Good morning from South Africa (June 19th)
Today was our second day at the team clubs in Capricorn and it managed to be an even more impactful experience than the first day had been. Despite the fact that we had already become somewhat familiar with the daily lives and routines of the people and the community surrounding the children's club from the previous day there were still moments that shocked me. The lives of the children and leaders at the club are so vastly different from the lives we have back home. The other day we were playing a game that involved rolling apples on the pavement through the legs of chairs with points being given for each chair the apple went through. Each of the youth had a group of 5 or so kids ranging from ages 8-12, and while I was focused on coaching my team and strategizing on how to win, a kid in my group asked me if he would get to take the apple home to eat after the game. The thought of using the apples as food hadn’t even crossed my mind. It stood out to how different the priorities were between me and the 8 year old child. The only thing I was concerned with was success in the game and I can guarantee that my 8 year old self would have been doing the same, not once stressing over where the apples would end up.
Unfortunately the children of Capricorn don’t have the same worry-free childhood that I had growing up back in Birmingham. Despite differences in priorities and life experiences it was still easy to form relationships with the people of Capricorn as at the end of the day we are all humans who share the love for the same god. This could be seen in the large amounts of games and fun that went on throughout the day. Today we played a lot of soccer with the kids and adults and also participated in arts and crafts that related to the day's bible story. The Bible story for the day was about Noah and the ark and focused on the kept promises God made to Noah and how he will continue to fulfill his promises in our lives.
Each day at the holiday club is separated into three parts based on the age groups of the kids at the club at that time. Today ended with the teenage group which was very laid back when compared to the younger kids earlier in the day. We spent most of the time playing games and ended the day at the club with a nice group discussion where many of the teenagers and teachers from capricorn gave examples of promises God had kept in their lives. The part of today that really stood out to me though was the time we spent walking through the streets of capricorn where saw up close the poverty of the area and the houses that the children as well as the workers at the holiday club live. At the end of day Larry always asks our group where we saw God during that day. For me I saw God in one of the teenagers from Capricorn named Leslie who helped at the holiday club. The moment that I saw god in particular was when I was walking with her through the streets of Capricorn and she was explaining different things about the neighborhood. Ironically the things she was explaining to me were things that I did not see God at all in. She pointed out locations where gangs had shot people, a group of teenage girls who had dropped out of highschool to pursue drugs, and the tiny tinned roofed house with a dirt floor that she calls home. With all of these bad things that she had pointed out it was easy to question whether God was there in the streets of Capricorn? And if he was present then how could he let these terrible things happen? But when I am reminded of the people like Leslie and the other leaders we worked with today it is clear to see that God is present in Capricorn. The dedication, compassion, and perseverance of the people that we worked with was truly inspiring and they serve as a great reminder that God will continue to be working in Capricorn even after we leave.
-Harrison Brown
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