Good Music Good Friends

This past Friday, Laura and I went to Cape Town to visit one of my dearest friends, Elise, would is staffing at the YWAM base in Muizenberg. It was amazing!
We flew out Friday morning (Cape Town is a good 14hr drive from Joburg) and were greeted by gorgeous sunshine. We spent most of Friday driving around the coast, taking in the beauty of it all. We stopped at several beache
s, taking in the soft, warmth of the sand, the fresh smell of the ocean, the shimmer of the seashells, the soothing sound of waves, the brilliance of the sun. It was stunning! And oh so relaxing! And the

awesome little cafe that we found in Muizenberg, Knead, and a delicious smoothie from Kuai was simply the icing on the cake of an incredibly relaxing day.

After taking full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in Saturday morning, we headed to the V&A Waterfront for breakfast. Laura and I took this opportunity to act like crazy tourists (which we saw a lot of), taking the most random pictures. Tehe.
After our fill of V&A, we returned to Muizenburg for some quality time with Elise. It was SO GOOD to see her! Ahh! I've missed her so much! Definitely my favorite part of the trip. Tehe. We took a short drive down to Boulders Beach to swim with the penguins. They were cute. Tehe. I loved having a chance to spend the day with one of my best friends! Who would have imagined that the girl who I grow up with and befriended basically at birth would be in SA at the same time as I am doing something completely different? And that I'd have an opportunity to meet with her here? It really it a small world! But not too small. I loved swapping experiences with Elise about our times here in Africa, loved seeing how different our day to day lives our. After playing with the penguins, we took a drive halfway up table mountain, and then enjoyed dinner at the V&A. It was lacquer (good)! Tehe.

Sunday we did the tourist thing. After another lazy morning in our lovely apartment, we headed once again to the V&A Waterfront for breakfast before we jumped on a boat to head to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned). From there, we hopped on a bus and toured the island, eventually exploring the prison on foot. It was interesting, but probably not something that I would do again. After the tour, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch at a cute little cafe called Sundance.
Afterward, we headed down to Cape Point, the most Southern part of Africa. It was so beautiful! We were in a national park, so we were able to see some wildlife as we drove through. Unlike Kruger, we were able to safely get out of our vehicle to admire nature up close and personal. Like I said above, it was BEAUTIFUL! The crashing waves, the silly animals, the lovely beaches, the magnificent mountains, the giant rocks; I probably could have spent days hiking around the area. It was so much fun! Probably my second favorite part of the trip! Tehe. We even had crazy baboons climb on our car again. Tehe.

After Cape Point, Laura and I drove to pick up Elise for a lovely picnic of tasty treats and delicious stargazing on the beach. Unfortunately, the beach was much darker than we expected (pitch black in fact), so we ended up picnicing on the pavement right in front of the beach. It was a blast regardless. I loved having the opportunity to spend some quality time with some awesome friends! Unfortunately, I had to say my goodbyes to Elise that night. Goodbye, dear friend! I'll see you in July (too bad we won't be on the same flight). Enjoy your time in India!

Monday Laura and I had planned a beach day, but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating. Rather than spend a cold, rainy day at the beach, we drove through some of Cape Town's beautiful vineyards, stopping to taste (and purchase) some delicious sparkling grape juice. It was a fun, relaxing day.

Tuesday we made the trek up table mountain (and by that I mean we took the cable car up. I would have loved to climb it, but we didn't really have time/that didn't quite fit into our week of planned laziness tehe). Once again, it was beautiful (anyone noticing a theme?)! You could see for miles from the top! Not to mention the beauty of the mountain itself. Words simply can't describe it (hopefully the pictures help).



After a quick stop at the chocolate house (yum!), we headed back to the beach. There, we saw about a dozen kite surfers showing off their skill. It was so fun to watch! And a wonderful ending to our long weekend of relaxation!

Oh, but that wasn't the end of it. In fact, our vacation almost got extended, except we would be moved from Cape Town to Durban (another beachy area in SA). As we were about to land in Joburg, our pilot came on the intercom explaining that there was a bad thunderstorm over the landing strip, that something had been struck by lightening, and that there was a possibility of being rerouted to Durban (Laura rejoiced at this news. Tehe). After flying around for another 10-20 minutes, we landed in Joburg, lighting bolts flashing to the left and right of us. It was quite exciting.

(Oh, and did I mention the crazy lifesize giraffee that we saw in someone's house? Yup, those Cape Townians certainly are a different breed)

Yes, a wonderful vacation filled with relaxation, good friends, some jamming tunes (Laura and I were often found screaming "Broken Strings" as loud as we can as we drove through the country side, so much fun! tehe), and God's beautiful creation! Just what the doctor ordered for a bit of renewal, refreshment, and reenergization (I think I just made that word up) before jumping back into the craziness that is our life in Joburg.

And jump we did. Wednesday morning I was right back in the schools to discover we had three schools rolling out at the same time due to the term ending and the kids writting exams. Thus, I was left to teach classes at Reigerpark Primary on my own. Though a bit of me missed the carefreeness of Cape Town, I was glad to be back in the classroom, loving on my kiddos. Though Cape Town was fun, I don't think I could live that life long term. Somehow my life in Joburg is much more fulfilling. Despite how hectic it can be at times, I love it here!
And much of the reason that I love it here is because of Nikki and Reagan and the impact they are making on my life. Wednesday was so much fun! After a crazy morning, we (Nikki, Reagan, Laura, and I) spent the evening/night together at the movies and then sipping coffee at their house. I absolutely love these three! They are just amazing! I love getting to know them better and being able to interact with them outside of our work environment. They absolutely amaze me! They are simply incredible people!

Thursday was also spent in the schools rolling out the program. Friday was consumed with some hardcore cleaning, laundry, and cookie making.

Today we had a legends meeting. In good SA fashion, the speaker phoned us 30 minutes after he was to arrive to let us know that he wouldn't be able to make it. Thus, we had to make a plan and improvise. I must say we did a pretty good job. Tehe. Afterward, I had yet another amazing conversation with Nikki and Reagan. Again, they are amazing people! I so wish that I knew their life stories; they are just incredible!

Praise the Lord!
-For AMAZING friends, both here in SA and back in the States
-For rest and renewal
-For his beautiful creation
-For laughter
-For the chance to indulge occasionally
-For the opportunity to make a difference
-For using me to do his work
-For peace
-For growth
-For healing
-For love
-For health
-For safety
-For music
-For new experiences
-For smiles
-For the ability to read and right
-For the talents and skills that He's given me

Please pray:
-For a miracle with the educators. After a few conversations with Nikki, I've learned that many of the educators not only don't care for their learners, but also want to see them fail. Apparently in coloured culture, you work to ensure the people around you are never better off than you are. Rather than building them up to improve your community, you tear them down to protect your pride. Thus, when an educator sees a student thriving or dreaming big, they are quick to step in and squash this child.
-For funds for Cynergy
-For volunteers for Cynergy. Pray that God provides people who will commit to the program for years to come
-For wisdom and guidance
-For Marta and her family. Last week her sister died. Two of her other sisters have HIV/AIDs. Pray that God will comfort their family and bring healing, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
-For team unity
-For Elise as she prepares to go to India. Pray that God fills her with confidence and wisdom. Pray that her team is unified.
-For SA as it prepares for their election. Pray that someone godly is elected as their next president.
-For friends and family. Pray that God provides all of their needs. He is more than enough!