On March 31, 2015, Nats, Gracie, Mommy, Samantha and I went to South Africa. We went to share Jesus with South African citizens. My mom was sick the first half of the trip, but she got better. Thankfully it didn’t stop us from our mission. I am going to share a few things I learned in South Africa.
What I learned & my experiences
One thing I learned was not to be selfish. In Africa, we have load-shedding because there is not enough electricity for everyone. The power goes out almost every day for two hours. Once, when the lights came back on, my friend blew out a candle and we both raced upstairs to blow out the bathroom candle. I wanted to blow it out, so I pushed him out of the way. He then grabbed my shirt and screamed. I knew I was wrong, so I went downstairs and let him blow out the next candle and I told my mom that I had sinned. After that I said sorry to my friend and we let his little sister blow out the last one.
Another opportunity I had was to speak at two schools. My sister and I got to speak to five classes. I learned to be prepared or I will be horrible. The first time I shared I got nervous and it felt like I forgot everything I was going to say. The next day I was prepared because I wrote reminders in my journal. Also, when I felt comfortable, I was funny. Making the kids laugh made me feel good.
One thing I learned from a friend, Mrs. Gillian, was to live a simple life. One example is she has very little in her fridge but she lives off of it. She does not waste anything. She recycles, eats food before it goes bad, and even hangs the laundry outside to dry. One more example is that she uses technology and electricity wisely by only using her power and internet when necessary.
God also provided for my sister and I to be taught how to surf by our friend Jerome. God helped us and let us catch a few waves. Even when I got cold and went out of the water I still held out so my sister could surf a little longer. At first I was scared because I thought a shark would get me, but I prayed and faced my fear.
One of our friends, Uncle Felix, told us his story and I am glad he trusted us. His story reminded me to listen to God, not others. It also reminded me to confess your sins to others. When we confess out sins, God forgives us.
My lessons learned will continue forever. I am still on a mission though, because my whole life is a mission. I’ll keep doing my part and hopefully you will join me and do your part in serving God. I hope God teaches you something through what I learned through my experiences in South Africa.
Amelia Grace – Age 10
God told us to go to South Africa. We didn’t know how long we would stay or what we would do but God had lots of plans. Every day was an adventure. The stories are too many to tell so I have picked a few to share with you.
What I learned & my experiences
I learned there is so much I want but when you want something you are basically telling God you are not happy with what He has given us. We must be happy because we have a lot and God does not have to bless us so greatly!
I have also learned that I don’t want to be lazy and sit around 24/7. I want to be very active and work hard like my parents. I want to be like my parents. I want to work hard and not be lazy on chores or homework. This will be hard but I must put this into practice and prayer.
I learned the meaning of respecting people’s time and keeping up with your end of the deal. You must be respectful of other people’s time because if they have a meeting next and you are late, you are making them look bad.
I learned that God always provides, in His way. Mrs. Gillian, Natalie’s mom, will be on her last R5 but God then provides for her at just the right time through her salary, and she is good. God always provides for her, no matter the circumstance.
I played with our new friends, Anna and Sam a lot. They are Mr. and Mrs. George and Michelle Mwanza’s children. Mr. and Mrs. Mwanza are the Directors of the Leadership Experience in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. Playing with Anna and Sam taught me a lot about sacrifice and laying down what I want. I must lay down my life, even when I am tired. I learned that I think about myself too much, and this isn’t right. I need to learn to be more selfless and put others before myself. I love my friends a lot and I could never get enough hugs. Mrs. Michelle is a great example of a patient mom. She continues to love like Jesus, even when she’s tired. She is always patient with her kids even if they sometimes behave disrespectfully.
Another fun experience I had was at these Sand Dunes. The Sand Dunes are by the ocean and we went there with Mr. George. It was a surprise for the LXP students. Mama, Denver and I met the LXP staff and students there. The students had been blind folded for the surprise. The staff even tricked the students and told them that there was a bridge in front of them and they had to duck, even though there was no real bridge. It was funny hearing about it. We joined in on the fun and games. We played alot of games that were both fun and challenging. During the games I learned to love people like Jesus because it makes them feel special. Mr. Nceba loved me and it made me feel special. On the way home, Uncle Richard shared some of his story with me. It was really interesting.
When we were in South Africa, my mom lit a candle for the first time in her life! The power was out and she had to light some candles. She was so excited to tell my dad and it was such a big accomplishment for her. She was so happy! She told a lot of people and they laughed, in a nice way. I learned that we need to pray and trust God to help us in situations where we feel afraid or incapable of doing something. Mom had to not be afraid and take one for the team because it wouldn’t be fair if she just said: “We are going to sit in the pitch black.” She had to pray and trust that God would help her and He did!
