Outtatown Site 2: South Africa

Reflections on Community

2008-04-11T13:07:00.001-07:00

Outtatown has been a great opportunity for me to work on myself; to develop and grow into the woman that Christ wants me to be. The atmosphere is perfect for this because we have had such a strong community around us to help us along and to give us strength in times when we need it most. Not just with mentors or peer mentoring groups either; simply hiking, spending a long bus ride sitting beside, rooming with, working with, or reflecting with a fellow student creates perfect opportunities to share your thoughts, concerns and struggles, thus creating perfect opportunities to support each other. I have experienced this over and over, probably every day and didn’t even notice the significance until now.

Coming on Outtatown and to South Africa I expected to be moved, challenged and changed, but mostly as a result of the poverty that we were about to face. I was wrong. Sure, I was moved, challenged and changed to a certain degree by the poverty I have seen and it brought questions, many questions, but most of the growth I’ve seen in my life is a result of living in community.

Our community is a church. We are real with each other, holding one another accountable and influencing the growth in each other. Due to this special environment I have a stronger faith and trust in the Lord, I have more passion for the things of the Lord, I have experienced the character of God in people. I now understand what it is to be an example of Christ in the world and I finally realize the importance of a strong Christian community.

I am so sad to be leaving it now, but I thank God for this year, my Outtatown community and what I have experienced with them. I now know what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ and know what to look for as I try to create or find my Christian community in Canada.

Written by: Rachel Kamps

My Hike of the Century

2008-04-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

From Durban we headed to Petermaritzberg where we stayed at an organization called Project Gateway. Coming into this week I was excited to do service work and feel like I was trying to make a dent of difference in this community. Project Gateway is a non-profit organization based out of an old jail. They renovated thecells into rooms for guests, created a café and have given many craftspeople jobs on site.

From the first hour of arriving in Petermaritzberg it felt like home to me; all the people we met at Project Gateway were so friendly and excited for “the Canadians”. We had a chance to attend and worship with Petermaritzberg Community Fellowship, visit a nearby school, and just help out on site. Some examples of the work we did include: painting a cell, covering school textbooks, scooping pigeon poop and picking up garbage.

During our time in Petermaritzberg our group was split into two groups, one went hiking while the other stayed back at the jail, then we switched. I was not looking forward to this hike, yet I kept trying to convince myself that it would be okay. I’m not very good at physical activity like this and I’m still recuperating from the canoe trip first semester, but I knew flaking out was not an option so I packed up my 60 litre backpack and said my prayers.

Once we arrived at the bottom of the hill and met with Geoff and our other hike guides, we saw just how beautiful the mountain range was. The Drakensberg is like nothing I have seen before and all I can really say about it is that it sort of reminded me of the scene at the end of The Sound of Music when the VonTrapp family is hiking to Switzerland.

It was a two hour hike to our first destination – a cave. We were blessed to have great weather; I think God knew that I needed sunshine that day to keep me positive. We made camp in the cave and called it home for two nights.

The next morning after waking up and eating some oatmeal we started our adventure to the top of Rhinos Peak. I was doing alright physically, thanks to our many snack breaks and rest stops, and I actually found myself having a pretty good time. It was a lot of fun spending time with our group in such an amazing place, with such intense beauty and like I mentioned before I’m not a huge nature person, but it was really beautiful. After about 4.5 hours we made it to the peak (we are the fastest Outtatown group ever) and it was actually breathtaking. I still can’t believe it when I look back at my pictures!

My group was blessed with an amazing experience while at the top. We met a group of indigenous Losoto cattle herders. I found this amazing. They were watching their cattle, wearing traditional clothing and didn’t understand English. I didn’t know that these things existed anymore since everywhere else that we’ve gone has been Westernized. Meeting these people is something I will always remember.

All in all, I’ve called the Drakensberg my hike of the century. It was hard will probably be the last hike I’ll do for quite some time, but really, I had a much better time than I expected to and feel proud that I made it to the top.

Written by: Lauren Sonnenberg

Corey and Lauren painting a cell

Stephen hard at work

Ben

The group starting a long and beautiful hike

The beauty that surrounded us

Snack break

Home, sweet home! It's amazing how inviting a cave seems after a long day of hiking

Gabe collecting some drinking water

Gabe, Lauren, Corey, Meagan, Simon and Far (one of our guides)

Lauren sitting at the top!

A few of the Losoto cattle herders we met at the top

Durban Homestays

2008-04-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from March 8th – 14th
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For one week we partook in the South African Indian experience. Outside of India, Durban is the third largest concentration of Indian people in the world, coming just behind England. It was great to be immersed in the Indian culture, from the spicy curries, to the Bollywood, to the recognition of different religious presences in the community.

We were told a bit of the Indian story; how they came to South Africa as sugar cane cutters back in the 1800’s and about their effort in helping bring the Apartheid to an end. We learned a lot about Ghandi’s efforts to bring freedom and equality to the country through his movement of peace and non-violence and we also learned about where the Indian culture is heading in this new democratic country that is South Africa.

This was one of the roughest weeks for our group due to a strange stomach flu that we picked up at the end of our stay in Mdumbi and the homesickness that comes with being physically sick while away from home, but thankfully we spent the week in homestays with Indian families from the church we working with. Our host families were extremely hospitable and nursed us back to health.

I had an amazing host family this week. They may not have had a lot to offer us, but I’m sure they gave us everything they had. They were so welcoming and I’m pretty sure that I had the cutest little sister that I could imagine.

Looking back at the week, there are a few things that stick out to me that I learned through experiencing this new culture. First is the importance that they put on tight family living. Both sets of grandparents lived basically in the same house as my host family. It was incredible to see the impact on the family’s life due to the close relationship of the grandparents, parents and children. This has challenged me to examine my relationships with my own family and made me realize just how blessed I am to have them.

