Day #36

Today Lonnie and I traveled to Wallmansthal (township community that we stayed during trailer ministry) to deliver donated carpet squares for their day care room. I was so excited to spend time with the kids as I worked with many of them during the week that we were there. There were highly entertained by being able to see themselves with my front facing camera on my phone and taking pictures in general. I attached a short video of them below.

Earlier, I worked on a Sunday School lesson for this week as well as a few other tasks. Later this evening I went to the Wednesday night service at another Eastside site (Eastside Hatfield). This site is primarily for young adults. It is incredible for me to worship with 25 or so other individuals my age. It is quite new for me to be surrounded by so many other young adult Christians as there are very few that regularly attend my church at home.

Overall, today has been a great day!

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While traveling out to Wallmansthal today I had a quick moment of uneasiness and dissatisfaction. As I walked into the small garage that we once stayed in, there were 15-20 small children just sitting on the floor. These children, ranging in age from 1-4 years old, were literally sitting on the cold, hard, cement floor with absolutely nothing to stimulate or even engage them. As I looked around the room, I wondered why on Earth the two volunteers looking after these children weren't initiating anything. And in my frustration, I had to remind myself that although the kids weren't learning or even playing, they were at least safe, fed and being looked after. You see, many of the other children centers once started off very similar to this newly developed center- with nothing other than a small room. But I had to remind myself that God will provide. It is not my job to judge and compare the things that they should have with what they do not. It is also not my job to become frustrated with these volunteers because they are not required, much less payed to look after and feed these children every day. But yet, they still do. However, it is my job to help where I can, and trust that God has something much bigger in store for them.

In the midst of reprimanding myself and doing a reality check, I realized that there is no redemption without brokenness. There is also no hope without having first been in despair. God takes a crappy situation and turns it into something marvelous that will sustain and bear fruit.We wouldn't recognize God's mercy and kindness without the bad and the unpleasant.

I have no doubt that God will provide for Wallmansthal.

xoxo
Taylor

Day #35

I spent the majority of today working on my very first assignment for Debbie. Next week, while going out to a few of the numerous children centers, I will teach a lesson that I am now preparing. Since they are on the "Keeping Safe" unit, and they are focusing on the letter "f" I thought a lesson on fire safety would be appropriate. I have come up with a short story with learning aids, a few interactive games and reinforcing activities. I also found some adorable firemen hats and firetrucks from the store today!

The kids will not be able to understand English and their teacher will have to translate all instructions/information for me. In doing so, it will serve as a learning experience for the teacher. For most of the teachers, very little qualifications are required to teach these children in the under resourced centers. Therefore, they are not always trained or experienced in how to engage the children with the lessons that are prepared for them. For all of the activities I have planned, very few materials are needed. Effectiveness does not always have to depend on costliness.

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Since I first decided I wanted to partake in this mission trip, I have been constantly supported and encouraged. Not only have I been supported financially, but both emotionally and spiritually as well. My family, friends and church family have all been outstanding in their efforts of uplifting and reassuring throughout the past few months.

However, there is no better assurance than change.

In South Africa, it has been mind blowing to see God move both in Pretoria and surrounding areas. I have witnessed numerous people establish and re-establish relationships with God. I have also had the privilege of assisting little ones find hope in hopeless situations just by telling them about Jesus and what he did for us. But, something happened today that was equally satisfying that occurred right in my home town.

I have quite a few friends but only a handful of "true" friends that are always there no matter when or where. In that handful, is one particular friend that will laugh at all my jokes, pick me up when I've stumbled and even put me in my place when necessary. This friend has stuck by my side through tough situations and even some pretty nasty arguments. She is supportive of all of my decisions as a Christian although church has never really been her thing. This one particular friend, who will set my alarm for church if ever I forget before I fall asleep on a Saturday night that we hang out together (even if she's not planning on going herself).

This one incredible friend, who messaged me today saying "So when you come back I want to start going to church with you."

