Ive uploaded a few photos on the following website.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amberdawny/
There are a few from my lay over in London. There are also some of the church, daycare and friends I have met here in Jo'burg. I hope to add more photos each month!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Routine
Although it took me a while to settle in, I finally feel as if I am really going to be here for a while. The first few weeks I couldn’t imagine being here for 2 years. I knew I was called here, I could see the needs and I never doubted my calling to this place…..but I couldn’t imagine 2 years. Everything was so strange and new. But now life has settled into a routine. There is predictability to daily life that is comforting. I am able to navigate around town more easily which gives me more freedom and independence. And Im learning names of the children and other people in the church.
The terrain is very different than VA, but beautiful in its own right. I saw the most beautiful view yesterday. We ate lunch at Pastor Cheryl’s house. She lives out in the suburbs where things are a bit more spread out and much more green. As we left her house, it was dusk. The sky was a dark gray, but the stars hadn’t come out yet. The hills and valleys were dark and shadowed. And all of the houses had begun to turn on their lights. For a moment, looking down into a valley, it looked as if the world had turned upside down. It looked like the stars had been scattered on the ground and the sky was a smooth gray velvet cloth.
Prayer Requests:
1 I am meeting with the teachers of the Day Care on Wednesday at 10ish (around 4AM your time!) I will be presenting suggestions for improvement and showing them a months worth of lessons I have developed. Please pray that they are receptive. Please pray that I make sense when I speak.
2. Pray for Katie, Alyson, Erin and Russell. They are traveling back to the US on Wednesday night. They have spent a few months here and will be greatly missed. Pray that God protects them and continues to direct them as they move on from this place.
3. Pray for time to do laundry. I cant do it during the week. By the time I get home from the Day Care, its too late to wash and hang clothes on the line (no dryers!). And weekends have been very busy. I haven’t quite gotten the routine down.
The terrain is very different than VA, but beautiful in its own right. I saw the most beautiful view yesterday. We ate lunch at Pastor Cheryl’s house. She lives out in the suburbs where things are a bit more spread out and much more green. As we left her house, it was dusk. The sky was a dark gray, but the stars hadn’t come out yet. The hills and valleys were dark and shadowed. And all of the houses had begun to turn on their lights. For a moment, looking down into a valley, it looked as if the world had turned upside down. It looked like the stars had been scattered on the ground and the sky was a smooth gray velvet cloth.
Prayer Requests:
1 I am meeting with the teachers of the Day Care on Wednesday at 10ish (around 4AM your time!) I will be presenting suggestions for improvement and showing them a months worth of lessons I have developed. Please pray that they are receptive. Please pray that I make sense when I speak.
2. Pray for Katie, Alyson, Erin and Russell. They are traveling back to the US on Wednesday night. They have spent a few months here and will be greatly missed. Pray that God protects them and continues to direct them as they move on from this place.
3. Pray for time to do laundry. I cant do it during the week. By the time I get home from the Day Care, its too late to wash and hang clothes on the line (no dryers!). And weekends have been very busy. I haven’t quite gotten the routine down.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Troyeville Baptist Church
My bank account problem has been resolved! Thanks for the prayers! I feel the need to go shopping. Hahaha
I wanted to tell you about the church services at Troyeville Baptist Church....where I work and worship. Troyeville Baptist is pastored by Cheryl Allen. The service begins at 9:30 and has a lot of praise and worship time. There are a few hymns mixed with praise choruses. Between songs they have prayers and greeting time and announcements. The order of worship changes weekly. There are always lots of songs. Worshipping God is why we are there on Sunday, so they spend a lot of time worshipping through song.
Although the service starts at 9:30, many people dont come on time. They trickle in the whole service. I sit near the front and Im always surprised when I turn around at the end of a service to see MANY more faces.
Pastor Cheryl usually bases her sermon on one Bible passage, then she jumps around the Bible with other verses that support her sermon. Her sermons usually skim the surface of important issues. She says that's designed to make you read your Bible at home and stay for Sunday School to learn more. It is also designed that way so that she doesn't overwhelm the many new Christians in the church. They get the basics of what they need.
