As we all said our goodbyes in the airport, collecting our luggage we long for hot showers, comfortable beds and the comforts of home. It is still hard to imagine the women, men and children we left behind without the same comforts we often take for granted. We are all so very thankful for the experience, memories and friendships we made along the way.
Please continue to check the blog for pictures and updates for us all.
~Virginia
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Last Post
Well, Scott and I (Virginia) have had many late nights making sure the blog was updated for all to see, read and enjoy. We hope you all found this to be a wonderful way to keep in touch and stay in tuned with the work we are doing. As we sit here at the breakfast table, having our final meal we remember the work we have done, the memories we have created and the lives we have touched. This morning, we get to do some shopping and then straight to the airport.
Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Friday, May 28, 2010
Day 6- Aids Center, Finishing work and South Africa VBS
One of the children doing Zulu dances.
Virginia and the boys from last year...back at the village again this year. She asked them everyday what they learned in school and to tell her what they learned.
Stella, always smiling, even while she worked.
Stan has two of the children under his arms...carrying them out with him. Look at the smiles on their faces.
Virginia and the boys from last year...back at the village again this year. She asked them everyday what they learned in school and to tell her what they learned.
Stella, always smiling, even while she worked.
Stan has two of the children under his arms...carrying them out with him. Look at the smiles on their faces.
Stan had everyone singing "Happy Trails" and waving our hands in the air during one of the final group shots. Such a happy, joyful, sad moment.
Scott participating in the Zulu dancing with the children. Look at him go!!
Scott and Senzo taking a picture after all of their hard work! They were such a great team.
Carl and Pastor Thwala shaking hands and saying thank you for our hard work and a job well done. They make a good team and really know how to get things done for the community.
Pastor K and one of the children sitting on the playground, cuddling and enjoying quality time.
Karen and her lovely garden. What a nice site for the eyes!! Adding a personal touch will keep the memories going here at the village.
One of the kids at the community where the houses were built. Just too cute not to post.
Our attempt to get a majority of the kids together for a final group photo. Talk about hard work.
Scott participating in the Zulu dancing with the children. Look at him go!!
Scott and Senzo taking a picture after all of their hard work! They were such a great team.
Carl and Pastor Thwala shaking hands and saying thank you for our hard work and a job well done. They make a good team and really know how to get things done for the community.
Pastor K and one of the children sitting on the playground, cuddling and enjoying quality time.
Karen and her lovely garden. What a nice site for the eyes!! Adding a personal touch will keep the memories going here at the village.
One of the kids at the community where the houses were built. Just too cute not to post.
Our attempt to get a majority of the kids together for a final group photo. Talk about hard work.
The 4 team members from Celebration Lutheran Church, plus Shara, plus Carl in the van we commuted in each day. Of course, we all crammed in the back seat for this picture.
All of us watching the kids doing Zulu dances. The put on a show for us and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to show you all the video some of us were able to take.
The kids love to have their pictures taken. Here are some of the children that came on our last day to play and dance. They also showed us how to enjoy the spirit of laughter.
These children reminded Carl of a challenging memory and we asked him to share his story. Two of these precious kids mother was in one of the Habitat houses on the hill in severe pain from complications from HIV/Aids. She was severely malnurished and couldn't move herself. Carl and some of his co-workers had to carry her into the back of a pickup truck while her children watched her being driven away. Carl said their faces are etched into his memory as tears rolled down their cheeks. This was the last time they saw their mother. A story that has likely been repeated hundreds of times throughout the village. This highlights why it's so important to help these children.
Bob, Carl and Gavin from African Exposure.
Carl and Gavin checking out the new football we bought. The Sharks are one of the countries teams. Full support from the locals.
What a fabulous view behind the houses in the community. Breath taking.
The AIDS center started with two nurses and a bag of medicine. Now she has a staff of employee's that run the center. They give away clothes to women in need, sell plants in order to make money to run the center and have bead classes to teach women how to make jewelry so they can be sold for a profit. Their hospice is called respite. Women and children come to the center to die peacefully, but then 50% of them ended up recovering, learning a skill and live healthy lives. The wall that you see behind her is a brick wall built by one young man and the individual blocks are names of those who have passed away since the center was built. For more information click here
Carl and Gavin checking out the new football we bought. The Sharks are one of the countries teams. Full support from the locals.
What a fabulous view behind the houses in the community. Breath taking.
The AIDS center started with two nurses and a bag of medicine. Now she has a staff of employee's that run the center. They give away clothes to women in need, sell plants in order to make money to run the center and have bead classes to teach women how to make jewelry so they can be sold for a profit. Their hospice is called respite. Women and children come to the center to die peacefully, but then 50% of them ended up recovering, learning a skill and live healthy lives. The wall that you see behind her is a brick wall built by one young man and the individual blocks are names of those who have passed away since the center was built. For more information click here
The first steps on the playground we built. How wonderful is that?
