The Other Side of the World

Last Post

2008-08-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

So this will be my last post about South Africa. I think I have avoided writing it because I don't like that it will be my last. I wanted this post to be a "wrap up" and summary of my experiences.....but I'm only beginning to realize that there is no way to wrap up or summarize all of the amazing things that happened in my year in SA. Out God is a big God and He did SO MANY things in my life and all around me while I was in South Africa. I think I will continue to feel the affects for the rest of my life.

I have learned that:

Missions is an attitude of sharing Christ's love to those around you....through words AND deeds. Missions is not a "trip." It is something we are all called to be a part of.
Doing what you think God wants you to do is scary, but so much better than doing things your own way.
I don't have all the answers and that's ok cause God does....even when He doesn't share the answers with you, He still knows them.
Being "at home" is more about who you are with than where you are.
Missionaries feel it when God's people pray!
God doesn't bless you after you obey. He blesses you in the midst of your obedience. Going to South Africa began as "obeying God" and as I obeyed I was blessed by the entire experience.
I will never be the same as I was pre-South Africa. Praise God for great changes!

I feel like I have less purpose and drive since I've been home. I hope God helps me to see that I can be a part of His plan here at home too.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. Thank you for praying for my kids and teachers. Thank you for money, materials, books, socks, underwear, clothes, Krispy Kreme, Ketchup, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc!!! Thank you for being interested in how God is working all over the world. I have no idea how many people have read this blog, but I hope you have enjoyed it. I have LOVED being able to share what God is doing in my life over the past year. I will miss having a place to record and share what is happening in my life.

Thanks Again and God Bless!

Home Coming

2008-07-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am home in VA safe and sound. The flight was uneventful and smooth. Me and all of my luggage made it to VA with no major damage or concerns. I was greeted at the airport by my Dad and 5 great friends. They had posters, horns and flowers for me. They also had those plastic visors that you get from the dollar tree. They turned these upside down and wrote the letters of my name on each visor so that when they were wearing them, they said AMBER. It was so fun to walk out of the terminal to such a greeting!

After a quick trip to Walmart to stock up on soap, shampoo, etc I showered and went to my grandma's house for lunch. American Chinese food is so much better than South African Chinese food!

I got a good nights sleep (Praise Jesus!) and after a little drama trying to find my dress for my interviews, I had 2 interviews. They went well and I am now gainfully employed as a 4th grade teacher. Ahhh....4th grade! That's going to be quite a change from Kindergarten/preschool.

After the interviews, I went home, unpacked a little and went to church. I thought I was going to speak to the youth about my trip. But I was surprised with a "Welcome Home" party instead....how sneaky! Wow, what a blessing to have people so glad to have me home!

My To-Do list is growing shorter and everything seems to be going smoothly. The transition back to the US couldn't have gone any better. God is good and I'm glad to be home.

I plan to write one more blog as a wrap up of my experiences in South Africa..so stay tuned just a little while longer.

A few photos

2008-07-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Im too tired and overwhelmed to really post anything at this moment. Here are a few photos.

To Do List

2008-07-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

A lot of things are going to be happening in the next few weeks. Im having a hard time prioritizing what to focus on each day. At this point Im just taking care of the things that HAVE to be tackled at the moment. I'd like to get a jump start on some of the things on my list, but I'm having a hard time thinking beyond the immeadiate to-dos. Here is the list in the best chronological order I can figure....

Finish thank-yous for TLC Staff
Pack
Say Goodbyes at church
Print the curriculum (Which is finished!!! Praise God!)
Pick up a few remaining odds and ends
Get on the plane
Land, settle into my house and see family and friends!!!!
2 Interviews (The day after I arrive home!)
Kingsfest
MC2 (church camp for a week where I am a missionary on staff)

Those are the highlights. Im sure there are other minor details in there. The list looks short, but they seem REALLY big from this side of the list. Hopefully as I go through the list I will be able to take it one thing at a time.

I'm excited to be coming home! And Im excited that my to-do list has a time limit.....at a certain point all of the things will get crossed off wether I get them done or give up on them! hahaha Pray that I get them all done!

Street Corners

2008-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

There are many people on the street corners in Jo'burg. Some are trying to sell you something. Some of them are begging. Some of them want to wash your windshield for a little money. It can be overwhelming at times to be constantly bombarded with sellers, beggars, washers and random other people at the stop lights.

The people that really get to me are the mothers sitting on the corners with their children begging for money. Often the kids are crawling and walking in the median strip making me nervous that they are going to fall into traffic. There are days where I've seen the same people sitting out on the corners for hours....with their children. What child wants to sit by a busy street and beg for money? It breaks my heart. It makes me mad that these women are teaching their children to beg. It overwhelms me to think that if I give them 5 rand they will be able to buy a loaf of bread today, but there is no way to provide for them tomorrow. It’s like putting a band aid on the problem. The little change I give them doesn't really help them in the long run. And it even encourages them to stay on the corners and beg and repeats the cycle of poverty.

I must be honest and admit that there are many days when I can drive past these people and not really think about the poverty they live in. I've gotten so used to seeing them, that I don't really see them.

Today there was a mother at one stop light who had her baby strapped to her back. But this mother wasn't begging. She was trying to sell pens and nail clippers. I've seen her before and bought a pen from her once. I like that she is trying to sell things to make a living. Her child is seeing her work hard to provide for them. Today I was pretty far back in the line of cars. The woman didn't get near my car until right before the light turned green. As she walked down the long line of cars, she had a pretty smile on her face. She said good morning to the people who had their windows cracked open. She was polite and friendly.

Then the light turned green, so I went. Had she made it 2 more cars I would have bought a pen from her again. I was about to brush it off as I usually do when I see people on the side of the street, but then I looked in my rearview mirror and saw her face. Her smile was gone. She looked tired. Worn out. Like she was about to lose hope, or had already done so. And my heart broke. I just kept thinking "Why didn't I stop and buy something?" Sure, the cars behind me would have been mad. I probably would have heard a bunch of horns beeping. And I would have another second rate pen littering my already dirty car. But perhaps, just maybe, if I had bothered to stop and help her she wouldn't have felt quite so weary and hopeless. I kept thinking "Whatever you do for the least of these you've done unto me"....and I didn't take the opportunity to help "the least of these" because a stop light turned green! Sometimes my stupidity amazes even me. Good thing our God is a God of second chances...and third and fourth and ten hundredth chances. Hopefully the next time I have the opportunity to help someone, I won’t let the chance pass me by.

Reflections

2008-06-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

I will be leaving South Africa in 8 days. I am very excited about going home. I've heard from a few principals about potential jobs, I have a place to live and a car to borrow until I can buy my own. I'm looking forward to being near friends and family, being able to make a phone call without figuring out the time difference and having access to Dr Pepper. Its funny to me that other than people, the things I miss the most are food related. I could gain a lot of weight when I get home if I give in to all of my cravings. I suppose when I was living in the US I could indulge a little at a time, but since I've been in SA I have not been able to indulge in small pieces. I could be in real trouble when I get home if I give in to all of the cravings. hahaha

But as much as I'm looking forward to going home, I am really going to miss the people here. I often have a hard time seeing what I have done while I've been here. Some days I feel like I haven't accomplished much. But when I think about what God has done while I've been here, I feel like LOTS has happened. The teachers have the things they need to teach. The toys are not broken and dirty. The teachers have a different attitude towards punishment. The teachers plan ahead and include Bible stories every day. The teachers have learned to ask for what they need instead of living without necessities.

I've seen the kids grow, mature, learn colors and shapes. I've heard them praise God spontaneously, sing songs in Zulu about how great God is, and retell Bible stories with great detail.

I've been able to given out clothes, money and food to people in need. I've rejoiced in the the packages and gifts sent from the US that met our needs. I've been blessed to be the one to get to give out socks, shoes, underwear, clothes, toys and books all sent from people at home.

The curriculum I have been writing just needs a few more tweaks and it will be done. I'm excited to have a nice fat folder with 12 months worth of lesson ideas to prove to myself that I've actually been working while here in SA.

I've heard so many people say "You are so brave." Or "I could never do what you have done." I don't feel brave. And I could never do what I have done if I didn't know for sure God wanted me here this past year. I wish all of my choices in life were as clear as when I felt called to come to SA. It's been a year of many blessings and many heart aches. I wonder what the next week will bring....

Good Bye Party

2008-06-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

TLC had a goodbye party for me today. It is a week early, but next week is Vacation Bible School. Instead of saying goodbye to a bunch of neighborhood kids at VBS, we went ahead and had the party early so I could say goodbye to just the TLC kids.

They went all out on the food. Cake, pie, chips, juice, and my favorite Milk Tart. The kids thought it was a birthday party and were really confused when I started crying. The kids sang some of my favorite songs (including "I have decided to follow Jesus"!!!) The teachers had nice things to say. And they sat the 2 naughtiest kids beside me at the table of honor. Nomfundo and Sunday are my "friends" because I love them even when all the other teachers are fed up and cant stand them one more minute. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the naughty ones.

I'm going to have a hard time leaving these kids. They are great. For example:
The other day I picked up Kanyiso and as I was picking him up into the air he raise both hands in the air and said "Yeah Jesus!" Out of the blue, random praise! He is so clueless sometimes, but he knows the important part.

And today Paige was doing a video clip of a little 4 year old boy. She asked his name, age, etc. Then she asked "Who is Jesus?" Siyanda replied "Jesus is God." If he knows that, then TLC is doing its job well. Praise God! What a privilege to have been a part of that.

Lazy Day

2008-06-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a lazy day. Since everyone was feeling a little sick, we stayed home. We watched a few movies, worked on the curriculum a little and generally warmed the couch. Ben and I played cards while Paige uploaded photos on her lap top to make room for more pictures on her camera. I did a little shopping (yeah, I found Theraflu for Paige) and cleaned the Durban trash out of my car. Other than that it was a lazy day. Those days are nice. But I'm almost as stir crazy as Ben. Hopefully after another good nights sleep we will be feeling better tomorrow and get to play with the kids.

With the curriculum being mostly done and Paige and Ben being here to fill down time, things really seem to be coming to a close. Its weird to think that I'll be home in 2 weeks! This day has seemed so far away for so long. Now I feel like its coming too fast. Pray for me during the transition. I don't know what to expect, but I imagine there will be lots of highs and lows in the next month or so.

Favorites

2008-06-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Paige, Prince and Ben

It has been so amazing to get to share my life here in Jo'burg with Paige and Ben. One thing I have realized while they are here is that we all have different kids who are our favorites. It seems that everyone who comes connects with a certain child. I thought I would be able to guess who they would pick as a favorite, but in the end, the kids I thought they would pick are often MY favorites. Don't worry, we love them all ALOT. But I think sometimes God puts someone on your heart as a 'favorite.' He knows who needs prayer. He sees the unique qualities in each of us. He alone knows why we connect with certain people and not with others. I'm glad they are loving these kids as much as I do.

illness

2008-06-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

Please pray for the health of all 5 people staying at my apartment right now. Many of us have coughs, chest colds, runny noses and fevers going around. Especially pray for Paige who seems to have the worst case of it.

Durban

2008-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in Durban in a lazy boy, listening to the Indian Ocean and enjoying warm weather. 7 of us decided to take a 3 day vacation to Durban. We drove down on Saturday morning. Other than a little rain and an uneventful hydroplane episode, we had clear skies the rest of the trip. Saturday afternoon we walked along the beach. We all got to step foot in the Indian Ocean (which was not as cold as I expected).

Sunday morning we woke up a little early and went on a boat ride out into the ocean. We saw an amazing pod of dolphins that kept up with our boat and played around a little for us. The dolphins were jumping right beside the boat. There was a mom and baby! And there was this one guy that had horrible scars all along his back. It was very exciting....until half way through the trip. Then I got horribly sea sick. I've never been motion/ sea sick in my life. I never expected it. And I certainly will complain about it forever. How many chances does a person get to see dolphins in the Indian Ocean? And I got sick!

Apparently sucking on a lollipop and keeping your eyes on the land helps reduce sea sickness. But that doesn't get you a good view of the dolphins. We had over an hour of watching this huge pod of dolphins and we got several REALLY good photos (which I'll share with you when I load them on my computer). Despite the great view, I was wishing our tour would be over quickly. Dry land has never been so desirable.

Durban has been beautiful. It has been wonderful to spend time with friends and see new sights. I hope to have some time to sit on the beach and read a book tomorrow before heading back to Jo'burg. I LOVE the beach. It is so calming and peaceful. I'm SO glad we got to take this trip.

Update

2008-06-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Paige and Ben arrived safely. I think they had a good time in London on the way here. They both suffered from a bit of jet lag, but seem to be on a South African sleep schedule now. We have spent a couple of days at the day care with the kids. As expected, they fell in love with my darling babies!

Paige has done one day of training with the teachers. She is going to train again this morning. She has expressed a bit of frustration with their lack of participation and come cultural differences that we can't seem to get past. It was reassuring for me to know that she is feeling some of the same things I feel when working with the teachers. They are a great group of women with great hearts, but sometimes the differences are hard to work with. Knowing that Paige was getting the "Three-Headed-Monster" look just like I do made me feel like I wasn't alone in this battle.

Please pray that the things I have shared with the teachers and the information Paige is sharing will make a difference. Pray that somehow God uses what we have shared to improve this day care in only a way that He can. I know that what we are saying is often very different and new and strange to these teachers. I just pray that God does more with what we say than we could ever imagine. It's very humbling to feel the need to train and share ideas and then think they may never be used. It's frustrating to offer games, toys, books and resources and think they may never be used. But we are not here to perform miracles. We are here to share best practices of pre-school teaching and we have to trust God to do the rest.

Ben is being a trooper. I'm sure he is often bored, but he is not complaining. The kids love him and treat him like a tree they can beat, climb and tackle.

We leave for Durban tomorrow (Saturday). I'm excited to have some time to relax and have fun!

Paige and Ben

2008-06-16T08:48:00.001-07:00

My best friend Paige and her 14 year old son Ben are on their way to South Africa. I'm so excited!!! I'm so thankful that I'm going to be able to share my experiences in South Africa with these two special people.

I have used Paige as a sounding board most of the past year. As I have been writing the curriculum and training the teachers, I have bounced ideas off of Paige. Her experiences and knowledge of pre-schoolers has been invaluable. She has been not only a friend and pray partner, but she has also been a great resource over the past 12 months. She has also been vital in helping me gather things from my home church. She has made calls, wal-mart runs and packed many bags that have come across the ocean to bless us and meet some material needs. Now she will be able to bring her expertise to South Africa. She is going to be here to help me wrap things up and finalize the curriculum. I'm so thankful that she will be able to see these people. She has already helped them in so many ways and now she will get to love them up close and personal. Please pray for her. Pray that she is able to communicate with the teachers in a way that will help them focus on the real reason they are working with these children. Pray that she has fun! And pray that she doesn't get car/boat/plane sick.

I'm also excited that Ben is coming with Paige. Ben has a heart that desires to serve God. He has so much energy and potential bundled up and ready to be used in a BIG way. I don't have a lot of structured activities for Ben while he is here. For the most part, he will be helping me watch the kids while some of the teachers are in training with Paige. Please pray that God helps Ben to see ways to use his skills and gifts while here in South Africa. Pray that Ben is able to see the ways God works and has a stronger passion to serve when he leaves here 2 weeks from now. I remember being his age and desiring to serve God. I never imagined it would be HERE in South Africa. Pray for Ben's heart and mind be open to whatever God has planned for him both now and in the future.

I also ask that you pray for Paige's family that is staying in the US. Her sons Steven and Nathan and her husband Wesley. I'm sure they will all survive without her for 2 weeks, but that doesn't make them miss her any less.

Did I mention that I'm SOOO excited?

Last Sunday School

2008-06-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today was my last Sunday School class with the 1-3 Grade kids. The next 3 Sundays I will be very busy, so I will not be able to teach them....and after that I will be HOME!

To celebrate and say goodbye, I bought cake, chips, cookies and lolly pops for the kids. They really seemed to enjoy the special treat. The food altogether for the 20 kids in my class couldn't have cost more than $20. During the party, one of the girls commented to her friend "Auntie Amber must be rich!" I am still humbled by the fact that I am VERY rich in the eyes of these children. I would never consider myself rich by American standards, but here I'm wealthy compared to 95% of the population.

After eating, we made Father's Day cards and just had a fun time hanging out. I prayed and asked God to bless these children before they left. As the children were leaving I made sure to tell each of them that I love them. One little girl walked out and came back in the room a few minutes later as I was still cleaning up. She gave me a great big hug and said "God bless you so much." Wow....a child blessing me!

I will really miss these kids. They are so sweet and have really challenged me to be a better teacher. It was really very sad to start the "good-bye" process.

Kitchen Sets and Wooden Blocks

2008-06-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I have been wanting to buy some small wooden kitchen furniture for the children here at TLC. Thanks to my church, I finally got the kitchen set I've been wanting. I found the kitchen furniture online at a store in Jo'burg. I drove with Carol to the show room to look at them and make my purchase. Below you can see part of one set. I purchased 2 sets. The sets have a sink, stove and dressing table with mirror. Since there isn't enough space in 2 of the classrooms, one set is in the main hall and is shared by two of the classrooms (see the picture below).

Nomfundo is too busy cooking to put away the dishes!

While I was at this store, I also bought a big set of wooden blocks. The children LOVE them. I was amazed at the creativity they showed the first time they got them out to play. What a blessing to see children working together, planning, using their imagination and having fun.

One of the teachers commented that the man who made the blocks was lazy because he didn't paint them. I replied, "It's a good thing he didn't paint them or I wouldn't have bought them." Wow....I would never have thought about painting wooden blocks. I've seen and played with wooden blocks my whole life. I just assumed they all came natural and wood colored. Painting them seems like an odd concept. But this teacher has never played with wooden blocks. They didn't have any at home, church or school when she was growing up. I'm glad that through the generosity of my church, these kids will be exposed to one of the simple pleasures of childhood!

Siphesihle, Neo, Asenathi and Siyanda playing with blocks.

I also purchased a few CDs, books and puzzles while I was at the teacher store. The longer I was there the more things I picked up.

The teachers and the children were very excited about the new things I bought. And if these things last as long as I think they will, they will be enjoyed by many children in the future. Thanks for your support that made this possible! What a blessing you have been to the children here at TLC!

Next on my list....A sand box.

Little Booger

2008-06-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Three of the teachers at TLC were in a spiritual training course Monday-Wednesday this week. I think the course was a great opportunity for these women! While these teachers were out, the 2 teacher assistants and I were the substitutes. I had fun with the kids, but things were definitely a little stressful.

Typically there are more adults to go around. Getting the children in and out of the bathroom, getting their faces washed, getting clothes changed when necessary, etc was all a little more complicated with fewer adults to monitor the children. And the kids were aware and took advantage of the situation.

I spent most of my time with the Elephant class (older 3s and 4s). This would have been fine except that 3 of the kids don't speak English AT ALL. I think all 3 of them probably understood more than they were willing to admit and took advantage of the situation. (Seriously....they hear "sit down" at least 10 times a day. They are bound to know what it means!) But when they were hurt or angry with another child I had NO IDEA what they were saying!

