Thank you Jesus!

Hey All!! I am sorry that I have not been able to post anything in a while. It has been a crazy adventure so far. After we left the hotel in Atlanta, we went to the airport to get on our flight to Johanesburg( not sure if I spelled that correctly).  We had to wait a few hours for our flight, but eventually we boarded and began our 18 hour journey!  I apparently got the short straw or unlucky ticket because everyone in our group got a seat on the plane next to eachother in the back except for me, where I was up a few rows in between two men that I have never met before    haha.  At first I thought that it was going to be awkward and lonesome spending 18 hours next to people that I have never met before, but they actually turned out to be great!  One of the guys' name was Dara and he was from Texas.  He was a 20 year old college student who was interning in South Africa for a month. The other guy ended up being from MIchigan actually which was really cool.  He was heading into South Africa to see if he could help out his son who had gotten into some trouble. So the plane ride ended up being good, and I was blessed to be next to some fiendly people and was able to make even more new friends!

Once our 18 hour plane ride was finally over, we entered that Johanesburg airport.  Now none of us were informed of this until the morning of our flight so we were not fully prepared but we ended up having to stay inside the airport for 23 hours to wait for our flight to Manzini!  23 hours!! craziness haha. The worst part was that our luggage stayed on the flight so all that we had with us was what we brought on the plane.  Luckily the plane gave us pillows and blankets so we had something to use to try to sleep with; but let me tell you what…sleeping on a cold,cement airport floor is not really easy.Therefore,none of us really slept and we ended up spending most of our time hanging out in a 24 hour coffee shop.  Though the wait was long, it allowed us to get to know one another really well!  Once we finally got on our  flight to Manzini, we were all really excited and anxious to finally get our trip started. The flight to Manzini was only 45 minutes so it felt like a breeze compared to our 18 hour flight that we had previously.  When we landed in Manzini, three of the squad leaders were there waiting for us with welcoming arms! We got on a bus and headed to the camp that we would be staying at that night.  Once we got there, we were able to meet everyone on the C squad and get acquainted with everyone on our teams. We had pizza for dinner (which I never would have expected) and then had a worship session before bed.

The next morning we began our journey to Cape Town.  Just when I thought that all of our long travels were over, I realized that I was sadly mistaken. Our bus ride from Manzini, Swaziland to Cape Town was a total of about 22 hours!!  It was definitely a long trip but once again, it allowed us to all get to know eachother better.  Once we finally got to Cape Town, we settled at a camp for a few nights where we were able to catch up on some sleep and have an orientation to learn what we would be doing for the time that we are here.

This week, we are working at a small church helping to put on a VBS for children who live near the church. These kids are so happy and cheerful and are so excited to learn about the love of Jesus and sing and dance and praise him.  Pastor Daniel took us around to show us where these children live.  It breaks my heart to see the places that they come from. It has surely reminded me to thankful for what I have and to be grateful in all circumstances.  Please keep these children in your prayers.  Please pray for a better future for them and for them to grasp on to what they are learning at VBS so they can spread the news throughout their communities.

While we are working at VBS this week, we are all staying at host families houses.  Sarah and I are staying with Auntie Monica.  Auntie Monica lives were her mother, her sister and her 20 year old nephew Zach.  They are all so wonderul!  They spoil us to death and feed us more food than we would ever need. We each have our own warm, comfy bed to sleep in and a hot shower to use, which I am extremely grateful for.  I never knew that South Africa has their own Idols show, but let me tell you what, they do.  Not only do they have a show,they have a whole channel dedicated to it haha.  We spend a lot of time watching that at night, mostly laughing because none of the singers are that good.  Zach was informing Sarah and I of all of the different styles and trends that they have gotten from America.  The funny thing is, Sarah and I have heard of none of them haha.  For instance Swag Beanie?? It is a hat, which I have seen them before, just never have heard of the term swag beanie.  So it has been fun talking with him aobut the trends in South Africa and sharing with him some things from America.  

Auntie Monica is such an amazing woman of God. She is so thankful for everything that God has blessed her with and never forgets that everything that she has is a gift from God.  She is always willing to open up her home to anyone and will share the love of Christ with everyone that she meets.  I have learned a lot from her already while I have been there, but mostly to be thankful. She always says thank you Jesus.  She said that if there is one thing that we will remember her by, it would be Tank You Jesus. 

So Thank You Jesus for my life!  Thank you for sending your son to die for my sins so that I may have life,even though I do not deserve it.  Thank you for always supplying me with my needs and giving me more than what I need. Please remind me to be thankful always and to remember that everything that I have is a gift from you and to share those gifts to everyone around me.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

P.S.  God is faithful and answers prayers.  Put your trust in him and do not fear.