because in South Africa most people who are HIV are very hush hush. Z sms'd Janet to ask her and James to come pray for her friend T - who is HIV + and is very sick. At first they were not going to go because they thought it might be too late - but I am so grateful they did. They would not have gone had Mabha not been with them.

As we were driving though Guguletu and KTC to where we were going you could here the kids yelling "James" "Sidewalk". It is really amazing to see the impact/influence he has on the children in these communities. We arrived at the Red Coca-Cola sign which was the landmark Janet and Mabha knew to know which row to walk down. As we parked - Mabha staked everything out for us. We then walked down the dark isle to Z's shack. There I met her two boys and then she led us on to T's shack. T lives in a 1 room shack maybe the size of the bedroom I grew up in. there are two beds in the corner right next to each other - that she and her 3 sons share and then the other side is the kitchen. There was no electricity. The only light was from an oil lamp and the heat came from a propane gas heater. T was lying there on the bed very very ill. Z had just taken here to the hospital on Sunday and they discharged her. She could not even walk. James and Janet both sat with her and prayed. I stood with T's youngest son and listened to them pray. Then Mahba prayed in Xhosa. After about 20 minutes of praying Janet asked T if she knew Jesus and - to which she nodded her head. Then Z told us about her plans to take her back to the hospital on Tuesday. Z and her son walked us back to Jame's com-v. I asked James if this is something he does often and he replied no - not at all - it's really not that safe. In the car on the way back to Goodwood I asked about the buckets and he explained it all to me. He then said, "You don't get to see this kind of stuff on a mission trip." He was so right. I am so thankful for the experiences I have had here. We then also pondered why was I born into the family I was born into and why have I been blessed with so much - and why were those boys or Z or T born into the situation they were. The only answer we could come up with was that since we have been born into such blessed families and been blessed with so much - that we are the ones that are supposed to reach out and minister to those less fortunate.

Below is a picture from KTC - this is from Section 4 - one of the poorest areas. This picture was taken back in July when we went around giving away oranges. I just wanted you all to see the shacks I have been trying to describe.

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about this experience. As far as everythin else goes - I'm doing well. I have extended my trip for those of you that don't know. I am now staying until 16 Sept. Please pray as I prepare to come back to the US. I am having a really hard time as I feel I really have nothing to come home to - in terms of a job ect. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support. Talk to you soon!

BIG NEWS

I am in the middle of my second week living at the Rainbow House. I am loving every minute of it. I have been quite busy since the last time I wrote and internet is not as accessible as before so sorry for the delay in updating this blog. As always I will just get you all caught up on what I've been doing.

I have been to see two shows here. 3 Tons of Fun - which is 3 large black African women singing and moving/dancing on stage. I went with Keith and Joy and Michael and Avril from South Point. It was at this little place called "Off Broadway" or maybe "On Broadway." They serve a meal and then the show is after dinner. 3 Tons of Fun sings all sorts of songs American and South African. It was TONS of fun! The next night (Friday, 24 August) I went to see a show Bravo with a friend Kirsty. This so was fantastic. It is 4 guys that were formed to do an Ill Divo tribute. They traveled through Spain last year performing. They put a somewhat classical twist to songs - they do Elvis, Queen, Michael Bubley (I know I spelled that wrong) and Josh Grobin. The show was at a place called the Barnyard. It's really neat - you sit at "pic nic" style tables and can bring in your own food. Our table was in the very front - they even sang to me a few times.

Christmas in July is a big thing here. It has an "English/British" background. Because obviously it's cold in England in December - but in South Africa it's hot in December. A lot of people have Christmas in July parties in July in South Africa because it's cold. I have been to 2. One of the parties I went to was collecting children's toys. When I told everyone the work I was doing with Rainbow House - they gave me ALL of the presents. I couldn't believe it. Alison at the house was so greatful.

So like I said I'm in the middle of my second week at Rainbow House. I moved in on Monday, 27 July. I am staying in the back little volunteer quarters. It is a small room with 2 beds and cupboards and a bathroom. Very adequate. The first week I did mostly overnight shifts with the babies so Alison could get a full nights sleep. I have a new love - his name is Martin David - he is a new baby we got on Thursday, 30 July. He was born Sunday 26 July. He is so cute. I absolutely adore him. I'm not sure if he's black or colored - Alison says he's black. His mother had him at the hospital and then did not want him. She already had another child, lives in a shelter in a poor area or town and suffers from depression and other mental illnesses. I think he might suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or addiction to medications his mother was taking during the pregnancy. At times he will just shake uncontrollably. I have really enjoyed taking care of him and calming him during his shakes. I think I have a magic touch - if I do say so myself.

