Where to begin!? That has been one of the more befuddling and confounding questions that I’ve wrestled with since heading to Chicago on August 14th. The obvious answer is from the beginning. The first thing I would like to share with my friends, family, and loved ones, who have chosen to walk with me on this journey, that I will no longer be serving as a Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) volunteer in Southern Africa, specifically the northeast portion of the country, in the Limpopo province.
Some of my cohort, as well as my mum, have posted pictures and such detailing this change of plans, but I’ve yet to confirm or make a statement myself. The South African government, for a host of possible reasons, has decided to no longer accept, much less approve, Volunteerism / Charitable Work visa applications. This was the category / class of visas that myself, as well as the rest of my cohort, all applied for initially.
This announcement from Global Missions leadership was delivered to my cohort and I over dinner, a week before we were set to go abroad. As you can imagine, it caused quite a stir! Fortunately, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has strong relationships and partnerships with the Lutheran church in Tanzania, as well as Swaziland, so six of the seven of us will be dispersed in those two places.
I will personally be serving somewhere in Tanzania. The exact spot / location, as well as the host family assignment, and the nature of what exactly I’ll be doing, remains up in the air. Those particulars & details are currently getting sorted and worked out as we speak. Naturally, this has led to a decent amount of underlying / low-level anxiety and fears surrounding the unknown, but the fact-of-the-matter is, that even my situation in Limpopo was fairly mysterious. I had a general location and a basic understanding of what I would be doing, but nothing concrete. You don’t know what you don’t know, so in a way, this 180 switch-a-roo doesn’t change too much.
God is good though and forever faithful. He works good for all people (personal agency considered too. The ol free will piece is a factor), and so I trust in Him, and the people in charge of me. I share this change of plans, coupled with lack of future details and particulars, not to lambast anyone, but to state facts. All is well. The journey is long.
In closing, I wanted to share with you my friends a few pictures from the beginning, where mom & George dropped me off at the airport, as well as some pictures of my Southern Africa, Tanzania, Swaziland (SATS) cohort, in transit to the African continent!
I thought these would be fitting as they have to do with final goodbyes and initial travels. Stay tuned for another update having to do with some highlights from orientation & the sending there! I am somewhat behind in the telling of the past few weeks ventures and experiences, so it will take a minute to get caught up. Please bare with and be patient.
Thanks again for all the support. Asante sana (meaning ‘thank you very much’) in Swahili. (I took a week of language classes last week, so expect more Swahili words as language acquisition and practice becomes more routine 😊 ). Choi!
Tanzanian Times 