February-March

I apologize for being so slack with my blog duties. No excuses, but I have been having to do a lot of college business whenever I get the chance to be online.

Another month and a half have gone by in beautiful Cape Town. It has definitely been the hottest, the last few days being in the high 90’s, low 100’s. It’s quite a feat to survive these temperatures without a/c, and in my case, without even a fan; truly agonizing to the point of near insanity. And you can never emphasize the brutality of the wind enough. It really is like being in North Carolina during a bad hurricane. So much so that it destroyed the Prince’s backyard patio, lifting up the large wooden poles from the ground. But other than the irritating weather, God is continuing to show me His love for me in everyday life.

March 1^st marked the half-way point of my stay in South Africa. It was a good place for me to reflect a bit on life here, and everything which that encompasses. More than anything, it made me realize how incredibly long of a time 9 months is. It’s like a whole year of my life. A seriously long period of time, something which I had thought of before coming, but not really grasping the idea fully. Anyways, I’ll be back home on July 6^th, only after enjoying some of the World Cup, to which, by the way, I will get to go to 3 games.

Since I’ve been so undisciplined about keeping up with this thing with any sort of time structure, I can’t really remember the order in which certain things have occurred. That said, I’m going to talk about some of the highlights of the month of February and early March.

Perhaps one of the most memorable experiences thus far was getting to hike up Table Mountain. One of the best things to do while in Cape Town, this hike was made much better by us being able to bring along 4 of the boys with whom we work. Ocean View (the township where we live) is on the Southern Peninsula of Cape Town. So to actually get to the main part of Cape Town, one must drive over another mountain just 10 minutes away from Ocean View. Two of the boys who went with us had never been over this mountain, so seeing their faces as this whole new world opened up was quite rewarding in of itself. Anyways, the hike is definitely a challenge, a harsh 2 ½ hours of steep rocky steps. It being the hottest day of the year didn’t do much to help either. Though we started at around 7:30, the heat’s harshness was inescapable. Our water supplies never seemed like enough, especially for some of the boys who have yet to learn the concept of pace. However exhausting the climb may have been, few things are as gratifying as finally reaching the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, pictures are the best I can do, though never sufficient to really make you understand what it’s like to be there yourself. God must have smiled when he pictured people at the top of Table Mountain. It’s quite breathtaking.

On a not so jolly note, I had a scooter/motorcycle accident about a month and a half ago. As in a lot of third-world countries, dogs roam the streets as if it was theirs. Most of them aren’t huge scooter fans, and will often run along as you drive, barking and bickering as they go. However annoying they are, most don’t do much other than run beside you. But as I turned onto my street, one of the dogs ran right across my path, causing me and my bike to fly in complete opposite ways. Perhaps even more annoying was that while I was on the ground, the dog, still alive, continued to bark at me as if I had caused it a disturbance. I have never been much of a dog fan, so this situation was not a good one for me. More than pain, I was in extreme hate and anger. And I couldn’t really forgive the animal too easily as it has no soul and the boundaries of my mercy do not include dogs. Fortunately, the stupid dog is now deathly fearful of me. I sincerely believe I would have killed it if it had crossed my path anytime soon after the incident. Anyway, I’m obviously in good health despite a few scars and some broken parts on my bike.

On February 27^th I also got to attend one of my best South African friends’ wedding. Despite the inconsiderate tornado like wind, and the sermon given during it, the beach wedding was quite delightful. It was a great cultural experience and I got to enjoy some delicious food.

I should also tell you that I am playing for a team now as well (soccer team.) I am the only ‘white’ person on the team and am really enjoying it. Most of the guys are former professional or semi-professional players so the level is really quite high, which also means that I am staying in good shape and getting to know a lot of unnecessary Afrikaans. We practice a couple times a week, and play every weekend. It’s great.

The first week of March, Casey and I got to attend a TREC Coaching course. TREC stands for “Training, Resourcing, and Equipping Coaches.” It was a basic level coaching course that involves important concepts of ministry into soccer coaching. Though going over some of the soccer concepts which you are taught when you are 5 years old could be a bit tedious, it was great to get to see the factors of working with kids that transcend the sport itself. I’m excited about bringing some of those concepts into our work with Ubuntu.

On March 15^th, the Cape Town Argus Cycling race took place. It’s a 109 km ridiculous race over an insane amount of mountains. But I supposed if that’s your thing then that’s just who you are. 38,000 people took place in it and part of the path took them right by Ocean View. So from 7 AM till around 4:30 PM, a constant typhoon of bikers rode by Ocean View, creating a big community event with food and music to cheer on the tired bikers, one of them being Casey. Another one, the one I really cared about, being Lance Armstrong. So I woke up at 6:30, got dressed and went down to one of the main curves on which they would be turning. At 7:12, I got to see Lance riding down, just 10 feet away from me. I was pretty excited.

I think those are most of the main events that I wanted to talk about, although I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few. But being here, and just going through a natural maturity process regardless of where I’m living, I am continuing to learn new things. One of the things which God has pressed on my heart is the power of prayer. I find it incredible how real God is and how much He wants to show us His love. When we pray with an open, humble, Christ-centered heart, our Father hears us. When we are open and accepting of His will, God hears our requests. Now, I am completely against the theory of prosperity and I think it’s blasphemous, so that’s not what I’m talking about. But the Word says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” It’s such a beautiful thing to know that no matter what, there is ALWAYS someone who loves you in unimaginable ways listening to the needs of your heart. My prayer over the past few months as I look ahead into my future is that I will be able to do my Father’s will. I pray that the opportunities will open up for His will to be done with my life, and that if I am not to understand it, that at least I will be granted the courage, will, opportunities, love, and support to follow Him where He leads me.

Not wanting to be redundant, I have to thank you for your love, support, and prayers. A day does not go by where I do not think of the people who have helped my time here be a ‘success’. Please continue to pray for me and God’s work through me. That I may be efficient in bringing Christ to the people with whom I interact, and that through His grace and power, South Africa will be a nation renewed. The African continent is in deep suffering; it is only through the name of Jesus Christ that it can be healed and restored. Please keep Africa in your prayers, especially the generations of its future.

I hope and pray that all is well at home. Wherever you are, if you are reading this, you are my home.

Love,

Andy