A week In Kylemore

This week has been unbelieveable. Kylemore is a rural community about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. We arrived on Sunday and stayed until this past Sunday. As you see in the pics, Kylemore is surrounded by mountains and is absolutely beautiful there.

There's a pic of the house that YFC is renting. The kids would come back to play after the school day was done. The team assisted at the kindergarten and the primary school during the course of the week. I helped Mano (Manfred), the colored guy in the pic, with teaching life orientation at the high school, which is working on basketball skills with the students and assisting in discipline, respect, etc.

God used my heart in a variety of ways during my time there. I hope to put more pics, but I'm having problems with facebook and upload pics.

I've had three God moments since I arrived about two weeks ago. On Wed. Thurs. and Fri. evening we were invited to join a couple local youth group programs. On Thursday, Steve and Shawn shared their testimony and then one of the college students who lead the youth shared her story. I had befriend, Danielle, a 17 teen in the youth group. The Holy Spirit moved within her while they shared and she started crying.. I was moved to pray over her. It was totally a God-thing...She opened up to me about what was going on at home. And then I prayed for her. Afterwards we went for tea and cookies and then headed home. When I arrived home, she txt'd me and told me that I was her angel. It was so cool.

I had the opportunity to talk with some of the teens there and what is truly going on within the community. I truly believe that God wants me there for the rest of the year. It would mean you would only hear from me weekly, but would be an awesome experience. It's evident that I'm already being used there.

It was hard to leave on Sunday. Zena, the girl who is playing with my sunglasses in the pic above had a very difficult time with me leaving that she started crying on Sunday and wouldn't stop. It was so hard to try to explain to her that I'll be back that I'm just in Cape Town for the next weeks while the team is here. I had a few South African friends, who work for YFC, who speak Afrikaans try to explain it to her, but it was still hard for her. My heart melted as the tears ran down her face.

It's been great having Maass here. He keeps me place and when things get a little stressful, he helps to lighten the load, which has been great.

Take care and email when you have the time. love and miss you all

Building a home!!!

I wish I had pics to go with this post.. then you all could see Maass hard at work. :P Yesterday, the team assisted Habitat for Humanity in South Africa with doing foundational work for six families who are receiving homes. It was warm yesterday with the sun beating down.. Shoveling dirt, sand and stones. Though, it was extremely rewarding to bless the family and pray over the home. The rest of the house will be built in September. I hope to be a part of it and see the house to completion.

Today, we head to Kylemore.. continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you!

Adjusting to South Africa

Hi- I have officially been in South Africa a week tomorrow. It has been a little overwhelming at times, and I'm not sure where exactly I fit in, but I'm sure it will be all sorted out after the team leaves.

On Friday, the team from Waupaca and Maass are coming. We will be building a house through Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, for a woman who will be moving out of her shack. Then on Sunday after church we head to Kylemore, which is a color community about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. We will be leaving within the community and spending time at the kindergarten class as teacher aides and will be doing programs with local youth groups in the afternoon/evening. We will be having community morning pray walks and sharing our testimony with the teens during the youth meetings. We will be there a week.

Then off to the Blouberg house, my home next to the beach. :) We will be assisting the feeding scheme at Visserhoek, a primary school and at SOS Children's Village, which is an orphanage in the afternoon.

Then the last week we will staying in Pinelands, and volunteering at Maitland Children's Hospital, where children are heading into surgery or recovering from surgery. And then at SOS in the afternoon.

We will also be doing some site-seeing and possibly spending time at another orphanage an hour outside of Cape Town.

Please keep the team and me in your prayers over the course of the next month. I will keep you posted when I can.

Love ya!