It's Been A Month In South Africa!!

Hello everyone!

How’s it?....as folks here in SA say :)

I am doing well! I can’t believe that I’ve been here for one month. Wow! I’ve really enjoyed the messages and emails you all have sent me. I received each of them at just the right time.

There’s no doubt that I really like it here but with the holidays coming, I can’t help but think about all the memories of spending Christmas and New Years at home. Two of my fondest Christmas memories will always be cooking lobster on Christmas Eve and decorating the Christmas tree while dancing and singing with my family-silly I know. It’s easy to take those times for granted but now that I’m away I’m more sensitive to those special times.

New years was always a wonderful time with friends. In the years I lived in DC I don’t even recall watching the ball drop…..hehe, we were so busy chatting and catching up that it was the new year before we knew it. What great times!

I’m excited to see what the Lord has planned for me this Christmas. As of now, I know that I’m going to be serving at Kidstop on Christmas day. I hear Kidstop has a HUGE party for all the kids who live in the township areas and would otherwise not celebrate Christmas. I look forward to sharing in the fun, meeting kids, serving kids and teaching them about what Christmas is all about. I can’t wait to tell you all about it in my next update!

So, I’m sure you all are wondering about what the latest and greatest has been with me over the past few weeks. I’m also very curious to hear how things are going with you too so be sure to drop me an email or snail mail letter when you get a chance :). Many of you have been asking for my address which is:

Caitlin Vida

Youth For Christ

P.O. Box 758

George 6530

South Africa

You all should be receiving my latest snail mail letter very soon (if you haven’t gotten it already). I hope you find that it gives you a taste of what’s been going on here. I must say that I really love that there are so many ways to keep in touch…snail mail, facebook, blogger, and emails. Wow. My hope is to keep you all updated as best I can but if you’re ever curious, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Alright, so here are some highlights from the past couple of weeks!

World AIDS Day at Options:

On World AIDS Day the Options Care Center had an open day for people to learn more about what we do. It was awesome. We set up posters and information tables explaining all the different parts of Options Care. One of my favorite parts was in the morning when I went out on the streets with Xoliswa talking to the people we passed about Options and what we offer. It was so great to be out in the community.

A Visit from Lesotho:

Just after the World AIDS Day events came to a close we had 9 people from Lesotho come and visit us. They are starting a YFC ministry there and came to have a look at what YFC looks like in George. It was such a joy to get to know them…especially since there were a few ladies my age who stayed at the Edwalls house with me.

At this point during my stay in George I was really praying that God would give me an opportunity for a break-away from the ministries so I could process things a bit. We have been so busy!! Well, the Lord answers prayers! One afternoon a few of the ladies from Lesotho wanted to go to the George mall to look around. Well, it turns out that we found a bath shop where we stayed for about a half hour looking at and smelling all the different bath soaps and salts. It was fun. From there we had a dinner to go to at a YFC staff member’s house and boy was I in for a surprise. It turns out that Sue lives with her family in a house that’s right on the bay. And while folks were preparing the braii (South African barbecue) Brenda from Lesotho and I went out on one of the family’s canoes. It was beautiful!!! And you won’t believe what happened. As we were paddling (I was in the front of the canoe, Brenda in the back) I heard this HUGE splash and thought, “Oh my word, Brenda fell out of the boat.” I mean the splash was that big. Well it turns out that we must have disturbed a fish because Brenda said, “Did you see that??!!” and I said “No.” “Oh my goodness, a huge fish just jumped over the boat, hit my hand and then landed on the other side.” (hence the huge splash). We couldn’t believe it. That was certainly our adventure for the evening :)

The Teen Moms End of the Year Party:

And finally I’d like to tell you about the Teen Moms Party. It was so wonderful. The Options Teen Mom’s group meets every Friday throughout the year to learn together, have fun together, and build community…all while their kids are being watched by YFC volunteers. Well, in celebration of another year, the teen moms met for a party where we danced, sang songs, exchanged gifts and read a short book called “Brenda Has a Dragon in Her Blood.” The cool thing about reading this book is we did it all together as a group as the Moms held their kids and read to them each with their own book. It was beautiful.

