Welcome to South Africa!!

Hello there friends and family! I'm sorry that I haven't been really updating you all on how everything here is going. It's a bit difficult to do so when there's no wifi anywhere and barely any free time to find some. But not being able to use any electronics for the first week was actually pretty delightful and refreshing. I have officially been living here in South Africa for 20 days now and it's AMAZING!! When I first arrived, Sarah Gheman, Cammie Bullock and I could NOT believe it. Everything was so beautiful! The one thing that took my breath away was the mountains and the clouds that love to wrap themselves it. There's just something different about the clouds here and the clouds back home. The ones here are much more fluffy and dreamy looking. When the sun sets, they turn pink and orange and make me think they were pulled straight out of an old classic Disney movie. I love it here.

Week One:
From the airport, we were taken to our house in the township of Masiphumelele. During the drive we were told so many things about Africa. It was a little overwhelming just because we were all caught up on looking out the window, taking photos, listening to important details and just trying to really believe that after 55 hours of flying in an airplane, we were actually in Africa!
Coming to the home, we met a number of amazing people. Siya, is a 19 year old guy who was born and raised in Masiphumelele partially by his grandparents and later by his mother. Siya is a guy who is on the fast track to loving God. He has only been a Christian for a year now but has the gift of understanding and learning things very quickly and has absorbed so much wisdom from a close friend name Jake who is a friend of the team and many others back at the Kona campus back in Hawaii. We also met a special guy who our team adores very much, named Leonardo. Leo is a 26 year old man from () with a testimony that you've never heard before. This man humbles me every day with how much joy he has within him from the Lord. Leo loves to sing worship songs and to play card games like Donkey in the Middle. (I'm currently the champion btw) He also is one of ten children Hidie Baker, aka Mama Hidie, welcomed into her family back from an orphanage in Mozambeek. Theres also Daniel and Mike. These two both captured our hearts right from the first day. They are both God loving men that are also incredibly hilarious. Mike is crazy talented with playing the guitar and singing. Daniel has the amazing gift of making people laugh! They only were able to stay a week which seemed like two months, before they had to return back to the states. But it only took us a week to be thankful we met two lovable guys. Finally, there's Brandon. Oh boy. This kid is one of thee coolest guys I know, for sure. The day we all met him, he was in the bathroom of the house, cleaning and while us girls were exploring the house, he abruptly opened the door and while holding cleaning supplies he started yelling at a high pitched voice like a girl would when they meet another friend they haven't seen in a long time. "Oh my goshhh! You guys are hereee! I can't believe it!" Then laughs one of his hardy, contagious laughs. Our whole team is in the midst of amazing, loving, and radical people that we get to also live with the next few months. *Stoked

During that week, our fantastic leaders, Gabriella Winters and Caleb Marmolejo have been working on our schedule to see what life here in Masi will look like the next couple of months. We all adjusted to the time difference pretty well (12 hours). We've been waking up every day, bright and early to have our own individual quiet time with the Lord and to make ourselves some breakfast. Through these past weeks, I've been studying through the New Testament and almost done with it! I have been ROCKED by each chapter I read. Paul the apostle is absolutely crazy lover of Jesus Christ and a perfect example of how Christians should live their lives each day today!

Week Two:
We are slowly but surely getting the hang of things. Visiting regular places and continually meeting new people. Each morning we have a time of worship and intercession. We pray for things that are on our hearts and whats to come in the future while we are here living in the community. Our contacts, Jeff and Beth Reid are amazing. They have taught us so much in just the short amount of time we've been here. Each day is filled with unexpected things. Lately, we've been taught on how to be flexible. Even since before we left for South Africa. It's been really great to see how far we've come. One of the best things I love about each day is the large amounts of children that come over our house! We have about three to five regulars that come each day. I love them so much, but sometimes it's hard because they grew up with no discipline so they have a hard time understanding what 'no' means when they're pulling your hair out, but I don't mind it too much. I'll just grow some more out of my head.

Week Three:
Things are so busy! Been going from place to place, sight seeing on the weekends and hanging out with Masi locals all day every day during the week. I really enjoy meeting new people and visiting familiar faces. One person I love hanging out with a little girl named Ceecee. She is so beautiful and full of joy all the time. When I first met her, she was soooo shy. But as soon as I looked her in the eye and smiled at her, she became alive! She couldn't stop laughing at me trying to speak her language.
"Molo" which means Hello. Then I know a few more other things like 'how are you' and 'my name is'. Everything else is a struggle because I am trying to get the clicking sound down. There's like five different clicks that all mean different things. I'm still working on it. Hopefully by week five I'll be able to be able to get around using basic Xhosa. I plan to hang out with her more and meet her family and minister to them and have a bible study with Ceecee and her friends and others I meet.

Week Four:
Waking up bright and early to worship and intercede for Oceanview and new projects that God has placed in our hearts. Tuesday night, my Graham and I were painting with water colors and God told me to paint a picture of the sky and the sun setting. Then told me to write the verse Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the sky..
Then he told me to paint it it somewhere in Oceanview where everyone can see it. I'm still waiting on Him to tell me where to paint it but when He does, I know it will be the perfect spot and will make an impact on anyone and everyone who sees it.

Prayer Request:
Please pray for continual safety for my team while we are here in Masipuhelele.
Prayer for those people we have met and are building relationships with, to have an open heart for the gospel and the love of the Father.
And also for the new projects that are being developed with us and God. That they are only done by His will alone.

Thank you everyone so much for your prayers and everything else that you've done to help get me here. Every moment I'm here, my heart grows more and more for the people here and the country alone. My heart belongs here. I love you all so much! Here are some photos that I've taken of the township of Masi, the children, friends and a few places I've gotten to see.