The second thing came mid-week when my host family as well as many other families in Durban experienced a huge rain storm that caused extensive flooding in many areas of the city. What struck me about this was the way my family dealt with it. It amazed me to see the joy and peace that they maintained as the rain flooded into their house and ruined the little that they had. This honestly left me with so many questions. If they had more to lose then would they have felt the loss more and handled the situation differently? Would a typical family in North America handle the situation in the same way? Are there things in my own life that I am holding on to so tightly that if they were suddenly taken away I would lose site of God and my joy in the process?

I haven’t come up with answers to all of these questions, but I challenge you to think about them as well. God is a great God and He is working throughout the world. I know that this week has further opened my eyes to that truth.

Written by: Stephen Foord

Photos of the flooding

Mei-Lin, Carla and Deanna enjoying the ocean one last time

Mdumbi

2008-04-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from March 1st – 7th
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Our long day of driving brought us to one of the beautiful areas of South Africa that I have seen so far. Clusters of huts scattered along the countryside. Children running outside to wave, smile, or simply to ease their curiosity. Men
and women going about their day. All of our eyes remained fixed on the world outside our bus windows. In our own way we were captivated by the beauty that is rural South Africa.

I’m sure you can picture our bus manoeuvring its way along the long winding dirt road, the hot African sun beating down and all of us trying to relieve ourselves from the heat. “Hey guys, there’s the ocean! Oh wait…no, that’s just a hill in the distance.” (a little while later…) “Hey guys, the water over there…oh, uh, never mind.” This is to say that there were definitely moments when I thought the ride would never end.

Finally we came to the end of the road and arrived at our destination. Situated right on Coffee Bay, Mdumbi Backpackers became our new home for the week. Our time here was set aside to do the second half of our Knowing Yourself Unit. We spent a chunk of time everyday having sessions in the lapa (an outdoor sitting area).

In one of the first sessions we looked over the results from a personality test we took the week before. There were the loyalists, peacemakers, helpers, enthusiasts, individualists, challengers, and reformers. Within our groups we discussed the tests accuracy and discovered some aspects of our personalities that we knew, but just didn’t understand or know how to put into words. Interesting stuff.

Simon led an awesome session on the Holy Spirit; what it is, what it does, and how it affects who we are. Anita went through a really worthwhile exercise where we thought about things we’d like to “stop, start, and continue” once we get back home. Sabrina spent time with us talking about going home and gave us some really sweet questions to think about. Jodie shared a synopsis of David’s life and how he was a man after God’s own heart. Jodie also presented the ideas of passions and complaints, challenging us with the thought that our ministry comes from our complaints. We were even blessed to have a session led by one of our fellow students. Michelle Ball spoke to us about an issue close to her heart; social justice and what our role is in that.

The leaders also sent us off for an afternoon of silence. Some journaled, some walked around, some found a spot to plunk down. Pray, read, or just be quiet, it was completely up to us. It was really great to take time away from the busyness of the week and just be still and spend time with God.

The atmosphere at Mdumbi was really chilled and relaxed. It made for a perfect place to process all that we have experienced and were learning. We also had a dang lot of free time, most of which was spent: hanging out in the main hut, listening to music or playing cards, boogie boarding, surfing, playing in the waves, going on hikes, stargazing, laying on the beach, picking up seashells (which thankfully are a lot lighter than rocks), or just resting and doing nothing.

Mdumbi was amazing. It was one of the slower, fast-paced weeks (trust me, that does make sense). Oh, and by the way, WE SLEPT IN HUTS!!!!

Written by: Mei-Lin Ing

Mdumbi Backpackers

One of the huts we stayed in

Lauren and Jacob saying hello to our neighbours...the cows

Johan giving us some quick, yet helpful, surf tips

Sean, Gabe, James and Corey walking on the beach

Jeffery's Bay

2008-03-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from February 24th - 29th
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Finally, the ever so popular J-Bay. This was such a beautiful place full of awesome waves and cheap surf shops. We stayed at UCSA (United Christian Student Association), a camp retreat centre that was not even two minutes from the beach.

In addition to experiencing the Leap Year on February 29th, we had some pretty sweet activities set up for us this week. Each student had the opportunity to choose 2 out of 3 adventure activities. The options were surf lessons, horseback riding on the beach and sand-boarding. Those surf lessons were pretty much the key to us becoming the professionals we are today, and although riding the horses was painful at times, it was still such a blast to trot through the sand dunes and race at full speed along the ocean’s shoreline.

We were also able to spend some time with a YWAM group stationed there in J-Bay. They welcomed us into a lively worship service, followed by a time of prayer, which lead into some service opportunities. While some of our group prepared food boxes for HIV/Aids patients from a nearby township, the rest of us helped lead a day camp for some of the children of the township. The day was full of Bible stories, worship, games and a snack. It was a great opportunity to see how a different organization is working and serving in the world around them.

This was a really fun week to kick back, relax and enjoy the community of the group once again.

Written by: Ben Pavey

Joanne, Meagan, Gabe, Lauren, Michelle, and Jen in front of one of the the many surf outlets.

Sean taking some time to spend with God

Dave looking pretty much pro

Krystal looking beautiful riding through the sand dunes

Jacob, Rachel and Christine walking some of the kids home after kids club

Goodbye for now

2008-02-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Early tomorrow morning (5:00 am to be exact) we'll be boarding the bus and heading out for our next adventure. We'll be heading to Mdumbi where we'll hopefully get to know ourselves better...literally since we're going to be doing part 2 of our Knowing Yourself module.

