I arrived into Cape Town, SA at around 9:00 PM on June 1st and was taken to “The Island”, my home for the next month. It’s winter here, so nights can be cold, but I do have a roof over my head, electricity, and running water (although it is usually pretty cold). I am apart of the 23 member IMPACT team with people from Texas, Carolina, Indiana, and even some from South Africa. These people are so awesome, and although we just met a week ago I feel like I’ve known them for years. For those back home, one of the girls on the team was Alex Gochenour’s roommate at LSU! Small world, huh? But God has blessed and challenged me in many ways this week. One day we woke up at 2:00 AM to pray, and we prayed in 20 minute shifts for about three hours. We then climbed a mountain, and walked the 7 km back to the island. From there we did a two hour long workout, keep in mind we ate nothing during this time. We ended the night with more team building and worship (and a delicious meal!). Throughout this process I’m learning more and more that my reputation does not matter because God knows my heart and my character, and He requires my unconditional obedience. I have much to learn about what this looks like practically, but I trust that by God’s grace he will continue to change me.

Also, I really like this area. I am surrounded by mountains, the people are friendly, and they love their sports. We went to a rugby match last night and got to experience all the madness and excitement. Rugby is so much rougher than I thought it would be, but overall it was a great night.. And I got dinner in the stadium for about $4, which is unheard of in the states. And lastly I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with the gold medalist and world record holder in the 100m and 200m in the Paralympics. He was Oscar Pistorius’ teammate and is just a phenomenal human being and follower of Christ. I pray that I continue to grow closer to God and my teammates in the next couple months. I will probably have another update next week. Thank you for your prayers and support. God bless.