Final Words...

It is with much pleasure that I inform you I will be writing the last blog; however, as it is the last blog, I write with some regret too since it means the trip is almost over. A lot of events have transpired over the past few days, so I will do my best to get everyone up to speed.

Friday, the team took a tour of Living Hope.  We had the opportunity to see other sides of the Living Hope ministry such as the alcohol and drug support group, the Health Care Centre, and we even got to glimpse the agricultural work that Living Hope does.  Seeing more than just the Holiday Club highlighted the multifaceted organization that Living Hope is.  The ministry is constantly expanding and actively seeking out ways to help the local communities.  Each and every day I am reminded of the inspiring and courageous work Living Hope does, serving the least of these with all it can.  If coming to Africa doesn’t get you fired up about being a Christian, then honestly I don’t know what else will.

Saturday, or more accurately Fourth of July, our team journeyed to Old Biscuit Mill, which is quite possibly the best market on earth.  Anything good to eat could be found there.  Crêpes? Check.  Paella? Check.  Kudu burgers? Check.  Full stomach?  Double Check.  If I lived in Cape Town, you would find me spending my Saturday mornings at Old Biscuit Mill enjoying the taste of fine cuisine and culture too.

Later that day, we took a tour of Cape Town Stadium, and I can tell you that for the first time I felt like a professional athlete.  We got to touch the field, and Caleb even pulled a Les Miles and had a bite of grass.  We also went to the media room (the site where post-game interviews are held) and Tucker and Anne Marie posed as players while Austin was their coach. New York Post and Boston Globe reporters, Caleb and me, respectively, asked them some challenging questions. 

Now we come to the portion of the segment and the real reason most of you are reading this blog: to see if we are all alive.  Do not worry, because all of us survived the shark cage experience (without blemishes I might add).  In fact, you were more twice likely to throw up (8 people), than see a shark underwater (3-4 people).  No one is still quite sure what Mac saw.  One thing we can all agree on is that the expedition brought us closer together as a group and unit, and in hindsight, growing closer with friends and fellow believers is more rewarding than seeing some animal with really big teeth.  Shark or no shark, everyone left satisfied with the decision to go in a cage with sharks.

I think I speak for the whole group when I say that this journey is one that no one will be soon forgetting.  The bonds of friendship that have been woven will last a lifetime.  More importantly, we have obeyed God’s calling by coming and ministering to the least of these, and as I write the last words of the final blog, I write with utter joy, because I know seeds have been planted.

Spencer Haynes