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Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Let It Be...
Hi world…so I know many of you have been waiting for an update about the amazing time I had with my sister here for 3 ½ weeks for the Holidays, and that is coming soon, but first there is some bad news that I have been going back and forth about sharing on the blog but after today have decided to go ahead and let you guys know.
The week after Christmas I received a message from one of my staff members informing me that a young boy from our club, Anndile had died. He drowned in the dam behind the Living Hope offices. Some of the kids from Masi jump the fences and walls surrounding the dam during the summer time to go swim there instead of walking the 5+ kilometers to the beach.
Of course immediately I was devastated. I’ve never known a child that has died. And while I wasn’t extremely close with Anndile it broke my heart even more because I had gotten to know him better over the past month or so.
Anndile was around 11 and has a twin sister Andiswa and an older sister who is around 14 both also come to our club. He was a very energetic, incredibly funny little boy. For the longest time I didn’t believe he was Andiswa’s twin because she is like a foot taller than him! Unfortunately I have no photos of him but I am so grateful to have captured a video of him during a dance competition the boys put on during the Christmas party mid-December. He was an amazing little dancer!
We returned to work this week and kids club resumed as well. At first I wasn’t even sure if anyone was going to mention him or his passing, because it seemed like so long ago that we had heard and then we found out it was actually even longer ago that it had happened. It was the week before Christmas. Throughout the day we also learned more of the horrific details. I use the word horrific because to me that it exactly how I imagine it but I was so shocked to see how calm everyone was and how normal it seemed to be.
I asked multiple times to my colleagues if this was common for children to die under such tragic freak accidents and they said no, but I can’t help but wonder if their reaction to his death, or lack their of, is because of the amount of death they have already seen in their own lives. This brings me to the saddest part of all… Apparently the area the boys were swimming in was really muddy and Anndile got stuck in the mud but the water was over his head. There were numerous boys of all ages from our club there with him. Some tried to pull him out and eventually they went to get help. I don’t know for sure how everything happened or who saw what but I can’t get the terrifying image out of my head that these young boys saw their friend drowning and then his body pulled from the water. I pray they didn’t see his body. But nonetheless they were there when their friend died.
At club today when we found out which kids were there I just wanted to burst into tears and hold these boys, comfort them, counsel them. One boy that was there and saw the whole thing, little Vuyo, is only 6! Six years old! I cannot even imagine what he must be thinking! But then again I can’t help but wonder if this is just the beginning of the horror they will continue to see for the rest of their lives. The type of horror that leaves them cold when faced with the news that a child was killed or murdered or kidnapped. (A lot of that has happened in Masi over the years as well.)
I know this isn’t really the type of thing you guys want to be updated about but to be honest it’s the type of thing that is faced here pretty regularly.
Anndile was an amazing kid with a huge heart and bright smile who left behind lots of friends and family who love him and miss him tons. So please pray for those friends and family! For his mom and his sisters, they always say the hardest thing is losing a child and I would guess the next hardest is losing a sibling, please pray that their family would be strengthened during this tragedy, and pray for peace and salvation for lost souls in the home! And pray for his friends, the little boys especially who were there with him during that horrible accident, pray that they will find peace and understanding and that they will open up and be comforted and that they will always remember their friend for the good funny boy that he was.
The week after Christmas I received a message from one of my staff members informing me that a young boy from our club, Anndile had died. He drowned in the dam behind the Living Hope offices. Some of the kids from Masi jump the fences and walls surrounding the dam during the summer time to go swim there instead of walking the 5+ kilometers to the beach.
Of course immediately I was devastated. I’ve never known a child that has died. And while I wasn’t extremely close with Anndile it broke my heart even more because I had gotten to know him better over the past month or so.
Anndile was around 11 and has a twin sister Andiswa and an older sister who is around 14 both also come to our club. He was a very energetic, incredibly funny little boy. For the longest time I didn’t believe he was Andiswa’s twin because she is like a foot taller than him! Unfortunately I have no photos of him but I am so grateful to have captured a video of him during a dance competition the boys put on during the Christmas party mid-December. He was an amazing little dancer!
We returned to work this week and kids club resumed as well. At first I wasn’t even sure if anyone was going to mention him or his passing, because it seemed like so long ago that we had heard and then we found out it was actually even longer ago that it had happened. It was the week before Christmas. Throughout the day we also learned more of the horrific details. I use the word horrific because to me that it exactly how I imagine it but I was so shocked to see how calm everyone was and how normal it seemed to be.
