Hello to all of our dedicated followers.
Last week was our final homestay with an Indian family in Durban. We arrived on Saturday and after an introduction we got our homestay assignments and went our separate ways. We met again on Sunday for church and then went out for a picnic and games with the church members. We started our week at the Chatworth drug rehab centre where we got a talk about drug prevention in Durban. Next we went to the Hare Krishna temple. Hare Krishna is an Indian religion which has similarities to Hindu but also many differences. It's hard to explain. We then went to our first mall of the week. We went to one everyday, by the end of the week some had visited 4 different malls. Tuesday started with a talk about Indians in SA by pastor Dan, the pastor of the church. We then got another talk at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. After that we went to the Pheonix settlement. This was a settlement set up by Mahatma Ghandi during his time in SA, we toured his home. On Wednesday we went to the Victoria market to do some shopping. We then spent time at a Muslim mosque where we had a lecture on Islam and then ate a traditional Muslim meal with our hands. Thursday was spent at the Aryan Benevolent Home, a home for the elderly. We got a tour, sang songs and talked to the residents. On Friday we had a fun day. We started the day by taking a big bunch of kids to the beach. We spent the morning playing with the kids and making sure they didn't run into the water. After that we walked to uShaka watermark and basically unwound after a packed week. We took tube rides past the aquariums filled with penguins, dolphins and sharks, went downvthe tallest waterslide in Africa and the decided to start getting crazy. We took 22 people down a slide with 1 second gaps and then packed 17 people into an 8 person tube and went down a waterslide. We had a lot of fun and got some great videos. During the week we tried a lot of new, spicy foods and got to eat it all with our hands, every parents worst nightmare, be glad you weren't here. Well that was our week in Durban, bye for now.
Josh Paetkau
Friday, March 25, 2011
Bonnievale
“We’ll be packing the bus at 8:30 tomorrow morning,” Steve told us on the evening of February 25th, “and make sure to wear your bathing suits!!” A surprise water adventure. Beach time? Water park? Tubing down a river, perhaps? Even better. An irrigation system.
Before arriving in Bonnievale for three full days at the Impact Campground, we partook in what I’d like to call a “freshwater concrete irrigation caving” experience led by our host, Con. Minus some of us getting slapped in the face by a few bats, it was definitely a fun way to start off our stay. The Impact Campground was amazing. Our sleeping structures and the eating areas were both out in the open and overlooking a calm, slightly seaweed filled, river. First order of business? Tarp slide into the river. We all went down that slide in every way possible, even back flipping (resulting in a minor head injury - ahem, Scones). A one kilometer swim up the river brought us to a really sweet rope swing which was frequently visited by all of us for the three days (and even on Monday night, but you can ask some of the guys about that one). Sleeping outside with just a roof over our heads made the heat a lot more bearable during the nights and we were even kept company by a bunch of people-loving flies :) advice for next years Outtatowners: bring ear plugs. To prepare us for the upcoming bungee jump, on Sunday most of us went on what was called the “King Swing” which started with a huge stomach-lurching drop. A little bit less of a drop than the bungee jump but still scary and thrilling nonetheless. On Sunday night we gathered around the fire outside for worship. As a worship team we decided to have a foot-washing service. We had the chance to serve each other and it ended up being a really powerful night. It reminded me of how God and others in our lives constantly pour out their love on us, even when we don’t deserve it. It was really humbling. That night we also enjoyed a girls evening in the river where we found out how water can act as a very strong voice amplifier, at least that’s what the guys told us... Our last adventure in Bonnievale was slingshot paint-balling on Monday morning. Epic. We all had a ton of fun and survived minus a few welts.
