Jess is 21

Well, turning 21 in South Africa is a big deal. My good friend Jess Trollip turned 21 yesterday and I was blessed to be apart of it. She is studying in Cape Town, so the celebrating took place here. A true South African 21st consists of a party with a theme, speeches, food and a lot of fun. It is in short a rite of passage celebration. Along with being invited, I was also asked to speak. I am incredibly honoured, but still not sure I am deserving. Jess' party was held in Darling which is a small farming town outside of Cape Town. It was heaven for me. Darling is the hometown of her boyfriend, Hanco and was the perfect place for her party. She chose not to have a formal scene but rather one with hay bales for seating and finger foods. Jess isn't the "formal" type which is one reason we get a long so well! I went as Superman complete with a cape and all. This came about because I lovingly call Jess "Superman". She is an incredible inspiration to me and I am so thankful to have her in my life. We have become great friends in a short amount of time. We will actually only spend a little over three months in the same town together my entire field time due to her studying in Cape Town. That to me is a little bit crazy, that while we don't have daily time together, we are as close as we are. We are just very similar in several ways which makes it easy. Part of my speech included the fact that Jess is the friend that I prayed for before coming to South Africa. She is someone who is a sister in Christ and who pushes me to be better. God has blessed me through Jess in unimaginable ways. I could go on for pages about this friend and sister who I cherish so much, but don't worry.. I will wrap it up. I just wanted to quickly write and share with you a bit of South African culture in the form of birthdays and ask that you keep Jess in your thoughts as she embarks a new chapter in her life as an adult. Please pray that she is able to continue to serve God whole hearted and grows in her love for Him daily.