South Africa Outreach - Week 6 Summary

Week 6 had some huge challenges, significant breakthrough and some team fun! What a week it has been! Whoever has been praying a little extra as we come to mind, it’s the guidance of the Lord this week! We’ve needed it in a big way! Our team went through a lot this week on the home front and we have been growing in many ways. After a total of hours of discussions, tears, honest communication plus a visit from our wonderful school leader, we are in a much better space and learning how to grow together as a team.

Last weekend (January 29 & 30), Shane and I went on a date at a little pizza shop on the beach. It was SO nice to get away and connect with some quality conversation just the two of us! Glorious! Then on Sunday, we visited the church in Red Hill for their church service. It was African-style with dancing, praising and 4 hours later, we headed home =) We did our drama, Angie did a dance, we shared some testimonies and my wonderful husband preached an awesome sermon for almost an hour on The Foundation of the First Commandment. It was soooo good! I’m soooo proud!

A highlight from the end of week 5 and all of week 6 has been that the LA team we met back in Worcester has joined us in Muizenberg now! They are on their debrief week before heading home and finishing their DTS! We have enjoyed connecting with our lovely friend Saara from Finland again and loving on her like I would my little sister who is far away in New Zealand =(

This week in Red Hill, we did door to door evangelism on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We prayed for people, recruited for the start of Wednesday night cell groups, got to give my friend her Xhosa Bible and led a young man to Jesus in his home!

On Wednesday night, we started cell groups in local homes in Red Hill, separating our team into pairs and going to each home with one of the church members. The turn out was decent with 9-15 people in each home with a total of 5 homes running the first night! That is pretty good, though a number of the people from the church are from another community and we’d like to see the community of Red Hill more involved. The cell group that Shane and I were a part of facilitating was a surreal experience. It deserves its own little blog.

On the health front, things have been challenging this week. Shane had a wicked migraine on Monday and was stuck in bed all day. The night before one of our team members had a horrific dream about Shane at night and he woke up in the middle of the night quite afraid. So, between the dream and the wicked migraine, we covered him in prayer that evening as a team. The next day he was back out in ministry as his head recovered and he’s been fine! Praise the Lord!

As for the sand flea saga, sadly, it hasn’t gotten better =( I thought it was but now it’s worse! On Thursday, Shane and I counted the bites on my body and we found 97! They are super itchy and the worst ones are around my lower belly and back! The idea of fleas feasting on me at night has really been bothering me and making for disturbed nights. Please pray with me that these fleas would die for good and stop eating us! I would love prayer for peace of mind, healing for the bites and itching and that none would come with us to Sommerset West when we leave Muizenberg!

Random points:
- At soccer camp on Monday, I scored the winning penalty! I was a hero to those little boys and they chanted my name and everything. It was a lot of fun for a girl who always plays defense =)
- I’ve continued on at soccer camp and have really enjoyed it! Soccer suits me much better than the surf camp! I’m so thankful that soccer camp has been an option!
- I continue to find a lot of life doing one-on-ones with Ashley and Allison. They are such an encouragement to me!
- Thankfully, the wind has started to die down! Apparently that’s what happens come February and was a blessing it is!
- Our school leader came for a pastoral visit and it was such a life saver! We had lots of team meetings and discussions and then enjoyed some fun team time including a rugby game, climbing Table Mountain and having a South African braai, It meant adding another male to the house putting the stats to 6 men and 1 female (me) but it went really well and there has been a lot of grace.
- Another first is that Shane and I cut his hair! Now that the wind has died down, he’s been really hot and needed to shed some hair. So, it’s not quite like getting it done by our favorite hairdresser but it’s pretty good for a “missionary hair cut” by two people who haven’t done it before!
- I’ve actually been alone a time or two more since week 5’s post! So wonderful!
- We were having problems with the lock on our bathroom door. On Thursday, I got locked in to the bathroom for 20 minutes after my shower! We took the door handles off to try to get me out, which didn’t help and were in the process of unscrewing the bars on the window to let me climb out when the landlord came and helped! Now we have a new lock that gives us no trouble!
- We joined YWAM Muizenberg for their Monday morning intercession and Thursday evening worship service. David Hamilton spoke on Thursday…he’s from Kona and was our last speaker on lecture phase! It was a little Kona reunion!

As we go into week 7, our time in Muizenberg is coming to a close. This is our last week here before we go to Somerset West on Sunday, the 13th! I’m looking forward to our last location of outreach! It’s going to be nice! So we’ll finish location #2 enjoying our time at Red Hill and the soccer and surf camps!