The service is followed by tea time in the fellowship hall. And Sunday School is at 11:00. So far I have gone to the children's Sunday School and the Youth Sunday School. Mostly to help and do research to find out what they may need in the way of resources. I may get brave and try an adult class soon.
The church is a mix of white and black people. The white people are usually the more wealthy members who have the most training in discipleship and leadership. They are the people who have been at the church for a long time and have seen the neighborhood and face of the church change drastically over the years. Pastor Cheryl is spending a lot of time trying to train the leaders to train the other people in the church. Her idea is for everyone to complete discipleship training and then go train someone else....faith partners that can support each other. The black people at our church are from the neighborhood around the church. Some of them are very poor in their pockets but rich in faith. The affects of apartheid still influence the way the different races interact. But the church has many friendly people and all of them seem to be working together despite their social, economic and cultural differences. They have found the one bond that holds them together....our God!
I look forward to meeting more people and learning more about the church. Its also interesting being on the church staff. The church building is old and beautiful, but in need of many repairs. Because it is old, there are many nooks and crannies that are filled with piles of 'hidden treasures' that needs to be sorted, prioritized and cleared out. I hope to help with this job soon. Many of the hidden treasures are toys and supplies for the Day Care. I hope to catalog and sort these things soon, so I can make a list of things we need. Its hard to know what you need when you dont know what you have. I'll post some needs as they arise.
Current Needs:
See the bottom of Carol's Blog. She has listed some of the immediate needs of the church.
I wanted to tell you about the church services at Troyeville Baptist Church....where I work and worship. Troyeville Baptist is pastored by Cheryl Allen. The service begins at 9:30 and has a lot of praise and worship time. There are a few hymns mixed with praise choruses. Between songs they have prayers and greeting time and announcements. The order of worship changes weekly. There are always lots of songs. Worshipping God is why we are there on Sunday, so they spend a lot of time worshipping through song.
Although the service starts at 9:30, many people dont come on time. They trickle in the whole service. I sit near the front and Im always surprised when I turn around at the end of a service to see MANY more faces.
Pastor Cheryl usually bases her sermon on one Bible passage, then she jumps around the Bible with other verses that support her sermon. Her sermons usually skim the surface of important issues. She says that's designed to make you read your Bible at home and stay for Sunday School to learn more. It is also designed that way so that she doesn't overwhelm the many new Christians in the church. They get the basics of what they need.
The service is followed by tea time in the fellowship hall. And Sunday School is at 11:00. So far I have gone to the children's Sunday School and the Youth Sunday School. Mostly to help and do research to find out what they may need in the way of resources. I may get brave and try an adult class soon.
The church is a mix of white and black people. The white people are usually the more wealthy members who have the most training in discipleship and leadership. They are the people who have been at the church for a long time and have seen the neighborhood and face of the church change drastically over the years. Pastor Cheryl is spending a lot of time trying to train the leaders to train the other people in the church. Her idea is for everyone to complete discipleship training and then go train someone else....faith partners that can support each other. The black people at our church are from the neighborhood around the church. Some of them are very poor in their pockets but rich in faith. The affects of apartheid still influence the way the different races interact. But the church has many friendly people and all of them seem to be working together despite their social, economic and cultural differences. They have found the one bond that holds them together....our God!
I look forward to meeting more people and learning more about the church. Its also interesting being on the church staff. The church building is old and beautiful, but in need of many repairs. Because it is old, there are many nooks and crannies that are filled with piles of 'hidden treasures' that needs to be sorted, prioritized and cleared out. I hope to help with this job soon. Many of the hidden treasures are toys and supplies for the Day Care. I hope to catalog and sort these things soon, so I can make a list of things we need. Its hard to know what you need when you dont know what you have. I'll post some needs as they arise.