Overall, that weekend was the perfect time and place to relax and rejuvenate. And have I mentioned the food yet? It was incredible. Con and his wife were unbelievable cooks. After lots of time swimming in the sunshine for those three days, we were all ready and excited for the next stop on our adventure - bungee jumping and Jay Bay :)
Written by: Caity Wright
Before arriving in Bonnievale for three full days at the Impact Campground, we partook in what I’d like to call a “freshwater concrete irrigation caving” experience led by our host, Con. Minus some of us getting slapped in the face by a few bats, it was definitely a fun way to start off our stay. The Impact Campground was amazing. Our sleeping structures and the eating areas were both out in the open and overlooking a calm, slightly seaweed filled, river. First order of business? Tarp slide into the river. We all went down that slide in every way possible, even back flipping (resulting in a minor head injury - ahem, Scones). A one kilometer swim up the river brought us to a really sweet rope swing which was frequently visited by all of us for the three days (and even on Monday night, but you can ask some of the guys about that one). Sleeping outside with just a roof over our heads made the heat a lot more bearable during the nights and we were even kept company by a bunch of people-loving flies :) advice for next years Outtatowners: bring ear plugs. To prepare us for the upcoming bungee jump, on Sunday most of us went on what was called the “King Swing” which started with a huge stomach-lurching drop. A little bit less of a drop than the bungee jump but still scary and thrilling nonetheless. On Sunday night we gathered around the fire outside for worship. As a worship team we decided to have a foot-washing service. We had the chance to serve each other and it ended up being a really powerful night. It reminded me of how God and others in our lives constantly pour out their love on us, even when we don’t deserve it. It was really humbling. That night we also enjoyed a girls evening in the river where we found out how water can act as a very strong voice amplifier, at least that’s what the guys told us... Our last adventure in Bonnievale was slingshot paint-balling on Monday morning. Epic. We all had a ton of fun and survived minus a few welts.
Overall, that weekend was the perfect time and place to relax and rejuvenate. And have I mentioned the food yet? It was incredible. Con and his wife were unbelievable cooks. After lots of time swimming in the sunshine for those three days, we were all ready and excited for the next stop on our adventure - bungee jumping and Jay Bay :)
Written by: Caity Wright
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
J-Bay Adventure!
During our week in J-bay we got to experience some awesome adventures, as well as enjoy relaxing times. There was time for reading on the beach, shopping and going for coffee but also partaking in new adventures. The first morning after arriving, we went horseback riding on the beach. I wasn’t overly excited about it at first, but it ended up totally blowing me away! We galloped with the sun on our backs, up and down rolling sand dunes, and splashed at the oceans edge. As I was riding and watching the wave’s crash I couldn’t get over that OUR God created them with all their beauty and power. This just made me realize even more how insanely creative and powerful He is. That if God took as much time and care as He did in making the waves and the beauty surrounding me, how much more would He care for me and who I’m becoming in him.
We also got to go surfing! It was so much fun to be able to learn an activity that the people of the area enjoy and love to participate in on a regular basis. There were three steps to be able to stand on the board...and most people got up! It was so much fun to begin to pick up on it in only a short time. If I ever get another chance, I’d love to keep working at it until it becomes natural and I can enjoy it to its fullest.
Those couple of days were a much needed break to relax and re-fuel, but it was also awesome to be able to have new, exciting experiences.
Melissa Bobrowski
We also got to go surfing! It was so much fun to be able to learn an activity that the people of the area enjoy and love to participate in on a regular basis. There were three steps to be able to stand on the board...and most people got up! It was so much fun to begin to pick up on it in only a short time. If I ever get another chance, I’d love to keep working at it until it becomes natural and I can enjoy it to its fullest.
Those couple of days were a much needed break to relax and re-fuel, but it was also awesome to be able to have new, exciting experiences.
Melissa Bobrowski
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bungee Jumping to Mdumbi!
By: Laura Sawatzky and Katie Daman
Laura says: On our way to Jeffrey's Bay, our group stopped at Bloukran's Bridge, the anticipated 216m bungee jump. The day finally came! Some of us were too excited to even think about how far of a free fall it actually was. Some of us saw this as a challenge. And some of us were FULL OF NERVES- like me!! Before I knew it, they called 'Jump 22', my feet were strapped together and I was hopping to the edge of the bridge. I forgot all about my nerves because I was too pumped with adrenalin. At the count of three, I jumped off!
Katie responds: Laura went before me for the bungee jump. She had been so nervous beforehand that I thought she would cry. But she actually handled it quite well. With a look of fear on her face, I watched her fall (not jump) off the bridge. I couldn't wait until my turn!
Laura says: The breeze drowned out the blasting pump-up music as the earth was coming towards me FAST. I concentrated on what was around me... it was just me putting trust in God while having the most exhilerating experience in my entire life. Who knew that a person who fears heights would want to bungee jump off a bridge again. This was one of the craziest, most unforgettable moments in my life and I'd do it over and over!
Katie responds: When Laura came up after the Bungee jump she was full of energy. She couldn't stop smiling and yelling "Yo, that was the best thing ever!" Her energy overflowed into me and pumped me up even more for the jump. And I loved it just as much as she did. I now understand how adrenalin can be addicting! Regardless of peoples attitudes about the jump beforehand, which ranged from fears to jumping backwards no one came out of it with regrets. And I think most of us would jump at any given opportunity to do it again (haha).
