A short testimony / write-up by one of our ex-volunteers from Germany – My Time as Volunteer at YFC Knysna ….

“Uncle Philip asked me to write a short paragraph about my time as volunteer in Knysna. 

It is now already 2,5 months since I left Knysna.  I am still overwhelmed when thinking about everything I experienced!  

Thinking back to the beginning:  My first week in Knysna was horrible!  I seriously asked myself if it was the right decision to come here for 3 months.  This is actually very funny, because I came back twice!  In total, I stayed for more than a year!  I am so glad that I stayed for such a long time.  The longer I stayed, the more I got to know the culture and the better I understood the way the people think.  This made it much easier to work together.  It also made it easier to reach the people in the various ministries and to deepen the relationships with them.  I worked in different volunteer teams and,  for about 2 months, was the only volunteer.  I lived in 3 different volunteer houses (I never moved that often in my whole life) and I got involved in many different and new projects, which made my time in Knysna very varied.

I had to step out of my comfort zone many times and had to take over responsibilities.  It was not easy in the beginning, but now I am thankful for it as it made me grow as a person.  What I am most thankful for is that I was “forced” to learn Afrikaans.  It makes a very big difference to the kids when you can understand and speak their language.  As soon as I started using Afrikaans in the projects, the relationship with the kids changed a lot and somehow, also the way I worked with them.  Of course my Afrikaans was not perfect, but I tried and the kids helped me a lot.  

I have been blessed being in Knysna.  It has been a privilege to see how people live what they believe in, how they put their trust in God and how things happen or change because of that.  YFC Knysna made it so easy for me to feel at home.  Even though times were sometimes tough, they supported me all the way!  They taught me that family matters and showed me the way they live.  Being a volunteer at YFC Knysna is not just being part of a wonderful organisation – it’s being part of a family.

Now I definately can say that my YFC family, my friends, my kids, my church, the beauty and so much more made Knysna become my second home.

I cannot put 14 months in a few sentences, but I hope I could give you a small glimpse of how happy I am that I was part of YFC Knysna – I have been truly blessed!”

Thanks to you Rahel!  You blessed us as well and we will always miss you!  Thank you for all your hard work and for what you meant to all the kids and to each of us! We however know you will be back one day!