My alarm went off at 6am this morning for our second-to-last day in schools… and what a crazy day it was. Five school presentations, a meeting with the Knysna Youth for Christ staff (yay Liz!), a lunch meeting with an American missionary, a wonderful church service, dinner around 8, and home around 10. Whew!
Our second school was a very nice Christian academy. The principal was very friendly, invited us for tea and coffee, and gave us a tour of the school. It was very interesting learning about their school, as it was quite different from my schooling experience, and different from most schools in ZA as well. They have a self-teach education system with tutors and monitors around to provide assistance. The kids work at their own pace and have certain guidelines and stipulations on the amount of work that needs to get done in a day.
Our last school of the day was quite the opposite. It was an all-Xhosa school system pooling from a large community of shacks near the Plett area. Here there are 45-60 kids per classroom… and the presentation was probably a notch below mass chaos. The presentation was scheduled for the same time school lets out (why??), so the kids were that much more talkative and ready to go home.
Just before our last school of the day we grabbed a quick lunch with a Texas-native named Michelle. She was a fascinating woman with a compelling story to share. Five years ago Michelle was working a prestigious job at a medical supplies company, working her way up the ladder to Vice President of the company… when she let God interrupt her life and plans to serve amongst the poor here in South Africa. She met with Bruce Wilkinson (author of Prayer of Jabez) who was kicking off his “Dream for Africa” project at the time. She felt God pulling her heart to the need in Africa and decided to go. The entire forty minutes we spent with her, she was rattling off facts and stories… and it was very evident she was crazy about serving the Lord with all of her heart… and being the hands and feet of Jesus here in the Plett community. Most of her work is in the community from the last school I mentioned… She has started three orphanages and one church since she got here. She has a passion for HIV/AIDS orphans… sharing that every day in South Africa 1500 children are orphaned. What a cool heart Michelle has.
The last part of our day was one of the most memorable evenings for me here. We visited a church in one of these rural shack communities… and watched people worship God with all of their heart, soul, and strength… knowing they themselves had nothing. It was the most genuine, all out worship I have ever seen… It truly touched me to the core and gave me a glimpse of what heaven will be like someday. In Revelations it says all nations, tongues, and tribes will stand around the throne worshipping God with everything in them. So often I think we picture heaven as a bunch of English-speaking, NIV-reading, middle class Americans singing “Lord I lift Your name on High”… or something like that. But tonight gave me a glimpse of something quite different and much cooler.
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Revelations 7:9
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