I asked multiple times to my colleagues if this was common for children to die under such tragic freak accidents and they said no, but I can’t help but wonder if their reaction to his death, or lack their of, is because of the amount of death they have already seen in their own lives. This brings me to the saddest part of all… Apparently the area the boys were swimming in was really muddy and Anndile got stuck in the mud but the water was over his head. There were numerous boys of all ages from our club there with him. Some tried to pull him out and eventually they went to get help. I don’t know for sure how everything happened or who saw what but I can’t get the terrifying image out of my head that these young boys saw their friend drowning and then his body pulled from the water. I pray they didn’t see his body. But nonetheless they were there when their friend died.
At club today when we found out which kids were there I just wanted to burst into tears and hold these boys, comfort them, counsel them. One boy that was there and saw the whole thing, little Vuyo, is only 6! Six years old! I cannot even imagine what he must be thinking! But then again I can’t help but wonder if this is just the beginning of the horror they will continue to see for the rest of their lives. The type of horror that leaves them cold when faced with the news that a child was killed or murdered or kidnapped. (A lot of that has happened in Masi over the years as well.)
I know this isn’t really the type of thing you guys want to be updated about but to be honest it’s the type of thing that is faced here pretty regularly.
Anndile was an amazing kid with a huge heart and bright smile who left behind lots of friends and family who love him and miss him tons. So please pray for those friends and family! For his mom and his sisters, they always say the hardest thing is losing a child and I would guess the next hardest is losing a sibling, please pray that their family would be strengthened during this tragedy, and pray for peace and salvation for lost souls in the home! And pray for his friends, the little boys especially who were there with him during that horrible accident, pray that they will find peace and understanding and that they will open up and be comforted and that they will always remember their friend for the good funny boy that he was.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's Official!
So....great news this weekend! Yesterday my little sister Ashley graduated from the University of West Georgia Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education! I hate that I couldn't be there to celebrate with her on this awesome day of accomplishment! But I am so proud of her and cannot wait til she is here in 2 days!!
I also found out this morning that sometime this past week I got an A in my internship course (which is what I was completing here in South Africa) and now I am an official graduate from Kennesaw State University!! I have a bachelor of science in human services with a concentration in non-profit administration and a minor in Spanish! It feels sooo great to say official! :) Diploma is in the mail and should be hanging on the wall at the parents house by the time I return home! It's a great feeling of accomplishment and all I really have to say is its about dang time!!
I also found out this morning that sometime this past week I got an A in my internship course (which is what I was completing here in South Africa) and now I am an official graduate from Kennesaw State University!! I have a bachelor of science in human services with a concentration in non-profit administration and a minor in Spanish! It feels sooo great to say official! :) Diploma is in the mail and should be hanging on the wall at the parents house by the time I return home! It's a great feeling of accomplishment and all I really have to say is its about dang time!!
"Father Christmas!!!.....Father Christmas!!!"
This past week was filled with amazing Christmas parties in each community hosted by the Extreme Response team! Masiphumelele had theirs on Wednesday and it was so much fun! Because we have so many preschoolers and club kids (which are school age) we had to host 2 parties spread out throughout the day. Our first party for the pre-schoolers started at 10am! All of the creches (preschools) and day cares brought their little kiddies down for the festivities! We had two inflatable jumping castles set up outside and let's just say that's when the madness began!! LOL The ER team was great! They provided all of the resources for the parties and all of the kids were able to get a hotdog, 2 pieces of fruit and a present they could open at home; which included a hygiene pack (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, etc.), a bag of sweets, and a juice box. They also got their picture taken from a polaroid camera and that was sent home with them as well!....oh and I almost forgot an ice cream cone!!! So after a few hours packed with jumping in inflatables, singing and dancing, face painting and playing with clowns (which by the way...Im still afraid of LOL), these kids were sent home with a huge smile on their faces and their arms full of goodies! Oh and I forgot to mention Kenny another American volunteer, volunteered himself to be Father Christmas for the party and has been growing his beard out for a couple of months for it. He was a trooper to say the least...considering its scorching hot here and he was in a Santa suit! But the kids loved it and screamed "Father Christmas....Father Christmas" so loud for him to come out!
Probably my favorite part of the day was around noon when we all walked outside to see the gate flooded with older kids anxiously awaiting for their party to start...the crazy thing was though that it didn't start until 3!! And they knew that! They just wanted to make sure they were first in line for the fun! They waited there for hours!!
The day was exhausting to say the least but such a blessing and so incredibly fun! Just to see the looks on the kids faces when they got to receive a present and ice cream! And to play with clowns and see magic tricks! They were so excited they could hardly sit still! Masi is always described as being the most chaotic and out of control...but as many of you know I thrive on chaos and love craziness...so it was so much fun to just sit back at the end of the day and despite all the miscommunication and children running wild and food all over the place, and to know that the Lord used us to bless their hearts and love them unconditionally!
