Somehow...

....our time in SA is almost up. How that happened, I'm not sure!

Our first week at SPCC was so amazing. I think I speak for us all when I say that we are going to have a very hard time saying goodbye to all of the wonderful people we have met here. It's amazing how quickly a place grabs a hold of your heart, and to see how God is working through it all is just so beautiful.

Monday was the first full day at school. We joined the staff for morning devotions, where I presented one of the three banners that the OSL ladies made for SPCC. The others will be going to Bethel Preschool to hang in their board room, and the clinic on SPCC campus once it is complete. The learners and staff have an all-school assembly in the morning on Mondays and Fridays, where the whole school stands outside for a devotion, a few songs and announcements. It was so much fun to watch!

I specifically am working with the Grade R (kindergarten) and Grade 1 teachers, 5 classrooms in all. I spend about an hour in each classroom throughout the day (here their school day is 8:00-1:30 for the lower grades). Our biggest focus here has been to share Jesus and develop relationships with the students and staff at SPCC, but in the classroom, I am introducing small group learning centers to the teachers as well as helping the teachers develop free exploration activities for the students to do when they complete their assigned work (play dough, sidewalk chalk, blocks, etc.).  (Look at those sweet faces!!)

Tuesday was very cold (around 50 degrees) and rainy for most of the day. Some of us attended choir practice before school. We could have stood in that room all day and listened to those learners sing. It was absolutely beautiful. Some of our team had a meeting after school with the Intermediate Phase, so the rest of us worked on lesson plans and preparing for the following day. The bakery on site that rents a space from SPCC, Bread of Life Bakery, catered some finger lickings for us (appetizers) for after the meeting. Beulah, the bakery owner and her staff were so fantastic. Some of the foods were South African delicacies and some were Indian delicacies, as she is Indian. All of it was so delicious and fun to try to new things. We joined the Hannay family for dinner at their home in Middelburg. David is a contractor that works with SPCC and his wife, Janey, owns her own dance store out of their home. Their three children, Kaylee, Brett & Dean were also there, along with the Berson’s. We enjoyed a braai of pork and chicken, roasted broccoli, squash and potatoes, and an amazing vanilla apple crumble with custard. We spent some time reflecting on the vision of SPCC, how it all got started and God’s hand through David in all of that. It was really neat to talk with more of the visionaries and people that God has placed to do His work at SPCC. 47 years ago, David’s father and Pastor Khumalo met and discussed Pastor’s vision for what is now SPCC. Fun fact: St. Peter Christian College is the first private Christian school in a black South African township (Middelburg). David’s father, Cedric, passed away ten years ago, so David became passionate about the project and wanted to continue his father’s hand in Pastor Khumalo’s dream. SPCC opened in 2011.

Wednesday, after the grade R learners were finished with their lessons, we took them outdoors to introduce sidewalk chalk to them as an activity option for the teachers to provide when they are finished with their assigned word. For a few of them, it was the first time that they had ever used it. It was an absolute joy to watch them draw, learn and play with their peers. (And those of you that know me well, KNOW I was tearing up behind my sunglasses!) Some students drew houses, some wrote numbers and letters and their names, another learner even drew a hopscotch board. One of the biggest things that God has taught me since being here is to remember to find the joy in the simplest things, because those are often the most beautiful. One of many things our team has learned about the people here in South Africa and that we talk about often, is that they do each task the absolute best they can, and have joy while doing it, no matter what the task or job may be, without complaint.  Kristin & I had a conversation with one of the Grade 3 teachers, Poppy (pronounce paw-pee) about why she came back to teaching after retiring for a few years. She said something along the lines of, “saying no to the calling God has for me is saying no to God, and I cannot do that.” She is very open about her faith and trust in God and that is something that all of the people we have met have in common. 

After school, a few of us joined the Foundation Phase meeting (grade R-grade 3). It was interesting and fun to sit in on a faculty meeting at a different school, in a different country! The topics on the agenda were very similar to an American school: curriculum, field trips, discipline and ways to implement different strategies, etc. After the meeting, we then enjoyed some fellowship, prayer and some of the same finger lickings as the previous day, with the addition of authentic curry!

Grade 1 teachers: Teacher Tiny, Teacher Nosipo and Teacher Heather

 Corrine & I with the Grade R teachers: Teacher Ronia and Teacher Sarah

Thursday, we got to be in on choir practice again and they taught us some of the lyrics and dance moves (let the record show: they're WAY better than us!) I introduced small group learning centers to grade 1. It was so much fun to teach alongside the teachers and watch the kids interact and learn with each other.  The idea was to offer up some suggestions and ideas for very simple extension activities that the teachers here could align right with their curriculum. Alphabet bingo, building words with clay and individual chalkboards and whiteboards for their word work for the day were the activities. We left school around 1:00 p.m. for our road trip to Kruger National Park (minus Bruce, poor guy had to stay back and fight off a cold). It was about a 3 hour drive, but there was so much beautiful scenery that it made the drive fly right by. We arrived to the hotel and were greeted by a few monkeys wandering around the front lawn. It was so fun to watch them running around!