Friday 31 July Rainbow House had a Christmas in July Fundraiser. I was going to stay to take care of the babies - but then Alison had 2 extra tickets to the event and invited me to go. Another international volunteer stayed with the children. It was such a treat to get to be a part of the fundraiser. I even got to help out a little during the raffles and was even put on the spot and shared how I became involved with Rainbow House. I also had the privilege of sitting next to the guest speaker - Consul General Alberta Mayberry. She is from the United States - Houston, Texas actually. She is here on a 3 year assignment. It was very fascinating getting to speak with her.

This week I am doing day shits with the babies. I am with them from a little before 8 am - 2 pm or so and then I help Alison with them from about 8 to midnight. I got to do something neat yesterday. I went on a radio interview with Alison. It was at the UCT (University of Cape Town) radio station 104.5. It's a good station. The interview was about women - it's Women's Month or something. We were interviewed all about the Rainbow House. I didn't talk as much as Alison but I was able to answer a few questions. It was such a treat.

So if you can't tell I'm absolutely LOVING my time here. I actually started crying the other night thinking about leaving. Oh speaking of leaving - I'm thinking of extending my trip until 18 Sept. I am scheduled to leave 3 Sept but won't be "kicked out" of the country until 21 Sept. I am praying I can change my flight without too much cost involved. Also - since the cat's out of the bag I will go ahead and share with you all that I'm seriously considering coming back. If you are praying for me - this is something you can pray about. I am thinking that my calling is to children in South Africa. There are opportunities to work with Rainbow of Hope - opening up other homes. I think I've found my passion. My idea is to go into "full time children's ministry." I'm thinking of spending the 6 months after I return to the USA to raise full time long term support and applying for a 3 year visa to return to South Africa March/April of next year! Whoa - I know. Please pray that God will show me the path and that His will will be done!

Okay - I hope you've enjoyed catching up. Remember you can email me cape.town.katie@gmail.com

Have a great WEDNESDAY! Love you all!

Come on, ride the train

So another 10 days has gone by and I'm just now sitting down to write. I guess it is easier than I thought to 'get busy' in Cape Town. I have had an amazing 10 days. So I'm just going to pick up where I left off.



Last week - Tuesday and Wednesday I had the privilege of serving/helping out with the INSIDE/OUT Camp. I/O is a high school environment created by NP that was just launched by SP. There were about 50 people (about 36 high school students) that went over near Hermanas(Hermanus sp) for an overnight camp. I was strictly there to help Pam sort out the meals. The camp facilities were beautiful and the kids all really enjoyed themselves. The purpose was to get the students excited about Inside Out. I/O had it's first meeting on Friday night and it was a huge success. I am positive that God is going to bless that environment and use it in a positive way in high school students lives.

I volunteered at Rainbow House again on Saturday. I was adventurous and decided to ride the train. It was an absolutely fine experience. It's funny - a lot of people looked at me like I had three eyes when I told them I had ridden the train. I guess it's not very common that you see a "white" person on the train. The train car that I got in was pretty full - I had to stand. There was a man preaching on the train. Come to find out it was also "Nelson Mandela Day" also known as Mandiba Day - Not sure what all it stands for but people are supposed to do 67 minutes of volunteering to represent the 67 years he spent in prison. (I THINK)

Sunday was the first time I've heard John Hasting preach - we've been watching a series by Andy Stanly. I think John did a sermon by Andy - it sounded familiar - about why SP does church the way they do and the whole reason they are so passionate. It was a clear message of Salvation - it was great.
Sunday afternoon I was at RH till around 8:30. I am really falling in LOVE with these children. I also really LOVE the vision and mission of Rainbow House. There aren't a lot of homes for children that function the way this home does. There are a lot of "institutions" out there that provide a safe place for children - but do not show the children LOVE. These children just want to be loved.

Monday I goofed around in the morning and then headed to the Rainbow House for the evening shift. I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights there. I have enjoyed it so much. I believe I told you - there are 3-4 month old twins there currently. I have been doing the "night shift" staying in the room with them and tending to them as they wake up throughout the night. It's been a huge help to Alison - allows her to sleep the entire night so she is rested and alert for the day. I have really enjoyed "playing mommy" to these little ones - getting up in the night, feeding them, changing them, making there bottles, rocking them, ect.

The Rainbow House is located in an area called GoodWood. It is a primarily colored area. For those of you that don't know in South Africa the 3 main races are White, Black, and Colored. Colored is not the same as black - colored is more of a mixed race. I am really enjoyed being in GoodWood. There is a lot of activity. There are people out on the streets and lots and lots of shops along the main road. They aren't "really nice" shops but they are fun to go in. I have enjoyed walking the streets in the afternoon while the international volunteers are still at RH. The streets of Goodwood kind of remind me of the streets f Brooklyn - just busy with activity.

