The Infamous Baboons

Here are a few pics of the baboon getting out of the car (see a few posts below for the quick story)...

And then this is just a hilarious picture that we got of a sweet baboon family...just doing what they do...

Big Day

Today is a big day. There are 3 beginnings that have started for me today.

1. New Budget. My mom came to town this weekend and helped me figure out a new budgeting/saving system. This kind of stinks but eventually I want to be able to buy a home and all that great stuff that money gets you.

2. Back to the gym. I tend to gain some poundage during the summer and since summer is over (even though its still smouldering hot outside) its time to get it off.

3. Bible in 90 days. Amy-Jo started a few weeks ago and I start today. The whole Bible in 90 days. I am pretty excited about this but this might be the one I get behind on. So ask me about it to keep me accountable.

In other news, Debo stopped by the office today and told me that she misses South Africa today. I do too. In fact, I have missed it every day since I've been home. Here is a series of sweet photos that Patty Taylor took on the last day of VBS at Red Hill. That sweet boy I'm holding is Eldridge and is absolutely precious. We were dancing to "Outrigger Island."

Pray for Eldridge and his 2 siblings, Jeremiah and Jo-Anna today.

I'm home...

Unfortunately. If I could, I would get back on a plane right now. I miss it terribly and I've only been back for 6 hours. Here is a picture of Donovan that I mentioned earlier and that is Mzo behind him in the Hawaiian shirt.

Obviously thats a hula skirt on his head. :) I have realized that I am a terrible photographer because pretty much every picture I took is blurry. Good thing Bobby is compiling everyone's pictures for us all. Surely there will be great ones from that that I will add on here soon.

Hermanus was fun but I would have rather spent those 2 days at Red Hill playing football with the kids. I truly believe I will be there again soon.

I am fighting some pretty bad jet lag and swollen feet right now. Its only 5 pm here in Nashville and I want so badly to crawl into bed-- its midnight in Cape Town! So thats one way you can pray for me these next couple of days. Also, please pray that I don't go into that post-mission trip depression. I always have a hard time adjusting back to the 'real world.' One thought that brings me peace about being back, is believing that God will allow me to return to that place and those people that I now completely love.

Zebras, baboons, and some others

Yesterday after our final day of VBS (more on that later), we gathered up the whole team and went to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope- the southwestern most point in South Africa. It was BEAUTIFUL! Whitney and I hiked all the way up there- Bob would have been so proud! :) On our way back, we saw a zebra!! I finally felt like I was really in Africa. There was some other animal out there too but I can't remember what it was called. Maybe it was an antelope? We had been hearing all along that there are tons of baboons out here but hadn't seen any until we were pulling out of the park. We had stopped to watch them for a minute but as we were beginning to pull away, a baboon went up to the car behind us and jumped in their open window!! It was seriously the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life! We got some good pictures. As depressing as yesterday could have been, it chalked up to be a pretty awesome day.

Today, half of our team leaves to come back to Nashville and half of us are heading over to Hermanus for some whale watching. Most of you know how excited I was about shark diving...I have decided not to do it. I was talking to this guy the other day who had just done it and said that he was sick from start to finish. He said it was the most miserable day of his life. And since I get pretty motion sick just driving around some curves, I decided I would rather not waste my last day in South Africa being sick. So I am going to sit myself on a beach somewhere and just enjoy the day and reflect on the trip. Sounds pretty wonderful to me.

Please be praying for our team that is heading home today...and for those that have decided to go through with the shark diving. :) They'll need it.

my cup runneth over

I am so overwhelmed with the thoughts and feelings I have at this point in the trip. We just finished our 4th day of VBS and I feel like today was the day that I got fully invested in the children. I am already nervous about tomorrow and saying goodbye to the sweet faces I have grown to love this week. I have always been someone that gets easily attached. Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this kind of thing so often.

There is one boy in particular (there always is with me) that I have grown especially fond of. His name is Donovan and I absolutely love him. He is 9 years old and speaks just enough English to whisper to me "what is it?" when we are going through the Bible story review and he is trying to get me to cheat and give him the answer in secret so he can get some candy. This boy is a monkey!! He jumps on me and within 2 seconds is twisting his body all around my head and flipping off. He is there every morning waiting on us to arrive and peaks in the broken window of the church waiting for us to let him in once we get set-up. I hate seeing him out there so this morning I snuck out there to play some baseball with him using a stick and a cushie ball. If I were going to sneak a child home, it would be Donovan.

Another person I can't wait to tell you all about is Mzo. He is one of the LifeSkills Educators that works in Red Hill full time that has been working with us this week. His story is amazing and his heart is solid gold. He is the nephew of the pastor that was shot and killed about 9 months ago at the church in Masi. Mzo was on the 2nd row that day. He now lives with his aunt and helps care for his cousins. His heart is in Red Hill though, and he hopes to move there at the beginning of January. Pray for him.

I have countless stories and people to tell you about. I am so thankful that God brought me here and I pray that he brings me back. Soon.

Love to you all.

Beach Time

This picture was taken a few days ago out on the beach that the Team House sits on. Look at how huge everything is out here! The sky, the mountains...its all so beautiful. We've all commented several times about how hard it is to understand how people don't believe in God when he has made such amazing things.