Prayer requests:

As you can probably tell, there’s a lot going on here in Geroge! One of the things I am trying to decide is where the Lord is leading me to serve. Is it with the Options Care Center as a counselor, the Peer Education Program as a mentor/counselor, and/or with Kidstop as a mentor? When school starts up again around the middle of January I’ll be joining the schools team to learn more about what they do. Right now they are in need for more female counselors & mentors. Options has a series of counseling/HIV & AIDS courses that are offered at the end of January which I will be taking.

I am also in the process of securing a flat (an apartment) but the deal has not been finalized and I’m having a bit of trouble communicating with the owner. I hope to move out of the Edwalls house by mid January to get started on my own. Along with moving I’m also trying to purchase a car. The most popular cars here are VW Golfs. Boy are they tiny things :). But they are reliable and very safe by SA standards. Please be praying that I find a car that is within my budget, reliable and safe, and one that I can use to transport folks when they need it.

Well I think that’s it. Oh, whoops one last thing.

Youth Week:

I am going to be traveling with two bus loads of kids on January 2^nd to Youth Week in Magaliesburg, SA. It’s the biggest week for YFC of the whole year and it’s designed to get the year started right. The advert says, “I am…committed to making 2010 a year that starts with me on the winning team. Open to listen to what God, the chief coach, is saying.” It’ll be a week full of awesome worship, talks, outdoor sports and time to build community. 700+ kids attend and I am going to be serving as a camp counselor and girl’s cabin leader. My hope is to also have the opportunity to teach swimming lessons during the elective time in the afternoons.

I’ve never really done anything like this before…I never went to camp as a kid :) so this will be a new adventure for me. Please pray that through the Lord I will touch kids lives and make some lasting friendships. I’ll be returning to George on the 8^th and will fill you all in on the happenings as soon as I can.

I miss you all very, very much and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.

Blessings!!

I'm in South Africa!

Hello everyone!

Hope you all are doing really well. So, as most of you hopefully know, I arrived safely in South Africa last Wednesday November 16th. If any of you are not receiving my periodic important news/update emails and would like to, just send me an email to caitlin.vida@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to add you to my list.

So, on my way from Washington DC to George, SA I flew through Frankfurt Germany and was pleased to have a stay at one of the local hotels only a short bus ride away from the airport during my layover from Tuesday morning to Tuesday evening. Once I got to the hotel I could barely keep my eyes open so I got a nice nap in, took a refreshing shower and then was back off to the airport for my 11 hour flight to Cape Town. Funny fact: Did you know in most German hotels once you enter the hotel room you have to insert your card key into a slot to turn the lights on? Who knew? For a while (before I figured that out) I was pretty happy to still have daylight :).

Anyways, all my flights were quite pleasant and during the flight from Germany to Cape Town I sat next to this gentleman photographer who was traveling to Cape Town with his team to take pictures for a jewelry company. He showed me some of his work on the computer he had along with him…it was great. So we had a great time chatting which made the really long flight go by a bit quicker. Side note, I would totally recommend getting support stockings (the ones that come up to your knees and prevent DVT) the next time you have a long flight. I couldn’t believe how much of a difference they made. Let’s be honest….they look a little bit like granny nylons but let me tell you, I was so much more comfortable and didn’t need to get up and move around as much. They’re also a great conversation starter…if anyone sees them poking out of the bottom of your pants :).

Ok, enough about stockings. Once I arrived in Cape Town I had another long layover but during that time I shrink wrapped my bags (highly recommended) and then found a bench, tied up all my belongings and took another nap…I seriously couldn’t keep my eyes open. Traveling is tiring!

So finally I arrived in George SA!! My final destination. I was not stopped at passport control…praise the Lord and I was only stopped in customs because I attempted to bring an apple and a deli meat sandwich into the country-thanks Mom ;)…who knew that wouldn’t be allowed!?

Next stop…baggage claim and that’s where I saw Dean and Laurie Edwall on the other side of a glass wall, smiling and snapping pictures as I made my way over to them (I looked quite disheveled because we had to walk outside from the plane to the airport terminal in very windy conditions)…Oh well. Here I am.

