The view I see as I run at sunset on the farm plot of Johannesburg in the distance.This one however, was taken from the driveway as we pulled in from a long day. It never stops taking my breath and filling me up with that creation centered charge I get as I recognize God's incredible marks.
My home for these 2 months.
Yes I ate this. And more of the same the night before. South African Braai's aree like a huge meatfest BBQ and everyone loves to show them to the Americans. Go ahead all of you who've dedicated your life to make me eat a steak. Bye bye 11 1/2 years of vegetarian/veganism. No, I still didn't love eating steak. Don't have a cow or anything... bahahaha.
Today's play.... bug themed and just the beginning of chaotic! We should have taken a before and after picture, but the looks of exhaustion would envoke far too much pity. 140 kids showed up from all over and from every status in society.... Needing more of His strength as I became an unexpected group leader and so did many of my teammates to help cope with the unexpected abundance of children, and more are coming tomorrow! Africa is a wild place.
A creche (creche's are preschools) craft training our team led. This was a project my teammate and I came up with. The ladies rotated through learning how to implement crafts in their own classrooms out of trash that would cost them nothing. Many of the ladies have never learned how to use a pair of scissors. It was a blast!! I came up with this idea as an adaptation from the brown paper bag vest I learned from Mrs. Dottie Shuman in one of my environmental education classes in college! People in South Africa use only plastic bags.... so we improvise!
These ladies came to the training from creche's all over the place. Many of the women are immigrants from other African countries. These women work and live in the townships (slums) and are the women who bring the light of Jesus to the kids they care for. Please pray for them. It is not easy doing what they do where they are. The lady on the bottom left is our wonderful countryside leader. We danced around the room singing I will follow Jesus in a train line in both English and Zulu to start the training off... their idea! I loved it.
Soaking in love while this little one drifted off in the warm sunshine. This was at the community center in the township (slum) where we were observing the youth put into action what we've been training them to do with Bible storytelling programs. Two highschool teenagers led the program while we assisted as they taught the young children. Incredible!! Please pray that Jesus would penetrate their hearts with the gospel they have learned to preach as questions have arisen of their own decisions for Jesus. Discipleship is SO important! We have to continue to go deeper than the surface with those we are pouring into...
Sharing testimony at a township church that took us an hour to find! Luckily because it was so cold that morning, people did as they normally would and just came when it got warmer so we weren't late! How awesome! This was a very special Sunday as we shared the story of Jesus calming the storm and then a few of us shared individual storms in our own lives. I would have laughed my face off if you had told me that I would be sharing about broken heart relationships from high school and college at a church in Africa with women tisk tisking and amening me in that beautiful deep African tone. I guess God works all things together for His good. Even messed up broken hearts and break ups. Just stand up and see what happens.
PS: this little boy laid in the middle of the floor nearly the whole service. PPS. they served us pumpkin and butternut squash and rooibos teas afterward with rice, MY FAVORITE!!! The pastor and his wife had an adorable story about their engagement and how she turned him down originally... people are just people, no matter where they are. That's her in the red. We are the same age. ( :
I really wish I could show you more of the abundance of little faces we see on a weekly basis, but I can't place their pictures here. Just imagine and then pray for what creative thoughts God shows you! All my love, very very early 5:30 am morning ahead of me! Goodnight ( :
I really wish I could show you more of the abundance of little faces we see on a weekly basis, but I can't place their pictures here. Just imagine and then pray for what creative thoughts God shows you! All my love, very very early 5:30 am morning ahead of me! Goodnight ( :
