1 picture can speak 1,000 words….a bunch of pictures can speak even more :)

Well, it’s been a little while since my last post so I thought I’d take you through some highlights over the past few months in pictures….it’s more fun that way!

Things have been really busy…and at the same time, REALLY fun. There’s been a great mixture of school events and fun times with friends-South Africa is starting to feel more like home :)

After the camps came to a close for the year, the YFC team from George got to meet up with the whole YFC Southern Africa region for a staff conference in Hermanus, SA. We had a blast. 10 countries were represented at this conference and we all brought our own flava :). Of course, my team from George decided that our flava was PARTAAY…since this year marks the 21st anniversary of YFC George. Pretty cool.
We enjoyed worship time together, learning together and meeting new people. After the week was over, we all went back home refreshed, renewed and excited to serve God through our ministries.

Once home, it was time for me to take a break….sleep in-in my own bed and just chill a bit. But, nothing ever goes exactly how you plan it, right? :) So one morning I woke up, stumbled out of my bedroom to turn on the kettle for hot water, grabbed some tea and then got back into bed. Lovely! I put my ipod on and it wasn’t too long before I dozed off again.
Then, all of a sudden, I got that feeling (you know that feeling) like someone was watching me. Oh, yes, and it was true. I had pulled my window curtains back just enough to let the morning sunlight shine through but to a little girl outside, that meant…Caitlin’s awake! As I opened my eyes to check out the window I nearly had a heart attack….there was Kimberly, the daughter of a woman who cleans the flat next door, who had crawled through the bushes and was now standing at my window. Well, it took me a second to wrap my head around what was going on. Anyway, I said something like, “Um Kimberly, what are you doing?...it’s 7AM on Saturday.” She replied, “Caitlin! I want to show you my marks from last term”….and she started pushing a piece of paper through my open window. Can you believe it. Mmmmkay, well I’m awake now.
To make a long story shorter I invited her in and we sat on the couch for an hour reading through all her marks and teacher comments. What appears inconvenient at first can turn into a blessing. It was so cool helping her read through her papers and congratulating her on her job well done in school. I’ll always remember this early morning surprise visit :)

The following week we ventured back into the schools for the last term of the school year. Our focus this term was on HIV/AIDS education and VCT-Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV. One of the events we had with the York High students was a visit to Options Care Center. They learned first hand what happens when a person receives VCT. While there we visited the Cardies. The Cardies are a group of women who are affected by HIV/AIDS and/or had unplanned pregnancies and take part in this income generating support group. The women make the cards, Options sells them at local markets and then the women use the money to support their families.

The York kids really enjoyed their visit to Options, learned a ton about HIV/AIDS and pregnancy counselling and testing and are excited to share what they learned with their friends and families.

Outside of work there have are quite a few things happening as well!

Tarryn, one of the first friends I made when I moved here to George is getting married! My roommate Marion and I along with our friend Andri threw Tarryn a set of bridal showers. They were so much fun! Good food, good fun and lots of laughs. I think Tarryn’s ready to get married now :)

And so she did…it was beautiful. A wedding overlooking the beach and ocean! WOW!

Well, and that brings us to now. The school term’s over and the kids are writing exams…here’s the last goodbyes to my York High Schoolers :)…I love ‘em.

This past Friday, we had our YFC end of the year recognition event….as always, the schools team was wild as ever, cheering everyone on and having a blast-it’s been awesome to work with them this year!

And last but certainly not least, I thought I’d include a picture of the Options Care Center staff :). I worked with them full time when I first arrived in SA before joining The Schools Team and now I’ve decided to work with them again next year. I’m not exactly sure how all the details are going to pan out…working with both the Schools Team and Options but we’ll see!!! :)

So there ya have it, the last few months in a nutshell :)

A typical day at camp...from the drive there to My Story

Let’s look back to the camp held the weekend of August 14th 2010…

I left my house this morning at 6:15AM to pick up my co-workers Vuvu and Roxanne from their homes before heading to the campsite (the three of us make a mean team!!). After picking up Roxanne, we got lost in the township called Thembalethu while trying to find where Vuvu was supposed to be meeting us. Finally, after a couple of turn-arounds and trying to avoid hitting the random cow and stray dogs wandering the dirt road we found her and made it on time to the campsite to set-up before the kids arrived.

First adventure…CHECK

As soon as we arrive at camp we begin setting up…having Vuvu and Roxy to work with is quite a blessing! They’ve really taught me a lot about working with youth…and just being plain silly and having fun!

