Blessings From Home

 It's very hard to put the last two weeks into words. Our home church from the states, Rolling Hills Community Church, arrived on February 20th to serve with us here in Cape Town for 10 days. The minute that we saw their smiling faces walk through the gate at the airport Nathan and I were so excited for the days ahead. It's hard to explain the feeling of seeing people from home after not seeing them for so long. I knew how exciting it was going to be, but the joy and happiness that came with that was incredible. There were 9 people on the trip, most of them we knew, but excited to get to know the ones we didn't. Lesli, a former missionary in Red Hill, was so excited to be back in a place that is so dear to her heart and spend time with those who mean so much to her. While many of the people on the trip have been here before, there were a few that hadn't been to Cape Town. The first day they were here we went on a tour of Living Hope and they were able to see how things have changed in the past year and some new upcoming exciting additions to the ministry as a whole. It was a good overview of everything and for those who hadn't been here before, it was nice for them to be able to hear everything for the first time.

All the LSE's and Rolling Hills 

Last Friday Rolling Hills put on a Life Skill Educators Retreat! This is something that the LSE's look forward to all year. As an LSE, Nathan and I understand how much work being an LSE in our communities is and were also thankful for this time together to grow and spend quality time with each other. We spent the morning talking about our life verse and sharing them with our groups. We then were able to sketch our life verse into some concrete and paint it so we could take it home to remind us daily. We then spent the afternoon in Muizenberg at the beach. We had a lunch there and were able to hang out and chill for the afternoon. It was a great time to just be able to relax and spend time with each other in a more chill setting. I'm sure any LSE would tell you that the day was incredible and it meant a lot for Rolling Hills to spend their day pouring into all of us. It was cool to hear stories about people still having their crafts from the year before and knowing how much this day really means to all of them. They day was so much fun and we are already excited for next year! 

Some of the girls hanging out before a ride

Saturday brought another sense of adventure for all of us! Lumka, Kennedy, Phillis, and all of their families were picked up early that Saturday morning from Red Hill to meet us and then head to Ratanga Junction. From the moment we stepped out of the Quantum’s at the amusement park there was pure joy on all of their faces. They were excited for the day and ready to jump on every ride that they possibly could. While riding rides and eating junk food was fun, the time spent in meaningful conversations was so precious to all of us. As an LSE that serves in Red Hill with Lumka, Kennedy, and Phillis day in and day out, I understand the tiredness and stress that comes even with the joy and blessings. They are such fearless leaders in their community and spend most of their time serving and tending to other peoples needs. They all have such big hearts for not only people, but for seeing those around them truly understand the importance of having a personal relationship with our heavenly Father. When we returned to the team house that night we all were able to share about the day and any special moments that we shared with all of their families. Lesli shared a story with us about Phillis and it made my heart so happy. Phillis looked at Lesli at some point during the day and pointed to her head and said, “today I have no stress and no worry up here.” This is exactly the kind of day we wanted them to have. A day that they could go out with their families and simply enjoy each other. It was such a blessing for me and the whole team to be able to see them spend their day without a worry. To be able to go to a place and have a day full of fun and excitement was something that I think they will hold dear to their hearts for a long time. It also gave us all a chance to spend the day having fun and getting to know one another better then we did before. That day was a lot more then going to an amusement park and riding tons of rides. It was a day filled with intentional moments, laughter, and the simple joy of sharing life with one another. I believe that moments like that remind us how much we are alike, and how we are apart of such a greater story then we could ever imagine.

Just finished riding the log ride

Last week, Monday through Thursday, we spent all of our time in Red Hill doing a lot of different things. There were a couple of different projects that needed to be done and so we all jumped in on that as soon as we got there. One of the projects was to lay concrete around the shelter where we do club for the kids and teens in middle camp. During the rainy season the water gets under the shelter and makes it really wet inside so we wanted to take care of that problem. The guys did a great job at doing this and taking care of that problem. Another exciting thing that Rolling Hills did was paint our office in Red Hill. Before the team go there Lumka and I talked about what colors we wanted it to be and decided that we wanted something bright and happy! We definitely were in for a treat because the office is the brightest thing in Red Hill now and we love it! We chose red and yellow as the colors for the office and it turned out great. Lumka, Kennedy, and Phillis loved out it turned out. Phillis also sewed some beautiful curtains to go in the office. She spent one day last week working hard on them all day and they look incredible. We are now reminded of our wonderful church every time we step foot in that office and see the walls painted. It is like we have a piece of home with us right there in Red Hill! Another thing the team worked on was Phillis garden. They worked on it last year when they were here, but there were a few things that needed some help. We helped pick up all the trash in the garden and helped pull all the roots up that were growing. The chicken wire that was put up last year to keep animals out is still in place and holding pretty well. Phillis is growing spinach in her garden right now and is going to be planting some other things soon. Our prayer is that we will be able to find people to help her keep up the garden. It is an excellent way to get the community to come together and help sustain the growth of the food coming from the garden. All the projects went really well and we are excited for the wonderful changes in the community!

Having fun painting the office

Concrete outside the shelter

Working on the garden 

One of our favorite things about working in Red Hill day in and day out is kids and teens club! It was so great having our church here to do this alongside of us. They planned everything before they came and the kids and teens couldn't have enjoyed it anymore. The focus for kids was greed and where they store their treasures. We had a skit for them on Monday and Wednesday to open up what we were going to be talking about that day. Then we broke up into two groups like we usually do. Emily and Lesli did a great job teaching the lesson to the older group and Sara and Mark did a great job with the younger ones. They loved the crafts that we did and the games. I loved watching their faces light up when learning something new and being exciting for all the different things that we did. During teens club on Tuesday and Thursday we talked about purity and how we are supposed to honor our bodies. Maria led the girls group and Nathan led the guys group. We did an activity with the girls at the beginning where they had to draw themselves and write words to describe how they felt when they looked into the mirror. It was really great to see them open up and share some of those things with the group. Maria did a great job leading the girls through scripture and reminding them how special they are to God. Relationships were formed with both kids and teens this week that I will stay with both the team and our kids and teens in Red Hill. We loved seeing Rolling Hills serve and love unconditionally all the kiddos this past week. It was truly a blessing.

Larry teaching the older boys 

Mark teaching the little ones the Bible story

There are so many stories that I could tell about the past two weeks and the impact that was made in such a short time. We are so incredibly thankful for the time that we had with our church and the moments that were spent in a place that is so special to all of us. Lumka, Kennedy, Phillis, Nathan, and I will be talking about the past two weeks for months to come and every time we do we will have the biggest smiles on our faces. Even though it was really hard saying goodbye when we took them to the airport, we are all left with memories that will carry us through until next year when we are all together again. Thank you father for one of the biggest blessings you could have ever given to us, the blessing of relationships! The laughter and joy that took place the last two weeks can't be described, but there has been a lasting impression left on the community that we love so much. We all anxiously await the return of our sweet friends from Franklin, TN next year! Until then, may the Lord continue to bless each one of you and know how much you are loved from South Africa! 

The Red Hill Team (Kennedy, Phillis, Claudia, Lumka, Nathan)

Rolling Hills Team and The Red Hill Gang