There are also 2 very naughty boys in this class. One I can handle. He is stubborn and I'm MORE stubborn. So I win! hahaha The other boy I worry about (who I'll name Little Booger!). He has no respect for authority (especially female authority). He spits on people, hits people and refuses to obey most every request. His spitting and hitting are not reserved for his peers.....teachers are just as likely to be the objects of his anger too. I know his behavior and attitude are learned at home. Little Booger's father is not the nicest husband and father. But when a child is defiant and violent and refuses to stay in time-out, there seem very few options left. Especially when you are alone with 18 kids and the "Big Guns" of discipline happen to be the 3 teachers in a spiritual training class. I admit that my patience and teaching skills were stretched to the max the past 3 days. Being spit at, hit, ignored and blatantly defied are not things that cause warm fuzzies and fond memories. Knowing that Little Booger only responds to discipline that is harsh and violent is disheartening. Making sure I don't respond in a harsh and violent way was a test of my will power in many ways....it sure seemed like a quick fix to the problem. I had to keep my hands in my pockets and ignore the non-violent offenses to make it through the day without spanking this little booger.

I wonder if God feels as frustrated with me when I blatantly defy Him as I felt when this little boy defied me.

And as a little icing on the cake....one of the ladies in the Spiritual Training class brought a baby to church on Wednesday. And to prevent the baby from interrupting the training, the staff volunteered to watch the baby!! This wasn't a bright idea. So we were trading a baby around while having only 3 adults to watch 60 kids. So I managed to read a story to little booger and his 17 friends while bouncing a baby on my knee and feeding her a bottle. I felt like Super-Woman for a few minutes. (Until Little Booger crawled away under the tables to play with toys and Little Baby started crying and 3 other kids decided to join Little Booger under the table....but that was at the very end of the story, so I got out some toys. If you cant beat them at their game, make them think you are in control of the toys!)

Taste of Home

2008-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

This past week there were 5 volunteers who arrived to work at the Door of Hope. Three of the volunteers were from VA and two from NC. I don’t often get to see people from the Door of Hope. My roommate Sara is usually my only real connection with that ministry. But since there were so many Americans here all at once, Sara wanted to invite them over for a little fellowship time on Friday night. It was a great time!! The plan was to have tacos for dinner and watch a movie together, but we had so much fun just talking and laughing that we never even turned on the TV.

It was so refreshing to hear familiar accents. There are so many different English accents here in Jo’burg (Proper English, Afrikaans, Zulu, French, Congolese, Xhosa, American, etc). And all the accents are unique and interesting. But there is nothing like a good ol’ slow country drawl. You don’t realize that you miss things like that until you have them again. I wonder how many other things I haven’t heard/seen/tasted in the past year are things I’m not even aware that I’m missing.

I’m thankful that I haven’t been over whelmed with missing things from home. No doubt there are days when I’m extremely homesick and just tired of being in a strange place with strange cultural differences. But God has been good and has definitely helped me to love the people here. So for everything I miss about home, God has given me a blessing here. It doesn’t make me miss home less, but it has made me a little more content to be here.

The song “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done” just came to mind. I think focusing on the blessings that God has given me here in SA has made it possible for me to leave home and come here. When I don’t think of the wonderful things God is doing, I can easily get discouraged and tired. But when my focus is on the right things, things seem alright.

Friday night was so much fun! A little taste of home came right to my door step. I’m so thankful for times like that; times where people who are new to SA come with energy and excitement. They help remind me of why I’m here. Even though I’ve been in South Africa for almost an entire year, I sure have met a lot of Americans while I’ve been here. God is good!

As much as I loved this little taste of home...I'm still looking forward to actually being home. I have one more month here in Jo'burg. Some days a month seems like forever. Other days (like today) it seems like a month is so short and I can't possibly be home that soon! I still feel a bit guilty that I'm so excited to be coming home. There are so many needs here! Shouldn't I want to stay and help? But I still feel God is calling me home and I'm glad for it!

Pray for Tom

2008-06-02T05:31:00.001-07:00

On Friday night, I got a call from one of the workers at the Door of Hope. She needed a ride to the hospital to pick up a child. Many babies that come to the Door of Hope are left at the hospital by their mothers, but this child was not a baby....he appeared to be almost old enough to go to school. For confidentiality purposes I'll call him Tom.

Tom was taken to the hospital by his mother because he had an ear infection. Somehow in the course of the very busy day at the hospital, Tom's mother disappeared. We assume she left him on purpose because there were no reports of missing children at the hospital. After spending the majority of the day being seperated from his mother, the hospital staff realized that she wasn't coming back. When we arrived to pick him up, he was obviously distraught and exhausted both physically and emotionally. In spite of his very tough day, he was very polite and well behaved! He made it clear that he would rather be at home with his mother, but he followed directions and was willing to come with us.

After dropping him off at the Door of Hope, I went home and hit my knees. This little boy couldn't tell us where he lived, but he could tell us that his heart was broken. I wanted to be mad at his mother. I wanted fix his broken heart. But the only thing I could do at that moment was pray and hope that God could somehow make something good come out of this horrible situation.

Tom slept well his first night at the Door of Hope, but he is having a hard time adjusting. He is not interested in playing and continues to be depressed about being seperated from his family. Please pray for this little boy. I cannot imagine being his age and being seperated from my family. I cannot believe that I would have been as calm and trusting as him with my mother gone and 2 strangers putting me in a car and driving me to the other side of the city. I cannot understand the events that lead to a child being abandoned in a busy hospital. Pray for a miracle for this little boy. A miracle of healing and peace and joy.

Beauty

2008-05-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

There is so much beauty here in South Africa. I wish there was a way to share it other than through words and pictures. Here are a few of the things I think are beautiful here in South Africa:

Sunsets
City lights at night
Babies laughing
Children smiling
Kids yelling "Another one!" when I've run out of books to read.
Hearing kids sing Jesus songs I taught them
Watching older brothers take care of younger siblings
Purple trees in the Spring
Hearing children chant "Tee-ja Amba, Tee-ja Amba" (teacher Amber)
Hugs from 60 kids all at once
Lightning shows that rival fireworks
Moms with babies on their backs
Hearing 6 different languages/accents in one prayer meeting

I could go on and on. This place is truly beautiful. I hope some of the stories and pictures I have shown reflect a little of the beauty of South Africa.

Salvation Bracelets

2008-05-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our last Children's Church at Troyeville. There aren’t enough workers and way to many kids for the format we were using. So for now we will continue with Sunday School, but Children's Church has been cancelled.

My church in VA sent salvation bracelets for all of the children here in SA. I thought this last Children's Church was a great time to give them out. I told the children what each color stood for. We read a Bible Verse for each color. Then we prayed.

After talking about salvation, I showed them a cartoon of Joshua and the wall of Jericho (this is what the Sunday School classes are focusing on this month). Then we went to Sunday School. I asked the children in my class if they could remember what each color on their bracelet was for.....and they remembered them all!!! Thanks BGBC for the bracelets! The children LOVED them. I have a lot left over. We plan to give them to the youth and then pass them out in the community.

Helping a Little

2008-05-26T14:21:00.001-07:00

A picture of me with the Jo'burg skyline in the back ground.

This was taken at the top of the hill after our hike with the youth. It was so peaceful and calm on top of the hill. In fact, the past few days there has been a decrease in attacks. Things seem to be calming down. But the affects of the attacks on foreigners will be felt for many weeks/years to come.

Currently, there are an estimated 15,000 people homeless in South Africa because of these attacks. These people have had their homes ransacked and destroyed. In some cases they fled their homes because of fear that they would be the next target. It is winter here in South Africa, so these people are living in the courtyards of police stations or in tent cities. I have no doubt that the longer they live in limbo with no homes and no space and no privacy these people will become tired, despondent and hopeless. Please pray for the many people who have no home to go to. Pray that the unusual winter rain will clear up and we will be graced with warmer, sunny days. Being homeless and tired is bad. Add cold and wet to the mix and I'm sure life looks bleak!

I can not imagine the trials these foreigners are facing. And I often feel a bit helpless. There is very little I can do as an individual to help. One way I'm able to help is by filling in at the Door of Hope. Many of the workers at Door of Hope are foreigners and need to get home before dark or safety reasons. Because the day shift is going home a couple of hours early, there is a little gap between the day shift and night shift. I have enjoyed a few days of filling in that gap. It has been fun playing with the babies. They are so precious. If this is a way I can help the workers at the Door of Hope get home earlier and feel safer, I'll take the blessing while I can. I know its not much help to all the homeless to play with babies for a couple of hours. But I'm loving the baby time, so I'm doubly blessed.

Pray that those who are displaced from their homes will find peace amidst the crowded, cold conditions. Pray that their basic needs are met: food, clothing, shelter, warmth. But also pray that in all the trials they are facing the needs of their heart and soul are met as well. Pray for them to find comfort, hope, love and joy. Considering that their lives, homes and safety have all been attacked, peace in their hearts and souls may seem impossible. But when we have great needs, we have a great God to meet our needs.

Please Keep Praying

2008-05-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

The violence in Jo'burg continues. Things seem to have cooled off a little in the past couple of days. But there are reports of some major trouble on Friday night near the church. Please continue to pray. Once again, let me reassure you that I am safe. But I continue to be angered and saddened by the affect these attacks are having on the children. There was a little boy (no older than 10) who pretended he was going to hit our car with a stick as we drove by on Wednesday. This behavior mimics the attacks happening in his neighborhood. The violence around him has become part of his 'play' and is now part of his life. He will no longer see such violence as abhorrent and unusual.

Several of the youth at the church have seen people mugged, beat and killed....all because they are non-Zulu. I don't think I've ever been witness to social injustice of this magnitude. Please pray for the tens of thousands of people who are now homeless and living in fear at churches and police stations. Pray for the children who are orphaned. Pray that those of us living in safety can supply the needs of those who are targeted by these hate crimes. Please continue to pray!

Serving Communion

2008-05-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to help serve communion here at church. They have asked me to help several times, but it always happened to be on the Sunday when I had Children's Church. This time I was available. Passing out the bread and juice has always been the job of deacons at my church. It was a little strange sitting up front and realizing that there was only one man helping and only one deacon helping.

I should have felt more privileged. But to be honest, I was nervous the whole time. Nervous that Pastor Cheryl would ask me to pray. She usually randomly asks someone to bless the bread and someone to bless the juice. Although I've become more comfortable praying in public, blessing the symbols of Christ's body and blood seemed a bit intimidating. But I was lucky, and she didn’t call on me.

The one thing that did strike me happened just before I went to sit down after Communion was over. I looked down at the communion table and noticed how much bread was left after every one had been served. At that moment it occurred to me that there are lots of people who do no accept Christ's sacrifice. There are lots of people who don’t attend church for various reasons. The remaining bread was a symbol to me of all of the people who are missing out on a loving relationship with a loving God.

People should be fighting for the love God offers like they fight for jobs and parking spaces. We should be seeking God and time with Him like we seek a new job. Trying to look good for him like we look good in our interviews. We should be trying to do things that 'pad the resume,' things that are above and beyond the call of duty that make us look good for our God. We should be hurrying to spend time with Him like we hurry to those parking spaces. Wanting to be as close as possible. Instead, we take Him for granted and convince ourselves that Sunday mornings is enough of a sacrifice of time.

So what did I learn while serving communion? There is more than enough Jesus to go around. Perhaps the laws of supply and demand are affecting our views of Jesus? Since there is plenty of Him to go around, perhaps we aren't fighting to get a piece? If there were limits on how many people Jesus could love, would we then be more willing to fight to be one of the chosen few? I'm glad we don't have to fight to be loved by Jesus, but would we appreciate His love a little more if we did? Just a few thoughts I had after communion on Sunday.

Update

2008-05-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Things were quiet at the church last night. Praise God! Bible Study tomorrow night has NOT been canceled. I’m not sure I’m comfortable being at the church after dark. I’m going to pray about it before I decide if I’m going to stay for Bible Study or not.

Other than the unrest in South Africa, I had a very GREAT, very BUSY weekend. Saturday I went with Nomalanga (head teacher at the Day Care), her 2 children and Russell (another volunteer here in Jo'burg) to the zoo. I love going to the zoo with kids. They are always so excited and fascinated by the new things they see. We had a great time!

After the zoo, a bunch of American volunteers went to play Adventure Golf. This is a lot like putt-putt, only the greens are really long and have lots of hills, twists, drops and curves. I’m horrible at putt-putt! But I’m even worse at Adventure Golf. But we had a lot of fun!

Sunday I went on a hike with the youth group. We climbed a hill that had an amazing view of the city. We could see major landmarks to the north, south, east and west. The hike up was rushed (teenagers proving their youthfulness). But I hung back and enjoyed the view. At the top of the big hill we stopped to pray over the city. We especially prayed for the foreigners that are being attacked. Several of the youth on the hike are from other countries. From the top of the hill, everything looked so peaceful and calm. It was hard to believe that violent attacks were happening in various places all across the city.

Sunday night I got to talk to and SEE my dad, grandma, cousin and aunt! We used video on the computers to make the call and get to see each other. It was great to SEE people from home! I can’t wait to see them face-to-face, but until then, this was a great treat!

PRAYER REQUEST

2008-05-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

There has been some unrest in South Africa in the past week. For some unknown reason, some of the South African people have begun to attack foreigners. There has been looting, riots and vandalism. People's homes and businesses are being targeted. The attacks seem to be growing and fear is quickly spreading.

In the neighborhood around the church, there have been attacks on the homes of non-South Africans. A mother and her 2 daughters came to the church Sunday afternoon after their apartment had been vandalized. Tonight (Monday) there are 3 families staying over night at the church. These people are from another African country. They are here in South Africa legally, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the people who are attacking.

The police are overwhelmed. They have foreigners crowding the police station seeking safety. The attacks are often so spread out that the police cannot be in enough places at one time. And some of the mobs have been so large that the police cannot break them up and then the police become targets of the mob. In a couple of instances, the army has been brought in to help.

The neighborhood around the church has taken on a new feel. There is tension that can be felt as you go down the street. Children are not wandering around like usual. In fact, many children were not allowed to go to school today. Their parents kept them home to make sure they were safe. People do not stand around; they are now quickly walking to get to their destinations. Many shops are closing earlier than usual. And the shops that belong to foreigners are not opening at all due to fear of being looted.

The unrest seems to be secluded to poorer areas. There has been no violence near my apartment. The attacks also seem to be black South Africans attacking black non-South Africans. Due to my color and nationality, I do not feel I am in any more danger than I have ever been in South Africa. If people could see beyond color and nationality, we would not be having the current violence here in South Africa.

I will continue to take common-sense precautions (no walking alone and NEVER walking out after dark, etc.) Gates, doors, locks and barbed wire have never been as comforting as they are right now. I want to be very clear that I do not feel in danger. But I do mourn the fact that the women I work with now live with constant worry and fear. The fear and worry increase by leaps and bounds as the sun begins to set! I mourn that the children are being exposed to violence and greed.

Please pray for the safety of the people here in Johannesburg. Pray that the violence will disappear as quickly as it has arrived. Pray that tempers are cooled. Pray that people who are seeking safety can find it. Pray, pray, pray!

Strangely Quiet

2008-05-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Life in South Africa is so much like life anywhere else. There are crazy busy times when you dream of a minute alone to breathe without sharing space and air with someone else. And there are times when life becomes so routine and regular that you wish life was a bit crazy again. The past few weeks have been strangely quiet. Almost too quiet. I have that feeling that you sometimes get that says I need to keep my guard up because SURELY something is going to happen soon....and I want to be prepared to face it. There is a Rascal Flatts song "Feels Like Today" that keeps popping into my head. I don’t know if anything exciting/traumatic/unusual is going to happen. But I pray that if it does, I’m ready to face it. And if nothing out of the ordinary happens, I hope I’m smart enough to see the wonderful, small, every day miracles in a new light so that these predictable days don't become boring. I never imagined that life in South Africa would be routine and boring. But some things never change. I still don’t make my bed. I always have dirty clothes and dishes. Sleeping late is a luxury I will never get tired of. And I let my car's gas light come on before I remember to fill up the tank. So saying that I live in South Africa sounds like a big, grand adventure, but the reality is that most days here are just like days at home. The biggest differences are the length of time it takes me to get to my Grandma's house and a 6 hour time difference when I want to call home. But let me tell you, those two differences are the hardest things to try to get used to!

Best time to call home…..after 5PM when people are out of work=11PM South African time! (See why I like to sleep late? Hahaha)
How long it will take me to get to my grandma’s house……53 days.
Busy days seem to go by faster. I'm wishing I was REALLY busy right now! ;-)

Video Conference

2008-05-13T05:55:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with 3rd graders in VA! Through the marvels of modern technology, our Giraffe Class got to call, talk to and see the 3rd grade class at my cousins school in VA! It was amazing to see these kids in America and get to talk to them. The children here at the Touch Life Centre were amazed. I was proud of our kids. They sat quietly, took turns speaking and didn't move a muscle unless they were called on.

The 3rd Graders let us know what questions they were going to ask ahead of time. We practiced the answers to these questions....but when it came time to actually talk, the kids were so overwhelmed by seeing and hearing kids in America, they forgot their answers.

At the end of the call, our children didn't want to leave the room. They didn't want it to be over. It was a great experience! Now our kids have friends in VA. Who would have thought that my kids here at TLC would get to talk to and see kids in America? Thanks to my cousin Christie for a great idea!!

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Mother's Day. The church had a special fellowship time after the service where we served tea and cakes. While the adults ate their cakes, we went straight to Sunday School and got busy. My Sunday School class is preparing for exams. Here in South Africa, the Sunday School Association has 2 exams a year. They give you a teacher's manual that focuses on a specific topic. There are 7 lessons that all connect together. The exam at the end of these lessons is pretty rigorous and tests knowledge of the stories as well as Bible verses. We are currently studying Joshua. We begin with the Israelites at the Jordan river, ready to cross over into the promised land. We will end with the Battle of Jericho. On Sunday, we got the Israelites across the Jordan River and then we took some time to make cards for our Mothers for Mother's Day.

The children in my Sunday School class all said "Happy Mother's Day" to me. They were shocked when I explained that I'm not a mother. I guess they assume that all adult women must be mothers. This is a universal belief of children. Adult=Parent

Here is a picture of my Sunday School Class on Mother's Day:

After church, some of the American volunteers were invited to lunch at the home of one of the deacons of the church. Janice and her son Joshua made Bunny Chow for us to eat. Bunny Chow apparently comes in many shapes and flavors. Our Bunny chow had hamburger, beans and cheese. It reminded me a little of a Sloppy Joe. The unique part of Bunny Chow is how you eat it. We took unsliced loaves of bread and cut them in half. Then you pull out the bread in the middle, leaving only the crust. You fill the middle with the Bunny Chow and cheese. And you enjoy! It is the same concept as using a bread bowl. By the end of lunch we were all VERY full. So we had to burn a few calories. We tossed around the Rugby ball and chased Thabo and Oyisa.

