Wednesday, January 13, 2010

South Africa...Day One

I'm finally in South Africa, the flight here was pretty uneventful--and long. About 17 hours total trip time. The flight actually landed almost an hour ahead of schedule. There wasn't too much turbulance and the food wasn't too bad either. I didn't sleep much though and the couple in front of me put like perfume and aftershave or something on halfway through the flight. I thought I was gonna puke on them. Other than that the flight was pretty smooth.

Today is my first full day here in South Africa. I got up at 4:00 am this morning (because I volunteered to drive with Larissa to the airport). It's only about 11:30 am now, but if I can stay up I know I will sleep all night tonight and get on a schedule. We got a little lost driving back from the airport this morning. We just ended up on the other side of the city--it only took us about 45 extra minutes to get back. We got to see some other stuff we may not have seen otherwise, so it was all good.

Tomorrow and Friday we will have an orientation, and then this weekend we will have a cultural experience (I'm not sure what that is yet), and Sunday we will go to church. Monday will start our classes, so I'm looking forward to that.

That's about it for now, more to follow later.

Chrystal
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7 comments:

  1. CindyJanuary 13, 2010 at 3:33 AM

    I am so proud of you and glad that you made it there safe. Learn, see and help other as much as you can. I look forward to seeing some pics. Love always...Aunt Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 13, 2010 at 3:53 AM

    chrystal - glad you arrived safely - have a great trip and learn learn learn - you are a great inpiration to everyone and we look forward to following you on your trip....
    Love ya, Julie and family

    ReplyDelete
  3. DaisyJoJanuary 13, 2010 at 6:39 AM

    Glad to know you are safe and sound. I'm excited for you and look forward to your updates. Godspeed, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. meganJanuary 13, 2010 at 11:49 AM

    Chrystal! It's megan from Lang Fang! I found your blog through facebook - how awesome what you're doing. I can't wait to read along. you must have better internet access than we had in china :)

    just wanted to say hi! And find out if you brought lots of packets of crystal light with you! those were a great treat my generous friend :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. JoyceJanuary 13, 2010 at 4:37 PM

    Hi Chrystal,

    You know me I am not the greatest on the computer. Your blog page is dark and I cannot see everything. What do I need to do? Hope you are enjoying and stay safe. Is it warm?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chrystal HooverJanuary 19, 2010 at 6:48 AM

    Hey everyone, thanks for the comments. Aunt Jody I changed the background just for you. Megan we have WIFI here LOL. I brought some of the crystal light. Never leave home without them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMarch 1, 2010 at 3:47 PM

    Gee Chrystal, I got motion sick thinking of flying and typing at the same time. :0 Wish I could be there seeing all that you have done. I forget who it was but they said they are going to have to call you Chrystal Columbus. lol Take care and keep all of us stuck in the states up to date with your adventures. Oh, and the troll-man's adventures too.
    See you soon. Love ya Mom

    ReplyDelete

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Africa 2010

Africa 2010

Beyond the Borders 2010

Beyond the Borders...soon I will be leaving for Johannesburg, South Africa to begin my internship. From January 12th thru April 25th I will be gaining cross-cultural and social skills needed to be a missionary.

For almost four months I will be living in atleast two different cultures--very different from here in the United States. I will be in J-Burg for five weeks, from there I will travel to Bangladesh to work with missionaries for four more weeks. Then it's back to J-Burg and some other surrounding areas for additional ministry and cultural experiences.

For about fifteen weeks I'll be experiencing: ministry among Hindus in Durbin, South Africa; traditional African culture in Zululand; visiting an AIDS clinic; living the missionary lifestyle in Bangladesh for four weeks; minstry in the nation of Mozambique; and Yes! a real African Safari tour.

I am excited about this opportunity to go to South Africa and Bangladesh to participate in this program and gain some practical skills and training for becoming a missionary. While I do not know that I will be a full-time missionary in the future, I do know that the spiritual training and challenge of living cross-culturally for several months will continue to deepen my relationship with God, as I continue to seek His will for my life.

I'll be posting updates over the next few weeks as I prepare to leave for South Africa, and then when I arrive I will be posting pictures and sharing my experiences on here.