In Which I Go To Zulu Church, Also, Some Facts


Yep, that’s what we did today. It was quite interesting! It lasted about 2 ½ hours, so longer than we’re used to at home! We were warned that it would be longer than what we were used to. Apparently, church can sometimes go as long as 5 hours. The first hour was worship, and it was fun! Much more upbeat than what I’m used to. One of the songs was apparently an old hymn, but you wouldn’t be able to guess that from the tempo. Everyone was dancing and clapping. It was so much fun to see people unhindered by the fear of what everyone else thinks. We were thanked for being there several times; I hope this had more to do with us being missionaries than with our skin tone. From what I can tell, I think it was.

The church was held in the community center in Burlington. The building we used was pretty small, probably the same size or smaller than my parent’s living room. We sat on plastic lawn chairs, there was no air conditioning or fans (the temperature was 91°F), the music was super loud, and the service was entirely in Zulu. Nevertheless, it was still so good to be there.

On to the second part of this post. I realized that I didn’t really give you much of an environment in my last post; I just kinda stated our schedule. So, here’s the scoop.

South Africa is currently in spring. Today I think was the hottest we’ve had so far. It rains a lot, so it’s a bit tropical here. I had missed thunderstorms! The “base” is actually the base leader’s house, and it is amazing! It’s pretty interesting because it’s built on a hill, so it doesn’t really feel like it’s 2 stories, although it is. The house is so beautiful. It is a typical South African wealthier house in that it has quite an advanced security system. There are gates and bars on all the windows, a gated driveway, and panic buttons that trigger an armed response. I have never seen so many security trucks driving the roads as I have here. They’ve never had to use any of the security here, and this house is well hidden behind trees. If you didn’t know it was here, then you would totally miss it. (Also, I think the bars on the windows have a secondary purpose of keeping the monkeys out of the house.)

Michelle, the lady of the house, rescues cats from Burlington. There’s a cat compound at the front of the property, and there are about 100 cats total running around; quite a few prefer the house. Good thing none of us are allergic.

Did you know that South Africa has the highest number of HIV/AIDS infections in the world? And that the number is still on the rise? It is truly an epidemic here. For so long, the government insisted that there was no problem, and even now there is still life threatening misinformation from the government. The current president has even said that taking a shower after sex will prevent infection. The social stigma still prevents people from getting tested—many would just rather not know. Definitely be praying for South Africa in this area!

I know this post was a bit disjointed, sorry about that. I’ll try to give you more info as we go along!

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In Which Africa Is Amazing

Here I am, in South Africa! Even after a week it still doesn't seem entirely real. Thank you thank you thank you to all those who helped me get here!

Packing. Crazy!

Ruth and I had a different train to London, but at least we were together! We left at 1:55 from York, took the tube from Kings Cross to London Bridge, and then the train to Gatwick! Our flight wasn't until 9:30, so we had some time to chill.

Camera wars at the airport!

The first flight was from London to Dubai, UAE and was 6 hours long. I had a bit of culture shock just being in the airport! There were so many women in full burka. New experience for me! Although I did have a little taste of home-- Steph and I got Cinnabon for breakfast! 

The second flight went from Dubai to Durban and was 9 hours long. So long! On both flights, none of us were sitting together, so it was a bit boring. I did like that the seat next to me was empty, though! I got to lay down a bit, even if I didn't really sleep except about 20 minutes. 

Steph and Coley, ready to get off that plane!

All told, we were traveling for about 29 hours before we got to the base. Whew! Thankfully, we got Saturday to rest. On Sunday, we went to our host's church, and then we stayed to watch the South Africa vs Wales rugby match! It was such a close game, but SA won by 1 point. Wales played better though.

Waiting to go to church!

Watching the rugby match

Monday, we got in to ministry proper. We had worship in Zulu with the rest of the base, and then we went out to do some street evangelism. Which was terrifying for me. I have never been the most outgoing of people, and I usually wait for someone to approach me, rather than the other way around. It didn't help that there was a language barrier-- in Durban, the majority of the population is Zulu. The people often understand a bit of English, but they don't usually speak it. One of my goals for this outreach is to break the fear I have of speaking one-on-one with people I don't know. 

Tuesday we went in to the township where a lot of the base works. Burlington has a population of about 7,000 people. We aren't allowed to take cameras in, because they might be stolen or we might get mugged for them, so I don't have pictures to show you, sorry! As we walk down the street, we hear a lot of "mulungu", which means "white person" in Zulu. It isn't derogatory, just a statement of fact! Or, we hear a sing-song chorus of small children saying "How are you! How are you!", which is probably some of the only English they know. We split in to groups of three with some of the others who work in Burlington and went on home visits to some members of the community. The lady I visited is very keen to teach us some Zulu! On Tuesday evening, we went to a rehab center called Careline, where we ate dinner (which was super tasty!), and generally just hung out with those who are staying there. They all have amazing stories!

