With Vulnerability comes Connection

This blog was written by April and Matt…

Hi Friends and Family!

This is April and I still can’t believe I’m here in South Africa!!! Today was another great day working with the Bridges Academy students.  It is wonderful how this academy houses and educates South African teenagers who have lost one or both parents.  The staff at the academy work very hard to educate, love and raise up these students to prepare them for a future where the students can affect a positive change in their communities. My heart goes out to the teachers, principals and all staff who have made sacrifices to work at the academy. It was my privilege to serve them during a Staff Appreciation Lunch by decorating the outdoor patio, serving them food & drink and clearing their dishes when they had finished. It was the least I could do to show my appreciation for all their hard work throughout the year. I am only here for two weeks, but they are here all year round and it must take great strength to go the long haul.  As Jared keeps telling us: we are the sprinters here for a short time but the Academy Staff are the marathon runners who keep on and on.

Throughout the week I have been moving through each group’s rotations taking photos and it has been wonderful to see my RockHarbor team members in action. God has created them with such unique gifts and talents that they get to share with the Academy students. I could write for a long while on how impressed I am with each team member and give you specifics on what they are doing here. Yet, I will spare everyone such a long blog. =) I will say that the Academy Students are enjoying the various experiences and have been connecting with the RockHarbor team during rotations and other meeting times. In my rotation I was able to share the skill of crocheting, something my grandma taught me when I was little. At first I was worried that not many of the students would be interested in learning this skill. However, I was surprised that several of them, even the boys, were really interested in learning! Some of the boys struggled, but they kept coming back to me, Lizzie or Ray asking us to check their progress and help them through it. =) Many of them made wrist bands and a few made some more complicated head bands. In the future, they could use this skill to make scarves, blankets and such a wide variety of goods. I am glad that my grandma could pass this skill on to me so that I could pass it on to the South African students. Thank you grandma. =) We also had a group activity for Spiritual Disciplines Prayer and Stewardship led by  Paul, Soccer led by Molly and assisted by Matt, and Line Dancing  led by Meredith, Chalane, Morgan, and Kira. The kids were so engaged for all the activities and it definitely makes our job a little bit easier.  A special class was held today on Prayer Training led by Kathlene, Danielle and Allie. 

It was Friday night and the students were ready for a fun Guys and Girls Night! The guys lit the campfire, sang songs in their native language Kosa and danced around with glow sticks. While the girls stayed warm inside, painted nails, did a photo shoot and shared with each other. We joined the guys around the campfire where Paul shared his story and it moved me to tears. He has had many hardships in this life, from losing his wife and sons in a car crash, holding his father’s & mother’s hands as they faced death, and even experiencing death himself after a heart attack. I watched the Academy Students as they intently listened to Paul’s story and you could see how they were moved to hear how God led Paul to know Christ through the experiences of great pain in his life.  The students were so moved by Paul’s testimony that they were rendered speechless.  Literally, only one student was able to respond during group time. However, after we commenced S’mores making, I saw Paul sitting a little distant from the fire, and slowly, one at a time or in pairs, students came to speak to him. I have no idea what they said to Paul, but I imagine that they finally found their voices and were able to speak about how his story touched their hearts or to share with him painful experiences of their own. All of the students at Bridges are familiar with the pain of losing a loved one and I am convinced that they developed a unique connection with Paul after he shared his story.  God moves in mysterious ways; he often uses the pain in our lives to draw us closer to Him and to each other. It’s strangely beautiful.  

And so goes another day here in South Africa!  Stay tuned for more tomorrow!