So I've been riding the train a lot from Pinelands to Goodwood. It is just 2 stops. Yesterday afternoon I was riding back from Goodwood to Pinelands and I got in a train car that was fairly empty with nice plush leather seats. I asked a man sitting across from me why the car was so empty. He told me I was in first class. Ha - can you believe it? They have 1st and 3rd class train cars in Cape Town South Africa. I just kind of giggled to myself. Then I got kind of nervous because I knew I didn't buy a "first class" ticket. He said if I didn't have a ticket they would make me pay an extra R40 (about $6.00). The ticket I bought was R5.50 - less than a dollar. I was sitting there nervously because 2 people in security jackets started asking around to see people's tickets. I just sat there. I knew I didn't buy a first class ticket and I didn't have R40 on me. I started thinking - what if they ask me for mine and I can't pay it - will I get arrested? Could you imagine - me being arrested and thrown into a South African jail because I didn't have the right train ticket. I'm sure my thoughts were a little dramatic. They made 2 people de-board that didn't have the correct ticket. The man I was talking to about the tickets at the beginning was a colored man. They asked to see his ticket and other people around me. Get this - they didn't ask me for my ticket. I don't know if it was a case of racial profiling - I was the ONLY white person on the train so did they just assume I had a first class ticket because I was white? Or could it be that I had FOREIGNER written all over my face? I guess we won't really know for sure. So needless to say I didn't get arrested and I made it to Pinelands and then back to Rainbow House later that evening.

I hope that you all are enjoying my blog. I hope you aren't expecting something really super deep from me. I've come to realize - I'm not that deep of a person. I don't think I have super profound thoughts to share with you all the time. I haven't blogged as much because in my mind I should be writing these super profound posts with reflection and deep thoughts and things to ponder - (I'm being inspired by Carrie Bradshaw LOL ) but that's just not me so much.
I guess I do have 1 thing. So my mom and I were talking about me finding my passion. I am passionate about children and serving. I really think I was created to be a wife and a mother. My mom does a devotion at wedding showers about women being created to help man - and play that support role. I don't know if it is because I have heard that devotion so many times that I really believe that - or it's just how God made me. When did everything change and there become such a huge focus on a woman's career? To be totally honest - I don't think I'm the "super career executive woman." My passion is to be the woman that God created me to be - a great partner, a helper, a supporter, and a mother.

Okay - that's my deep. Sorry I haven't uploaded any pictures lately. I can not put pictures of the children from RH up on the blog. It's for security reasons - some of them are placed there to protect them. I will have tons with me when I return so I'll be sure to show them to you then.

Well I must get ready - I am going to an "Off Broadway" show tonight with some people from church. It is called 3Tons of Fun - tomorrow night I'm going to a show Bravo with some other friends and then Saturday a Christmas in July Dinner Party.

Oh yeah - and starting Monday I'm going to live and stay at the Rainbow House. They have some volunteer quarters in the back. Have a great day everyone!
Until next time - I make no promises as to when I'll write again - hopefully sooner rather than later!

Cheers!

PS (I hope when you read the title some of you starting singing and even dancing a little in your chair) =) CHOO CHOO!

Week #3

Oh my goodness - I can't believe it's been an entire week since I've written anything. I have been quite busy this week. It has been a great week - I am really getting "plugged in" and feeling much more comfortable and very at ease. I guess the easiest thing to do is to just give you a quick day by day run down. (I'll try and stick to "quick")

Sunday, 5 July 09
Part 2 of the Why Worry series! If anyone can find the link to that message series can you please email it to me. I have searched all over the Northpoint website and can not find it. The why worry series is FABULOUS - everyone should watch it. I was on the Host Team this Sunday at church. I really enjoyed greeting everyone and welcoming them to SouthPoint!

Monday, 6 July 09
I got to go on a local tour. I went down the West Coast with tour guides Adam and Brenden. The weather didn't start off the greatest - but by lunch time the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. I got to see places that the Tour Busses don't go - Cape Town tour with locals! We went into the City Centre, to Bantry Bay (very expensive) Clifton, Camp's Bay (big surfer area) Hout Bay (pronounced Hot), Noordhoek, Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, False Bay. It was such a fun day. We had traditional fish-n-chips in Kalk Bay. The coast is absolutely beautiful.

Tuesday, 7 July 09
I spent most of the day working at the church, Painting Pam's office.

