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.