Hi everyone!
It has been yet another week in South Africa and I’m back to update you on my adventures. Rather than give you a “play-by-play” like I’ve done in the past, I’ve decided to update you on the highlights of my week instead. Not only does this save time on my part, but hopefully it will make my blog a little more interesting.
The first thing I want to tell you all about is a conversation I ha
d with Kaama, one of the mentors at Cornerstone. He is a 32 year-old black man from Lesotho, a tiny country enclosed by South Africa. From the moment I met him, I noticed that he had a significant limp and an arm that didn’t seem quite right. We had been trying to connect all week and time just kept getting away from us. He kept coming up to me saying, “You owe me,” so I was excited when I finally had the chance to talk with him on Sunday night after dinner. We exchanged basic family information, but the best part about our whole conversation was the story of his leg. Eight years ago, he was assaulted in Lesotho while he was walking down the street. Kaama didn’t remember anything that happened; all he remembered was waking up in the hospital one week later. The doctors informed him that he had a serious brain injury and was in a coma for a week. They also told him that if he didn’t die (which they assumed he would), he would never be able to use his left hand or walk again because his entire left side was paralyzed by the brain injury. Kaama refused to believe either of those things to be true. One night in the hospital, he started having difficulty breathing and panicked. All of the nurses were asleep (bad nurses!) and the doctors had gone home for the night, so he didn’t know what to do. Somehow (I think it was God), one of the nurses woke up, noticed him turning blue, and called a code. Kaam
a could hear everything going on around him (like them giving him CPR), but couldn’t see or speak. At that very moment, Kaama started praying. He asked Jesus for his forgiveness and promised that if Christ saved his life, he would serve Him for the rest of his life in whatever he did. As soon as he finished that prayer, he gasped for air and could finally breathe again. Jesus had literally brought him back from the dead; it was a miracle. After that near-death experience, he did physical therapy and blew away the poor prognosis he was given by the doctors; he started using his hand AND walking again! All of his life, he wanted to be an accountant like his mother. Before the accident, he attempted to obtain an accounting degree from 3 different colleges; however, he either failed out of his classes there or ran out of money. After the accident, he realized that maybe accounting wasn’t what God had planned for his life; thus, he applied to Cornerstone Christian College, got accepted, and had his entire education paid for by the school. Currently, he is in his fourth year at Cornerstone and will graduate in the spring with a theology degree. Now tell me that God isn’t great?
The second thing I want to tell you all about our bus tour around the South African peninsula on 9/11 (which, by the way, 9/11 means nothing to South Africans and was not mentioned once the entire day). We began
the drive through incredibly wealthy areas where penthouses cost $4.5 million and a shot of 50 year-old single malt whiskey costs almost $2,000. When we were driving along the coast, which was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in my life (white beaches, turquoise waters, huge rocks, the works), we passed through the richest area of SA called Clifton. Apparently many celebrities in the U.S. own houses there. Honestly, it reminded me exactly of Malibu. Seeing all of this opulence was surprisingly hard for me. I couldn’t help but notice the numerous homeless black people wandering through the streets of these wealthy communities. I also couldn’t help but notice that right next to these neighborhoods, there were townships. These are the neighborhoods where all of the black and coloured people were relocated to by the government during apartheid. Basically, these dilapidated houses are made out of steel (what appeared to be garage doors) and have no electricity or run
ning water. This stark contrast between the richest of the rich and poorest of the poor living side by side shocked, dismayed, and even angered me. According to our tour guide, over 8 million people currently need housing in SA. In Los Angeles, the number of homeless people is 240,000. I then realized that I couldn’t be angry at the wealthy people in SA for ignoring the major economic gap because Orange County is exactly the same way. We live 60 miles away from one of the biggest homeless populations in U.S., but we don’t give it a second thought. Working on Skid Row, or Hope Street, a few weeks ago with my Community Health nursing class really opened my eyes up to the homeless situation in L.A. I really learned how important it was to serve “the least of these” just as Christ did. That got me thinking…what would it be SA be like if everyone knew and practiced the loving, servant attitude of Christ? It just makes me want
to tell everyone about Jesus! Anyway, I’m going to get off my soapbox and tell you what else I did on the tour. I saw a whole lot of whales playing super close to shore, which was amazing. The most beautiful part of the day was at the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most South-Western point of Africa. Not only did we get to climb up a mountain to see over the entire cape, but we got to see where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet as well. It was one of the most incredible aspects of God’s creation that I’ve ever seen. You could see the white water currents mixing between the two oceans; they were even different colors! We also had the opportunity to see penguins at Boulders Beach. I never thought I’d see penguins anywhere other than Sea World, so that was awesome. Finally, we got to visit Kirstenbosch Gardens, which consisted of acres and acres of gorgeous South African plants and flowers.
