Adventures to Another Land

A week after graduation I left for a 3 week trip to South Africa. After many long flights and a long morning spent on the bus our team reached Em'Seni.

Place of Grace

The beautiful sunset we saw on our first night at Camp EmSeni

The team and I spent day after day teaching in schools. We were working with Prevention Time doing the Reach 4 Life program.  Reach 4 Life is a program that teaches AIDS prevention through a gospel stand point. We also visited AIDS family, now this was heartbreaking. I had never looked at someone and clearly been able to tell this person is going to die and they are dying a painful death. Yet, I was able to share with them in their most vulnerable moment a story of a man who died a painful death so that we might live. 

Our goal was to teach young students about the love of Jesus Christ and that through a relationship with Him your life can change. This program is a way to teach HOPE to a hopeless nation. I always wondered why God would pick me to go to South Africa and one day at Girls Club I found out why. During Girl's Club I was asked to share my testimony with a room full of young ladies. My hands were shaking, my voice was cracking but God was shining. I was able to share how God took a broken young girl and made her whole again. I shared how God gave me hope in knowing that I am loved unconditionally. That is why I was in South Africa, to share hope. To let kids know that God can take their brokenness aside and make it beautiful!! 

I will never be able to share all of what happened or even begin to explain how it changed my life but what I can do is share some pictures from the trip. I hope you see the pain in their eyes yet the sparkle of hope, love, and joy that want. 

We handed out Bibles that have life lessons in them about Sex, Love, Family, and God. I think about how many Bibles I have yet until now these kids have never owned one before. 

This little girl was a treat. I love her dearly! 

There were serious moments, silly moments, and much more throughout this wonderful adventure. One moment that started off as an adventure ended up serious. Ashley and I decided to take a hike down by the river. However, we went further than we planned and ended up in rush to make it back to camp before sun down. For some reason Ash and I thought the trail would wrap back around to the camp site however, why we thought that neither of us know considering we were following the river.  Along this path there was a bridge out so instead of turning around we decided to climb down the land and then climb up the broken bridge. Once past that obstacle we noticed that the path was getting smaller and it looked like no one had been back that way in long time. However, we didn't care we hiked and hiked and hiked until this path dead ended into a cow pasturer. We were a little confused and very frustrated. Well, we thought that if we could cross the field we would find the road that lead to the camp driveway. Boy were we wrong!! As we ran across one field dodging cow patty's, going through bob-wire to cross the second field, sneaking behind bulls and trying to avoid sprinklers all we found were more fields. Once we made it to the third we turned around and ran back. Then we begin our LONG hike back. Along the way Ashley fell and almost slipped down the mountain. She scraped her leg and beat up her side but luckily I helped catch her and she was safe. I took the lead from here and eventually found a short cut. By the time we got back we were exhausted, dehydrated, and extremely sore and just in time for sunset.

Another adventure was when Ashley and I went to the bathroom at this shopping center. You have to pay to get past the gate to get into the bathrooms. Well, Ash got stuck in the gate on our way out of the bathroom and I was on the other side already. We couldn't reach the exit button and we were out of the specific coin it took to get in. SUPER funny! Luckily there were some local guys that came along and saved us...after I took a picture of course. :)

Overall, this trip was a success. It was full of love, laughter, and sooo many blessings!! God is great! He definitely protected us, provided for us, and constantly showed us His love. I am so thankful! 

Precious Little Ones

Hard Work Pays Off

        The day that all the hard work paid off! May 12, 2012, started as a cloudy day with a high chance of rain. As we, the graduates, waited for them to tell us whether or not we needed a rain plan we all anxiously prayed for sun. God, came through and the class of 2012 graduated outside on the lawns of Cone Bottom as tradition.

        What a wonderful tradition it is too, professors line the sidewalk and we take the senior walk through campus. The sidewalk contains names of so many 'difference makers' that have gone before us. As I walked for the last time down those sidewalks I was reminiscing and self-consciously praying I don't fall. I looked into the eyes of professors who are more like friends and I realized just how blessed I truly am. Behind those eyes are people who actually care about me. They spent the last 4 years teaching, guiding, arguing with, and loving me. 

 

My Chair

As I made it to my seat I turned and looked for my family. I am the first to graduate college in my family and this day meant just as much to them as it did to me. All of our prayers, tears, frustrations, and hard work was about to pay off. 

As they called my name and I walked across that stage I was filled with so much joy and happiness. I knew better than to look at my mom, water-works were going to have to wait. As I sat there and watched the rest of my friends graduate I knew God had a plan for the class of 2012. Our class truly is made-up of people who are difference makers and I cannot wait to see what God has for each of us. 

 Thank you to my mom for always supporting me and believing in me, to Bill for always helping and making sure I had everything I needed. Thanks to the rest of my family for praying for me and supporting. I love you all! 

John, Mom, Me, and Bill 

The Bennett Clan

My Beautiful friends:

top left is Kiley Jane, top right is Meg

the bottom is Shelby and Katie

Below is a my favorite professor EVER, my research mentor, and a dear friend 

Dr. Lori Hensley

Ouachita Baptist University is such an incredible university and wonderful place to call home. I loved my time there and look forward to returning as an alumni to visit. :)