In the Beginning...

Hello everyone!  Let me first apologize for my first email. A friend told me afterward that it had some weird encryption in it. I can’t guarantee that won’t happen again. It has been about a week since I last emailed everyone, and I want to give you updates as much as possible. Since I am able to get internet today, I thought I should take advantage. My computer, along many other computers, is having troubles getting the internet on a consistent basis. I have tried to download skype, but to no avail. I would send pictures, but I am having trouble with that as well. I think it might be like this the whole time, and it is something that all of us westerners are having a hard time getting used to.  Nothing is consistent here or guaranteed to work. It makes me appreciate efficiency  much more.

Well, I started work on Sunday afternoon. I was a bit sad as Bethany and Joe dropped  me off, but God was watching over me. I immediately made friends. The sadness went away almost instantly. Someone must have been praying for me;)  The base here in Muizenberg is amazing. The building is old and dirty, the toilets don’t always flush, and the water pressure is difficult to work with, BUT as I type this to you now, I am facing the most beautiful scene of the sun going down behind a mountain. Our back porch is very big, wide open, and loaded with big, dirty couches. To my right are surfboards, and  in front of me is a little swimming pool. Right outside my front door, I can hear the ocean waves crash. My room has bright blue carpet and the tiniest shower that has ever existed. I lift my arms to wash my hair, and my elbows hit the wall. I love it here!

This morning I went for a walk on the beach. The waves here in Muizenberg stretch as far back as the eye can see, and the water is a clear blue color. As I thought about how amazing it is that the waves never stop coming, and for thousands of years they have been doing the same thing, it reminded me of how God never changes. Our world could be flipped upside down, all of the important people in our lives could suddenly change, but God never changes. It was such a comforting thought to me. I have been learning a lot here already about the character of God. I am excited to just be a sponge and soak in as much as possible. As we have had many speakers come in and talk to the DTS class, I am thankful for the opportunity to sit and be the one listening for a changeJ I have heard some amazing stories from missionaries, and learned some insightful views from speakers.

My DTS class has nine different countries represented. I have had a blast getting to know all of them. Right now I only have one roommate from Canada, but I believe another girl from Cameroon is coming as soon as she sorts out here visa issues.  Other students are from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Korea, and Nigeria. A typical day for us starts at 8:30 with some teaching or worship, then we have a short break, and have more teaching or worship from 11-1. After lunch we do some cleaning, then my favorite part is the outreach. During the outreach we go out into the community to be with the people. I don’t know where I am going to be every week for sure, but I think I am going to be in the townships I described to you in the last email. There are two that are really on my heart called Ocean View and Masapumalele. Both communities are very poverty stricken, and with that come the typical problems of drug abuse and child neglect, among others. There is also an HIV/AIDS orphanage that YWAM is connected with here in Muizenberg called Beautiful Gate. All of the children there are infected, and their parents have died of AIDS. I hope to spend some time there as well. If you have ever felt like you wanted to give somewhere but didn’t know who to trust to give your money to,  you might want to look into Beautiful Gate.

As of right now, I still don’t know where our three month outreach will be. As far as prayer requests, just pray for our safety here. I don’t feel like we are in any danger, but every time one of the girls on the base tries to go into Muizenberg alone, or to the beach alone(during the day), some sketchy situations arise. It is unfortunate that we cannot go out and explore the beauty of this place on our own. From here on out, I know that I will bring someone with me, even if I am just walking to the store.

I love you guys! Let me know if I can pray for anything in your lives. I will email again soon…God willing the internet is availableJ

Christina