10 Things I Love About Living In Africa

1. The richness of the culture and the traditions.

2. How loving and welcoming the people are.

3. Listening to and learning different languages and meeting people from different tribes and countries.

4. The different tribal names that I have been given:

Shaka - Zulu name after King Shaka who united the Zulus

Naaserian - a Maasai name which means peaceful

Ishara - Swahili name meaning sign

5. That each day brings something different. There is never a dull moment.

6. That I don't look different from the local people and they treat me like one of them. They always speak the local language to me.

7. How amazing the singing is. Everyone sings beautifully and with passion.

8. The local food is very good and I have eaten so many different things. In South Africa my favorite thing is steamed bread; in Kenya chapati is my favorite thing.

9. The beautiful and intriquite beadwork of the Zulus and Maasai people.

10. The importance of the relationships and taking the time to develop them.

Getting my face painted and wearing traditional Zulu beads....

Standing with my Maasai friends Evangelists Lazurus on my left and William on the right

Standing with friends from Uganda (Enoch & Frank) who are studying at the seminary in Pretoria

Laboring in love....A look back at Aug/Sept/Oct

“ The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2

We were blessed to have several teams from the USA serving with us in Ntshongweni throughout the past few months. They were the hands, heart and feet of God as they labored in love to help the people in Ntshongweni. The August group came filled with lots of energy and enthusiasm ready to serve wherever they were needed. Their project was to help refurbish some classrooms at one of the local primary schools. The classrooms were in very bad shape and we felt that it was important for the teachers and students to have a clean and healthy environment to learn in. For a week we were covered in dust after trying our best to remove the many layers that built up over the years. We repainted the rooms, cleaned the windows and did a few minor repairs. The team members enjoyed taking breaks to play with the children and talk to the staff. The teachers and students

were so excited to see the rooms. They sang, danced and praised God for such a wonderful blessing.

(Working hard dusting and scraping)

(The students and staff thank the team for a job well done)

Pastor Thwala, Julia and I welcomed our new co-worker in Christ, deaconess intern Katelyn Hiett. She will serve with us for 6 months. Pastor Thwala will supervise her, showing her the role of a deaconess in an African context. Julia and I were able to join them for home visits with members of the congregation and the families from the orphan project. It is a wonderful way to strengthen the relationships that we have developed thus far during our time in Ntshongweni.

(The Ntshongweni crew: Shara, Katelyn, Pastor Thwala, Julia)

The team from October brought friends from my home church in Arizona. It is always nice to see familiar faces. The team was happy to see the creche in full swing. They had the opportunity to spend time with the children and teachers. They labored in love by helping to put the finishing touches on the house that was built for an orphan family in July. The team also helped to construct a much needed storage unit for the creche. Those that came for the first time got to use their hands mixing dagga (cement), moving blocks and pushing wheel barrows.

(The team from Arizona working on the new storage unit)

I am thankful to the Lord for sending out laborers into his harvest. He has blessed us with new GEO missionaries Ginger Taff-Lagergren and Zeal Beale. They will be transitioning into service in Ntshongweni as Julia and my service will come to and end in 2012. They arrived in South Africa in September and will be spending some time in Pretoria serving at the Lutheran seminary before starting full time in Ntshongweni.

Ginger and Zeal joined us for 2 weeks in October to get a glimpse of what was ahead for them. They assisted us with VBS and was able to meet some of the children that they will get to see on a regular basis. The ladies attended the Women'''s League Conference with us and they were so excited to be there with their sisters in Christ. Lastly, they worked side by side with the group from Arizona. It was good for them to be there with a short term team and to experience that dynamic. The ladies will start working more closely with us in December. We will have several months to introduce them to the community and to transition them into the mission and ministry in Ntshongweni.

(GEO Missionary Ginger)

(GEO Missionary Zeal with the kids at VBS)

The harvest is indeed plentiful. All praise and thanks to God for the many laborers he has sent to Ntshongweni. I pray for God's continued wisdom, guidance and strength as I serve in South Africa.

