Our time together...

I took time to put a few pictures together, a short flash back of last year and this year: Amazing life changing with the previous and the current grade 2s.

The Sport Day!!

   

Today was a big day.

The Blue Dolphins/Blue Team

I don’t think I can really find the right words to explain the awesome day we had today with the kids at the sport field. It was too early for everyone, especially for the kids to get up at 5 a.m and be at school at 6 a.m on a Saturday morning when we all should enjoy the time to sleep in. But ha! Most kids were so excited about the sport event they barely slept. It has been a busy week of preparing and making a new banner for the Blue Dolphins team. And I am really thankfully for every effort and hard work that everyone put in, because it paid off well today. And we thank God that all went as planned…even much better than we planned. We had three teams competing against each other: The Blue Team/ the Dolphins, the Red Team/the Red Bulls, and the Yellow Team/the Pumas. When I saw all the kids dressed up according to their team colors, my heart was full and it definitely pulled me right into the sport spirit…I felt like a little child back in primary school cheering for my team to do the best they can. I screamed so loud with everything in me that I was so close to nearly losing my voice. Didn’t care who was watching or listening, those kids were doing their best out there today so every scream, cheer and jumping was worth it. They have all been looking forward to this big day. They have been preparing so hard during break and P.E and they have been deeply excited to show off their strength and speed, so it was really amazing to see the great excitement on their faces this morning knowing that the day was finally here. It was so encouraging, they cheered for each other whether their team members came first or last! There was a great reward of applause to show approval and appreciation of every team member’s hard work and effort. I honestly loved and enjoyed every bit of it.
The Yellow team won again this year, and we came second in line again (Blue team) and the Red team came third again!

Making a New banner for the Blue Team

Blue Team's banner finish

Too early for a Saturday

Pumas/Yellow team

Red Bulls/Red team

All Teams

And the Pumas/Yellow team won again this year!

Teamed up for Shot-put

Yellow team's Celebration

Blue/Dolphins' team




Today was a really great reminder that every moment, time, and day counts. And every day is different from the rest. Days come and go, and one has to learn to appreciate and enjoy whatever God sets before you each day especially when you have the people you love the most around you. Learn to make every opportunity useful and leave the future’s businesses to tomorrow. So many times we don’t get the chance to fully enjoy and appreciates whatever is set before us because we are so much occupied with the worries and the plans of tomorrow even though we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But one thing we all  know for sure is that one could never re-live the past and make up for the times they missed.

I want to fully be there and be a part of our kid’s lives. Never to miss or cast a blind eye or take for granted any single opportunity that God may be unfolding right in front of me. Life is so fast and it’s just funny how this year dashed by, so my prayer is that wherever I may find myself, I will be all there, whole heartily and mind. (As Jim Elliot puts it: “wherever you are be all there. Live to hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. “)

I pray that He will keep me where I could be most glorifying to Him even though I may not always understand His ways of doing things. I still want to be content in every situation and make every moment count while I still have a day to call today.

Sports Day!!!

The real Hero

I realized that sometimes we thinks one is being too Christianize if they refuse to give themselves a pat on the back and boast in their achievements, instead they load all the credits to God while they fade in the back ground as if they haven’t lifted a finger in the process. 

But the truth is: Who can be a good teacher? Unless is credited by the Lord. Who can do a good and successful work unless God qualifies her/him to do so? Who can boast in surviving a stressful day filled with kids screaming and reporting about something every second, unless God is with her/him. Who can boast to have kept them under control by their own strength?

Isaiah 45:24 The Lord is the source of my righteousness and strength.

Every step that we take, we walk by the strength of the Lord. We teach with the wisdom from above, we are weak, nothing and nobodies without Him. If we remove the Might hand of God everything will have no purpose and meaning at all but every effort we try out will result in vain.

 So who are we to steal the glory that doesn’t belong to us? Who are we to take credit of things that we have no power over on our own? Are we not just stuttering Moses who couldn’t speak without the help of the Lord? He couldn’t save and lead the Israelite without God by his side.  Are we not just like the stick that was in Moses’ hand that couldn’t do anything unless it was given the power from above to change its form and become alive and useful? 

Simply as clay in the hands of the Potter, we are all of these. We can’t rely on our own understanding or strength to take us even through an hour without trying in vain.

Just as Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Esther and many others were not heroes, we are Not …God IS. with this in mind we can learn where to direct our thankful hearts in every situation.

The story of Pharaoh taking up the challenge against God, and God choosing to use the very weak, full of excuses, and stuttering man was a good reminder to us of who the real God and Hero is.

Surprised Pharaohs.

Seated amongst the Pharaohs

Third Term...