The reason that I'm writing this now (before we actually do it), is that for all parents and significant others who are used to hearing from your child or boyfriend or girlfriend (or whatever relationship you have with one of the students on Site on site 2) on a regular basis (and for all of those who wish you'd hear from your child more often), it might be good for you to know that we will not have internet or cell phone reception for the next week. Know that we still love you a lot.

The following photos are a preview of the write-up that will be coming about our time here in J-Bay.

Rachel looking beautiful on her horse

Mei-Lin and Simon

Mei-Lin, Jen, Sean, Gabe, Sabrina and Carla looking totally pro

Gabe picking up his board and heading out for another round

Bonnievale

2008-02-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

The weekend at Bonnievale was a nice weekend of relaxation and activity; we did things like swim, swing off a rope swing into the water, canoe, a climbing wall, a high ropes course and just hang out and enjoy the wilderness. There were tents and tarps set out, but a lot of us chose to embrace the wilderness and sleep out under the stars. I have to say that there was something beautiful about spending the weekend sleeping outside, eating meals that were cooked over a fire and enjoying the nature that God created.

Another great thing about the weekend was that we were there with Site 3 and it was great to see them again and swap stories of all that we’ve experienced so far.

We left Bonnievale at 5:00 on Sunday morning…now you might be wondering why we had to leave so early…it was because we had a little stop to make along the way. After a five hour bus ride we made it to Bloukrans Bungy, which we were told, at 216 metres, is the highest bungy in the world…although there seems to be a bit of controversy surrounding that. Regardless, it was freakishly high. It’s funny though because although everything inside of you tells you it’s ridiculous to jump off of a bridge and you’re foolish for doing it (in fact, you may be reading this and fully agreeing with those thoughts), there is something beautiful about soaring through the air and seeing the beauty and hearing the silence that surrounds you.

Written by: Dave Toews and Sabrina Wiens

Dave going off the rope swing

Jodie and Joanne doing the high ropes course

Michelle walking the rope like a pro

Corey climbing the wall

The view that we had while sleeping outside...it's surprising how bright the moon can be

Kayamandi

2008-02-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from February 17th – 20th
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Hidden under piles of trash and behind the doors of the matchbox shacks lies the township of Kayamandi, simply waiting to rise out from underneath the burdens that have been covering up this township's glowing beauty. I had the opportunity to get to know this township and although it was only three short days that I had there, God revealed more to me than I ever could have imagined.

Our site was split up into groups of 3 or 4 and after spending a morning exploring the township, with guides who grew up in Kayamandi, each group was given a small budget in order to create its own service project. I truly believe that it was in discovering the community by walking the streets, holding a child’s hand and simply observing the day-to-day life in Kayamandi, that God revealed Himself to me in unexpected, yet clear ways.

We were advised to not only identify the needs that we saw in this township, but to look deeper and identify the assets of the people and the community as well. I was able to open my eyes and see not only the brokenness of the community, but also the beauty that was flourishing; I realized that I have so much to learn from their way of simplicity and especially from the emphasis on relationships. I was inspired by the amount of love and caring that was shown among neighbours. If someone was in need of a hand there was always a neighbour close by to help. For instance, one of our groups helped a 27 year old woman and her 4 year old son tear down and rebuild their shack because it had started to shift and as a result was crooked and not suitable for keeping the rain out. Amidst the three Outtatown students working on repairing the house was an abundance of neighbours joining in to help put this home together again.

The beauty of this relational attitude was made incredibly clear to me through my own group’s service project as well. We decided to build a fence for one of the many local crèches (nursery schools), because the children were constantly escaping through one of the many gaps in the existing fencing, however, we had absolutely no idea how to put up a fence. We walked into this project blindly, but when we started working and trying to figure it out, the neighbours, who had built many fences, came and showed us how to put it up. The fence would not have made it up, nor would it be stable without the help of the two men who picked up our mallet and drove those long poles into the ground for us. I am incredibly thankful for the help they gave us.

God was not only revealed to me through the hospitality and genuine care of the neighbours, but also through the way that our service project played out. As I’ve already mentioned, none of us knew how to put up a fence, or even what type of tools and supplies we’d need, so even going to the local hardware store was difficult. I really missed Canada and the friendly and helpful service that Home Depot offers since the local Builders Hardware was definitely lacking in that department! And yet, it all worked out brilliantly and plans seemed to fall into place. God revealed Himself to us in every step of our project.

Had we just driven by Kayamandi, like we have with so many other townships, I never would have discovered the beauty that it possesses. My judgment of the township probably would have stopped at the poverty, piles of trash and world that is in many ways opposite to the one I come from. However, I now see that God’s love is evident in all parts of this world and through all people. He was in our service. He was in the help that was offered to us by the community. He was in the children’s hands that we held. He was in the children at the crèche. It’s not hard to find God once we open our eyes and look past the trash that blocks our vision.

Written by: Jen Nickel

The following photos are of the house that one of the groups (Ben, Meagan, and Krystal) helped tear down and rebuild

Strandfontein – Homestay Take 2!

2008-02-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from February 10th – 15th
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We just spent a week in the Cape Flats; a section of Cape Town that had been designated for the Black and Coloured people during the Apartheid years. We spent the week with Coloured host families, in the town of Strandfontein.

We enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of our host families the entire week as they instantly became our adopt-a-parents in just a few short days. They opened their homes and their hearts to us and it definitely helped the students who were feeling a bit homesick to cope and recharge for the last half of the semester.

We spent the week working in three different schools (one elementary school and two high schools) in a close by town called Steenberg, often answering questions the students had about Canada, but some of us also had the opportunity to teach a few lessons and help with homework.

