The Journey Begins....

I can't believe it finally happened. God has granted me a miracle. I received an email from South Africa in October asking if I was interested in a long-term missionary position. I was blown away. I have been praying about this for a few years now. Finally, my prayers have been answered. God has called me into serving him in the mission field. Wow!!!! I am so thrilled, I want to shout it from the roof top. The ball is rolling. I interviewed with the LCMS World Mission, I was officially offered the position in November, I had a mini orientation earlier this month and I have started fundraising. And so the journey begins.

It's been a while

Well too much time has passed since I last wrote about the project in Shongweni.  But alot is still going on.  My friend Drew led a team in July and they started rebuilding a much needed classroom at the Lalelani School.  They also put in some gardens in the Habitat houses that were built last year.  In August Pastor Arnie and a faithful team of 4 worked diligently to finish the classroom.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Wish I was there to see it.  Duane and his team are in Shonweni now.  They were able to attend the dedication of the classroom.  The students and the teachers were thrilled.  They also presented a digital camera to the high school and it was well received.  The big project is starting work on the community center.  It was off to a slow start, but they are well on the way.  I can't wait until it is finished.  

Home again!!!

We made it back safely yesterday.  It seemed liked we would never get here.  There was a stop in Dakkar for refueling, crew change, security check which took about 1 & 1/2 hours.  It was nice landing in Washington D.C. and being back in the U.S.A.  After another layover in Chicago we made it back to Phoenix by 2:00pm.  Was it ever hot.  After being in such wonderful cool winter weather for a week it was a shock to feel the heat.

On Sunday we attended church with the people in the community and the choirs were amazing.  Hearing them sing always makes me cry.  I could see Pastor Majola standing in the pulpit with a smile on his face.  I know that he is happy that so many people are continuing to go to church.  Much to my surprise I was asked to get up and speak.  I didn't know what to say but God is good and blessed me with the words.  I told the children that Pastor Majola would want them to continue going to school and that they should help one another.  I told them that God loves them very much and that he would look after them.  I also said that the team loved them and that we would continue to come back.  After church I met the homeowner Patricia and her children and handed over the keys to her house.  She was so happy.  It was truly a happy ending to our week.  As we were driving out of the community one last time we looked over towards the Shonweni game reserve to look for giraffes on last time.  To our amazement we saw about 5 of them all in a row walking along.  It was a wonderful sight to see.

Sala gashle(stay well) South Africa, until we meet again.

Homeward bound

It is time to say goodbye to South Africa. What a wonderful expereince we had. The team was wonderful. We made so many new friends and reconnected with old ones. This morning we head back to the community one last time to go to church with the members of the community. It will be different not having Pastor Majola there. He is certainly missed.

Yesterday we had a day to relax and do some shopping. We went downtown Durban to the Victoria Street market. Shopping is always fun. We also went to the Muti market which is the local traditional medicine market. Lots of interesting things to see. Afterwards we headed to Ushaka, the beach. We had lunch and time to relax. Karli and Taylor went snorkeling. Later on we had our farwell dinner at Butcher Boys. What a great restaurant.

Farewell to South Africa until we meet again. You will be in my heart always.

It is finished.....Day #5

Today was the last day in the community. We only had a few things left to do on the house....painting, hanging the doors and putting in the windows. So we jumped right in and worked diligently to get things finished on time. We had a treat today. Sue Johnson who works with Habitat for Humanity South Africa came by for a visit. It was wonderful to see her.

We finished up about 2:30 pm and got together with Fanie, Musa, Innocent and lots of the children for a group picture. It was a sad but also a happy time. We've made lots of new friends. We then headed up to the houses that were built last year to do a community clean up. All of the children jumped in to help, even Skhumbuzo. We played and worked and laughed one last time. We will see them once more at church on Sunday.

What a wonderful week this has been. The team was awesome and we worked hard to get the house finished. We had such great fellowship with the people of Shongweni.

Dance the night away.....Day #4

Today was phenomenal. This morning we visited a daycare center (creche in zulu). The owner, Emelda was so happy to have us come. She takes care of 61 children from ages 9 months to 3 years old. The children were so wonderful. We all got to play with them and just have fun. Such amazing children and so full of joy. Emelda runs the center with 4 others. We took some coloring books and crayons for the children. They were very happy to have them. They even sang for us. It was amazing.

Then we headed to the site. Today we put on the roof.....woo! hoo! We also painted the outside a cream/yellow and sreeted the floor. So tomorrow we paint the inside, make a step and the house is finished. So great to be here for the finished product.

This evening we danced the night away. The kids in the community had a talent night for us. The youth choir and a few others sang for us. Such amazing voices, they bring tears to my eyes. We also had a few skits and then there was some zulu dancing. It is always a sight to see. And well the team joined in and danced with everyone. We had a braai (barbecue) and shared a meal with the kids. What awesome fellowship we had tonight. An evening that I will never forget.