Christmas in July

In South Africa we are currently experiencing the cold of winter. Sometimes I feel like there should be snow on the ground, lights on all of the houses and a tree all nicely decorated. Julia and I have even joked about singing Christmas songs.

We had our second team of the year with us from Christ Church Lutheran (my home church) in Phoenix, Arizona. There were 21 eager hearts ready to serve in Ntshongweni. For me it was like Christmas receiving the gift of getting to see many friends who were part of the team. It was wonderful having them around for a week. The “big” project was building a home for an orphan family. Nomusa, the caregiver and the children were able to meet the team at church the first Sunday they were with us. She spent time with them on the build site and shared her story with them. One of the children, Ndumiso worked side by side with them moving blocks, mixing dagga (the stuff that holds the blocks together), laying blocks as they labored in love to get the house to roof height. Way to go team! It has definitely been Christmas in July for the Dludla family. They will be moving into their new home in a few weeks.

The team also constructed the new playground for the creche. This group was made up of some of the first timers on the group. They were a very enthusiastic group and had fun with the children that came to the center for VBS. It warmed my heart to see all of the new friendships between the children and the group, that helped to make the trip even more special for them. The children gave the playground their seal of approval, we could not get them off when it was time for them to leave at the end of the day. Kudos to the group for an awesome new playground.

There were two very special ladies in the group. This was their second time being back in Ntshongweni. Their speciality is counseling. They held a group for the women in the community where they taught them how to deal with grief and trauma, parenting skills and self-esteem. The ladies also did home visits throughout the community and Nomusa translated for them. She is still talking about the wonderful time she shared with them. They were such a valuable resource. Julia and I along with Pastor Thwala will be continuing the group. Thank you for opening your hearts to the ladies.

Yes....did I forget to mention that in addition to the team being there, Julia and I were entering the second week of VBS for the winter holiday break. Since the start of VBS we had about 90 kids attending. Three of the ladies on the team, also first timers worked with us. They planned the crafts and were kind enough to bring all of the supplies that we needed. By the end of the week they fit right in, playing with the kids and teaching them games. They also made some very special friends that I am sure they will remember for years to come. One of the ladies is a very talented artist. She designed a mural that was painted on the chicken run. Ladies you were amazing!

Thank you to the team from Arizona. You were the hands, heart and feet of God as you served with us in Ntshongweni. You have been a wonderful example of Christ, sharing the love of God with the children and even among yourselves.

(The team with Nomusa and the children)

(The team held devotions in the house before starting work for the day)

(Awesome mural painted by Laura, Rhiannon & Randi)

(Some of the team members on the new playground)

Funny How Time Flies...A Look Back at the Past Few Months

Where has the time gone, I just came back to South Africa in March and here it is the middle of July already. The end of the July makes 2 years in South Africa for me. It seemed like yesterday when I arrived. This place has become my home and I am enjoying being fully immersed in the culture.

The past few months have whizzed by. April... had it’s share of ups and downs. Julia and I went to several funerals. That is one of the hard things about life here in SA. There is too much death. I think that I have attended more funerals in one month than I have attended in the past 10 years. It was a sad time because two of the funeral were for mothers that passed for children that are very special to me and it broke my heart to see them cry. They made me think of my dad who went home to be with Jesus only 6 months ago. I miss him very much, but am filled with joy knowing that he is with our Father in heaven. One of the highlights of April for me was getting to be special guests along with Julia via Skype for a volunteer lunch at the LCMS International Center. I always the opportunity to share about the work that I am doing in SA. I also got to travel to a new place..Empangeni in Richard’s Bay with our sewing instructor Gori. I am going places..woo! hoo! The creche also had it’s final inspection from the Dept. of Social Development. It went very well and we got some good feedback. Even so, it’s still a waiting game. It’s all in God’s hands.

