I just spoke with Stephanie, who is my project leader. I will be meeting with her tomorrow, Tuesday, afternoon at 1:00. However, I will be going to a prayer meeting at the church at 8:30 and then will be helping Jo Loizedes with something called Sunshade from 9:30 to 12:00. I am not exactly sure what Sunshade is, but I'll let you know when I find out. I will have an hour just to hang out around the church before meeting with Stephanie.
A couple of my roommates have a prayer meeting at 6:30 A.M., as they are involved with a program called BLITZ... I will not be involved with this, but will probably have to tag along with them, as that is my ride. Stephanie informed me that she will not be available to pick me up or take me home at all, so please pray that transportation will be provided throughout the year and this will not be an issue.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
January Training Block
I have returned back from my first Training Block and start my project this week. I have just put my photos from this on the web-site. We didn’t have too much free time, but we used all that we could to do some tourist-type stuff in the area. It was very gorgeous.
The training was very good and quite intense. I was mentally and physically worn out within the first few days. I will put some specific info about some of the training stuff below, but I will first talk a bit about some of the fun stuff we did. There were 27 of us… I was the oldest, there was one 25 year old, one 24, and the rest were 21 or younger. It was good getting to know everyone. I felt quite a bit older, but several of the younger ones were calling me their “big sister” by the end of the two weeks, so that was nice.
We were in a dorm-type facility right on the beach in Simon’s Town. It was absolutely beautiful, as you’ll see in the pictures… the beach was great and the water was very clear. We had some friends around… penguins. They would just hang out on the beach with us, which was quite adorable. They were so cute when they would walk!
We had the weekend off between the two-week training, so we actually went to three different services at three different churches. Two were youth services (Friday night at The Bay and Sunday night at Heldeberg) and one regular service (Sunday morning at Simon’s Bay). These are all three NFI churches. It was so great to get to visit some different churches, as I probably won’t get a lot of opportunity to do that when I’m more involved at Jubilee.
On Saturday afternoon, we went to the mall. Jac (who is head of NFI South Africa) let me drive his car with eight girls… it was quite packed and was a fun experience to drive. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. They drive on the opposite side of the street, so that was a first for me. It was also a manual transmission… which I can drive, but it’s been awhile.
I have also seen some US stores here, which I heard that I wouldn’t see. They have McDonalds, KFC, Shell, Seven 11, MAC (that one really surprised me!), Guess and several others. No Starbucks though – that’s one I would love to have around!!!
Most of the coffee here in instant coffee, which I’m starting to get used to… as hard as that may seem!
I am doing pretty well emotionally. I have my moments, of course. Part of me feels like I’ve been on vacation and it’s time to come home. However, I am really excited to start my project and see what life will be like here.
I am a bit concerned about the transportation part of things. I have to depend on others to pick me up and take me home. Taxis are not like they are in the U.S… it’s a 15-minute walk to get a taxi, which is basically a large van full of many people and the van has it’s standard stops. It’s not safe to walk to a taxi from here by yourself and it’s definitely not safe to be on one by yourself. About six of us experienced this together on the way to training block. There are five of us living here, three of which are FYPs, and Destiny is about a two-minute walk from here, so the four of us will hopefully be figuring out the transportation together.
Here’s a little bit more details from the actual classes:
Counseling and Listening Skills. This was a very intense course on crisis counseling. We had a test at the end, and, for those of us that passed, are now certified to do this type of counseling. It was very intense, but Gill was a great teacher and helped us in making this practical. I studied and ended up getting a 100% on the test – that’s not like me. ☺ However, I know that it’s much different when it’s on paper versus an actual person. I hope to get to use some of these skills here and I imagine I will be able to at Beauty for Ashes.
God’s Story and God’s Word. I really enjoy both of these classes. Dave Adams is one of the pastors at Jubilee and he taught both of these. We actually did a brief overview of the entire Bible… it was incredibly intense, somewhat overwhelming, but very enjoyable.
Working with Your Money, Stewardship and Leadership. Jac taught these three courses and I really enjoyed them, as well. The titles of the courses show exactly what he talked about… he didn’t get too specific with managing money, but talked about how to manage all that we’ve been given in a God-glorifying, giving way.
Church History. Lex taught this course. It was great… intense, as the rest of them. I really enjoyed Lex and got to talk to him a little over lunch-time to catch up with some of the stuff going on in Columbia. He said that they would have me over and we could get out all of their old pictures and go through them together.
This Great Salvation. This was an excellent course. Sean talked about evangelism and how to do this in a manner which is effective in getting people interested and open. It was great for me. It still scares me to do this, but hopefully I will get the opportunity to do this here and become more comfortable in it. He focused more on just talking to people that we randomly meet when we’re out and about. He also got pretty theological on some stuff… which is harder for me.
