Precious Moments

Simon's Town

Sometimes life feels like a revolving door, people come in for a short time then leave, experiences, emotions, and adventures rotate through, and then all your left with is the memories. Looking back over this past week I began to realize how fast time goes. I have been blessed to make many new friends throughout the various communities I have been in. But in reality many of my new acquaintances I may never see again after I return home. Thinking about this it made me question why I even met them. What is the purpose of meeting all these people just to see them rotate into your life then out? I have been so blessed over the weeks meeting so many different people, learning about various cultures, and developing numerous friendships with people in All Nations and Ocean View. Next week is our last week in the community; I cannot believe it is already time to begin transitioning into our next phase of CPx. I will be leaving behind the friends I made in Ocean View and I do not know when I will be able to talk with them again. I know this all sounds sad, but it is a reality I have begun to grasp. As I was thinking about this, I then began reflecting on the joyous times of the relationships, all the encouragements people have given and mainly what God has showed me through the different relationships and the numerous lessons He has taught me through the people. It has been such a blessing to get to know everyone in South Africa, I can’t wait to see where God takes them in life. It also reminded me to really grasp every moment you have, because you don’t know how long you have with them. So this past week was really a week of reflection and growth, remembering the good times and hoping the best future for all the friends you made. Time is short, grasp every moment of it, no matter where you are at.  

African Penguin

On a happier note, this past week in class and Ocean View was fantastic! We had an awesome speaker from a different Africa country come and speak with us. (I am leaving names and countries out for safety precautions.) The speaker is an incredible man of God and has experienced God in so many different ways. In the stories he shared it showed the class how much peace he had, despite the extremely difficult situations he was forced into. One of my favorite quotes he gave us was, “the darkest hours are always right before the dawn.”  He faced death so many times for his faith, but remained in Christ and due to his dedication many people came to know the Lord. All in all it was an amazing week of teaching on obeying the Lord and seeking His will for what He has for you, it was great. In Ocean View this past week many people were inside due to the cold and rainy whether conditions, which forced us inside as well, but we still made new friends and got to hear their stories! On Sunday outreach the weather was better so we were able to spend a good amount of time walking through the community and visiting friends and doing different Bible studies with them. This past week was a good week for teaching and outreach!

To finish out the week, we had a relaxing weekend. We were allotted four hours to spend in prayer and answering some reflection questions from the week. I decided to go to Simon’s Town, a beautiful place along the coast. I spent my time walking along the coast and through the town. I saw the cutest penguins on the Boulder Beach. All in all it was a great day just seeing a different part of Cape Town and spending time outside of the everyday normal. This past week was a week to remember of class and outreach. Now looking forward to preparing for India!