Two of the groups were able to partake in their schools Track and Field days. Our very own Sean Hildebrandt even placed 2nd in the high jump competition. All in all, it was a great week to hang out with the kids and learn from them just as much as they learned about us.

We ended the week with a boat ride out to Robben Island, where we toured around and visited the prison that had been used during the Apartheid to isolate political prisoners, the most famous of which was Nelson Mandela. It was amazing to see how even seemingly small things, like mail censorship and solitary confinement were used to break the spirits of prisoners. Even more amazing was how the prisoners persevered and through teaching one another with the education that a few of them had, they created what has now become known as “The University of Robben Island”. This “university” nurtured and educated many of the leaders who came to power after the fall of the Apartheid. I’m sure we all enjoyed the time and even more so enjoyed the successful avoidance of seasickness.

The history, beauty, and love of South Africa was evident throughout our week. You’ll never experience a Valentine’s party until you have Rodney MC it…that’s all I have to say.

Written by: Stephen Foord

Sean and James with one of the host families...James looks super pumped...um...actually, I'm not sure what that face looks like...

One of the classes that we worked in...they're all wearing red because it was Valentines Day

Simons Town

2008-02-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

This write-up is written about the events that happened from February 4th – 8th
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This past week we had a number of speakers come and talk to us about various methods and programs that are being used to help work towards a better future for South Africa. The main speaker of the week was a man named Rodney. Rodney’s expertise is in conflict resolution, a topic I was already interested in, but Rodney’s dramatic, interactive lecturing style led me to enjoy the subject that much more. He was able, through the way he approached the issue as well as with a few key activities, to show us how the ability to resolve conflict is not only necessary in large instances, such as the Apartheid, but also in our day-to day lives.

Outlining his ideas for us with large sheets of paper and marker, we learned about the basic types of conflict that we will encounter, as well as what the root causes for these conflicts may be. In one session we all paired up and practiced techniques for effective debating, learning how to get our point across to our opponent while still listening and responding to exactly what they said. But of all the activities, my favourite turned out to be a short test we were given, which was designed to show us what methods we regularly use when dealing with conflict.

Class was great, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so we also had a lot of fun playing in the ocean, planning Bible study for out small groups and playing more card games than can possibly be healthy for us. One evening our entertainment committee planned a brilliant indoors beach party, complete with massive amounts of fruit, palm branches and the limbo (which was won by our very own Jacob Droogh). One morning some o us crazy people even woke up at 4 am to hike up a nearby mountain and most of us reached the top just in time to witness a beautiful sunrise.

Written by: Gabriel Brunk

Simon and Carrie setting the mood for the luau by dropping some mean beats

Jacob, the king of the limbo, with some of the other students

Ben taking in the view

Some of the students enjoying the sunrise on their early morning hike

Can you say American Eagle...

A few of the African Penguins we shared the beach with

Godzilla...I mean, Amanda hanging out with the penguins

Adventures in Cape Town

2008-02-07T00:30:00.000-08:00

January 27th – February 2nd was a crazy week. To begin, we left Pretoria at 5:30 on Sunday to head out on our LONG drive all the way down to our new home here in Simon’s Town (30 minutes south of Cape Town). After 26 hours in transit, we made it and it was well worth the wait. This place is beautiful, and we’ve been living on the ocean with a public beach in view of where we’re staying. To the right of us is Boulders Beach; home to about 4000 African Penguins! These guys are ridiculous! Honesty there are so m any of them; they are the equivalent to squirrels at home. You look down the road and you’ll see 10 of them hanging out in the gutter, look up the road and you’ll see a pair just waddling up the center of the road. They’re so amusing!

Anyways, onto our past week, which we’ve suitably named “Adventure Week”. On Tuesday we ventured down to Cape of Good Hope; the Southern most point of Africa! It was beautiful. We didn’t see any of the baboons that we’d been warned about, but our whole group made our way down to a beach where we spent 2 hours in the waves and getting our first real sunburns.

On Wednesday we had an early start (5:30 am) and travelled for 2 hours to go shark diving at Danger Point. Sounds scary, but it was a blast! It started with a boat ride on the swelling ocean waves, where some of us had to fight off seasickness. It was all worth it though once we suited up in our wet suits and heard the guys who were leading the expedition telling us to get into the cage. The adrenalin was definitely rushing as we heard the guides calling, “Divers look right!” It was crazy to go under the water and see a shark swim right in front of you. It sort of felt like some sort of wildlife show. One group even got to experience the shark crash his body right up against the cage! This was a huge highlight for the group.

The next morning we were up early again and after a couple hours on the road we arrived on top of a small mountain overlooking the ocean and the lovely whale-watching town of Hermanus. Our paragliding pilots were ready and waiting and it wasn't long before several of us were harnessed up, attached to a pilot with a paraglider attached to him, and running down the face of the mountain only to be lifted high into the air by the warm air rising off the ocean. The views were awesome and the ride was smooth, although our pilots were usually willing to perform some pretty crazy "aerobatics" upon request! It was definitely a great way to see South Africa.

The following day we drove to Cape Town and hiked Table Mountain. It was a pretty intense trek; almost 2 hours up and an hour and a half down. There was a great view from the top and it was a fabulous adventure.

We then spent Saturday relaxing and doing whatever we wanted to in town. Most of us spent the day taking advantage of the ocean and playing in the sun and waves. All in all, it was an awesome week of adventure and catching up with the group.

Written by: Ben Pavey

Sean enjoying some fresh air on our 26 hour bus ride

The road we traveled

Students enjoying the fresh sea air

Some of the guys enjoying the sun

Group shot at Cape of Good Hope

Dave and Gabe trying not to get seasick for the big dive

Amanda, Deanna, and Marla getting ready to go into the cage

The shark circling the cage!!!