Worship and Prophetic Ministry. That was pretty awesome. ☺
Assignments. Last, but not least, we got a list of assignments that will be due in April. I have three essays I have to write – one on God’s Story, one on Church History and one on This Great Salvation. I also received a book, “Bible Doctrine”, and I have to read two chapters and answer the questions at the end of the chapters, as well as read one other chapter and journal on this. I also have to work out a budget and write down all my goals for this year and review these with my project leader. Lastly, I have to fill out a report and send it to Jac and Megan each month. I was told that if I spend about two hours a week on all of this, I should have it all done by the time it’s due… which is the April training block (the first two weeks of April).
This is quite long! I love all of you and miss you!
The training was very good and quite intense. I was mentally and physically worn out within the first few days. I will put some specific info about some of the training stuff below, but I will first talk a bit about some of the fun stuff we did. There were 27 of us… I was the oldest, there was one 25 year old, one 24, and the rest were 21 or younger. It was good getting to know everyone. I felt quite a bit older, but several of the younger ones were calling me their “big sister” by the end of the two weeks, so that was nice.
We were in a dorm-type facility right on the beach in Simon’s Town. It was absolutely beautiful, as you’ll see in the pictures… the beach was great and the water was very clear. We had some friends around… penguins. They would just hang out on the beach with us, which was quite adorable. They were so cute when they would walk!
We had the weekend off between the two-week training, so we actually went to three different services at three different churches. Two were youth services (Friday night at The Bay and Sunday night at Heldeberg) and one regular service (Sunday morning at Simon’s Bay). These are all three NFI churches. It was so great to get to visit some different churches, as I probably won’t get a lot of opportunity to do that when I’m more involved at Jubilee.
On Saturday afternoon, we went to the mall. Jac (who is head of NFI South Africa) let me drive his car with eight girls… it was quite packed and was a fun experience to drive. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. They drive on the opposite side of the street, so that was a first for me. It was also a manual transmission… which I can drive, but it’s been awhile.
I have also seen some US stores here, which I heard that I wouldn’t see. They have McDonalds, KFC, Shell, Seven 11, MAC (that one really surprised me!), Guess and several others. No Starbucks though – that’s one I would love to have around!!!
Most of the coffee here in instant coffee, which I’m starting to get used to… as hard as that may seem!
I am doing pretty well emotionally. I have my moments, of course. Part of me feels like I’ve been on vacation and it’s time to come home. However, I am really excited to start my project and see what life will be like here.
I am a bit concerned about the transportation part of things. I have to depend on others to pick me up and take me home. Taxis are not like they are in the U.S… it’s a 15-minute walk to get a taxi, which is basically a large van full of many people and the van has it’s standard stops. It’s not safe to walk to a taxi from here by yourself and it’s definitely not safe to be on one by yourself. About six of us experienced this together on the way to training block. There are five of us living here, three of which are FYPs, and Destiny is about a two-minute walk from here, so the four of us will hopefully be figuring out the transportation together.
Here’s a little bit more details from the actual classes:
Counseling and Listening Skills. This was a very intense course on crisis counseling. We had a test at the end, and, for those of us that passed, are now certified to do this type of counseling. It was very intense, but Gill was a great teacher and helped us in making this practical. I studied and ended up getting a 100% on the test – that’s not like me. ☺ However, I know that it’s much different when it’s on paper versus an actual person. I hope to get to use some of these skills here and I imagine I will be able to at Beauty for Ashes.
God’s Story and God’s Word. I really enjoy both of these classes. Dave Adams is one of the pastors at Jubilee and he taught both of these. We actually did a brief overview of the entire Bible… it was incredibly intense, somewhat overwhelming, but very enjoyable.
Working with Your Money, Stewardship and Leadership. Jac taught these three courses and I really enjoyed them, as well. The titles of the courses show exactly what he talked about… he didn’t get too specific with managing money, but talked about how to manage all that we’ve been given in a God-glorifying, giving way.
Church History. Lex taught this course. It was great… intense, as the rest of them. I really enjoyed Lex and got to talk to him a little over lunch-time to catch up with some of the stuff going on in Columbia. He said that they would have me over and we could get out all of their old pictures and go through them together.
This Great Salvation. This was an excellent course. Sean talked about evangelism and how to do this in a manner which is effective in getting people interested and open. It was great for me. It still scares me to do this, but hopefully I will get the opportunity to do this here and become more comfortable in it. He focused more on just talking to people that we randomly meet when we’re out and about. He also got pretty theological on some stuff… which is harder for me.
Worship and Prophetic Ministry. That was pretty awesome. ☺
Assignments. Last, but not least, we got a list of assignments that will be due in April. I have three essays I have to write – one on God’s Story, one on Church History and one on This Great Salvation. I also received a book, “Bible Doctrine”, and I have to read two chapters and answer the questions at the end of the chapters, as well as read one other chapter and journal on this. I also have to work out a budget and write down all my goals for this year and review these with my project leader. Lastly, I have to fill out a report and send it to Jac and Megan each month. I was told that if I spend about two hours a week on all of this, I should have it all done by the time it’s due… which is the April training block (the first two weeks of April).
This is quite long! I love all of you and miss you!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Pictures!
I have finally posted some pictures. :)
I am off to training camp tomorrow and will probably not be online for almost two weeks. Love you all!
