In 2014, I came to South Africa for a retreat. I stayed in Muizenberg for 3 months. During those 3 months, I had the opportunity to help a group of people in Capricorn give breakfasts to children before they go to school. Over the weeks, the kids began to get to know me and so did I. I would often see them, walking around in Muizenberg and they would wave at me. One day, we came across in Muizenberg and they asked me to spend the day with them at the beach. They were a group of 6 to 8 boys between the age of 7 to 10 years old. I decided to join them. We spent the whole day together. We would swim and go back to the pavement to dry and go swim again. These kids were really open with me and they would tell me about their lives in the township and how dangerous it can be. They would mention that there is kid's rapists and hearing a kid talking about this kind of issues moved me a lot. At the end of the day, they asked me if I could take them to the mountain and I said yes. The next morning, I was waiting for them but they never came. I am sharing about this very specific day because it was very significant to me and it impacted my journey a lot. After they left me, I simply wondered if the children from underprivileged townships get to hike the mountains, get to explore nature or get to visit game reserves. “Have they ever seen elephants or lions” I wondered and the answer is no. After witnessing the need, it just became so clear to me that something needed to be done in order to change that. This day was a triggering event that just changed the course of my life. This day just confirmed to me the reflection process I was going through and pushed me to act.
I am Benjamin, a young missionary/volunteer with Ywam Muizenberg and I moved to Cape Town for good in September 2016.
I am Benjamin, a young missionary/volunteer with Ywam Muizenberg and I moved to Cape Town for good in September 2016.