We met some girls named Dayna and Kendra. Dayna was my age and Kendra was Denver’s age. We had only seen them once but we loved them and every time we were in Port Elizabeth we prayed to see them again, but we never did… until the last day before we left Africa. I learned that God always works stuff out even if it is the last second. He hears our prayers.
Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang serve with the Purity Ministry through the Leadership Experience. We helped serve at a camp called “Purity Avenue Camp” with Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang. My brother had a bad dream and a fever the first night so I stayed the last night alone with Auntie Thando. I had the responsibility of taking my moms place in helping to cook at the camp. I kept my commitment every meal except the last one because I was having a worship time with the group. Uncle had said we were having lunch at 1:00pm so I was going to go down at 12:45 to help him, but I found out that lunch had been ready for two hours already. I felt so bad. They said it was ok and Auntie Pulang said it was ok because I was free to worship. I was glad that she said that. Later on I realized I was the only white girl there, but I didn’t care. I had fun and the responsibility of helping to cook might even help me in the future. The purity camp girls were having so much fun at the pool over the weekend. I learned to be thankful, because they were so happy and thankful because of the pool, something that is so normal to most Americans. We were so thankful for the ocean in the same way they were thankful for the pool! We shouldn’t take things for granted.
We also helped at a camp called “Imagine.” Denver and I played with a girl named Emi. God did such a cool thing through our friendship with her. He provided a lot of opportunities for us. Denver and I got to share about Bucks for Books at two schools, visit and eat at Emi’s parents restaurant, as well as collect some cool items to sell for Kwathu Children’s Home and Bucks for Books. Emi’s mom and her moms friend made all the items from recycled materials. They are very creative. It was so crazy how God can create something so little into something so big! He used us meeting Emi to provide so much more than a friendship. God is so cool!
Whenever we served with Bucks for Books, Uncle Cornelius, Aunt Prima and Uncle Felix were there but when Aunt Prima and Uncle Cornie left I really saw Uncle Felix step up and really lead because at first I thought he was just a shy guy. I am so glad I got to know him and hear his story! The kids were kind of disrespectful because they were trying to get attention. Sometimes I didn’t want to go but I knew I needed to lay my life down. I prayed for a kid and I pray that I will remember to keep praying for them. You can help me by praying too. We played games and taught stories. We had tons of fun and on Friday’s we went to Itemba Church and had YD, Youth Discipleship. A lot of kids from all over the place came and we had lots of fun. It was so cool to meet some of the kids that we are supporting in Bucks for Books. We need to pray that the older ones will keep coming and desire to know the Lord because they are going through their teenage stage.
One of the ladies I met was named “Gogo.” That means “grandma” in their language. She was such a nice lady and I loved the hugs she gave me. It seems like she loved me more and more every day. I was her favorite and was glad about it. She started crying when I had to say my final goodbye. Her crying almost made me start crying. I must also remember to pray for her.
I hope you have enjoyed some of these adventures. Maybe God will even take you on a few adventures of your own. I hope this touched you and impacted your life in some way. Thank you very much, or as they say in Afrikaans: “Bio Donkey.” (actually spelled “Baie Dankie”)
On March 31, 2015, Nats, Gracie, Mommy, Samantha and I went to South Africa. We went to share Jesus with South African citizens. My mom was sick the first half of the trip, but she got better. Thankfully it didn’t stop us from our mission. I am going to share a few things I learned in South Africa.
What I learned & my experiences
One thing I learned was not to be selfish. In Africa, we have load-shedding because there is not enough electricity for everyone. The power goes out almost every day for two hours. Once, when the lights came back on, my friend blew out a candle and we both raced upstairs to blow out the bathroom candle. I wanted to blow it out, so I pushed him out of the way. He then grabbed my shirt and screamed. I knew I was wrong, so I went downstairs and let him blow out the next candle and I told my mom that I had sinned. After that I said sorry to my friend and we let his little sister blow out the last one.
Another opportunity I had was to speak at two schools. My sister and I got to speak to five classes. I learned to be prepared or I will be horrible. The first time I shared I got nervous and it felt like I forgot everything I was going to say. The next day I was prepared because I wrote reminders in my journal. Also, when I felt comfortable, I was funny. Making the kids laugh made me feel good.
One thing I learned from a friend, Mrs. Gillian, was to live a simple life. One example is she has very little in her fridge but she lives off of it. She does not waste anything. She recycles, eats food before it goes bad, and even hangs the laundry outside to dry. One more example is that she uses technology and electricity wisely by only using her power and internet when necessary.
God also provided for my sister and I to be taught how to surf by our friend Jerome. God helped us and let us catch a few waves. Even when I got cold and went out of the water I still held out so my sister could surf a little longer. At first I was scared because I thought a shark would get me, but I prayed and faced my fear.