Well the kids arrived in their busses around 9 and to start the camp off right, while one of the boys was walking to his tent…a monkey (no joke) ran up and grabbed the grocery bag of food right out of his hands. We warned the kids about the monkeys…but to be honest, I had no idea they were so bold! From there, the monkey ran up a tree with his new bag of goodies and then hopped onto the roof of the main building at the camp, got comfortable and chowed down. Oooh…I felt really bad for the boy who had his food stolen….he was pretty upset.

Second adventure…CHECK

Everyone got settled into their sleeping areas, the boys in the tents and the girls in the dorms. Breakfast was served and then, when everyone’s tummies were full…the sessions started. My session comes first….I LOVE teaching the session on “Great Communication Skills.” The kids were entertained by my examples of good and bad body language, speaking too fast/too slow, and using gestures to get my point across etc. etc. We also played this cool puzzle game where a volunteer practices good/bad communication skills to put a 5 piece puzzle together. It’s hard…and the kids learn a lot!

The sessions continued throughout the remainder of the day with breaks in between to play games. Here’s a picture from one of the games…it’s a hoot! Everyone gets their own balloon which they secure to their ankle. When we say GO everyone runs around trying to pop each other’s balloons. It’s so fun to watch and the kids love it.
We ended the day with worship music and a session called My Story, and then the movie “A Walk to Remember”…if you haven’t seen it, you should.

During My Story the kids get to write down...Their Story. They don’t have to share it with anyone unless they want to but we believe this is a way for the kids to bring any of their issues into the light and hopefully start working through them. As facilitators we get to read their stories, and we present our stories to the kids…whether we struggled in high school/college with some form of addiction, acceptance, peer pressure etc. and then focus on how the Lord has used each one of those experiences to mold us into the people we are now.

My Story?
Throughout high school I struggled with acceptance…aka-being cool and making sure people thought highly of me. When I went to college, it got even worse…I thought my identity was in the grades I got, the way I acted at parties, the friends I hung out with, the things I did on the weekend, the extracurricular activities I participated in (like soft ball-what?! - that was a stretch)….the list goes on and on. Now I was stressed out AND needed to find ways to calm myself down. Eventually I got totally BURNED OUT (literally fell apart) trying to please everyone! It was clearly a battle I could not win.
I almost had to drop out of school that year…my senior year of college. But a few simple words changed my life…”There’s gotta be more than this.” More than the tests, more than appearances and trying to please everyone.
Over the next few weeks I started my journey with God…which turned into months and now to years. “God!...I can’t do this on my own”
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
God doesn’t expect us to carry the world’s burdens on our own! I learned that once I decided in faith to turn my life over to the Lord…He is the only one I need to please. If I’m doing my very best and I still fail or I disappoint someone I know that God’s perfect love will carry me. That was a hard lesson to learn, but it changed my life.

So there ya have it….a day at camp. I really appreciate all your prayers over the past two months. The camp journey was a long one but well worth it. I think each Peer Educator left the camps feeling like they had learned something new about themselves…and I already got one testimony of a young lady who started reading her Bible again. She shared this verse with me:
“Love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it’s own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:14.

"Come Lord Jesus Come!" - Fill my weary soul and refresh me...

I just received an email from Katie which said, “What a blessing that God brought you to a place near water. I thought of how you always found strength by sitting by the water in Alexandria and now you are finding strength by the mighty ocean!”

I wonder why I love to go down to the ocean to pray and spend time with the Lord. I think part of it is the sound of the crashing waves which allows me to tune out all distractions and venture into my world with God. I love the sound of the waves tumbling into the shore.

I also love going to the sea because when I gaze out into the vast ocean my life somehow comes into perspective. There’s a huge ocean out there, full of creatures from microscopic phytoplankton to whales the size of school busses…some creatures haven’t even been discovered yet.

The sun and moon rise and set over all the creatures in and around the sea, the same way they do for me. To me, simply acknowledging this is comforting. When I’m going through a tough time, I find comfort in knowing that even though I’m in pain, and I’m hurting…the sun still rises and sets, the fish in the sea still carry on swimming, the waves crash and there is peace and harmony in God’s awesome orchestra which He calls creation.

Psalm 42
A deer pants for flowing streams,
So pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
My tears have been my food day and night…
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
And why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God for I shall again praise him
my salvation and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I remember you…
Deep calls to deep
And the roar of your waterfalls;
All your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
And at night his song is with me,
A prayer to the God of my life.