Making progress....Day #3

Today was absolutely fabulous. When we arrived the chlidren were there to greet us with hugs and kisses and they are so eager to help. They have learned our names and have been trying to speak to us in English. Lynne and Ruth continue on with their groups and when its time for the chlidren to go, they are excited. A few of the women came back to day even though there were no sessions scheduled. How wonderful.

We are making great progress on the house. Today we finished all of the back washing and the brick laying. Tomorrow we will do the floor and start painting and hopefully the roof. Almost there!!! The team's spirits are very high and I know that when Friday comes it will be diffucult to leave. I continue to ask for prayers.

In the jungle the mighty jungle.... Day #2

Today was filled with sore muscles as we made our way to Shongweni. Everyone is having a wonderful experience. Those that are here for the first time can't stop talking about how loving the people are and how much fun the children are. I am so excited for them. We stopped off at the houses for a brief moment so I finally got my hugs from Skhumbuzo. He is such a bundle of joy. Everyone absolutely fell in love with him and he gave one of his special hugs to everyone on the team.

I stopped in to see Gogo Toli and she was so happy to see me, she gave a shout of joy as we embraced. I gave her yet another picture that I took on my last trip in November. She was happy to meet the rest of the team. Next we went to the Madondo home to see the garden. It is just wonderful. They are growing quite a nice variety of vegetables. Many of the homes have cleared a small area in the front where some folks are planting flowers. The community looks great and I am so glad that God has blessed me to help make a difference in the lives of so many.

Finally we headed down to the house. Today we started on the roof and started back washing the interior walls. We always have lots of help. The therapists are doing a wonderful job as well. They had a womens group in the morning of 20 and a kids group of 25. They have also had the opportunity for home visits. The people inthe community are very receptive to them and have been sharing quite a bit. The all miss Pastor Majola.

Please pray for Pastor Majola's sister Entebeko. She is very sad because she doesn't know what her life will be like. Pastor Majola was everything to her. All in all another good day in Shongweni. We went on a game drive at the Tala Game Reserve. It is always amazing to see the animals in settings like that. We saw giraffe, impala, inyala, wildebeest and the white rhino. God is amazing! We ended the evening having dinner under the stars.

Sawubona.....Day #1

Sorry for the delay, the internet in the hotel has been down. Well we made it finally. It was a very long trip. We left Washington DC late due to storms in the area, had a lay over in Dakaar, Senegal for re-fuel and finally made it to Joberg. And yes we missed our original flight so we were able to get on the last flight to Durban that left at 9:00pm getting us into Durban at 10:00pm.

Sunday was an awesome day. We went to the Karkloof forest and did a series of 7 ziplines across the forest. It was so awesome. Getting to see some of God's creations from so high above it. The team loved it and it help us to continue to bond.

Today was the first build day. As we headed to the community we could see the row of brightly painted houses that were built last year. When we got close enough we could see the children waving and saying hello. I did get to see Skhumbuzo but I haven't gotten any hugs as yet. We proceeded to the church. It was sad not seeing Pastor Majola, but good to be there to continue his legacy. His sister Entebeko was there and as we embraced she started to cry. I told her that it will all be okay. Dear Nelson and Alfred was there to greet us, and Fanie (our builder). Our task this week is to finish the house that Jen's team started. Today we finished the interior wall, back washed the outside. Alot for a day's work.

Many of the children came around to help and the team members who are there for the first time just embraced them with lots of hugs. It was a good day. Looking forward to tomorrow despite all of the aches and pains.

I'm leaving on an airplane...

Well the time has come, the team leaves in the morning.  By now all of our suitcases are packed, hopefully everyone is off to bed, but will be early to rise.  We have a long flight ahead of us but it is well worth it.  Thank you to everyone for your love and support.  Please keep us all 10 of us in your prayers.  

3 days and counting.....

I am getting anxious but not in a bad way.  I just want to get to Africa.  I know that the rest of the team is probably experiencing the same thing.  So please keep us in your prayers.  I am almost packed, just a few more things to put in the suitcase and then I am ready.  The excitement is mounting... can't wait to get on the plane, then I know for sure that we are on the way. 

4 days and counting....

I hope that the week goes by quickly. I am ready to go back and see everyone. I am actually almost packed, just a few more things and the suitcase is closed. I am so excited for the rest of the team, especially those going for the first time. What a blessing it has been to be able to lead such a wonderful team. As we prepare to serve, please keep all 10 of us in your prayers. 4 days and counting.....Woo! Hoo!

It's that time again!

It's that time again.....I am headed to South Africa on the 27th of this month. So much has happened since my last trip. Just recently Pastor Senzo Majola who worked very closely with the Orphan care program passed away. So this trip will be a bit sad but there is a great joy of getting to see everyone that I have met and worked with again. I look forward to seeing the children and Gogo. I can't wait to get a hug from Skhumbuzo (one of the orphans who is 3 yrs. old). So time to start counting down. And yes that is Skhumbuzo with me.