One of our friends, Uncle Felix, told us his story and I am glad he trusted us. His story reminded me to listen to God, not others. It also reminded me to confess your sins to others. When we confess out sins, God forgives us.
My lessons learned will continue forever. I am still on a mission though, because my whole life is a mission. I’ll keep doing my part and hopefully you will join me and do your part in serving God. I hope God teaches you something through what I learned through my experiences in South Africa.
Amelia Grace – Age 10
God told us to go to South Africa. We didn’t know how long we would stay or what we would do but God had lots of plans. Every day was an adventure. The stories are too many to tell so I have picked a few to share with you.
What I learned & my experiences
I learned there is so much I want but when you want something you are basically telling God you are not happy with what He has given us. We must be happy because we have a lot and God does not have to bless us so greatly!
I have also learned that I don’t want to be lazy and sit around 24/7. I want to be very active and work hard like my parents. I want to be like my parents. I want to work hard and not be lazy on chores or homework. This will be hard but I must put this into practice and prayer.
I learned the meaning of respecting people’s time and keeping up with your end of the deal. You must be respectful of other people’s time because if they have a meeting next and you are late, you are making them look bad.
I learned that God always provides, in His way. Mrs. Gillian, Natalie’s mom, will be on her last R5 but God then provides for her at just the right time through her salary, and she is good. God always provides for her, no matter the circumstance.
I played with our new friends, Anna and Sam a lot. They are Mr. and Mrs. George and Michelle Mwanza’s children. Mr. and Mrs. Mwanza are the Directors of the Leadership Experience in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. Playing with Anna and Sam taught me a lot about sacrifice and laying down what I want. I must lay down my life, even when I am tired. I learned that I think about myself too much, and this isn’t right. I need to learn to be more selfless and put others before myself. I love my friends a lot and I could never get enough hugs. Mrs. Michelle is a great example of a patient mom. She continues to love like Jesus, even when she’s tired. She is always patient with her kids even if they sometimes behave disrespectfully.
Another fun experience I had was at these Sand Dunes. The Sand Dunes are by the ocean and we went there with Mr. George. It was a surprise for the LXP students. Mama, Denver and I met the LXP staff and students there. The students had been blind folded for the surprise. The staff even tricked the students and told them that there was a bridge in front of them and they had to duck, even though there was no real bridge. It was funny hearing about it. We joined in on the fun and games. We played alot of games that were both fun and challenging. During the games I learned to love people like Jesus because it makes them feel special. Mr. Nceba loved me and it made me feel special. On the way home, Uncle Richard shared some of his story with me. It was really interesting.
When we were in South Africa, my mom lit a candle for the first time in her life! The power was out and she had to light some candles. She was so excited to tell my dad and it was such a big accomplishment for her. She was so happy! She told a lot of people and they laughed, in a nice way. I learned that we need to pray and trust God to help us in situations where we feel afraid or incapable of doing something. Mom had to not be afraid and take one for the team because it wouldn’t be fair if she just said: “We are going to sit in the pitch black.” She had to pray and trust that God would help her and He did!
We met some girls named Dayna and Kendra. Dayna was my age and Kendra was Denver’s age. We had only seen them once but we loved them and every time we were in Port Elizabeth we prayed to see them again, but we never did… until the last day before we left Africa. I learned that God always works stuff out even if it is the last second. He hears our prayers.
Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang serve with the Purity Ministry through the Leadership Experience. We helped serve at a camp called “Purity Avenue Camp” with Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang. My brother had a bad dream and a fever the first night so I stayed the last night alone with Auntie Thando. I had the responsibility of taking my moms place in helping to cook at the camp. I kept my commitment every meal except the last one because I was having a worship time with the group. Uncle had said we were having lunch at 1:00pm so I was going to go down at 12:45 to help him, but I found out that lunch had been ready for two hours already. I felt so bad. They said it was ok and Auntie Pulang said it was ok because I was free to worship. I was glad that she said that. Later on I realized I was the only white girl there, but I didn’t care. I had fun and the responsibility of helping to cook might even help me in the future. The purity camp girls were having so much fun at the pool over the weekend. I learned to be thankful, because they were so happy and thankful because of the pool, something that is so normal to most Americans. We were so thankful for the ocean in the same way they were thankful for the pool! We shouldn’t take things for granted.
We also helped at a camp called “Imagine.” Denver and I played with a girl named Emi. God did such a cool thing through our friendship with her. He provided a lot of opportunities for us. Denver and I got to share about Bucks for Books at two schools, visit and eat at Emi’s parents restaurant, as well as collect some cool items to sell for Kwathu Children’s Home and Bucks for Books. Emi’s mom and her moms friend made all the items from recycled materials. They are very creative. It was so crazy how God can create something so little into something so big! He used us meeting Emi to provide so much more than a friendship. God is so cool!