Current Needs:
See the bottom of Carol's Blog. She has listed some of the immediate needs of the church.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Frustration
Have I mentioned that nothing works smoothly in South Africa? The most recent inconvenience was the freezing of my checking account! Only the bank didnt bother to contact me or explain this problem. Good thing I WASNT in the check-out line with a cart full of groceries and a line of people waiting on me when I accidentally found this out! Apparently, there is a form that has to be filled out VERY specifically to prove to the bank that I am employed and will be receiving money. The problem with this is that I work for a non-profit organization as a volunteer. Technically, any money I make is a "reimburment" for expenses. And technically, the Daycare and church here in South Africa arent the ones reimbursing me. So to be honest and legal on the forms, I have to say I am a volunteer. And they wont accept that because I dont have proof of income. The Va Baptist Board cant write saying I will receive money monthly, because the bank wants me to be sponsored (paid) by a LOCAL company/organization in order to have an account.
The frustrating part is that I have been round and round with the bank. We re-wrote the form 3 times to make it legal, honest and meeting their criteria...and then this unknown account freeze! And my roommate, who is with the SAME bank and had the SAME forms to fill out, did not have any of these problems.
On the positive side of things, I still have access to SOME money. My roommate has loaned me some money to get through the weekend until we can get this all sorted out. And I also have access to my money in my accounts back home. Thank God for providing alternatives before I knew that I needed them! And thank God I am not completely cut off from necessary money. That would be a scary thought indeed. So score one for God, master of planning ahead! Satan has only managed to inconvenience me this time.
The frustrating part is that I have been round and round with the bank. We re-wrote the form 3 times to make it legal, honest and meeting their criteria...and then this unknown account freeze! And my roommate, who is with the SAME bank and had the SAME forms to fill out, did not have any of these problems.
On the positive side of things, I still have access to SOME money. My roommate has loaned me some money to get through the weekend until we can get this all sorted out. And I also have access to my money in my accounts back home. Thank God for providing alternatives before I knew that I needed them! And thank God I am not completely cut off from necessary money. That would be a scary thought indeed. So score one for God, master of planning ahead! Satan has only managed to inconvenience me this time.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Kids
Have I mentioned that the kids are adorable? I can remember most of the kids with American names. The kids with African names are harder to remember. Here is a picture of me with some of the kids just relaxing on the playground. Any time you take out your camera, the kids flock over!
Starting on the left the kids are:
Spamondla, Grace, and Lindo
In the back are:
Spoghazi, and Elami
Im sure I didnt spell all of those names correctly.
Notice the short sleeves! We've had temps around 20 degrees Celsius the past few days. (Fahrenheit would be close to 70) In the sun its quite warm. In the shade or inside a building its still a little chilly. At night it drops back down to 2 Celsius. (Which is about 35 degrees Fahrenheit) You have to dress in multiple layers to accomodate the varying temperatures. I hope we keep temperatures in this range....I didnt enjoy the very cold days when I first arrived.
Starting on the left the kids are:
Spamondla, Grace, and Lindo
In the back are:
Spoghazi, and Elami
Im sure I didnt spell all of those names correctly.
Notice the short sleeves! We've had temps around 20 degrees Celsius the past few days. (Fahrenheit would be close to 70) In the sun its quite warm. In the shade or inside a building its still a little chilly. At night it drops back down to 2 Celsius. (Which is about 35 degrees Fahrenheit) You have to dress in multiple layers to accomodate the varying temperatures. I hope we keep temperatures in this range....I didnt enjoy the very cold days when I first arrived.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Gearing Up
The past couple of weeks I have been mainly observing at the DayCare. The older students from the public schools have been on school holiday (vacation), so many of our little ones have been staying home. I have only seen about 34 students at the DayCare. Tomorrow we should be back up to our full 60 students! So I am trying to figure out what my role will be with the teachers/students.
Because of the school holiday, our staff took turns taking a week off. So far I have filled in where the missing teachers would have been. I have helped as an assistant or to give the teachers a break during the day. And I have have spent a lot of time learning the way they do things.
The kids are very adorable. They are starved for positive attention. I cannot count how many times during the day I hear "Teacher, teacher, LOOK!" (Which sounds more like T-Jah, T-Jah, lewk.) The kids rarely use any of the teachers names. The church facilities are great for the DayCare. There are boxes of donated toys stashed in the strangest places. I cant wait until I can pull them all out and figure out what is needed and give the rest away.
My priorities are very different from the other teachers. They want to keep the kids safe and get them home, but little else....Safety is very important, but we could do so much more! So the next few weeks I will be working with the Pastor and Head Teacher to develop a goal and mission statement for the DayCare.
