Real Life Exposure is like P90X

Life as a Christian in America can sometimes become dull and routine, like any kind of exercise program. The difference between a yoga DVD from Target and P90x, besides the price, is the fact that P90x works your body in hardcore different ways every single day. Your body rarely has the chance to get used to the routine. By leaving my comforts at home, I have so far been able to experience God in a new and exciting way, which my soul isn’t used to.
I attended training camp June 28 and 29 in Atlana with 18 other “Real Lifers”, who were all incredible. We bonded immediately and could definitely tell that only God could bring all of us (different ages, states, careers, dreams, and lives) together, to one place for less than 48 hours together. On the 30^th we spent the day at the airport and waiting for our first plane, which was delayed 2 hours. We finally boarded at 5 pm and flew into Amsterdam between 7-8 am.  With a 3 hour layover, we napped at our terminal and boarded a spacious KLM plane for an 11 hour trip into Johannesurg, South Africa.
We made it safely to South Africa with no complications and everyone’s luggage! Expecting any number of AIM World Racers (groups that travel to 11 countries in 11 months) to be awaiting our arrival, we found ourselves sitting in the middle of the Johannesburg airport for an hour not sure what to do. Finally, some lovely people arrived to take us to a hostel for the night. We were all rather surprised with actually how cold winter in Africa was the first night. Many of us had looked up the forecast from past winters and should have been prepared for the 30-40 degree weather…but nope. It was dang cold. The shivering through the first night definitely heated up my sleeping bag for at least a few hours of sleep.
Basically, the next day was filled with meeting the teams in person (rather than skype and email) and figuring out what we were doing next. My team was to travel to Swaziland, about a 5 hour bus ride, and stay at an orphanage for the next 30ish days. Sometime in the afternoon we loaded up the bus and headed out. About halfway into our trip, a tire blew and we were located on the side of an African highway, in the pitch black night, and freezing air. This only set us back an hour or two, I mean really, who was counting??
At 11 pm or so we pulled into a lane at the bottom of a mountain, thinking it’d be no big deal we were almost there, wrong again. An hour later the bus finally pulled into El Shaddai. (For those lost on the time schedule, this was midnight Saturday.) We had to be awake at 8 am for further direction with our stay here and church was at 11. 
Church was incredible. The young girls lead singing for everyone, and it was just as I had always imagined Africa to be. The young kids latched to our laps for the service which was translated by a boy here. The pastor was from a group visiting from South Africa with teen boys who longed to be ministers some day. The message was about being where God wanted you to be – perfect.
The rest of the day was so chill because we were all incredibly tired from traveling. We got to know the area (so, so beautiful…look for pictures followed after all this), and meet some more kiddos.  We got our basic schedule for Monday-Friday’s of each week: some sort of work 9-3, tutoring 3-4, hang out 4-5, chapel 5-530, dinner, team time, sleep! So far its been excellent!!
Monday they let us rest and just play with the kids in the baby house while the older kids were at school. Those kids are the sweetest little things.  I also got to shower that day, with warm water (yess!) after 5 days without one. Tuesday we started to dig a sewage hole (10 feet across, 10 feet long, and 7 feet deep). It was during that time that my body literally ached for Jesus. I am here to serve, and it hurt, but it was GOOD.  I tutored that day and met some crazy girls that stole my heart, I visit them each day I go down there and have been helping Notandu (her name means “Love”) who is 12 and in grade 6. So far we’ve worked on math and English lessons together. I also helped Noziapho, a 14 year old in grade 4, with multiplication problems. They are both so sweet and either sit on me the whole time or won’t stop hugging me. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
Wednesday it was so windy we pretty much could only play with the kids inside and not do any labor until the afternoon. It’s way colder up here in the mountains, and the clouds blocking the sun really takes away any heat at all, and with the wind we basically freeze. That morning we stayed inside our kitchen and layed in our sleeping bags together. Thursday I went back to the sewage pit to find most of our previous work had been blown back to its original spot. Being sore and working just as hard for just as long was tough and I was exhausted, but I realize my service is nothing compared to what Jesus did for me. Today, I got to travel to the city on my day off (Friday’s) with 4 other people so we could get internet at the Swazi mall.

love you all

No pictures–computers too slow. sorry.