Finally. A day in Sweet Home. :)

Now, this is a story all about how our plans got flipped, turned upside down...yes, that line has become a bit of an anthem for our trip so far. I, for one (this is Kim speaking/writing) am incredibly thankful that they have changed. (Yes, I really did just say that friends and family). This morning during our team devotions, many of our prayers were focused on asking God to help us embrace a posture of simply listening today. Simply being content to just observe our surroundings as we went into Sweet Home. Today, our prayers were answered.


The first thing we did when we went into Sweet Home was split into two groups. One group stayed in Sweet Home and attended a CHE training, which went really well and was insightful into how they are conducted by Bridges staff. I was a part of a group that took the caregiver of a student who might be attending our "shadow" day tomorrow at the Academy to a nearby township school. The reason why we had to take her to the school directly was that she had to ask permission from the child's teacher to miss school tomorrow. The teacher gave us the "okay," but throughout the course of this meeting, other concerns about the student arose, which landed us in the principal's office. (No joke. I was kind of excited about this. Who would have ever thought I would end up in a principal's office in South Africa?).


The main concern about this student was the fact that he did not have a birth certificate. To give you a little bit of context as to why this is an issue, in order to go to school in South Africa, children need to have a birth certificate. For some reason, at this school, exceptions are made for some children because the lack of a birth certificate is such a common issue for so many children living in the townships. The teacher and principal were quite concerned because next year, the child will not be able to attend grade 7 since a birth certificate is required for attendance at the high school. The encouraging piece of all of this is how in a school of 1,000 + students and a classroom of 60 students (more or less), this teacher, principal and another staff member were open and willing to assist this caregiver in tracking down this boy's mother, so they could obtain her ID in order to get him a birth certificate. The fact that they offered to go above and beyond what we would consider their normal work hours to help this student further his education was such a beautiful reminder to me of the importance of how a community can work together to make a difference in the life of one child. So much of what we do in our work here at the Academy is just that. Finding our "one" and spending time with them and encouraging them in their faith and studies. while we are and even when we back home in the States. (Yes, when we came back to the Academy today, I felt compelled to go and spend time with my "one").


After the training and school visit, we were all able to go and take a quick tour around Sweet Home before returning to the church for a CHE meeting. Since one of our main focuses on the trip is to understand more about what the CHE program is all about, this was a truly valuable experience for all of us. Our prayers this morning were especially valuable during this time as we relinquished our own agenda for what we wanted to say and experience at this meeting. I think we all found it far more insightful to be there observing and listening as they talked about their home visits and the needs in the community than what we had planned to ask them. Again, so thankful for our time of prayer this morning and for God's voice to help guide our day instead of our own.


Continued prayers for discernment, strength, and unity are greatly appreciated and very welcome. :)
Love,
Kim