Third week since the kids have been back in school, I didn’t get much time to write and update our first day of school because we just jumped right in to it all and started off right away. The holiday brought so much rest and celebrations, but at the same time it also carried sorrows and grief for some. Through all the heartache and pain I have seen the powerful hand of God move amongst His people as He met them all in their moaning and they were able to find strength in their weakness. He has proven Himself faithful all over and over again as a light for every shadow and a relief for every sorrow. It’s always great to know that whatever the enemy plans for evil He has the power indeed to turn it around for our good and for His glory.

Third Term…There is so much to do and prepare within this term and it’s usually busy and also stressful sometimes, but I know that we will all survive and find hope and strength in the midst of all the chaos. So far we have been busy preparing for the sport day that we will be having next week Saturday. The kids are divided into three different teams (Blue, Yellow, and Red) and they are beyond excited. Some of them have been training so hard during break time and P.E in hope that their hard work will pay off on that big day!

At the same time we are also preparing for our Christmas day. The different classes will be doing different items like reciting poems, dancing, and taking part in the Christmas play.

So far it has been exhausting and exciting at the same time but we are enjoying every bit of it. We only have the grade 2s with us for two more months. Some will be moving out of town to other schools and the rest will be moving on to the next grade so I am trying to make every moment that I am spending with them count (like we did something new together today: best part of my day was when we drove to Beautiful Kids for computer classes seated behind Ms Afrikaner’s bakkie with all the grade 2s. They were all so excited. We laughed and screamed…I loved it! It’s a forever memory for me to cherish)  

We came a long way and they have grown so much in so many ways compared to the first time they walked in our class at the beginning of this year. They have really been an enormous blessing. God has done so much mending, training, and growth into their lives in the most amazing ways and I deeply pray and hope that His good work will continue throughout their lives.

Last day of school

Today was our last day of school and we held a party in honor of our grade 2s to say goodbye to them for a great rest of two weeks. It was really exciting and sad at the same time, but I was glad that we were able to send them off happy after a couple of long hugs and some goodbye cheek kisses.
Pictures of the day.

Making party hats

Party hats ready

Fiyo (my younger sister) visiting us

Two cute elephants

Armando, Jeff, and Rachel (break time)

My August babies

Cute Nelly

Celebrating Community Hope's 10th Anniversary

So today was the big day, as we celebrated our school's 10th anniversary. Every thing went really smoothly and as planned. We had a lot to set up and get ready for but I am really thankful that the kids were willing to help and they were so excited. We received over 20 guest from all over the city and it was just really nice to see new faces and get to know so many people over a short period of time. Some of our young kids read to the school, gave speech, and the best of all was the Nama dance that Ms Afrikaner organized with the different classes. I really had an awesome time and so did the kids.
some pictures for the day!

Suzanne, John (the founders of the School)  and Mr Beukes giving a speech

The Nama dance

Ms Afrikaner and Ms Kavaxas

Deborah and Zelda

The grade 2s reading

Decorating the lower grade's walls

Decorating the upper grade's walls

The finish work

The finish work

A wall of Hope and Love

I might never truly understand what home is like for each an every one of them, just as they would never fully understand what home is like for me. I might never related to the fear they face, the shame, the disappointments, and the reasons why there is so much tears into their eyes.
  I might never fully understand why they value the little things I tend to take for granted or why they rejoice over what I may feel to be just another normal day.
But if I have to be honest with myself. Quite myself and sit still, I find myself in amaze when I realize that through such little eyes, a child could behold great wonders that I myself may feel blinded to see. They don't need to pretend to be someone else for people to honestly love them for who they are, all they need to be is that one very unique person "myself". I will never understand how their hearts could change so much in such a blink of an eye! one moment they walk in with their heads bowed low, anger in their voices, and tears welling up into their eyes, and the next moment before you know it they are leaping with joy and dancing with gladness. Is this part of just being a child? or is it possible that I too can be like this?

Babsie: The face of hope

 You see a face like this, and tears will well up into your eyes because you realize that she is not really the face of Africa like you once thought she could be, she is a face of hope that could change the next generation. You see a simple smile like this that is not so wide and bright, yet your heart will melt deep within because for the first time you understand the value and deep appreciation behind it. Yes! finally hope is rising. Finally the dark clouds are lifting. Finally love will prevail.  Finally the walls of shame, hatred, anger, and hopelessness that once sheltered them are crumbling  down like the walls of Jericho and from the very foundation, God is rebuilding the ruins in a new way. With new materials. A new wall of Hope and Love.
Those faces that once walked in cast down are now held high. Those little figures that once use to drag their feet are now hoping for joy. Every time I quickly turn around to respond to those soft voices that calls me by my last name: It's Joy that I see smiling at me and I know that it's hope that embraces me around the waist or by the shoulders.