We're finally coming home!!

We’re finally coming home! I’m sitting at a coffee shop in the Johannesburg airport with my cafe latte in hand. We’re all waiting for our 11-hour flight to London. At least it’s overnight- so we can sleep.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week! We got to go on a safari on Friday. We all loaded up on big jeep things and drove around this big game reserve called Thula Thula. We saw elephants, giraffes, wildebeasts, zebras, and impalas. It was a blast. We also did our second retreat at a retreat center on the beach in Durban. If you looked out our windows of our “dorm room”, you’d see the Indian Ocean- as big and wide and blue as the sky.

The people we met here are just as beautiful. For those in the States reading this, know that you have brothers and sisters who love you here in South Africa. There are faithful followers of Jesus halfway across the world who are passionate about worship and helping the poor. And I can now call many of them friends. That’s really important to me to be able to say that. Friends like Brian Lister, Noel, Durc, Ryan and Anthea, not to mention all the teens we’ve come to know. We learned a little Afrikaans to boot! It’s good to know that we are more than “fellow Christians”. Though true, we have become friends and family.

At the retreat, we sang this weekend until our lungs were sore and throats were hoarse. Both “Jabulani” and “Arise” became theme songs for us on this trip. (side note: We met a guy actually named Jabulani at our concert in Empangini. Absolutely awesome! We called him up on stage to sing it with us. Evidently, Jabulani is a common Zulu name today.) There were many requests for Todd to sing “Amazing Grace”. We smiled as we watched people go crazy as he dropped those low notes. Yeah- that was pretty cool.

I’m having mixed emotions right now. I long to see my little girl, but I want to stay here for a while. You know, learn a little more Afrikaans and be able to blend in with the locals. I want to help encourage our churches here and help them take the next steps in worship. But I also long for my friends back home, a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and sleeping in my own bed.

This trip has changed me. I have TONS more pictures and videos to share. I’ll get them up soon. Again, I want to say thank you to all who sacrificed financially to allow us to share the gospel with our friends here. I want to say thank you to Free Indeed, VHF, One Spirit, and all who made this trip what it is. We have made friends for life. I love singing with all of you. I truly feel blessed to have shared this experienced with you.

-peace

Chris Lindsey