Most of you are wondering what happened to me? Well I am very sorry for keeping you all waiting! My time in South Africa got exceptionally busy at the end. I never seemed to be at "home." That and we seemed to lose our internet all the time. Ok, enough excuses! I will make this brief! For the rest of my time in South Africa I continued to build strong relationships with the people I was working. Fairly soon after I stopped writing on my blog the "Wait 4 Me" concert, which was a promotion for abstinence for the youth, was in full flight. We had a big turn out for the event. It was a day long project, with months poured into it, and I was exhausted to say the least by the end of it. We started around 9 am at King of Kings (the church that supported Living Hope) . The program was meant to start at 12, we didn't get started till about 2 and did not finish till 5:30ish. It was an intense day but as the kids sang and got excited it was suddenly worth all the stress. (I forgot to mention all the things that came together minutes before like the food and the music video made by the kids and Life Skill educators!) This concert took place on Saturday and I left the next Monday. My last days were emotionally blurred. I had a hard time saying good-bye to everyone. In fact I will admit now that I did a terrible job of it. I found myself joking about leaving and not allowing others to say good-bye to me, I blame this on living on the mission field (not a good reason)! But then I left. I was not ready to return to the US, yet I knew I was going to back to finish one semester and I knew God had some big plans for me! I left with amazing peace. When I arrived back in Arkansas (after a very uneventful flight with out strange men and meal mix ups) I was over whelmed. I was did not expect any culture shock when I got back but I felt it. I was confused and did not want to share my time in South Africa with any one. I could not express what had happened while I was there! Even now I hold the experience so close to my heart. Much has happened since my arrival back in the US and now. I am in the MIDDLE of my final semester. What is next? Please don't ask! I am not sure but one thing God let me know while I was in Cape Town was that He is not done with me in Cape Town South Africa! How am I going back? When? I don't know but I know He has something there for me, including the people there who captured my heart! That's it! Thank all of you for love, prayer, and support! You made the experience possible and your constant prayer was felt! Again, sorry this is so delayed... but better late then never, right? God bless!!
Standing in His Strength,
Jess Shrode
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2 comments:
THANK YOU! :)
Thanks for the update, Jess... praying for you that things will be clear what's next and that you'll have someone to talk through all your experiences with. And trust me, I totally understand the feeling of culture stuff whacking you on the side of the head when you least expect it. And also I totally understand what it's like getting bitten by the Africa bug!
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