Bringing Hope. Breaking Despair.

One thing about Capetown: the view at any given moment is stunning. Whether you’re looking from the Team House to the beach, from the mountains to the Team House, or from the city to the mountains, every scene is worthy of framing and hanging on your living room wall. But as I reflect on our four days of Holiday Camp, I think I speak for the whole team in saying that the smiling children we were blessed to serve this week are so much more beautiful than even the view from the Cape of Good Hope.

Thursday marked the end of our time at Capricorn and Overcome, and as we left the kids, each of our hearts melted, though some more than others, as evidenced by the tears shed (read: weeping) by a few of us. Perhaps more heart wrenching than leaving the kids was leaving the LSEs we had been working with all week. Every one of them carried through their communities a powerful story of dedication to the Lord and a love for the young generation. As Joanna wrote Wednesday night, the LSEs do this work 48 weeks a year. Tired as we are after only four days of their job, our respect level for the LSEs is through the roof.

After sleeping an extra hour Thursday night, we spent Friday learning more about the ministry and city we’ve been working with this week. In the morning we toured the four branches of Living Hope’s ministry (Living Way, Living Right, Living Care, and Living Grace). The locations we toured were more focused towards adults than the rest of our week had been, with rehabilitation, job training, and hospice care serving as the focuses of these ministries. Parents, this is when we all bought the cool picture frames made from reclaimed wood (from pallets or fences, for example). We also toured the “tunnels” (South African for greenhouses) in which men and women learn to make a living off of agriculture, vermiculture, and fish farming. Following a late lunch and a quick dip in the Atlantic, we visited Hout Bay Market, where disgusting juice, fine jewelry, and yuppies (South African for hipsters) abound.

Saturday started quite similarly to Friday evening with a trip to the Old Biscuit Mill, the market made especially for yuppies and overpriced products. However, the kudu breakfast burgers that Nicholas and I ordered were well worth the 65 rand we paid for each (South African for $6.50). Later, we hopped on the ferry to Robben Island to see one of the prisons Nelson Mandela stayed in during his 27-year incarceration throughout South Africa. The island itself has a lot of history aside from the prison, but walking the same paths as anti-Apartheid political radicals of the 20^th century held a unique significance. Although the struggle those leaders faced was very alien to us Americans, the conversation of native South Africans made it possible to feel the importance of the anti-Apartheid movement.

Lastly, we ate dinner at Marco’s African Restaurant. I think our time there will be some of the most memorable for several reasons, the first of which is probably the Smiley that Nicholas and Emma shared with the table. In case you didn’t know, the Smiley, a traditional African dish, is simply a sheep’s head served in a bowl. Nose, ears, eyes, and tongue are all included, and it holds a central place on the menu’s Starter section (note: I’m pretty sure the band at Marco’s played the melody from “Mary Had a Little Lamb” at one point…). After we ate, we danced with the members of the all-percussion band, who allowed Nick, Logan, and Annie to try out the marimba in front of a packed house.

With only part of a day remaining in South Africa, I think it’s safe to declare this vacation a success by all standards. I know no one is looking forward to the plane ride home, but considering all the love, beauty, and culture we’ve experienced on this trip, it will have been well worth it. We still have a trip to Table Mountain (the 8^th Wonder of the World) waiting for us tomorrow, so even though our time remaining is short, we have a lot left to see.

From the Mother City, with love,

Jeff