Cape Town to Johannesburg: 2 hours
Waiting at the Joburg airport: 2 hours
Johannesburg to Senegal: 9 hours
Waiting for refuel inside the plane: 1 1/2 hours
Senegal to Washington D.C.: 8 hours
Going through customs: 1 1/2 hours
Washington D.C. to LAX: 6 hours
Total amount of time to get home: 30 hours
It's so weird to be back. Everything is so familiar that I feel like I was just here yesterday, but at the same time I know I've been gone for so long and I have moments when I realize how much I missed this place. I shrieked with excitement when I saw Starbucks in the airport and I panicked when my dad made a right turn into the wrong lane, at least I thought it was the wrong lane until I realized we drive on the other side of the road.
I miss Africa. Every time I think about it, it almost feels like a really good dream. How an I supposed to go back to a normal life? I sat in the movie theater yesterday and I felt so normal. I walked through my house and glanced through all the shiny technology toys like computers and TVs and I felt like I was at a millionaire's house. It scares me that I can so easily fall back into my routine of life and forget about what happened these past few months. I have to figure out how to bring Africa to the states, but I can't go overboard because I know everyone will get tired of hearing about it and will want to move on.
I'm back in the U.S.A., but my mind and my heart are still in Africa, at least for now. Everything I see reminds me of it and every time I talk I want to stay on that subject.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
It's May
On May 1 I slept in for the first time in a really long time and didn't get out of bed until 11am. I walked down the street to the Waffle and Pancake House of Kalk Bay and had a lovely brunch with Kayla, Alyssa, and Lauren. After that Kayla and I took the train to Claremont and walked around the town looking at the shops on the street and inside the mall. After Claremont we had dinner at BI and then went out for desert. It was Hillary's birthday so we went to the Cape To Cuba restaurant. Then I spent a relaxed hour reading Julie and Julia before going to bed.
On May 2 I woke up early and walked to the Olympia take-away cafe down the street with a group of friends. We hopped on the train and rode all the way to Cape Town. After stopping to ask 3 people for directions we finally found our way to the Cape Town International Convention Centre where the Hillsong Church of Cape Town holds its services. I've never been a fan of making celebrities out of people that shouldn't be made celebrities, especially when they are just trying to praise the Lord, and I was therefore hesitant about attending a church that is so well known and has such a celebrity name among the Christian, and even sometimes the non-christian, community. To my great surprise, the service was absolutely wonderful and I didn't feel like I was at a show at all; it actually felt like a community of people that just wanted to praise God together and grow together in fellowship.
The church was big and there were 3 services throughout the day, but the speaker was actually present and not just giving a sermon through video. It was actually a good size because, although it's bigger than an average church, it was still small enough to feel like a community and when we raised our hands to answer the speaker's question about any international visitors being there he asked us where we were from and we responded, "the United States". We were close enough to the front that he heard us and everyone in the church welcomed us. Because I've heard of Hillsong as a church that has good worship and I have a seemingly unending list of songs from them on my Ipod, I expected to have a lot of song time, but we actually had a lot of listening time too. The songs went well with the message and the speaker gave a four-point sermon that was exactly what I needed to hear on my last Sunday here in South Africa.
The Hillsong church was humble in so many ways and I truly felt that God used it to speak to me today. It's amazing how God has spoken to me through such a diverse group of churches these past few months. The message I got today was encouraging in many ways.
The speaker spoke about miracles and he declared that May would be a month of miracles. He used the passage about Peter getting out of prison as an example and it was made clear to me in a new way.
We have to confess miracles, believe in them, expect them, and then use them for God's glory. It's important to confess that God is able to move mountains and to fully believe in everything we pray about without doubting God's amazing power. It's also important to expect that God will do great things because we know that He keeps His promises and when He does keep those promises it's important to share with others about the great things that God has done.
My trip to South Africa has truly been a miracle because it seemed impossible for me to survive such a trip or afford it. I was so sick last semester with a stomach condition and with a panic disorder and, sure, I got medicine, visited doctors, and sat through therapy, but I was still in no condition whatsoever to leave the country for 4 months with complete strangers. Looking back I can't even believe I got on that plane and agreed to come here, but I'm so glad I did. I had pretty much no control over what I ate here because I never had the chance to cook for myself and was placed in situations where I had to eat foreign food without asking questions and finish everything on my plate so I wouldn't be rude, but I didn't get as sick as I thought. I can't say I didn't get sick at all because I did have some stomach sickness, but it's not the stomach sickness that results from my stomach condition. I also thought I would panic and that the social anxiety I was diagnosed with would limit my interactions with other, but to this day I have not had a panic attack. I had beginning symptoms of one a couple times, but I was able to predict it and calm myself down. I've also been able to form relationships with all the strangers I got on a plane with and they have now become close to family because we are all good friends.