Laura says: A long stretch of beach, the warm Indian ocean, huts and hammocks, cows grazing, sunshine, wild horses, dolphins- do you think of paradise? Mdumbi captured 'paradise' to me.
Katie responds: Mosquitos while we slept, 2 minute showers, 90 degree uphill to get back from the beach. And despite the negatives, I must agree with Laura about it being a form of paradise. It's like an earthly, hippy resort spot!
Laura says: Many people notice the beauty of Mdumbi but not the reason behind Mdumbi backpackers. The place we are staying at, contributes to the nearby community and African families. For example, the water source is shared with everyone- community and tourists (We had to get used to 2 minute showers.. with cold water). The community owns a 10% sharehold of Mdumbi Backpackers as well and are actively involved in the business. They care for Mdumbi Backpackers like its their own home.
Katie responds: Every morning we'd wake up to the excited chit-chatty kids who actually go to school here. Mdumbi backpackers runs a pre-school for the kids in the community. This is really cool because it's an opportunity they wouldn't have otherwise.
Laura says: Our week at Mdumbi had the theme of "knowing yourself". We learned about finding our passions and abilities, spirtual gifts, the importance of budgeting (great for me now that I'm a university student.. AHH!) and we explored our personalities by taking an Ennegram test.
One night we all sat outside during dinner and enjoyed watching a lightning storm. There were "oohs" and "aahs" for a good half an hour. God's beauty was shown everywhere, in the landscape and people. On Friday the girls organized a Guys' Appreciation Day. We served them breakfast and dinner, played games and handed out prizes. All of us girls feel so blessed to have such amazing guys on our site! 34 of us left Mdumbi understanding why we act the way we do and feeling more relaxed than ever!
Katie responds: For me this was definitely one of the most relaxing weeks yet. We got to sleep in (8:30!), sleep and tan (at the same time!) plus as a bonus, our classes weren't even boring:) Whether it was playing cares in the evening, making fires on the beach, performing dances (and numerous other things), I think it's safe to say this was a great week for everyone.
Laura says: On our way to Jeffrey's Bay, our group stopped at Bloukran's Bridge, the anticipated 216m bungee jump. The day finally came! Some of us were too excited to even think about how far of a free fall it actually was. Some of us saw this as a challenge. And some of us were FULL OF NERVES- like me!! Before I knew it, they called 'Jump 22', my feet were strapped together and I was hopping to the edge of the bridge. I forgot all about my nerves because I was too pumped with adrenalin. At the count of three, I jumped off!
Katie responds: Laura went before me for the bungee jump. She had been so nervous beforehand that I thought she would cry. But she actually handled it quite well. With a look of fear on her face, I watched her fall (not jump) off the bridge. I couldn't wait until my turn!
Laura says: The breeze drowned out the blasting pump-up music as the earth was coming towards me FAST. I concentrated on what was around me... it was just me putting trust in God while having the most exhilerating experience in my entire life. Who knew that a person who fears heights would want to bungee jump off a bridge again. This was one of the craziest, most unforgettable moments in my life and I'd do it over and over!
Katie responds: When Laura came up after the Bungee jump she was full of energy. She couldn't stop smiling and yelling "Yo, that was the best thing ever!" Her energy overflowed into me and pumped me up even more for the jump. And I loved it just as much as she did. I now understand how adrenalin can be addicting! Regardless of peoples attitudes about the jump beforehand, which ranged from fears to jumping backwards no one came out of it with regrets. And I think most of us would jump at any given opportunity to do it again (haha).
Laura says: A long stretch of beach, the warm Indian ocean, huts and hammocks, cows grazing, sunshine, wild horses, dolphins- do you think of paradise? Mdumbi captured 'paradise' to me.
Katie responds: Mosquitos while we slept, 2 minute showers, 90 degree uphill to get back from the beach. And despite the negatives, I must agree with Laura about it being a form of paradise. It's like an earthly, hippy resort spot!
Laura says: Many people notice the beauty of Mdumbi but not the reason behind Mdumbi backpackers. The place we are staying at, contributes to the nearby community and African families. For example, the water source is shared with everyone- community and tourists (We had to get used to 2 minute showers.. with cold water). The community owns a 10% sharehold of Mdumbi Backpackers as well and are actively involved in the business. They care for Mdumbi Backpackers like its their own home.
