Cape Town, South Africa: Day 6

We're alive! We're alive!

First, I need to grovel, apple-polish, beg for mercy, bootlick, cowtow, truckle, and make it all up to you. This disclaimer is intended to solicit your forgiveness for my lack of a blog post yesterday.

Apparently, we had some readers who were waiting with bated breath as I skipped my late-night writing session to melt into the sheets after a long, hard day of work.

Actually, we've been leading people to Jesus, so maybe you'll accept that excuse. If not, then hopefully the following will make up for it.

Today, we spent the morning in the Masiphumelele township at the Baptist church started by Living Hope in that area.

After shutting down at 12:30 p.m., we went to Living Care to fit several patients for glasses and pray for others. Our Brentwood Baptist missionary, Amy Helms, is a nurse there (or "Sister Amy," as everyone calls her, which is derived from the Catholic days when only nuns were nurses). She gave us a world-class tour of the health center.

While we were there, our sweet Julie fitted a precious 88-year-old soul named Mary for glasses. It was a had-to-be-there moment. She'd previously been telling the nurses she couldn't read her Bible anymore and wished she could afford a pair of glasses. In only a way that God could do, we showed up at the right time.

Finally, when Julie found the right fit and prescription for Mary, she opened her Afrikaans Bible to the 23rd Psalm and began weeping as she read aloud. Then, as could only be expected, the three of us from the team who were gathered around her bed joined her.

After a quick lunch and change of clothes, our team went to visit the Cape of Good Hope. And I'm so glad we did. If you're ever looking for a place to stand, slack-jawed, in complete astonishment at the wonder of who God is and how big He is, this is your place.

And after a week of wishing and hoping along the way, we finally caught sight of a harmless ostrich and our first set of baboons—with all the windows closed and the doors locked (especially after what happened last year). NOTE: See George West for the retelling of that story.

Stick a fork in it. We're done for the week.

We saw 614 patients, gave away 613 pairs of glasses and sunglasses, washed 337 sets of feet (or 674 individuals foots), and did 100 glucose testings.

Tomorrow is sight-seeing and then we head home. Thank you for your prayers this week. They carried us through.