We jumped in their truck…Dean in the drivers seat on the RIGHT side of the car, Laurie on the left and me in the back seat. The next stop was their house. It’s a beautiful house, they’ve been here for many years and my favorite part is their outside sitting area and back yard. Let me just say that they have some pretty strange and large birds here. They are fun to watch. Some are quite ugly and others beautiful, both wake me up in the mornings with their loud squawking. Welcome to Africa.

Well, can you believe it? All that, and more just from the time I left the airport in Washington DC to arriving at the Edwalls home approximately three days later.

So here I am now, typing at the desk in my room drinking Rooibos (African red bush) tea while Dean is working in the garage making a book case and Laurie is at her cell group (small group). When Laurie get’s home we are going to be making a run to the grocery. Should be fun.

I have been spending the majority of my time at the Options Program which Laurie heads up. Options is a crisis pregnancy center. I have taken a picture with some of the staff. They are all so inviting and loving and we have already shared so many laughs. I must say that the languages are pretty hard to pick up on…..Afrikaans and Xhosa. It’s taking me quite a while to learn everyone’s names but I’m getting there. In Xhosa, all the “Xs” are pronounced with a “C” as in Caitlin while simultaneously making a click noise with your tongue. It’s pretty challenging but I must say, both languages are beautiful!

One other thing to mention is I got to see the Indian Ocean for the first time on my way to the Options end of the year party this past Saturday. It was so beautiful. The Options staff enjoyed their time together over a South African barbeque. I got to meet a lot of the staff including counselors, prayer chain members, nurses, cardies (staff who run the card program, jewelry makers, and administrative workers. I am truly amazed at what God is doing through this ministry to reach out to teenagers, women and men and provide them with resources and information about crisis pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. I learned on Sunday at church that South Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS rate, the highest divorce rate and the highest alcohol abuse rate in all of Africa. Wow. But what I have also learned over the past few days is how the Lord is working through YFC and the Edwalls to change these statistics. Laurie and her staff spend their days counseling and educating the community about crisis pregnancies as I mentioned above, and Dean’s staff works on teaching leadership skills and HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness in local schools along with running Kidstop, a ministry for kids on the streets.

I will end with one final story. Dean and I were on our way to the local bank to set up an account for me and as we were pulling into a parking space this young child without any shoes on comes up to the car wearing a bright yellow safety vest and directing us into the parking spot. The thing is, I could clearly see that we didn’t need any help as the space was pretty easy to navigate into. Dean then went on to tell me that there are children and men who’s “job” is to “help” folks park in lots and then they will watch your car while you shop in the end expecting a small tip. Most folks don’t mind giving these parking helpers a small tip on their way out of the lot because it prevents them from begging on the streets. But this situation was different. Dean parked the car and then went up to the boy and asked him, “Why aren’t you at Kidstop today?” The boy answered, “Not today, but I’ll be there tomorrow.” Dean then said, “Ok, but you should be there today too, I’m sure the staff and kids are missing you there.”

So, do you see my point? I was amazed at the conversation that had just taken place and that the little boy knew about Kidstop. This is just one example of how much of a presence the YFC’s programs have here in George. It’s amazing.

I can’t wait to share more stories with you as they unfold. I can really see the Lord at work in this place. Please be praying that the Lord in His timing shows me exactly where He wants me to serve.

Tomorrow I’m off to the George hospital with Anne Wien where I’ll be joining in on a program she runs there which involves reaching out to new moms and training them on the basics on what there is to know about being a new mom. I can’t wait.

I am truly enjoying my time here so far BUT do miss you all tons. If I don’t have a chance to talk with you before Thanksgiving, I hope you all have a wonderful time. Eat some turkey and gravy for me :)

Lots of hugs!!

Here we goooooooooooooo!

Well, I’m very happy to report that as of last week I’ve raised the projected budget for my two years in South Africa! I feel very supported and loved by all the people who have helped me through this season. I hope you enjoy the pictures from my going away party that I've included in this post. God is good all the time and He is our provider! His love is more than enough, and He has shown me His love not only through scripture but through the relationships I have made and that have strengthened over the past few months. Praise the Lord!

