A Day in Jeffrey’s Bay

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another update from Africa. Our team arrived at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa on March 4th. This is our final stop on this trip which will last until the end of April. Living here at the Global Leadership Academy base in Jeffrey’s Bay has been an exciting, breath of fresh air. Here is what a day of ministry looks like here at the bottom of South Africa.

Ministry

Our squad of 16 is split up into three different teams. We have an all-boys team of 4 and then two teams of 6 girls. Here in Jeffrey’s Bay, all three teams are a part of different ministries for the two months. My team will be assisting at a local preschool; helping teachers and playing with the children. Our day starts at 7:15 am when we get picked up from the GLA campus by a school van driver, Sonya. We arrive at school and immediately disperse to our assigned classrooms and begin to build blocks with the kids until the teachers arrive. The class I reside in holds 14, three-year-olds. I’m always greeted with a round of tight hugs and high-fives. For the majority of the day the kids color, eat snacks and run around outside. It has been an eye-opening experience to observe a classroom in a different culture. While the teachers know some English, the kids speak and are learning Afrikaans; one of the main languages in South Africa. I am learning to communicate with exaggerated facial expressions and body language. The craziest part of the day for my team is what I consider recess. There is a small grass area with a simple playground outside the building where the students spend their “outside time”. On our first day of ministry, we were SWARMED by a hundred 3-5-year-olds. One of my teammates describes the event as a lamb wandering into a pack of hyenas. After sharing the overwhelming experience with our leaders, we were given some advice on how to properly work with these kids who are raised in a different culture than what we are used to in the US. In the days since, I have learned to whip out my “teacher voice” that I use to help control the little hyenas. By the end of the week, I could not wait to call my mom and share about my first week as a teacher and get her thoughts. One afternoon, my teacher asked if I would find a bible story with pictures and read it to the students. After spending some time in their limited library, I found a small picture book of the story of David and Goliath. Once we were seated in a circle, I would read a page and the teacher- Thelma would translate the enticing story back to the kids. When the story concluded, Thelma asked if I would say a prayer for them in English. I realized in that moment that I’m not only here the kids, but I’m ministering to Thelma as well. The school day ends for the students at noon, but most kids don’t get picked up until 2 pm. My team spends the hour between 12 and 1 to eat lunch, give feedback about our day, and rest after the long morning. After another hour of playing outside, Sonya returns to take us home around 2 pm. My team is incredibly grateful for the growth we have watched take place this week and can not wait to continue with the preschool ministry these next 2 months.

Afternoon

In the summer of 2022, I fell in love with taking walks outside. We have a dirt farm road that travels from our house to the bottom of our vast farmland. I would put on my headphones and take a trip down and back that came out to be about 2 miles. In Eswatini, I didn’t have a space big enough outside to get any walks in. Here on the GLA base, there is a large field with a track along the border. The best part of my afternoon is having the ability to get out and walk laps on the grass track. It has been my favorite way to have personal quiet time with the Lord. I spend the mile and a half listening to worship music and chatting with God. We are also blessed to be living fairly close to not only a mall, but a Mcdonald’s! After ministry, we have the opportunity to get some more clothes, snacks, and fresh fries.

Evening

Our teams’ ministry days end at different points throughout the day, but we all eat dinner together. It’s a fun time to share about our busy days while eating a delicious meal our host, Wendy, made for us. After dinner, we spend the rest of our evening either having team time or listening to one of our squad-mate’s testimony. Throughout the trip, everyone on the squad has the opportunity to share their personal testimony with the rest of the group. With two people sharing a week, we will finish with everyone just in time for the trip to be over. Once 9 pm hits, the exhaustion hits and I am ready for bed. I definitely have a new appreciation for teachers. 🙂

We are so excited to be here in Jeffrey’s Bay for 2 whole months! I am loving this journey and have truly enjoyed watching God move in my life. Thanks for stopping by to catch up and read my update!

Until next time!

Suzy:)