This morning, we rose to the vast South Atlantic Ocean, spotted Orca whales in the distance, and ate our first breakfast here at The Team House, prepared by the dedicated and joyful site staff.
Riding in the van to our first stop, we were able to see a “Tale of Two Cities”. The legacy of apartheid and its effects on housing are visible. One side of the street is packed with metal shacks lacking basic utilities; the other side of the street are million dollar gated homes suited for royalty.
We had the chance to visit Capricorn, which is one of the two underserved communities that we will conduct “Holiday Clubs” in next week. We planned activities to do with the kids, met with one of the Life Skills Educators (LSEs), and got a feel for the flow of our work next week.
Our group ate a packed lunch on the beach, while watching locals surf the freezing waves, before heading to Living Hope’s HQ.
We were immediately struck by the vastness of the campus, which included medical care facilities, a training center, admin offices, greenhouses, outdoor farming spaces, and more. Touring the hospital, our group told stories to patients, sang a song, and heard about the different aspects of the medical operation at Living Hope. The spontaneous nature of this ministry demanded a willingness to jump in with two feet and become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
On a walking tour, Avril Thomas (Co-Founder) and Victor Thomas (Exec. Director) took our group through the beautiful greenhouses where locals are learning how to farm in an urban setting, which equips them to feed their neighbors healthy food and establish a source of income. Students learn several different farming techniques, and are able to help source local restaurants and families with well-sourced vegetables– but that’s just the beginning.
Today, our group circled up, hand-in-hand, around Dr. Jim Barnette’s memorial bench (pictured above) and prayed a prayer of blessing over our time here in South Africa. It served as a great reminder of the impact Jim left on Living Hope. Seldom am I brought to tears; this visual was moving. The landscape in which the bench is positioned was stunning.
Living Hope reverses the course of individuals' lives at an impressive scale. Their ability to quantify impact through data allows us on the outside to hold the impact in our hands. Just last year, Living Hope had over 2.3 million interactions with over 100 thousand people in South Africa. From physical therapy, urban farming education, and disaster response to children's ministry, workforce development, and substance recovery, Living Hope is a model for non-profit organizations across the globe: to uplift a city under the motto of “nothing for us, without us”. Living Hope is Cape Town, and Cape Town is Living Hope.
Our group was able to hear so much wisdom on this first day. A farm student, who recently won an internal pitch competition to establish her own community farm, shared valuable insight that applies to all of us: Life passes you by quickly… Don’t spend it doing something you don’t love. Take risks and find your passion. Her advice is rooted in scripture, as God tells us to “walk by faith and not by sight”. I was inspired by her faith and desire to innovate.
We wrapped our day up with dinner at Austin, Kelsey, and Baby Audrey Keim’s home. What a joy it was to reunite with our Brookwood family in Cape Town.
All of that on our first day here in the Cape. Can’t wait to share how the Lord shapes us over the next two weeks.
- Rylen
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