Katie responds: Every morning we'd wake up to the excited chit-chatty kids who actually go to school here. Mdumbi backpackers runs a pre-school for the kids in the community. This is really cool because it's an opportunity they wouldn't have otherwise.
Laura says: Our week at Mdumbi had the theme of "knowing yourself". We learned about finding our passions and abilities, spirtual gifts, the importance of budgeting (great for me now that I'm a university student.. AHH!) and we explored our personalities by taking an Ennegram test.
One night we all sat outside during dinner and enjoyed watching a lightning storm. There were "oohs" and "aahs" for a good half an hour. God's beauty was shown everywhere, in the landscape and people. On Friday the girls organized a Guys' Appreciation Day. We served them breakfast and dinner, played games and handed out prizes. All of us girls feel so blessed to have such amazing guys on our site! 34 of us left Mdumbi understanding why we act the way we do and feeling more relaxed than ever!
Katie responds: For me this was definitely one of the most relaxing weeks yet. We got to sleep in (8:30!), sleep and tan (at the same time!) plus as a bonus, our classes weren't even boring:) Whether it was playing cares in the evening, making fires on the beach, performing dances (and numerous other things), I think it's safe to say this was a great week for everyone.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
KAYAMANDI - Three Perspectives
Stellenbosch is a bustling university town in the heart of South African wine country. Set apart, sprawling on the hill and looking down into Stellenbosch is the sleepy Kayamandi where during the day the kids are in school and there is not much going on. My work group was stationed at Kuyasa, a school-like facility, which was where we all started each day. My group consisted of 13 people all of whom were eager to accomplish a lot. We took on 5 projects that we promised to get done and 1 maybe project of we finished with everything early. In the 3 days given to us our group painted the front and side of Kuyasa, painted and installed baseboards in 2 classrooms, and fixed the rubber flooring in the classrooms. We did some gardening and yard work at the safe houses for girls as well as painted. We filled in sand on a new playstructure, painted and fixed up the laundry room, and painted the music room. While doing all this we still managed to find time to high five and "shop shop" (a kind of handshake) the kids who were always around. It was a big 3 days but with God's help everything went almost exactly according to plan. This was an amazing experience to be able to plan and then deliver what we had said we would.
-Reuben Van Gaalen
These past 2 weeks have been spent in the community of Kayamandi, one of which was spent planning a project we were to carry out in a time slot of 3 days. I was in a group at a place called Legacy, which had a wonderful reading program for student s up to Grade 8. Our project consisted of creating 2 concrete flower pots in the front walkway, as well as painting the floor along the walk. To involve the community we received help from a man working in another part of Legacy, the community garden. This was a fun learning experience, testing both our patience and creativity. After our project, we had the wonderful opportunity to hear the children's choir sing for us. Overall, this project was a fun way to bless the community of Kayamandi.
-Kate Fishwick
While we were in Kayamandi, my group had the chance to help with an organization called Prochorus. We were able to paint play structures at 3 different creches (preschools) and a wall mural. It was amazing to work alongside the children and workers as we brightened the front of their school. We used red, yellow, green and blue paint and created a jungle scene complete with a lion and a monkey. Even though we could not necessarily understand what the children were saying, we could tell how excited the children were to see the completed results and know that they had helped make it beautiful.
-Alyssa Laird
-Reuben Van Gaalen
These past 2 weeks have been spent in the community of Kayamandi, one of which was spent planning a project we were to carry out in a time slot of 3 days. I was in a group at a place called Legacy, which had a wonderful reading program for student s up to Grade 8. Our project consisted of creating 2 concrete flower pots in the front walkway, as well as painting the floor along the walk. To involve the community we received help from a man working in another part of Legacy, the community garden. This was a fun learning experience, testing both our patience and creativity. After our project, we had the wonderful opportunity to hear the children's choir sing for us. Overall, this project was a fun way to bless the community of Kayamandi.
-Kate Fishwick
While we were in Kayamandi, my group had the chance to help with an organization called Prochorus. We were able to paint play structures at 3 different creches (preschools) and a wall mural. It was amazing to work alongside the children and workers as we brightened the front of their school. We used red, yellow, green and blue paint and created a jungle scene complete with a lion and a monkey. Even though we could not necessarily understand what the children were saying, we could tell how excited the children were to see the completed results and know that they had helped make it beautiful.
-Alyssa Laird
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