Out of the Mouths of Babes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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! :-)