The third and final thing I want to tell you about is my new place of residence. On Friday night, 9/12, we had our “Last Supper” at Cornerstone and then packed our lives away to go to homestays. Homestays are homes of people from local churches who have volunteered to house students who a
re studying abroad. The point of homestays is for us to be able to completely immerse ourselves in the South African culture, eat their food, and learn as much as we can from them. I was really, really sad. I felt like I had finally gotten used to everything at Cornerstone (the people, routine, even the crappy internet) and wasn’t ready to leave at all. The fateful moment came when Lucy, my homestay mom, picked me up. She’s a 62 year-old woman who has never been married or had any children. Right away, I felt like she hated me because she “didn’t know what [she] was supposed to cook for someone who was lactose intolerant.” I explained to her that it wasn’t that hard and I could eat pretty much everything as long as it didn’t have cheese on it. She wasn’t convinced. Lucy dropped me off at her house, which is a few blocks from school, and then left to go get Corey (another nursing major) because her car couldn’t fit both of our luggage. I seriously had never felt so alone in my life; I had just been ripped away from all of my friends and the community that I bonded with at Cornerstone. Anyway, things here 
at Lucy’s house haven’t been ideal. She is very particular about things because she has lived alone her entire life and is used to doing everything a certain way. You flush the toilet, turn off the lights, lock the doors, use the shower, and make the beds HER way, not your own. She is also very blunt and says whatever is on her mind, which can be hurtful at times. Personally, I think she is a very lonely woman who tries to fill in the silence in any way possible. As much as she may not like me, I really want to connect with Lucy and be her friend. Please pray for that!
Oh one more thing...I promise! On Saturday, 9/13, I climbed Table Mountain (the mountain that Cape Town is famous for), which is comparable to Half Dome in difficulty (just a lot shorter). There are rock stairs the entire way up, and it took us about 1.5 hours to get to the top. Then guess what I did? I abseiled (repelled) down a 400 ft. rock on the back of the mountain! It was one of the most frightening and exhilarating experiences of my life. I finally conquered my fears of falling off rock walls, and it felt absolutely incredible. God protected me and my newly reconstructed knee. Anyway, I
have a week and a half left in Cape Town and a TON of work to do. We’re finishing up our history class and just getting into the meat of our nursing classes. Please pray that I have the endurance to get through it all. Also pray that I find God in South Africa. I’m still experiencing “separation anxiety” from my home church and don’t feel like God is as present now as he was with me this summer. I love you and miss you all so much! Your support means the world to me!
It has been yet another week in South Africa and I’m back to update you on my adventures. Rather than give you a “play-by-play” like I’ve done in the past, I’ve decided to update you on the highlights of my week instead. Not only does this save time on my part, but hopefully it will make my blog a little more interesting.
The first thing I want to tell you all about is a conversation I ha
d with Kaama, one of the mentors at Cornerstone. He is a 32 year-old black man from Lesotho, a tiny country enclosed by South Africa. From the moment I met him, I noticed that he had a significant limp and an arm that didn’t seem quite right. We had been trying to connect all week and time just kept getting away from us. He kept coming up to me saying, “You owe me,” so I was excited when I finally had the chance to talk with him on Sunday night after dinner. We exchanged basic family information, but the best part about our whole conversation was the story of his leg. Eight years ago, he was assaulted in Lesotho while he was walking down the street. Kaama didn’t remember anything that happened; all he remembered was waking up in the hospital one week later. The doctors informed him that he had a serious brain injury and was in a coma for a week. They also told him that if he didn’t die (which they assumed he would), he would never be able to use his left hand or walk again because his entire left side was paralyzed by the brain injury. Kaama refused to believe either of those things to be true. One night in the hospital, he started having difficulty breathing and panicked. All of the nurses were asleep (bad nurses!) and the doctors had gone home for the night, so he didn’t know what to do. Somehow (I think it was God), one of the nurses woke up, noticed him turning blue, and called a code. Kaam
a could hear everything going on around him (like them giving him CPR), but couldn’t see or speak. At that very moment, Kaama started praying. He asked Jesus for his forgiveness and promised that if Christ saved his life, he would serve Him for the rest of his life in whatever he did. As soon as he finished that prayer, he gasped for air and could finally breathe again. Jesus had literally brought him back from the dead; it was a miracle. After that near-death experience, he did physical therapy and blew away the poor prognosis he was given by the doctors; he started using his hand AND walking again! All of his life, he wanted to be an accountant like his mother. Before the accident, he attempted to obtain an accounting degree from 3 different colleges; however, he either failed out of his classes there or ran out of money. After the accident, he realized that maybe accounting wasn’t what God had planned for his life; thus, he applied to Cornerstone Christian College, got accepted, and had his entire education paid for by the school. Currently, he is in his fourth year at Cornerstone and will graduate in the spring with a theology degree. Now tell me that God isn’t great?The second thing I want to tell you all about our bus tour around the South African peninsula on 9/11 (which, by the way, 9/11 means nothing to South Africans and was not mentioned once the entire day). We began
