Anyway, the services last weekend were really special and magical. While it wasn’t really my cup of tea, the music was still great, especially “Joyful Noise,” which is my favourite among the bunch. I’ve never praised our great lord over a song with such passion before. I really think the Heritage music producers, lyric writers, singers, and all the other helpers did an amazing job. But honestly, what did I expect? Everything God makes is perfect, flaws and all.
Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be something tempting. A picture of a burger here, some dessert there. Suddenly, it felt like the entire internet had decided to show me nothing but food. But that night I tried sleeping early to avoid thinking about it too much. Unfortunately, I just lay there awake and didn’t actually fall asleep until about 11 p.m.
| - Monday / First day
Moving on to my first week of interning. The first day was nerve-racking. I was absolutely lost, like a fish out of water. I got to church and had no idea if I was going left, right, up, or down. But once the first two people arrived and let me in, I felt a lot more at ease.
Everyone started arriving slowly, but they were super friendly and helpful. At 10:00, two nice people showed me around the building and explained all the guidelines, etiquette, and timetables I should follow. But if I’m honest, I don’t remember half of them; that will probably come with time.
Moving on, the three “tutors” who gave classes on varying topics, from photography to journaling, were interesting, understanding, and had a good knack for teaching those things. Not to mention funny, most of the time at least.
Anyway, nothing much happened after that. I just went about my time and then clocked out at 16:00.
| - Tuesday / Second day
The second day, I was a little more prepared. I wouldn’t say Tuesday was as busy as Monday, but it was still interesting. I attended a class about design and how to use Canva. We were assigned a Brand ID project, and then I joined my very first Bible reading for the year.
Later that day, in the evening, I attended my first Prayer-Connect, and it was really strange, but in a good way. It felt like a whole new chapter in my connection with God that I had never even thought about or considered before.
I still have much to learn, but you won’t succeed if you don’t at least try.
| - Wednesday / Third day
The third day was pretty clear in terms of meetings, which allowed me to work on my design project. However, at 11:00, there was a meeting where we were shown the second years’ websites, and describing them as “good” would be an injustice.
After that, my fellow peers and I were instructed to move things around in Heritage Hall and the Foyer, and we completely transformed the two rooms. I also measured up the studios with my colleague for one of the team helpers, I think.
| - Thursday / Fourth day
The fourth day was pretty routine. We had the morning prayer, then went into another Bible reading session at 10:00 and finished it around 11:00. After that, we moved the KidZone stuff from Heritage Hall over to the “new” KidZone area with the help of my peers, of course.
Around 12:30, I, along with the other iXchange Year 1 guys, went with Pastor Milusi and others to deliver some tables and chairs for an e-learning hub in Vosloo, which was fun. Anyway, once we got back, we got an introduction to the journey of creating a website, and after that, I continued working on my Brand ID.
| - Friday / Fifth day
On the fifth and final day, we finally had to present this elusive Brand ID I’ve been mentioning so much. And boy, was it interesting. Everyone in the first year did amazing. Each project was unique and different, reflecting their respective personalities, from sleek and modern to a real farm-life flair.
From what I’ve heard, I also did a good job. After that, my peers and I just helped out the team helpers with tasks that needed to be done.
In all, my first week of iXchange was a rollercoaster of emotions, nerves, laughter, and even some confusion at times, but so far it has been a great experience. It has really changed the way I think about and live my life, not just physically but spiritually too.
I’ve never felt this close to God before, nor have I experienced such a nice and uplifting workforce.
