FRANZI SIEGER
Volunteer
Age: 20
Country: Germany
A short intro about myself
Hi, I am Franzi. I’m a 19 year old volunteer from Germany.
Why I chose YfC Knysna?
I always knew that I wanted to go to South Africa but I didn’t have a specific place where I would rather stay or not. Generally YFC Germany gives prospective volunteers a short summary of their projects in South Africa and then you can decide what is best for you. I chose Knysna because I wanted to work with children and teenagers. It was quite helpful for me to talk to old volunteers, who stayed here before. They told me about the projects, the way of life in Knysna and that YfC Knysna is like a big family. Then it was clear for me that there is no other place where I would rather be.
What I hope to achieve during my stay?
My hope is that I will grow personally, my relationship to God will become closer and my skills as a youth group leader will be improved during my time here.
What I enjoy the most?
It’s quite difficult to say what I enjoy most, but I would say it’s the whole thing to live with all the other volunteers in one house and spent time together, the projects with the children, the spiritual input at Church and the fact that everybody is so friendly and opened as big family.
My favourite experience?
There are more than one favorite experience, but one of the impressive was for me our outreach to a farm community in the Karoo. We have been there for one amazing week with whole YfC Knysna. We volunteers were involved in a little farm school and we did a children’s program with worship, crafts and games daily. It was awesome to see how the children appreciated that we spent time with them.
Any bad experiences and why?
In the beginning I had some struggles with the language. I always thought that my English isn’t that bad, because I graduated in English. Nevertheless it was difficult to understand others due to their accent. I found it hard to express myself in the beginning because it’s not as easy as your mother language. As the time goes by it has become better day by day and you get used to it. Unfortunately it is still difficult for all of us to understand Afrikaans.
Is there any particular scripture that inspires you?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5
It inspires my to give God the guidance in every part of my life and to trust even when are facing a challenge, because one year for God and to work in ministry doesn’t mean that everything will be well prepared for you. Go together with God through every circumstances and trust, because God has something more for you.
Why should potential volunteers consider volunteering at YfC Knysna?
YfC Knysna is one big family, become a part of it!
