On Wednesday, I was not able to eat a lot because I just felt really sick to my stomach. The morning when I tried walking, I felt really dizzy and I felt disoriented for a few seconds, and I nearly fell over but one of my teammates was there to catch my fall. I went to the doctor that day
and they said that the lining in my stomach could be inflamed, whatever that means, and that I was dizzy because of low blood pressure which was probably just because my blood wasn't circulating
very well since I was sick. The doctor was very nice. They gave me medicine to take which didn't really help, and I had to skip out on 2 days of ministry. Fortunately, on Friday, I was feeling a little better and was able to go out on ministry to a hospital in Qwaqwa.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
My First Ministry Experience
Makong Baptist Church, Qwaqwa, South Africa...
Today was the first day that we went out into Qwaqwa to do relationship evangelism. Honestly, it wasn't too bad when we were out ministering to the people. I thought that I would have been a lot more nervous than I really was. The first house we went to put us in a little bit of an awkward situation. There was a mom who was looking after a few children, one of which was only about a year old and would not stop crying. She said that it was because the baby was scared of us because it had never seen Americans before. We left after a little while since it was impossible to minister with the constant distraction of the baby. After we picked and washed some spinach for her, we moved on to another house. The next house was a little better but still kind of awkward. We came up to a young woman who was doing her laundry. We asked her if she could help but she didn't speak English very well so everything had to be translated. We helped a little with the laundry but it was weird because there were five of us and one of her. When she invited us in we saw that she had a baby, named Juni, who was nearly a year and a half. We talked to her quite a bit in the morning but it was a lot like an interrogation than a conversation because she didn't talk much except for saying yes and answering a few of our questions. There wasn't much bonding there. After talking with her we went back to the church that was our base for the day to eat lunch. After lunch we decided to go to a different house. This house was wonderful! We all bonded so well! There was a mother and her three daughters who were 14, 17, and 18 years old, as well as three other family members and a multitude of small children who followed after the "parade of Americans." We talked for a while about the difference in wedding traditions. They thought it was hilarious that the husband doesn't pay any money to the wife's mother for raising the child. They also thought it was funny that we thought they might still have arranged marriages. The conversation was very comfortable, and the girls all spoke English very well. They used bigger words than I could probably say. We played crazy eights and jump rope with them and taught them how to play go fish. I fell down while jump roping but I think that things like that are what make it easier to bond. It makes me look silly which in turn puts me on the same level as them. They made us orange tang juice and invited us to come back tomorrow.
I felt like it went well, until we were all in the car talking to Charlene. We told her how were were playing games with them and she said that it was ok but that that wasn't what our focus should be. I was aware that that wasn't our focus. I didn't come to South Africa to play games, but we're supposed to become friends with these people so that we can share Christ with them. How can I share Christ with them if they don't know me? Surely, they won't accept me or care to hear what I have to say. It was hard to hear that from Charlene because I thought we were doing such a good job of connecting with the people today. It was just really frustrating. I know that God will be stretching me a lot throughout this trip but I feel that Charlene was saying that what we were doing was wrong and seemed so right. I'm a little confused right now. I need a lot of prayer to be put out of my comfort zone and to thrive outside of it. I need so much of God's strength to be able to witness to these people. Sometimes I just don't know what to say, and when I think I am doing well, I hear that I am doing it all wrong. Am I doing it wrong or what? Please pray for me as I go out tomorrow.
I love you all!
