Goodbye Africa!

Coming back to Heronbridge was such a strange feeling.  As we all got off the bus you could hear everyone saying, "this is so weird!! It's like we never left!"

Ending off this 3-month adventure of a lifetime in the same place we began it gave us a very odd sense of deja vu and made it seem like the last 3 months had literally flown by.  In some ways, it seems like we've been in Africa forever, but at the same time it feels like we've just arrived.

Our time in Heronbridge was full of 'lasts'.  Our last time moving, our last time packing, our last debrief, our last church service, our last meal in Africa, our last time soaking up the hot African sun, and one of our last time together as a group.  There was also a lot of reminiscing, "Remeber when..." was a phrase often heard.

It was a bittersweet 6 days, knowing that our time together was coming to a close and that Africa would soon be a memory.  But we also knew it was less than a week until we would be on Canadian soil with a Tim Horton's iced cap in our hands reuniting with our family and friends.  It was a very strange mixture of emotions, but that didn't stop us from having an awesome last week!!

A multitude of hours in the pool and in the sun were how our days were mostly spent, although volleyball, cricket and euchre were other options (when we weren't debriefing of course).  We even had an Easter egg hunt!  Although, technically it was more of an Easter P.S. Bar hunt...  We also had the pleasure of being with Ryan as he was baptized on Easter morning!

It was an incredible week, but as awesome as this country is, it's time to say goodby and go back home.

Good bye Africa, it's been a blast.

Written by: Kelsey

African School of Missions Assignment: Debrief

Purpose: To determine everyone's thoughts, experiences, and opinions of their Outtatown year through debrief.

Hypothesis: If there is the right combination of rest, relaxation, recreation and good food, then the time spent at ASM doing debrief will be amazing.

Materials:
- 30 Outtatown students
- 4 Outtatown leaders
- 1 bus driver
- 34+++ bags of luggage
- 2 tennis courts
- 1 soccer field
- 1 swimming pool
- many hangout areas
- 6+ decks of cards
- 34 chairs for debrief sessions
- constant supplies of hot tea
- lots of good food

Procedure:
1.  Arrive at ASM after leaving Swaziland
2.  Unload bags into rooms of 4
3.  Attend the best breakfasts of all of South Africa.  One day people had the option of sleeping in and missing breakfast, but strangely enough, not many people did.
4.  Listen to students talk about their Outtatown year.  Each student shared for 15-20 minutes, followed by a time of encouragement and prayer.  Every student was well prepared and everyone really enjoyed listening to the stories and insights from the year.
5.  Allow time for euchre.  In Swaziland, Hugo and Mark started a euchre tournament and many games were played at ASM.  There were 13 teams in all and some of the games were very exciting and nerve-wracking as only 8 playoff spots were available.  The winner is yet to be determined.
6.  Allow time for recreation.  There seemed to always be someone in the tennis courts or in the pool.  It was great to have space to play ulitmate, soccer or sit by a fire at night.
7.  Make sure that there are some new experiences.  For example, I'm sure it was new for many girls when they found a monkey in the hallway outside their rooms.

Discussion/Conclusion: The time at ASM was a great bonding time.  We had some well deserved rest and spent a lot of time enjoying being with each other.  It was great to start the debrief process, as this year has been full of new, surprising, fun and challenging experiences.  We had time to kick back and enjoy God's creation through our surroundings.  One night there was a beautiful and powerful lightning storm that has us all in awe!  I know that I speak on behalf of many when I say that Outtatown is so amazing.  The places we go are all so unique.  Even though our time is quickly drawing to an end, we still have had fun together during the last days.

Written by: Megan

A brief step out of South Africa

For our time in Swaziland we stayed at the New Hope Centre.  This place was one of the most inspirational organizations we worked with.  Upon arrival, our host informed us that Swaziland is dying of AIDS.  Literally.  78% of the people are thought to have HIV/AIDS.  New Hope Centre is an orphanage that promotes leadership; their slogan is "orphans today, leaders tomorrow".  Interestingly enough, New Hope doesn't search for orphans, but allows God to lead specific children (orphans who have lost all family members: mom, dad, aunties, grandfathers...) through their gates.

We helped build a garden at New Hope using principles of "Farming God's Way" with the children living there.  Through this we formed deep relationships with the kids, some of the most meaningful of the entire semester.  It was really great to live at New Hope for the week, at the end of the school/work day we got to hang out with them.  On our last night there we had a braai and listened to many stories of how God has worked in some of the children's lives.  One boy had prayed for a bicycle for six years.  Wow.  It was moving to realize how essential God is for them.  God was their everything. 

One kid, named Asher, grew up taking care of animals that his family owned instead of attending school.  Now, at New Hope, he is able to do both.  The centre offers lots of unique opportunities to nurture the kids' passions.

Random facts:
- New Hope is striving to be self sustainable
- All the kids have the last name 'Abraham' since we are all children of God

Written by: Andrew and Emily

We pooped, we puked, we partied

Hello and welcome to another addition of Site 2 Blog. Our time in Durban started off a little bit rocky and rough. Sickness overcame some of the group but we conquered that and enjoyed our time. The visit to Durban consisted of visiting temples and learning about the different religions that the East Indian people of Durban follow. Did you know that Durban has the largest Indian population outside of India? We enjoyed curry; for some it was delicious and others couldn’t handle the heat. The home stays were very enjoyable and each group had their own unique experiences. For myself, I enjoyed the home and talking with the family every night learning about them and what they do. Very fun. We also got into the Soap Opera scene and we are all into Days of our Lives and other amazing t.v programs. We learned about how the East Indian people came to South Africa and how Ghandi helped in the movement towards abolishing apartheid. A very interesting experience and we ended it off with a visit to Ushaka!! A wet and wild, fun filled day. Waterslides and lazy rivers filled our last day in Durban. All in all it was a fun experience. Well that is all folks. Until next time.

By: Hugo Malan