Days like that are what make my time here priceless!
Probably my favorite part of the day was around noon when we all walked outside to see the gate flooded with older kids anxiously awaiting for their party to start...the crazy thing was though that it didn't start until 3!! And they knew that! They just wanted to make sure they were first in line for the fun! They waited there for hours!!
The day was exhausting to say the least but such a blessing and so incredibly fun! Just to see the looks on the kids faces when they got to receive a present and ice cream! And to play with clowns and see magic tricks! They were so excited they could hardly sit still! Masi is always described as being the most chaotic and out of control...but as many of you know I thrive on chaos and love craziness...so it was so much fun to just sit back at the end of the day and despite all the miscommunication and children running wild and food all over the place, and to know that the Lord used us to bless their hearts and love them unconditionally!
Days like that are what make my time here priceless!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
No Shoes??....No problem!!
So...a common thing here in South Africa is going barefoot! Its so random and really funny at times. And believe me EVERYONE of all ages does it. You know in the States we have probably all been in the situation where we are watching after kids and someone has forgotten their shoes! This normally means that whatever you were getting ready to do has to be put on hold while we turn the car around and go fetch the shoes that little Johnny forgot. Well here in South Africa if you forgot your shoes it was obviously intentional! You are a true South African, feeling the sand, dirt, scalding hot pavement, gross bathroom floor, etc. between your toes! People hike barefoot, go to public restrooms barefoot, go to dinner....they do everything TOTALLY barefoot! But we all know what this results in.....WALMART FEET!! You know what I'm talking about....one day just slip your shoes off in a Walmart and cruise across an aisle barefoot...when you get home your feet will be as black as the pavement!
As much as I love being barefoot...I think I will stick to my flip flops in public places not covered my fresh green grass or sand! :)
As much as I love being barefoot...I think I will stick to my flip flops in public places not covered my fresh green grass or sand! :)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Well, Hello Again....
So I know it has been FOREVER since I updated! BUT the good news is that it only means that I have had sooo much amazing stuff going on here that I haven’t had much free time to sit down and write all about it!
So…where should I begin…September was great! At the volunteer house at the time it was mainly me, Kendra, Jessica, Laura and Matt. During September I got a lot closer with them and with my staff in Masi. They are all amazing!
Holiday Club was held at the end of September…it’s like a week of VBS! We did Boomerang Express curriculum which I am sure brings back memories for VBS teachers back home. Brentwood Baptist Church from Knoxville had a team down here to work with us on that. They were all so wonderful. During Holiday club was when I really was able to call Masi my home, the place where I worked, the people my heart broke for, my friends.
The Life Skill Educators I work with are truly awesome. At my club there is Desmond, Phelisa and Vuyo (But Vuyo will be leaving us after Christmas because he is going on full time with Hope 2 Africa!) At the other club with Kenny and Carla (the married volunteers from Colorado) there is Natalie Toni (She is the team leader and like everyone’s mom), Sondy and Nandi.
To be honest it seems like these months have FLOWN by!! I can’t believe I have been here over 3 months already!!
October was when things really started to pick up for me. I was/am truly living here and that reality comes with happiness and hard times. My job at Living Way became more and more difficult to accomplish in the time I was given and I started to become more involved with Living Right being more involved with prevention programs.
Since then my job description includes the following: (LOL it’s a lot but sooo exciting)
• Documenting processes for Living Way
• Assisting to develop child protection policies for the entire Living Hope organization
• Heading up a fundraising committee with the Life Skill Educators
• Serving on a Fundraising Committee with selected managers for Living Hope
• Serving as the project manager for the Parenting Program scheduled to launch in February 2009.
On another note, October consisted of a lot of sightseeing and touristy stuff as well, since Jessica was going to be leaving us first in November.
We went to see penguins, wine tasting, museums, etc. It was a lot of fun.
And it seriously feels like we skipped November! LOL It came and went so fast! My birthday was amazing! I was a little worried about it because I wasn’t sure how big birthdays were here! But my Masi staff was awesome and came to celebrate with me and the other volunteers were great! It was so much fun.
