Transformation

My class :)

Going to South Africa and teaching the kids of Mamelodi was, without a doubt, the most formative and incredible experiences of my life. Never in my 19 years have I seen so clearly the extremities of both joy and sorrow existing side by side. Going into this mission I was very excited, but I admit that I was quite nervous as well. Worry crept into any corners of my mind that housed doubts or that weren’t completely focused on the building excitement for the project. I feared that I wouldn't have much of an effect on the kids or that I would fail to connect to them. This, however, was not the case. I adored my students and by the first week of the program we were friends. I taught them fractions with chocolate bars, negative numbers with sidewalk chalk, and the functions of an atom by role-playing and running around wildly—oh, electrons. We did as much hands-on learning as possible, because in school they learn to memorize, not how to think. Learning interactively with them and laughing and playing outside was so fun, and it brought us closer. Aside from the joy of learning, I wanted to bring my kids the joy of knowing Jesus and having a personal relationship with him. Even though the majority of my class was Christian, they still didn’t fully grasp how deep God’s love is for each of them.