Everything seems to work slowly here in South Africa. Getting a phone, bank account, internet, my bag from the airport....everything is difficult, unorganized or just plain slow. I have a feeling that there will be long process to get this DayCare to be what these kids truly deserve. The teachers have made a great start, I dont want to change it, I want to add to it. I look forward to the challenge of developing lessons, organizing the toys and loving these kids!
Please pray for the theachers and pastor by name as we move towards a more productive working relationship. Pastor Cheryl, Nomalonga (head teacher), Aurelia and Malt. Also pray for the other staff people who help with kitchen work/cleaning/etc: John, Ivan, Faith, Lindiweh, and Joyce. And I thank God for the 2 summer missionaries who have been a great help (Erin and Russell). They really helped smoothe my transition by providing lots of information and helpful hints. Pray for Russell. He is going through the interview process for the Venturer program so that he can come back on a more long term basis.
There are so many things I am hearing/seeing/learning/doing, that Im never quite sure what to type. Now that I have consistent internet access, hopefully I can write several times a week rather than writing a book on the weekends. :-) Please keep emailing me and letting me know what is going on at home!
Because of the school holiday, our staff took turns taking a week off. So far I have filled in where the missing teachers would have been. I have helped as an assistant or to give the teachers a break during the day. And I have have spent a lot of time learning the way they do things.
The kids are very adorable. They are starved for positive attention. I cannot count how many times during the day I hear "Teacher, teacher, LOOK!" (Which sounds more like T-Jah, T-Jah, lewk.) The kids rarely use any of the teachers names. The church facilities are great for the DayCare. There are boxes of donated toys stashed in the strangest places. I cant wait until I can pull them all out and figure out what is needed and give the rest away.
My priorities are very different from the other teachers. They want to keep the kids safe and get them home, but little else....Safety is very important, but we could do so much more! So the next few weeks I will be working with the Pastor and Head Teacher to develop a goal and mission statement for the DayCare.
Everything seems to work slowly here in South Africa. Getting a phone, bank account, internet, my bag from the airport....everything is difficult, unorganized or just plain slow. I have a feeling that there will be long process to get this DayCare to be what these kids truly deserve. The teachers have made a great start, I dont want to change it, I want to add to it. I look forward to the challenge of developing lessons, organizing the toys and loving these kids!
Please pray for the theachers and pastor by name as we move towards a more productive working relationship. Pastor Cheryl, Nomalonga (head teacher), Aurelia and Malt. Also pray for the other staff people who help with kitchen work/cleaning/etc: John, Ivan, Faith, Lindiweh, and Joyce. And I thank God for the 2 summer missionaries who have been a great help (Erin and Russell). They really helped smoothe my transition by providing lots of information and helpful hints. Pray for Russell. He is going through the interview process for the Venturer program so that he can come back on a more long term basis.
There are so many things I am hearing/seeing/learning/doing, that Im never quite sure what to type. Now that I have consistent internet access, hopefully I can write several times a week rather than writing a book on the weekends. :-) Please keep emailing me and letting me know what is going on at home!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Settling In
I have spent the good part of a week settling in here. There are many differences to get used to. Language, driving, security, and weather are all very different.
LANGUAGE:
There are 2 main languages spoken here, British and Zulu.
South African British terms are very different. A Copi is hill (pronounced copy). A Robot is a stop light. There are your typical British phrases like chap or chips (man or fries). A Braai (Br-eye) is a bar-b-q. A Bakkey (buck-E) is a truck. Im catching on little by little.
Zulu is far beyond my language skills. They have many sounds in their words that are like clicks of your tongue. I have a hard time pronouncing some of the kid's names. Many of the younger children have only ever spoken Zulu....so when they get to the day care, their English is limited. The teachers speak English AND Zulu, so half the time I dont know what is going on.
DRIVING:
I finally plucked up enough nerve to try my hand at driving. Here we drive on the left side of the road. Being on the opposite side of the car to drive is very interesting....I tend to drift to the right because I am not used to having more car on that side. Intersections are the hardest. I have to think before I turn so that I dont turn into oncoming traffic. Adjusting to looking RIGHT when you pull out of the drive way is important too.
