Today is our last day in Cape Town. Our morning included working at Living Grace, a facility for the homeless that provides meals to those who hunger, devotional services, and other support. The picture is the students singing Amazing Grace at the end of the devotional period before lunch. Hoyt Steele is today's student writer.
"Today is a day we all knew would come despite how badly we wished it was delayed. This morning began with an early start that for some of us began earlier than preferred. After breakfast, we made our way to the Living Grace homeless and rehabilitation center closer to downtown. As a group we were able to lend a helping hand in anything from food preparation, food inventory, or plain clean up."
"A meal was prepared for nearly 40 persons including men, women, and several infants. My involvement in particular was marked by a conversation I had with one of the workers. He told me of his past drug abuse and gang involvement and how the Living Grace center presented him with the opportunity to turn his life around. Truly, if it is God's will... It will happen. This man comes from the deepest of spiritual lows and social settings to recognize the gifts God has given him and how he may now use them to help others in the area of drug rehabilitation and counseling. He told me of various townships in the Cape Town area and I was amazed to hear of the even worse conditions we would not come to witness on this trip. It is quite intimidating to see the generations of emotional and physical investment these areas require. Nonetheless, it is individuals like the above mentioned that give me confidence in the future of the 'rainbow country.'"
"During the afternoon after enjoying lunch on the beach, we prepared for our return and final day with the children and workers at our Ocean View family. Every day is a blessing getting to see these children and the incredible gifts they possess. Such energy has left most of us in major physical pain as we pretend to be both a piggy-back machine as well as an apparent ladder to the sky that all the kids
quickly make their way to climb. All of us feel a connection to the group of children assigned to us and have developed an even stronger relationship with more of them than expected. Throughout the week, we had conversations with many of them, played sports, discussed their personal life (and ours), as well as had a chance to witness what their home life is like."
"It is emotionally challenging to see such incredible children with the utmost potential and talent be limited by their surroundings and their constant vulnerability to violence, drug abuse, and sexual abuse. Today marked the hardest of all the days, as we had to say goodbye to our group of students. We will be leaving for Botswana tomorrow and today could be the last time we see this children again. The strong relationships formed makes it even harder to deal with how temporary our serving and learning may feel. Getting to experience how powerful of a week this has been makes me imagine how beneficial a month or whole summer experience here could be. We are grateful for the blessing received with the ability to come on this trip. May our experience in Botswana be equally as challenging and invigorating."
Hoyt expresses the mixed emotions we all feel about leaving but on to Botswana to continue our serving and learning.
Until next time.
Bernard Turner