In the photo: Russell and Thabo, Joshua, Drew and Oyisa

After Bunny Chow and chasing kids, I was tired. So I had a nap on the couch followed by a call to my mother. It was a good day!

Giving Thanks

2008-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

We had a church service of thanksgiving last week. There were 3 churches and several other organizations that came togehter to have this special church service on a Monday. The whole purpose of the service was to thank God for providing for our needs for the past year. Pastor Cheryl commented at the beginning of the service "In the Bible there were 10 men who were healed by Jesus and only one came back to say thank you. Today we will not be one of those who forgot to thank God for all he has done." It was a great service. This video clip is from the service. All of these women in the video work at Troyeville Baptist church in one form or another. The woman leading the singing is Malt, one of the teachers at the Touch Life Centre. They are sining in Zulu. Don't ask me what they are saying or what it means, I dont have a clue! But it sounded great and I know they were praising God! These women are such a blessing. Please continue to pray for them. Their names are: (from left to right)

Lindiwe, Mahmsi, Nomalanga, Faith, Aurelia, and Malt

6 Weeks!

2008-05-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

My best friend and one of her sons have been planning to come visit me here in South Africa. I use the word visit lightly because I plan to put them to WORK. She will help do some training with the teachers here; he will get to fill in where ever he is needed. (I giggle at the thought. He is going to be SOOO busy!) I've been excited about them coming, but yesterday the plane tickets were finally ordered!! That makes it so real and so much more exciting. I have 6 weeks (from today!) until they arrive in Johannesburg. 6 WEEKS!!! Since they will be leaving July 2nd and I will be leaving here not long after that, I basically have 6 weeks to finish this curriculum!! 6 WEEKS!! I think it can be done, but I’m going to need some prayer. Please pray that I’m efficient with my time, not easily distracted by other things....and pray that God makes this curriculum better than I could make it on my own.

Also pray for my best friend and her son as they prepare to come and minister here in Jo'burg. Traveling to Africa is expensive and scary in many ways. Pray that God provides security and comfort and that He takes away all worry and fear. What a blessing to get to share this wonderful place and these wonderful people with 2 great friends! What a blessing that they are willing to step out of their comfort zone and seek to serve God far away from home. What a blessing that God plans for them to minister here and that I get to share it with them! God is good!

TLC Birthday

2008-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Touch Life Centre of Troyeville Baptist Church has been open for 2 years!! To celebrate, we had a birthday party for TLC. We invited the parents and sponsors to come and have some snacks, cake and fun! We also had the children perform some songs.

It was a great time to remember what an impact this ministry has on the community. We are providing affordable child care for families. This gives them the chance to get a job and provide for their kids without spending all the money they make on child care. This also provides a safe environment for kids who might otherwise be roaming the streets. The children are fed 2 meals and 2 snacks while they are with us. Its amazing to see how the kids plump up as they spend more and more time in our care. TLC is making a difference. What a blessing to be able to be a part of this ministry!

Happy Birthday TLC!!

Small Miracles

2008-04-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the little things are the best! Here are 2 stories that touched my heart this past week. I’m so glad God lets me be a part of these small things.

Story One: My cousin is a 3rd Grade teacher in VA. Her class wanted to write letters to the children here in South Africa. Along with letters, they also sent really great books...One book for each child. We have a set of twins here at the Day Care (Andiswa and Andile). Their Mom is a sweet woman who can not read a thing! She can’t even write her own name. She is determined to make sure her daughters get a better education than she had. When I gave her and her daughters the letters from the kids in America, she asked me to read them to her kids for her. Then I picked some super easy books for her daughters. I read them and showed her older daughter how easy it was so she could read them to the 2 younger ones when they got home. The books said things like "I am yellow, I am red, etc."

The next day Nhlanhla (the mom) came to me and said "I read those books to my daughters last night. I could remember the words!" Wow! A Mom who couldn’t read was able to read 2 books to her daughters! What a miracle! This is an experience she would not have been able to share with her kids if those books hadn’t been sent. All I did was hand out books and read them. But through that I got to see a small miracle happen!

Story Two: On Saturday night a bunch of volunteers were all going to go bowling together. We all met at the Door of Hope before leaving. We were going to take one of the babies with us because he had been having some breathing trouble during the day. As we were waiting to go, someone made the comment "His color isn’t looking so good." It was chilly and he was wrapped in a couple of blankets and I was nervous, so I said "If it was me, I would unwrap him and WATCH him breathe just so I wouldn’t feel so nervous." So that’s what we did. And sure enough, he had stopped breathing. So 2 of the volunteers instantly started CPR and hopped in the car and rushed him to the hospital.

Now I KNOW that these ladies are good at what they do. And I KNOW they would have caught the fact that he wasn’t breathing just as quickly with or without my comment. But I got to be a small part of catching this problem and praying for this baby as he headed for the hospital. What a blessing to get to be part of such a miracle.
(The baby is in the hospital now. He has stabilized and is receiving great care.)

Power Cuts

2008-04-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is common to lose power for 4 hours at a time. This happens about 2 to 3 times a week. The power company just cant keep up with demand, so they "load shed" by cutting power in different parts of the city throughout the week. This power outage affects many stores, who have turned to generators to keep their businesses open. It also affects stop lights....which is a nightmare in rush hour traffic! But generally speaking, since we know they will happen, we just live with the power outages.

Yesterday was a different story. We lost 4 hours of power in the morning (which reset my alarm clock...Thank God for a flexible work schedule!) Then we lost power again at 2PM. This would have been fine. With the usual 4 hour cut, we would have gotten power back at 6PM...just in time for dinner. BUT NO...our power DID come back on at 6PM...for 2 minutes!!! And they cut it again!! So Sara and I lit a candle and laid around for a while talking. Then by 8 we were hungry. So we went to get dinner at a restaurant. And when we got home, we only had to wait a little while and the power finally came on and stayed on.

I dont know why we were so lucky to have our power turned off for 12 hours in one day! But I sure hope this doesnt happen again!

Children Singing

2008-04-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

There is this wonderful, magical, God-given pleasure I get when I hear children singing praise songs. I firmly believe that God gave us music just so we could enjoy the process of praising Him a little more. And I also believe that children crave music, rhythm and songs. Add the two together and you get this beautiful world where singing doesn’t have to be good or planned. The verse doesn’t have to be finished. There is no need for an audience. A child singing to God is pure worship. They don’t have to pray to be ready to worship. They don’t have to have a full band playing to make the music good. They don’t need good lighting and a powerful message. And they don’t need to be alone in their cars to sing at the top of their lungs. When children feel the need to sing praise songs, they sing. And I LOVE it. I love to hear them sing when they don’t know I’m listening. I love to hear them sing when they are in front of church. I love to hear them sing along with me when I’m trying to teach a new song (...and they don’t know the song yet, but still sing along and mess it up, and somehow it sounds even better because of their impulsive need to just SING to GOD!) And I especially love to hear them sing when they invite me to listen or join in.

Children inherently know that there is power in music. Songs just get stuck in your head. How many times have you found yourself humming a tune? Have you ever just NEEDED to listen to a certain song? I often wake up with a song already running through my mind.

Now think about the music that runs through your mind, and more importantly, the music that runs through your child's mind. What types of things do you want them to dwell on? What types of things do you want to pop into their heads at the most unexpected places and times? Christian music comes in ALL flavors these days. Explore! I thank God that there are options for every musical taste out there.

Try to learn a lesson from these wonderful children and allow your praise of God to come naturally, all day, without thought or effort. Listen to good praise songs until they are popping into your head at the strangest times. And dare to sing in the car, sing in the shower, sing when no one is watching, sing when you are happy or sad.....just sing to God and let your heart dwell on Him throughout the day. Dwell upon the Lord and He will dwell in you.

ALL My Kids

2008-04-16T02:21:00.000-07:00

I added pictures of each of the 60 kids to my flickr picture website!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amberdawny/sets/
This link is half way down on the left hand side of this page. It says "My Photos Website"
Click on the folder named TLC Kids

Each photo has the child, child's name, a parent and parent's name. Check out all 60 photos. Pick one to pray for!

In The Grocery Store?

2008-04-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

All Chrisitans must know how important it is to share our Jesus with the rest of the world. But if you are anything like me, it’s not something you easily do on a daily basis. Even as a missionary, I rarely lead someone to salvation. (Of course that fact must be backed up with the fact that I work with preschoolers all day.)

I've found that even though I live in South Africa, a strange and foreign land, I'm still living in a very safe Christian bubble. My roommates are Christians. My co-workers are Christians. Most of my spare time and social life is spent hanging out with members of the church or other volunteers...who are ALL Christians. And the times that I do directly speak about Jesus, I'm talking to children. I pray that I'm planting seeds in the hearts and minds of these little children. And perhaps some day they will grow up and be mature enough to make a decision to love Christ.

But I often wonder what I should be doing to tell others about Christ. I can't deny that I want every one to know the peace of salvation. We all know we have sinned....even the best of us are rotten at times. And being a good person isn’t going to get us into heaven. The only way to be close to God is get rid of sin. And the only way to do that is through Jesus. It’s easy to write it here, so why can’t I share this with the lady in the grocery store, or my neighbors, or even the security guard at my apartment complex. Would hearing about Jesus in a random way in the middle of their day be an effective way of showing them God's love? I know that I need to show God's love as much as I talk about it. But is there a point where I need to just shout it? Or do I just try harder to let my life be an example and hope God directs conversations so that I have a more natural opportunity to talk about Him? I wish there were hard and fast rules about when and where and what to say to people. They might go a little something like this.....

Rules for Sharing God with Others--101
A. Always talk about Him in the grocery store.
B. No matter what people say, always reply "God Loves You"
C. See how often you can redirect conversations by referring to Bible stories.
D. Speak to at least 3 non-church-goers every day and invite them to church.
E. Keep your windows down in traffic so that when you are stopped at a red light you can talk to the guy in the car beside you about Jesus.
F. Always wear Jesus shirts, jewelry and other paraphernalia....if you can't talk about Jesus, at least your shirt can.

Hahaha Unfortunately, I don't think we can know when and how to share God by making lists like that!

The one thing I have definitely learned while in South Africa is that serving God comes in many shapes and forms. Teaching children, caring for abandoned babies, leading youth, starting new churches, building new churches, playing instruments, delivering donations to small towns, leading Bible study, planning church fellowship time, passing out food parcels, hanging out with kids in the park, sending care packages with Little Debbie Cakes, donating money and time, planning retreats, sharing the good news of God's love with words...........I could go on and on. There are so many ways to serve God. I pray that God makes it clear to me (and to you) how to serve Him TODAY. Do we have to share God by talking to the people in the grocery store? Maybe, but thank God there are hundreds of other ways too!

Random Thoughts Put Together

2008-04-08T02:01:00.000-07:00

We have had low numbers here at TLC the past week. The public schools are year round schools. They take 4 breaks throughout the year. There is a 3 week break happening right now. Since the older school kids are not in school, they often keep their younger siblings at home during this school break. This makes low numbers at our Day Care. To take advantage of the low numbers, the teachers have been taking turns having a day off. I’m loving the low numbers for several reasons.
One: The children are better behaved (because there are fewer of them and we catch them misbehaving easier).
Two: It's easier to spend more quality time with the children. (Like teaching them the rhyme "Miss Suzy had a baby..." Once they realized what it was about they laughed SOOO hard!)
Three: The rush of every day activities has slowed down a lot. This has given me the chance to get some work done on the curriculum.

The only down side to the school break is that our "after school" kids have not been stopping by. I miss helping them with their homework and playing tic-tac-toe.

The weather has been beautiful since I've been back. Bright and sunny, high 70s. I hope this stretches on for a few months before winter sets in. I'm not looking forward to another South African winter.

We went to a BIG church on the nice side of town on Sunday night. The worship team did a great job. The bass guitar player was wonderful! And the message was good. But it was such a vivid contrast to the church I usually attend. The size of the church, the color of the people, the socio-economic status, and level of education were all very different. Not to mention the differences in the sound system, size of the building, organization and appeal of the physical building. The people at the BIG church give their money and time to help the less fortunate people in the surrounding communities. They give from the excess that they have and seem to give gladly from the number of out-reach/help programs they have going on. But the people from Troyeville give sacrificially of their money and time in their community. They have so little, but are often willing to give until it literally hurts to help others who are less fortunate. They understand the needs around them, because they have lived through them. When I see people at church with no job and little money place what they do have in the offering, I am humbled.

Are both churches serving God with their money and talents? Absolutely. Are both churches blessings to their communities? Absolutely. Are both churches meeting the needs of God's people through prayer, Bible study and community outreach? Absolutely. I don’t want to suggest that one church is better than the other. I'm only trying to point out how amazed I am that God's people can be so diverse. I'm so glad He loves us ALL! Rich and poor, black and white, old and young, big and small. I'm so glad our God is a God of diversity.

Back to Work!

2008-04-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

I was welcomed back to South Africa with a group hug from 20+ children...which nearly knocked me down! But it was fantastic to know I was missed. I can’t begin to explain the joy I feel when I look into these caramel brown eyes. There is no color like it. A golden brown that looks richer than chocolate and softer than a cat resting in the sun. And I get to look into 59 pairs of these eyes every day!! (The 60th pair of eyes are sky blue!)

Now that I’m back in South Africa, I feel like I have a very limited amount of time left. 3 months to finish this curriculum and love on these children and try to solve all the world's problems (at least the ones that fit into Troyeville). Having a deadline has definitely helped me refocus and prioritize.

I often get the feeling that I’m spinning my wheels here. But God is good and gives us a word of encouragement when we need it. Just a couple of nights ago, one of the VA Missionaries commented "I can really see a change happening here at TLC." He saw the Preschool before I arrived and has seen things as they are now. I was so blessed to hear that there are visible and obvious changes. Even when I feel like I’m getting nothing done, God is making things happen here! Please keep praying for the children and the teachers.

Jo'burg, Sweet, Jo'burg

2008-03-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

Im back in Jo'burg! My 15 hour flight ended up being only 14 hours. My window seat was quickly and easily turned into an aisle seat. And I had an empty seat beside me so I could stretch out a little. My luggage arrived intact. All in all, the trip wasnt too bad.

It was great to have a few weeks at home with family and friends. I had a wonderful time! I feel refreshed and rested and ready to tackle the last part of my time here in Jo'burg.

Home Sweet Home

2008-03-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Im home safe! After a 20 hour plane ride (2 hours of delays!) and 3 short books, Im home. Words can't really express the joy of being back with my family and friends. God is good!

Count Down

2008-03-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm heading home on Friday afternoon. After an 18 hour flight, I should be back on US ground (at 6AM! eek!) I'm looking forward to coming home! I cant wait to see family and friends (Especially my cousin's new baby Daniel!! Oh I cant wait!!).

But the thing I seem to be most obsessed with is eating GOOD food. Chick-fil-a, El Charro Mexican food, and some 'American' style Chinese food are on my list. I'm also looking forward to decent ice cream and stores that are open later than 7PM .

I'm going to have to re-learn driving on the right side of the road. I'm going to enjoy carrying fewer keys every where I go. And I'm going to love seeing people's houses instead of their fences, walls and barbed wire.

I'll be speaking at BGBC on March 26th. If you are interested in seeing some great pictures of my cute kids and hearing a few stories, contact the church for more information (or shoot me an email).

I'm very excited about coming home!! Now, I just need to get a lot of work done between now and then!

Commute

2008-03-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

I have a 30 minute commute to work every day. Sometimes more, sometimes less.....depending on the traffic, weather and time of day. I typically spend this 30 minutes yelling at the taxis that cut me off, swerving to miss pot holes, debating whether to give the beggars on the corner a few Rand, and singing Praise songs at the top of my lungs.

Recently, that has all changed. (No the cops did not pull me over and give me a ticket for disturbing the peace with my singing!) I have been taking Sunday to school with me every day. For the past week, Sunday has been staying at Pastor Cheryl's house. This is a temporary measure. He and his Granny have been living in the passage way of a building. She is getting tired and unable to provide for him. So she just gave him to the Pastor. Sunday loves the new living conditions...so far. And in fact, this morning he loved Pastor Cheryl's house so much he didn’t want to go to school with me! (But after about 10 minutes of pouting, he was back to his talkative, active, inquisitive self....If we could ALL get over disappointment that quickly the world would be a better place!)

Commuting with Sunday is definitely a change of pace. First of all, he thinks it takes FOREVER to get to school. Second, he thinks I’m crazy (mostly because I sing along with the CD player and I talk to the other cars around me, even when they can’t hear me.) Third, he has gotten so used to my undivided attention; he wants it ALL the time. Strange how my driving habits have become more sedate and cautious with him in the car. I think I have picked up some bad driving habits while here in Jo'burg.

Sunday is fascinated by all of the things we see on the way to school. The Electric Company's bucket truck. The big tractor trailers. The Policeman with his dog who stands on the corner of Booysens Street every morning. It’s so interesting to see him try to find the English words he is looking for to ask questions. He has a good grasp of English, but a limited vocabulary because of limited exposure. The way his brain processes new information and tries to connect the dots with what he already knows is fascinating.

And the thing that fascinates me most is the fact that he almost knows the route to school now. He has an amazing memory for landmarks. I have a HORRIBLE sense of direction. I wish I could make my brain notice things like his does.

Please continue to pray for Sunday as we try to find God's plan for him. For now he is safe both night and day. Praise God for Pastor Cheryl's willingness to open her home to him while we find a place for him to stay long term! Pray that whatever God's plan may be, that it will continue to include safety and love. God has shown me in so many ways that He does provide for His people....and provides abundantly when His people pray. God is good....

Photos

2008-02-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

Ive added about a dozen photos to my picture sight. Check out my cute kids!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amberdawny

Bloomfontein

2008-02-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

The past weekend I had the opportunity to join a team of people in Bloomfontein, South Africa. We went to do some Sunday School training in that area. I was on the team with 3 wonderful women and my pastor Kevin! I never thought Id be serving on a missions trip with my pastor in South Africa.

Carol and I drove out to the Free State on Thursday (The Free State is a different South African Prvince from where we live. It is South West of Johannesburg). The rest of the team had been out in Bloomfontein since the previous Friday. They spent time talking in the schools and visitng churches in the area.

Our Sunday School training on Saturday went very well. I was supposed to teach the Preschool Sunday School group. Due to the limited number of workers in churches, there are very few people dedicated solely to preschool. So the preschool and children classes were combined. I got to work with Debbie to do the training. I think things went very well. We had 9 people in our class. We had fun and the ladies seemed to understand and incorporate our ideas into actual lessons. And since my Sunday School training is limited to mostly South African experiences, I learned alot too! God definitely worked it out so that the training ran smoothly. I think Debbie and I both wished we had another hour or two to really dig deeper into the training. But I think the ladies in our class walked away with new ideas of how to teach about God in fun and relevant ways.