Wednesday, 8 July 09
I met with Alison Alexander - the project manager and house mother at Rainbow House. I met her around 9:30 for coffee at the Howard Centre. She is an amazing woman - whose faith is so encouraging. Her story and vision for Rainbow House is incredible and infectious. It was awesome to hear very specific stories of how God continuously meets the needs of Rainbow House. There is a lot going on with the Rainbow House now - they are about to open a thrift shop which will be a source of income for the Rainbow House. I told her that I feel God is really drawing me to work with children in some capacity and I am here to help her however she needs me. We set up a few things - I'm going to be kind of like her "right hand man" for the time I'm here. Over the next week or so I'm going to RH whenever I can - but I am going to stay there permanently for the month of August. I might go sooner if I can. Let me tell you - I'm so excited. You can hear or see me talk about it through this blog - but my face lights up - and I think God is revealing my passion and purpose to me.
Quick change of subject - Wednesday afternoon I spent with this lady Doreen. She's 78 and took care of Carla's (the lady whose house I"m staying in) father before for the past 5 years before he died last year. She and her neighbor Barbara took me on a tour up North. We went to Parrl, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch. We ate lunch at this beautiful place - Hillcrest Berry Orchards. It was stunning - in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountain. Very un-American of me - I didn't have my camera with me. You must google image search it - the view was spectacular. I returned from my trip North around 4:00. After that I headed up to the church - I finished painting Pam's office. I had to actually call my dad for a little advice. I couldn't get the trim and the walls to blend together so I asked him what to do. Turns out I was doing it backwards - you're supposed to "cut-in" first and then paint with the roller as close to the edge as you can. I did the last coat that way and Vyoo-lah - it was MUCH Better! I will post pictures tomorrow of so. She got all moved in over the weekend. If any of you are looking for a painter - I can be reached via email - I'll give you a great deal! =)

Thursday, 9 July 09
Today I went to Rainbow House. YEAH! I was there from 930am - 630pm. It was a fantastic day! I got to see the everyday running of the house. There was a girl Kate there - she's been there for a couple of months. She's from the UK - and she's leaving this coming Wednesday. There were also a few other volunteers - 2 girls in the morning and 1 girl in the afternoon. Right now there are 8 children in the house. Twin 3 month olds (boy and girl) Loretta (but we're going to call her Katie) and Keenan. 1 year old Kallum, 2 year old Liam (brothers) - 3 year olds Subashly, Owam, and Anthia, and 7 year old Mishka. These children are all adorable. They have lived harder lives in their young age than most of us ever will. They each have there own unique story and we don't necessarily even know their entire past. Although there stories are all unique - the 1 thing they all need is the same - LOVE! I am sure most of my future blogs are going to be going on and on about Rainbow House. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me there.
Thursday night I attended the braai again. It was fun again. This time I decided to take 2 steaks - sirloins I think - I cooked them both and ate one then and saved the other one for Friday. I was completely exhausted from my day at the Rainbow House. I fell asleep on my bed with the lights on - woke up at 3 am and turned them off.

Friday, 10 July 09
Slept in! I had a pretty relax day. I went to Canal Walk with Kelly - she's a young girl at the church - I met her in November - but have gotten to spend a lot of time with her since I've been here. We just walked around - had lunch and picked up a few things. One thing that is funny here - all of the malls also have grocery store/super markets in them. Could you imagine Phipps Plaza with a Kroger in it.

Saturday, 11 July 09
I went to this outdoor/indoor market. It was in Salt River at the Old Biscuit Mill. It was really neat. There was food to eat - food to buy - all sorts of food! Then there were also tons of shops. I just looked at a bunch of stuff. I love African stuff. I went to the market with Carla and Gavin and a girl from church - Miranda. We left the market around noon and Carla and Gavin took me to the Rainbow House. I felt much more at ease at the Rainbow House today. I think because there weren't any other volunteers there (besides Alison) - so I didn't feel like I had to follow any one's lead. I just took care of kids like I know how to. I am so looking forward to being there full time - although I might come back to Pinelands on the weekends. I am busy the beginning of this week - but will head back to Rainbow House - Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I can not wait.

So here we are Sunday. The rain came during the night. Thank you Lord for the fabulous weather we've had for the past few weeks. It has rained ALL day today. I think it's about to get cold again. I had a very busy Sunday. Left for church 8:15am - helped with Waumba Land registration again. In church we finished up the Why Worry series. Again - it was great! Everyone should see this series. A mission team from NorthPoint arrived yesterday. It's a high school group and 4 adults. They are here to help launch Inside Out this week. I helped Pam serve them lunch after church. Then we had a braai tonight - it was actually an indoor braai.
It was a busy - but very fun day. The NP team is great. I haven't hung around high schoolers in a while - wow they are energetic - or maybe just delirious- I think many of them are a little sleep deprived.

I should be off to bed now - it's after 12am. I have a busy week planned. I'm heading out with MetroKids tomorrow - visiting and giving out oranges. I am looking forward to it. I haven't been with them the past few weeks. Oh yeah - my team from November is hosting a Benefit in Atlanta July 30th to raise money for MetroKids South Africa. The tickets are $25 - please check out the website www.metrokids09.com Please check out the website. If you can buy a ticket and attend PLEASE DO SO - even if you can't buy a ticket and would like to make a contribution you can do that to! MetroKids is awesome! I wish all of you could see it first hand like me.