The cage

Lauren looking a bit nervous for her ride

Michelle getting ready to go

Amanda taking off

Sephen getting ready to go

Flying high

Amanda and Sean at the top of Table Mountain

Mei-Lin's Super Sweet, Can't Wait To Do, See And Experience Checklist For Pretoria

2008-02-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

Mei-Lin’s Super Sweet, Can’t Wait To Do, See &Experience Checklist For Pretoria:
1. Attend a Sunday morning church service spoken entirely in Afrikaans
2. Visit Freedom Park, Voertrekkers Monument, The Tshwane Leadership Foundation, Burgers Park and the Pretoria Police Station
3. Take in lectures on South African History at the University of Pretoria
4. Find out whether or not I have any rhythm at an African drumming workshop
5. See how many rides I can go on at Gold Reef Amusement Park before motion sickness kicks in
6. Live with an Afrikaaner family for a week
7. Experience “sunny Pretoria”

Okay, so 6 out of 7 isn’t that bad! We had rain for pretty much our entire stay in Pretoria, but as you can probably see from my list of awesomeness, our time was jam-packed with stuff. Each morning our host families would drop us off at the church at 7:45 am, we’d spend the day with our group and then our families would greet us once again at 4:00.

My highlight this week was by far spending time with my host family. Carrie and I stayed with the Vorster’s (a family of 4) and there was never a dull moment…maybe a few awkward ones, but never a dull one. Their hospitality was amazing! I learned so much about life in Pretoria and some of the issues and challenges facing this city and this country. It was also really cool to have a host brother and sister close to our age. As they shared their lives with us we learned about music, entertainment, sports, education and other things that affect them, as young people. The family also took us to see some of the sights that Pretoria has to offer; a wildlife reserve, a shopping centre, a drumming circle where Carrie and I bought some drums and even to a concert!

This week really was a memorable one and I’m so thankful for the laughter, good conversation and new friends

What’s next? Who knows? T.I.A. (this is Africa)!

Written by: Mei-Lin Ing

Emthonjeni

2008-02-01T03:27:00.001-08:00

It’s fascinating how three days of service work at an HIV/Aids care centre in South Africa can come with so many expectations. I’m glad that, in the end, the place we saw and the work we were asked to do were not at all what we expected.

Emthonjeni is a community HIV/Aids care centre a few kilometres south of Soweto. It provides home-based care, social services, micro-enterprise opportunities, and even job referrals for the surrounding communities. Based on what we were told before we arrived, many of us expected to be doing house visits, interacting with the community, or perhaps be helping the Aids-care workers. The reality of what we actually did was quite different from this and it taught me a valuable lesson about what it means to serve.

For the three days we were there, all we did was manual labour. We weeded and cleaned up the community garden that the centre runs – a garden that a previous Outttatown group helped Emthonjeni create. We also hauled wheel barrel after wheel barrel of bricks from one end of the property to the other. I honestly couldn’t complain. How could I; working outside, physical activity, fresh air, but to do this during a week when our group had hoped to see Aids first-hand? I have to admit that it was a bit of a disappointment, and that’s what got me thinking…

Is this supposed to be about my week of personal satisfaction? To do what I want to do regardless of what is actually needed by the organization? Do I really know the community I’m trying to serve and the needs they face, or did I just read a few emails and pamphlets and think I had something to offer?

I could go on, but the point was starting to become quite clear in my mind as I dumped yet another wheel barrel full of bricks. I serve God by serving others, NOT by suiting myself. Sometimes the community’s goals differ quite greatly from my “ideal” service week. So what? I can’t just throw in the towel, especially since I’m not a doctor or nurse, but am more than qualified to haul bricks.

These three days taught me a lot about what it means to know the world I am called to serve.

Written by: Dave Attama

TLC

2008-02-01T03:26:00.000-08:00

I’ll be honest; the thing that I’ve been looking forward to, more than anything else this semester, is taking care of black babies. Last semester, Simon, my small group leader, was full of stories about his time in South Africa last year working at TLC. The Love of Christ Ministries is an orphanage outside of Jo’burg that takes care of babies and children and hearing Simon’s stories made our small group excited to throw ourselves into this ministry and the week did indeed involve a certain jump of faith.

The seven of us; Lauren, Jen, Gabriel, Ben, Joanne, Meagan and myself, were able to help out in a number of ways. TLC has approximately 27 volunteers, from all over the world, who work so hard to give the children the love that they need, so to help out we did jobs that the volunteers often cannot find the time to do, like scrubbing floors and organizing shelves. We were also able to spend a lot of quality time with the children. Some of us preferred the babies in the nursery while others hung out in the main house with the older kids. Of course we each developed our favourites and just loved getting to spend time playing with them.

I’ve learned that a part of being on Outtatown seems to be experiencing unexpected adventures and this week was no different; lightening storms, children in wigs invading our house, filthy clothes, and accidentally donating our breakfast food… I also tried to play my violin for the babies and I’m pretty sure that they liked it until they all started crying, although, in my opinion, their crying was completely unrelated to my playing.

One thing that we found really difficult was the sad reality that these beautiful children had no parents or family to go home to. We were the ones leaving at the end of the week, not them. TLC had it’s share of challenges, but we left knowing that the love and care shown at the orphanage was the best that could be given to these children and despite being exhausted and covered in baby spit-up, we all felt very much a part of the TLC family; even if it had been for only a few days.

Written by: Michelle Ball

SKY

2008-02-01T03:25:00.000-08:00

What a great way to start of my three month journey in South Africa. I have just finished a week in Soweto working with SKY (Soweto Kliptown Youth) becoming familiar with the area and learning about the needs of the community, focusing primarily on the needs of the young people. Throughout the week, my small group learned about the impact that the performing arts can have in the lives of kids and how SKY uses the performing arts to meet some of the needs they see in the lives of the kids they work with. This included things like singing, acting, gumboot dancing, and djembe drumming.