Julia Wehrenberg
Born in Austin, TX has been doing work in the church since she was 15. She enjoys holistic care, which is the physical body, the spiritual body, the emotional body and the psychological aspects of a person. "You can't help a person without knowing all of the dimensions they are faced with. (pictured below)
Shara Cunningham Born in St. Vincent, West Indies has been doing mission work for 7 years. She has a background in the medical field and has always enjoyed caring for others. She has done missions in Mexico, Peru, Uganda, Rowanda and now South Africa. "I can't imagine doing anything else. It's in my blood. To be the hands, feet and eyes of God is an amazing thing. I've always wanted to help people when I had the opportunity at my feet. I just feel pulled in." (pictured below) For more information click here
Julia Wehrenberg
Born in Austin, TX has been doing work in the church since she was 15. She enjoys holistic care, which is the physical body, the spiritual body, the emotional body and the psychological aspects of a person. "You can't help a person without knowing all of the dimensions they are faced with. (pictured below)
Some of you may not know this, but Pastor K makes a great swing set. The kids love hanging on him.
These are all of houses that have been built by Habitat for Humanity and African Exposure. There are approximately 36 houses here on the hill. They are truly appreciated by the women, orphans and community.
Spent a lot of time at the school with the children. They were singing for us and we got to introduce ourselves. In the end we sung the National Anthem as well.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Day 5- Clover School Visit and Painting at the Community Center
Carl Nel
Born in South Africa he has been working with African Exposure for seven years. He has also been a Game Ranger for three years. "Mission work comes from a person's heart." During his free time he cuts up sugar cane for us to taste and is even considering hosting a show in the states similar to The Crocodile Hunter. Doesn't he fit the role perfectly? (Carl pictured below)
Senzo Mzobe
Born in Porshstorn, South Africa he has worked on the creche for one year. He also does car painting to support his family. He has one child, 16 months old named Melusi. His mother and father are living and are named Senzo and Samwol. One lives in Ntshongweni, where we are working and the other lives in Inada, which is a 45 minute drive from the village. "I love children so much and will be here for the official opening of the creche in October." This is why he does the work. He also lives in the village. (Senzo Pictured Below)
Pastor K speaking with the Children at Clover School which serves Shongweni. The children were very well behaved.
The school was originally a Catholic School and has since been taken over by the public school system. The school buildings were built in 1941, according to the Assistant Principal. Helping fix this facility up would be a great future project.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Day 4- Painting, Playground and USA VBS
Day 4 was a combination of nearly completing the playground (our portion, a local Lutheran Church youth group is going to add swings and a slide), painting the preschool interior, building steps up to the church and covering the USA in the VBS class. Loads of fun, felt like we had 50 kids at the end of the day. They all love attention and are incredibly well behaved. They sit and take excellent notes during the classroom session, wow! We had a group of children in the street share their school books and grades, they were all very neat and generally the grades were very good. We're going to the local school in the morning tomorrow and returning to the community center to finish painting and maybe install soccer goals for the field.
Personally one of the most memorable experiences was picking up one of the young boys and throwing him in the air (the laughter was awesome, wish I had a photo), within moments there were 10 boys around me. I told the first one, this is the last time. Then they all were asking for "last time". After giving them all multiple turns it was hard to stop, imagine growing up without a mom and dad. The work here is really important to these kids.
Here's Pastor K, Anna, Bill and Carl finalizing the tire tower. Image a platform, swings and slide to the right of this... What a difference a few days can make!
Our hosts are excellent between the church, Shara/Julia our missionaries and the team at African Exposure. It's very English here with everyone enjoying morning tea on the balance beam.
Personally one of the most memorable experiences was picking up one of the young boys and throwing him in the air (the laughter was awesome, wish I had a photo), within moments there were 10 boys around me. I told the first one, this is the last time. Then they all were asking for "last time". After giving them all multiple turns it was hard to stop, imagine growing up without a mom and dad. The work here is really important to these kids.
Here's Pastor K, Anna, Bill and Carl finalizing the tire tower. Image a platform, swings and slide to the right of this... What a difference a few days can make!
Our hosts are excellent between the church, Shara/Julia our missionaries and the team at African Exposure. It's very English here with everyone enjoying morning tea on the balance beam.
Shara and Julia did a great job singing "Take me out to the ballgame" for the kids as they learned about the USA. This country thing is excellent in light of the World Cup coming to South Africa. Friday is soccer jersey day for the whole country, we can pick up our favorite country jersey for $79 rand, around $10 US.
In the morning Shara and Julia have found a local woman who does sewing classes for the ladies of Shongweni. Today they did some really cool beading and sewing. The idea is to use the community center to help the ladies develop crafts that can be used for income. Tomorrow we have a group of local craftspeople bringing their wares, should be really neat. What a great way to support the community.