I promise I will write more tomorrow - I have some funny things I want to tell you about and teach you all some nice South African slang! I will also post the church address a few of you asked about sending packages. As far as the comments on the blog go - I'm sorry i don't know what happened to the "leave comment" button. You can always email me at cape.town.katie@gmail.com I LOVE getting email!

Talk to you soon!
Katie

Rainbow House and Waterfront

Okay - so I know I've told you all about the Rainbow House. I got to go there today. The first Saturday of each month they do a breakfast fund raiser at the house. The project manager, Allison - who I have been in contact with is related to a lady at South Point - Joy - (her husband is Keith the photographer guy from our MetroKids Leadership Appreciation day last Nov.) Pam connected me with Joy the other day and Joy contacted Allison again for me and now here we are. Joy and Keith took me to the breakfast this morning. The Rainbow House is located in Goodwood. It is about a 7-10 minute drive from Pinelands. After being there today I am even more excited about helping out there. If you haven't already - please check out there website http://rainbowofhope.org.za/ I just spoke with Allison briefly today - she had her hands full. She is in need of someone to come and stay overnights 7 - 7. I'm not sure of all of the details - I believe there is a house mother - so I would just be another set of hands and helping the house mother. The house mainly takes in children - babies up to 6 years of age. Today I held/entertained a little boy for about an hour. I'm not sure of his age - I would guess 9 - 12 months. He was so cute. I am going to try to get over there 1 day this week - to sit and talk with Allison more and figure out what her exact need is and what logistics are involved.
On a funny side note - last night I did a Myers Briggs (??) type test online and I came out an ESFP and some career suggestions were: child care provider, social worker, teacher (preschool/elementary). The results from the test were seriously right on. I think this is more evidence that I am supposed to volunteer at the Rainbow House. Please pray that all of the logistics will sort themselves out.



So I was able to go to the Waterfront again today. It is so beautiful there! Carla was meeting a friend for coffee and I walked around, enjoyed the view, and exchanged some money. Ugh - the exchange rate is even worse than just last Thursday. Come on American Dollar - strengthen!
Oh yeah - I also wanted to buy some wine. Did I tell you all that Pinelands is a dry suburb. I know - seriously. So we were in the Pick in Pay at the Waterfront right before we were leaving. I went to the wine aisle and there was a gate on it. The sign said the wine section closed on Saturdays at 1700. It was 1717 (5:17pm) I stood and looked at the sign - then looked at another customer and said, "Do you think I can just grab a bottle? I could have been walking around with the wine in my basket for 17 minutes. I figured I'd give it a shot. I quickly grabbed 2 bottles and made my way up to the register. The lady turned me away. She said she couldn't sell it to me - government law. Okay - so for all of you in Atlanta that fuss about not being able to buy on Sundays (technically 11:45 Saturday night) just think if it were 5pm.

Well I should be heading to bed now. It's almost midnight - and I have to be up at 7 to get ready for church. SouthPoint is meeting at Old Mutual. It's a great venue - but they are an entirely mobile church. They have to set up EVERYTHING. We are getting there around 8:15 to help - but the actual set up team is there at 6am. Thank you all!


I hope you all have a great 4th of July weekend! Stay tuned till next time! Goodnight and God Bless America!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends and family in the USA! No 4th of July celebration for me over here in Cape Town. I did however get to see fireworks a little bit ago. I beat Mahjong Titans on my computer and it shot off Fireworks. Ha! I'm being serious. I really think it was God - because I was really missing the USA and usual festivities. I cracked up when I won. Okay enough about all of that.....

I have been super busy since my last post.

Thursday I volunteered at Carla's office again. I rolled up sets of posters and then put together Sterilization Week marketing bags for the different clinics around the Western Cape. It was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed it because I know it was a big help to Sam. She's the new marketing coordinator. She's been there since April and she has a full plate. After I finished I decided to grab lunch at the Cincinnati Spur. It's a burger place at the Howard Center. I actually ran into Pam and her son Adam so I ended up having lunch with them. After lunch I went to the hardware store with Pam to get "putty" to patch holes with. Remember I'm going to start painting Pam's new office at the church. Pam then gave me a lift back to my pad and I had a little quiet time. I had to rest up for the Braai - pronounced "Br-(long)I" - Afrikaans for barbecue.

