The Adventure Continues

My teammates have deserted me. I rode with the LCC team to Cape Town International this morning, bid them goodbye and returned to my accommodations in Noordhoek. Here I’ll remain for the next seven weeks. I had envisioned this would be a moment when I stopped and asked myself, “What am I doing here?” But that moment actually came right after I arrived almost two weeks ago. Once we dove into the day-to-day work, God has affirmed to me that this is where I’m supposed to be.

Psalm 16: 5-6 says, “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places …” This seems fitting for where I am. (And not just because there's a stunning beach outside my living room window. And whales.)

The team enjoyed a fruitful final day of work on Wednesday, beginning with a visit to the Living Hope Health Care Centre. We sang songs for the patients, then split into groups – ladies washing and massage feet in the women’s ward, and Tom and I teaching a board game called Cat & Mouse to some of the men. Interacting with HIV and AIDS patients is a totally different dynamic than the previous work we had done. It was good for us to get an up-close look at another one of Living Hope’s core ministries.

Our ladies ended their time with the ladies of Red Hill by washing feet, and serving tea and dessert. After teaching her Bible lesson, Patty asked for song requests and the ladies responded with an impromptu worship service (top photo). It seems like everyone here has an amazing voice. No instruments, no percussion – they keep the rhythm with their voices and harmonize like a professional choir. “Mine, mine, mine, Jesus is mine” … “ It was a happy day when I was born again” … “We’re marching upward to Zion, that beautiful city of God” – I can still hear those voices ringing in my head.

After that, we threw two parties for the Red Hill kids. Red Hill is divided into three sections, lower, middle and upper, and Children’s Clubs are held in the middle and upper camps. We talked up the parties and told kids to invite their parents. About 80 people showed up in the middle camp. When we drove up the hill for the upper camp party (bottom photo), those kids were waiting by the front entrance with party hats on. It was a spirited celebration and a great way to end a mission trip.

Now my volunteer assignment begins. Some of it is already familiar, as I’ll continue working mornings at the Living Grace homeless facility and spending afternoons in Red Hill. I also get to use my communication background, working on some documentation for strategic mission work in the townships, and writing a history of all the Fish Hoek Baptist Trust ministries. If I had any doubt whether I’ll have enough to do in these coming weeks, those doubts have been dispelled.