It’s amazing to think that 6 months is almost over. Now that we’re actually slowing down, I’m realising how exhausted I am. We’ve been going pretty full on for 3 months and now that we have time to relax a little I think my body’s going to shut down completely. It seems that no matter how much I sleep, I’m still tired when I wake up. I think when I get home I’m going to sleep for a week. Sometimes it felt like we weren’t doing much. Lots of dead time, waiting for things to happen. But now that I think back on it all, we really have done a lot of stuff. So many stories to tell. Where am I going to start when I get home?? Will I get sick of telling the same stories over and over? Probably not…and there’s so many stories that I’ll just tell different ones everywhere I go.

Home….interesting thought. Something that I’ve looked forward to for ages and now that it’s so close, I can’t believe it’s actually going to happen. When I start thinking about it too hard it overwhelms me at the thought of all the things I want to do and all the people I want to see and all the stuff I want to share. And then I think about what it’s going to be like fitting back into normal life after 6 months of DTS life. That’s going to be the hard bit, I think. I know that they do some preparing us for that during report back/debrief week but I think it’s mostly going to be working it out as it happens.

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the hard things that could happen or the things that I think I’m going to find difficult. But really, who cares? I’m getting to see my family and friends again after not seeing them for 4-6 months. And this time it’s longer than just 4 or 5 days! Yay. I’ll just focus on them and I guess real life will fall in around us.

Speaking of getting home

This may well be my final update in South Africa. Today’s our last official ministry day, although it’s not exactly busy! This morning we had worship with everyone on the YWAM base here. It was hilarious coz the School of Biblical Studies students did a modern interpretation of the story of Esther complete with Darth Vader and 80′s clothes. It was so funny. Then some of our team went out for breakfast (we’re living the hard life here). Then this afternoon we’re off to Mfuleni for our final youth group with the young people out there. But none of us are complaining about a slightly less full day coz we’re all pretty exhausted. This morning I woke up and wondered why I even bothered to go to bed because I felt more tired than I did last night!! Oh well, I think I’ll be sleeping for a week straight when I get home!

Last night we went to Pallsmoor Prison to do a prayer walk. I thought there’d be about 30 people there….but no, there was 200!!!! It was amazing. We walked up and down the halls of Medium B where they hold prisoners who’ve been sentenced but aren’t maximum security type. It may well have become the best experience I’ve had on outreach so far. We walked through the halls praying and singing and saying hi to the prisoners who were waving at us through the small windows from their rooms. We shook hands with lots of them and prayed for them as well as just praying through the place. God’s presence was so strong there and the prisoners keep asking for you to pray for them. They really are hungry and desperate for truth, light and life in their world. All of our ministry at Pallsmoor has been so cool. I can honestly say that it’s one of the places that I’m going to miss the most from my time here. The guys have been so encouraging and challenging. Everytime we leave they tell us not to forget them and to keep praying for them. It’s not something they really have to worry about coz there’s no way I’m ever going to forget them!!!

Before we went there the first time I wondered what it was going to be like hanging out with prisoners. What would we talk about? Would I feel comfortable talking to people who might have done things that I hadn’t even heard of? But it only took a little while to remember that beneath all the stuff they’ve done and the hard things they’ve been through in their lives, they’re still human and it’s easy to talk to them. I would’ve loved to have had more time to sit with them and find out about their lives. It’s crazy to know that just being there has made a difference to their lives without us even saying anything. Whenever we walked in, their faces lit up and they shout hellos at us and want to talk to us and shake our hands. Being a girl there has been interesting, but the initial awkwardness wears off and you just have to accept the fact that they haven’t seen girls in a while….lol. Seriously going to miss those guys.

We leave Cape Town on Tuesday to go back to Durban for 5 days. It’s going to be awesome to catch up with the people we met in both Chatsworth and Umhlanga. And we’re going to spend a day at a game reserve!!! I really hope that we actually get to see some animals…lol. We’re praying we see one of each of the Big 5!! And it’ll be nice to have some time to relax and sleep and time to hang out with the team without the pressures of a schedule. Then on the 16th we leave for Perth where we have a week of report back and debrief and then I’m home!!

I’d appreciate your prayers for this final week as hanging out with the same people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can be very draining and a serious test of patience. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing some different faces when we get back to Perth!