Whenever we served with Bucks for Books, Uncle Cornelius, Aunt Prima and Uncle Felix were there but when Aunt Prima and Uncle Cornie left I really saw Uncle Felix step up and really lead because at first I thought he was just a shy guy. I am so glad I got to know him and hear his story! The kids were kind of disrespectful because they were trying to get attention. Sometimes I didn’t want to go but I knew I needed to lay my life down. I prayed for a kid and I pray that I will remember to keep praying for them. You can help me by praying too. We played games and taught stories. We had tons of fun and on Friday’s we went to Itemba Church and had YD, Youth Discipleship. A lot of kids from all over the place came and we had lots of fun. It was so cool to meet some of the kids that we are supporting in Bucks for Books. We need to pray that the older ones will keep coming and desire to know the Lord because they are going through their teenage stage.
One of the ladies I met was named “Gogo.” That means “grandma” in their language. She was such a nice lady and I loved the hugs she gave me. It seems like she loved me more and more every day. I was her favorite and was glad about it. She started crying when I had to say my final goodbye. Her crying almost made me start crying. I must also remember to pray for her.
I hope you have enjoyed some of these adventures. Maybe God will even take you on a few adventures of your own. I hope this touched you and impacted your life in some way. Thank you very much, or as they say in Afrikaans: “Bio Donkey.” (actually spelled “Baie Dankie”)
Denver – Age 9
Another opportunity I had was to speak at two schools. My sister and I got to speak to five classes. I learned to be prepared or I will be horrible. The first time I shared I got nervous and it felt like I forgot everything I was going to say. The next day I was prepared because I wrote reminders in my journal. Also, when I felt comfortable, I was funny. Making the kids laugh made me feel good.
God also provided for my sister and I to be taught how to surf by our friend Jerome. God helped us and let us catch a few waves. Even when I got cold and went out of the water I still held out so my sister could surf a little longer. At first I was scared because I thought a shark would get me, but I prayed and faced my fear.
It also reminded me to confess your sins to others. When we confess out sins, God forgives us.
I played with our new friends, Anna and Sam a lot. They are Mr. and Mrs. George and Michelle Mwanza’s children. Mr. and Mrs. Mwanza are the Directors of the Leadership Experience in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. Playing with Anna and Sam taught me a lot about sacrifice and laying down what I want. I must lay down my life, even when I am tired. I learned that I think about myself too much, and this isn’t right. I need to learn to be more selfless and put others before myself. I love my friends a lot and I could never get enough hugs. Mrs. Michelle is a great example of a patient mom. She continues to love like Jesus, even when she’s tired. She is always patient with her kids even if they sometimes behave disrespectfully.
Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang serve with the Purity Ministry through the Leadership Experience. We helped serve at a camp called “Purity Avenue Camp” with Auntie Thando and Auntie Pulang. My brother had a bad dream and a fever the first night so I stayed the last night alone with Auntie Thando. I had the responsibility of taking my moms place in helping to cook at the camp. I kept my commitment every meal except the last one because I was having a worship time with the group. Uncle had said we were having lunch at 1:00pm so I was going to go down at 12:45 to help him, but I found out that lunch had been ready for two hours already. I felt so bad. They said it was ok and Auntie Pulang said it was ok because I was free to worship. I was glad that she said that. Later on I realized I was the only white girl there, but I didn’t care. I had fun and the responsibility of helping to cook might even help me in the future. The purity camp girls were having so much fun at the pool over the weekend. I learned to be thankful, because they were so happy and thankful because of the pool, something that is so normal to most Americans. We were so thankful for the ocean in the same way they were thankful for the pool! We shouldn’t take things for granted.
We also helped at a camp called “Imagine.” Denver and I played with a girl named Emi. God did such a cool thing through our friendship with her. He provided a lot of opportunities for us. Denver and I got to share about Bucks for Books at two schools, visit and eat at Emi’s parents restaurant, as well as collect some cool items to sell for Kwathu Children’s Home and Bucks for Books. Emi’s mom and her moms friend made all the items from recycled materials. They are very creative. It was so crazy how God can create something so little into something so big! He used us meeting Emi to provide so much more than a friendship. God is so cool!
One of the ladies I met was named “Gogo.” That means “grandma” in their language. She was such a nice lady and I loved the hugs she gave me. It seems like she loved me more and more every day. I was her favorite and was glad about it. She started crying when I had to say my final goodbye. Her crying almost made me start crying. I must also remember to pray for her.