Seeing God work in the lives and hearts of people you don't know is great. But seeing God work in the lives of the ones that you love and care about is monumental. That one simple message gave me an incredible amount of reassurance and motivation.

Change is a beautiful thing.

(P.S. Murray & Dalene put ranch on their salads for dinner tonight. I was so proud.)

xoxo
Taylor

Day #32-34

I can't believe I only have 20 more days left here in South Africa! It has gone by much quicker than I would have liked for it to.

Today was my first day of working with Debbie & Lonnie (U.S. missionaries). For the first part of the day, Debbie filled me in on what exactly they do in South Africa and how I will be of assistance to them the next few weeks. Basically, the Warren's are extremely active in working with the under resourced children centers. Not only do they deliver food to the various churches/centers that they help, Debbie works to provide academic curriculum for the children centers. She organizes lessons, activities, learning aids, plans the exact order that they will be taught, and has them translated in the dominate language spoken in each center. The work they do is absolutely incredible and extremely beneficial to the teachers that use the lessons.

After receiving a project to begin working on, we traveled to town to pick up their usual Monday bread donation. One of the local super markets in Pretoria gives Debbie & Lonnie all of the extra bread, deli, desserts, etc. not sold from the bakery from each week. With this, they distribute all that is donated to different centers/churches each Monday. Today, we traveled to KwaMhlanga which is about an hour from Pretoria. The school center we visited today was much more established/structured. Simply meaning, they actually had a building with classrooms and proper materials that you would find in any other school. We got there just as the kids were beginning to pile in the back of a truck to be taken home. I was so excited to get to briefly interact with them before they left!

Tomorrow will be a new day full of new adventures.

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I have to remind myself each day to have patience.

Patience- the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.

I constantly tell myself "It's God's timing, not mine".
Quite often I find myself being extremely anxious and tense about the future. It is so difficult for me, the planner that I am, to not know for sure what will become of my life. The how, when and where are so vital to me in most circumstances that it is unnerving to not know all the answers. As a result, I become frustrated. Frustrated with God that he won't reveal the details to me so that I can plan ahead and live out my life appropriately. But then, I have to regain focus, stop being selfish and realize that I'm a child of God for a reason. I'm not supposed to know where I'm heading or what I will do when I get there because what fun would that be?  Life's about the adventure and taking chances along the way. So what if you get lost in the process, it's the experiences and the relationships that are established along the way that makes us the people that God wants us to be.


 So I will be patient. I  will not fret when one door closes because I know that God will open another door full of more opportunity at some other, more perfect time. I will not grow weary when things do not fall into place the way that I want them to because what the heck do I know about what's best for my future when I don't even know what the future has in store for me in the first place. So, if I don't get in to the program of my dreams and live out the career I have in mind, then so be it. Regardless of the path that I take and the decisions that are made, it WILL be a beautiful journey with God. Because God... he's got it all under control.

xoxo
Taylor

Day #28-31

This week has been incredible. Not only did I get to have some free time to relax and have fun, I saw amazing views/animals with some pretty great people as well!

This past week, 4 other young adults and myself traveled about 5 hours from Pretoria to Sabie Park (private community that happens to be in a game reservation).

Gray (one of the guys that I have become friends with from Eastside) and his family own a BEAUTIFUL vacation home in Sabie Park. Not only is the house gorgeous, the fact that it is in inside a game reservation is mind blowing in itself. When we first arrived on Tuesday, all 5 of us walked down to the picnic area where we saw numerous zebras, various deer and a few other wild animals all within 15 feet of us. I could hardly contain my excitement, it was ridiculous.

Each night, we would braai(BBQ) and simply enjoy the great outdoors. The first night we were there, a brave hyena came pretty close to the grill to check out what we were cooking. I could've gone without that animal spotting! Anywho, each night after dinner we would take mattresses outside on the deck upstairs and admire the clear sky and all of the beautiful stars. Every night, after about five minutes, I would immediately fall into a deep sleep and bless them with the sound of my snoring until they were finished star gazing.

