Where You are Today

Some of my teammates and I were able to share with students at the Bible Institute of South Africa last week Friday. While waiting for a friend to finish in a meeting earlier in the week, I came across an old magazine with an article by Bishop T. D. Jakes and this is what he said:

“The greatest reason for searching for God is that when we find Him we find ourselves. We find the answer to the question: Who am I really (because how will I know if I am successful if I don’t know what I was created to be)?

The Bible doesn’t talk about the prodigal son finding God; it says he came to himself. Isn’t that the real journey, to come to yourself? To wake up and discover why you had to go through what you had to go through to get where you are today?”

As difficult as it is, and this is still a lesson I continue to learn, it just seems like the hard and challenging times in life are really those points where my character is truly refined, and God shows that His hand is still at work within my life and that He continues to be faithful.

Why am I Here?

This morning we were challenged by Melanie, a girl who finished up the first Track this past March. I was so touched by her words and the work that she is currently doing with human trafficking in Johannesburg. Human trafficking is a huge problem in South Africa (as was also the case in Costa Rica) and it is only expected to get worse with the 2010 World Cup of Soccer coming to the country. She challenged us in a number of different areas, but the most important for me was to figure out why we are here and to hold on to that when things get really tough, which is a guarantee.

Why am I here? I have a burden for women’s and children’s rights (specifically coming from my time in Turkey). When I found out about Voice for the Voiceless, it felt like a good match and I applied for the Track, not knowing about YWAM or what DTS all involved. I don’t want to limit what that burden brings about. I want this time, no matter where I end up and what I do, to be intentional about living a missional lifestyle. My heart breaks in a small portion to the amount God’s heart breaks and I cling to my tears (which flow a lot around here, just ask my teammates) as the way to keep it real and raw in my life.

Electricity

We are in the process of working out the kinks of living 'in community' in the Track house (not a YWAM base or a church or a hut. . .). We were only here about 2 days when we quickly figured out the electricity system. The thought was that maybe the bill had not been paid, as we were without power. Nope, that's not how it works in South Africa. Here's what you do: you go down to the local grocery store and purchase "power". You take the receipt home and enter the code which then tells you how much power you purchased. The meter (as displayed below) counts down and lets you know when you should go out and buy more. And yes, it is a Siemens product!

I Have to Change the Way I Think Today

Continuing from where I left off yesterday: I don't know why I'm continually surprised at how God works in my life, especially to teach me. I learned SO much working with the different indigenous tribes in Panama. And I also know that, had I been given the choice, I would not have picked it as the project to work on. But at the end of the day, it was exactly the project I needed, with specific people that I needed to meet.

In coming to South Africa and working through debrief, I was able to reflect back on the entire summer, but especially in working with the tribes. And I continued to wonder when Canadian Native peoples might find reconciliation with the white people who just took over, and, in many cases, did so in the name of religion. Which brings us back to the blog from yesterday. Maybe it's time to stopping apologizing and praying for things to just be fixed - and start to look within ourselves. I have to change the way I think today. I cannot point the finger and say that the blame belongs somewhere else until I examine myself first. What do I need to change inside myself and the way I think so that reconciliation can be found? I am truly sorry for the past, but my responsibility is in today. And today is where I have to start the change inside of me.

It Starts With Me

The Track officially started yesterday. We are down to 13 girls, plus leaders (which includes one married couple, so we do have 1 guy along!) - ready to conquer the world and fight injustice with our cameras! Until Christmas, our time in South Africa will focus on photography and being able to get out and make connections with the people in our community and surrounding area. It's been a good week of relaxing and also getting a feel of our neighborhood. Many of us attended a nearby church last Sunday and it was so interesting to hear the pastor speak about the politics within the country. And how people apologize for the past and they pray for others to change, but at the end of the day, there's still so much division. His message: "I have to change the way I think today." Simple, and yet entirely profound. If I want peace in the world, I need to have peace inside of me first. If I want love in my community, I need to have love in my life. If I want to see this world changed, then that change really does begin within me. And it must permeate my being. That no matter where I am, no matter who I'm with, that it's my inhaling & exhaling. . .it's me.

10 Things I Hope to do Before I Complete Track

As Track officially starts today, here are 10 things I hope to do before it finishes:

1. Capture a killer sunrise
2. Swim with dolphins
3. Learn to travel lighter (literally & figuratively)
4. Sing & dance with African kids
5. Learn to scuba dive & surf
6. Be a part of my current community and be able to find ways to give back to that community
7. Do those things that I and others would consider totally “un-LaDawn”!
8. Discover what God has in store for me after Track, given all of my experiences
9. Keep making “10 Things I Never Dreamed I Would Experience in my Lifetime” Lists because I’m sure that I haven’t even skimmed the surface of possibility in this meager list!
10. Don’t look back – Live each day to the fullest – Have no regrets – Connect with people – Learn more about myself – Draw nearer to God