Oh and I totally forgot to mention….let me back up
Praise the Lord because I was able to cut my budget almost in half and sort out living situations and everything. I am currently renting a flat from another volunteer missionary family in a really good area in Fish Hoek. It’s a studio flat/apt but very spacious and really nice…and WAY cheaper than the other place I was staying! I also decided to change in my nice automatic 4-door corolla that I was renting for an old school VW Beetle named Sir Rigby!! He is awesome! Bright Red too! He’s a piece but he gets me from point A to point B and is half the price of the other car and now I’m totally attached to him. Haha
Carla and Kenny and I have also begun taking Xhosa lessons! It’s so great to learn another language and be able to use it in the communities we work in and to empower the lady that teaches the courses and help her business out.
But back to November…things really started getting crazy towards the end of last month, deadlines coming up, projects due, etc. Because the organization pretty much shuts down around Christmas everything gets insane at the end of the year.
And another PRAISE!!! My sister Ashley is coming here to visit for Christmas! This is probably the best news yet! I had been praying and so worried about Christmas and being away from family…and the Lord totally provided and allowed for her to be able to come…and she will get here soon enough to volunteer and help out at out Christmas Holiday Clubs! Everyone is so excited to meet her.
So now that leaves us in December…NOW…and I have vowed to update this WAY more often…so much more often that you might be bombarded with updates now! LOL....but in all seriousness I do apologize for not updating for months! I know you guys have been thinking about me, praying for me and supporting me so much and I should have taken more time to update you guys on the amazing things God is doing here!
I love you all! And will write more soon!
With much love,
Christina
So…where should I begin…September was great! At the volunteer house at the time it was mainly me, Kendra, Jessica, Laura and Matt. During September I got a lot closer with them and with my staff in Masi. They are all amazing!
Holiday Club was held at the end of September…it’s like a week of VBS! We did Boomerang Express curriculum which I am sure brings back memories for VBS teachers back home. Brentwood Baptist Church from Knoxville had a team down here to work with us on that. They were all so wonderful. During Holiday club was when I really was able to call Masi my home, the place where I worked, the people my heart broke for, my friends.
The Life Skill Educators I work with are truly awesome. At my club there is Desmond, Phelisa and Vuyo (But Vuyo will be leaving us after Christmas because he is going on full time with Hope 2 Africa!) At the other club with Kenny and Carla (the married volunteers from Colorado) there is Natalie Toni (She is the team leader and like everyone’s mom), Sondy and Nandi.
To be honest it seems like these months have FLOWN by!! I can’t believe I have been here over 3 months already!!
October was when things really started to pick up for me. I was/am truly living here and that reality comes with happiness and hard times. My job at Living Way became more and more difficult to accomplish in the time I was given and I started to become more involved with Living Right being more involved with prevention programs.
Since then my job description includes the following: (LOL it’s a lot but sooo exciting)
• Documenting processes for Living Way
• Assisting to develop child protection policies for the entire Living Hope organization
• Heading up a fundraising committee with the Life Skill Educators
• Serving on a Fundraising Committee with selected managers for Living Hope
• Serving as the project manager for the Parenting Program scheduled to launch in February 2009.
On another note, October consisted of a lot of sightseeing and touristy stuff as well, since Jessica was going to be leaving us first in November.
We went to see penguins, wine tasting, museums, etc. It was a lot of fun.
And it seriously feels like we skipped November! LOL It came and went so fast! My birthday was amazing! I was a little worried about it because I wasn’t sure how big birthdays were here! But my Masi staff was awesome and came to celebrate with me and the other volunteers were great! It was so much fun.
Oh and I totally forgot to mention….let me back up
Praise the Lord because I was able to cut my budget almost in half and sort out living situations and everything. I am currently renting a flat from another volunteer missionary family in a really good area in Fish Hoek. It’s a studio flat/apt but very spacious and really nice…and WAY cheaper than the other place I was staying! I also decided to change in my nice automatic 4-door corolla that I was renting for an old school VW Beetle named Sir Rigby!! He is awesome! Bright Red too! He’s a piece but he gets me from point A to point B and is half the price of the other car and now I’m totally attached to him. Haha
Carla and Kenny and I have also begun taking Xhosa lessons! It’s so great to learn another language and be able to use it in the communities we work in and to empower the lady that teaches the courses and help her business out.
But back to November…things really started getting crazy towards the end of last month, deadlines coming up, projects due, etc. Because the organization pretty much shuts down around Christmas everything gets insane at the end of the year.
And another PRAISE!!! My sister Ashley is coming here to visit for Christmas! This is probably the best news yet! I had been praying and so worried about Christmas and being away from family…and the Lord totally provided and allowed for her to be able to come…and she will get here soon enough to volunteer and help out at out Christmas Holiday Clubs! Everyone is so excited to meet her.