One experience that sticks out in my mind is when Sean and I had the opportunity to visit the Paul-Mosaka Primary School for the afternoon. We joined the 600 students for an assembly that we ended up having to speak at and it was an incredible feeling to see their faces light up just because we came there and interacted with them.

In conclusion, this week has been a life-changing experience in and of it’s self and I cannot wait to see what the rest of my time here in South Africa will hold.

Written by: Jacob Droogh

Refilwe

2008-02-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

Team Emergency, a.k.a. Anita’s small group, served at Refilwe for our small group service project. Refilwe means life for all and it is a busy place that really is full of life. It’s like no other organization I have ever encountered; they take in and raise vulnerable and orphaned children, and they run a high school, clinic, community centre, animal farm, and garden for the community.

Our days at Refilwe taught us the value of hard work. The girls had the job of taking giant logs from a large pile and stacking them (it was sort of like a huge game of pick-up sticks). This was some of the hardest physical labour we had ever done, but it was good to be challenged and stretched. The boys spent their days weed-wacking most of the grounds. We also planted some trees on the last day.

In the evenings we found hours of entertainment with the kitten that lived with us, named Stinky Winky. Stinky Winky was particularly fond of Corey and was able to bring out Corey’s more sensitive side.

Ironically, there was another group of Mennonites working at Refilwe as well and it was nice to have other people to spend the evenings with. One night we had a pizza party with them.

Team Emergency had a lot of good laughs through out the week, one of which was Sarah waking up with a million bug bites. After that, Sarah made sure to sleep under a mosquito net and became good friends with bug spray.

Our time serving at Refilwe was a really good experience. We got to see how they work in the community and meet the needs of the people.

Written by: Carrie Lehn

Photos

2008-01-14T00:36:00.001-08:00

Loading up the bus and heading to the Winnipeg Airport Parents waving goodbye at CMU Waiting for our bus at the Jo'burg Airport South Africa prep at Heronbridge Retreat Centre Hanging out in the sun Team building exercises...it was a long 5 weeks apart Rachel and Lauren looking cute...like always Our first braai (South African bbq) after church at the Soweto Vineyard Krystal and Meagan looking excited to try the braai Jacob just couldn't resist this cute little girl Simon, Stephan, Michelle and Gabe making a new friend

Beautiful Moments

2008-01-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

I had a beautiful moment today as I stood outside of the small, vibrant Soweto Vineyard Church. The service had just ended and we were given the opportunity to mingle with members of the congregation. After a few minutes I found myself looking at a handful of teenage girls who had created a semi-circle around me. We had an interesting time trying to pronounce each other’s names…okay, it was more like I had a interesting time trying to pronounce their names. Their smiles were huge and their giggles were adorable as I, time after time, continued to ask if they could say it again. Once I got those down they were eager to teach me how different greetings in both Zulu and Sutu, two of the eleven official languages of South Africa. Once again, I was a gong show. But these are the moments I have come to cherish; moments when I learn something new and my comfort zone expands and I am able to connect with new people. I have a feeling that my time here is going to be filled with an incredible amount of beautiful moments! South Africa has been amazing so far!

And on one last note: know that we are good and we love you and we miss you and we are praying for you! God bless.

Written by: Mei-Lin Ing

The First Sun Burn

2008-01-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

South Africa is hot and I am loving the heat. On our second day here I got my first burn of the semester and hopefully it will be my last because it is really painful. On a positive note I’m almost over the pain and the sun lover in me is back. The landscape is breath-taking and it is so awesome to be here.

Written by: Dave Toews

South Africa!!!

2008-01-14T00:28:00.000-08:00

Over 29 hours
2 hours of sleep
And half way across the world
…We finally made it to
SOUTH AFRICA!!!

I still can’t believe I’m really saying that. Our first South African home, at Heronbridge Retreat Centre in Jo’burg was surreal. So beautiful. I was not expecting to see a place like this here, but was so happy to be staying at it to adjust to the time change. I soon cam to the realization of where we were really located when I looked across the murky river waters to see men fishing, women carrying baskets on their heads and the sun setting over those familiar rolling hills I’ve seen in magazines.

The trees are different. The birds are foreign. Even the smell is unique, not to mention the remarkable heat we left the Canadian weather behind for. This journey has only just begun, but as time passes by, we are all proud to announce that YES, we are in AFRICA!

Written by: Ben Pavey

Exceeding Expectaions

2008-01-14T00:26:00.000-08:00

It’s been over a year since I initially signed up for Outtatown and ever since I licked the envelope and sent it off with a kiss, I’ve been creating expectations of Africa in my mind.

While I sat on our 11 hour flight from London to Jo’burg I became terrified that maybe these expectations had set the bar too high. I began to worry that I would be disappointed in the end. But once we got on our bus and began driving through South Africa’s gorgeous countryside I knew that it had far passed my expectations already.

I know that these three months are going to change me in more ways that I can ever imagine. I know that I am going to come home changed and appreciate everything I have taken for granted.

p.s. Lynele, you have so much to look forward to!!!

Written by: Lauren Sonnenberg

First Time Flyer

2008-01-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

Being a small town, northern Manitoba boy, flying has never been a major source of transportation for me. In fact, I had never flown before, so when I signed up for Outtatown the flight was something that I was really looking forward to. It was quite the rush indeed, but a little intimidating as well since my entire group kept looking back at me to watch my reactions and expressions.

