After 10 days with the team and a jam packed schedule, reality set in that things were about to change, and I was about to be on my own. Although I was a little nervous, the people that I am surrounded by in association with Southpoint Church are some of the most cheerful and hospitable that you can imagine, and I had a sense of calm going in to a new week. I am being hosted by the Seniors, a wonderful family who started MetroKids Africa here in Cape Town. With my own bedroom and bath out back of the house, I have both privacy and company anytime I need it...very nice. They include me in everything, and I plan to begin volunteering with MetroKids very soon. Back to Monday...we dropped my team off at the airport and took the two rented SUV's back to their home. As I got settled that afternoon, I was informed that there was a ticket to that evening's rugby final in Stellenbosch featuring the home town Maties vs the University of Cape Town. Stellenbosch has a beautiful campus in wine country, and we got there just early enough to catch the end of the preliminary match. As game time neared, the place filled to capacity and the fans were amped! This was my first rugby match, and Dale and Brendon were nice enough to keep me informed as things were happening. They serve cold beer and a wonderfully fresh jerky called Biltong...blows our stuff away. I'm actually having some Springbok Biltong right now as I type. There was also a streaker and a beer can war between the fans; we just happened to be sitting on the end of the Stellenbosch section, right next to the UCT fans, so we were slightly involved, like it or not. The problem was that as the tossing of cans continued, they became more and more full and ended up as foaming missiles by the end of it. In the end, the Maties won in a match that looked closer by the score than it really was. What a first night on my own in CT...thanks boys!
Tuesday morning I walked only a mile or so to the Southpoint Church Offices in Pinelands for the weekly meeting and some discussion about the previous week's events. Everyone agreed things had gone well, and I think the Southpoint folks got a nice emotional lift from the Northpoint team. A few of the Southpoint guys are actually headed state side to Northpoint, Buckhead and the partner church in Athens to gather information and continue to improve their knowledge in order to grow Southpoint Church. The rest of the afternoon consisted of catching up on laundry, email and some reading. On Wednesday, I got more acclimated to the Pinelands area on foot; fyi, nearly everyone here has a dog if not two, so don't walk too close to the gates unless you're ok with being barked at by every K9 along the way. Sometimes, you just have to pray and trust that the gates are closed as a Doberman gallops toward you barking at the top of his lungs.
Thursday morning I headed back to the church offices to meet with Pam, Southpoint's Superwoman, and Alison from Camp Sonshine which we visited as a team the week before. I hope to volunteer there as well so I can have two productive places to spend my time. We sorted many of the donations that our team brought from the states including clothing for kids and adults, shoes and school supplies galore! That evening I got a call from Ivor about the weekly Thursday night braai, our version of grilling out / BBQ, and I was excited to go and continue to meet some great new folks...much hospitality on their part. On Friday morning I rode to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens with the Seniors and two of their lovely kids for Becky's surprise birthday picnic. A great time was had by all and all of the familiar faces from Southpoint were there. I walked around and got some good shots of the natural amphitheater and stage as well as some plant life. That afternoon I rode to the town ships with James Senior so he could check up on some folks he knows. After a quick stop, we pulled up to the home of a child that he keeps tabs on through Sidewalk Sunday School and a relationship with the family. As it turns out, the family believes his mother has cancer and they are both currently in Johannesburg. James lead a prayer with the family right there in their living room, and they all were very grateful. It's amazing to see the warm welcome that he gets as the kids see the MetroKids Land Rover coming down the streets which are lined with shacks for miles; this is an area that I could never go to alone, but after five plus years of work in these town ships, this family and their many volunteers are making a difference in the lives of these children. Today has been pretty mellow as most places are closed, and folks are settled in for the Easter weekend which includes a holiday on Monday as well. We'll braai at the Seniors tonight and then it's up at 5:30 am to get to Old Mutual by 6 where we'll set everything up for the 9:30 service. I'm excited for the Easter service and what a new week has in store.
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