(The children at the creche during playtime)

April showers bring May flowers....not in South Africa. The weather is getting cooler as winter approaches. We are looking forward to the first team of the year from Pittsburgh and New Jersey. The team will be installing rain catchment systems of two of the orphan project houses. This will enable them to use the water from the rain as we are still waiting for water to be connected to some of the houses from the local municipality. They will also build a chicken run. The chicken run will enable us to move forward with the chicken project. The hope is to use some of the eggs for the creche and to see others throughout the community. We will start with 15 chickens. It was wonderful serving side by side with them. Pastor Jamison Hardy led devotions at the creche and shared a message using John 3:16. Deaconess Jenny shared a lesson from 1 Kings about the prophets of Baal with about 40 kids that came to hangout at the center. Afterwards they had to write or draw about the ways God provides or shows Himself to them. I enjoy working with teams, it reminds me of my days going on short-term mission trips. Both projects were successfully completed and the team had a great time getting to know the children at the creche. The social workers from Christian Social Services received some funding that enabled them to have a 3 week course that would train and certify a person to be a security guard. Twenty youth from the orphan project and throughout the community enrolled. They were able to use the church. Julia, Pastor Thwala and I attended the graduation. They all did very well and had a new confidence after a job well done. We pray that God will provide jobs for them.

There may not have been many showers (we did have a little rain) but there were opportunities to share about the ministry in Ntshongweni. Julia and I video skyped with a school in Ohio. We got to answer question from the kindergarten class. They were so cute and asked good questions. I think my favorite was....” Is there a Mc Donald’s where I live?” Julia and I visited the town of Piet Retief with Pastor Thwala. It is where he grew up. We spent time with his family and heard lots of great stories about him as he was growing up. It was nice getting to see him with his family. During our time in Piet Retief we took a day trip to Swaziland. We visited Pastor Thwala’s family and they spent the day showing us around. It is a beautiful country. I am still amazed by the fact that Swaziland is it’s own country inside of South Africa. We finished our time in Piet Retief by attending a mission festival at the Lutheran church in Salaam. There were folks from Lutheran churches from the provinces in South Africa and also from Botswana. The body of Christ in action.

(Some of the team members with our chickens)

(In Piet Retief with Pastor Thwala and his family)

The moon in June....There was a total eclipse of the moon on June 15th and I totally missed it. How often does one get to see that, not very often at all. We had a very important meeting at the Hillcrest AIDS Center Trust with Gogo Cwengi. She has been instrumental in putting together support groups for grandmothers (gogos) and she works with 27 in the Valley of 1000 Hills. We told her about the support group that we have in Ntshongweni and she was going to join us for the upcoming meeting on June 27th. We were blessed to have the Harrison family from Jacksonville, Florida join us for week in Ntshongweni. They came with hearts, hands and feet ready to serve. It was a busy week but awesome at the same time. They helped out at the creche, helped to dig and pour the footings for an upcoming house build and we were able to visit many families. Thanks to donations from Bethlehem Lutheran church we were able to help provide food to some families in need. It was a blessing to be able to share God’s love with them and the smiles on their faces were priceless. One of the families that we visited is made up of 4 orphans who have been on their own since their mother passed away 2 years ago. As we talked with them and they shared that, I could feel the tears welling up.... it just broke my heart. The children are 19, 18, 16 and 12 years and the amazing thing is that they all go to school. The 16 year old plays soccer for the team at our Lutheran church. We will do all that we can to continue to help them.

We had a support group meeting on the 27th and Gogo Cwengi attended along with some friends that assist her with her groups. They were very pleased with all that has been going on in Ntshongweni. Gogo Cwengi shared with the ladies the importance of supporting each other and good health/keeping fit. She led them in a round of singing and dancing. What joy it brought to my heart to see the gogos dancing. The school winter holiday break will start on June 24th so Julia and I have been planning and preparing for VBS that will start on June 29th and end on July 14th. We have been asking for volunteers from the church and community and God blessed us far more than we could have imagined. At our planning meeting they very excited about it and came up with songs and activities for the kids. The topics for VBS will be the 10 commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer. We will use stories from the Bible to talk about our Triune God. VBS started with a bang on June 29th and there were 90 kids on day one. YAY!!!!! God is good!

(Gogo Cwengi and her friends visit Ntshongweni)

(Some of the kids from Day 1 of VBS)

A Look back at March in Ntshongweni...