Looking back at the three flights we took (Winnipeg to Toronto, Toronto to London, London to Jo’burg), I have to say that the first flight was a bit of a disappointment to me. I’m not entirely sure what I had been expecting, but with my new found love of roller coasters and the crazy plane rides that I’ve seen in the movies, I thought this flight was definitely lacking in the thrill department since it was so smooth. Luckily I had a window seat so the lack of thrills was made up for by the incredible views of both Winnipeg and Toronto glowing in the night.

The flight to London on the other was a bit more like the movies. We hit turbulence throughout our entire twenty minute descent and landing; the plane jerked up down, our seats fell out on us, and the landing was rough. Finally a flight worthy of the hype!

The rest of the way to South Africa was long. I was able to sleep on both the flight to London and the flight to Jo’burg, which I’m told is pretty rare for a first time flyer, so jet-lag hasn’t been too terrible for me, but just last night I woke up at 1:00am, after just two hours of sleep, wide awake, thinking that morning had come. That was a weird feeling.

But yeah, we’re all adjusting to the climate, sun and food. I think some people are glad to have three months before our next plane ride, but I’m up for another asap!

Written by: Stephen Foord

Hello from South Africa!!!

2008-01-13T03:40:00.000-08:00

Hello family, friends and anyone else who is reading this. We have made it to South Africa safe and sound. It was a long two days of traveling, but here we are. I only have a few minutes of internet time right now, but I'll hopefully be back with more time tomorrow to posting some first responses to South Africa that some students are writing for you. Thanks for all your prayers and know that I'll be doing my best to keep you up to date on what and how we're doing.

Written by: Sabrina Wiens

First Semester Reflection

2007-12-31T11:50:00.001-08:00

My first semester was incredible. For the past 3 months I have lived out of a suitcase, traveling around Winnipeg to Calgary, Banff, Shushwap Lake, Mission, Abbotsford, Hope, Vancouver, Canmore, back to Calgary and then Home. I have experienced God in ways I couldn't have imagined, with a community of 31 people that I would now call a Church, because we strive to know God together. We seek his answers, pray together, worship together, experience the Holy Spirit's presence, reflecting on His involvement in our lives and the growth He has influenced in our community. Through these experiences I have learned that a community is very important for Christians so we can hold each other accountable, learn and grow together and through each other, and help each other when we are struggling spiritually.

The reason I first took this program was because I was looking for the direction God had for me. If people asked me what I pictured myself doing in 5-10 years I would have replied, "Some sort of evangelic missions in far away countries that need to know Jesus." But now if I were to be asked the same question I am not so sure I would have the same answer. Throughout this semester, I have experienced such a need, such a thirst for Christ's love, here in our cities, in our towns, in the Church in North America. I have been a part of this society all my life but blind to what I was a part of. I would walk down the streets or in malls with my eyes forward, on a mission because I have a busy life and things to do, not knowing or thinking of what God might want me to do.

My eyes were opened walking through East Hastings in Vancouver, the poorest postal code in Canada, with human beings shooting up all around you while sitting beside piles of their own excrement, then walking to the richest postal code in Canada, West Hastings (the same street), where a sky- scraper was being built with a pent house worth a few billion dollars. West Hastings looked much like the streets of any city; people, busily walking by each other, the world flying by all around them. The strange thing is that I experienced more love on East Hastings. If I smiled at someone on East Hastings, homeless or not, they would give me an overly-enthusiastic grin and probably start a conversation, whereas if I happened to catch a busy-body's eye and smiled on West Hastings and Robson St. they would either look confused, give me a dirty look, or look straight ahead and ignore me. How many times have I done that? These experiences have shed light on our society and how some of my actions have been molded by it more than by Jesus. It also made me think about how the little things can make such a difference because the Spirit is working all the time.

One statement has stuck with me. Rudy, a first nations woman who used to be a prostitute told us her story. She would be standing on the street corner on Sunday morning watching the people drive to church. None of them would look at her. She felt shamed, like she didn't deserve to be there, like they were too good for her. She screamed to those in the cars going by, she screamed to God wanting them to just look at her, to acknowledge her existence. She tried to commit suicide that morning. How many times could that have been me in the car, oblivious to the real world around me, in my comfort bubble?
Rudy used to be invited to church but she said, "What's the point? I feel bad enough about myself already." What is wrong with the church that it gives off that kind of an impression? I am a part of the Church. Am I accurately expressing God's love to everyone...no. I can always do it better. Somehow the North American Church has given off the vibe of the bad judgment instead of the loving accountability of Jesus. It gives off the judgment that is not meant to help but to hinder. How do we reverse this? How do we show the world otherwise?

This is why a strong Christian community is crucial. It’s a place where there is enough of God's love, compassion, and forgiveness so that we can address our brothers and sisters and where we can share with others our own struggles. If we let the world know that we know we are not perfect, would that change their views?

I have learned that being a Christian is really, really hard. Jesus asked us to do really hard things. I heard about this man that was on a late night Christian show. People called in and asked questions about Christianity and he would answer them on the air most of the time with quotes of Jesus from the Gospels. But soon he was told that Jesus' words were too harsh and he had to stop quoting Jesus on the air. This misses the entire point. Yes, Jesus asks a lot from us, and we are supposed to love him. And if we truly loved God wouldn't we want to please him? We are actually called to be like Jesus, use him as an example. I used to think that this would be impossible. But why would such a loving God ask us for something that is impossible? And the amazing thing about it is that God loves us no matter what. No matter how many times we fall, we are saved by Grace. We just have to sincerely ask for forgiveness.

So how can I give back to God? How can I possibly thank Him for what He has given me? Worship. I am discovering how I can worship God in my day to day life; how to do everything for His glory. A loving relationship takes work. God doesn't just want me to sing praises to Him, He wants me to live for Him. Walk with Him and include Him in all aspects of my live. He wants me to be a worshiper in spirit and in truth. It was CS Lewis who said, "It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to us."