So, here’s the pretty amazing story of how my last bit of support came in. Katie Phillips, my awesome friend and local YFC Financial Partner told me the beginning of last week that I only needed $84/month to be completely support raised. That night I prayed….”Okay, God I would really like to leave for South Africa in November which means that I need to have all my support in by October 29^th to purchase my plane ticket-just three days away. Lord, I know that you have a plan and if I’m not supposed to leave until December or later that’s ok but if it is Your will for me to leave in November please have the rest of my support come in by the 29^th.”

Well, I have to say that the next morning I woke up feeling pretty discouraged….still not sure if I was going to be able to leave in November like I had hoped.

Oh, ye of little faith!!

After I finished my morning routine I logged on to my computer to check for any updates. I saw that I received an email from Youth For Christ saying that one family had given a one time gift of $200 and then committed to giving $1000/year throughout the time I’m in ministry.

Pull out the calculators folks - Do the math!!!

$1000/12months in a year = $83.33

Holy Moly!…that’s just amazing! As my co-worker from Micron would say…”It’s not odd, it’s God!” I love that. This seemed almost unbelievable, so I called Katie at work and ask her to read the email with me and make sure I was reading it correctly. And praise the Lord, I was!

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

You are familiar with all my ways.

Psalm 139:1-4

And what more is there to say?

…stay tuned for more updates and pictures as November 16^th gets closer and closer...

Mission Training.....Unpacked

Well I’m back and feeling very refreshed after my three weeks away at Mission Training International (MTI) in Colorado. I made some AMAZING friends, learned a ton, and after the three weeks was pretty sad to leave my MTI family. There were a total of 42 adults and 12 children in training with me and we are going to serve in 23 different countries.

So, how would I describe MTI? Very fun, challenging and well…slightly unpredictable. One day we’d all be sitting in class discussing conflict resolution styles and the next day we’d be stumbling through a simulation which forced us to face the challenges we will be presented with while living on the mission field in a totally new culture.

One of the last assignments we were asked to do was take a rock and write on it all the blessings and things we are thankful for at MTI. Here’s a picture of my rock. Some of the highlights?...well, I’d say that one of the things I am most thankful for is having the opportunity to see the world through a child’s eyes. There were kids of all ages at the training and I was blessed to have them in my life for those three weeks. Naomi (5) and I had so much fun spinning in circles during breaks and eating breakfast together. One evening Jacob (5), Alyson (3), Abigail (6) and Naomi made a fun night out of doing laundry with me. Laundry is so much more fun with little helpers who think it’s the coolest thing ever!! And then there’s little Evangeline (18 months). Summer, my roommate, and I got to take care of her quite a bit while Mom and Dad were preparing for their trip to Belize. What a blessing. While Mel and John were preparing for their mission in Belize…Allison, Jacob and Abigail’s parents were preparing for their mission in Mozambique, and Naomi’s parents were preparing with the rest of her family of seven to serve in East Asia. Wow!

What I love about seeing the world through a child’s eyes is they live in the here and now. What happened yesterday….well that was yesterday, and forgotten. And what will happen tomorrow?...why focus on that now? They’d rather be turning over every rock in the playground to see what’s under it and going down the slide over and over again never getting the least bit bored. (Does going down the slide with one of the kids invalidate the playground age rule, “THIS PLAYGROUND IS DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN 5-12 YEARS OF AGE”?...haha, I think so). Anyways, the kids didn’t know that MTI and the time with their friends would only last for three short weeks. And isn’t that beautiful?…living in the moment and embracing it for all it’s worth. What a great reminder. The Lord has given us what we have right now, RIGHT NOW and He does not ask us to be concerned about what lies ahead or to be controlled by what happened in the past.

Support Update!

Thank you so much to all of you who have committed to praying and financially supporting me. As many of you know, just 3 ½ weeks ago before heading off to MTI I had $1,000 left to raise of monthly support. I am so excited to report that as of today I only have $450 per month left to go! My leave date has been set for the middle of November but I can not finalize my plane ticket until I’ve reached 100% of my support. If you haven’t already responded, would you please consider making a monthly commitment to this mission? One time gifts are also very much appreciated and will be divided up into my monthly budget.

