Last Post

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

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

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

To Do List

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bloomfontein

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!