My Birthday!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!