The last posting of "RyanInAfrica"

Well, this is it. My last post. Its long over due, seeing how I've been back in the US for a month now-- but I wanted to just fill everybody in on my last month in Africa, traveling around, and and whats happening in my life now. There is a chance that no-one is following this anymore, since I'm home, but just in case, here it is!

So, my final 3 weeks in Africa were spent traveling into and through 4 other African countries and exploring the eastern coast of SA with Jeremy and Danielle. We started our journey in Nairobi, Kenya visiting Sam and Melody Harrell. The Harrell's are missionaries there in Nairobi who our church in Dalton has worked with. Jeremy and I spent 5 days with Sam and 3 other American guys visiting several of the locations where Sam works. Danielle spent that week with ACTS Kenya. During those 5 days with Sam, we visited several villages, one only accessible by crossing a river on foot, some as far as 9 hours NW from Nairobi where we started. We actually spent a day hiking one of the mountains with the goal of finding a usable water source for one of those villages, which was incredible. We got to see the schools and agriculture/water projects that Sam has been working on and put in a huge swing-set for one of the schools. Kenya certainly was the "real Africa" we kept hearing about while in Cape Town from all the people there who don't consider South Africa much of the "real Africa". For sure there were some major differences--more rural and widespread, more of the African bush and wildlife. But then, of course, there where plenty of similarities to the areas in CT where we worked--lots of poverty and need, but still that overwhelming since of genuine nature and joy in the people we met. It was a blessing to be able to experience Kenya and see and do what we did. Traveling back and forth across the Great Rift Valley, wading across rivers, hiking mountainsides and working in remote villages were all experiences that I will certainly keep with me!

Our time in Zambia (where Danielle joined back up with us) was spent working with Lonnie and Fran Turner, an American missionary couple who have been working there for around 30 years. We spent our 9 days there visiting the boys at the Katombora Reformatory and teaching and playing basketball with them, visiting a community of people displaced by floods leaving in UNICEF tents, and exploring the African wilderness on a safari in Botswana and at Victoria Falls in Zambia, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and one of the largest, if not THE largest waterfalls in the world-- more than twice the heigth and width of Niagra Falls. It was all pretty incredible. One of our days in Zambia, Jeremy and I ventured over to the gorge near Vic Falls to do the "gorge swing". It was by far one of the more intense things I've ever done!

After Zambia we flew back to Johannesburg to meet up with the Baz Bus, a backpacker's bus that travels the coast of South Africa back to Cape Town stopping along the way in numerous cities in locations. We made 4 stops along the way back to Cape Town including Johannesburg, the country of Swaziland, Durban and Port Elizabeth. We had 3 days in Swaziland and really enjoyed the tiny country. We did some touristy things including visiting the Swazi Candle Factory and the Swazi Cultural village. Durban and PE are both coastal cities in SA, each of which are hosts of the 2010 World Cup, so we got to see the World Cup stadiums and enjoyed some of the fun things in those cities, such as dinner at a revolving restaurant and visiting one of the largest aquariums in the world (in Durban). It was great to experience more of South Africa and more of Africa in general. It really is an amazing continent!

We arrived back in Cape Town late at night on Sunday the 24th and not even 48 hours I was on the plane home. It was hard to leave, even as excited as I was to be going home. Cape Town had almost become home to me after being there for so long and all the relationships I had formed and people I had worked with were very hard to leave. I consider myself incredibly blessed and fortunate to have been able to have experienced all that I did in those 9 months, and am eager to go back whenever God gives me that opportunity!

Since I've been back to the States, I've been to NYC to visit my new niece, who is absolutely adorable, and spent some time in Dalton just unwinding and readjusting--mostly sleeping and doing very little. I'm currently in Nashville, doing an internship at Brentwood Baptist Church in their missions office. BBC is the church my grandfather started almost 40 years ago and where my grandmother still attends. I'll be here for 6 weeks mostly working with the missions office, but also with their music and worship and their Tuesday evening service, Kairos. I'm living with my grandmother during that time, which has been great. It's been good to spend time with her one-on-one, since thats something we've never really been able to do before.

After this, I move to Atlanta the middle of August to start seminry at McAfee (Mercer Univ) the last week of August. I'm moving in with a friend from Furman who is at med school at Emory, which will be a great thing! I'm looking forward to that move and that transition and think this "next chapter" will be a good one!

Well, thanks to everyone who has kept up with me in the last year through this blog and in other ways. Once again, I truly have appreciated all the support and encouragement. Thank you!

Hopefully I'll be seeing you all soon! But for now, keep well, God bless and enjoy your summer!

Cheers!

Ryan