So now that leaves us in December…NOW…and I have vowed to update this WAY more often…so much more often that you might be bombarded with updates now! LOL....but in all seriousness I do apologize for not updating for months! I know you guys have been thinking about me, praying for me and supporting me so much and I should have taken more time to update you guys on the amazing things God is doing here!
I love you all! And will write more soon!
With much love,
Christina
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER!!!
Today is Caleb’s 9th Birthday!! Sad times that I can’t be there to celebrate with everyone! But I love you buddy and miss you sooo much!
It has been very cold and rainy the past few days…kinda miserable weather LOL But it’s all good. Just hard to concentrate at work when its freezing. Most of the buildings here are concrete so it ends up getting cold and staying cold inside even if it starts warming up outside. Im hoping it will stay cold inside when it gets summer here, because there is no heating or air in any of the buildings.
Work has been going well. I am still trying to figure out, piece together and understand the entire process of monitoring and evaluating the organization’s existing programs. I am just praying that all of the work I am putting into these models and such are what they are looking for.
Yesterday the revolving door turned again. We say the volunteer house is like a revolving door because people leave to go home, then new people come, then some move out, and some movie in. Last night Laura, from Canada, came and she is going to be here for 3 months. Then this morning JB and Louis, the two older women from Australia left. It’s a bitter sweet thing, the whole revolving door, its great to meet new people but of course it is always hard to say goodbye and embrace the change.
Last night we watched a Louie Giglio dvd on Prayer. Of course I had seen it in person and actually even own that series at home. But it was still so refreshing to listen again and really take in the message of remixing our prayer life. Louie talks about how so often we as Americans always pray “Lord Bless Us”, “Lord bless me”, “Lord bless our trip”, etc. When in fact our focus should not be so much on ourselves but on everything and everyone else around us to be blessed and that we should be blessing the Lord!
_____ It is now Wednesday and I am finishing writing this blog.
Therefore, with the above being said about prayer, I am striving to make sure that may prayers are geniunly focused on me blessing the Lord and asking the Lord to live and shine through me! The focus needs to be taken off me and put on everything else around me.
I decided to blog about this because I would like to ask all of you, that while yes, I also needs prayers for strength and wisdom and protection, I also want you guys to pray for the people here. Pray that the Lord would work in amazing ways through each of us volunteers. Pray that we would b susceptible to His teachings, grace and love and pour that out onto those around us! Pray that we would be His shining light in the dark areas we are working in! Pray that we would bless HIS name first and foremost!
Thank you guys so much for your loving support and continued prayers and encouragement!
Peace and Love, Christina
It has been very cold and rainy the past few days…kinda miserable weather LOL But it’s all good. Just hard to concentrate at work when its freezing. Most of the buildings here are concrete so it ends up getting cold and staying cold inside even if it starts warming up outside. Im hoping it will stay cold inside when it gets summer here, because there is no heating or air in any of the buildings.
Work has been going well. I am still trying to figure out, piece together and understand the entire process of monitoring and evaluating the organization’s existing programs. I am just praying that all of the work I am putting into these models and such are what they are looking for.
Yesterday the revolving door turned again. We say the volunteer house is like a revolving door because people leave to go home, then new people come, then some move out, and some movie in. Last night Laura, from Canada, came and she is going to be here for 3 months. Then this morning JB and Louis, the two older women from Australia left. It’s a bitter sweet thing, the whole revolving door, its great to meet new people but of course it is always hard to say goodbye and embrace the change.
Last night we watched a Louie Giglio dvd on Prayer. Of course I had seen it in person and actually even own that series at home. But it was still so refreshing to listen again and really take in the message of remixing our prayer life. Louie talks about how so often we as Americans always pray “Lord Bless Us”, “Lord bless me”, “Lord bless our trip”, etc. When in fact our focus should not be so much on ourselves but on everything and everyone else around us to be blessed and that we should be blessing the Lord!
_____ It is now Wednesday and I am finishing writing this blog.
Therefore, with the above being said about prayer, I am striving to make sure that may prayers are geniunly focused on me blessing the Lord and asking the Lord to live and shine through me! The focus needs to be taken off me and put on everything else around me.
I decided to blog about this because I would like to ask all of you, that while yes, I also needs prayers for strength and wisdom and protection, I also want you guys to pray for the people here. Pray that the Lord would work in amazing ways through each of us volunteers. Pray that we would b susceptible to His teachings, grace and love and pour that out onto those around us! Pray that we would be His shining light in the dark areas we are working in! Pray that we would bless HIS name first and foremost!
Thank you guys so much for your loving support and continued prayers and encouragement!
Peace and Love, Christina
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