SECURITY:
Locks, bars and gates are a way of life around here. To get to my flat (apartment) I have a remote to open the gate. I have 2 keys for the front door. I have an additional key to my room. I have keys to all of the closets, the laundry room and the gate to get into the back yard. The church has just as many security precautions as the homes. Cars have alarms, gear locks that go around the stick, and you have to keep doors locked at all times. There are security men at all of the malls and stores to watch your car. You tip them a bit for guarding the car and you let them take the buggy back to the store for you. And you never go shopping after dark. These are precautions we take. Ive never had any problems. I suppose the rule is better safe than sorry.
WEATHER:
I think the weather has been one of the biggest obstacles to get used to. There is NO central heat or AC. Not at the homes, church or malls. So when its cold (which it is now) it is cold inside and out. There are space heaters to take the chill out of the air and I have an electric blanket and down comforter to help at night. But during the day, you wear 3 and 4 layers and still feel chilled. The biggest difference is how DRY it is. And the sun shine makes a BIG difference. When you stand in the sun you can feel the warmth. And when the sun goes behind a cloud, there is a BIG difference in temperature. Apparently I am experiencing a cold spell. I hear that winter is usually very mild during the day and only a bit chilly at night. I'll believe it when I see it! hahaha
I have only spent a few days at the church observing the Day Care. There are lots of things we need to add/change to make it a great program, but they have really gotten things off to a great start. I will write more about the kids and the church when I have more time.
Thanks for all of your emails. Please forgive me if I dont respond right away. My time online is limited. Hopefully we will be able to correct the Internet problems in the next month or so.
Please pray that I can work with the teachers and help implement some needed changes. Pray that cultural and racial differences do not hinder us from working together to provide the best for these children. Pray that the teachers are excited about new ideas and embrace the changes as a positive step in the right direction. And please pray that God's will be clear through the whole process. Thank you for your prayers. I have felt them and know they are working!
LANGUAGE:
There are 2 main languages spoken here, British and Zulu.
South African British terms are very different. A Copi is hill (pronounced copy). A Robot is a stop light. There are your typical British phrases like chap or chips (man or fries). A Braai (Br-eye) is a bar-b-q. A Bakkey (buck-E) is a truck. Im catching on little by little.
Zulu is far beyond my language skills. They have many sounds in their words that are like clicks of your tongue. I have a hard time pronouncing some of the kid's names. Many of the younger children have only ever spoken Zulu....so when they get to the day care, their English is limited. The teachers speak English AND Zulu, so half the time I dont know what is going on.
DRIVING:
I finally plucked up enough nerve to try my hand at driving. Here we drive on the left side of the road. Being on the opposite side of the car to drive is very interesting....I tend to drift to the right because I am not used to having more car on that side. Intersections are the hardest. I have to think before I turn so that I dont turn into oncoming traffic. Adjusting to looking RIGHT when you pull out of the drive way is important too.
SECURITY:
Locks, bars and gates are a way of life around here. To get to my flat (apartment) I have a remote to open the gate. I have 2 keys for the front door. I have an additional key to my room. I have keys to all of the closets, the laundry room and the gate to get into the back yard. The church has just as many security precautions as the homes. Cars have alarms, gear locks that go around the stick, and you have to keep doors locked at all times. There are security men at all of the malls and stores to watch your car. You tip them a bit for guarding the car and you let them take the buggy back to the store for you. And you never go shopping after dark. These are precautions we take. Ive never had any problems. I suppose the rule is better safe than sorry.
WEATHER:
I think the weather has been one of the biggest obstacles to get used to. There is NO central heat or AC. Not at the homes, church or malls. So when its cold (which it is now) it is cold inside and out. There are space heaters to take the chill out of the air and I have an electric blanket and down comforter to help at night. But during the day, you wear 3 and 4 layers and still feel chilled. The biggest difference is how DRY it is. And the sun shine makes a BIG difference. When you stand in the sun you can feel the warmth. And when the sun goes behind a cloud, there is a BIG difference in temperature. Apparently I am experiencing a cold spell. I hear that winter is usually very mild during the day and only a bit chilly at night. I'll believe it when I see it! hahaha
I have only spent a few days at the church observing the Day Care. There are lots of things we need to add/change to make it a great program, but they have really gotten things off to a great start. I will write more about the kids and the church when I have more time.