Julie took me to Pick-n-pay (local super market at Howard Center) to get some meat for the Braai. Oh my goodness - so I got a nice thick piece of Filet - (they actually say "fi-let"). My filet was only R19 - that's less than $3 American Dollars. I took that, a bottle of red wine (thank you Kirsty) and some potato chips to the Braai. There were about 20 or so people at the Braai. The fire was actually under the carport - so at first it was a little smokey - but then it seemed to get better - or maybe we just got used to it. A huge thank you to Garreth for cooking my steak. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! Dad - it might have even topped yours. Maybe it was just so delicious because it wasn't a "Toasted Cheese" (grill cheese sandwich)

While I was at the Braai - Becky Hastings called and invited me to go for a "walk in the forest" Friday morning. For those of you that went "hiking" with Becky in November - I'm sure you know that I enjoyed it about as much as having a root canal. I asked her if this was her way of tricking me into going hiking again. She promised it would be much more enjoyable.

So Friday morning Becky and Leah picked me up around 9am. We went for a very nice hike in the Newlands area of Table Mountain. We were on some paths and then we also made some paths of our own. It was absolutely breath taking. I didn't have my camera - I will definitely take it with me next time. Whoa - I just committed to going again - I must have enjoyed it. We also had some great discussion time while we were hiking. Becky told me about this Romans 8 movement. Have any of your heard of it. It's a movement to memorize Romans 8. Here is a link http://www.romans8movement.com/ Let me know if anyone wants to memorize it with me.

So I got home from my hike around 11. I sorted a few things out and then headed up to the church. I decided to start tackling Pam's office.

(BEFORE)

She and I moved all of the furniture out. I then patched all of the holes in the walls and painted the ceiling. It was a lot of fun. I had my IPOD in - Dad you really should fill yours up with music and use it while you work - trust me you WILL enjoy it. I was in my own little world just working away. I only got 1 coat on the ceiling and the holes filled. I am going back Tuesday to work some more. I still have to put another coat on the ceiling, paint the walls, and paint the cabinets.

(Silly picture I took of myself after I was finished cleaning up)

For those of you who know me - you know one of my FAVORITE things is Pizza. Everyone here asks me what I eat back at home - and I probably eat Pizza way more than I should. It's just so darn good. Well - I've really been craving some Pizza. So Friday night I ordered Pizza from Butler's. I'm still on this whole Hawaii (ham/pineapple) fix. I called to order - but they only took cash or check. Yes - they still take checks! I don't know a single pizza place in the USA that takes checks anymore. I went out to Carla and Gavin and told them my delima (I was out of Rand) and asked if I could - "Trade" money with them. They graciously loaned me R65 ($8.50) and I was back in business. The pizza was good - it hit the spot. I mean - it was definitely not Blue Moon or Maizie's but I enjoyed it non the less.

The Undomestic Goddess

Hello All!


So I've had a lovely couple of days! I'm sorry I have not written in a few days - I have good reasons. 1. In South Africa you do not have "unlimited" Internet as we do in the US. You buy a certain amount of GB (gigabytes?) and once you use all of it or "cap out" for the month then you must wait until it renews at the beginning of the month. We "capped out" on Saturday night - so I was without Internet until yesterday.
Things are going well for me. It has taken some adjusting and it has taken some time to get settled and work all of the nerves out - but I think I am doing much better as of TODAY!
I will recap the past few days for you all:

Saturday I helped out at the "work - party" at the church. It is the new SOUTH POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH! They are renovating the old KidStuff Theatre and building a new environment to launch in a few weeks for High School. Saturday night I had dinner with James and Janet Senior - we had Mexican fajitas. Afterwards we played this OLD card game called The Pit (I think). It was a lot of fun -I need to find it somewhere.
Sunday we had church at the Old Mutual Building. It is a GREAT place. I helped out a little in Wamba Land Registration. We started the Why Worry series - which was nice because I didn't see the first 2 - so it was still new to me. After church they had there Annual General Membership meeting. That is when they announced the new name - and guess what James is an elder now! How great! I was able to enjoy Sunday lunch with Gavin and Carla - their son Glen, and Kelly and Morgan. It was a nice fellowship. Sunday evening I watched the US/Brazil soccer match - what a shame US. It was funny - USA was winning at half time 2 - 0 and the commentators kept referring to the "Obama Magic" HA!
Monday was a nice and relaxing day. Carla was off from work so we drove down to Sea Point and walked along the sidewalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It is BEAUTIFUL - and it was such NICE weather. We then went to the Waterfront. We went there in November - but it was night time. That place is so nice during the day. I have included a picture below.

At the waterfront - (L-R) Table Mountain, Lion's Head, Signal Hill)

Tuesday was a rather quite day. I did enjoy dinner with the Hastings. Thank you John and Becky! And Rachel for the delicious HOMEMADE (seriously homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies)


Today was a great day! I got up this morning and was able to go into work with Carla (she's the lady of the house where I'm staying) She works for the Association of Voluntary Sterilization. They promote sterilization (getting fixed) after you have completed your family unit. They are preparing for Sterilization Week - so I was able to go in and help the marketing coordinator put packets of things together and such. It actually was a lot of fun.