If you’d like to find out more please email me at caitlin.vida@gmail.com

I’m looking forward to seeing how the Lord works over the next few weeks!!

September Update!

Personal Update:

Greetings from beautiful Virginia. I hope you all had a great summer! Well to sum up, I must say that the last few months have been full of change and major life milestones! I can’t believe that my sister Lauren’s bridal shower and wedding, my move back home, leaving Micron Technology and preparing for my upcoming training in Colorado all happened within the last couple of months!

Now that all but the training preparation is behind me, I’ve had a chance to reflect on the past few months. I’ve certainly learned the importance of laughter and how the Lord shows His strength in my weaknesses. The Lord presented me with many challenging situations and encouraged me to lean on Him and “get over” my weaknesses. I’m happy to say that there were times when I could hear Him saying, “Get over it! You’re right, you can’t do this alone. We know that you’re not good at this BUT I’m here and I’ll help.” And you know the most awesome thing...all the credit for these events turning out well goes to the Lord!

For example, planning and coordinating in general really stresses me out but, hey, that’s what comes with being the maid of honor, moving, and leaving a job. So the majority of my prayers started like this over the past couple of months…”Lord, search me and know me. Uncover anything in me that is not fully surrendered to you and lead me in your way.” So, if I forgot to grab the bouquet from Lauren during the vows at the wedding ceremony, there was a bridesmaid ready to give me a friendly nudge as a reminder…and all went smoothly. And when I couldn’t think of the exact words to say during the meeting with my boss to inform him of my resignation, I trusted that they would come. Not only did the Lord give me the right words to say, I also had the option to choose when I would like my last day to be! During my last four days I had so many opportunities to share stories with my co-workers about the amazing work that’s going on in George, South Africa.

Update From Laurie Edwall and The Options Care Center in George:

The Options staff and volunteers are doing a great job of continuing the ministry and growing it. They are trained and capable, and the feedback is that they are being stretched in new ways and are excited about what the Lord is doing, both IN them and THROUGH them. We just found out that Options will be the recipient of an ultrasound machine that is being donated by an American organization. This is an amazing gift and will mean that we can connect with our crisis clients in new ways to help them make informed choices. One client came to Options in dire circumstances…jobless, hopeless and separated from her husband. She faithfully attended her counseling appointments and worked through many deeper issues. Life is so different for her now. She’s now self-employed, reunited with her husband, and seen as a pillar in the community! Her life is an encouragement to us as we don’t always get to see such change so quickly.

Two fourteen-year olds came to Options with pregnancy crises. One lives with an alcoholic mother and the other is an orphan. Both have decided to parent their babies and through support from Options and extended family, are back in school, determined to achieve their goals and attend the Teen Moms Club. Options continues to be passionate about supporting teenage moms and “loving on them” while they grow spiritually, emotionally and physically into all the Lord wants them to be.

Wow, amazing. Reading these updates from the Edwalls gets me more and more excited for what lies ahead for me in South Africa. I am going to be spending the rest of this week preparing for my three week mission training in Colorado, getting my visa squared away, and continue support raising. My goal is to leave for South Africa the end of October/beginning of November.

Update on my Support:

Thank you so much to all of you who have already committed to praying and/or financially supporting me on this mission and praise the Lord!...I have raised over 100% of my launch fund of $23,000 and 70% of my monthly support along with a rockin’ prayer support team. This means that I have $1,000 remaining to raise in monthly contributions. I have just about reached my goal and you can help me close the gap! I am asking for monthly pledges and one time gifts which will be divided up into my monthly budget. Just think, if twenty folks committed to giving $50 a month over the next two years I would reach my goal! If you haven’t already responded, would you please consider making a monthly commitment to this mission of $50, $100 or even more? I only have a short while to go before I leave for South Africa and I must be fully funded by that time. If you would like to make a financial donation I need to hear from you by September 30, so I have a month to book and purchase my plane ticket.

To find out more please email me at caitlin.vida@gmail.com.

I can’t wait to see how the Lord works during this time!