I learned a word in Chlosy (that spelling is off and there is a click in it!) that has some clicks- oh ya. I think it means brightness, I'm not really sure...

Blog time yea!

This week was my last in Eskom. I cried- I'll admit it. Monday we had the church service. Ok so it started off really frustrating for me. In S.A. it's politer to say that you are going to come and then just not show up then to tell the people that you aren't going to come. Which honestly annoys the poop out me. I mean I know that every person in Eskom that said they would come wouldn't, but I really hoped that some of the people I grew close to would come. But as always God totally blew my expectations out of the water and opened up new opportunities and new relationships. I met this girl, she has to be about 12ish. Her foot is broken and here she comes limping and relying on her mother to walk to the service. I had never met either of them before. I don't know her name, mainly because when she said it she said it fast and quiet and since it would probably take me a hundred times to pronounce it correctly anyway… So yes. We prayed over her foot and although she didn't understand a single word I said when I looked up her smile was something I will never forget. I went back everyday (but Wed. because I stayed home on Wed.) and prayed for her and am still praying that God will bring healing.

            For the service we did a drime (silent drama) and sang some songs, Aubrey gave a message and prayed, it was really cool. The drime that we did was one that some of my friends here made up. It involves a man who solves his marital problems by emptying a bottle, beats his family and then faces what he does. At the end Jesus brings his family back together and it's really cool. I played one of his drinking buddies that later rejects and spits on him- oh ya. The service was really cool, about 25 people showed up, but on African time. At the time it was supposed to start it was us, the translator and then three church members. But God worked and taught me a lot about following His plan.

            Back up: On Sunday we went to a church in Eskom and it was one the most interesting experiences of my life. First off it was really encouraging to meet Christians in Eskom and the Holy Spirit was moving. Second, African churches are VERY different from American ones- which is totally cool. First off they're a might bit longer, as in hours. Second, the preacher yells, loudly. So the preacher would be yelling in Zulu while the translator yelled in English equally loud. There also is no plan or schedule so one person would kind of run it or tell us what to do randomly. It is how church has been for the past six weeks. No plan, just the body and God. Just us singing praises and testifying and sometimes someone would share a passage and then talk for maybe five minutes if the Lord put it on their heart. I love it.

            Then on Tuesday I went around to Nelly and Cynthia and gave them their books and Bibles. I really wish I saw the value of my Bible everyday the way they saw the value of a Bible. On Wed. I stayed back (I'll explain later). On Thursday I went back and had to saw goodbye. It was hard and some of the street kids didn't really understand that this was my last day. I said goodbye to Nelly like fifty times. It was sad ya know. I'm really going to miss Eskom. But something God has shown me is that we're not called to places, we've been called to people. People just happen to be in different places.

            So Wed. was Halloween and in S.A. they celebrate a little differently then we do. Ya so there are some people that dress up and go get candy. But this is a night when satanic cults come out. There are human and sexual sacrifices and these aren't just tales, but by Oct. 30^th (yes a day before) there had already been one human sacrifice. We decided that we were not going to live in fear and held a prayer time before and after Halloween, someone was praying every hour. That night we decided to have a "Spring Fling" and celebrate the fact that we are victorious in Christ and just celebrate the love that He has given us. We had a Bible Costume contest- don't laugh although it was possibly the funniest thing ever. I was the burning bush (a very cute burning bush might I add) Elisa was Lot's wife after she turned into a pillar of salt. We had the lovers from Song of Solomon, Moses, David and Goliath (armor made of duct tape of course) um there was the Garden of Eden and the Tree and so many more. Martha was the whale and she had blue construction paper taped to her head as the blow hole and a man drawn on cardboard on her stomach, it was funny. We had games and food, but most importantly on a night where darkness tries to reign we worshipped God as one voice and proclaimed our victory in Him and the fact that we don't have to live in fear. (I was one of the party planners so that's why I stayed back on Wed. that and I'm a little sick).

Oh wow this blog is getting long, sorry. Oh ya so I'm going to Kenya next semester- that might be important information. We split into our teams to today which was good and bad. A lot of my good friends here are going to Swazi. I thought I was going to Swazi for a while and that God was changing my heart, but He's changed it back. I'll have the opportunity to work in an informal school where the kids can't afford public school so that's why they go there. I'll be in Kibera, Kenya. Kibera is an illegal government settlement where 1.5 million people live with no electricity, running water, sewage or trash collecting within 2 square miles. I'm really excited about my team and just becoming smaller and closer. There are 15 people on my team and they're all pretty sweet.

            I think that's it. This week was awesome. Ok I don't think I'm forgetting anything. If I am- oh well. Oh! So yea! We get to go to Jeffrey's Bay after thanksgiving for a leadership conference. J-Bay if you look it up on Google you'll probably see a beautiful surf town with a bunch of rich people and want to sign up for the next FYM trip. What you won't see are the townships and shacks where people are hungry just miles away. Ok now I think that is it. I hope. I love and miss you all! Send me a letter or an e-mail, let me know what's going on!

P.S. a couple weeks ago we watched the Rugby World Cup in S.A. and we won (Viva les Bokke! My blood is green!) We painted our faces and just had fun with it. What was really funny is that we watched it with some Afrikaan friends (white south africans) in Alabanza. One of them was yelling during the game and we're pretty sure it wasn't all clean because he would yell somethind then all the Afrikaans people would turn in shock. It was pretty funny.  I'm a new Rugby fan. The game was an hour and half including the ten minute half time. Every time the ball hit the ground they didn't have to stop, show a replay, give commentary, and then start everything over again. It was the ball hit the ground and the next guy picked it up and ran. The last ten seconds were actually ten seconds, it didn't take an hour to get through 1 minute of play. Also they make football players look like wimps. They are wrestling and full on ramming into each other and blood. None of this helmet and pad nonsense. These guys are fast and big. Plus the funny thing is that the U.S. team was out of the Cup in like the first round. Go Springboks!