First Day in South Africa--Many Hands!

What an amazing first day of work on our mission trip to South Africa. After a tour of the Mbkweni Township and the neighborhood of Plantjies, pronounced 'Plawn-keys' (little pieces of wood in Afrikaans), we set our sights on installing a community center in a public park.

The small park, which is in the center of the Plantjies neighborhood, is not currently a safe place for children or families to enjoy. Our work today began with the basics: clearing trash, digging holes for trees, and working on the two shipping containers that will soon be Plantjies' first community center.
We started with our own 23 volunteers, but within minutes our numbers were dwarfed by the number of Plantjies residents who lined up to volunteer alongside us. Our entire team is feeling so encouraged to see the commitment and dedication already shown by the locals here. We're praying that this enthusiasm continues, and continues long after we're gone!

Stay tuned to watch this public park reach its true potential. Please pray alongside us that this transformation doesn't just take place in bricks or garbage or converted shipping containers, but that it happens in our own hearts and in the hearts of the beautiful South Africans that we're working with.