Sharing

Greetings from a HOT and sunny South Africa!

I know that most people reading this are reading from the cold and snowy North America. I have to keep reminding myself that it is February and being hot and sunburn is the norm for February in the Southern Hemisphere. I am really enjoying summer and all that it brings. Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere can give me a hard time when I am writing about being cold in June :)

Recently I have had many opportunities to share. Part of our program is set up so that we are able to serve with other volunteers throughout South Africa. These past few weeks I had the chance to travel and see completely different parts of South Africa. Along with my trusted travel buddy (Heather Nelson who is placed in a small rural community in the Limpopo province of South Africa) I spent two weeks traveling around Kwa-Zulu Natal province. We visited four different volunteers. The sites ranged from downtown Durban to very rural Umphumulo, the farming community of Escourt, and an incredible community of foster families outside of Pietermaritzburg. I loved getting to see the other sites. See how many other American volunteers see South Africa. I joked in the rural areas that I can't sleep without loud music or car alarms that are a constant in Soweto. Through it all my thoughts kept coming back to how each place fits the volunteer. Each one of us is here for our own reasons and are growing in our own ways and each of our sites fits us. At this point in the year it is hard to know if our sites fit us or or if we fir our sites or if we have each grown into our site, I believe that it is a combination of all those things. It is such a gift to be able to share our experiences with each other. Have time to see the sites of each area, serve along side each other and our wonderful South African hosts, and at the end of the day share. Share a meal, share our thoughts, share our time together.

This coming week I will have another chance to share. Share the South Africa I love and now call home. As I type this my mom, her husband, and two of my cousins are on a plane somewhere over Africa. (well at least I hope they are!) They will be here for a week. Enjoying the summer weather and seeing South Africa. I am excited to show them around, introduce them to the people who have made this experience what it is for me, feed them traditional South African food, and above all spend time together. Share this experience.

I cannot ever say this enough, thank you for letting me share this experience with you you through this blog. Thank you for your continued support in the letters, e-mails, thoughts, and prayers. It means so much to me.