Hello everybody I am finally up to date with my blog so here is an idea of what we have been getting up to these past five days, its been a busy week...enjoy!
It has been a really busy but productive week this week. I was working at Ethembeni from Monday to Thursday. On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting a number of people who were interesting in sending volunteers to Ethembeni and so it was good to take them around Mpophomnei and briefly up to KwaHaza while describing what we have been getting up to over the past two months. I was also able to update our Facebook page on Ethembeni Days of Hope. If you already don't know about this, it is a campaign that we, as a team, have started. The idea is to tell stories and share bible verses that have made an impact on us while we have been here in Mpophomeni, to bring hope and encouragement to the community here. We have been printing these out and putting them on the wall of the Family Centre but we realized that this is an opportunity to let people, outside of Mpops, what God God is doing here. This train of thought resulted in us creating a Facebook page where we will post the stories we are printing outs o that everybody, from anywhere in the world can see them. This is the link to the page, please do have a look, it is a great way to be able to see, in more detail what God has been doing in the community and for you to be able to see the stories from others in our team, not just me! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ethembeni-Days-of-Hope/503010689735139
On Wednesday we had our third English lesson which was just as successful as the others! I am so glad they are going well. We also had an amazing team time where we sat together prayed, talked about this weeks aims and also had a chance to have a brief bible study. We looked at 1 Corinthians 12:12-24, which talks of the parts of the body and how without each different part, it would not be able to function. This is so relevant to us, we are all different and have different strong points and I was reminded of how important each of us is to the team, we were all put here by God for a reason and together we make an awesome team. Ruth also really blessed us by going around and telling us what she valued in each of us and what our gifts were, it was such an encouragement.
On Thursday this blessing continued as I went out to the Home Visits with Jan to give out food to our families and got to spend time with them, praying and reading the bible.
Today it is a tad cold and miserable just like good old English weather. I am cuddled up by the computer wearing a jumper, socks and with a blanket wrapped around me. I also have a lovely lady with the name of Joanna, the youngest child of the family Ruth and I have been living with for exactly a week today, sitting next to me keeping me company while I type away! I am looking forward to doing youth work this evening. It has been a lovely relaxing day so far!
Friday 19 April 2013
Tuesday 9th - Sunday 14th - Our last week living in Mpops
On Tuesday we had progress at Grace Chapel Pre School. We painted on the green hills over the blue background so it is starting to look more like landscape now! We also went to a bible study in the evening in a house in a local game reserve. It was good to relax and talk about the way God answers prayers and why some times he just says 'no'. Wednesday brought about our second English lesson which went really well, apart from the fact that only one of the Aunties had done her homework, I felt like I had gone back in time and was back at school when the teacher asks for homework and there is an awkward silence and nobody wants to be the first to admit they haven't done the work! We started the lesson with some exercise which was good fun, one way of starting our Wellness Campaign subtly so they don't get scared off by the word exercise!
Thursday's home visits went really well. Unfortunately Jan, the lady I usually go with, her car was broken so instead it was just myself and Nicola leading the bible studies with Zonki, the care worker who is able to translate what we say into Zulu so that the families understand what we are saying. I was slightly excited but also nervous that it was just going to be us two leading the studies but it went so well. We did Proverbs 3:5-6 - 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight'. It was so relevant to the people we were visiting Praise the Lord! We took food to the triplets who were so happy to see us and were as lively as ever. They are getting bigger and bigger ever time see them, Blessing is already counting to seven and they are only two! We also popped in to see the family with the amazing 101 year old lady, she was so pleased to see us and we were able to pray with her. I feel so blessed to be a part of the food parcels, the people we meet are incredible I don't think I will ever forget them! I was also blessed to be able to spend the evening with Nkosi, the lady I used to live with when I first arrived here in South Africa. I went back to her bible study group and spent the evening playing cards with her boys, 'cheat' and 'top ten' well loved card games!It was a lovely evening, just like old times.