Life here’s been a mix of hectic during the days and relaxed at nights. We’re staying on the YWAM base and there’s not a lot that happens here at night. We haven’t got our own transport, there’s no public transport at night and everything in Muzeinburg shuts at about 5pm….so our night times are spent reading, doing emails or thinking of ways to entertain each other. There was another DTS team from England here for 2 weeks and it was awesome to be able to hang out with them and have some new faces to talk to. But they left today and so we’re back to having each other as entertainment. It’s tough when you’ve spent the last 8 weeks with the same people 24 hours a day….can’t wait to see some different faces when I get back home!!

Ministry here has been pretty good. We spend 4 afternoons a week as well as all day Sunday out at a township called Mfuleni. Tuesday afternoons we do an open air in a different area of the township. An open air is when we do dramas, preach and share about God, then give an invitation for people to give their lives to Jesus. Wednesday afternoons we go back to the same area and do another open air where we tell the people from Tuesday about how to be a follower of Jesus. Then on Thursday we go back and visit them in their homes. Friday afternoons we go to the youth group of the church we’re working with. These guys are awesome; really enthusiastic, so friendly and heaps of fun to be with. They’ve been rehearsing for a concert they’re putting on next week and my goodness they can sing! Wow, some of these girls can belt it out like no one’s business!! Sunday’s we go to church with the same group of people. They’re all very passionate about God and usually some sort of dance party breaks out in the back of the hall during praise and worship. It’s heaps of fun being with these guys even if church can go for 3-4 hours!

Our morning ministry is pretty varied. Monday mornings we pray with a YWAM staff member who does ministry with Muslims. Tuesday mornings we do evangelism around the area around the base. There’s a lot of homeless people around here and we get to talk to them and see them as we’re walking around during the week. Wednesday and Thursday morning last week we went to Pollsmoor Prison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollsmoor_Prison) which may well be the best thing about my outreach so far. We’re going back there 4 times in the next two weeks and I can’t wait. Friday mornings we have worship with the rest of the people here on the base. Our days are pretty long and full. Most mornings we leave at 8, come back for lunch and then leave again and don’t get back till at least 6. So it’s nice to have nights off (even if we do get bored, lol).

So…Pollsmoor…wow!!! We’ve spent 2 mornings there already and they’ve already cemented themselves as some of my favourite memories of our time here. Both mornings were spent in Medium A with juvenile (17-22) prisoners who are still waiting to be sentenced. The first morning we did an open air with for about 200 prisoners. They were so receptive to what we had to say as well as wanting just to chat with us after but unfortunately we didn’t have much time. The next morning was amazing! We went to a section where the prison has established what they’re calling a Brother’s Room; a room where Christian prisoners are housed together. These guys have some kind of meeting/prayer/church every night of the week at 6. When we had worship with them, you could feel how much they wanted to know God more. After we hung out with those guys for a while, we went outside and got to talk to a bunch of different prisoners. It was so cool to sit and chat with them about themselves, God and about us. They have so much faith in God, it was such a challenge to me. LIke one guy has been there since 2005 and his court date is not till November, but he says that now he knows God has a purpose for him to be their in prison. That God’s going to use him to spread the Word. And no matter what happens in November, God’s going to be with him. Even if he gets put back into prison, he knows God’s right beside him and has a plan for his life and things for him to do in prison. Man, I would go on and on with stories of what God’s done in the lives of these prisoners. But I’ll save them for when I get back.

Speaking of which….we’ve only got 3 more weeks here in South Africa, 1 week back in Perth and then I’m coming home! Yay! The closer it gets to that day, the more homesick I get and the faster I want it to come. Although the ministry is good (yeah, there are some things I find hard, but you deal with it), I’m missing home a lot. I’m really looking forward to being back with all of you, sharing photos and stories and catching up on your lives over the last 6 months. I’d appreciate your prayers over these next few weeks coz sometimes it’s hard to remember that God wants me here when all I want to do is get on the next plane home.

When I get home, am I going to look at all my stuff that’s been packed in boxes and wonder who took my stuff out and put theirs in? Am I going to want to wear the same clothes? Am I going to like the same things? Am I going to want to have the same things on my walls? Am I going to want to keep all the stuff or throw it all out coz it’s not who I am anymore? Who I was and who I now am are different…but how different?

I forgotten who I am and I don’t like it. I’ve become “hi I’m Miriam from Australia” and that’s it. People ask me what I do back home and I tell them what I did, but it’s not what I’ll be doing what I go back. People ask what my favourite movie is and I tell them the answer I always have, but is it really my favourite movie anymore? People ask what sports I play, do I play any sports? I can’t remember. I want to be more than a “YWAMer who’s spending 3 months in our beautiful country telling people the Good News”. I want to remember who I am…the things that my friends love (and hate) about me and the things that make me me.