10 Things I Never Dreamed I Would Experience in my Lifetime

1. Visit indigenous tribes – not to mention that they were in Panama (including the Darien province)
2. Help to build and organize a website (www.errebache.com)
3. Crave potatoes: rice, rice & chicken, rice & beans, rice pudding. . .
4. Enter into a dangerous ghetto that police would not even enter 10 years ago to help with a meal program and play with the children
5. Share my life story with complete strangers
6. Sleep through 2 earthquakes (in a country that apparently does not experience them!)
7. Feed homeless persons under the direction of people who are completing their own drug rehab program
8. Live on or near active volcanoes
9. Experience Costa Rica’s raw beauty by ziplining and white water rafting
10. Wash the feet of refugees

10 Necessities to Survive Outreach (Panama/Costa Rica/South Africa)

1. iPod or MP3 player – it passes the time and provides a little space when people are driving you crazy
2. Mosquito Net and Spray – need I say more?
3. Anti-Itch Cream when the net and spray don’t work. It also helps for the bugs that you don’t feel biting, like fleas!
4. Inflatable Bed, unless you like getting extra close and personal with all those bugs!
5. Travel Blanket & Pillow – it’s COLD on those air-conditioned 18-hour bus rides to Costa Rica after dealing with Panama’s humidity.
6. Toilet Paper and if you decide to leave that behind, bring Change because you’ll be paying to pee.
7. Hand Sanitizer and/or Baby Wipes are also an important addition, especially combined with #5.
8. Quick-Dry Towel is very helpful when on the move as many times as we were.
9. Flashlight for many reasons: roommates go to bed early & you don’t want to trip over them; the sun sets pretty early & it’s hard to find your way back to your hut; outhouses usually don’t have light sources. . .
10. Fleece jacket – when you arrive during South Africa’s winter after coming from Central America’s summer and they tell you that it’s cold – IT’S COLD and your body needs to adjust to NOT sweating profusely 24-7!

Pack everything in Ziploc bags (forget the cheap knock-offs) and if possible, leave your sense of smell behind (or just don’t have one, like me!).

10 Things I Never Did Before Joining YWAM

1. Pay for laundry (and make it one of the first things I figure out in a new location)
2. Pay for internet (and make it the second thing I figure out in a new location)
3. Share a bedroom – with as many as 15 other roommates
4. Fall asleep listening to my iPod – that was the best purchase I made before leaving home, given all the roommates and needing my own space at times (even if it’s imaginary)
5. Use the bathroom stall for a brief moment of privacy to escape life
6. Throw toilet paper into the garbage can instead of down the toilet – and wonder about a country’s plumbing system
7. IF there’s a hot water tap, wonder if hot water will actually come out of it
8. Use a pool air mattress bed thingy as my actual bed (well, it was that or the hard concrete floor)
9. Talk about bodily functions with complete (YWAM) strangers
10. Drink milk from the carton and yogurt from the container, because who could be bothered with the extra dishes since it’s my own, as labeled in the fridge

10 Reasons that it’s better to be a Guy versus a Girl on DTS Outreach

I have decided to give you various "Top 10" Lists this week as I have reflected back on DTS/Outreach and look forward to the start of Track. Some are serious, some funny, some sarcastic - I will let you decide which is which! I begin with 10 Reasons that it's better to be a Guy versus a Girl on DTS Outreach - here goes:

There are usually less guys, so
1. They have more bedroom space to stretch out in
2. The guy/girl ratio is definitely in their favor
3. As is the norm for the entire planet, the line is always shorter for the bathroom
4. Bathroom, what bathroom? - guys can pee anywhere
5. If they decide to stop shaving, it's a new style or phase
6. The amount of toiletries is less, therefore their luggage weight is not usually of concern, and it's easier to lug around the airport
7. Toiletries - they have less of everything: shoes, clothes. . .
8. Their independence is not quite as limited as the girls in going out to explore, being out late, etc
9. They can legitimately ignore the honks, cat-calls and hissing since it's not directed to them anyway
10. They are expected to smell funky (which just takes us back to the toiletries!)

Settling In

We've had a few days in the Track house now and we're slowly settling in. We are still waiting for some furniture and other necessities, but it feels wonderful to have a home base. People are also exploring our community and heading out in various directions (Cape Town and other beach towns). I have laid low so far, battling a bad cold and just needing some down time. Since arriving in South Africa on September 6th (about 2 weeks), we've had 4 moves to 4 different locations (hostel, spa, retreat debrief and now the Track house) and it's a strange feeling to put the luggage away, even if just for a bit!

I've Turned into a Lefty

South Africa is one of those unique countries that drives on the left side of the road. It is SO weird! You have to remember to look both ways (and then again, just in case!). It is also interesting to note that people also walk on the left side of the sidewalk, and going up and down the stairs. At the end of the day, who knows what the correct side actually is. For right now, I've turned into a lefty!

Check Out My Eye!

Everyone sees me and asks, "What's up with the eye?" I don't know what happened but thought I would share this photo with you. Pretty cool, huh?

Goodbye to Many Dear Friends

It has been a week of goodbyes and other than a few people who are staying around to work for Voice for the Voiceless here in South Africa or adding a bit of a holiday before going home, only the Track people are left behind. So many wonderful friendships were formed - friendships that will last a lifetime! (Group picture thanks to Portia)


And now it's time to switch gears. Today is moving day to our home in South Africa. And I fully believe that it will feel like a home because of the tremendous amount of moving we've been doing in the last few months. I'm SO excited to pull everything out of my luggage and find places for everything in drawers!!