the drive through incredibly wealthy areas where penthouses cost $4.5 million and a shot of 50 year-old single malt whiskey costs almost $2,000. When we were driving along the coast, which was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in my life (white beaches, turquoise waters, huge rocks, the works), we passed through the richest area of SA called Clifton. Apparently many celebrities in the U.S. own houses there. Honestly, it reminded me exactly of Malibu. Seeing all of this opulence was surprisingly hard for me. I couldn’t help but notice the numerous homeless black people wandering through the streets of these wealthy communities. I also couldn’t help but notice that right next to these neighborhoods, there were townships. These are the neighborhoods where all of the black and coloured people were relocated to by the government during apartheid. Basically, these dilapidated houses are made out of steel (what appeared to be garage doors) and have no electricity or run
ning water. This stark contrast between the richest of the rich and poorest of the poor living side by side shocked, dismayed, and even angered me. According to our tour guide, over 8 million people currently need housing in SA. In Los Angeles, the number of homeless people is 240,000. I then realized that I couldn’t be angry at the wealthy people in SA for ignoring the major economic gap because Orange County is exactly the same way. We live 60 miles away from one of the biggest homeless populations in U.S., but we don’t give it a second thought. Working on Skid Row, or Hope Street, a few weeks ago with my Community Health nursing class really opened my eyes up to the homeless situation in L.A. I really learned how important it was to serve “the least of these” just as Christ did. That got me thinking…what would it be SA be like if everyone knew and practiced the loving, servant attitude of Christ? It just makes me want
to tell everyone about Jesus! Anyway, I’m going to get off my soapbox and tell you what else I did on the tour. I saw a whole lot of whales playing super close to shore, which was amazing. The most beautiful part of the day was at the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most South-Western point of Africa. Not only did we get to climb up a mountain to see over the entire cape, but we got to see where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet as well. It was one of the most incredible aspects of God’s creation that I’ve ever seen. You could see the white water currents mixing between the two oceans; they were even different colors! We also had the opportunity to see penguins at Boulders Beach. I never thought I’d see penguins anywhere other than Sea World, so that was awesome. Finally, we got to visit Kirstenbosch Gardens, which consisted of acres and acres of gorgeous South African plants and flowers.The third and final thing I want to tell you about is my new place of residence. On Friday night, 9/12, we had our “Last Supper” at Cornerstone and then packed our lives away to go to homestays. Homestays are homes of people from local churches who have volunteered to house students who a
re studying abroad. The point of homestays is for us to be able to completely immerse ourselves in the South African culture, eat their food, and learn as much as we can from them. I was really, really sad. I felt like I had finally gotten used to everything at Cornerstone (the people, routine, even the crappy internet) and wasn’t ready to leave at all. The fateful moment came when Lucy, my homestay mom, picked me up. She’s a 62 year-old woman who has never been married or had any children. Right away, I felt like she hated me because she “didn’t know what [she] was supposed to cook for someone who was lactose intolerant.” I explained to her that it wasn’t that hard and I could eat pretty much everything as long as it didn’t have cheese on it. She wasn’t convinced. Lucy dropped me off at her house, which is a few blocks from school, and then left to go get Corey (another nursing major) because her car couldn’t fit both of our luggage. I seriously had never felt so alone in my life; I had just been ripped away from all of my friends and the community that I bonded with at Cornerstone. Anyway, things here 
at Lucy’s house haven’t been ideal. She is very particular about things because she has lived alone her entire life and is used to doing everything a certain way. You flush the toilet, turn off the lights, lock the doors, use the shower, and make the beds HER way, not your own. She is also very blunt and says whatever is on her mind, which can be hurtful at times. Personally, I think she is a very lonely woman who tries to fill in the silence in any way possible. As much as she may not like me, I really want to connect with Lucy and be her friend. Please pray for that!Oh one more thing...I promise! On Saturday, 9/13, I climbed Table Mountain (the mountain that Cape Town is famous for), which is comparable to Half Dome in difficulty (just a lot shorter). There are rock stairs the entire way up, and it took us about 1.5 hours to get to the top. Then guess what I did? I abseiled (repelled) down a 400 ft. rock on the back of the mountain! It was one of the most frightening and exhilarating experiences of my life. I finally conquered my fears of falling off rock walls, and it felt absolutely incredible. God protected me and my newly reconstructed knee. Anyway, I
have a week and a half left in Cape Town and a TON of work to do. We’re finishing up our history class and just getting into the meat of our nursing classes. Please pray that I have the endurance to get through it all. Also pray that I find God in South Africa. I’m still experiencing “separation anxiety” from my home church and don’t feel like God is as present now as he was with me this summer. I love you and miss you all so much! Your support means the world to me! 
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2 comments:
awesome update nicole, I like the new style, very readable and interesting. I love your approach to life, just jumping in, seeing what God will do. I had no idea you knew what a "single Malt" was. great story about the man you wrote about. We all love you and pray for you often.
Nicole!!! It was such a blessing to hear how God is using you in South Africa. I can't wait to hear more! Love you a whole lot :) I will definitely be praying for you!
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