This morning I woke up, grabbed some tea and read Psalm 42. My soul thirsts for the Lord and to know Him better. But like the writers of this Psalm, there is turmoil between my feelings of abandonment and the truth that God is unchanging and always with me. I love how the writers remind us that even though our souls are weary, there IS hope in God and we can remember all the times in the past where His faithfulness was revealed to us. I cry out, “Come Lord Jesus Come” fill my weary soul and refresh me! And the powerful roar of His waterfalls deafen me, and His breakers wash over and overwhelm me with His presence. I am filled with His spirit and renewed again.

Working with high schoolers...I LUV IT!

This evening I was reminded of how blessed I am to be here in SA serving high schoolers. Tonight was the annual variety show at York High. Ozzy and I decided earlier in the week to attend the show after finding out that quite a few of our peer educators are performing. It was an awesome night of singing, dancing, rapping, and playing instruments.

I am so proud of the kids!!! Phumi, one of our senior peer educators amazed us with her gorgeous voice. Wow, she looked SO beautiful and I couldn’t believe how amazing she sounded. We didn’t even know she could sing! And Danny and Sihle, well they were part of two fantastic hip hop dances. Rock on girls!!! Troy blew us away on the piano…Ziaad dazzled us with his acting and humor….turns out that Tamryn can play the guitar-and sing!....the list goes on and on.

And the rest of our peer educators were in the crowd cheering everyone on. There was so much energy and excitement tonight…IT’S CONTAGIOUS! So many smiles…hugs…laughs.

YES…I get to work with high schoolers…and I LOVE it.

Next….we’re getting excited for the Matric Farewell (Senior Prom). Good times!

Post World Cup Greetings!!

The World Cup games have come to an end and so have our series of week long Holiday Kids Clubs! As many of you know, during the World Cup all the school kids in South Africa were on holiday so we decided to take advantage of this perfect opportunity to connect with youth and give back to our community.

Well, I must thank you all for your thoughts and prayers….the World Cup holiday clubs were a huge success!-meaning that the kids had fun, the staff/volunteers had fun (not AS important…but certainly a bonus!), and everyone involved was safe during the month and a half World Cup.
If you get a chance…check out this article http://worldsoccerjourneys.com/features/church-counters-child-trafficking/church-counters-child-trafficking/#story, it’s a story written about the club we ran in the Ballotsview community. You can also check out some really cool pictures and other articles highlighting the awesome things that were going on during the World Cup…in addition to soccer :).
Here’s how the Youth for Christ Holiday Clubs were run…Each morning, the kids attending would gather for breakfast then move into their groups to sing songs and enjoy team spirit time. On the first day, each team chose their team name and came up with a war cry. The teams were divided by age groups starting with grade 2 all the way up through grade 7. In total, we had +/- 100 kids consistently attending the clubs each week. We had teams like Brilliant Brazil, Amazing Argentina based on the World Cup soccer teams. The kids also had an opportunity to come up with names for themselves. For example, my name was Crazy Caitlin and I worked with Luny Lucian and Lovely Lelethu. It was fun! So to get a team’s attention, we would call out “AMAZING”…and then kids would yell back “ARGENTINA!!!!!”-They really got into it! To add to the fun….and cuteness, all the kids wore bright colored bandanas to identify which team they were on.
During the club in Blanco, we went through the story of Joseph from the Bible and each day the kids had a picture that went along with the story to color in and ask questions about. The take home message was, the Lord has a very special plan for your life! and You are special!
What I learned by the end of all these clubs is that more than anything, these kids yearn for individual attention and to be loved. It means the world to them if you just stop what you’re doing to bend down and give them a hug. The evidence is in their smiles. So whether it was encouraging them as they colored, singing along with them to Father Abraham, hugging them over and over again, letting them play with your hair, jumping rope, playing games, sharing a meal, or reading the story of Joseph and his brothers together…the opportunities to reach these kids were endless.
I also saw huge growth in our youth volunteers. Two high school Peer Educators in particular stood out among the rest. We only asked for our Peer Educators to dedicate one week of their holiday to working at these clubs but later I came to find out that Lucian and Lelethu helped out at these clubs during the entirety of their holiday. Wow!
I worked with these two for the first time way back during the Easter Holiday Club in Blanco. Their dedication and gift to connect with the kids knocked my socks off and after seeing their hard work at one of the first World Cup Holiday Clubs I decided to ask them to MC the club I was running. They agreed…and they did an amazing job! Here’s a great picture of them in their MC gear getting ready for the day.
I am so proud of all the Peer Education volunteers who took at least a week out of their holiday to give back to their community. My prayer is that the relationships formed between the volunteers and kids will not end with the World Cup but continue on to the next club…and the next…and the next.