On Friday we moved out of Mpophomeni and into Howick! It has been an amazing experience living in the township but it will be good to spend the last four weeks in the town where we will have a lot more independence and be able to walk around by ourselves and eat food we are slightly more used to that isn't chicken and rice! I spent a lovely day in the sun on Saturday, reading outside and getting to know the Twiggs, the family who are hosting us in their home - they are a really lovely family! On Sunday after church we went to lunch with a friend of ours called Sam who leads the youth at HCC. Her grandmother made us a lovely roast and finished it will a classic South African dish, the milk tart - I am definitely taking a recipe home with me! It was such a good end to the week!
Thursday's home visits went really well. Unfortunately Jan, the lady I usually go with, her car was broken so instead it was just myself and Nicola leading the bible studies with Zonki, the care worker who is able to translate what we say into Zulu so that the families understand what we are saying. I was slightly excited but also nervous that it was just going to be us two leading the studies but it went so well. We did Proverbs 3:5-6 - 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight'. It was so relevant to the people we were visiting Praise the Lord! We took food to the triplets who were so happy to see us and were as lively as ever. They are getting bigger and bigger ever time see them, Blessing is already counting to seven and they are only two! We also popped in to see the family with the amazing 101 year old lady, she was so pleased to see us and we were able to pray with her. I feel so blessed to be a part of the food parcels, the people we meet are incredible I don't think I will ever forget them! I was also blessed to be able to spend the evening with Nkosi, the lady I used to live with when I first arrived here in South Africa. I went back to her bible study group and spent the evening playing cards with her boys, 'cheat' and 'top ten' well loved card games!It was a lovely evening, just like old times.
On Friday we moved out of Mpophomeni and into Howick! It has been an amazing experience living in the township but it will be good to spend the last four weeks in the town where we will have a lot more independence and be able to walk around by ourselves and eat food we are slightly more used to that isn't chicken and rice! I spent a lovely day in the sun on Saturday, reading outside and getting to know the Twiggs, the family who are hosting us in their home - they are a really lovely family! On Sunday after church we went to lunch with a friend of ours called Sam who leads the youth at HCC. Her grandmother made us a lovely roast and finished it will a classic South African dish, the milk tart - I am definitely taking a recipe home with me! It was such a good end to the week!
Friday 5th April - Monday 8th - A Sharks game and the longest church service...ever
On Friday evening we were lucky enough to go to a Sharks (the Durban rugby team) game at the 'Shark Bowl' in Durban. Although the stadium wasn't full, the atmosphere was still amazing! We got our tickets when we arrived for 90 rand which is around 6 pounds! Luckily the Sharks won so there was celebration in the air when we left to get food at a food court nearby. The evening ended with a peaceful 30 mins walking along the beach. The stars were so bright it was an incredible view. Another incredible but slightly different experience we had this weekend was a Zulu church service that lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes ( and we left before it had ended!). We didn't understand a word of the service except for the regular "Hallelujah', 'Amens!". It was a gathering of a number of branches of a church, one of which, a friend of our attends. We had to go on stage to introduce ourselves and we felt so welcomed. There was so much singing, far more than talking and in true African fashion, it was due to finish at 1 pm and the speaker didn't start preaching until 12.45pm! After this we spent the afternoon at a friend's house, relaxing and having a braai, a lovely end to a great weekend.
Saturday 13 April 2013
Tuesday 2nd April - Thursday 4th April - Holiday club...Zulu style!
Holiday club was an interesting but enjoyable experience for these three days. Tuesday I was up in KwaHaza, a township up in the hills above Mpophomeni. We were told that there would be around 20 children but when we arrived, over 100 children greeted us! Luckily we had some American volunteers with us as well as a lovely family visiting from the UK. The children played outside in the boiling heat, they definitely coped better than some of us who had to retire under a tree for a small time to recharge! Although there wasn't a clear plan, the children had a chance to relax and be kids, which for some of them is usual as they are heads of their households by the ages of 15 and some of them have very young mothers whoa er still at school. It was really good to see them have fun playing different games and eating marshmallow eggs! The evening was also interesting - we discovered, after going into Howick for dinner that everywhere here for food shut by 8.30pm, so after a long search we ended up getting food from a petrol station - I don't think a Cornish pasty from a service station has ever and will ever taste that good!
