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!