Things are moving right along!!!...

Greetings again from George, South Africa! I hope all of you at home are enjoying the summer! For us here, it’s just turning to winter and with no central heat…it’s cold! So, the solution? Hot water bottles. Not drinking water bottles filled with hot water…thick rubber canteen-like bottles with screw caps which you fill with boiling water, cover with insulating material and then stick at the bottom of your bed to keep your feet warm at night, or while your watching a movie or doing work at home. When I first heard the concept of hot water bottles it reminded me of something my mom used to say, “The most important parts of your body to keep warm in the winter are your head and your feet.” So there ya have it…feet, “check!” :).

My first birhday in SA!
As some of you know, I celebrated my birthday on May 2nd. It was the first birthday I spent in chilly weather and overseas…it was awesome! This year May 2nd fell on a Sunday and if your birthday falls on a Sunday, my church makes a cake and calls up everyone during the announcements who has a birthday so they can get a piece of cake, and the congregation can sing happy birthday. What made it really special is by now I know mostly everyone in church and as they were singing I really felt the love of family and friends. What a blessing!

After church my roommate Marion arranged for a few of my girl friends to take me out to lunch. I ordered ostrich and it was really good! Did you know that ostrich is neither a red or a white meat… it’s a blue meat. I’m not really sure what that means, all I could tell is it tasted more like steak…not like something from the bird family.

My birthday was a really great time and I want to send a big thank you to all of you overseas who sent me letters, care packages, and facebook messages to let me know that you’re thinking about me.

From the ministry side…
In Schools-GOLD Peer Education:
Things have been going very well, very busy….but very well :). This term The Schools Team is focusing on a lesson called Choices and Influences. We are teaching teens about making the choice to have sex or wait for sex and what influences that choice like parents, peers, the media, pop songs, church, teachers etc.

Again, like all the lessons we do, we leave it up to the kids to make their own decision. I love the analogy Ozzy used yesterday during our lesson delivery. “I could tell you guys, ‘do not run into that wall, you’re likely to break your nose.’ But if you still choose to do so, it’s not me who has to endure the consequences, it’s you-whoever walks into the wall.” On the same note, we help them make the decision of when to have sex, but ultimately it’s up to them…they are the ones who have to face the consequences. And we stress the importance of owning their decision…knowing and understanding what beliefs back-up their decision and the consequences…good or bad.

The Easter Holiday Club in Blanco:
The last thing I’d like to tell you about is the Easter Holiday club I helped run in a town called Blanco. It was a really awesome experience. The folks who staffed it were volunteers from a local Baptist church, The Schools Team Facilitators (my co-workers), and volunteer Peer Educators from a handful of the schools we work in. There were about 30 volunteers in total and over 200 kids ranging from grade 2 to grade 8. The kids were divided into 6 groups by age and then volunteers were assigned to work closely with them each day. Many of the kids who attended the camp aren't currently in school.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to reach out to the kids in Blanco. We met for 5 days starting with food at 9AM and then we performed dramas, played games, taught about the Easter story and mentored the older kids until 1PM. After the kids went home, I met for an hour with all the youth volunteers to get feedback on how the day went. I thouroughly enjoyed running these meetings….answering questions and pouring into these highschool volunteers…I really had an opportunity to see them shine!

Working with the kids from Blanco was challenging for the volunteer Peer Educators but in the end, they all said it was worth it and they are looking forward to their next opportunity to serve…and I agree!


Prayer Request...
I would like to ask for prayer around my allergies and asthma. For some reason the change in seasons has aggravated both my allergies and asthma and it’s starting to prevent me from doing some of my work. I know we serve a BIG God who is fully cape able of helping or even healing me from these problems so I would really appreciate your prayers! Thank you!!!

Well I think that about wraps it up for this update. Please keep you emails with updates and prayer request coming. I love hearing from you guys!

Until next time…love and hugs, Caitlin

PS: My latest snail mail update was just sent out on Monday so keep your eyes out for it and please let me know if you’d like to be added to my update list. Everyone’s welcome!

A New Chapter....begins tomorrow

Iiiiiiiiit’s time for another update….and guess what? I’m just about to dive into a new chapter of my life here in South Africa. Woohoo!

So, here’s the scoop. Tomorrow I’m moving out of the Edwall’s house and into my new flat AND I’m blessed to have a roommate to move in with! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and thank you Lord for paving the way!

