Update from South Africa!
I apologize in advance for the length of this post. We will likely not have internet again for another week and I am sure many of you would like to know everything we are doing here so I am trying to be as detailed as possible!
We made it to South Africa! After a 14-hour and flight and not much sleep, we are here and settled into our house! The Lord was so gracious to us in that there were no complications with our flights, luggage or anything. This was such a blessing thinking about how many things could go wrong when traveling with 20 people.
South Africa is actually 6 hours ahead of the U.S., so while it is 11am here as I am writing this, it is only 5am in the States. It's also winter here! Most days warm up to feel like a fall day, but this morning has been the coldest since we've been here.
Our first full day in South Africa was Friday. In the morning, we met up with CCP team from Campus Outreach Indianapolis who we will be working alongside at The University of the Witswatersrand for the next 6 weeks. We had an orientation, where we learned more about the culture of South Africa and heard testimonies from some South African students. After lunch, we went on a tour of the campus, which is huge! Later that night, we were able to meet and play games with some of the CO student leaders at Wits.
On Saturday, we traveled to a township right outside of Joburg called Soweto, which we learned actually is not an African name, but simply stands for "South West Township." Soweto is actually the home of Nelson Mandela. While there, we visited a museum where we learned more about apartheid, specifically a children's march in which a large number of children were killed during their peaceful protest.
While in Soweto, we had lunch at a South African buffet where we all sampled various South African cuisine. Most people tried the "tripe," a South African favorite, which is actually intestines. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. What everyone was talking about, though, was the ice cream, which everyone agreed was much better than any we've had in the States!
One thing that is strikingly different about South Africa is that there are very rich areas right next to very poor ones. There are also walls or gates with barbed wire, spikes, or electric fencing along the top around almost every building (including our guest house), which I believe originated during apartheid.
As a part of the smaller team that is in charge of planning the meals for our team of 20, I had my first experience shopping in a South African grocery store on Saturday night. It wasn't too different from shopping back home in the States, but many things we may consider staples they simply do not have here (which may prove to make our job just a little more difficult).
Sunday morning, we had our first experience at Rosebank Union Church, where we will be attending church for the duration of our stay. The people were especially welcoming and the sermon was awesome. Something that has blown me away is that even though we are on the other side of the world, we all worship the same God!
Sunday evening we had a family dinner and what we call "family time" which was a time of worship, being honest about our fears, sharing scripture, and prayer. One thing I have loved so far is our team's dynamic. We work well together and it really does feel like a "family."
The next blog I post (probably next week) will give you a glimpse into "a day in the life" of the CCP. Unfortunately for now, my time is up! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!
We made it to South Africa! After a 14-hour and flight and not much sleep, we are here and settled into our house! The Lord was so gracious to us in that there were no complications with our flights, luggage or anything. This was such a blessing thinking about how many things could go wrong when traveling with 20 people.
South Africa is actually 6 hours ahead of the U.S., so while it is 11am here as I am writing this, it is only 5am in the States. It's also winter here! Most days warm up to feel like a fall day, but this morning has been the coldest since we've been here.
Our first full day in South Africa was Friday. In the morning, we met up with CCP team from Campus Outreach Indianapolis who we will be working alongside at The University of the Witswatersrand for the next 6 weeks. We had an orientation, where we learned more about the culture of South Africa and heard testimonies from some South African students. After lunch, we went on a tour of the campus, which is huge! Later that night, we were able to meet and play games with some of the CO student leaders at Wits.
On Saturday, we traveled to a township right outside of Joburg called Soweto, which we learned actually is not an African name, but simply stands for "South West Township." Soweto is actually the home of Nelson Mandela. While there, we visited a museum where we learned more about apartheid, specifically a children's march in which a large number of children were killed during their peaceful protest.
While in Soweto, we had lunch at a South African buffet where we all sampled various South African cuisine. Most people tried the "tripe," a South African favorite, which is actually intestines. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. What everyone was talking about, though, was the ice cream, which everyone agreed was much better than any we've had in the States!
One thing that is strikingly different about South Africa is that there are very rich areas right next to very poor ones. There are also walls or gates with barbed wire, spikes, or electric fencing along the top around almost every building (including our guest house), which I believe originated during apartheid.
As a part of the smaller team that is in charge of planning the meals for our team of 20, I had my first experience shopping in a South African grocery store on Saturday night. It wasn't too different from shopping back home in the States, but many things we may consider staples they simply do not have here (which may prove to make our job just a little more difficult).
Sunday morning, we had our first experience at Rosebank Union Church, where we will be attending church for the duration of our stay. The people were especially welcoming and the sermon was awesome. Something that has blown me away is that even though we are on the other side of the world, we all worship the same God!
Sunday evening we had a family dinner and what we call "family time" which was a time of worship, being honest about our fears, sharing scripture, and prayer. One thing I have loved so far is our team's dynamic. We work well together and it really does feel like a "family."
The next blog I post (probably next week) will give you a glimpse into "a day in the life" of the CCP. Unfortunately for now, my time is up! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!
So glad that you made it safely. Praying for you :)
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