Thanks for all of your emails. Please forgive me if I dont respond right away. My time online is limited. Hopefully we will be able to correct the Internet problems in the next month or so.
Please pray that I can work with the teachers and help implement some needed changes. Pray that cultural and racial differences do not hinder us from working together to provide the best for these children. Pray that the teachers are excited about new ideas and embrace the changes as a positive step in the right direction. And please pray that God's will be clear through the whole process. Thank you for your prayers. I have felt them and know they are working!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Safe and Sound
I have arrived in Johannesburg safe and sound. But one of my pieces of luggage did not. The airport assures me that it probably got delayed in London....no worries. It will show up.
Checking in at the airport was quite a mess. The lady checking me in was new. She had a hard time communicating things. For instance, She said I definitely needed to have locks on my suitcase....then another lady contradicted her and said I cant have locks on my suit case......a third lady explained that I could have locks as long as I walked the suit cases over to the X-Ray machine and waited for them to go through. There were several more awful miscommunications. Not the best way to start the flight.
I got about 3 hours of sleep on the flight to London. When we got off the plane, the other girls (Alyson and Katie) and I decided to go into London to see a few sights. It was an 11 hour lay over....we had to do something! We found a very helpful man who directed us to the Subway and showed us which transfers to make and where to get off. When we got off the subway and were coming up the steps....low and behold, there is Big Ben! We walked around London for quite a while. We stopped for lunch at a little deli. We saw Buckingham palace and St. James Park. It was raining off and on, so we got soaked and looked a bit like drowned rats, but we had a great time. London has so many beautiful sights to see and amazing architecture. We were so glad to be able to get out, get fresh air, and enjoy a day of sight seeing.
The flight to Johannesburg was a 10 hour flight. I slept about 5 hours. During this flight, I was in the bulk head, so I got to stretch my legs out a bit more. There was an empty seat beside me, so the man by the window and I had a chance to spread out a bit more.
When I arrived in Johannesburg, the line to get through Immigration was not a line at all....it was more like a herd of people who aren't sure where to go. But I got the chance to meet a group from San Francisco who is here to do some church planting in the Northern parts of South Africa.
As I said earlier, one of my pieces of luggage was lost. I had to wait in another long line to fill out forms to make sure my baggage would be delivered once it was found. The lady helping me was very nice.
When the luggage fiasco was finished, we finally got to get out of customs and meet up with Kate Allen. Kate is the director of the Door Of Hope. She was very helpful! The original plan was to take the other girls to the Door of Hope and take me to a luncheon with about 15 people. When Kate was helping us get our money exchanged, she asked "Is there anything you need? How can I help you?" And my reply was "Can you fit in time for me to take a shower before we go to lunch?" Not a problem! Praise God! I had been traveling for 2 days, gotten rained on in London and I was feeling really nasty. I am so thankful that I got to wash up before I met all of those people.
The people I met at lunch were super nice.
There was a 7 person team from Charlottesville that had come to do VBS.
There were 2 volunteers from VA who are here for the summer. (Erin and Russel)
Cheryl Allen (pastor of the church)
Cheryl's family: David and Kate and their daughter Olivia (Kate was the one who picked me up)
Richard (Cheryl's youngest son)
Don (Cheryl's husband)
Carol (my roommate while Im here)
It was nice to get to meet everyone. They were all welcoming and friendly. They were very helpful and were trying to take care of me. The VBS team leaves today. They had a debriefing while I was with them. It was good to get to hear the problems and joys they had while they were here. There were 3 teachers on the team. They told me a little about the kids I will be working with and the teachers at the Day Care. Pray for them, they will be flying home today and will not get home until Tuesday.
When lunch was over, the VBS team and other extras left and I had a bit of time alone with Cheryl and her family. They knew I was a bit overwhelmed, so they let me sit quietly and didnt demand too much conversation. We watched The Bachelor on TV. It was funny because they get our TV shows...only they are many seasons behind. So I offered to tell them who The Bachelor picks in the end....but they didnt want me to spoil it.