Today was the first day that we went out into Qwaqwa to do relationship evangelism. Honestly, it wasn't too bad when we were out ministering to the people. I thought that I would have been a lot more nervous than I really was. The first house we went to put us in a little bit of an awkward situation. There was a mom who was looking after a few children, one of which was only about a year old and would not stop crying. She said that it was because the baby was scared of us because it had never seen Americans before. We left after a little while since it was impossible to minister with the constant distraction of the baby. After we picked and washed some spinach for her, we moved on to another house. The next house was a little better but still kind of awkward. We came up to a young woman who was doing her laundry. We asked her if she could help but she didn't speak English very well so everything had to be translated. We helped a little with the laundry but it was weird because there were five of us and one of her. When she invited us in we saw that she had a baby, named Juni, who was nearly a year and a half. We talked to her quite a bit in the morning but it was a lot like an interrogation than a conversation because she didn't talk much except for saying yes and answering a few of our questions. There wasn't much bonding there. After talking with her we went back to the church that was our base for the day to eat lunch. After lunch we decided to go to a different house. This house was wonderful! We all bonded so well! There was a mother and her three daughters who were 14, 17, and 18 years old, as well as three other family members and a multitude of small children who followed after the "parade of Americans." We talked for a while about the difference in wedding traditions. They thought it was hilarious that the husband doesn't pay any money to the wife's mother for raising the child. They also thought it was funny that we thought they might still have arranged marriages. The conversation was very comfortable, and the girls all spoke English very well. They used bigger words than I could probably say. We played crazy eights and jump rope with them and taught them how to play go fish. I fell down while jump roping but I think that things like that are what make it easier to bond. It makes me look silly which in turn puts me on the same level as them. They made us orange tang juice and invited us to come back tomorrow.
I felt like it went well, until we were all in the car talking to Charlene. We told her how were were playing games with them and she said that it was ok but that that wasn't what our focus should be. I was aware that that wasn't our focus. I didn't come to South Africa to play games, but we're supposed to become friends with these people so that we can share Christ with them. How can I share Christ with them if they don't know me? Surely, they won't accept me or care to hear what I have to say. It was hard to hear that from Charlene because I thought we were doing such a good job of connecting with the people today. It was just really frustrating. I know that God will be stretching me a lot throughout this trip but I feel that Charlene was saying that what we were doing was wrong and seemed so right. I'm a little confused right now. I need a lot of prayer to be put out of my comfort zone and to thrive outside of it. I need so much of God's strength to be able to witness to these people. Sometimes I just don't know what to say, and when I think I am doing well, I hear that I am doing it all wrong. Am I doing it wrong or what? Please pray for me as I go out tomorrow.
I love you all!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
About the Orphanage
oday we went to the orphanage and I will try to get pics up soon but
it's really hard to get a computer that works well enough to upload
pictures without crashing. So anyway, the orphanage was amazing. My
favorite kids, as bad as that sounds, were named Lucky (boy) and
Samukelisiwe (pronounced Sam-kay-lee-see-way, girl). I think both of
them were 8. Sam could have been 10. They loved to curl up in my arms
and just sit there. We colored pictures and sang songs and just played
with them all day. It was wonderful. I felt so free and more open with
them than I am with anyone ever. I just didn't care anymore. It was
the first time I have ever felt so selfless, because in that situation
you not only have to be but you want to be. These kids don't have a
lot but they are so energetic and simple. All they want is love and to
laugh. It was wonderful. Probably one of the best days of my life. I
can't describe to you the look on their faces and how you just want to
hold them and never let go. They are so beautiful. They're dirty and
some of them have gross disgusting sores on their heads and faces, but
none of us cared. They gave us kisses our hands were dirty after
peeling oranges and not being able to wash sticky hangs. And yet we
gave them kisses and more hugs and piggy-back rides. Being their gave
me the biggest desire to come home and get married and have babies. So
if you know any men, it would be nice if you could start preparing
them now for my return. :] I'll be ready. :] Anyway, I have the most
intense desire to have children and to adopt children and be a mom. I
love kids. They're so beautiful.
for one of the 24/7 interns named Marc. I'll tell you about it later.
it's really hard to get a computer that works well enough to upload
pictures without crashing. So anyway, the orphanage was amazing. My
favorite kids, as bad as that sounds, were named Lucky (boy) and
Samukelisiwe (pronounced Sam-kay-lee-see-way, girl). I think both of
them were 8. Sam could have been 10. They loved to curl up in my arms
and just sit there. We colored pictures and sang songs and just played
with them all day. It was wonderful. I felt so free and more open with
them than I am with anyone ever. I just didn't care anymore. It was
the first time I have ever felt so selfless, because in that situation
you not only have to be but you want to be. These kids don't have a
lot but they are so energetic and simple. All they want is love and to
laugh. It was wonderful. Probably one of the best days of my life. I
can't describe to you the look on their faces and how you just want to
hold them and never let go. They are so beautiful. They're dirty and
some of them have gross disgusting sores on their heads and faces, but
none of us cared. They gave us kisses our hands were dirty after
peeling oranges and not being able to wash sticky hangs. And yet we
gave them kisses and more hugs and piggy-back rides. Being their gave
me the biggest desire to come home and get married and have babies. So
if you know any men, it would be nice if you could start preparing
them now for my return. :] I'll be ready. :] Anyway, I have the most
intense desire to have children and to adopt children and be a mom. I
love kids. They're so beautiful.
Anyway, on a less emotional note: last night felt like family camp
because it was so windy. I didn't mind it because it felt like
camping, but everyone else said they were terrified. I did have a
dream about a zebra flying away in the wind though. Kind of funny. Oh
and I have seen zebra now! I also know the difference between
springbok, lechway, blesbok, fallow, blue wildebeest, and black
wildebeest. :] I got a tour today of the base right after we got home
from the orphanage and an adventure to an African grocery store. That
was also really exciting. Just so you know, the sky here is more
amazing than anything that you will ever see in your life. I will send
some pictures, that surprisingly, capture the sky wonderfully. I have
become increasingly captivated by the sky, and more specifically the
clouds. They stand out so much from the sky here in Africa. I'll try
to send you some pictures tomorrow because it's a free day all day. :]
Which is amazing! Oh! and someone just made coffee which is a
blessing, something that reminds me of home and that I really didn't
think I could miss this much.
for one of the 24/7 interns named Marc. I'll tell you about it later.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
First Update from South Africa
Dear Family in America,
I am sorry that it has taken a few days to respond to you, but I just
wanted to let you know how I am doing. I have arrived safely as have
all my team members! The travel was long but I'm fairly well adjusted
to the time difference and am starting to get into the routine of
things. This week is mostly orientation, learning what we will be
doing the next two months, and getting to know each other. I have been
greatly blessed with a very energetic and passionate team that is
ready to serve. I praise God for the girls in my cabin, as we are all
getting along very well. The people here have such a passion for
relationship evangelism and believe strongly that the best way to
share Christ's love is by befriending people and serving them.
Thrive's main purpose is not to create a revival but rather to
disciple people and teach them so that they may also be able to
disciple. The main church here in Qwa Qwa is called Zion Christian
Church. Although they call themselves Christians, they also believe in
ancestral worship and witchcraft. I will be going out into the
township of Qwa Qwa and exchanging lives with the people and sharing
with them that Jesus is the only One that they need. Please pray for
me and my team, as next week will be the first time that we go out to
ministry. Also, this Saturday, we will be heading to an orphanage to
play with children while the yearlong interns paint the orphanage. I
am very excited for this opportunity.
Just to give you an idea about the passion that my team has, we have
prayer once a week on Wednesday mornings. Yesterday, everyone liked it
so much, that we decided to wake up early before breakfast and pray
every morning. Also, last night we were planning on having a hoe-down
in honor one of our Texan team members, but when the music situation
didn't work out for that, we decided to just make it a worship night.
We prayed and worshiped for over an hour.
Throughout the orientation process, I have come to realize how much
God prepared me for this mission. There are many similarities between
the work that I am doing here and what we did last year in Rocky Boy,
Montana. The staff here at Thrive have informed us that the relational
work that we are doing in Qwa Qwa will not have a direct result that
we will be able to see while we are here. Instead, it will be help to
strengthen the relationship with Thrive and the Basotho people. Also,
although the natives of Rocky Boy and Qwa Qwa are very different, they
are similar in that they are both very cultural and attached to their
traditions. I am excited because I know that God has been preparing me
for this mission for a while now. Even last year, when I didn't know
what I was doing or why I was even going on that mission in Rocky Boy,
God had a plan for me and is now revealing more of that plan. Praise
God for his faithfulness! For he truly does have plans to prosper me
and to give me a hope and future. I can see all of it playing out
before me and it now becoming so real.
Lastly I wanted to share some things that I have learned. First of
all, this is something that Neil, the director of Thrive Africa, said
before our prayer time yesterday. He was talking about how Satan can
do absolutely nothing to stop the Holy Spirit from moving. When our
eyes are on Jesus, we cannot be moved. He can, however, tempt us with
physical needs that would have not have our atttention if we were
focused on Christ, but he tells us that we need them and makes us weak
by those physical things. It was a interesting to see and know that,
to know that Satan really can do nothing to God because God is so
powerful, and that God is our strength because when we look to him,
when he is with us, we cannot be shaken.
Another thing that I learned was during our worship time last night.
One of the girls in my group was talking about how all God did to
create the entire universe was breath. She commented on how easy it is
for us to breath and how we do it without even thinking. If that was
all God did to create the universe, then how much greater things can
he do in our lives when he constructs a perfect plan for us, when he
has said that he loves us above all creation. If we matter more to him
than all of the universe, and all he did was breath to create it, then
how much more can he do in our lives. I thought that was a really cool
picture of how great our God really is. How awesome is he!!!
Finally, I'm sorry I don't have a picture to send at this time, the
computer that I am using is not fast enough to be able to upload
pictures, but I will send them as soon as I can.
Thank you for your prayers! I will see you soon!
Modimo a o hlohonolofatse (God bless you),
Hannah Borcherdt
Thursday, June 12, 2008
While I'm Away
You can send me letters if you would like:
Hannah Borcherdt
c/o Thrive Africa
PO Box 965
Harrismith 9880
South Africa
Please note: letters can take 10-14 days and packages up to 4 weeks to be delivered. Also, if you send me a message or something, chances are I won't be able to respond, but I'll try my best to keep everyone updated!
You can always check out the Thrive Africa website for more information about what I'm doing and where I'm staying: thriveafrica.org
I will miss you guys!! See you in 2 months!!! (I will return on August 9 at 10:54 PM, for all you stalkers out there.)
Hannah Borcherdt
c/o Thrive Africa
PO Box 965
Harrismith 9880
South Africa
Please note: letters can take 10-14 days and packages up to 4 weeks to be delivered. Also, if you send me a message or something, chances are I won't be able to respond, but I'll try my best to keep everyone updated!
You can always check out the Thrive Africa website for more information about what I'm doing and where I'm staying: thriveafrica.org
I will miss you guys!! See you in 2 months!!! (I will return on August 9 at 10:54 PM, for all you stalkers out there.)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Four. Quatro. Quatre. 4.
I'm feeling very anxious right now. I'm ready to go and yet there is so much to do still! Thinking about going to South Africa makes me nervous. Thinking about all I have to do between now and Sunday makes me nervous. I just have so much to do as far as graduation and South Africa, and hardly any time to do it! Please pray for peace and strength as I come to my last 4 days in the States before heading out to serve in South Africa. FOUR DAYS! 4 days! ONLY 4 DAYS!!!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Financial Update
I sent an email to Charlene who is the director of Thrive Africa and asked her what would happen if I did not have all the funds by the time we leave. This is the encouraging message she sent me:
"Just keep working on it and sending it in as you get it! If you don’t have all the money in by the time you leave, just have your folks or someone send it in as it comes in….that is fine. We need it to pay for things on this side, but it won’t be a deal breaker….tickets are bought and your name is on one…so we will see you here!!! Thank you for keeping me up to date! I appreciate it!"
Praise God for that! I will be going to Africa in 2 weeks and 2 days!!! :)
"Just keep working on it and sending it in as you get it! If you don’t have all the money in by the time you leave, just have your folks or someone send it in as it comes in….that is fine. We need it to pay for things on this side, but it won’t be a deal breaker….tickets are bought and your name is on one…so we will see you here!!! Thank you for keeping me up to date! I appreciate it!"
Praise God for that! I will be going to Africa in 2 weeks and 2 days!!! :)
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