I am off to training camp tomorrow and will probably not be online for almost two weeks. Love you all!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Summer Camp - What A Great Start to My Journey in Cape Town
I returned today from summer camp. I had a great time there. I am, of course, still missing home so much, but I had a wonderful and very busy week. There were a total of 372 people at camp... including about five NFI churches, 150ish leaders and 200 some kids. We were divided in quiet time groups - there were nine in my group, three leaders and six kids. It was so great to be in these groups and get so personal with the kids.
The meetings were amazing. Becky and Vicki - you both would have loved the meetings! The Africanz love to dance and have many dances for the different songs. We also sang some of the songs in Africanz, which is quite common here in Cape Town. I believe it's the second most used language after English. The meeting reminded me much like the mid-90s at CF. They were amazing.... and the sermons spoke much of the Word and truth and the importance of walking a life with God.
The weather was incredibly hot. There is a hole in the ozone layer, so there is no ozone layer here. I don't know exactly what that means, I just know that we must be careful while in the sun. :)
I met some wonderful people at the camp. I met most of the FYPs... who are the others in the program with me. I also met many that I will be going to church with and some friends from other churches. It was a great way to get started here in Cape Town. I feel like I get to go to church tomorrow and I'll know some people. Yeah!
Steven spoke at two of the meetings, so I got to talk to him a bit... for those of you that know him. He had his two adorable boys with him. Also, Ami and Jessica Loizedes were at the camp and I got to talk to them a little bit. I took some pictures of them and hope to get them on the website soon. Their mom picked them up today from the church and I got to talk to her some. She and Lex said they are planning on having me over for dinner after training camp is over.
I will be at training camp for the next two weeks. If you'd like to see what I'll be up to, please check out my contact info and look at the "January Schedule" posted there.
Thank you for all of your posts and emails - I wish I could respond to all of them! You all are so wonderful and such a great encouragement to me. Thank you so much!
The meetings were amazing. Becky and Vicki - you both would have loved the meetings! The Africanz love to dance and have many dances for the different songs. We also sang some of the songs in Africanz, which is quite common here in Cape Town. I believe it's the second most used language after English. The meeting reminded me much like the mid-90s at CF. They were amazing.... and the sermons spoke much of the Word and truth and the importance of walking a life with God.
The weather was incredibly hot. There is a hole in the ozone layer, so there is no ozone layer here. I don't know exactly what that means, I just know that we must be careful while in the sun. :)
I met some wonderful people at the camp. I met most of the FYPs... who are the others in the program with me. I also met many that I will be going to church with and some friends from other churches. It was a great way to get started here in Cape Town. I feel like I get to go to church tomorrow and I'll know some people. Yeah!
Steven spoke at two of the meetings, so I got to talk to him a bit... for those of you that know him. He had his two adorable boys with him. Also, Ami and Jessica Loizedes were at the camp and I got to talk to them a little bit. I took some pictures of them and hope to get them on the website soon. Their mom picked them up today from the church and I got to talk to her some. She and Lex said they are planning on having me over for dinner after training camp is over.
I will be at training camp for the next two weeks. If you'd like to see what I'll be up to, please check out my contact info and look at the "January Schedule" posted there.
Thank you for all of your posts and emails - I wish I could respond to all of them! You all are so wonderful and such a great encouragement to me. Thank you so much!
Saturday, January 6, 2007
I'm here!
I have safely arrived in Cape Town. It's hard to believe! I haven't seen too much of Cape Town yet, but will be going to the beach tomorrow for summer camp. Summer camp is for the NFI youth and I will help in doing whatever they need me to do. I will be there from tomorrow, January 7th, through Saturday, January 13th.
I am settled at my new home and my host parents are quite wonderful. They have been so inviting and helpful. My room is quite small, which I'm not used to, and I'm pretty certain my bed is smaller than a twin. I will have four house mates, one girl and three guys. The host parents have opened their home to people volunteering at Jubilee Community Church and their door is pretty much what we would call a revolving door. I have been blessed by them today and am excited to get to know them more. We all will have dinner together each evening and we each get a night of the week to cook. :) Vegetarian shall be interesting here.
I am happy to be here and looking forward to what God has for me, but I have had an emotional day. Please pray that God works in me and through me this week at camp and that I'm not an emotional wreck! :)
Love,
Elizabeth
I am settled at my new home and my host parents are quite wonderful. They have been so inviting and helpful. My room is quite small, which I'm not used to, and I'm pretty certain my bed is smaller than a twin. I will have four house mates, one girl and three guys. The host parents have opened their home to people volunteering at Jubilee Community Church and their door is pretty much what we would call a revolving door. I have been blessed by them today and am excited to get to know them more. We all will have dinner together each evening and we each get a night of the week to cook. :) Vegetarian shall be interesting here.
I am happy to be here and looking forward to what God has for me, but I have had an emotional day. Please pray that God works in me and through me this week at camp and that I'm not an emotional wreck! :)
Love,
Elizabeth
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