Wednesday we spent the whole day in Burlington. We had Zulu worship, computer class for some ladies in the community, and a nail painting session after! They loved it. We went on more home visits, and Aunt Aleta, who I visited, was really nice. I'll get more in to Zulu culture another time, as this is already a really long post! In the afternoon, we had a reading club with some kids in the community! They are super adorable! That was the highlight of my day, I think. 

Yesterday we went to the church, which doubles as the meeting place for YWAM Durban, and started with intercession for Zimbabwe, then we had a HIV/AIDS info session, and then we came home to work on the base! Mom, you'll be glad to know those weeding skills are still in my memory. In the evening, we went to Careline again and that was great! We will be going to Careline every Tuesday and Thursday evening. 
Typical. Waiting for the HIV/AIDS session to begin

Waiting for the HIV/AIDS session to begin


Today, we get the morning to do, well, this! This evening, we'll be going to a youth group in Kloof, the suburb of Durban where we're staying. Tomorrow we have off, and I think the plan is to go to the beach! If we do, then I'll have been to three oceans!

Sunday, we're supposed to go to church in Burlington, and we'll see how that goes. We haven't been told that we're 'the main event' per say, but here, you usually aren't! Also, African church apparently just goes on for a lot of the day. We've been told to bring snacks, because no one knows how long the service will actually last! I'll let you know how that goes.

Well, I think this post is long enough! More to come!



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In Which I Am A Street Angel

I'm not sure if I've ever blogged about Street Angels, but I don't think so. So, here it is!

Last Friday was my last night out as a Street Angel. Here I am in my ridiculously oversized hi-vis jacket!




For those who don't know, Street Angels York is a church run, volunteer program where a group of 3 or 4 will go out on a Friday or Saturday night and try to help those who are vulnerable. Namely, those who are drunk. The drinking culture here is different from anything I've seen at home, but as I haven't really seen anything at home, I guess that's to be expected. The legal drinking age here is 18, but I've seen ages 18-50+ out and drunk on Fridays and Saturdays. Binge drinking is almost cultural here. Drinking at all is quite cultural; I've been to several church events where alcohol is served and a church carnival where you could win a bottle of wine or a 6 pack.

Anyway, the Street Angels go out and try to make sure everyone gets home safely. We carry a backpack filled with water bottles and flip flops-- you'd be surprised (or maybe not) at how many girls wear super high heels, but can't wear them all night so wind up walking barefoot, which is not safe when there's a high possibility of broken glass.

This last night out was fairly uneventful, but that's what we pray for. We did have a few vomiters (yuck), but nothing too serious. We did have a girl come up to us to thank us! Apparently, her sister had been out drinking the week before and passed out in a shop doorway and the Street Angels found her and made sure she was able to get home. When people recognize you're out doing something to help, it's pretty awesome.

Street Angels has been a good experience for me. I know I've grown a lot!

As a side note, this song is awesome and you should listen to it. :)



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In Which My Soul Dies 1,000 Deaths

Yes, really.


I hate asking people for money. Loathe it. Especially when people have already given me money. The very idea makes me cringe and look for a rock to hide under. Agony to my soul.


Life was so much easier when I had a job. Sure, I lived paycheck to paycheck, but at least I knew that there would be money in my bank account on Thursday each week. I look at how stressed I am right now and I say to God, "Is this how it's always going to be?" I feel called to missions, and a lifestyle of faith, but man, it's hard. Maybe it's my healthy dose of American pride, but I don't want anyone to know that I need money, that I can't do it on my own. The hardest is my parents. I feel like if I still need money after they've given so much, that I'm letting them down, that I've failed.


The current balance in my bank account as of this morning is $204.61. That may be shocking to some (especially my parents), but I promise that it was more shocking to me when I saw how low it was last week. I about had a heart attack. Where did all that money go?


I did wind up going to Ireland. Do I regret it? Yes, actually. It was way more expensive than I thought it would be. I'm still learning the whole business of traveling, and I haven't quite figured it out. Is it over and done? Again, yes. The hardest thing for me is having grace for myself. I seriously have a guilt complex right now over spending money on a vacation, even if it was only 3 days.


I guess the bright side to that is that God is big enough to cover my mistakes.


I found out last night that I still owe £72.08 to my school fees. That's $117. 
I still have to buy train tickets to and from the airport. I'm guessing that's close to £40-50. That's another $73. 
We still have to book an internal flight in South Africa to take us from Durban to Cape Town. We don't know the cost of that yet. 


Basically, I'm stretched really thin. I'd absolutely love to have another $500 before we go, so that I have a little bit of wiggle room. There's only one person on our team who actually has all the money she needs. As a team, we plan to fast and pray for financial breakthrough, starting with dinner tonight. If you can fast with us, that'd be amazing! If not, could you please pray during your dinner time for us?


Above all, I know that my God is a great big God, and he holds me in his hand. 





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