Hey there it’s been a minuet.
I believe I failed to blog even once this last half of the trip. I’ve been home for a few days so I think now would be a good time to catch you up.
During this half of the trip we stayed in centurion. We stayed with host families at night and would be dropped off in the morning at the base where our team would travel to a small town called Vasfontein. A few of us stayed at the primary school to be teachers aids, two at the high school, and the rest including myself, spent our time at this incredible woman’s home named Tanny Hannetjie.
Tanny Hannetjie is the perfect example of loving like Jesus. She makes her living by sorting through trash to sell recyclable materials. Her daughters and one of her grandsons spent a lot of time with us and told us stories about her selflessness and kindness. They say their home is like an orphanage for people and animals because Tanny welcomes everyone into her home . She is someone who cares for the broken. Everyone knows who she is so people come to her home often asking for food or a place to stay. The week before we came, a woman she was caring for had passed away and when she talked about it you can just see how much she was effected by it. The woman suffered from aids after being raped by three men and left in the road for dead. Tanny found her and cared for her for about a year before she passed. This is just one example of her love for people. She also raised 39 children who were not her own. Just such a giving woman I could go on and on.
Since I have a month to cover I figured I’d just bullet point some of my favorite memories:
Watching one of the dogs at Tanny’s give birth and seeing the puppies grow over a few weeks
Tanny’s family treating us to face masks and manicures under the tree one Friday.
Helping with assemblies at the high school some mornings and seeing the students hearts open up and be vulnerable during worship even when it’s not easy.
Eating lunch gathered under the tree with tanny and her friends and family each day with food we almost always helped her or her daughters prepare
Being back with our whole team together on the weekends and spending Sundays by the pool.
One day someone showed up with a dead pig in a truck so that day we slaughtered the pig, well we pretty much watched them slaughter the pig. Afterwards one of the daughters told us we had to smear pigs blood on our faces for our first slaughter so Ingrid, Gavin, and I embraced it and got pigs blood all over our faces
Sitting in the grass having Bible dates with Rhyan, one of my teammates who I was paired up with in a host home.
Goofing off in the kitchen after dinners at the base with my people while we make tea.
The last week in the community we helped lead the primary schools assemblies. Makes my heart smile to see them so excited to worship and raise their hands.
Painting a wall with a family friend of Tanny on our last day with her family.
Time in the van to catch up with my teammates on their day and goof off, at least when everyone isn’t sleeping.
Realizing I can still fit in a locker after months of over eating. (Apart of their culture is to show their love through feeding people. They really loved us.)
Getting my first tattoo done in South Africa with my teammates to be there to hold my hand and support each other. No
Bartering at the African market.
The day one of my teammates found me blueberry pop tarts after three months of craving and complaining about how no supermarkets have any.
These wonderful people and memories led to the hardest goodbyes::
Tanny Hannetjie:
Tanny’s daughter, Leonie:
Our team and Tanny’s family
My leader and I with Tanny’s daughter, Yolanda:
