Thank you so much for your support with my trip to South Africa this summer [2009]. I am so grateful for your generosity. This trip to South Africa meant so much to me and had an amazing impact on my life. At first I thought I was going to learn how the Presbytery in South Africa run their churches and learn about their history. I was definitely wrong.When we first arrived in SA after a long 17 hour flight, we were picked up by our two very well mannered (and funny) drivers, Musa and Siphle, and the Executive Presbyter of the eGoli Presbytery (also the new Moderator of their General
Assembly). They took us to a restaurant at the airport. Jasmine, the other teenage girl, and I ate snails for the first time. This was the beginning of our amazing 2 ½ week adventure in South Africa and just the first of many new experiences.The first day we were scheduled to sleep in and recover from the flight at a five star bed and breakfast. However, sleeping in was not what our day consisted of; instead, 4 of us woke up bright and early to be at a meeting for the ACTS Clinic mission project. One of the churches in South Africa had invited us to join them. In preparation for their mission trip the church had a HIV/AIDS specialist come and talk to us. I learned new information about how HIV is spread, works in the body, and why it is unlikely we will ever find a cure. Did you know that a healthy person only has a 1% chance of contracting HIV from a single sexual encounter with an HIV infected person? I thought the odds were much higher, but that is a true fact! The speaker made it clear that most of the aid and education for HIV in South Africa came from “the American President” – and while this is a good thing and they were thankful, South Africa needs to take responsibility for themselves and steps are being made in that direction.
The next two days we went to museums and learned about the history of South Africa and the difference between African and Afrikaans. (Afrikaans being the descendants of white Dutch settlers in Africa) We went to Constitution Hill, where it was shocking to see and hear how people were arrested and treated under apartheid. Today the prison is closed and is the location of the government’s new Constitutional Court, where all eleven of SA’s official languages are spoken. We also visited the Hector Pieterson museum where we had the opportunity to be guided through by Hector’s sister who told us about the day that hundreds of school children were killed while protesting unfair practices in their schools. Hector was one of the first boys shot that day that began the Soweto uprising and the subject of the first photograph showing the world opposition to apartheid.
We did meet with Pastors, Elders and members of many churches we have relationships
with through the North Alabama Presbytery. They told us about their church history and we were shown the many different ways they are helping in their community. I was surprised how involved the different churches were within their communities. We visited a lot of orphanages and HIV/AIDS help groups. The orphanages were my favorite part of the trip. I loved playing and loving on the little babies and toddlers. A lot of them 
had AIDS or other serious illnesses. It was a bitter sweet moment when visiting the children, but a time that will impact my life forever. Seeing their faces light up as they ran to hug me was the best feeling ever. At every orphanage I found a new baby and tried to convince my mom to take them home. I’m still working on her.
Towards the middle of our trip, 3 team members and I left our group to join with St. Mungos’ mission team to an AIDS clinic. While there, Jasmine and I connected with the other teenagers on the trip and got to know them better. During the 4 days we were with them, Jasmine and I counted pills in the pharmacy for six hours, we counted 15,000 pills! The next day we filed thousands of papers in a tiny walk-in closet with no windows, which was tough. But we managed to file every paper while dancing and singing like we were rock stars. On Sunday we went to a traditional South African service. It was amazing to see someone give a sermon while someone else interpreted it in three different languages. Not to mention the spirit that was present and the singing!
When we finally reconnected with our other team members it was time to take another plane ride to Cape Town. This was a time for us to relax and process some of what we had experienced together. While in Cape Town we went shopping and explored the beautiful city. We walked down to the bazaar and shopped there for hours getting true South African souvenirs for our family and friends. Jasmine and I took a cable car up to Table Mountain and looked over the entire city and ocean. On our last day in South Africa we went to another traditional South African church. Even though we were not able to understand anything we still tried to sing along in Zulu (which has a lot of clicking in it). After church we went to a home where a young boy had AIDS
and water on his brain; his mother had AIDS also and was very sick. We sat and listened to her story and then prayed with her. Her biggest concern was for her son. If we could, I would have taken him home, and she probably would have let us. We then were taken to our last Day Care in South Africa. The women at this house were taking care of children with disabilities. We talked to the women there about how they started the Day Care and how they work it. This center, like so many, was an oasis in the middle of a very poor neighborhood. I was impressed how organized and clean it was with so many children who also needed so much attention. After saying goodbye to them we left for the airport and headed back to America.The two and a half weeks I spent in South Africa have changed my outlook on life. I now see things in a totally different perspective. Struggles that I deal with seem so little compared to the things that people there are dealing with every day. The strength and courage I saw present in people fighting with AIDS and HIV gives me courage to not give up with any obstacle I am now faced with. I have always had a burning desire to help people and now seeing how much of a difference the churches in SA are making with HIV/AIDS clinics and orphanages has encouraged me to help back in my home community. This year I am vice president of Beta Sigma Upsilon at my school and I am promoting our involvement with UNICEF which raises money for kids in Africa with AIDS. I will also continue to do volunteer work here, but now I have
more insight into the human suffering people in poverty endure. I understand the hope that a little effort on my part can bring. Most importantly, I have come to realize that I get so much more than I give. I want to make a difference in the world and my trip to South Africa has made my desire even more powerful.Thank you one more time for helping make this awesome experience happen for me! I will honestly never forget it!
In love,
Kaylynn
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