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

It was so great being back in the USA and spending time with family and friends and most importantly sharing about my ministry in South Africa. But the time came for me to return to South Africa. I arrived back on March 9th and was excited to be in Ntshongweni again. I missed my home in South Africa. It was an easy readjustment since I was staying in the same apartment and all of my stuff was there. It took a few days for the jet lag to wear off so that I could get back to work. Then it was full speed ahead. There was much to catch up on. The creche now had 80 children enrolled and at some point I would need to visit with the teachers to assess the needs of the creche. Pastor Thwala, Julia and I met to discuss two new orphan families that needed our help. In the first family, the children lost their mother only 3 weeks prior to our visit and they were now being cared for by their uncle. These 4 children are now living with 5 others in one house. The eldest boy has epilepsy and stays home, the other three are attending school. The only source of income is the disability grant that the eldest boy is receiving from the government. We were able to help them with some food and toiletries. Their greatest need is a home for the 4 children. The second family will be receiving a new home in July. A team is coming from the USA to build it. There are 3 orphaned girls who lost their mother to AIDS a few years ago. The youngest, age 3 is attending our creche. The caregiver is struggling to provide for them and the current house is falling apart. When we visited them and told her that they would be getting help with a new home she was so happy, I was almost in tears. She said that “God is looking after them.”

In addition to visits with these families we had meetings with the sewing teacher to get back on track with the sewing group, the social workers to schedule a time to start groups again and we visited some of the project families. During our visit many of the caregivers greeted us with hugs and told us that they were happy to have us back. It felt good to know that the relationships that we have developed remained strong. One of our big meetings was with the ECD (early childhood development) coordinator for the Department of Social Development. We wanted to follow up with him on the process for funding and to help us track the NPO (non-profit) certificate for the creche. He made some calls and it was returned to the office in Pretoria. He then informed us that the business plan for funding for 2011-2012 was due the next day. Yikes!!! So Julia, Pastor Thwala and I spent the day in his office filling in as much as we could. Julia and I stayed up until 3 am doing even more. The following day we had to open a bank account and get affidavits from the police department in addition to what seemed like a 101 other things. God blessed us with a few days extension. So we were able to finalize it and get it turned in. Now we wait and pray that we get funded.

The highlight of March for me was finding out that the soccer team has been doing so well. Last October the some of the boys came to Pastor Thwala and said that they wanted to form a team and they needed help with uniforms. Little did they know that their request would be granted. The team from Arizona brought uniforms for the boys. There are currently 3 teams: the under 13, under 15 and under 17 all coached by Sandile Mzobe, the lay pastor at the Ntshongweni Lutheran Church. A few weeks ago there was a tournament and the boys 15 and under made it to the finals and were the tournament champions. It was a very exciting game that went to penalty kicks. So far they have only lost two games. I asked two of the boys and the coach what the soccer team has meant to them:

Simphiwe Cele - Defender: “I have learned a lot from other people and and I am learning more about being a better soccer player.” He is currently in confirmation class.

Menzi Mzobe - Defender: “I have learned how to play with other people and have made new friends.” He is currently in confirmation class.

Sandile Mzobe - Coach: “The soccer team is very important. It keeps the boys out of trouble and keeps them fit. The boys are coming to church.”

There are only 8 teams in the soccer association in Ntshongweni and there are usually 15 teams in an association. Coach Mzobe hopes that in the future there will be more teams and that they can play some away games. The soccer team has been such a positive activity for the boys. You can see that the friendships are strong and most importantly they are attending church. God continues to pours His blessings on this ministry in Ntshongweni.

Thank you for your prayers, love, support and encouragement as I serve in Ntshongweni.

Salani kahle (stay well)

Love in Christ,

Shara

The kids at the creche are praying before lunch

I am having fun dancing with the kids.

Me and Nomonde... one of the orphans who will be receiving a new home

The Dludla family (Nana, gogo, Gugu, Nomusa & Nomonde): they will be receiving a new home

This is where the Dludla family currently lives

The soccer team after winning the tournament....smiles all around

Proudly receiving the trophy....we are the champions

I am standing with Simphiwe and Menzi... both defenders on the soccer team