Wednesday was polar opposite weather from Tuesday - rain, rain and more rain, I felt very at home with the English weather! There were less children and the games in the school where we were went really well. It was well organised and was a lot of fun despite the surprising cold! We also experienced when we got home, hail stone the size of marbles!
Thursday's weather was perfect, not to hot but still sunny. Because of transport the whole team was down in Mpophomeni on the playing field. It was great to get more involved with the games and spend more time with the children. We spent the late afternoon and evening relaxing at Sarah's and I fell asleep for a good hour, I was definitely tired, a busy but rewarding few days.
Wednesday was polar opposite weather from Tuesday - rain, rain and more rain, I felt very at home with the English weather! There were less children and the games in the school where we were went really well. It was well organised and was a lot of fun despite the surprising cold! We also experienced when we got home, hail stone the size of marbles!
Thursday's weather was perfect, not to hot but still sunny. Because of transport the whole team was down in Mpophomeni on the playing field. It was great to get more involved with the games and spend more time with the children. We spent the late afternoon and evening relaxing at Sarah's and I fell asleep for a good hour, I was definitely tired, a busy but rewarding few days.
Friday 29th - Monday 1st April - Stargazing with hyaenas
We were lucky enough to spend the Easter weekend with a friend and his family at the game reserve called Hluhluwe Imfolozi. Its is around 4-4 and a half hours away from Howick and has the Big Five - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. We stayed in a staff camp, a camp which no members of the public are usually allowed into. When we were told what the camp was like we were told that it was very basic and not to have too high expectations. However, when we arrived after driving for at least 40 mins away from the main gate, through the most stunning scenery, it was better than I could have ever expected! There were four tents that could fit up to three people inside that were raised off the ground on wooden structures. There was a 'kitchen' area which was a reasonably large hut, also raised off the ground, with a thatched roof and a veranda attached. One of our first experiences with wildlife in camp was a small green snake up in the roof of the kitchen , slightly disconcerting when you walked under it! The camp was in the middle of the the bush, with no fence around it apart from a single electric wire called an elephant fence. The shower was also interesting .. it was simply a bucket that hang from a rope over a beam , with a shower head attached to the bottom. You had to get the other bucket, fill it with water and take it to the shower and fill up the shower head bucket You then pulled the 'shower' up using a rope and secure it - it was one of the best showers I think I have ever had!
We were so lucky with the weather, it was beautifully sunny every day. We went for early morning drives, up by 5.30am and afternoon drives! We saw so many different animals - lots of zebra, impala, giraffe and rhino, one time we almost drove into a rhino, it was standing in the middle of the road, we spent a long time watching it - an amazing experience. It is incredible how close you get, you have to keep your eyes open all the time but when you do see something, it makes it all worth the wait. In the evening we made a fire and all sat around it, relaxing, chatting and star gazing. On our first night there was a stunning full moon, and the refection of it in the river that our camp overlooks was breathtaking. We also had a braai and were warned that hyaenas may pay us a visit when they smell the meat and sure enough I saw two large, round yellow eyes! It didn't seem to get much closer which was a relief!
Over the three days in the reserve we saw three of the Big Five, all but leopard and lion. It was actually on our way into the camp that we saw the backside of an elephant, that was all we saw of them close up but we spotted some further away on the hillside and next to the river. We were also lucky enough to see the very rare Wild Dogs on Easter Sunday. There aren't many of the dogs in the reserve and we practically drove into them. There was a pack at the side of the road and walking in front and behind the cars. They are oddly beautiful creatures, orange and back and white with large ears and a big fluffy white tail.
When driving home on the Monday, between the reserve and the highway, there is a stretch of road. I couldn't take my eyes off it,. It was similar to a scattered Mpophomeni. There were women walking along the side of the road carrying huge bags and buckets on their heads, stalls selling apples, children playing and houses made of breeze blocks and some of mud, scattered along the side of the road. It was shocking to see such wealth, with the people in the game reserve and houses off the highway, only meters away from his poverty at the opposite end of the spectrum. It doesn't end when you are on the highway either, there was stall after stall of apples and people hitch-hiking every 2 minutes. The sad thing is that this is their main and sometimes only form of transport, it definitely makes you think.