On Sunday, I went with Carol to a church in one of the townships. It always amazes me that people live in such ramshakle, poor conditions when there are big, mansion-sized houses only miles away.

I left the church knowing I had been in the house of the Lord that day! The music was fantastic! The keyboards and other instruments that belong to the church had been stolen in the past month, but they didnt need them. I cant begin to describe the music. But withut a doubt, those people knew how to raise their voices and praise God. EVERYONE sang. The children, the youth, the older men, and a few solos as well. And most of the music was spontaneous. No order of service. Just honest praise and heartfelt worship. My only regret is that I didnt understand most of their songs. It was a blessing to spend the Sunday in that church.

The team ended their week with a few days in Johannesburg. I was so excited that they could see where I work. They could meet my kids and teachers. They even got to stop by my apartment for tea and coffee and see where I live! Ive tried so hard to share what Im experiencing through this blog. It was a blessing to have other people see this place and these people and get to share my experiences here by showing them instead of just telling them! Im so greatful that God planned for this missions trip. What an awesome God we serve!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Before I blog about the great weekend I had in Bloomfontein, I want to back-blog about the crazy, busy, blessed Valentine's Day that I had. The day began as many of my days do....I was trying to prioritize what is most important for me to do that day. Work on curriculum? Observe the teachers? Model good teaching skills? Gather materials? I couldnt quite figure out the best course of action, so I prayed "God please show me how you want to use me today. Show me how to be your hands and feet."

On the way to work I stopped to get the children some cookies and marshmallows (with a pink and white theme) in honor of Valentine's Day. I also picked up a candy bar for each of the teachers.

Shortly after lunch, one of the teachers asked for some food for her family. She was out of money and out of food. The church typically keeps food in the pantry for just such occasions....but we were OUT. So I gave her a little money to buy groceries. What a blessing to have so much I can just pull out money and feed a family for several days!

Later in the day, 2 men came to the church looking for some clothes. I helped outfit them with clothes from the store room. The older of the 2 gentlemen was very thankful and kept saying "God Bless You" over and over. It seems to strange that they would thank me. I didnt purchase these clothes. I just took 5 mintues to go in the store room to get them. To be able to have the privledge of helping these men through no effort on my part was a bit humbling.

In the afternoon, Nomalonga went looking for Sunday. I've blogged about Sunday before. He was a particularly naughty boy in our Day Care. Sunday graduated from TLC and SHOULD be going to school this year. But after a little investigation, we found out that he wasnt going to school. So Nomalonga tracked down Sunday and his Granny to see if we could help. We knew something must be wrong for her to lie about sending him to school and then to disappear after having been a faithful church attender for so long.

Nomalonga found out that Sunday and his granny are living in the hallway of a building. They lock their things in a small cleaning closet during the day. The granny has a part time job ironing clothes for one family. She cant make more than R100 (about $15) a week at this job. When Nomalonga found them, Sunday had lost ALOT of weight. He was skin and bones and his eyes were sunken into his head from lack of nutrition. Needless to say, Nomalonga returned to the church in tears. Since we had no food in the food pantry, Nomalonga asked if I had any money we could use to buy them some food. ABSOLUTELY!!!

I drove Nomalonga to the grocery store. We spent R120 (about $20) and bought rice, bread, flour, vegetables, fruit, chicken and a few other staples. Then we drove to the house where the Granny works to deliver the food. On the way I realized I had one extra chocolate bar left over from that morning. So I grabbed it and took it to give to Sunday for Valentine's Day.

Sunday was every bit as skinny as Nomalonga had reported. But he ran to me and gave me a big hug. I was so glad to know that he would not go to bed hungry that night! My heart was broken that we couldnt have gotten him help any sooner. And I wonder how many other children dont have someone like Nomalonga searching for them to make sure they are taken care of. I pray that God's people will rise up and do something about the needs they see around them. I thank God for Nomalonga's determination to help!

As we were leaving, I caught Sunday teasing someone that he got a chocolate bar and they didnt. It was actually a blessing to see that he is still SO naughty!

And if that weren't enough opportunities to be God's hands and feet, when we returned to the Day Care, one of the teachers asked for a ride to the hospital. Her son, Nqobani, had fallen and his wrist was swelling. So I drove them to the hospital to get it checked out. (One of the bones in his wrist shifted. He will be fine, but has to wear a cast for 2 weeks).

But God is good! After a day full of opportunities to serve other people, God gave me even more blessings. That night I got to spend time with a bunch of local volunteers. We went to the home of 2 World Vision Missionaries. Dave and April are a lovely American couple who are serving here in Jo'burg. We had burritos and Dr Pepper for dinner!! It was a great time of fellowship and laughter. I needed some time to just relax and share stories with other missionaries. God knew what I needed before I even knew to ask for it! God is good.

It was a long day. But it was the best Valentine's Day ever!
I also realized that my journey to South Africa began a year ago on Valentine's day. That was the day that I first met Cheryl Allen and began to pray about coming to South Africa!

PS...Sunday now attends a Day Care around the corner from us in the mornings. They feed him breakfast. Then he comes to our Day Care for lunch and some play time in the afternoon. We cant keep him all day because we are full. But we have a child who only comes in the morning, so having Sunday in the afternoons keeps us within our legal limit. So he is getting food daily now. And we are keeping in contact with Granny, so we are able to provide food for them at home when they are running low. Please pray for Sunday and his Granny Justina.

Not a real post

2008-02-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry I havent posted much that is truly news-worthy recently. Life has been very hectic lately. So rather than give you half bits of news, I will just bed you to give me more time to actually sit down and get out all of the things that have kept me busy lately. Im looking forward to a long weekend in the Free State (another province here in S.A.). I will be working on a team with Kevin to train Sunday School teachers. So after that long weekend, I hope to get back on here and give you some real news.....so this blog is basically a request for your patience. I really am going to share something news-worthy soon! ;-)

Rev Kev Brought Goodies!

2008-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Rev Kev has safely arrived in South Africa. He already called Danette, so the word may already have spread, but I thought Id post the news just in case.

He brought me SOO MANY wonderful things from home. Beanie Babies, books, Little Debbie Cakes, and KRISPY KREME. Carol and I both had a Krispy Kreme as soon as I got home and rescued them from the depths of the suitcase. I think Krispy Kreme are heavenly. I think I want a tower of Krispy Kreme as my wedding cake (if I ever get married). South Africa has nothing like them. Their donuts are cake-like. Yuck. So Rev Kev is my hero for bringing me Krispy Kreme.

My church also made me salvation bracelets. Im so excited to share them with the Sunday School children at church! They are going to LOVE them. As an interesting side note...the South African flag has all of the colors that are on the salvation bracelet. So their flag can be used as a salvation tool to help people remember the steps to salvation! Pretty awesome! Anytime you can see their flag, you can share Christ in a visual, easy to remember way. Which doesnt help you guys in the US, but is amazing to know here in South Africa!

AIDS

2008-02-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

We have 2 spots open at TLC. Ideally, these spots belong to children on our waiting list, but these mysterious children have never arrived and their spots are potentially up for grabs by the next child down on the list. One of the next spots would potentially go to a little girl who is HIV positive. The mother was open about the girl's status and the head teacher was open about things we need to put in place to ensure the health and safety of ALL of the children....INCLUDING this little girl.

Nomalonga explained that SHE had no personal problems with the little girl coming. And she would welcome her into her class. However, this girl would be in a different class and Nomalonga wanted to speak to the teacher to make sure things were handled properly. Nomalonga wanted to speak with Tony (the director of TLC) and the pastor to make sure there weren’t any other steps we needed to take to make sure this situation would be handled appropriately. We wanted to make sure the teachers were trained with basic first aid precautions. We also wanted to make sure they knew to alert the mother if they noticed any illnesses (measles, chicken pox, etc) that may affect her child more severely because of a weakened immune system.

Apparently we took to long to get back to the mother. She has reported the Day Care to Social Services and claims that we will not accept her daughter because she has HIV. This is a sad turn of events since we are willing to accept her child and trying to put safe guards into place to protect ALL the children (including this one). Hopefully a meeting with Social Services will clear up this matter.

I’m surprised that this is even an issue. I guess I come from the US where ALL children are accepted into public school. And you rarely know their HIV status. And even if you did know, it wouldn’t matter. Certain precautions are taken with ALL children. These precautions are taken for the safety of each and every child and for the safety of the teacher. Knowing a child's status would never change the way I view that child or treat that child. I’m saddened that so many people are uninformed and scared of this disease. Typical childhood behaviors will not spread this disease. Sharing food, drinks, toys and hugs will not harm anyone. And any open sores or bleeding should be handled appropriately with gloves no matter who the child is or what their HIV status is.

I hope that after this miscommunication the Day Care will have a policy in effect that makes it clear how to address this situation in the future. Pray that this mother will realize that we are not rejecting her child, but trying to put safe guards into place that will protect her child and all of the other children. Pray that this problem only strengthen our resolve to accept and love ALL children. Pray that this problem will be resolved and that there be no bitterness or anger between the mother and the church. Pray that the community does not shun this little girl now that they are aware of her HIV status. We live in a community that is often ill informed or scared of this disease and I don’t want ignorance to negatively affect this little girl.

I can’t begin to tell you how HIV/AIDS affects this community. I read a statistic that said over 50% of the children in South Africa who are now in their teen years already have or will have HIV/AIDS. HALF of a generation will be lost to this disease!! Pray for better education, better medication and better motivation to prevent this disease from spreading.

Funny Things Kids Say

2008-02-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

I love the funny things kids say....it wont be quite the same to type them, so I hope I can convey how funny they truly were.

The first funny comment came from a boy named Emmanuel. Emmanuel is a VERY talkative person. He talks with or without an audience. Once he has your attention, you cant break away. He always has just one more thing to say. The other day Emmanuel told me it was his birthday. He told me his birthday would start when he got home. His family was going to have cake and cold drinks. And then he told me his Dad was going to get him a present.....a key. And he straight face explained that his Dad was going to give him a key for his birthday...........so he could lock his mouth! I cracked up laughing! Emmanuel then reassured me that he would be sure to bring it to school so the other children could use it too!!

Today some of the children were drawing pictures. They were supposed to be drawing pictures of their families. One little girl brought me her picture and said she was finished. When I looked at her paper I saw one person and one flower on the page. I asked "Where is your family? I see you, but where is your mother? Your father? Your sister?" The little girl thought for a brief moment then grinned at me and said "In the picture my mother is at home."

I wish I was better about recording all the funny things kids say.

Coming Home

2008-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

I want to tell you what God has been doing in my heart in the past few months. After the teacher training week I had in December, I began to think about my time here in Jo'burg. I have come to realize that my job here at TLC will not take the full 2 years I signed up for. My job of writing curriculum and training the teachers should only take 1 year at the rate we are going. (That is not to say that the teachers will be experts or the curriculum will be good enough to publish. But I’m merely saying that I will have done all I know to do after one year here.)

So I had to consider God's plans for me. I don’t want to stay here 2 years if I am not needed. And although there are many needs here beyond training and writing the curriculum, the needs are not things that I seem called to do.

I know without a doubt that I am called to work with children. I also am beginning to realize that almost since the moment I stepped off the plane here in Jo'burg I have faced every new challenge and experience with an attitude of “How can I apply this new knowledge when I get home?”

So after praying personally, recruiting friends and family to pray for me, making lists of pros and cons (which always ended with “God's Will” tipping any scale I made), and trying to seek God's will for my future, I have come to the conclusion that I need to come home in July of this year. I don’t know all of the amazing opportunities God has planned for me when I get home, but I eagerly await the opportunity to serve Him in my own home town.

I still have a lot of work to do here in Jo'burg between now and July. I love serving God here and I look forward to 5 more months with these wonderful teachers and children. Please continue to pray that I will find ways to serve God daily. Once again I find myself so caught up in the excitement of wondering what God has planned for my future that I need help to focus on serving Him TODAY.

I must finish this blog by admitting a small sense of guilt. The guilt I feel is because of YOU. I know without a doubt that I have an enormous network of people all across Virginia and the US that are praying for me. From the emails, packages and letters I have received, I have begun to feel that I may be the most spoiled, best prayed for missionary ever. Every time I talk to my family and friends on the phone I hear of someone new that has been reading my blog. I don’t know how many of you are out there praying for me, but I think I would be overwhelmed if you were ever numbered. So my guilt lies in the fact that I will not be using this amazing network of people and their gifts of prayer for more than one year. But I fully expect that you will continue to pray for me and the people here in Johannesburg even beyond my departure in July. Oh I wish I could see you all and hug your necks and thank you for blessing me! May God Bless You Indeed My Friends!

I Love Teaching

2008-01-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to teach a lesson in the Elephant Class today (older 3s to younger 5s). I LOVE teaching children. Training the teachers has been such a challenge. Im definitely out of my comfort zone with adults. And training adults makes me exercise muscles I didnt ever want to develop. But I was so happy to get to stretch my "teaching-kids" muscles today. I dont think Ive lost my touch. In case you dont know....the trick to teaching little kids is to keep them interactive and BUSY!

The theme for the next 2 weeks is MY FAMILY. Its so hard to teach about families. Each child has a different set of circumstances. Some have just mom or just dad. Some have a mom and dad is in jail. Some have grandma, but no parents. Some have lots of brothers and sisters or aunts and uncles but no parents. Or any combination of the above! And often family friends or elders in the church are referred to as Auntie and Uncle (Im Auntie Amba to the Sunday School kids). So that confuses things even more.

So I copped out a bit and focused on the story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears (The Bible story came later in the day). I talked about the different people in the bear family. And then I introduced the concepts of big and little. The kids actually did a pretty good job of sorting big from little. There were a few who dont understand a thing I say because they only speak Zulu. But after modeling a little, they got the concept too! I love to see light bulbs turn on! With children you can see the moment when something clicks into their brains. Sometimes Im sure it is a moment that can be physically seen. Their eyes and face and whole demeanor seem to change when they realize "Ah-ha! I've got it!"

We ended with the song:
Lord I thank you for my Mom,
Yes I thaaaank you.
Lord I thank you for my Mom,
Yes I thaa-aaank you.
(Of course we changed the song by singing it with different family memebers each time. Thanks Grandma! I remembered this one from when I was in your children's choir. The teachings from our youth really do stay with us our whole lives. Proverbs 22:6)

I had a good time with the kids today. I think they had a good time too. And hopefully their teacher had a good time and learned something while observing me. What a fun day!

This week....

2008-01-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

It has been raining for DAYS here in Jo'burg! Ive heard over and over "This is not typical weather." Since the day I got here they have had unusual weather. I've been waiting for the hot, African summer days and I just haven't seen them. I suppose Im glad since we don't have any AC. But sunny skies and a need for shorts would be nice.

One of my college roommates came to Jo'burg for a visit this week!! Kim arrived this past Saturday and will leave this coming Sunday. Poor thing has had bad weather and a bit of a cold while visiting! But they promise a bit of sunshine tomorrow afternoon. We plan to go to the Lion and Rhino Park.

Kim has really been a great help at church. We have tried to organize the Store Room AGAIN...(this seems to be an unending task!) After planning themes for the Pre-school, Kim helped me make a box for each theme. We put books, games, and toys that correspond to each theme in the boxes to help the teachers access what they need.

I am amazed at what we have in the Store Room now. To think about what we had when I first got here (old broken toys..and not many of those). And then to see what we have now, I am AMAZED. God is good. Between local donations and international donations, a little shopping with donated money and some digging in the corners of the church, I think we are well stocked!!

My big wish now is for wooden kitchen furniture for the classes. Right now we have make-shift card board ones. And all teachers know that cardboard is the best way to ask for bug infestations! Yuck! So my needs/wants list has become incredibly short! God is good and provides for our needs!

Ive had a bit of bank trouble....again. A few wires that were supposed to come through did not. The VBMB has been great about trying to solve this problem! And thank God Im able to access some money. Im not worried, just frustrated with the South African banking system!

I was hired to come to South Africa and write a curriculum for the Touch Life Centre. I was also hired to train the teachers. I feel like Im making great progress in both of these areas. It has occurred to me that it will not take me 2 years to complete my tasks. So Im praying hard about what God has planned for my future.

Please help me pray about God's plans. Join me in praising God for providing for our needs. Pray for my bank account to work properly. Pray for a safe flight for Kim on Sunday. And pray for the children and teachers of the Touch Life Centre. I cant begin to tell you how special they are. They have already touched my life in so many ways. They have taught me and given me more than I could dream of teaching or giving them! Pray for them to be protected, loved, cherished and aware of God's love always. And please pray for a little sunshine too!

School Begins

2008-01-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

The new school year has started at the Touch Life Centre Pre-school. We have 60 kids registered to come. Most of them are children from last year who have returned. About 17 children are new students.

The school year started well. The children seem to be settling in. Some of them were moved up to a new class. It is wonderful to see the young little Puppy Class students old enough to move up to the Elephant Class. Children grow SO fast.

The teachers have been doing a fantastic job. Their classrooms are well organized and they are actually planning ahead and teaching fun lessons. Part of the Hall of the church (where we usually have lunch and free play time) was sectioned off with some play centers set up. It looks fantastic. And most of the work was done by the teachers while I was in Cape Town. They have really begun to take initiative! Im so impressed with the way they take the little info I give them and they RUN with it and make it into something great for these kids.

I have had several moments this week where I have just sat in amazement. I just look around and cant believe we have come so far!! When I first got here, there were a few boxes of old, broken toys. The children often say still and did nothing for LONG periods of time because the teachers wouldn't plan things for them to do. When the children were given things to do, it wasn't always age-appropriate. And they seemed to do the same activity for WAY too long.

Now the children have wonderful toys (thanks to the donations of materials and money by MANY people in the US). The toys are set up in play centers for the children. (Blocks, House Keeping, Books, Music, etc) The children are divided into small groups to play in each area. The teachers rotate the children through the different play centers so each child gets to try each center. There isn't any sitting and being bored. There aren't any broken, dangerous toys. The teachers are playing with the children and keeping everyone busy. There is planning and structure and fun at the Pre-school now! WOW! I'm not sure I can truly describe the changes that are happening! GOD IS GOOD!

So we have had a GREAT start to the school year. I look forward to getting in each classroom and teaching lessons each week. The plan is to work in each classroom one day a week. I will show the teachers different ideas for how they can introduce new information and keep the children interested and focused. I look forward to this because it means I get to work with the kids more!!! The biggest challenge will be the Puppy class (2-3 year olds). Most of the class is new students....and most of them don't speak ANY English.

Please continue to pray for the children and the teachers. Amazing things are happening here!
Pray for Nomalonga, Faith, Joyce, Aurelia, Malt, Lindiweh, John, Ivan and Mumsy. Pray for Tony, Cheryl and me. And please pray for the parents of these children. Pray for the adults who influence these children to have wisdom, love, compassion and patience. Pray that we can show God's love to these children in a way that will super-glue it in their hearts so that they never forget that they are children of God. Pray for protection and resiliency for these children. Your prayers make a difference! Thank you for caring about these children, teachers, and parents. God bless you!