Then I met with Pam at the church to talk about some projects.
Get this - I'm actually going to paint her new office later this week. The guys are taking all of the furniture out and I'm going to patch the holes - paint the walls cream, the ceiling white and the cabinets green. I'm so excited! I'm a girl and I'm doing this all by myself! Then later in July I'm going to help here with the behind the scenes work when the mission team from North Point is here. I also was able to touch base with The Rainbow House and I'm going to go visit there later this week. I am thinking that maybe I will spend the month of August there if it works out! Please pray about that. I am going to also reach out to the Red Cross Children's Hospital and another organization the Nazareth House. There is even a World Vision Office here - so I thought I might contact them as well.

So for the Undomestic Goddess story - First off let me say South Africans are VERY DOMESTIC - I AM NOT! Everyone has been taking me to the store trying to show me things that I can cook while I am here. I am quite happy with my toasted cheese/grilled cheese sandwich (going on 3 days straight now)
After watching Rachel bake the cookies last night - I decided I wanted to give it a shot. I got a recipe - bought the ingredients and decided to go for it. Long story short the container that was filled with white granulated substance which I thought was sugar turned out to be SALT. Luckily I figured it out when it was still DOUGH. I threw that dough away. I decided to try again. This time I got a little carried away with the electric mixer and softened the butter a little too much (microwave) and my dough was more like cake batter. The first batch burned to a crisp - the second batch was okay but stuck to the pan. After about 2-3 hours of this I decided to put the remaining dough in the fridge to harden up.
Tonight I went to "Book Club" - I know many of you are probably laughing because I can't remember the last book I read. This is actually such a good idea though. These girls get together and bring all their books and it's like a book swap. They tell about the ones they've read - they all pay about $5 or $10 and 1 person buys new books - then they put all of the books on a table and 1 by 1 you choose a book to read for the month. Once everyone has chosen you can go through again. It was quite fun!

Okay - so I'm sure that is enough at the moment! I think I have caught you up on EVERYTHING! Please continue to pray for me. Thank you for all of your support! Also - emails are very welcomed! (HINT HINT!) I love you all! Have a great night!

Pictures from KTC and Guguletu

So I've wanted to show you all some pictures of the places I've been the past few days. I didn't take very many. You have to be careful - it would be rude to just start shooting away. Some day I will figure out a creative way to take some more pictures - although the pictures do not do it justice. Later I want to take pictures of the neat little shops people have created in the townships - it is quite amazing.

This is a pictures of some children that were following us in the streets of KTC.

Me and Mabha!

I went around to the homes with him to talk to explain the PenPal program to the parents and interview the children!

And finally this is a picture of a beautiful rainbow I saw as I first left my pad yesterday walking through Pinelands to Stellenburg! It was a nice start to my day!

Pictures of my PAD

Here is a picture of my "PAD." I am staying in an in-law suite. It is great. I am amazed, it is 2-3 times bigger than some of the little shacks I have been in the past few days. It has EVERYTHING I could ever need. I have my own entrance through the back yard.

2 days in country

So I've been here for 2 days now. I will have to say there are a lot of things that I have had to get used to that I didn't have to deal with when we were here in Nov. There is no central heating - it's the middle of winter here. I have been sleeping in layers - pants, socks, sweater, sweatshirt. I also have started using a hot water bottle - they are amazing. It's also quite different depending on other people for rides - I have had a car since I was 16. Also - electricity is very expensive over here. I am sure I'm now being overly sensative - but I'm afraid to plug anything in.
I am not entirely sure what I'll be doing my time here. I am just making sure everyone knows I am available - please use me however you can. I have gotten to work with Metro the past 2 days - and as long as they'll have me - it seems I'll be helping them out. They are on break from Sidewalk because of the winter weather - however we are going to do one tomorrow morning at a school in KTC. They just started doing them there on Friday mornings and want us to come tomorrow despite the weather. They said they would prepare a hall for us if they needed to.
I have been going into the townships, KTC and Guguletu the past 2 days to sign kids up for the PenPal program. It is quite a project. We have to meet with the parents and explain the program to them - then ask the kids some questions - then take pictures of the kids - then input the information in the system. It takes a lot of time. It has been so amazing though. Today I actually saw a little girl that I remembered from when we did SideWalk in KTC. I remember her - because all of the girls sitting around me were asking me to pick them up so they could see over the crowd. This little girl is 7 and a little heavier than most girls. I remember making a point to pick her up as well so she wouldn't feel left out. I don't know if little girls here go through the same things as girls in America do - but I wanted to make sure she felt as special as all the other ones. I don't know if she remembered me exactly today - but she gave me a big hug. This was kind of neat - we went into her house to get her father's permission to enrol her in PenPal and he said he would have to talk with his wife because they are a family and make decisions together. I thought that was neat - it isn't the most common thing to see in the townships.
So - my computer is about to die - but I promise I will post more soon. I love you all. I'm adjusting quite nicely!