Julia worked on these prayer rocks for the kids today as craft. They did a wonderful job of attaching the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" as well as painting them with neat designs. Nice tie in with the David and Goliath story that was shared.
You may have been wondering about sports affiliations among the South African natives. Look closely here, Pastor Thwala was sharing his die hard Virginia Tech Hokie spirit with Anna. Nice hat!
Karen doing the challenging task of applying primer in the preschool bathroom. This stuff is like elmers glue and only comes off with turpentine. Regardless, see that smile!
While sharing the USA with the kids, this young man wanted to know if it was a girl or boy in that huge belly... just kidding. Shara had done a great job with a US map and the kids wanted to know where she was from (Phoenix) and our group (Jacksonville). It's amazing how hungry these kids are to learn.
Bill, Stan, Pastor K, Pastor Thwala and Scott painted the tires in the playground. They look awesome. This is a special playground design that comes with a number of activities for the kids to develop their coordination and motor schools. The guys at African Exposure helped with the design and are going to train the team how to work with the kids here... awesome! It's hard to imagine but the younger kids have challenges with simply catching a ball. I'm certain their caregivers do the best that they can but without dedicated parents it must be very difficult to give these kids the experiences that they need.
Bill checking his skills with the balance beam... whoaaaa...
In the morning Shara and Julia have found a local woman who does sewing classes for the ladies of Shongweni. Today they did some really cool beading and sewing. The idea is to use the community center to help the ladies develop crafts that can be used for income. Tomorrow we have a group of local craftspeople bringing their wares, should be really neat. What a great way to support the community.
Julia worked on these prayer rocks for the kids today as craft. They did a wonderful job of attaching the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" as well as painting them with neat designs. Nice tie in with the David and Goliath story that was shared.
You may have been wondering about sports affiliations among the South African natives. Look closely here, Pastor Thwala was sharing his die hard Virginia Tech Hokie spirit with Anna. Nice hat!
Karen doing the challenging task of applying primer in the preschool bathroom. This stuff is like elmers glue and only comes off with turpentine. Regardless, see that smile!
While sharing the USA with the kids, this young man wanted to know if it was a girl or boy in that huge belly... just kidding. Shara had done a great job with a US map and the kids wanted to know where she was from (Phoenix) and our group (Jacksonville). It's amazing how hungry these kids are to learn.
Bill, Stan, Pastor K, Pastor Thwala and Scott painted the tires in the playground. They look awesome. This is a special playground design that comes with a number of activities for the kids to develop their coordination and motor schools. The guys at African Exposure helped with the design and are going to train the team how to work with the kids here... awesome! It's hard to imagine but the younger kids have challenges with simply catching a ball. I'm certain their caregivers do the best that they can but without dedicated parents it must be very difficult to give these kids the experiences that they need.
Bill checking his skills with the balance beam... whoaaaa...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 3 Activities- Painting, Playground and China VBS
Stella doing "China" day making lanterns with the children. The kids are so excited and focused while they are doing arts and crafts.
Scott playing with the children. I think he's having more fun than they are. Everyone is so happy to be around kids.
The face paint was a big hit. The kids painted on each other. This is a replica of the South Africa flag on their face.
Karen painting the bathroom. She is so good at painting in the small places.
Karen playing with the kids and building with the legos. She's learning a thing or two about putting structures together.
Getting help from the children with wheelbarrows full of dirt and cement. They had such a blast helping with the manual labor, but of course we did not let them do to much of it. It was a fun game to them when we were worn out.
Scott playing with the children. I think he's having more fun than they are. Everyone is so happy to be around kids.
The face paint was a big hit. The kids painted on each other. This is a replica of the South Africa flag on their face.
Karen painting the bathroom. She is so good at painting in the small places.
Karen playing with the kids and building with the legos. She's learning a thing or two about putting structures together.
Getting help from the children with wheelbarrows full of dirt and cement. They had such a blast helping with the manual labor, but of course we did not let them do to much of it. It was a fun game to them when we were worn out.
Someone had the bright idea to plant some of the local "vegetation" around the play area we built. They're such pretty flowers, aren't they??
Instead of carrying dirt and cement in the wheelbarrow, we decided to start carrying children. It was like a roller coaster ride to them. It was the little things that made them happy.
Bill playing with the "Lego's" with the children. Showing him a thing or two about construction.
Two best friends, playing in the dirt, having a blast. Scott and Bill anchoring wood slabs to make the playground safe and sturdy.
Instead of carrying dirt and cement in the wheelbarrow, we decided to start carrying children. It was like a roller coaster ride to them. It was the little things that made them happy.
Bill playing with the "Lego's" with the children. Showing him a thing or two about construction.
Two best friends, playing in the dirt, having a blast. Scott and Bill anchoring wood slabs to make the playground safe and sturdy.
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