Cape Town

2008-01-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

My trip to Cape Town was great! We left on Friday, Dec 28th at 4 in the morning and didn’t arrive at our final destination until 10PM. There was a couple who owns a house that needed house sitters while they were in Europe, and we needed a place to stay, so God blessed up with free lodging while we were there.

We visited many different beautiful places. Richard (Pastor Cheryl’s Son) went with us. He lived in Cape Town for a few years, so he was the perfect tour guide and chauffer! Im going to list some of the places we visited with a few highlights about each place.

Me, Carol and Richard on New Year's Eve at the Waterfront.

Beaches—We visited SEVERAL beaches. These included The Strand, Blouberg, Nordhoek, Fish Hook, Camp’s Bay and Gordon’s Bay. All of the beaches had COLD water. The Indian Ocean waters were not as frigid as the Atlantic Ocean waters. Some beaches were perfect for surf boarding, but not for swimming. So we usually just walked through the sand and saw the sights at those beaches. There were some kite surfers that amazed us with their high jumps! Our favorite beach was Gordon’s Bay. The water was fairly shallow, there weren’t too many waves and there were trees along the back of the sand line so shade was available. A few lazy hours reading a book on the beach in the sun is God’s best therapy plan ever!

One of the beautiful sunsets we got to see.

The Waterfront—This is where we spent New Year’s Eve. The waterfront has lots of shops to explore and places to eat. There were a couple of local bands playing and fireworks at midnight. This place was SOOO crowded. I guess it was a safe place to find free entertainment on New Year’s Eve. You can also see seals around the water front. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any. But there were some great views of Table Mountain. We also saw a movie while we waited for it to get closer to mid-night.

Me and Carol at the Waterfront on New Year's Eve

Table Mountain-- Cape Town is surrounded by mountains. Table Mountain is a Cape Town landmark. It is a high mountain that is flat on top….hence the name Table Mountain. From on top of Table Mountain you can get a view of most of Cape Town. There are 4+ hour hiking options to the top of Table Mountain, but hiking in the middle of a South African Summer wasn’t a choice I wanted to make. So we took a cable car up the mountain. The cable car holds about 40 people. The floor inside rotates as you ascend so you can get a 360 view on the way up the mountain. We went up around 6PM and got to watch the sunset. When we first got to the top of Table Mountain, the sun was about three-quarters of the way down in the sky and there was a large mass of clouds below us. What a beautiful sight to see the blue sky, bright sun and clouds shining like gold and silver below us. It almost looked like you could just step out on the clouds and walk straight to heaven. Some of the clouds seemed to be pouring over the mountains in wispy trails. The pictures we took don’t begin to show how gorgeous it was.

Cape Point- Because of the strong winds and rough seas in this area, there are many ship wrecks off of Cape Point. We climbed the hill of Cape Point to see the view from the light house there. At Cape Point there is a view of where the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. There is also a view of the Cape of Good Hope. The day we were there it was extremely windy. All of the pictures have my hair blowing all over the place! It was a beautiful day with amazing views!

Behind me is the Cape of Good Hope

Boulders Beach Penguin Colony—Yes, Penguins live in Africa. On the Southern coast of Africa live the Chin Strap African Penguins. This specific type of penguin can only be found here in Africa. We walked along a board walk through some trees near the beach. As we were walking, we saw penguins waddling through the trees or sitting in small hollows in the dirt. There were many pairs of penguins protecting their eggs….in fact Richard got a little too close to one mom and got a bite on his foot! Down at the beach we saw penguins waddling through the sand or sunning on a rock. It is odd to see penguins on the sand instead of snow. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any swimming or surfing. My favorite part was all of the signs relating to the penguins. There was a Penguin crossing sign. And as you are headed back to the car there is a sign that says “Please check under your car for penguins.”

"That's MY Egg!" Said the penguin before biting Richard's foot.

All in all it was a fabulous trip. I have LOTS of pictures! Im so glad we had the opportunity to play tourist for a few weeks. Cape Town was beautiful. But it was good to get back to Jo’burg. And my next post will probably be about the wonderful kids and how the new school year is going!

The Diagnosis

2008-01-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

After 24 hours of pain in my hand, I finally determined to try to figure out the international world of medical aid. So Saturday my roommate Sara and I left around 1:00Pm to go to a nearby clinic (We didn't go before 1:00 because I thought groceries in the fridge were more important than going to the doctor. Food comes first you know.)

On the way to the clinic there was a horrible flapping sound coming from the rear of the car. We pulled over and low and behold...we have a VERY flat tire (Thank God this didnt happen on the dirve to Cape Town!). I know how to change a tire (thanks Dad!). But the jack was a replacement jack, not the original....so I couldn't quite figure out where to put it. And Sara had never changed a tire before so she wasn't sure. And since one of my hands is out of commission....Sara would have done most of the work. Instead of mess up the whole process, we decided to phone a friend. Corey, a worker from the Door of Hope, came and changed our tire for us. And so finally, after 40 minutes and several scares with creepy people offering to help, we headed toward the clinic (Don't worry, we were locked in the car until Corey arrived. We are smart girls!) We arrive at the clinic at 2:10.....unfortunately they close at 2:00. Drats!

So I waited until Sunday (making sure to check their hours of operation so I wouldn't miss the doctors this time). But after a night of very little sleep because of the pain in my hand (not to mention a 10 minute fight to get the door unlocked) instead of getting there when they open at 8:00AM, I didn't arrive until closer to 9:00AM. After an interesting time filling in the paper work (its kind of hard to write when your ring finger wont bend and get out of the way!)...I FINALLY got to see a doctor.

The diagnosis.....I have cellulitis in my finger. The doctor thinks the infection was probably started by a spider bite of some sort. This is the third time in 2 years Ive had cellulitis. I feel like a walking germ factory! But I now have 4 prescription medications. One strong oral antibiotic, one probiotic, one tube of antibiotic cream, and one bottle of pain medicine. And they say that Americans prescribe too many drugs! Hahaha

So this is the story of my finger. I promise to tell about my trip to Cape Town in the next post. Trust me, Cape Town is far more interesting than my finger!

Returned Safely

2008-01-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

We returned to Johannesburg today. The trip to Cape Town was wonderful. I will write more details later. For now I ask you to please pray for me. Some time on Wednesday my ring finger on my right hand began to feel a little sore. 48 hours later I have a very swollen finger with a painful infection. So please pray for a quick recovery that requires litte to no help from the medical facilities here in Jo'burg.

Leaving for Cape Town.

2007-12-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

Im headed to Cape Town tomorrow at 4AM! Carol, Richard and I will drive for 15 hours to get to the south coast of South Africa for a little fun at the beach. We will be gone from Friday December 28th until Saturday January 12th. I wont have internet access during this time, so the blog will be a little quiet. Im sure I'll make up for it when I get back from our trip. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Years celebration. May God bless you in 2008!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas. There is no doubt that it was hard being away from family and friends, but the Lord definitely blessed me and helped me to have a great day. The day began with presents from home. My family spoiled me by sending 5 packages! It was hard, but I waited until Christmas day to open them. I got some wonderful things. And I went from not being able to find a stocking in South Africa to having 3 stockings (2 imported from the US). It was great to have things from home to open on Christmas morning. I’m wearing some of my new clothes right now.

After I opened my presents, I went to church. We had a very casual service with classic Christmas songs. 4 of the girls from the youth group sang "Mary Did You Know?" They did a great job!

After church I went home for a brief break. I got the chance to call my Mom and talk to her on Christmas! And then we headed to Peter and Yvonne's house. We had a four course meal for lunch. This sounds very formal and fancy, but things were very relaxed. We ate at tables out on the patio. It was a bit over cast so we didn’t have to worry about it being too hot. The weather made it very comfortable to eat outside. There were about 20 people at lunch. We took about 3 hours to eat lunch. Between each course there were things to do. We took a break to open crackers (paper tubes with prizes inside that you pull and pop open). One set of crackers had whistles inside. Each whistle had a different number (note), and one cracker had a sheet of music and a 'baton' for the conductor. So we attempted to play Christmas songs with our whistles. It was all quite fun!

A few people went swimming, but the day was so overcast, that I didn’t hop in the pool. It would have been far too cold! Instead of swimming, I went inside and called home. I called Grandma's house and got passed around from one person to another. It was great to get to talk to everyone! I also called Paige's house and got passed around her family as well. It was fantastic to get to hear from people at home. I got a little choked up, but my roommate Carol commented "You don’t look like you've been blubbering, so it must have been a good phone call."

Peter and Yvonne gave us gifts (even though they told us NOT to bring gifts!). We each received some smelly lotion and a small painting. My painting was an abstract of an African woman carrying her baby on her back. I need to get it framed and hang it on the wall.

After Peter and Yvonne's house, we were supposed to come back to the apartment and open presents from the roommates. But we didn’t have time because we needed to go to Pastor Cheryl's for the evening. We had lots of sweets and desserts at her house while we watched the movie "Happy Feet." It was odd to watch a movie about penguins when it was HOT. But we had a nice quiet end to the day. Just hanging out and relaxing with our "Africa Family."

And finally, after a very busy day, we came back to the apartment. My roommates and I opened our presents from each other at 10PM. I kinda liked having Christmas events all day long. It stretched the day out and helped prevent the "Christmas let down" that you often get when you rush through the day. My roommates got me a few Christian fiction books, a small Bible that will fit in my purse and zips closed so the things in my purse won’t mess it up, and the WOW 2008 CD. They did a great job! I really feel spoiled this Christmas. I hope they liked their presents as much as I like mine.

Now the apartment has the typical after Christmas MESS! Guess I better go do some cleaning. Thanks to all of you who prayed for me this Christmas. God truly blessed me with a great day! I hope your Christmas was a great one too! God Bless you and Merry Christmas!!!

I'm Rich

2007-12-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today we gave out food parcels to many of the people in our church and community. There were 2 plastic shopping bags FULL of food. Each person received:
1 chicken
1 lb. ground beef
½ liter each of milk and juice
½ lb each of potatoes, onions, apples, bananas, cabbage and tomatoes
A small bag each of rice, flour, and sugar
A package of tea
A can of coffee
And because it’s Christmas and time to celebrate, they also received:
A box of cookies and a chocolate candy bar

The bags were overflowing with food. It was amazing to see the reactions of some of the people. One lady started singing and dancing. The whole fellowship hall stopped to look at her and she made them join in with clapping and cheering. I was reminded of David who danced and sang to the Lord and would not be stopped. He did not care if other people considered him “undignified.” When it is time to praise the Lord, sometimes you just can’t hold it in.

Another lady commented “I am rich today! In my house, we are rich today. God is so good to us. He does give us what we need.” Wow, 2 bags of food make her feel rich.

As we were checking the list to make sure everyone got their parcel of food, a few unexpected names were added to the list. One precious lady kept saying “You can give my parcels to her. I want to make sure she gets food as well.” How sweet it is to know someone with such a generous heart. But the Lord is good and we had more then enough parcels to go around. So everyone got something and no one had to walk away empty handed.

I was blessed to get to help pack these bags and help pass them out. Everyone was thankful and had big smiles on their faces. It is good to know that at least for a few moments, the worries of the world were eased. The burdens were lifted. God is good and cares for His people!

Good worship followed by good fellowship. I am truly blessed to be able to serve God here at this time.

Christmas Plans

2007-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

I’ve had several people ask me about my plans for Christmas...so here is what I know so far....

Carol and I will begin the day by going to church. Sara plans to go to the Door of Hope and watch the toddlers open their presents.

After church, we are going to Peter and Yvonne's house for lunch. Peter and Yvonne are the nice couple that treated us to a vacation weekend in the Drakensburg Mountains. They seem to adopt the international volunteers, so there will be several 'misfits' there. It will be nice to celebrate with a crowd of people that are missing home too. We are having a fancy meal followed by some swimming in the pool.

After a nice lunch and some fun with friends, we plan to go to Pastor Cheryl's house for afternoon tea. Knowing our typical visits with Pastor Cheryl, we will be there until late.

So it will be a fairly busy day...which is a good thing!
I hope YOU are having a wonderful Christmas. Whether it is a busy day or a quiet day, I hope you have a chance to celebrate the birth of Christ. Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eat a piece of birthday cake. Just enjoy the day our Savior was born.

Frustrating Day with a Surprise Ending

2007-12-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today was a lesson in frustration. I finally have my tire fixed, so I left around 11AM to go shopping. I needed to shop for Christmas, for my upcoming vacation and for the Day Care. My list was quite long. The first frustration came when I was looking for clothes. The sizes are different than US sizes...once the size difference was figured out in one store, I realized the next store's sizes were not the same. The difference between sizes from one store to another was huge! And when I finally found what I wanted, they didn’t have ANY size that would fit me!

The second frustration came from the lack of educational toys. Apparently, all of the things I have seen in the past few months that I wanted to buy for the Day Care are not big sellers for Christmas. They have all disappeared! I saw some Fisher Prices Little People sets that I want in a store. This store is usually MORE expensive, so I didn’t purchase them. The next 2 stores (Which are usually LESS expensive) had the same thing at a higher price. *sigh* Shopping is so difficult.

There were also frustrations of having NO parking, lots of people to dodge, and long lines at all of the food places at 2PM when I wanted lunch. What mall has long lunch lines at 2PM?!? And who would have thought that there are NO Christmas Stockings available on December 20th! I’m almost sure that there are no Christmas Stockings available in all of South Africa. hahaha I guess decorations aren’t a priority this late in the season.

But the biggest frustration is definitely the fact that I STILL haven’t figured out where to find things. As I was checking off items on my list, I had to try several different stores to find what I was looking for. Sometimes, things just don’t make sense here. The sugar is not always on the same aisle as the flour in the grocery store. The milk and butter are not near each other. I just kept thinking "I could find it at Wal-Mart!"

After a lot of frustration, I realized it was my night to cook. I went to the grocery store and got all of my ingredients....then I went to get some chicken and there wasn’t any! How can there be no chicken in the whole grocery store? I went to ANOTHER grocery store, got the chicken and (finally!) at 5:30PM got back to my apartment.

And surprises, surprise, waiting for me on the kitchen table were 4 packages!!! Wow, what a great end to a frustrating day! Thanks Grandma, Aunt Dianne, Aunt Sue-ee, Paige and Dad for sending packages! Thanks God for bringing them just when I needed them.

Mold

2007-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I was in the mood to bake. So I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. This was an adventure on its own because finding chocolate chips is IMPOSSIBLE. So I bought a few chocolate candy bars and chopped them up to make the cookies. As I was getting other ingredients I needed from the pantry, I realized we had some water damage. Several of the shelves were damp and a few even had mold growing in the corners. So I pulled everything out of the cabinet to clean. I bleached every surface of the pantry. It was quite disgusting. I assumed that the damage was from the excessive rain we've been getting. I figured we had a slight leak that was aggravated by the storms.

The next day, after everything was cleaned and replaced, I go to pull out some cereal and step in a puddle of water. Only, it hadn’t rained in 48 hours! The best thing we can figure out is that one of our upstairs neighbors must have some leaking pipes (none of our pipes go through that part of the wall). The walls in the pantry are wet to the touch and there are drip marks in various places. We dont think the water is coming from the roof.

The horrible part is that we have a fan running 24/7 to help dry out the moisture, and it’s not working. Less than 24 hours after the bleach, our mold has returned, and we wake up to a small puddle every morning!

I've put everything in plastic bags or on Pyrex dishes to prevent them from touching the shelves. There is NO other option for food storage. We only have two other cabinets (one under the sink with cleaners and one beside the stove with all the dishes). So living with this problem and the process of getting it fixed is not going to be fun. And to make things harder, the city shuts down at Christmas time. This is summer vacation for most people. They leave the city and go visit family. So there may not be anyone available to find and repair the problem until after the New Year! Pray that God will send a miracle in one form or another to help us with our leak.

The only good thing that came from this was the batch of cookies I made. And they were very good if I do say so myself!

Needs for the Touch Life Centre

2007-12-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

I have had many people ask what we need here in Jo'burg. I have compiled a new list of needs. If you are interested in finding out how you can help provide some important materials for the Touch Life Centre, please click on the link on the left that is titled CHURCH NEEDS (below the box with the date and time). This will take you to a page that lists the needs we currently have here in Jo'burg. Thanks for your prayers, support, and words of encouragement!

Nail

2007-12-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I was stopped at a stop light (robot), when the man behind me started beeping his horn (hooting) and gesturing. I didn’t know what he was beeping about. The light was red so surely he didn’t expect me to go anywhere. When the light turned green, I turned…and he followed me. At the next light he was beside me and gesturing for me to roll down my window….he didn’t seem angry, so I cracked the window. (I was curious!) He told me that my rear, right tire looked a little low. He told me to get it checked at a garage. I thought “Wow, there are nice guys here in South Africa too!”

But being the girl I am, I forgot to get it checked on the drive to my apartment. Two days later I noticed the tire was really low. So I went to the gas station to have them put some air in it. As the guy was putting air in my tire, he noticed a small nail. The nail was causing a slow leak. But did I stop right then and there and put the spare on? NOOOO. I drove to church so I wouldn’t be late. And then forgot about the tire again and drove home. It wasn’t until today that I woke up and finally remembered. There is still some air in the tire, and I have no where to go today. So I’m going to see if I can’t find how to get this fixed. My first instinct was to call my Dad or a friend of mine that knows a lot about tires....then I realized there wasn’t much advice they could give about getting your tire fixed in South Africa. It’s strange how a nail in my tire can make me home sick.

Big Brother

2007-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things that amazes me here in South Africa is the way the older kids of a family take care of the younger kids. It is common to see an 8 year old carrying around his/her 2 year old brother or sister. It is amazing that these children are so responsible at such a young age. Although we don’t have a class for children under 3 for Sunday School, we often have children that young come. And we can’t turn them out or we'd be turning away the older children as well. The older brothers amaze me most of all. I have seen them be so gentle and loving with their younger siblings. They don’t shy away from changing diapers, comforting a crying child or playing silly games to entertain a fussy toddler. Along with the responsibilities of caring for a younger sibling come the common trials of childhood like school, making friends and figuring out what life is all about. And these kids seem to face the challenge.

Although it is touching to see such strong relationships between siblings, it is hard to see these kids burdened at all. My childhood was free of worries outside of myself. I long to see these children just enjoying being kids. These kids are amazing. Please pray for these kids. They are growing up in poverty. They often live in cramped apartments and most things they own are second hand donations. They are growing up in a country that has a 40% unemployment rate and they are at a disadvantage because of their lack of resources. The cycle of AIDS, illiteracy and poverty is overwhelming. God is working in this community and many people are trying to provide for the needs of these children. But there is so much more to do. Please pray that God reveals the greatest needs to us so that we will know how we can be His hands and feet here in Jo'burg.

Training Days

2007-12-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

So I have survived two days of teacher training. Two down, one to go. All in all, things are going well. The teachers are participating in discussion and seem interested in learning. Im not sure how affective my teaching is. Im good with 5 year olds, but adults are not my forte. Some times I wonder why God ever thought I could manage this. I can’t tell you how many times I pray that God will teach these teachers what they need to know in spite of me.