One of our speakers, Garreth Goosen, told us a story about a pastor who noticed a change in the post-service conversation at his church. Instead of walking out of church talking about how they experienced God they would be talking about how their professional worship band sounded. He was very disturbed by this and decided to take music out of his church all together. This caused the church to shrink by half. For a few months the people who continued to worship there would meet in a circle, pray, talk and discuss God and the Bible. The focal point of their worship time changed from the music to the glory of God.
And during this time of fasting from singing the Pastor wrote the song: "It's all about you."
“When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come
Longing just to bring something that's of worth, that'll bless your heart.
I bring you more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required.
You search much deeper within than the way things appear.
You’re looking into my heart.
I'm coming back to the heart of worship, cause it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus.”

I am now learning what it means to lay down my desires and life for Christ. Part of this is being able to accept everything with open hands; all gifts and talents, everything I am blessed with, taking nothing for granted. Be willing to give it all away, back to God. Another speaker, Nathan Regher, talked to us about idols and he said that any thing at all that gives me value, status, power or pleasure that only God is supposed to give me is an idol. When I look to something other than God for my identity, it is an idol because I am allowing it to take the place of God in my life, making it bigger and more important than God. I found this very hard to think about and am still reflecting on what it means in my life.

Another thing that I have learned during my first semester is the importance of prayer, reading the word, being silent, and having conversation with God. We should always question and look for the answers in the word of God. And when I pray, God answers me, a lot of times I am just too busy to notice. That is why it’s important to build silence into my relationship with God.

The mission statement of Outtaown is, "Knowing Yourself, Knowing God, Knowing the World." I have learned so much about myself, God and the world around me. Not solely from my classes, but from applying the classroom lectures to my everyday experiences. I have learned so much that I don't think I can even comprehend what most of it is or how it has affected me yet. I have been challenged beyond what I thought was possible. But everything that I have learned has been intertwined with God's love and grace, something that I do not deserve and yet am required to share with others.

By: Rachel Kamps

Part of the Solution

2007-12-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

“‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The king will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
~ Jesus ~

I just got back from 3 months of traveling around Central/Western Canada, and it was an experience that can't simply be put into words. Slowly unpacking the things I've learned will take more than just one month at home, but there are some things that have stuck out more than anything else.
Learning to become globally aware of what's happening all over the world is becoming increasingly more important to me.

There is opportunity all over this planet for us, the wealthy MINORITY, to be working towards creating some sort of equality amongst people; food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, warmth from the cold, and love for the neglected. Everyone sees these needs.
I know we do. It's plastered all over the news.
Yet, we live in ignorance. Some think that if they don't acknowledge it then it might go away, or they pretend it's not even there. Others think, 'it’s not my problem, someone else will deal with it'.

The news. It shows one horrific scene after another, and we're numb to it: We've all heard stories like "20,000 people died today in flash flooding that swept the city," or "5000 people died as police opened fire on a group of protesters in the streets," and even organizations like World Vision continually plaster the faces of starving children all over our television screens as we sit on the couch, channel surfing, wondering what we can gorge on as we try to find something to entertain our deteriorating bodies and minds. Day after day its a struggle deciding what we want to eat; we don’t take the time to truly realize how amazing our life is, for we never have to ask ourselves where we'll have to search to find our food, or whether food will even be an option for the day let alone the week.

We may not realize it, but we are all a part of the problems that this world is facing. Every action, decision and lifestyle has an effect on our environment and those around us. Take a look at all the major cities just in North America. Every day, each individual uses vast amounts of electricity, creates trash, contributes to the ever increasing pollution problem, uses disposable cleaning supplies, washes loads of laundry which uses soap that harms the environment, wastes food, and so much more! Think about how you yourself justify your wasteful habits, and then multiply that by the number of people in North America, and we have an equation that only ends with frustration and a world being sucked down the sewage drains. I feel as though as North Americans, we have become numb towards the needs of this world. Kids these days are growing up having their lives handed to them. We are all brats, demanding to have more and get more.

Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy. (I actually saw a credit card ad put up downtown that simply had these words splattered row after row all over a white background.)
That's what we're being sold on. That is what we are all being fed, and the public responds. We may acknowledge what media is doing to us, yet we still give in. We spend and spend and spend, and then wonder why we're not happy. There is a huge emptiness in the lives of North Americans, and people think it's filled with money, success, education and so many other short-term things.

People say it over and over, but we really must learn to change the way we spend money. We are wasteful in so many ways, and the money we spend on a $4 coffee everyday, a $12 movie every couple weeks, that $100 "good quality" sweater (even though its made by the same children who made that $25 sweater the next store down), or the countless shows, concerts, shopping trips and personal pleasures, are simply ways we seek to fulfill our lives.
This money could be put to use for so many other things. We live in riches, complain about our lives trying to satisfy our own emptiness with more 'things', and don’t bother to look at how we can help others.
Money is such a problem.
It's a challenge to myself more than anything else, and I also just want people to think. Think about where you're spending your money and why. Is it really necessary to spend that much?

Even if we all did little things to curb our spending, it would make a difference. I truly believe it. We just need to recognize how wasteful our society and culture has become. If everyone contributes a little to try and make a change, it will add so much more.

There are many organizations and committees working toward changing this world, but there is also a majority of people who simply live in ignorance.
If you are one of these people, I challenge you to make even a small effort. Every small effort will make a difference, even if it may feel like nothing. Don’t just live in ignorance to the problems this world is facing.
Don't justify the things you know need to change.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I'd rather be a part of the solution than adding to the problem.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
~ Jesus ~

By: Jen Nickel