On the second morning, we all decided to get up at 5:45 to watch the sun rise from the master bedroom (it is fully surrounded by windows). Although I am by no means a morning person, it was breath-taking to watch the sun pop over the horizon while watching a family of giraffes wander around the premises.

We also visited the Kruger National Park while there. KNP is also a game reservation, but much, MUCH larger. Kruger has quite a few more animals including wild lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, buffalo and numerous other dangerous game that do not live in Sabie. Basically, you drive all throughout this humungous park on both paved and dirt paths in hopes of finding as many different animals as possible. There were several pauses of silence as we all competitively and rather intensely searched for animals to see who could find them the fastest. But mostly, there was laughter, joke telling and plenty of singing.

However, despite all of the "first- time experiences" and the beautiful sights I saw this week, perhaps my favorite part was simply the company. It was so nice to spend time with a group of young adults who share the same beliefs and religion as I do. Not only were we able to get to know one another better, we were able to share stories, experiences and our struggles. It's not every day that you find friends that openly pray before every meal, when traveling, etc. without being first prompted to do so by an adult (In my experience, anyways). What a beautiful thing it is to have meaningful conversation with other individuals your age and just openly discuss biblical passages and moral matters while sitting around a fire. These alone are memories that I will never forget.

Until tomorrow,

xoxo
Taylor

Day #27

Happy Monday!

I had quite a bit of change in plans this morning. Originally, I was supposed to spend this week with Debbie & Lonnie Warren (U.S. missionaries that I will be working with for the remainder of my stay in SA) since the Reyburn's are still on vacation. However, I got a last minute message this morning about an invite to Kruger Park for the week. For those of you who don't know what it is, google it. It's gorgeous!

So, I'm leaving tomorrow with a small group of young adults from Eastside for a slight getaway until Friday! YAY! I'm not sure yet if there is wifi where I'm going to be staying- but if not, I'm sure you can survive just one more week of no communication. I'll have lots of pictures and great memories to share with you when I get back.

Also, Robyn has been sneakily hiding my delivered packages. She has been waiting to surprise me with them! I will finally get to open them this afternoon once I get back to Debbie and Lonnie's. Best.Monday.ever!

Have a great week!
xoxo
Taylor

Day #26

Today was a day of rest and relaxation. For the first time since I've been in South Africa I had the opportunity to just hang around, watch some movies and even NAP! I have a pretty horrible sounding cough, a snotty nose and the works so it was good to just be able to rest today.

However, in the midst of my calm afternoon, I had quite a bit of down time to just think. Not only did I think about my trip and what I had learned/experienced thus far, I thought about a number of things pertaining to back home.

Now before you start freaking out, this is not a home sick blog.

In the process of thinking about back home, I of course thought about my family and friends that I miss but also about my future and the worries I have about school, future job, etc. As I sat on my bed, I thought about what life would be like when I returned to the real world; the world of working and school. I pondered my frustration of not finding the right Godly guy yet. I also thought about how successful I will be in my future career... and if I would ever even make it to my dream career to begin with.

As I thought about these things I begin to worry and stress. Then, as I dropped my head in despair and frustration of the unknown, I looked down at the red Southampton Indian sweatshirt I was wearing. I immediately knew what to do. You see, the sweatshirt I was wearing once belonged to my Uncle Bobby.

For those of you who do not know, I had an extraordinary man as my uncle. He was a Godly man who lived his life with humility and a burning passion to advance God's kingdom. He was humble, funny, wise, and just an overall joy to be around. He inspired me more than any other person I have ever met and he was one of those people that gives you the desire to be better. He meant more to me than he will ever be able to understand and unfortunately he lost his battle with pancreatic cancer before I got the chance to tell him. What I wouldn't give to just have him around one more day to confide in him, tell him what's new and explain to him how much he has impacted me and given me the desire to partake in mission work.