It is extremely difficult to tell these teachers what they need in their classrooms when we don’t have all of the materials they need. It’s also extremely hard to describe good teaching to people who have probably never seen it. They seem to understand what Im talking about, but Im not sure how these concepts will affect their classrooms. My next big job is to figure out specific skills the teachers need to work on and plan lessons I can teach in their classes to model the skills they need.

Im still having a bit of culture shock. Im coming from a school where all the teachers understood good teaching techniques. They have seen them, practiced them, and have a curriculum that is used as a jumping point rather than a 'bible.' Now Im in a school where the teachers know very little about teaching techniques. They have not seen them or practiced them and they need a curriculum that is all inclusive with lots of 'meat.' I come from a world that has more 'stuff' than we could ever use in our classrooms. And Im now in a world that doesn’t have enough and wouldn’t know what to do with it if they had it.

Im going shopping tomorrow. I can provide 'stuff' for these teachers. And I can provide what knowledge I have. But there seems to be a missing component and I don’t know what it is. Pray that 'stuff' plus training will equal a dramatic change in the quality of teaching. And pray that stuff plus training plus God equals a miracle.

Christmas Bags

2007-12-02T02:57:00.000-08:00

Today we had the Sunday School Christmas Program. It was thrown together at the last minute and I wasn’t sure about the outcome, but I was pleasantly surprised. The kids made the best of it and did a good job considering the short notice.

After the program the whole church had some tea and cakes. Having food and fellowship is a Baptist tradition after all.

As the children were leaving, we handed out Christmas bags to all of them. We made enough bags for all of the children that come to Sunday School. But apparently there are some children who know how to church hop this time of year in order to get a present. But God is good and we had enough bags to go around. The notebooks, pencils, crayons, candy, toys and beanie babies were provided by VA Baptists. Some things were sent from VA. Other things were purchased here with the money that was donated to us. Carol's family did a great job getting money and donations from their churches! Thanks!

When I get a chance I will post some pictures of the kids with their bags. I also had to take the opportunity to take a picture of some of my favorite kids sitting down inside of the big box of beanie babies that my church sent to Africa with me. I think it’s awesome that my kids from my church at home helped provide Christmas presents for my kids at my church in Africa! I miss all the kids back in VA SOOO much!!! (ok, ok, I miss the adults too!)

Thank you to all the people who provided things for us to hand out. It was a privilege to get to bless these children because of your generosity. God is good!

Tomorrow (Monday, December 3rd) is the beginning of my teacher training. We will be training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please pray for me and the teachers as we work together, learn and plan for next year.

Graduation

2007-11-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Day Care's graduation ceremony was on Saturday November 24th. We have 14 children leaving us and going to school. The kids have been practicing songs, skits and poems for the graduation for months. Everything went very well and the children did a GREAT job on all of their items they were performing. There was only one part of the afternoon that worried me. In the middle of the play, the power went out! Since all of the songs were on CD, the graduation would have been a total disaster with no power. After 2 minutes of frantic prayer and hoping for a miracle, the power DID come back on and we were able to finish the graduation with no more hiccups. Thanks God for helping us. A typical blackout lasts HOURS. God is good.

The graduation began with all of the children on stage. They recited the Lord's Prayer and then sang several songs (Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus in the Morning, This Joy That I Have, and Clap Your Hands Halleluiah just to name a few.) After this, the Puppy class (2-3 year olds) showed off what they have learned by saying their colors, shapes, days of the week, months of the year and counting 1-10.

Next the Giraffe girls and boys (5-6 year olds) said nursery rhymes and sang a few songs. 5 of the giraffes performed a tambourine routine to "The Happy Song." This was such a hit, the parents called for an encore.

Then we started the play. The kids memorized lines and sang songs in this play. The worked so hard. Mary and Joseph were so cute pulling their 'donkey' behind them. The donkey was a plastic storage box with wheels and a horse head attached. The sheep, shepherds, wise men and miscellaneous other characters came in on cue, said their lines and looked cute as could be! The end of the play had the whole cast of the nativity on the stage as "Mary" said John 3:16.

After the play, the Elephant Class (4-5 year olds) sang 3 songs to give us time to dress the graduates in their caps and gowns. They marched in to "Above All" and looked so proud as they waited their turn to receive their certificates. Pastor Cheryl prayed for each child individually as they received their certificate. And each child also received a Beginner's Bible courteous of several churches in Virginia!

We finished the program with the song "He Reigns" which starts "It’s the song of the forgiven, rising from the African plains." During this song it was an amazing feeling to have all of the children singing at the top of their lungs "All God's children singing 'Glory, glory, halleluiah He reigns."

Finally, we passed out food and had some fellowship time. Everything went smoothly. The kids did a great job. The parents LOVED it. And Im glad its over!
Go to my pictures page to see some photos from graduation. www.flickr.com/photos/10765134@N03/

Turkey Day

2007-11-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

As you know, Thursday was America's Thanksgiving. South Africa does not have a Thanksgiving celebration, but my roommates and I HAD to celebrate. We invited 3 other Americans to join us Thursday night for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.

My roommate Carol and I cooked the turkey together. It was our first attempt at turkey cooking and I think it turned out well!! We cooked it in a roasting bag and cheated with a pop up timer. The turkey was moist and done early enough to get all of the other food cooked. Carol made WONDERFUL gravy. We also had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, stuffing and a fruit salad. I baked a chocolate cake for dessert.

The 6 of us had a great time talking and celebrating! Thanks to all of the people that emailed us recipes/ provided recipes via the BGBC cookbook that helped us with our first attempt at cooking a Thanksgiving Feast!

Despite all of the wonderful food and company, the best part of the day was the chance to call home!! It was so good to hear the voices of friends and family. All in all, it was a great day! I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

Hurry Up and Wait

2007-11-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

As a general rule, "Hurry Up and Wait" is a way of life here in South Africa. For the most part Ive been getting used to the 'wait' portion of this phrase. Waiting for the bank, waiting for people to arrive (15 minutes late is entirely acceptable). Ive waited for decisions and meetings and planes to arrive. Waiting has been a part of life.

But when the waiting is over, things happen rather quickly. Hurry up and make a decision. Hurry up and fill in for XY and Z who are sick today. Hurry up and move materials at the last minute. Hurry up and retrieve materials from another church.

This next couple of weeks has a lot of "hurry up" to deal with. The Graduation/Christmas Party for the Day Care is this coming Saturday (November 24th). The kids have been practicing for months and I think they are going to do a great job! But this week is a mad dash to get costumes ready, food organized, and details ironed out.

The following weekend (December 2nd) is the Sunday School Christmas Program. Since we only began practice 3 weeks ago and we only have 1 left before the program....Im not confidant about the way this is going to turn out.

And the week after that is my long awaited, much anticipated, desperately needed teacher training (December 3, 5, and 7). I know what changes need to be made. I can imagine what a great Day Care looks like. I can see the kids interacting in age appropriate ways. I can see the potential in the teachers. But Im having a very hard time finding the best way to get what is in MY head into THEIR heads. I think I could show them changes that need to be made by modeling lessons in their classrooms....but I dont think they will grasp the important concepts unless I teach them explicitly and very specifically point out what Im doing. But after 6 years of teaching and a life time of loving children, Im not sure of ALL of the different things Im doing. So Ive had to look at my teaching techniques and beliefs more closely. Ive had to analyze what I do, why I do it and how effective it can be in this setting. I am definitely growing and learning through this process. The task set before me is extremely challenging. There are days when it seems impossible. Im having to rely on God to fill in the gap when Im unable to perform miracles in this Day Care. And we need a few miracles! But I believe that God is still in the business of performing miracles.

Between helping with 2 Christmas programs and trying to figure out how to train teachers Im feeling a little overwhelmed. Ok, Im feeling a LOT overwhelmed.

But in true South African style, Im busy for the next few weeks and then I have a nice long break (December is Summer Vacation!). I get to "Hurry Up and Wait."

Stark Contrast

2007-11-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

I think Jo'burg is like many cities around the world. There are areas of affluence and areas of poverty. Last night I had a chance to see the two worlds within moments of each other.

I work in an area of town that is run down. It used to be a white area during apartheid, but in the past 14 years it has been abandoned by its former white residents and is now a predominantly black area. You can see the beauty that once existed in the architecture and remaining landscaping, but the area of Troyeville has become very run down. Just driving to the church I see trash along the grounds, many buildings with graffiti and broken windows. As you look around there are people milling about everywhere. Although most of them try to remain clean, their clothes are often worn and often second-hand. The stores have bars at the windows and doors all day long and the cars look as if they could fall apart at any moment.

After working in Troyeville all day yesterday, we had the opportunity to go out to dinner with Peter and Yvonne (the couple that took us to the mountains for the weekend). We went to an area called Sandton. Sandton is vastly different than Troyeville. There is no trash to be found. I don't think trash would dare touch the ground here. It would pick itself up and find a trash can before it would allow the landscape to be upset by litter. The landscaping is beautiful along the roads, homes and shopping areas. The people, clothing and cars are equally impressive. The stores have no bars (during the day) and the people seem to walk around with a sense of leisure. They aren't rushing to get somewhere, but enjoying their shopping experience. I feel that this area is so fancy that I don't quite fit in. (The South Africans use the term "Larney" when describing something extremely fancy and high class.)

It is always interesting to me to see the "Haves" and the "Have-Nots" so close together and yet so far apart. When I tell someone from the nicer areas where I am working, they instantly become shocked that I would dare go to Troyeville. They have judgements of the area when they have never been there. But I suppose I am the same way. I have judgements of the Soweto area because of its horrible reputation for violence. It is often easy to make judgements on what we've heard rather than risk seeing for ourselves.

Just to ease your minds....I am usually locked safe within the walls and gates of the church. I rarely walk outside of the church perimeter, and never by myself. I have met enough people in the community to get a wave from a parent or child as I am driving the short distance from the church to the highway. And all of the people that I have come in contact with in Troyeville have been friendly to me. Safety precautions are a necessary part of life and I observe them. So don't be a worry-wart (I'm speaking to a select few of you out there and you know who you are!) If you are still feeling worried, please turn your worries into prayer so it can do some good.

Excitement

2007-11-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

The weather has been beautiful the past week. Sunny, warm and breezy. Its very hard for my brain to wrap around the fact that it is November. The stores have Christmas decorations up and there are only 3 weeks until the Christmas program at church....but Im having a hard time accepting that. I guess cool weather and fall leaves are necessary for my brain to think its close to Christmas.

The church got a new washer and a new stove today! I send out a great big thanks to Gem and her church for their generous support. God is good. The washer was getting old and spent more time being repaired than washing. The oven didnt work and the cook eyes worked inconsistently. So having these two appliances replaced was such a blessing. The old washer and stove are being passed on to people who are in desperate need and are willing to get some more use out of them. So the blessings are trickling down throughout the community.

Two of the ladies on the team have helped us clean out our store room and there is FINALLY room to sort and organize the children's materials. Three cheers for Betty1 and Betty2! Now the books, craft supplies and toys will be easier to access and use. Im excited about the possibility of being organized and tidy. There is still a lot of sorting to do, but I finally have the space!! Im a excited!

The VA Girls

2007-11-06T06:58:00.001-08:00

Sara, Amber and Carol

This picture was taken during our weekend in the Drakensburg Mountains.

This is a picture of me and my two roommates. I thought everyone might want to see a picture of the ladies that I spend a lot of time with. God has been so good to put us together. I couldnt have asked for better girls to live with.

Sara (on the left) works at the Door of Hope. She is the youngest of the roomies. She is straight out of college and plans to be here for 2 years through the Venturer program. Sara is always very sweet and has the best outlook on everything. She came in and seems to be a natural at helping with the babies. She has the big job of helping wit adoptions, running babies to the doctors and MANY other things. But she takes it all in stride and seems to love it!

Carol (on the right) works at Troyeville Baptist Church as the Youth Pastor. Carol is the organized roomie. She remembers things, plans things and keeps Sara and I from being completely messy. Carol was the first to arrive here in South Africa and has paved the way for us in so many ways. She plans to be here for one year, but we are hoping to keep her a little longer than that if we can. I am very impressed with the youth that Carol works with and know they are learning ALOT from her.

Those are my roommates. They are great girls and we have a great time together. We have a "roommate" date every Friday. We go out to dinner. Sometimes we go shopping or go to the movies together. Its our chance to get out of the house and away from work and spend some time together. We also take turns cooking dinner. None of us claims to be a good cook, but we haven't killed each other yet with our food...so we are making progress.

Typical Day

2007-11-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

I was trying to think about my typical day so I could share with you the things I usually do. But my typical day is not ever typical. Changes are frequent and being flexible is necessary. So here is what happened the past few days just to give you an idea of what I do.

Wednesday-- I went to work in the morning. I spent part of the morning practicing the Graduation programme with the children (Im the narrator). After practice, I spent some time writing curriculum and planning for the teacher training that is coming in early December. In the late afternoon I spent some time with the children during their free play. And finally went home. On the way home it was raining, so traffic was awful. Wednesday night my roommate Sara (who works for The Door Of Hope) went to fetch a new baby that was dropped at the baby bin. While she was gone I baked a cake and enjoyed a little quiet time. (Can I just say that I am SOO glad that I brought the church cook book with me.....my roommates said to thank Jane Madison for her wonderul Salisbury Steak recipe!)

Thursday-- On Thursday I spent some time in the morning planning for the team that was going to arrive. I went to the Day Care and spent some time with the kids while they were in Play Centers. I tried to model good child-teacher interactions....this is an uphill battle! I left from church and went to the mall to wait for my roommate Carol. We headed to the airport to pick up the team.

Friday-- Carol and I rode to a church up in the Northern area of the city to pick up some donations to our Day Care. After riding around in a cirlce for a while (we took a short cut that wasnt too short)....we finally got there...got the stuff and then went to pick up the team. We stopped for lunch and then we took the team and the stuff to the church. We gave the ladies the grand tour (they got mobbed by the kids of course) and finally got home around 5:00. Friday night is our roommate date night, but we were all too tired. So we went to a restaurant nearby called Yanky's. After a quick calzone we headed home and crashed in front of the TV.

Saturday-- Today I went to pick up the team and took them to an African Market. After 3 hours of shopping, we stopped for lunch at McDonald's and then went to church for the monthly ladies meeting. We had a program on AIDS and some lovely conversation. And now Im at home blogging.

So, as you can see, I have no typical day. I fill in when there are emergencies at the Day Care. I write lessons. I pick up teams. I run errands. I model things for the teachers. I hang out with my roommates and spend a lot of time at church. Some days are crazy busy...others are slow and drag by. Im used to very structured predictable days, so this changing schedule is a new experience for me. Life is definitely not boring!

Holidays

2007-11-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween passed without a single jack-o-lantern, trick-or-treater or scary movie on TV. Other than seeing pumpkins in the grocery store, you'd have never guessed it was Halloween. Its very strange for me to not have those seasonal milestones. Its three days after Halloween and there are no turkey decorations to be found. The weather is warm and breezy. The trees are blooming. If I didnt have a calendar to help me keep track of time, Id never guess it was November.

It is also a little disconcerting to see Christmas decorations in the stores. On Christmas day, we will be in the middle of summer. Yet all of the Christmas decorations are very typical decorations. They have Christmas trees, snow flakes and Santa Claus on the wrapping paper. The Christmas cards even have winter scenes on them! And just in case you are wondering...the Christmas stuff started appearing in mid-October...just like in the US. So it seems universal to begin the season before necessary.

But I cant say I am sad about the early onset of Christmas. I LOVE Christmas Carols! So I love any excuse to listen to them. I cant wait until Thanksgiving like my Grandma does. I have to start listening to them the day after Halloween. Im interested to see the differences between a US Christmas and a South African Christmas.

Small World

2007-11-01T12:54:00.001-07:00

A team of 4 ladies from VA arrived today. They will be working with me at the Day Care. They are very sweet and I look forward to a wonderful time with them. One of the ladies looked SOOO familiar when we picked them up from the airport. Come to find out, she and I have already done missions together. In 1997, Betty and I went to Panama together. I was 17 and she was a leader on my Acteens Activator trip. We spent 2 weeks in Panama teaching Clowning and Puppetry. I had a great trip and I am so excited that God has brought the 2 of us back together to do more missions work. Its amazing that God would put us together twice. The first time, she was my leader as we traveled to Panama. This time, I am her guide in South Africa. What an amazingly small world we live in! Or maybe its just that God is SO BIG!

Discouraged

2007-10-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

Im feeling particularly discouraged today. I dont know if its the weather (cold and rainy), or if its just Satan trying to mess with me. But Im feeling a bit lost when it comes to this job. I have found that I go through cycles here in South Africa. I feel hope and joy at working with the kids. I see wonderful things that can happen and Im blessed to be a part of them. Then a day like today comes and I feel like Im not making a big enough difference. I feel like Im floundering and not meeting anyone's expectations. I feel like I cant do enough, I cant do it good enough and I cant do it fast enough.

Please pray for better communication between me and the entire church staff. Pray that we can all see how God is working wonderful things through all of our human blunders. Pray that the teachers will be open to drastic changes. Pray that they will see how changes brought can make the kids happier and their jobs easier. Pray that I can keep my eyes focused on what God has planned. Pray that I dont get distracted by the delays and small steps.

God is good all the time. Im so gald I can write about what is going on here and KNOW that you will pray. I have no idea how many people read this blog. But I thank each and every one of you. Wether I know you personally or not, your prayers are making a difference. I am humbled that you keep coming back to read more. Please know that God is doing great things (even on the days when Im discouraged).

Tutoring

2007-10-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to work a little girl today on her school work. Oyisa is one of the teacher's daughters and is struggling with adding in school...and her class is getting ready to move on to multiplication! Im trying to do some last minute tutoring to get her up to par. She is sweet as can be, but so unsure of herself. As I was working with her, I realized she had major holes in her education. She has many things memorized well, but has very little application. She knows all the numbers and can write them perfectly. But she can’t process how to add 2 numbers without using her fingers. She knows all the letters and letter sounds, but cant sound out a simple word. She can write a sentence, but only ones that she has memorized. She has no techniques for attacking problems. This impromptu tutoring session highlighted the fact that we need to implement an after school home-work-help time. The church had plans for an after school program, but with a shortage of funds, space and adults, it has gotten pushed to the side. Please help me pray about this. Maybe God can make it work after all.

Rugby Fan

2007-10-20T02:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who dont know me really well....Ive never been a big sports fanatic. Until now! Somehow I am hooked on Rugby. The Rugby World Cup is being held in France this year. I have watched many of the games on TV. Im actually proud of myself because I have learned some of the rules of the game and can cheer along with the other rugby fans here in South Africa. I dont know how it happened, but I finally found a sport I enjoy watching.

