Adventures in South Africa
July 18-31, 2023
Hello dear friends! I have countless God-stories to share with you: too many to include in one newsletter. God has been displaying his magnificence in ways that I will be sharing for years to come.
I have been existing in Pretoria, South Africa for a week and a half now, and my head swims with new information and lessons about myself, others, the world, and God.
First time meeting the team in the airport!
After a 15+ hour flight, we were warmly welcomed by the South African Tuks team: Themba, Itu, Abby, Katherine, and Chandler. They are a joyful group that has made getting accommodated much smoother! Switching seasons, dealing with jet lag, sickness, and being with all new people, hit my body like a truck and it took about the whole week to feel balanced again. Our second evening here, we explored the Union building and park with the view of the city, featuring the ginormous statue of Nelson Mandela.
Pretoria’s Union Building
We quickly turned around to go out on an African safari the first weekend. God was soooo kind to us in guiding us to see so many cool animals and experience his creativity in creation! On top of the gorgeous view of the African mountains, we saw lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, springboks, and rarest of all: a leopard!!! My photographer heart was screaming with delight.
The University of Pretoria is brimming with joys and new things to discover as well; we had the opportunity to meet students already apart of the ministry at Tuks plus meet new students (yay God)!! Basketball is a big part of the ministry on both the girls and guys end, so we spend a good amount of time hanging out at the campus courts. The staff girls and I had a God-appointment awaiting us there: we met two girls named Rachel and Cordelia who were watching us play for a while, and we became friends with them after striking up a conversation a exchanging numbers. They are so fun and I am so excited to keep getting to know them!
Above: Rachel and Cordelia the first day we met :)
Below: Snapshots of the Groenkloof (GK) campus we primarily stay on + basketball!
Among other things, we had the privilege of participating in Qwijo: a cappella call-and-response songs that are historically Xhosa healing anthems expressing a wide range of emotions from historical, cultural, and racial wounds. Our first student event took place at the CCP house where we played games and ate food together (it got rowdy and was super fun).
Qwijo singing circle outside of Tirisano, the boys dorm on campus
I have been able to take a plethora of photos, more than included here, and experience wonderful things with the staff team and the students we’ve started becoming friends with. Please continue praying that:
Students would come to follow Jesus on campus (Rachel and Cordelia in particular)
The CCP team would serve the staff well
There would be more laborers for Christ raised up on campus
God would stir in our hearts and open our eyes to what he wants us to know and help us become like him
God would expedite the development of friendships during our short time here
We would experience more and more of God’s character!
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support, I am so blessed to be upheld by all of you in the faith and blessed to be able to be here in Pretoria being obedient to my Heavenly Father! Many more updates are to come.
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ!
