Day 8

Friday was our last day of working with Living Hope. Our group was separated in the morning. Three of us went out to work with the drug and alcohol counseling program that Living Hope has each week at the container in Overcome Heights. The remaining members of the team went and helped out at Living Grace, a food shelter to those in the community.

The time at Living Grace was a great experience for those of us involved. Each day they open their doors to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were there that day for both breakfast and lunch. We gave a brief devotional in the morning followed by singing hymns. Hearing the singing by a group of approximately 30 men who are struggling each day to survive was a very moving experience. They sang with so much joy and so much emotion that it touched us all. Even when it may appear to us that they are so poor and broken, they are so filled with the strength and love of Jesus that they rejoice and move us all.

In between the meals we helped out with folding the clothes donations as well as helping a man make greeting cards. We learned his story and were completely touched by his ability to stay positive on life. Back when he was a teenager, he was outside and was shot in the back by a group of teens fighting and has been unable to walk ever since. The worst part of the story is that he wasn't even involved in the fight personally. He was down a few houses from the fight and was accidental shot by a stray bullet. Initially when it happened he wasn't able to move out all. Through physical training these past few years he has now been able to regain his upper body strength but will never be the same. In talking with him that day, he was all smiles and full of hope and light. It was so incredible to see how God has been able to use something bad for the good. He was a true inspiration to all of us to not take anything for granted and praise no matter what the circumstances may be.

The lunch hour was very similar to what we experienced in the morning. We had more singing and a devotional. We had about 60 people there for lunch and actually ended up running out of food. One of the hardest things at the end was while everyone was leaving, a few people came up to us and asked for extra bread. As we have written so many times before, this trip has been so eye opening to the problem of poverty in our world. In America it is so easy to ignore poverty and pretend that it doesn't even exist. Our poor communities are often isolated into certain spots of the city and if we don't want to go through them, there are often easy ways around them. Here in Capetown, poverty is everywhere. Even in the nice communities, it is impossible to escape poverty. Everywhere you turn there is a run down building or someone begging in the streets. The majority of stores have bars up on the windows, even in the nicer areas of town. It is so heart breaking to meet people who deal with this reality and have no opportunities to escape it. In America we have numerous government programs that are designed to assist those in need and numerous charitable organizations also designed to do the same thing. Here in South Africa, the government programs are almost nonexistent. It is heartbreaking to know that there people may never have the opportunities to get out and make their situations better. This same despair can be found in America but at least we have programs in place to help those who want to make a difference.

Friday morning was our last time to do ministry in this town. I think for all of us it made us realize just how vital organizations like Living Hope are for these communities where the government may not be as responsive to the problems facing it. While the problems seem overwhelming, there are steps we can take to make it better for all. It will take time but there is always hope when Jesus is involved in the plan.

Friday afternoon was a time for us to relax and it was much needed after the week that we had. We went out to one of the large wineries in the area that also had a cheetah reserve. On our way to the winery, we passed the largest township in the Capetown area. Nearly 1 million people live in this township of makeshift houses very similar to what we saw in Overcome Heights. The government took over their land that they had originally and sent them way into the outskirts of Capetown. Of the 3-4 million people who live in the Capetown area, 1 million can be found in this community. It was such a heartbreaking site to see of the endless shacks that lined the streets and hills as we drove past. At the winery, we were able to pet actual cheetahs, something that none of us had ever done before. What an incredible experience to touch an animal that many of us see behind bars in a zoo. Apparently cheetahs are actually quite harmless and instead of attacking their prey, they run away.

That evening Mike and Pam Talle came over and had dinner with us. They are the outreach directors at Living Hope. It was great to have the opportunity to see them again and hear more about their story and what they experience every day at their organization. They have so much passion for what they do and it is such an inspiration to all of us. Not many teams have the opportunity to meet with them so we are truly blessed to have met with them as well as John and Avril earlier in the week.

After dinner we had our devotional as a team. We talked about love and went around the group saying what each one of us loved about one another. We have been doing devotionals as a team all week long. This one was much needed because it provided words of encouragement to all of us. We have all been exhausted by the things that we have witnessed this past week and were running low on energy and strength. We have been truly blessed to have such an amazing team that is unified and encouraging of one another. God is great and has been able to provide so much to us. We are thankful for this opportunity to serve Him and come to know both Him and each other even more.