The South African team is called the Springboks. They have done really well and are in the finals. Tonight is the last game. South Africa vs England. I am amazed at all the pride that can be seen all over South Africa. TV shows are moved to make room for Springbok specials. EVERYONE is wearing Springbok colors (green and gold). Flags are flying and all of the stores have dress their manaquins in green and gold. Springbok fever has hit. Im tempted to spend an atrocious amount of money on a Springbok jersey, but Im not sure I could find one in the store today!

Im looking forward to the game tonight. The Springboks have a good chance of winning the finals! Go Springboks!

The Drakensberg Mountains

2007-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to get out of the city. A nice couple invited 5 volunteers in the Jo'burg area to go with them to their time share in the Drakensberg Mountains. I was amazed at the beauty that God creates. I have seen mountains in VA, Mexico, Germany and South Africa....and each set of mountains was unbelievably beautiful and unique. I cant begin to describe how gorgeous the mountains looked. Some of the mountains looked worn down with age. As if the outer coating had been worn off and the inner frame of the mountain was exposed. Other parts of the mountains looked like giants had laid down and been covered with a mossy green blanket. The dips and valleys seemed to be the nooks behind the giants’ elbows and knees. Everything was so calm and peaceful. No rushing cars or bright lights. No to-do lists or schedules. Just a lot of good conversation and gorgeous scenery.

We went on 2 hikes while we were in the mountains. On the second hike, we wound our way through the woods toward a grotto. The path we took was narrow and steep at points. And you could always hear the river below, but it remained elusive most of the hike.....until suddenly you'd come upon it and have to hop from rock to rock to get to the other side and continue the search for the waterfall at the end of the trail.

As we were hiking, I couldnt help but sing "Ive got peace like a river." My roommate commented that rivers are rarely peaceful looking. More often than not they are rushing and tumbling over rocks and down waterfalls. But I think that what peace is.....peace is knowing you are heading in the right direction, even when the pathway is rocky. Peace sweeps you through the rough spots of life and keeps you moving when you want to stay stuck and stagnant in the still waters.

I have experienced peace like no other as I follow God's will here in South Africa. Much like the river, there have been rocky spots. There have been moments when I felt like things were going to fast and I just wanted to slow down. There have been moments when I felt like I was falling through space like the water in the waterfall. But through it all, Ive known I am heading in the right direction. I know God has a great plan and I just need to go with the flow.

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to spend some time in the mountains. I always feel a bit closer to God when I am surrounded by the beauty that he created.

My Friend Sunday

2007-10-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

A while back I asked you to pray for a child at the Day Care named Nero. I was amazed and humbled by the affect of your prayers. He blossomed almost overnight. He is more outgoing. He is attempting to learn more English. I have seen him smile SO MANY times in the past few weeks. Your prayers are making a difference.

Id like to tell you about another student at our Day Care. His name is Sunday. He is 6 and getting ready to go to school this coming January. Sunday lives with his grandmother. Both of his parents have passed away. And this past week he recently lost his grandfather.

Sunday came to the Day care a year and a half ago with some coordination problems. At the age of 4, he wasnt able to walk up and down the stairs without adult assistance. He wasnt able to run and often tripped over his own feet when walking. I believe that much of this was due to neglect. In the past year Sunday has made great progress. He now runs and walks up stairs and can climb the jungle gym. His running is a bit awkward and not very fast (he always gets caught when playing Duck Duck Goose!) but he is making progress.

Sunday is considered the "Bad Boy" of the Day Care. Because of his reputation, the children easily blame him for everything that happens. (Although, 50% of the time he probably is at fault.) Although there may be a little ADHD problem, Sunday is very immature for his age. He loves to be the center of attention...be it bad attention or good attention.

Sunday is cute and adorable. He has a loving heart and a desire to learn. But he is also one of those naughty kids that misbehaves and then smiles at you to see what you are going to do about it. Although I find his behavior endearing (Ive always had a soft spot for the naughty ones)....apparently his behavior is going to get him in major trouble at school. The teachers at the center have commented "When the schools see how he is, they are going to put him in one of those special classes and he'll never get out." This breaks my heart. Sunday has the ability to learn. He has the ability to behave. He just desires a little positive encouragement.

Please pray that the teachers at the Day Care will see the great things about Sunday. Please pray that God will prepare a teacher for him that will see his potential and accommodate for his faults. Please pray for his family. Pray that Sunday will overcome the negative expectations that people have of him and live up to the wonderful expectations that God has for him. I know God can imagine so much more for Sunday than I can, so I leave it in his hands to guide the life of this little boy. I cant wait to see what your prayers and God's love can do for this child!

Good News

2007-10-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to update you on a little boy at the Pre-school who was tested for HIV. Thabo's (Ta-Bow) test results were negative! Praise God! No HIV!! Please continue to pray for him. We are trying to get his legal custody straightened out. Pray that this will be a matter of paper work and that no other problems will arise during this process.

I also wanted to share with you the joy I feel when I get to speak to these children about God. Although I tried to show God's love, I wasn't able to speak about God as a public school teacher. I am so blessed now that I have the freedom to speak about God ANY TIME I WANT! I get to sing about God, to talk about His love and provision. And nothing is more precious than asking a class “What story should I tell today?” and hearing them ask for Bible Stories!

Today I watched as the children practiced for their Graduation Program. They sang about God. They acted out the Nativity Story. They recited the Lord's Prayer. And they danced to praise Jesus.
I was nearly in tears....I am so blessed to be a part of the lives of these children.
I was nearly doubled over laughing because of the way they danced and sang some of the words wrong.
I was proud to see them trying to hard to get everything right.
And I was a bit overwhelmed that these 60 children are constantly looking to me and the other teachers to know how to act.....how to act in the play and how to act in life.

I cant thank you enough for your prayers, encouragement and support that make it possible for me to be here and experience all of these things. I feel I am unable to fully express what is happening here. I cant show you how obvious it is that you are praying. I can physically see and feel the power of your prayers. I cant show you the joy in these little faces as they get socks, balloons and stickers that YOU have provided. I wish that everyone could come here and experience it for themselves, because words will never describe the powerful things God is doing here.

If you ever want to see it for yourself, all you need is a passport and a plane ticket! Anyone is welcome to come and visit and see for yourselves what is going on here in Jo'burg. Warning: We may put you to work!

Burn, Books and Big Job

2007-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Its been raining alot lately. Thursday was a nice break from all the rain. I spent the morning on the playground with the older kids. In the afternoon I spent some time on the playground reading. It was warm but there was a nice breeze. After that much time in the sun....you guessed it....I got a sunburn! Dont worry, I went to the pharmacy and bought some sun screen right after work.

Friday, Carol and I rode to Pretoria to pick up a truck load of free resources for the church. Apparently churches in the states have partnered with this BIG church in Pretoria. They pack and ship a tractor trailer load full of out dated materials. The church here invites the neighboring churches to come share in the wealth. They target churches that dont have the money to buy these resources. It was amazing to see full sets of curriculum, VBS kits and Open Windows devotionals. What a great way to get more use out of old resources.

Im making progress with the curriculum Im putting together. I wanted to get the whole year planned with themes, stories and skills so I could work on the detailed lesson plans month by month. Ive planned, re-planned, unplanned and planned again. Some days I feel like I havent gotten far. Other days I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Resources and materials are so different here than in the States....so it takes a little creative planning on my part. I am definitely out of my comfort zone.

Tired

2007-10-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

I've been unusually tired the past few days. I'm not sure why. I've tried to link the weariness to sleep, food and several other factors and can't seem to figure out why Im dragging so much. I let myself sleep an extra 45 minutes this morning and went into work a bit late. I felt alright after eating breakfast, but on the drive to the church I felt drowsy and exhausted. (I can hear all the moms out there going: take some vitamins, drink some orange juice, eat more vegetables, dont sleep too much...that'll just make you more tired. I know, I know....Im being a good girl!)

So please pray for a little more energy.
Also, Pastor Cheryl is recovering from the flu. Please pray for her health....she has been sick off and on all year.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2007-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

We had a VBS this week at the church. We had the kids rotate through stations. I got to teach the Bible Story Rotation!! Many of the stories focused on the affects of prayer. As part of one of the lessons, I taught the kids the Teaspoon (Tsp.) prayer. This is something I’ve learned since arriving in S.A. I thought it was a quick simple way to teach kids to pray and I was amazed at some of the things the kids prayed about. The point of teaching the Tsp. prayer is to make sure that kids focus on different things as they pray.

T=Thank You
S=Sorry
P=Please (I told the kids that they could ask God for ANYTHING, big or small.)

Here are some of the responses I got from the kids:

Thank You God:
For another day
For being alive
For making me ME
For bringing me to church
For my family and friends

I’m sorry God:
For fighting with my brother
For not listening to my mother
For biting my friends
For treating other people badly
For sinning

Please:
Help me fix my lap top mouse
Give me more friends
Keep me safe when I go home and when I go to play
May I have my mother and father alive while I am alive?
Forgive me my sins
Forgive me if I’m not praying, but you know that I trust in you
Help us to do nice things for you.
__________________ (Some children left this part blank....they chose not to ask for anything!)

The kids here sing a song that starts "Telephone to Jesus, Telephone to Jesus, Telephone to Jesus every day." I told the kids to talk to Jesus just as if they were on the telephone. They don’t have to sound fancy or use big words. Saying "Hi, God!" was a good way to start. They laughed a lot as I made fun of the fancy prayers you sometimes hear in church. I think they got the point that is doesn’t matter how you pray as long as you JUST DO IT!

Unqualified

2007-09-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing happens quickly here in South Africa (except maybe the driving). And my effectiveness here at the Touch Life Centre seems to be a slow process as well. I wish I could report that I have made many wonderful changes and that things are drastically different than when I arrived….but I can’t. Knowing what changes to make is not easy. How to implement the necessary changes is much harder.

Some changes will be a shock to the teachers. Others will go against cultural norms. Some changes that need to be made relate to attitude and others relate to organization. I struggle to prioritize the changes that need to be made. When I think something is important, often it is hard to teach the new skill or mind-set. Or sometimes it is not really as important as I thought it was and somehow the list of priorities is thrown back up into the air and I am back at square one.

I don’t want to fail at this job. I don’t want to fail my family or church. I don’t want to fail all of the wonderful saints who pray for me daily. I especially don’t want to fail the children I’m here to work for. But I must remind myself daily that it is not ME who is doing the work. I am here to serve God. My job is to be available to God so that He can do His work. He is ultimately the one who will do the work in the lives of these children.

The longer I am here the more I mourn the lost chances I had to serve God. I think of all of the things I could have been involved in at home. All of the people I could have invited to church. All of the conversations about God that I avoided with non-believers because I didn’t think I had the answers. I have the answer. He lives in my heart….and I let my doubts and fears prevent me from being available to serve God. So often I said “Lord, I will follow you, but….” (Luke 9:61). I will follow you, but not right now. I will follow you, but not there. I will follow you, but I’m not going to do that. I will follow you, but right now I’m so busy I don’t have the time. I will follow you, but isn’t there someone more qualified?

I pray that God redeems all of the lost moments that could have been used to His glory. I pray that God redeems all the lost opportunities to serve Him. Now that I am finally trying to serve Him, I realize how much joy I lost out on in the past because of my stubborn selfishness. And all of the times I avoiding serving God were purely moments of selfishness! I was too busy, too lazy, too insecure or too hard hearted to step up and fill in where God needed me. I pray that each of these lost chances is redeemed and that I am given more opportunities despite my lack of dependability.

I can’t begin to tell you how many needs there are in this world. And we are the ones God has called to help. We are God’s people. We all have the opportunity to be His hands and feet. I cant imagine how affective we could all be if we would stop giving God excuses and start giving Him our willingness to serve!

For me, it’s a daily (sometimes hourly) commitment to serve. I’m trying so hard not to make excuses. I’m trying not to let the fear of failure hinder my willingness to try. I’m trying to be available to God. I’m not always the best person for the job….but God can use our willingness to do His work. Even though I can’t see quick, drastic changes happening here at the Day Care, I have no doubt that God is working and great things will come with time. I don’t know how these changes will come, but I trust in Him. I trust Him to provide what these children need. I trust Him to prepare the teachers for change. I trust Him to prioritize the changes for me and orchestrate them in spite of me if necessary. I trust Him to do the work that I am not qualified to do. I trust Him.

A Poem of Worship

2007-09-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

I was asked to read a poem at church one Sunday. I couldnt find one I liked, so I just wrote one. I was really trying to focus on the fact that worship is something you DO..its an action. So I tried to start every pair of lines with a verb. As you can tell, it sounds very much like a psalm...that's cause I was reading the psalms right before I wrote it. Here it is....

Praise the Lord here in this place.
Praise our God for his wonderful grace.

Tell of his glory, his power and love.
Tell of the one who reigns up above.

Sing and be glad for our God is great.
Sing of the wonders that He did create.

Shout for joy, be glad He is King.
Shout to the Lord, let your praises ring.

Worship the Lord with prayers and with song.
Worship the Lord all the day long.

Love the Lord for He sent his Son.
Love the Lord, His will be done.

Lift your feet and dance around.
Lift your voice, make a joyful sound.

Raise your hands and praise his name.
Raise a prayer- thank God Christ came.

Praise the Lord, our God of love.
Praise the Lord who reigns above.

by Amber Williams
1st September 2007

Rhino and Lion Park

2007-09-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to go visit the Rhino and Lion Park (my first excursion outside of Jo'burg!). It is a wild game park that is outside of the city and houses many native animals in its boundaries. Although this game park is not completely natural, (they feed the lions and house them in separate areas of the park than the tasty zebras) it is nice to see the animals in a more natural setting than a zoo. We drove our car around dirt roads in search of all sorts of African animals.

We saw LOTS of ostrich. We also saw wildebeest, rhinos, hippos, crocodile, zebra, several different animals in the deer family, and a variety of birds. I’m sure there are others that I’m not remembering off the top of my head.

The zebra looked funny. It was dry and dusty and the zebra were coated with a thick layer of red dirt. So they didn’t look black and white, they looked more black and pink. The Rhino were eating when we first drove by in the morning and we got to see a baby nursing. It’s amazing to see a baby animal that probably outweighed our car. Later in the day, the Rhino were resting under a tree. Carol had her mega-zoom camera lens and wanted a photo of them...but they were all lying down. But the biggest Rhino chose that moment to get up and show off. It was like he was posing for the camera. First he was facing us, then he turned and we got a nice profile shot. He stood there for a long time as we snapped pictures. Then he lay down as if to say, "Show's over folks, thanks for coming."

My favorite part of the park was the animal crèche (nursery). There were several baby animals that were abandoned or injured that the park was taking care of. As we were looking, one of the staff put a leash on an older cheetah and took it for a walk! There were 6 month old brown lion cubs, 4 month old white lion cubs, and 7 week old tiger cubs (tigers aren’t native to Africa, they were imported). We didn’t get to just watch these cubs play; we got to PLAY WITH them!! You could pay about $3 and spend 5 minutes playing with these animals.

We opted NOT to play with the older brown lions. They were about as tall as me if they stood on their hind legs. We chose to play with the younger white lion cubs first. Although they were only about 4 months old, they were probably as big as a full grown lab. It was getting hot and they were pretty lazy, so we had to play with them to get them active. It was so funny to play with them like they were cats....just really big cats. They liked to bat at a coke bottle with rocks in it...their paws were as big as my hand! They loved to chase a rope around in circle. They also liked being lazy and just getting their bellies rubbed.

After the lions, we went to play with the 7 week old tiger cubs!! They were so little compared to the lions...about the size of a large grown house cat. They were a little friskier and wanted to play. They loved to grab your clothing and twist and chew as if trying to drag you around. They were fluffy and had the brightest blue eyes. I loved playing with them because you could actually pick them up and put them in your lap. And since we showed up when the animal nursery was relatively quiet, we got to play a little longer than our 5 minutes. ;-)

After playing with the babies, we rode around the park some more. To finish off the day, we went to the area of the park where animals are kept in smaller fenced areas for breeding purposes. We walk into a narrow aisle between to fences. On one side is a full grown brown lion and lioness. On the other side is a full grown white lion and lioness. The 2 males were pacing up and down the fence growling at each other. Standing between these 2 enormous, fierce animals while they were roaring at each other was a bit unnerving. Although there was an electric fence between them and me, I still felt the hairs on my arms stand up and my heart raced a bit faster. The growls, roars and rumbles were so low and deep you could feel it reverberating around you. The look in their eyes meant serious business. They desperately wanted to get to each other and show off their power. And I was close enough to them to realize how BIG and powerful they really were.

I was very impressed with the number of animals and the natural way the park was set up. I think this small park gave us a stronger desire to go see the enormous and very popular Krueger National Park!

PS...I’m having some trouble with this Blog, so I couldn’t add the pictures here. Check out my flikr site for a few pictures from the trip. http://www.flickr.com/photos/amberdawny

Art and Toys

2007-09-17T08:25:00.001-07:00

This past week, we had the privilege of having an 'artist in residence'. Kelly came from VA to help at the Day Care. She did some art with the children....they LOVED her to pieces. She is the playdoh queen! But she also spent a lot of her time creating a mural for our playground. Kelly stayed at the apartment with Carol and I, and we all had a lot of fun talking, hanging out and getting to know each other. Its sad to get to know her and then watch her go. But I realized that if I hadn't come here to South Africa, I probably wouldnt met her at all.

Kelly left a little bit of the mural unfinished (a section of the wall that is unseen and to the right of this picture). There is a youth in the church who has some art skills....and Kelly thought this would be a way to get this youth involved in a service project. I think its a great idea!

I also got to spend ALL DAY Thursday sorting and organizing toys. I feel much better knowing what we do and dont have. Although the sorting process wasnt super organized, and the rooms dont have centers set up like I want, I have a starting point finally. Until now, I didnt know what was hidden in corners and cubby holes. I didnt know what to ask for and what was needed. Now I can set goals and search for things at the stores that I KNOW we need.

(Check out the NEEDS BLOG to find out what we need.)

I also had the privilege of passing out socks and underwear to all of the children today. They were so excited over something as simple as underwear and socks. And they werent picky....they gladly took what ever we handed them. And one of the mothers thanked me multiple times!! We made sure to give extra pairs to the kids who needed it the most. There was plenty to go around! I want to thank all those who made this possible! You really are making a difference. God bless you for the blessings you shared with others.

I feel like Im taking lots of little baby steps and these teachers and kids need giant leaps to get them to where I think they can be. Im hoping that baby steps will start to add up AND that when the new school year starts in January we can reorganize and implement some great new things. My goal is to prepare the teachers with knowledge and 'tricks up their sleeves' between now and then so they will be ready to dive in head first with the start of the new year!

Stay tuned for another blog about my trip to the Rhino and Lion Park!!

Fire

2007-09-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I was home alone (Carol was at the church for youth). I went on the balcony to enjoy the view and happended to see a FIRE in the distance. As I watched, the fire spread quickly. I realized, I dont know the emergency number here. I dont know my street address. I dont know what to do! The tall grasses seemed to bloom with fire. In five minutes the fire had crawled its way up the long row of fences and walls.

