Was told it could take a few months to hit culture shock. Since I’ve never experienced culture shock I can’t really say for sure if I had/have it. I’m hoping I had it so that I don’t have it a few months later! To spare the boring details it has been an adjustment doing pretty much everything. There has been a lot of firsts. First time driving on the wrong side of the road. First time shifting gears with my left hand. No, clutch pedal is still on the left, praise Jesus. Laundry drying on a line…

First time I’ve ever eaten a sheep head aka. Smileys!

BEFORE…

 

AFTER. Look who’s smiling now…

Before afternoon clubs we have morning ministries. This could be a lot of different things. Still learning exactly how this will look but we have done a lot thus far. We’ve helped the health department administer Vitamin A clinics for the kids in the township. We’ve gone door to door doing diarrhea prevention training. The process involved providing self made watering taps made from 2 Liter bottles. These are crucial considering most people do not have their own tap. Now they can wash their hands in their homes to prevent germs. We also shared some other crucial tips on preventing diarrhea. I learned this has been a huge problem in the past and has even been fatal for children.

First time I’ve ever talked to teenagers about why they should wait until they are married before they have sex. We were given the opportunity to do this in a local high school! Yes, we talked about Jesus. They laughed at my accent a lot.

 

First time I have ever done life with new friends on a new continent.

First time ever to do a true South African braai. Coloured style! FYI. that’s not racist. The color folk’s braai is different (they say better) than the whites and blacks. It was a blast meeting new friends and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters. And the food was awesome!

First time to play golf on a different continent! My landlords Mike and Helga have been awesome. They put in a shower when I hinted taking a bath was a bit weird for me! They also love golf almost as much as I do. How good is God! Not dialed in on my meters yet!

There’s been a lot more firsts I’ll share through more posts! More importantly I want to share some prayer praises and requests.

Praise that God has provided new friends to show me the ropes around here and making me feel like family. Plugging into community will be much easier with these brothers and sisters in my life.

Praise for good health. Had my first sick my first week here but all has been good since! Praise that my sleep disorder is no longer. Total miracle.

Prayer requests- Holy Spirit in all of me. More energy. More confidence in ministry. more compassion. more passion. more surrender. Sum it up with the first prayer request- Holy Spirit in all of me! Pray that God will provide more opportunities to share life with the younger generation. Ultimately, provide discipleship/mentor opportunities. Pray that Living Hope continues to be blessed financially so that they can continue changing lives.

Thank you for being interested in what God is doing here in South Africa. I’ll try to do better with my updates. In the mean time, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me. dustin.denning@gmail.com. I’ll sign out with some more pics.

Special Agents questioning Mary on why Jesus is not in the tomb.

I owe apologies for lying to some folks. I said I was a mile from the southern tip of Africa. This is not true. I am a mile from the southern most western point of Africa. Whatever the case, it’s still awesome.

Kids club!

 

I won

A LIVING HOPE