South Africa 2012 (Day 1!!!)

Well we have finally made it to Cape Town and what a couple of days it has been!  After a couple of sleep deprived nights, time on the ground in 3 different continents, and time seeing two of the world's most amazing cities, we have completed our first day on the ground in Cape Town.  We had the amazing opportunity to spend some time in London yesterday during our 9 hour layover.  It was really a good experience for our group, especially for those who have never been to Europe before.  We got to see Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Buckingham Palace, The House of Parliament, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and much more in only a few short hours.  Although our time in London was rushed, it was a memory that we will not forget as it was a wonderful way to really begin our journey.  After this we rushed back to the airport, checked back in through airport security, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and it was off to Cape Town we went!  After a short 12 hour flight, we found ourself at our final destination this morning, sleepy eyed and smelly.  Today was spent mostly preparing for the week ahead of us, working alongside Living Hope and leading two different Holiday kids for children and teenagers.  Our time at the Team House has already been amazing as we have been treated like King and Queens.  Part of the joy of staying here is always the beautiful scenery that is literally all around us.  This afternoon was spent mostly on the beach, where we truly had an experience of a lifetime.  We spent hours just sitting and enjoying some of the prettiest scenery that any of us have ever seen.  One of our students even made the comment "I hate America because they don't have this" referring to the beautiful landscape that we encountered.  Pictures really do not do it justice but there are some so that you can at least get a glimpse of what we get to experience everyday.  Today and yesterday in London have been two of the better openings to a mission trip that you could ever ask for, but at the end of the day these days are not why we make this trip, in fact they have nothing to do with why we came.  We have been so blessed these last couple of days to see the things we have, but we feel like God has called us to do something so much more and we are so much more excited about that. Please continue to be in prayer for us as the weekend comes and goes and as we begin our work Monday morning pouring into the people of Cape Town.  Thanks for all your support.  Enjoy some pictures of our time!!

More to come tomorrow...

Day 7...Last Post :(

Sad to announce that this is going to be the last post of the trip.  We have a busy day tomorrow and won't be able to blog until we get back home.  So here it goes...

We had a great day today.  This morning we went on a tour of Robben Island, which is for those of you who don't know a government prison for Political leaders to be imprisoned who commit a crime.  We had a great tour and got a great look at the cell where Nelson Mandela spent 20 years of his life.  It was an interesting experience.  After this we headed to a market around the area and did a lot of shopping and gift buying and such, so prepare yourself for some prizes from your children.  The afternoon was quite rainy, but of course this group powered through and had a great afternoon.  Tonight we had a great dinner at a local hot spot called Mama Africa.  We got to experience some traditional type African meals and things.  It was a fun night and a great one to end our last full day on.

Tomorrow we are going to 2 different churches and of course we are very excited about that.  Tomorrow we are also going to visit the penguins, which will be awesome!!!

It is sad to think that this is our last full night together as a group, but I couldn't be more proud and inspired by this group.  It has truly been a trip of a lifetime and I couldn't be happier of this group of seniors and the work that they did.  Here are some pictures of today and other things to close out the blog on this trip.  See you in a couple days!!!

Caleb

Day 6

Just a quick little update about today's events.  As you have been told the Kid's Clubs ended yesterday so today was a little bit different than the days prior.  Today we took a tour of Living Hope's facilities and really got a great picture of what this organization is all about.  We were taken to four of the other townships where Living Hope has set up facilities and got to see the further reaching arms of their ministry.  Let's just say that God is using this group of people to do amazing, expanding things and it was cool to be able to see that.  This afternoon we helped the group put on their first ever career day for the kids from these communities.  Basically, like any job fair, organizations and businesses from all over the city came in and set up stations for the kids to walk through.  One thing that we have seen is that these kids barely expect it to the next year of school, nonetheless go to college.  We were told a stat tonight that the percentage of teenagers who actually graduate High School here is 25%.  Thus the job fair, in a sense was a way to inspire the teens of these areas to work hard in school and one day they can escape the poverty and the lives that they live now.  It was very neat to see how these kids responded to all of this and engaged in each career.

If you cannot tell from our pictures and from the posts of the students, this has truly been a remarkable trip.  Tomorrow we have a cite seeing/shopping/touring day set up and will be good to allow us to relax and reflect on the week we have had.  Continue to pray for us our time here is wrapping up.  We will continue to blog, but the pictures might be fewer in number.  None today, but we will get more out there tomorrow.  Thanks for all the support.  Until tomorrow...