Friday morning we arrived at the park around 5:45 and got into our safari jeep with our guide, Nomatta. It was very cold and we were loaded up with sweatshirts, coats, gloves and hats as we began our drive through the park. (Fun fact: Kruger National Park is the size of Israel.) We had so much fun! Our fun project of the day was taking selfies with as many animals as we could (I won't bore you with all of the ones we got right now!) and re-naming them to something punny, like "selephie" for a selfie with an elephant and "selfena" for a selfie with a hyena.   We were on the lookout for the “Big Five”, which means the five rarest animals to see while on safari there: elephant, lion, water buffalo, rhino and leopard. If you see them, you had a successful day!  We did end up spotting all five of them, some closer than others. We saw two male lions way off in the distance before the sun came up. Our guide stopped the jeep and we all sat and marveled at the beautiful sunrise. I can officially say I’ve seen a sunrise across the African plains (yes, the Newsboys song was playing in my head the entire time!). God is so good. His creation is just amazing.

The first animal we saw was an elephant. It was so incredible to see them so close.

Later, we saw a few female lions and about six cubs on the other side of the river. We saw many water buffalo, three rhinos and one leopard. I am so amazed at how easily our safari guide was able to spot animals way off in the distance! The leopard was in the shadow of a rock lying down, then when we drove back that way, it was on top of the rock. It was very difficult to see and impossible to take a photo and make out what animal it actually was. We also saw a hyena carrying its cub in its mouth, which our guide said was very rare to see. The hyena got so close to our jeep and even posed for a photo  We saw a civet, which is a nocturnal animal and very very rare to see during the day obviously. About halfway through the day, we stopped at a restaurant in the park for lunch that overlooked a watering hole, where we saw hippos and giraffes walking along the edge of the river. Antelope and impalas were everywhere, along with kudu. We also saw many zebra, giraffes, baboons, monkeys, banana birds (think Zazu from The Lion King!), a few eagles and owls. Easily the best excursion I have ever been on in my life. It was so incredible to see the animals in their natural habitat and the pictures do not do it justice. The entire trip lasted about 10.5 hours, but I think we all could have stayed longer!

Our driver/tour guide, Knut, at
Blyde River Canyon.
He's been the best! 

"Oh, Zazu, do lighten up! Sing something
with a little more bounce in it!"

Saturday, we checked out of the hotel and headed to Blyde River Canyon, which is the third largest canyon in the world, and the largest green canyon in the world (meaning it has vegetation on it). It was so beautiful. There are three mountain tops that go along with a story that there was African chief that had three wives, and the highest point of those three mountaintops represents the chief. There was also a market selling many kinds of African scarves, bowls, carvings, etc. so we did some shopping. We then headed to God's Window, a beautiful scenic view with three different viewpoints. Afterwards, we went back to city of Graskop to have lunch at Harrie's Pancakes and do some more shopping at the markets and shops. We then began our drive back to Middleburg to have dinner and check back in to the guest house.

Sunday was just as an amazing church experience as last Sunday, but even more so this week because we each got to participate in the service in a different way. We each did a reading, and then I played "Amazing Grace" on my clarinet, accompanied by the keyboard and piano. It was so much fun and such a cool experience. The sermon was given by Pastor Khumalo's brother. He preached in Zulu and in English, so we were able to understand the basis of what his sermon was about, thanking God in all circumstances and for all you have received from Him. We went to SPCC after that to put the finishing touches on the staff workroom/boardroom, deliver the supplies we brought to each classroom and fix the soccer goal that had broken. Allison & I supervised Matt while he concocted a solution to the problem to get the goal back in action for tomorrow's recesses!

Today, we were in devotions with the teachers and staff before school and passed out the gifts we brought them. The guys were able to pick out sunglasses and the ladies picked out jewelry. It was so fun watching them go "shopping"!  I spent half the day with Grade R at SPCC and then left with Drew Berson and David Hannay to go to Siyabuswa. St. Peter Confessional Lutheran Church has a satellite church there in its 23rd year of operation. It is their vision and dream to open a creche (early childhood center) there in the near future. The church is in the middle of a community/neighborhood. The nearest creche is very small, and the next closest one is 5 km outside of town. Pastor Given is a young engineering student and lead pastor there. He has a huge dream and vision for the future of this creche built on the grounds at SPCLC Siyabuswa. It was great getting to talk with him and tour the grounds.