I secured a flat in the middle of town earlier this month and now it’s finally time to move in. Marion and I have been moving our things (mostly her stuff) into our flat bit by bit over the past week and by tomorrow night, everything should be set. We’re so excited!

This came to both of us as a very pleasant surprise :) A few weeks after I moved to South Africa, Marion and I became friends after our mutual friend Tarryn introduced us at church. After that, a whole group of us just clicked-we enjoy dinner gatherings, snorkeling trips, beach adventures….you name it. But I had no idea that Marion and I would eventually become roommates!

One night Marion and I decided to grab a quick dinner together and while we were eating, my housing situation came up. She shared in my excitement for securing a flat but I had no idea that she had been contemplating moving in with me. As far as I knew she was totally content living in her beautiful one bedroom flat. But she said that soon after she got word that I was moving out of the Edwall’s house and looking for a roommate, she started wondering if we should be roommates. Pretty cool, huh? I even joked with my Mom on a Skype call earlier that week about how I could see us as roommates BUT unfortunately for me, she’s settled an happy where she’s currently living :)

So, looking back, it really took patience and waiting for the right person, but it worked out in the long run…the Lord had a plan all along! Marion was completely happy and settled in her one bedroom flat but she listened to the quiet Voice urging her try something new. I’ve come to learn that Marion loves environmental science and is outreach minded like me so it’s going to be awesome getting to know her. Our desire is for our home to be a safe place for people to spend time together, build relationships, and just enjoy each other’s company…similar to 6023 in Arlington, VA-I miss you guys!

I’ll end with this. Today I was reading the devotional that my Mom gave my sister Lauren and I the day I left for South Africa. It reflects on the 1st chapter of my life here in George…

“I am leading you, step by step, through your life. Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting me guide you through this day. Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me. I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.”
~Based on Deuteronomy 29:29 & Psalm 32:8~

So, Chapter 2 - here I come :) and I can’t wait to see what it brings…

Things are continuing to go well with the Schools Team. Ozzy and I really enjoy working together and have developed a fun dynamic with the kids at York and Outeniqua High Schools. (This picture says it all!...if you'd like to see a more serious picture~check out my latest snail mail news letter) It is so awesome working with kids and empowering them to make good, educated decisions. I’m still working on a bunch of counseling courses which will better equip me for working in the schools. The courses will be going on for a few more weeks and I'm so thankful for how much I'm learning. I am still on the hunt for a car and until I find one, I am catching lifts with whoever is available and willing :).

Just as a heads up, I may not have access to the internet for the next few days, and maybe even a week while I transition into my new flat. Please pray that getting the internet set up in my new place with be easy and not take too long :).

As always, I miss you guys! I really appreciate all the emails and little notes you have sent my way over the past few months. I love hearing how you are doing and how I can specifically be praying for you so keep ‘em coming!

Blessings!

Transition….In the thick of it

Well, things have been quite exciting here in South Africa! I’m more acclimated these days…getting around a bit easier and feeling more familiar with my surroundings…but definitely
experiencing the weight of my transition.
I’m in the middle of making some pretty significant decisions. I have decided that for my first year here I will be working with the GOLD Peer Education Program in two of the local high schools. I’m super excited to really start getting involved with the youth!

I’m also coming very close to securing a flat (apartment) and a car but both of those things are still in the works.


I am so thankful for finding a church home here in George and for meeting quite a few very cool friends who have certainly made this transition a lot easier! I was invited to go beach camping with a group of friends a few weekends ago and it was awesome.



Right now I’m taking a handful of trainings and am learning a ton. Last week I was at a training camp which taught leaders how to teach kids life skills through sports, focusing on soccer. As many of you know, this year the World Cup is coming to South Africa. I won’t be going to see any of the games, but George is going to host several teams and will have one of those huge screens set up for folks to gather and watch the games together. I can’t imagine how many people are going to be traveling through here for those thirty days but I bet it’s going to be pretty crazy!....maybe like the Boston Marathon-times 1,000!

One thing I’m struggling with is figuring out how to best keep in touch with people at home because I’m still working on getting settled and haven’t found a rhythm yet. Please pray for grace and patience and please pray for me so that I’m not living under a guilty feeling for not being able to communicate as much with friends and family as I’d like.

I am going to be spending the rest of this week at a pregnancy and HIV/AIDS training and for the next two weekends I’ll be helping lead Peer Education Mentors Camps. These camps are awesome opportunities to connect with students so please pray that some great and lasting connections are made. I’ll also be putting my sports/life skills training into play so please pray that it goes well!

I miss you guys and I think about you all the time!