Rock Harbor South Africa

Siobahnne here.

What a day today was. It was both overpoweringly peaceful and hard.

It was our second day in Sweethome and 4 of us were scheduled to work with the Informal School while the rest of our team watched and played with the kids from the Creche. This was a huge joy for us. We walked into the Creche and the children were practicing how to count to ten using their fingers and how to pronounce the vowels. Those kids are amazing and so incredibly fun to spend time with. Edward, Joel and Sive were there again to hang out and play with us (and hug us!).

Working with the informal school was also a huge blessing. Those women have such amazing hearts. We were a little unaware of what we were in for, but it was almost immediately obvious that these women truly want to learn. They took everything we could give them and immediately began looking into where it's applicable. One woman even plans to use the lesson plan format we brought for her Aids support group. We went over Child Development, the importance of scheduling and routine, Classroom Rules and Consequences, Lesson Plans and activities with them. They were already on the right path and the "tools" we brought them will hopefully continue to help them manage the kids and teach them what they need to know. It was awesome to see how much they were willing to learn to offer more to the kids in that community.

After the Informal School training with the CHEs, we did a home visit to one of the homes near the Creche. This was heartbreaking. The women in that home (including a first and second wife of a man who was not there) are so sick. Most of them are HIV+, have tuberculosis and other ailments. It was so hard for me to see because poverty, lack of education, oppression... these are things we can fight. HIV is essentially a death sentence. Yet these women were incredible. Not only were they so happy to have us there, but they invited some of their neighbors who were also sick to come and be prayed over. There was no sense of desperation or hopelessness in these women, only light and hope.

We've been learning that South Africa has so much to teach us. Humility, self control, value, patience, love... these are things God has been showing us in so many ways. We've seen so much God here.

We got back to the Academy and got to spend some time with the girls and are really looking forward to spending time with them over the next two days before we leave. Nicole actually stayed behind to help at the Academy today (and had an amazing time!), and the rest of us are yearning for more quality time with them too!

Heartbreak is a blessing because it reminds us that our God heals. He is good.

Prayer requests:

...Wood sliced his arm at St. Pauls. He's okay and doesn't need stitches, but we are praying for a fast and easy healing with no complications.

...As always, please keep the anti-spider/anti-bug prayers coming.

...Prayer for healing. Sunburns all over and some allergy and sinus issues going on.

...Pray for the people of Sweethome, for those sick at heart and sick in spirit. For those sick in body. Pray for supernatural healing and for God to be working with the community to eradicate the oppression and complacency, and to bring more Jesus into that neighborhood. Pray for the kids to stay healthy and stay in school. We had an awesome Praise report from Sisanda today. We didn't see as many kids at the Creche today because apparently after our camp, more than ever signed up for school (many who have never gone before). Thank God!

...Pray for our time with the Academy kids. May we pour love and Godly wisdom into these kids. We love them all so much already.

...Get a head start on those safe travel prayers. We'll be home Sunday.

Love you all!