As I’m writing this Hannah has already left her house for the airport and I will be leaving in a few short hours! It’s crazy how quickly this quarter flew by, and now it is time to go. I’m someone who tends to focus on one thing at a time, so it wasn’t until I finished my last final that I started to freak out a little bit about embarking on this adventure. During the first three weeks Hannah and I will be planning and then running a vbs style kids camp. We don’t know exactly how many kids there will be, what ages precisely, or how much English they will speak… so it hasn’t been easy to prepare from home where we have access to a big craft store and the internet. Hannah had a much clearer perspective than me saying, “Well it’s their holiday break, so if they aren’t with us they just sit around at home!” This was a reassuring thought, but I was still a little anxious.
I took a break from packing and celebrating father’s day to go to UPC’s 6:00 service last night and (no surprise) came away feeling much more at peace with the situation. Andy talked about the story of Abram and Sarai and how they are impatient and try to “help” God’s plan along, which needless to say is not helpful at all. She talked about how we all have little “Ishmael’s” in our lives where we have been impatient and tried to control our situation. I will definitely be keeping this in mind as far as our kid’s camp is concerned and through out the next eight weeks. For me this summer is all about giving up control and leaving space for God to show up and work.
Hannah and I would love your prayers as we seek to come alongside the community in eMandabeni. Please pray that we can listen well and notice much. Pray that the kids we work with can better know Christ’s love through their camp experience, and pray that we continually bring our hearts to God for renewal and strength.
And to end a movie review! To send me off my family took me to see “Fanie Fourie’s Lobola” the movie which won best of the Seattle International Film Festival this year. It was set in South Africa and told the story of a Zulu woman and Afrikaans man who fall in love. Amidst all the laughter and emotion of the story I got a little glimpse of the underlying tensions still very present in South Africa, but also a glimpse of a unique and beautiful culture. It made me very excited to learn more! I also picked up Nelson Mandela’s biography The Long Road to Freedom to read on the plane, so perhaps the next post will include a book review! (The picture is Hannah and me before the Inn’s student leadership end of the year party)
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