An update from the Cape

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to help transform an area of an office/business complex (the Old Mutual Building in Pinelands) into the new Stellenberg Church. From unloading the trailer, to creating childrens' classrooms using cafeteria furniture, to hanging signs and everything in between, we were hard at work by 6 AM. The people at Stellenberg could not have been more grateful.

During the service we got a chance to volunteer in the different enviroments - childrens, parking, registration, etc. After the service, they hold a second service for volunteers which we attended. We had a great time and somehow all of the kids (and Northpoint volunteers) survived, despite the fact that Drew was in charge of directing traffice.

It was quite little humbling to see how hard the SCC volunteers work on Sunday mornings. They are at the church at 6 AM every Sunday setting up for service. During setup we heard over and over that the reason they are there is not so that THEY can go to church each week; they are there each week in hopes to create an enviroment that will attract other people. I think we take for granted that we get to just show up on Sunday mornings, and everything is ready to go. We forget about all of the hard work that goes into creating the enviroments we love to attend...and that is exactly why we are here. We are here to help Stellenberg create "irresistable environments" for others. We are here to do something for the people of Cape Town that someone else did for us in Atlanta years ago when they began Northpoint, Buckhead, and Browns Bridge.

Later in the afternoon we headed into Cape Town to do a little sight seeing. Luckily the rain held off, and we were able to visit Camp's Bay. From one direction you can watch the huge waves crashing against the rocks; turn around, and you see a variety of shops and houses with towering mountains in the background. Don't worry, Grandma Hattie took plenty of photos.

We enjoyed a nice winding drive from Camp's Bay to a the Waterfront area where we were able to do a bit of shopping before dinner. I'm not sure if it was the lack of sleep, the fresh ocean air, or Clint's charming sense of humor that had us laughing all of the way from the Waterfront back to the house. We managed to make it through a quick little group meeting and then laughed well on into the night before heading to bed.

Today we are back to work - building, painting, and cleaning. Tonight we will stay at the church and join in on a leadership meeting followed by waffles and pudding :)