On Monday I returned from spending 10 days down in South Africa,  in the Port Shepstone area,  about 2 hours south of Durban next to the Indian Ocean.  Beautiful country down there,  and awesome weather too,  even though they are heading into their southern hemisphere winter. 

The first item on the docket was a church service at the Norwegian Settlers Church,  in the community of Marburg.  The service was awesome!  A vibrant Willow Creek Association church that is reaching out in their community.  Feel I've made some friends here,  despite my rather brief time with everyone here.  Later that day was a trip to the nearby Indian Ocean.

On Mon,  Wed,  and Fri mornings we headed up into the mountains,  and the poor community of Khula.  Every day nearly 100 children (age 2-5 yrs) converge on the Khula Cresche,  and participate in story time,  sing songs,  do crafts,  and receive a meal.  A simple meal,  just a bowl of porridge.  Even at the young age they are experts on sharing what little they have.

On Mon-Thu afternoons we made our way back down the mountains into the impoverished community of Murchison,  located just outside of Port Shepstone.  The Murchison Community Center reaches out to many schoolchildren aged 4-13.  Many of them swing by here on their way home from school,  and a few may not attend school at all.  They would rather come here than go home,  just to hang out and forget about their circumstances at home.  Child-headed households are in abundance,  and AIDS is prevelant.  This facility hosts a reading room,  a music academy,  a gym/weight room,  and a few other activities.  The gym is a really cool outreach tool,  daily devotions go on while the men are pumping iron.  I got a chance to participate in many of the reading room activities,  and also serve these kids probably their only meal of the day.  Most are not fed at home.

On Monday evening I sat in on a short meeting with some rural Zulu pastors,  and heard some of their amazing stories of ministering to the poor.

On Tue and Thu mornings I spent at the Genesis Care Centre,  an AIDS hospice facility located behind the Norwegian Settlers Church.  It's home to around 40 AIDS patients.  Also those same mornings they host a "Chapel Service".  A local pastor comes in,  accordion in hand,  and totally loses himself in the Lord as he ministers love and kindness to these victims of AIDS.  It was a cool experience.  The staff here are some of the most caring folks I've met in a long time.  They give the patients the quality one-on one time they need.

On Wed evening I went to a small group led by the pastor,  very nice to meet some more of the NSC congregation in a relaxed setting.

Friday's lunch was eaten at Leopard Rock,  located high above Oribi Gorge,  in the mountains. 

The finale of our ministry was on Friday evening,  at Youth Alive.  Held at the NSC,  over 100 Zulu teenagers make their way here,  some from the community,  some from nearby squatter camps.  Loud,  vibrant worship blended with relevant teaching makes this a favorite Friday night hangout for them.

On Saturday,  our ministry was officially over,  and time to de-compress before the entry back into the fast-paced self-indulging culture of the US.  This morning we went on a 2-hour game drive at Tala Game Reserve,  just NW of Durban.  Yes,  saw animals in their domain.

Later on Saturday we headed into downtown Durban to witness a professional rugby game,  and ate borewors.  This was South African culture at it's finest.  Our Sunday afternoon departure loomed nearer and nearer,  and tried to take in the local culture as much as possible.

Now,  we're back in the States,  adjusting to time-changes and culture shifts.  This was one of the most impactful trips I've done.  Maybe do it again next year?  Still too early to tell.

The time is drawing near.  I depart for South Africa this Thursday evening,  and will return on May 14.  Most of the time will be spent in both Port Shepstone and Murchison,  both are impoverished communities about 2 hours away from Durban.  Thanks to some wonderful donors,  I now have almost 40 pounds of items for the orphans.  A few of the mornings will be spent at the Khule Creche (pre-school).  Most of the donations will go here.  4 of the afternoons will be spent in Murchison,  assisting at an after-school program for school-aged kids.  I'll also visit an AIDS hospice facility,  known as the Care Center.  It's home to about 25-30 AIDS patients and AIDS orphans.  Thrown in will also be some time spent with some of the childrens' ministry leaders,  and also at a couple of Bible study small group meetings.  It's going to be quite a ride!

I'll post a detailed recap sometime during the week of May 14.

Remember to choose kindness!