I have to admit that I didn't expect the miracle to happen and God blew me away with all that He's done. I know a lot of it is the result of all the lovely people that have been constantly praying for me. I'm going back home now and I can't stay quiet about my trip because I have to let people know that God made a miracle in my life and he led me through the most amazing trip I have ever taken. These past 4 months of my life are months I will never forget and I'm truly looking forward to all the life skills I've learned and the ideas God has given me about how I can serve Him from here on out. May is a month of miracles, beginning with the miracle that I will finish a trip I would have never imagined I could finish. The best part is that greater things are yet come.
On May 2 I woke up early and walked to the Olympia take-away cafe down the street with a group of friends. We hopped on the train and rode all the way to Cape Town. After stopping to ask 3 people for directions we finally found our way to the Cape Town International Convention Centre where the Hillsong Church of Cape Town holds its services. I've never been a fan of making celebrities out of people that shouldn't be made celebrities, especially when they are just trying to praise the Lord, and I was therefore hesitant about attending a church that is so well known and has such a celebrity name among the Christian, and even sometimes the non-christian, community. To my great surprise, the service was absolutely wonderful and I didn't feel like I was at a show at all; it actually felt like a community of people that just wanted to praise God together and grow together in fellowship.
The church was big and there were 3 services throughout the day, but the speaker was actually present and not just giving a sermon through video. It was actually a good size because, although it's bigger than an average church, it was still small enough to feel like a community and when we raised our hands to answer the speaker's question about any international visitors being there he asked us where we were from and we responded, "the United States". We were close enough to the front that he heard us and everyone in the church welcomed us. Because I've heard of Hillsong as a church that has good worship and I have a seemingly unending list of songs from them on my Ipod, I expected to have a lot of song time, but we actually had a lot of listening time too. The songs went well with the message and the speaker gave a four-point sermon that was exactly what I needed to hear on my last Sunday here in South Africa.
The Hillsong church was humble in so many ways and I truly felt that God used it to speak to me today. It's amazing how God has spoken to me through such a diverse group of churches these past few months. The message I got today was encouraging in many ways.
The speaker spoke about miracles and he declared that May would be a month of miracles. He used the passage about Peter getting out of prison as an example and it was made clear to me in a new way.
We have to confess miracles, believe in them, expect them, and then use them for God's glory. It's important to confess that God is able to move mountains and to fully believe in everything we pray about without doubting God's amazing power. It's also important to expect that God will do great things because we know that He keeps His promises and when He does keep those promises it's important to share with others about the great things that God has done.
My trip to South Africa has truly been a miracle because it seemed impossible for me to survive such a trip or afford it. I was so sick last semester with a stomach condition and with a panic disorder and, sure, I got medicine, visited doctors, and sat through therapy, but I was still in no condition whatsoever to leave the country for 4 months with complete strangers. Looking back I can't even believe I got on that plane and agreed to come here, but I'm so glad I did. I had pretty much no control over what I ate here because I never had the chance to cook for myself and was placed in situations where I had to eat foreign food without asking questions and finish everything on my plate so I wouldn't be rude, but I didn't get as sick as I thought. I can't say I didn't get sick at all because I did have some stomach sickness, but it's not the stomach sickness that results from my stomach condition. I also thought I would panic and that the social anxiety I was diagnosed with would limit my interactions with other, but to this day I have not had a panic attack. I had beginning symptoms of one a couple times, but I was able to predict it and calm myself down. I've also been able to form relationships with all the strangers I got on a plane with and they have now become close to family because we are all good friends.
I have to admit that I didn't expect the miracle to happen and God blew me away with all that He's done. I know a lot of it is the result of all the lovely people that have been constantly praying for me. I'm going back home now and I can't stay quiet about my trip because I have to let people know that God made a miracle in my life and he led me through the most amazing trip I have ever taken. These past 4 months of my life are months I will never forget and I'm truly looking forward to all the life skills I've learned and the ideas God has given me about how I can serve Him from here on out. May is a month of miracles, beginning with the miracle that I will finish a trip I would have never imagined I could finish. The best part is that greater things are yet come.
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