Hello Home,
Every week down here is busier and more intense than the last. But on occasion we do have time to be married and entertain ourselves. Two weekends ago Lisa and I were able to take a train down to Simonstown, the last town before the Southern tip of Africa, and stay the night at a B&B overlooking a beach covered in penguins and one of the most stunning coastlines I’ve ever seen. We spent the day in the sun then sat on our balcony watching a lightning storm roll over the mountains and out to sea. It was amazing to have our first quiet night alone together in weeks.
This last weekend for Valentines day the guys in our DTS class planned a morning which included roses for all the girls, a hot breakfast with waiters, singing “Can’t take my eyes off of you” with surprise guests bursting out of windows for the chorus, and more sappy gestures of love. The girls took the guys out that night for a campfire and s’mores. At the end of the day I knew the Lord had his hand over the base because this is the first Valentines day I’ve ever seen where 90% of the girls didn’t break down and wallow in self-pity because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted.
In important news concerning the base, I have moved up to 5th in the Muizenberg International Ping Pong tournament standings and look to challenge the 3rd place participant tomorrow.
During our lectures we’ve been taking a look at the Lordship of Jesus and have been challenged to take a good look at what and who is in control of our lives. It still amazes me how I will so blatantly see other people’s addictions, and pursuit of empty promises but it takes being shaken up quite a bit for me to grasp that I have faults too. Why are people so funny like that? This week was enormously impactful for me. Simply sitting down every day for a week and looking in the Bible at what God says should actually be the focus of our lives, it makes me wonder how I could ever want anything else. It’s hard not to become passionate about Jesus when you begin to understand what He desires for us individually and in our nations.
In the upcoming week, our outreach team (the 10 people we’re going to Uganda with), will be doing a 7 day service trip to a town named Ceres. Ceres is a lot like Ellensburg; a city surrounded by fertile farmland a couple hours away from the coast up in the mountains. There is a lot of poverty there by South African standards, but it’s pretty well off compared to a lot of the rest of Africa. We are going to help build a church that just got started and to work in a grade school. Lisa and I are busy helping to plan this trip and have been asked to co-lead the rest of the outreach trips in Uganda and the Northern states of South Africa. We’re pretty stoked about that. We leave in just over a month for our Uganda outreach, which is pretty surreal. It’s hard to imagine that we’ll actually be living in the heart of Africa for at least 8 weeks.
Lisa wanted me to apologize for breaking her promise to blog every week. Last week got a bit busy here. We will post again in 2 weeks when we return from Ceres. She sends her love to everyone, of course!
Picture 1: The Base we live at in Muizenberg.
Picture 2 & 3: Our luxury room at the Base that will be glorious compared to where we’ll be sleeping in Uganda, I’m sure!
Picture 4: View from Simonstown B&B. Penguins located on beach right below our balcony! $50/night…exchange rate is still in Americans’ favor!
Picture 5: Penguins in Africa! Who woulda thought…
Yes it is beautiful and amazing there, but you can also get over night accomidations in Forks Washington, USA, for $50 USD, only without the penguins, you must substitute Olympic Elk. How wonderous are all His works, how majestic his mountains, how funny some of his creatures, how noble are others, how we are at times like one or the other.
ReplyDeleteSo perhaps I'm most proud of the fact that Keith continues his quest for world domination in sports which showcase his dexterity, speed, and complete dedication to being the best. That aside, however, it is inspiring and life-breathing to be let in on what God is doing in your hearts. You both have a tremendous gift for written communication and I am sooo appreciative that you take the time to share that gift with the rest of us. Your humility is captivating and I am so proud to call you my friends.
ReplyDeleteI love you both,
Alyssa (Kyle too!)
I am enjoying hearing about your adventures. I only wish you would write more often. It is so hard to believe what you guys are actually doing. I remember the evenings at our house talking about all the things and places God could take you to. What a blessing it is to see Africa...really see Africa. It is a beauty like no other and a sadness like no other. I pray that God will bless you and your time in Uganda. That He would reveal to you His desire for your time. Looking forward to more stories. By the way, we are #6 on the boys list and #18 for girls. It looks like we will have a Levi Weiseth in a month or so. We will most likely travel in the summer or fall. Will keep you posted.
ReplyDelete