In my reminiscing of Uncle Bobby I was reminded of one of the verses that he fearlessly lived by.
Philippians 4:6
"Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for what he has done."

I hear you loud and clear, Uncle Bobby. Thanks for the reminder.

You see, I might not know exactly where my future is headed, who I'm going to marry, or even how much I will make in my career. BUT because God will be with me each step of the way, I have not a single thing to worry or stress about. I will live each day in the present and leave the planning to God. Sometimes, no matter how much it kills me, I have to accept that I am not in control and just thank him for whatever the outcome may be. So God, I'm giving you the pen... you write my future. I'm sure it'll be a much better story than I could ever create.

xoxo
Taylor

Day #19-25

Did you miss me?

This past week was truly an incredible experience. Although I was pushed about 593 miles out of my comfort zone, I had the opportunity to witness some pretty amazing things with some outstanding individuals.

Before I start with any of the in depth serious stuff from this week, I just want to give you some brief details of the community and where we stayed to give you a better perspective of the experience. For starters, there is no running water which complicates a number of every day tasks such as washing hands, dishes, your body, or anything else for that matter. Luckily, the trailer ministry team was provided by our own water supply from Eastside to use throughout the week for drinking and other necessary chores (We each were allowed one "bucket bath" for the week). There is also no electricity which is extremely difficulty to adapt to. However, we did have the opportunity to use a small generator for short periods of time during the night for one small light bulb and for the rest of the team to charge their phones. Lastly, there is no indoor plumbing. There is however, a "long drop" which is basically a less structured version of a porter potty (AKA my worst nightmare). There was no getting around that one.

The pastors of Praise Tabernacle Church were extremely hospitable towards us throughout our entire stay. The girls stayed in the garage attached to the side of their house. The boys slept right next door in a shack that belonged to one of the members of the church.

I am extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to work with the other members of the trailer ministry team. They are such an outstanding group of people. They became my family this past week and without them, I would not have coped nor would I have been nearly as comfortable in such an unfamiliar environment. We ate together, prayed together, laughed together, sang together and truly bonded as one. I made unforgettable memories as well as life-long friendships. They were so uplifting and encouraging throughout this entire week!

The need for love within this community is evident. There were very few times during the past six days that both of my hands were not being held, my hair was not being played with or my lap was not being sat on. There were several very little children that came with their older siblings to Holiday Club and they quickly captured my heart. Poor sanitation and the spread of germs became so irrelevant and unimportant when working with these kids because all I desired was to snuggle with each and every one of them. It was such a privilege to focus solely on God and his plans for this community, free of any and all distractions. It was truly a humbling experience.

Possibly one of the best memories I had from the entire week was on Thursday. More than halfway through the week, we started to let the leaders from Praise Tabernacle Church take over and be independent in their leading rather than us giving them instructions or intervening. It was on this day that we focused on salvation and it's meaning. In our small group time, we had a time where we asked if anyone would like to be saved and allow God to become a part of their lives. During this time, a group of three other girls and myself were working on making sandwiches for all of the children to have for lunch. In the midst of our assembly line, Gray, our team leader, came around the corner seeking not just one of us but all four in helping with salvation prayers. As we proceeded around the corner, seven small hands were still raised from the question of who wanted to be saved from the first & second grade class. Immediately I felt such an overwhelming sense of excitement and happiness to know that we were successfully making an impact. As we each took a child, I just happened to pair up with one of the small boys, Gift. As we walked to a more secluded, quiet place, we were also accompanied by an older leader who spoke their language so that Gift would be able to understand my prayer. Almost halfway through my prayer, I completely lost it. What an emotional experience it was to be a part of a small child's commitment prayer to God. It was a moment I will never forget with that beautiful little boy.

So now, as I recover from a nasty cold, I reflect on how blessed I really am. As I return back to Pretoria I think about how lucky I am to be able to leave and take a hot shower, enjoy indoor plumbing and electricity during the night as many kids from Wallmansthal will never have that same opportunity.

xoxo
Taylor