Less than 24 hours

Hey Everyone! Omg - I'll be on a plane headed to Cape Town in about 14 hours! Holy cow! I can't believe it. I didn't sleep well last night and I can't even think about going to bed right now. Maybe I'm already trying to adjust my clock. I can't figure out exactly what time it is over there now - 6 or 5 hours ahead because of day light savings time. Either way I would probably still be asleep there because I am not a morning person.
So I'm pretty much packed. All my stuff in 1 bag, a carry on suit case and back pack and then another bag (bright orange suit case my mom got for HIGH SCHOOL graduation) full of clothes to leave over in Cape Town. I have had a wonderful couple of days. Spending lots of time with my mom! She's been a great help! I've also gotten to see some great friends! I love all of you - thanks for all your support.
So I've been thinking a lot about church today! It was awesome - and as my mom said - "very appropriate." For those of you that don't go to Buckhead Church I will tell you a little about it. You can also see the messages here http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages
So it was Joel Thomas - preaching from Proverbs (12 I think) It was about taking advice - those who love correction love knowledge and those who hate correction are stupid (It's in the Bible I promise). What we don't know has, can, does and will hurt us - Can I get an amen! And we don't know what we don't know. Other people might know what we don't know but we don't know that they know what we need to know that we don't know. Did you follow? Try it again! He also gave tips on how to receive correction. Dang it I don't remember them exactly - but basically receive it humbly - evaluate it, and see if you can apply it. Don't get all defensive - although that is our human nature.

Exactly 14 hours to take off. I can now say TODAY I'm heading to Cape Town.

That's it for now! I love you all! This is such an exciting journey. My friend Samantha gave me a great perspective - "Don't go with any expectation because then I can't be let down." So here I go! Thank you all for your prayers! I'll post again once I have landed safe and sound - it will be Tuesday afternoon!

See ya!

My first Blog

Okay everyone - so I'm new to this whole BLOGGING thing. I have a huge adventure ahead of me and figured this would be the easiest way to keep everyone up to date. If you haven't already heard and you didn't pick up on my new email address or the blog address or the blog header (I think that's what it's called) I'm heading to CAPE TOWN! Seriously if you didn't know that before you got to the end of the previous sentence you might need glasses! JK

So let me just give you a little background.
I had the opportunity to go to Cape Town in November of 2008 on a mission trip with North Point Community Church in Atlanta, GA. I had the time of my life. I applied for the trip about this time last year - thinking I would never get picked. (If you're not familiar with NPCC there's A LOT of people there.) I went with a group of about 17 or 18 adults. We partnered with Stellenburg Community Church in Cape Town to do an intersect project. We worked with MetroKids South Africa. MetroKids puts on "Sidewalk Sunday Schools" for children in townships around Cape Town. I absolutely loved working with MetroKids. My entire time in South Africa I was wanting to figure out a way to get back there.
Now - fast forward 6 months

To be totally honest - once I got back to the US - I got back into the BUSYNESS of life. All of my dreams of going to back to South Africa went to the back of my mind and the day to day routine of living, working, socializing, etc - took over. I guess I have a tendency to get all wrapped up in day to day life and find it easy to push God aside and not listen to his voice or even hear his voice for that matter. God is funny though - when he wants to make something clear to me - HE DOES. In the middle of May - my job ended. I wanted to say God took my job away - I think some people might not "technically" agree with that verbiage - but that's okay. When 1 door closes another door opens, right? He then gave me this opportunity to go to South Africa for 75 days.

So I leave for Cape Town June 22. I have a direct flight from Atlanta to Cape Town. It looks to be about a 18 hour or so flight. I leave Atlanta at 4:00 pm on the 22 and arrive in Cape Town at 4:30 pm on the 23rd. I am not 100% sure what all I will be doing while I am there.
I do have 1 opportunity that I am particularly excited about. I was put in touch with an organization Rainbow of Hope http://www.rainbowofhope.org.za/ This organization takes in children that have either been neglected, abandoned, or abused. I am going to have the opportunity to live and volunteer hear. I don't know all of the specifics - but I can tell you I am THRILLED. I am hoping to also work some with MetroKids again. I know they do not do the Sidewalks during the month of July - it will be there winter and will be cold and rainy. I am hoping I will still get to work with the student leaders and possibly get to visit with the children in their homes.

If you can't tell most of the things I will be doing will be centered around children. I absolutely love children. I think God is trying to help me find my PASSION and PURPOSE.

I'm not entirely sure what God has in store for me for the 75 days. A lady pointed out to me - that maybe God was just giving me this time to rest in Him. Pray that is something I will do.