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day four: point community church

We owe our thanks for even having the opportunity to go to Capetown to Point Community Church. They were our home base once we got there, and the reason we went. The pastor, Jacques, worked with Redeemer City to City in building and realizing the vision for his church, which was started in January 2010. He then requested Redeemer to send a group. I, personally, cannot say how thankful I am that he made that request. It changed my life forever! They took us in like family and treated us beyond wonderfully the entire week. What a blessing it is to have a family like that across the world.


Point Community family wall

believe and live!

We wrapped shoeboxes full of gifts for kids in need.

We spent a Saturday afternoon painting a baby room for 2 upcoming babies in the congregation.

More painting.

Ways they pray for their community.

worshipping together on Sunday  morning.

feasting together for Sunday lunch.

the whole group!

day three: our kombis

The best I can tell, "kombi" is just the way they say "van" in Africa. We rented two of them in order to accomodate all 16 members of our team. And we went everywhere in them. They were perfect: spacious, reliable, and sooo darn cute. Plus they had license plates with elephants on it!

We only had one unfortunate event during the duration of our stay. The very first night we were there (!) someone shattered the window and stole our GPS while we were at dinner. You can imagine that our team was a little shaken, being that it was the first night we arrived. But it was a good reminder for us to be extra cautious about being safe!




day two: the waterfront

While in Cape Town, we spent many meals at the Waterfront. It was a mix of a shopping mall, outdoor mall/pavilion and food court with a few nice restaurants thrown in the mix, too. And beautiful views of the water and the mountains. The first night we arrived in Cape Town, we had a team dinner at a nice restaurant here. It was a beautiful welcoming to Capetown for sure!



the Leisers!

Bethany, Joanna, and me (Joanna and I could barely hold our eyes open because we were so jetlagged!)
 
wildebeest....it's what's for dinner!





































































The picture on the left is of our entire team, minus one who hadn't arrived yet. I loved the picture on the right of the Christmas tree at the Waterfront. It definitely took some getting used to seeing Christmas trees and decorations since it was summer there!

10 downing



I ventured to the West Village for lunch today with a friend and old coworker, and we tried out a new (to us) spot called 10 Downing. It was delicious! If you're looking for a comfy, cozy spot with good American food (with a bit of a twist), this is your spot. I had the buttermilk-tabasco fried chicken with cheddar mac & cheese and rosemary. The chicken was amazing and perfectly cooked. And so was the mac & cheese. If you're in the area, and looking for a nice spot that is cozy, but not too tiny, I highly recommend giving this one a try! I'll go back.

day one: colorful streets of cape town






















Isn't this street so beautiful and vibrant with color? Ironically, this neighborhood is rather dangerous! We didn't get out and walk around, but I loved seeing all the bright and happy paint colors on the homes. There was row after row of buildings painted like these.

[photo by Bethany]

cape town, finally!

OK folks. Yes, it's true, I've been back from Africa for (slightly) over two months now. And I have barely posted any pictures from my trip on here. I don't know what happened, but time got away from me and life moved on and then two months later, I still hadn't done anything. But that is about to change. February is going to be the "29 Days of Cape Town" month right here! I'll have a post each day - with mostly pictures and a little info about my trip - so that I can feel like I've properly documented it while also sharing the beauty of such a wonderful place with others. Some posts may be very minor and seemingly insignificant, but they'll have some significance to me from my trip. I'll try to briefly explain why I chose those things and then let you feast your eyes on the unbelievable beauty of landscape, people, children and city life. And, I'm starting now...day 1, coming up!

Also, for a recap of the things I have posted already, check out these posts: here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

You can also check out some wonderful recaps from my fellow team member Bethany (you'll have to look in the archives from December).

subway rider

 

...like the headless horseman, only not on a horse... on the D train. I certainly did a double take at this sight.

february 1st

I can't believe I made it through another January in the northeast, and this one was amazingly bearable! Now it's February 1st, and that means I'm on the downhill slope. One more (short) month until March and that's practically spring, right?!






































[I love these rainbow hearts found on pinterest for the love month!]

happy birthday LA!

 


Today is LeeAnne's birthday! And we had a great time this weekend celebrating her at a new brunch spot  (new to me, anyway) in Nolita called BarBossa. It was a brazilian cuisine restaurant and was absolutely delicious! There were so many great options on the menu that I took a full 30+ minutes to decide, but that's nothing new...

happy, happy birthday LA (...and see ya later, January)!!

oscar nominations































It might not be a big deal to anyone else, but I can't help but share. After checking out some of the Oscar Nominations that were announced today, I have proudly seen 5 of the 9 movies nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year! I don't think that has ever happened (in my life!) before. I usually watch the Oscars and have no clue what is going on. I have become such a movie-goer this year... and, now I feel so cultured.

I'm excited to watch the Oscars this year on February 26!