After climbing upward on the hill near my apartment, it started to spread outward. I watched as a lapa caught fire. The thatch roofed structure looked like an enormous fire ball. The house nearby was in danger because of the flames. The people in the house tried to put out the fire with their water hose. But because of the size of the flames, they couldn't get close. Thankfully, the lapa burned itself out before the house caught fire.

(In this picture, the fire is over the fence of the nature reserve, but not yet inside my fence.)

As I looked up the hill beside my apartment complex, I realized that there was nothing to stop the flames. They would quickly spread toward me and the nature reserve directly behind me. I felt safe because there was enough pavement and brick to prevent the fire from coming close to the apartment. And the tall grasses seemed to burn out quite fast. But I was very concerned about the nature reserve. There was no way for me to help. The fire was on the other side of my electric fence and I had no water hose or courage to help the situation.

As I looked up the power lines to see the flames move closer to the nature reserve, I saw a man beating the flames with his shirt. He had jumped the low fence of the nature reserve and was trying to keep the flames back. Considering the long and wide the fire was spread, there was no way he was going to stop this fire. I marveled at his determination. I think he was working hard in hopes that the fire department would show up and take over. And he was right. Just as he was overwhelmed and exhausted and about to give up, just as the fire was about to reach the nature reserve, the firemen showed up. They allowed the fire to jump the fence of the nature reserve, but made some lines further back that prevented wide spread fire damage.

Closer to the apartment, there was some fire damage. The fire began to jump our fence. Although it probably wouldnt have damaged the buildling, we werent willing to wait and see. A very clever neighbor pulled the emergency fire hose out of the stairwell and over the top wall. Three men worked together to spray the fire and keep it from invading our personal space.

Many of the South Africans were not surprised or alarmed. Apparently grass fires are common this time of year. They might be common for the South Africans, but they aren't common for me!! I was a little stressed and worried. That was enough excitement for one weekend! But God was good. This happened on a Saturday when people were home to call the fire department. He prevented any real damage to people and property. This could have been so much worse. AND after an hour and a half of excitement, I gave in to the need for a nap! It was a GREAT nap!

Faith

2007-09-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

I went into the sanctuary today for a moment of peace and quiet. And also for a little prayer time. I have been very overwhelmed and humbled lately by all of the needs here at the Touch Life Centre. I am completely and totally unable to help them with everything that they need. And I know in my heart that it isnt going to be making the difference, its going to be God. But knowing God has all the answers doesnt give me all the answers we so desperately need.

As I was praying, Faith (the cook at the Centre) walked into the sanctuary. She was seeking the same thing as me...a moment of peace and quiet. We sat together silently for about a moment and then Faith pulled a Bible out of the pew. She flipped and flipped and flipped and finally found Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." What a timely reminder from God! I needed His help and He sent someone to remind me that all I have to do is ask for it!

I praise God for Faith. Please pray for her. I learned many things about her during our conversation that break my heart. She is so very sweet and wants desperately to please everyone. She has a wonderfully tender heart. Pray for special blessings for her. Pray for protection for her and her family. Pray that her neighbors see her as a wonderful example of God's love and that they seek and find what she has...God's Love!

Prayer Requests

2007-09-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Your prayers have made an amazing difference here. I post prayer requests on my blog and then I see the changes here and know you guys are praying!! Please pray for the following things:

A worship leader to help with the praise team/music
A male leader to help with the youth. The boys in the youth group need a positive role model to talk with.
The Sunday School program at Troyeville Baptist Church. The teachers are tired and the classes are too large. The program needs lots of help! Pray for the teachers: Nomalonga, Shay, Rona, Renee, Simon and Dave.
Thabo-- A young boy at the Day Care. His mother died of Aids. His step-father has allowed the head teacher at the Day Care (Nomalonga) to take him in. We are in the process of getting the paper work finalized so that she has legal rights to raise him. But because the only person to sign the papers is a step-father, there may be complications. We are also getting Thabo tested for HIV because of his mother's history. He is 7, but is only just now starting school. He has had a lot of changes in his life in the past year! He is an amazing child. He is sweet, polite, clever and outgoing....pray that God continue to protect him.
Pray for the team that is flying to Johannesburg on Thursday. Pray that they have safe travel. Pray for the hearts of the people they will be working with in Kroonstad.
Pray for Pastor Cheryl. Pray for physical health. Also pray that she have a renewed passion to serve Christ here in Troyeville. Sometimes it feels like you are spinning your wheels and getting no where. No matter how many needs you fill, there are so many more. Pray that she is blessed by the people here and that she see how God's glory is shining through in the programs and ministries of this church.

Moving

2007-09-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the First Day of Spring in South Africa!! And the temperatures are in the low 80s. Im liking this weather!

On Thursday and Friday we moved into our new apartment! The apartment has 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. It has a large balcony and nice big windows. We are situated about 25 minutes from Troyeville Baptist Church. Although we will have more of a commute, we are in a quieter neighborhood. Our apartment building is in a gated complex. There is a security guard at the gate and electric wires along the top of all the fences. Our building is at the back of the complex. We are the highest building on this large hill, so we have a nice view. Directly behind our apartment building is a nature reserve. There was an article in the paper that said there are more than 50 animals living in this reserve. So outside of my back windows I might get to see mongoose, meer cats or zebra.

Carol and I are still settling in and unpacking boxes. I should be washing all of the kitchen dishes right now! There are still several things we need to purchase, but we are trying to work on it a little at a time. After 3 days of packing and moving and unpacking, carting furniture up a flight of stairs and cleaning the apartment we are very tired. We were very blessed to have Pastor Cheryl, her husband Don and a friend Regina help us with the move. We also had 2 men that were hired to help with the heaviest things (refrigerator and large furniture)...Praise God for that!

I think Carol and I are both a little weary of making decisions. Where to put furniture, who gets which set of sheets, what kind of cleaner do you buy here, which dishes do we really need to keep, etc, etc, etc. But we are glad to be moved in and we are settling in fairly quickly. Its nice to have a large place to share.

Pretty soon we will be joined by Sara (who will be volunteering at the Door of Hope). Pray for her as she prepares to join us here. She is coming through the Venturer program and staying for 2 years. Pray for safe travel. Pray that she adjusts well to life in South Africa. And pray that we can welcome her and help her through the process to make the transition a little smoother.

I'll post pictures of the new apartment when we are a little more settled. Right now, all you would see are boxes! :-)

My Birthday!!

2007-08-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday!!

I dont really feel a lot older. In fact, I havent felt 'older' since I turned 21. How old am I? Not 30 yet! And that is all you need to know. hahaha

How did I celebrate?

I bought lunch from KFC for all of the staff at the church on Friday. Whenever they talk about treating themselves, they talk about buying KFC. So I bought 20 pieces of chicken, drinks and dessert. The desert was Milk Tart. I had never had milk tart until I came to South Africa. I think its British, but the British version is a bit different from the S.A. version from what I hear. The cook at the Day Care made some Pap and gravy to go with the chicken. (Click here to learn about pap.) So I had a little American food and a little South African food. Appropriate dont you think?

On Saturday I was very lazy and did NOTHING! I read part of a book (my favorite past-time) and I enjoyed some quiet time with my Roommate/Fellow Missionary Carol. We ordered pizza and I watched a little bad American television (WWE!). I had a Coke (not diet!) and a Snickers bar with a candle in it!! Cant have a birthday without a candle to blow out! Getting Happy Birthday wishes from my Mom and Dad were probably the 2 highlights of the day. :-)

AND I get to go out to the movies and get an absolutely sinful dessert tomorrow after church!

And as I finish typing this post I realize its midnight.....not my birthday anymore. But its still technically my birthday American-time. Think that counts? Do I get 6 more hours to celebrate? Or is that cheating? hahahaha

Brutally Honest

2007-08-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

I had told myself that I needed to be brutally honest when I was here in Jo'burg. And I have tried to share some of the good and the bad. But I admit that I havent been completely blunt about the social and cultural problems here in Jo'burg. Partly because I am slowly becoming aware of the problems and partly because I am in shock about the volume of needs. I want to share one specific example with you.

There is a little boy at the DayCare (we'll call him Nero). He is 4 years old and struggles to follow directions. Although he is partly stubborn, he struggles mostly because of language differences. His English is VERY limited. Nero's clothes are too small and his shoes are falling apart. He is being raised in a home with an alcoholic Mom, and his Dad is slowly dying from AIDS.

Nero's dad brings him to church and makes sure he is at school. His dad seems to be the one to make sure he is clean and fed. Nero's dad was recently baptized! His dad is the one who takes care of him.....but his dad is not going to be there much longer. I worry about this little boy and the many others like him.

Dads are rare. Proper clothing is rare. Stable homes are often rare too.
Poverty is common. AIDS is common. Broken families are common.

Please pray for the children here in South Africa! Pray that God is such an enormous part of their lives that they become the generation that makes big changes here in South Africa. Pray that these children will be so surrounded by God's love that they cant help but have it pour out of them and into their communities. Pray that God provides for these children. I thank God that I can be His hands and feet in a small way here with these precious children!

Teaching

2007-08-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

I had a great week! A few of the teachers were out this week with various illnesses. Because teachers were scarce, I got to step in and be the teacher of the Elephant class (4 and 5 year olds). I spent the whole week with them. I got to try out the curriculum I have been developing. It definitely needs a few adjustments, but the children seemed to like the activities and stories.

This week, we were learning about healthy foods. I told the story of Daniel and his friends refusing the bad food in Babylon and asking for healthy fruits and vegetables (Daniel 1). We painted, played with playdoh, drew pictures....and I felt like I was in my element! One of the teacher assistants looked at me as if I were crazy a few times.....getting the playdoh and paint cleaned up was a bit of trouble. But I hope she found out that the trouble was worth it.....the kids were answering questions and initiating conversation! (You have no idea how rare this is!)

The other teachers seemed to be using some of the ideas too. And I was super-pleased to see them adapt a few of the ideas and make them suit their classes. They are really taking a positive approach to change. Praise God! Please continue to pray as I work on this curriculum. I am in a bit over my head, but God seems to be making it work. I felt so confidant being the 'teacher' in the class. I can deal with kids and pull out tricks to get them to learn.....but I am still struggling with how to lead these teachers. But I cant teach all 60 kids by myself....so pray that I find more ways to show these teachers how to help these kids. Leading adults is not easy for me, but I know God can make all our weak efforts into great things.

4 Day Weekend

2007-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

This week was a short one. I worked Monday through Wednesday, but had off the rest of the week. South Africa was celebrating Women's Day, so the Day Care closed in honor of that holiday. I thought that a 4 day weekend was the perfect time to finish the last Harry Potter book. It was kind of sad to see the series come to a close.

I was also glad for the few days off because I have been battling a cold. It seems like half the children in the Day Care have been ill. And all of the teachers seem to have gotten the germs that are going around (there is no policy to keep the children at home when they are sick, so germs spread quickly). I knew it was just a matter of time before I came down with something.

I am very thankful that my fellow missionary, Carol, had some cold medicine she brought with her from the states. We have not been able to find a decongestant here in S.A. Her medicine got me through the 2 toughest days. Unfortunately, Carol is now sick, and I have used all her medicine! So pray that we can find a suitable replacement soon!

Other than colds, everything is going well here. The weather warmed up into the high 60s today. I hope we get a few more days like this!

Prayer request: Please pray for the Sunday School program here at Troyeville Baptist Church. There are too many children and too few workers. Today we had over 30 children in the Young Children's class alone. In this class there were kids from 2 to 10! We need to find a way to split the class into smaller groups. (And there are 2 other classes with the same problem.) We lack materials, space and workers. It is great to see these children come to church, often on their own. God has given us an enormous mission field....and it walks in the doors every Sunday! But we are ill equipped to meet the needs with the resources we have. Pray that God will make it clear how to work with these children and help them to learn of God's love and mercy.

List of Needs

2007-08-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

I know that many people want to know how they can help us here in Johannesburg. I have quite a long list of needs/wants. Only God can fill all of these needs. Only God knows which ones are truly important. I will list all of the needs we have from the great to the small. What we need the MOST is prayer. Pray, pray, pray! So many of these things shouldnt/couldnt be mailed. And many of them could be purchased...if I could only them. I havent quite figured out the best way to get these things that we need....thats why we need prayer! :-)

I will try to group the needs by category.....
Touch Life Center (Day Care):

Funding for teacher/aides salary (Id also like Christmas boxes for the teachers with things they may need)
Underwear, Shoes and Socks for the children of the day care (ages 2 to 6)
Uniforms for the 16 children going to school in January (~$40 each)
10 black child sized graduation gowns
Storage cabinets with locks
Christian Children's Music CDs
Bible Story books
Toys of all sorts....

House Keeping: We need a sturdy children's house keeping set with stove, fridge, etc....as well as plastic baby dolls and baby doll clothes, plastic food, etc.
Blocks: We need wooden blocks, Plastic blocks of basic shapes, etc.
Vehicles: A nice train set, sturdy cars, trucks, planes, etc.
Outside toys: Balls, Sand box, sand toys, water play toys
Craft Supplies: yarn, pipe cleaners, ribbon, construction paper, popsicle sticks, powdered tempra paint, wiggle eyes, tissue paper, etc
Various: Bean bags of various shapes and colors, Plastic animals, things to sort (counting bears, large buttons, unifix cubes, etc.) Musical Instruments (maracas, tambourines, bells), dry erase markers

Troyeville Baptist Church:
General: Mop Bucket, Large Broom, Storage Cabinets with locks
Youth: Sponsors for Youth Camp (about $70 per student), Christmas boxes for the 20+ youth
Sunday School: New Testament Curriculum with pictures, Christmas play with music, Christmas boxes for the 30+ Sunday School children

The needs can be overwhelming at times, but God has been good about supplying things that we need. The first week I was here, we received a donation of toys that had a large set of Duplo blocks!

It is very difficult to prioritize the needs. If I had to pick one category that is needed the most, I would choose socks, shoes and underwear for the children. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support!!

Busy Week

2007-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

This week was very busy, but exciting. Monday was a big party for Pastor Cheryl's birthday. She organized the party for herself...which seemed a bit amusing at first. But it was really a night of praising God. She had more than an hours worth of singers/musicians singing praise songs. She tried her best to keep the focus off of her birthday and on God. She even gave a small gift to everyone who came. After the music, there was lots of great food. I dont like crowds, especially crowds full of strangers. So I was very happy to have been given a job....I had to cut cakes and help collect dishes and return them to the kitchen (No one uses paper plates here, they consider it wasteful and only use real dishes).

Wednesday we had to say goodbye to Erin and Russell (college missionaries that were here for 2 months). It was hard to see them go. Those 2 really helped me learn the ropes of the Day Care. They got dropped in their first week and learned their way around the hard way. I spent many days talking with them and learning about their observations of the culture and the children. They were wonderful help and great friends. They both have HUGE hearts and are committed to serving God. They were always willing to step up and help in any way they could. We spent many fun hours together just hanging out, shopping or going to see movies. I am SO glad they were here. God put them here for many reasons, but I KNOW he put them here to help smooth the transition for me. (Hopefully Russell will be returning to Jo'burg soon. After he raises enough support, he will be coming back to be a volunteer coordinator for the day care and the Door of Hope. We all look forward to his return.)

Later in the week, the day care got a visit from a missions group from Los Angeles. The group had 4 adults and 6 teenagers. They did a few puppet skits and a clown skit for the children. They also painted faces and danced and sang with the kids. The team from LA was very nice and friendly. They jumped right in and talked to the kids. It was a great morning.

I also had a meeting with the teachers at the day care. The meeting was supposed to be Tuesday. We tried to find time for this meeting ALL week. But there were sick teachers, the team from LA, sick kids and many other things that got in the way. So the meeting was Friday morning. Delaying the meeting just gave me more time to pray alot about what to say. I was supposed to give the teachers feedback and suggestions and present lessons for August for them to use. I was so glad to have lots of positive things to say to the teachers. They really have made a great start and work well together. The children obey the teachers (and dont listen to me at all!). So I think that we got the meeting off on the right foot. I gave a few suggestions. The head teacher, Nomalonga, seemed to agree with me on many of them. It was encouraging to have her support. Then I presented the lessons I have been developing. These are just a starting point so we can see what works and what doesnt. But I feel good about the things discussed with the teachers. They seem willing to try new things and I think they will pick up a lot of skills naturally just by being exposed to new ideas.

The teachers seem very tired. They are at the Day Care from 7:30 until 5:00ish. They have kids and husbands and dinner and other things to keep them busy after their work day is over. Many of them wash their clothes by hand because they dont have a washer. When they are sick they come to work anyway, because they need the money. Most of their money is used to send their older children to school. They have stress that I cant imagine. They live in a run-down, dangerous neighborhoods and struggle to make ends meet. Yet they reach out to help the people around them. They participate in church bible studies and teach Sunday School. They give away anything extra they have to others who are in need. So these ladies need lots of prayer!! I have decided that I need to pamper them a bit and bring in lots of goodies to help them feel special (which also gives me a good excuse to make cookies this weekend!) The staff names are Nomalonga, Aurelia, Malt, Joyce, Faith, John, Ivan, Mummsie, and Lyndiweh. Please pray for them and their families.

Thank you for your prayers! I know they are working. I can see it in the relationships Im forming with the students and teachers. I can feel it in the way I am settling in and feeling more comfortable. And I know someone out there is praying hard about my driving, because I am driving on the LEFT hand side of the road and it doesnt even seem strange to me anymore. AND I have Thursday and Friday off this coming week! Finally, some time to do laundry! Yippeee! Praise God. He answers big AND small prayers!

Informatin Update

2007-08-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have been very bad about keeping everyone updated on my personal information. Sorry! It has changed a few times since Ive been here. But it seems that using the Door of Hope Post Office Box is the best solution.

My mailing address is:
Door Of Hope
Attention: Amber Williams
PO Box 119
Glenvista 2058
Johannesburg, South Africa

This post box is the most dependable. It gets checked regularly, and the postmen know its an orphanage so they are less likely to tamper with the mail. I have received some mail from home...it seems to take about 2 weeks for a regular card to come through.

My Cell Phone Number is:
011 27 82-842-2087

I figure its safe to give this over the internet.....what are the chances a telemarketer will want to make an international call? hahaha Its totally free for me to receive calls...one of the perks of South Africa. Only the person making a call gets charged for the minutes used. :-)

Where to send support:
If you would like to send monetary donations to support the Touch Life Center or the Door of Hope, please send them to the following address:

VBMB
Attention: Jeanette Hildebrand
2828 Emerywood Parkway
Richmond VA 23294

Designated what the money is for (i.e. Touch Life Center, South Africa). The VBMB will wire the money to the church and send you an acknowledgement/tax deduction note. They usually send the wires quarterly. We are expecting the next wire in September.

You can find a list of needs on the link to Carol's website below. I have been making a list of needs for the Touch Life Center (the day care where I work). I will post those specifics in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks for all the cards and emails I have received. It makes me feel so blessed to know that people at home are thinking of me and praying for me!