starting line

it's been two full days since i've arrived, and things are slowly but surely starting to settle down.

yesterday was the first day of training: carly, the footprints volunteer coordinator, and i went over the core values of the organization and began to talk about the vision of hands at work as well as the challenges that it faces. today was more of a cross-cultural workshop: i actually got to spend the morning in masoyi with carly as she showed me around and introduced me to people at the lula center and k2 (orphan and youth day care centers).

i am set up for 10-weeks' worth of training, the first five weeks consisting of various workshops and participation in different kinds of ministries in the community. while looking forward to all of these activities, i am especially looking forward to the community stay: i'll be living in one of the homes in masoyi for one week and experiencing life without much of the support i have at asm. after this community stay, i'll be assigned to a country for a project and go into individual preparation or the rest of the training period.

besides the regular meetings and workshops that training entails, evenings are usually filled with family-style dinners and spontaneous conversations. yesterday was my first experience with a south african bry/brie (?), a term locals use to describe a bbq. 10-15 people gathered around a pit of fire with steak, lamb chops, pork belly, sausages, chicken wings, and who-knows-what-other-kind-of-meat grilling over it. i was so full by the end of the meal that i couldn't even fit a cookie into my stomach for dessert. i've heard a lot about africa, but i did not hear about them african bry's.

even though it's only been two days, i can sense the general atmosphere of geniality here: everywhere we go, people seem to be genuinely nice. as soon as we enter the door, people immediately stop what they're doing and greet us with hugs and big smiles on their faces. it seems that having a conversation, sharing a meal and simply building a relationship take obvious precedence over following a certain chedule and completing a task, and it makes me wonder why things are so different back at home.

thank you for all of your continued prayers because much is needed!

hope all is well :)

***
notes to september wellspring mission team members:

adapters! have you already bought adapters for this trip? if so, please check that the adapter has THREE prongs (stuck in three points forming the shape of a triangle), or else, it will not fit into any of the outlets in south africa. the adapters i bought in the states do not fit, and hearing from other footprinters, most stores in north america only carry adapters for european and asian countries. if you haven't bought one yet, it can be purchased at local stores in south africa.

voltage converters! you need something that can convert 220-240V to 100-120V. most modern electronic devices (i.e. laptop) are rated for 100-240V, which covers both the US and South African (and European) voltages. All you need is an adapter for these devices rather than a converter. you would need converters for heat generating appliances such as hair dryers and other items that do not cover that entire voltage range.

the new hands at work village (where you guys will be staying) is NICE. the buildings are located right across asm, and they've just been completed, so the facilities are brand new. kitchen and dining area are more than spacious; bathroom consists of sink, shower, toilet -- everything you need; there's a laundry room with washing machine AND dryer. the rooms set up for short-term volunteers have four beds and two closets, a little more cramped than other rooms, but certainly not unaccommodating.

hope preparation is going well!