We were so lucky with the weather, it was beautifully sunny every day. We went for early morning drives, up by 5.30am and afternoon drives! We saw so many different animals - lots of zebra, impala, giraffe and rhino, one time we almost drove into a rhino, it was standing in the middle of the road, we spent a long time watching it - an amazing experience. It is incredible how close you get, you have to keep your eyes open all the time but when you do see something, it makes it all worth the wait. In the evening we made a fire and all sat around it, relaxing, chatting and star gazing. On our first night there was a stunning full moon, and the refection of it in the river that our camp overlooks was breathtaking. We also had a braai and were warned that hyaenas may pay us a visit when they smell the meat and sure enough I saw two large, round yellow eyes! It didn't seem to get much closer which was a relief!
Over the three days in the reserve we saw three of the Big Five, all but leopard and lion. It was actually on our way into the camp that we saw the backside of an elephant, that was all we saw of them close up but we spotted some further away on the hillside and next to the river. We were also lucky enough to see the very rare Wild Dogs on Easter Sunday. There aren't many of the dogs in the reserve and we practically drove into them. There was a pack at the side of the road and walking in front and behind the cars. They are oddly beautiful creatures, orange and back and white with large ears and a big fluffy white tail.
When driving home on the Monday, between the reserve and the highway, there is a stretch of road. I couldn't take my eyes off it,. It was similar to a scattered Mpophomeni. There were women walking along the side of the road carrying huge bags and buckets on their heads, stalls selling apples, children playing and houses made of breeze blocks and some of mud, scattered along the side of the road. It was shocking to see such wealth, with the people in the game reserve and houses off the highway, only meters away from his poverty at the opposite end of the spectrum. It doesn't end when you are on the highway either, there was stall after stall of apples and people hitch-hiking every 2 minutes. The sad thing is that this is their main and sometimes only form of transport, it definitely makes you think.
Monday 25th - Thursday 28th - A week of planning, painting and an English lesson
Although Monday's are normally our day off, because we have quite a lot of work to do and planning to do as a team, we are taking advantage of the time when we are together and planning our projects. We spent Monday morning at the library finalizing our plans for the English lessons and the pre school. It was a productive day and we headed home for a chilled out afternoon.
We managed to get started on the preschool this week, armed with sand paper and sugar soap we prepared it for an afternoon of painting the main background sky blue colour which we managed to get done in a couple of hours on wednesday.Wednesday was the day of our first English lesson with the Ethembeni staff. We had 16 members of staff and it went really well. We took the lesson under the tent outside the family center with two small children's blackboards and some chalk. We had the chance to find out a bit more about their levels of English and to see what they wanted to get out of the six week course. Many of them can speak fairly good English and can understand basic conversations but they need help with their tenses and extending their vocabulary. I am really excited for the other lessons, it will be interesting to see who does their homework!
Thursday 28 March 2013
Thursday 21st - Sunday 24th - A relaxing weekend
Thursday was Human Rights Day here in South Africa, our first public holiday and so all schools had the day off and then were given the Friday off as well! We made good use of the time off by spending it with friends of our from Howick who invited the team to their beach house on the coast for the weekend. It was just what we needed after 5 weeks away from home, time to relax, spend some time time as team and 're charge our batteries'. The house was a minute from Shelley Beach which was about a 2 and a half hour drive from Howick to Durban and along the coast. We were blessed with beautiful weather and wonderful company - an amazing weekend away!
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th - A new edition to the family
Sorry for not writing here for a while, as you probably guessed, it has been a busy week and I have had no time to sit down st a computer and write. I will try to give you an idea of the past weeks events but I might not be able to go into a lot of detail or you could be reading for a while!
Monday started with an interesting event - we got a puppy! Londy, our boss here at Ethemebeni and the lady who lives with us girls for some of the week, came home and anounced that she had a puppy. We went outside and looked in the back of the Colt (Ethembeni's pick up truck/bucky) and curled up in the corner was a tiy black puppy, no more than 7 weeks olds. She was hardly moving and didn't open her mouth when we tried to feed her some milk. She had been found outside Mama Titi's house and Londy decided to bring one home with her. The boys came over shortly after and although Monday is a day off for us, we had a really productive morning of planning and talking over the new projects Grant gave us on Friday. In the afternoon we had a girly trip to the mall in PMB where I had my first 'real' coffee since being here, which I have really missed!