When we left Cheryl's and went back to Kate's house to spend the night, I had a bit of a melt down. All of the stress and emotions and lack of sleep caught up with me. I was SOOO tired and overwhelmed. Im afraid I worried my Dad when I was crying on the phone. I dont doubt that God sent me here. I cant wait to start working with the kids. But I do miss you guys terribly! Love you lots!
Checking in at the airport was quite a mess. The lady checking me in was new. She had a hard time communicating things. For instance, She said I definitely needed to have locks on my suitcase....then another lady contradicted her and said I cant have locks on my suit case......a third lady explained that I could have locks as long as I walked the suit cases over to the X-Ray machine and waited for them to go through. There were several more awful miscommunications. Not the best way to start the flight.
I got about 3 hours of sleep on the flight to London. When we got off the plane, the other girls (Alyson and Katie) and I decided to go into London to see a few sights. It was an 11 hour lay over....we had to do something! We found a very helpful man who directed us to the Subway and showed us which transfers to make and where to get off. When we got off the subway and were coming up the steps....low and behold, there is Big Ben! We walked around London for quite a while. We stopped for lunch at a little deli. We saw Buckingham palace and St. James Park. It was raining off and on, so we got soaked and looked a bit like drowned rats, but we had a great time. London has so many beautiful sights to see and amazing architecture. We were so glad to be able to get out, get fresh air, and enjoy a day of sight seeing.
The flight to Johannesburg was a 10 hour flight. I slept about 5 hours. During this flight, I was in the bulk head, so I got to stretch my legs out a bit more. There was an empty seat beside me, so the man by the window and I had a chance to spread out a bit more.
When I arrived in Johannesburg, the line to get through Immigration was not a line at all....it was more like a herd of people who aren't sure where to go. But I got the chance to meet a group from San Francisco who is here to do some church planting in the Northern parts of South Africa.
As I said earlier, one of my pieces of luggage was lost. I had to wait in another long line to fill out forms to make sure my baggage would be delivered once it was found. The lady helping me was very nice.
When the luggage fiasco was finished, we finally got to get out of customs and meet up with Kate Allen. Kate is the director of the Door Of Hope. She was very helpful! The original plan was to take the other girls to the Door of Hope and take me to a luncheon with about 15 people. When Kate was helping us get our money exchanged, she asked "Is there anything you need? How can I help you?" And my reply was "Can you fit in time for me to take a shower before we go to lunch?" Not a problem! Praise God! I had been traveling for 2 days, gotten rained on in London and I was feeling really nasty. I am so thankful that I got to wash up before I met all of those people.
The people I met at lunch were super nice.
There was a 7 person team from Charlottesville that had come to do VBS.
There were 2 volunteers from VA who are here for the summer. (Erin and Russel)
Cheryl Allen (pastor of the church)
Cheryl's family: David and Kate and their daughter Olivia (Kate was the one who picked me up)
Richard (Cheryl's youngest son)
Don (Cheryl's husband)
Carol (my roommate while Im here)
It was nice to get to meet everyone. They were all welcoming and friendly. They were very helpful and were trying to take care of me. The VBS team leaves today. They had a debriefing while I was with them. It was good to get to hear the problems and joys they had while they were here. There were 3 teachers on the team. They told me a little about the kids I will be working with and the teachers at the Day Care. Pray for them, they will be flying home today and will not get home until Tuesday.
When lunch was over, the VBS team and other extras left and I had a bit of time alone with Cheryl and her family. They knew I was a bit overwhelmed, so they let me sit quietly and didnt demand too much conversation. We watched The Bachelor on TV. It was funny because they get our TV shows...only they are many seasons behind. So I offered to tell them who The Bachelor picks in the end....but they didnt want me to spoil it.
When we left Cheryl's and went back to Kate's house to spend the night, I had a bit of a melt down. All of the stress and emotions and lack of sleep caught up with me. I was SOOO tired and overwhelmed. Im afraid I worried my Dad when I was crying on the phone. I dont doubt that God sent me here. I cant wait to start working with the kids. But I do miss you guys terribly! Love you lots!
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