We are bittersweetly looking forward to our last day at school  tomorrow before we begin our journey back to the U.S. on Wednesday.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for some of our team members who are ill/recovering from illness (colds and the flu) and that God would continue to bless our last few days here in Middleburg. Thank you!

Song of the day: "Good Good Father" by Anthem Lights. You're welcome. :)

Sundays in SA

Hello from Sunday evening in SA!

Last night, we enjoyed a meal and fellowship with the Berson's here at the guest house.  We took some time sharing why we came and said "yes" to continuing the Lord's work here in South Africa. Drew also shared with us about how much growth and vision has come from St. Peter Christian College & Bethel Preschool, and the Lord's hand in all of that. It is certainly not finished yet, and the plans that God has for that are just incredible. New buildings are going up, the ground for the clinic has been broken, they're adding a tech building, adding a Grade 10 is in the future, an on-site orphanage, and continuing to bring in businesses that want to rent space on the campus to add to the already existing bakery and laundry businesses. The bakery bakes the bread that they then use at the school, and the cleaners wash some of the uniforms for the learners.  It's an awesome concept and a "win" for all parties. As we were talking, we discussed what a blessing that yesterday was, coming together with the teachers and staff of SPCC for a day of service to God and the school. As I mentioned previously, we hung curtains in the staff workroom, painted the pillars and the gate outside of the school and painted the boardroom and hung curtains at Bethel Preschool. Normally, if we're being honest here, getting up on a Saturday morning and painting is not something I'd be thrilled over. But when you're doing it with people who have so much joy and faith like I've never seen before, it makes it the most enjoyable work for everyone involved. We talked a lot at dinner last night about that very thing...joy and faith. Many people here could look at their situation and think, how? How could there be a God that loves me so deeply? The most beautiful part is they may not have much, but their love for their God is so deep despite it all. It's the most humbling thing to witness. What some people don't understand is that we aren't here for ourselves, to come here, paint some pillars, teach some kids and come home to pat ourselves on the back and say, "look what we did!". No, we get to say, "look what God did!" It's a partnership between God and all of us. We're here to work with the teachers, kids, and people here, to do the work that God has called us to do. And it's an ultimate blessing. 

Sunday has always been my favorite day of the week. Worship, a good meal, time with family, rest and relaxation for the upcoming week. It's a whole new level here in South Africa! This morning, we went to church at St. Peter Confessional Lutheran Church. Church was around 2.5 hours and involved a lot of singing, dancing and just pure JOY! Pastor Khumalo called our group up to the front to be introduced, which turned into an impromptu dance train around the church. A lot of the singing and speaking was done in Zulu, but there were some parts in English and phrases we could pick out. It was all so awesome! The sermon was given by the seminarian currently at St. Peter, Manqoba Zungu. 

After church, we went to lunch with the Berson's, Pastor Khumalo & his family, and the seminarian currently at St. Peter, Manqoba Zungu. We enjoyed a great meal of seafood & sushi and some great conversation and fellowship. When we got back to the hotel, we opened up the 8 suitcases of supplies and sorted through them to get them ready for tomorrow! 

We then joined the Berson's at their home in Middelburg for some more fellowship and time together. It was neat to see where they live! Annalise and I put together a puzzle in her bedroom; girl after my own heart. 

When we came back to the guest house, we lesson planned/worked out our schedule for our first official day at SPCC tomorrow. It feels like the night before the first day of school and it's SO EXCITING!

I can't say it enough, thank you all so much for your prayers and support for this mission here in SA. God is up to amazing things here.

Snapshots from South Africa!

Hi everyone!

Today, I am writing you from our guest house (Del Roza) in Middleburg, South Africa!  The past few  days have been a whirlwind, but we are here, safely, with ALL 16 suitcases and 8+ carry-ons in tow. Thank you Lord for guiding our travels here, and for all of you who prayed for us during the loooooong travel journey. The weather here is chilly in the morning and evening, around 50 degrees or so. The daylight hours have been abnormally warm for a South African winter, hitting about 65-70+ degrees, so it's been very pleasant! Here's a quick recap of the past few days.

Wednesday & Thursday: Our flight left mid-afternoon from O'Hare. I had a lady named Julie for the check-in process. She was very sweet and she wanted to hear all about our trip.  One of my checked bags was 3 pounds overweight and I was fully prepared to redistribute some things, but she winked at me and told us to have a good trip and wished our team the best. #Godsighting!!

