Derek and Shea in SA

day #1 in the record books!

We have finished our first day at the Training Center in Grahamstown! It was so exciting to finally be where we feel like God has called us to.

When we got there today it was very encouraging to find the students working in a garden that they are trying to start. They've got 4 tomato plants and some spinach planted as well. It was really encouraging  because part of the idea is to develop leaders who can be self-sustaining! To develop true disciples of Christ who can stand on their own two feet and essentially support themselves.

This week at the Training Center is called "practical week." We are teaching them how to take care of things on the property so that they can learn to take care of themselves in the same way.

This week we will get to see some teaching sessions as well. The students are working around the heat because it has been getting so hot here the past few days. So tomorrow, we will get to see some of the teaching that is going on in the center as well.

We hung out with Peniel and Veera (teachers) all day and got to hear their heart for the center. We also got to spend some time talking practically about how things are ran on a day to day basis. This was nice because we feel like we are a part now...feel like we are in the loop somewhat. It is going to be huge for Shea and I to be here just to relieve them for a bit. Peniel told us today that just our presence here eases their stress and tension. This is because they have been doing a lot on their own. So we are just excited to free them up a bit.

Before we left for the day, we got to share with the students why we came and who we are here for. We shared our hearts about mentorship and that we believe they need someone to talk to. We offered ourselves to them to freely talk to us about any and everything. It felt really good just to share our hearts and tell them that we have a huge army of people back in the US that were praying for them. They were all soooo excited to hear about this and they shared some of the vision that they have for their lives because of the Training Center and what it has meant to their lives.

Day #2 is tomorrow and Shea and I feel fired up to go back. It is so good just to finally be in this place!