We sat on the tarmac for a while in Chicago, waiting for air traffic to clear. Once we got in the air, it was a smooth flight, and we landed around 5:45 in Atlanta, leaving us about 2 hours until boarding our flight to Johannesburg. Melissa & I went in search of a mailbox so she could mail her family letters, which ended up being about a 2.5 mile walk through the entire airport!  Fine by us, since we were going to be sitting for a looooong time!

The plane to Johannesburg was massive with 9 seats to a row, about 60 rows deep (3 sets of 3) and almost completely full, magically minus the seat between Kristin & I in the center set of 3 seats. Our flight took off from Atlanta around 8:15 p.m. and we settled in for 16 hours in the air. Each seat had a TV pre-loaded with movies/music/games, and also a flight tracker and a map. It was very tempting to check it every three seconds to see if we were there yet!  We were served 2 meals and a snack periodically throughout the flight. 16 hours, 3 movies and 5 series of hour-hour and a half naps and a few time zones later, we landed in Johannesburg! We caught the sunset as we were approaching the airport. It was really strange taking off when it was near dark, then landing when it was dark, knowing back home it was noon!

We had to wait in line to clear customs and get our passports stamped for about an hour. I met a lady in line behind me named Velma from Marshall, MI! What a small world. She was very kind and was traveling the area for the next month and a half. We chatted about our favorite Michigan hotspots and that helped pass the time a bit. All of our luggage arrived in tact and we met up with our driver, Knut (kuh-newt). He is originally from Pretoria, South Africa, about an hour and a half from Middleburg, so he will stay with us this week and transport us to and from school, town, stores for supplies, etc.

We loaded up the van & trailer in the chilly 50 degree weather and got on the road to Middelburg! It was about an hour and a half on the road and we were all very eager to get to our beds so we could sleep laying down instead of sitting up in a seat!  But first, we needed a snack. Meals were served at very odd times so our food schedule was a bit out of whack. Stores and restaurants close pretty soon after dark here, which right now is 6:00 p.m. because it's winter, so our food options were limited. We opted for the classic South African cuisine, McDonald's. I hadn't had McDonald's in years, but at that point, anything would have tasted amazing!

We got to our guest house, did a quick tour and called it a night. We are very blessed in our accommodations here! Everyone is so kind, warm & welcoming and our rooms and the landscape are just beautiful. It really looks like something out of the Secret Garden!

Friday: We got up and ate a fantastic breakfast together at the guest house, loaded up on espresso and set off on the short drive to St. Peter Christian College. It was so great to finally see everything in the daylight!  When we got to the school, we said hello to some of the kids and teachers who were outside, and went on a tour. We got see some familiar faces, like Drew & Lindsey Berson & Pastor Khumalo. It was such an amazing feeling finally being at the school and seeing everyone. I spent most of the morning filled with so many emotions because I just couldn't believe we were actually there! We spent the day getting acclimated with the school and loving on the teachers and kids. I got to visit with the 5 classrooms I'll be working with, two Grade R classrooms (kindergarten) and three first grades. I don't think any of us stopped smiling the entire time we were at the school! So.much.joy. #thankyouGod

Bruce Rudi (principal at St. Peter Arlington Heights), Pastor Khumalo & Drew Berson 

Grade R had a birthday celebration for three of them on Friday! 

After school, we had a meeting with the teachers and then went supply shopping for our service project at the school, which we completed this morning. Kristin & I got to sample Iron Brew, a South African soda produced by Coke. It reminded me of the red cream soda that Barq's makes! Then we had dinner at Nando's, a fantastic chicken restaurant that recently made it's U.S. debut near Chicago. We were back to the guest house by 9:00 and were all in bed shortly after, jet lag is no joke!

Today (Saturday): We got to sleep in a little bit and enjoy another nice breakfast at the guest house before we headed off to school for our service project. We put up curtains in the staff work room, painted some things for the walls, moved furniture out to make the space more welcoming and accessible, and then we spent some time painting the pillars and gates out front of the school to give them a fresher look. Another part of our group painted the boardroom at Bethel preschool and hung some curtains in there as well. Some of the teachers and staff joined us in our work and we enjoyed an absolutely beautiful day together, followed by a meal and fellowship. It was such a great day, an amazing experience and so much fun. I'll have more of those photos in my next post! Then we walked around Middleburg with Knut and explored some of the shops. A lot of the stores close at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and are open for about 2-3 hours or not at all on Sundays, so that the workers can go home and enjoy their weekends! Tonight, we are going to enjoy a dinner at the guest house with the Berson's here in a little while and just enjoy fellowship with them and the rest of our team.

Thank you all for your prayers for our team and our work here! This opportunity is just amazing and I am so thankful to God for it, and for those of you who have supported it and are continuing to with your prayers.