On Tuesday we decided to do what we do best and work from home, armed with cups of tea and coffee and a pack of biscuits.We begun to plan English lessons which we are going to try and run for six weeks, for the staff at Ethembeni who are keen to improve their communication and writing of English. Although we work better at home, away from the noise and distractions at the family centre, it does mean that, due to 'African Time', we sometimes have to wait for a while before the boys can get a car and come and pick us up. In the evening, Ruth and I went to our old home here in Mpophomeni with Nkosi and her three boys. It was so good to see them again after so long! We have been so busy since getting back from Durban and it was lovely to spend a long time with them and catch up. We spent the evening just like we used to, playing lots of card game including 'cheat' which we taught them when we were living there and watching lots of Zulu soaps! Nkosi had made her version of shepherds pie and it was delicious! The evening ended with a prayer and a hymn sung from Nkosi's well used hymn book.
Wednesday we took Poppy (that is the name of the puppy) to the local SPCA in Howick to give her a rabies jab, she also got de-fleed and de-wormed. Our main aim for our visit to Howick was to get paint and rollers for the decoration of Grace Chapel Pre-School so we spent a good while in Build-It getting together what we need for the afternoons of decoration next week. We have chosen a purple hued grey for the bottom of the wall, below where the hooks will go and then above that we are going to have a pale blue sky as the main colour and on top of that we are going to put our main design of creation.
Monday started with an interesting event - we got a puppy! Londy, our boss here at Ethemebeni and the lady who lives with us girls for some of the week, came home and anounced that she had a puppy. We went outside and looked in the back of the Colt (Ethembeni's pick up truck/bucky) and curled up in the corner was a tiy black puppy, no more than 7 weeks olds. She was hardly moving and didn't open her mouth when we tried to feed her some milk. She had been found outside Mama Titi's house and Londy decided to bring one home with her. The boys came over shortly after and although Monday is a day off for us, we had a really productive morning of planning and talking over the new projects Grant gave us on Friday. In the afternoon we had a girly trip to the mall in PMB where I had my first 'real' coffee since being here, which I have really missed!
On Tuesday we decided to do what we do best and work from home, armed with cups of tea and coffee and a pack of biscuits.We begun to plan English lessons which we are going to try and run for six weeks, for the staff at Ethembeni who are keen to improve their communication and writing of English. Although we work better at home, away from the noise and distractions at the family centre, it does mean that, due to 'African Time', we sometimes have to wait for a while before the boys can get a car and come and pick us up. In the evening, Ruth and I went to our old home here in Mpophomeni with Nkosi and her three boys. It was so good to see them again after so long! We have been so busy since getting back from Durban and it was lovely to spend a long time with them and catch up. We spent the evening just like we used to, playing lots of card game including 'cheat' which we taught them when we were living there and watching lots of Zulu soaps! Nkosi had made her version of shepherds pie and it was delicious! The evening ended with a prayer and a hymn sung from Nkosi's well used hymn book.
Wednesday we took Poppy (that is the name of the puppy) to the local SPCA in Howick to give her a rabies jab, she also got de-fleed and de-wormed. Our main aim for our visit to Howick was to get paint and rollers for the decoration of Grace Chapel Pre-School so we spent a good while in Build-It getting together what we need for the afternoons of decoration next week. We have chosen a purple hued grey for the bottom of the wall, below where the hooks will go and then above that we are going to have a pale blue sky as the main colour and on top of that we are going to put our main design of creation.
Sunday 17 March 2013
Tuesday 12th-Sunday 17th - Fruit trees and Goats
Tuesday ended on good note as we were invited to a lovely friend's house from HCC where we experienced a South African braai where we cooked a wurst sausage, basically a long coil of meaty sausage with a lot of smoke and fire but it tasted yummy. So we went home after a blissful shower and with full stomachs!
Wednesday morning we worked from home so armed with tea and coffee and a pen and paper we did some plans for the walls of the pre-school and spent the afternoon at the family centre with the children. We were then sent for from the care centre and when we arrived were told that we were helping move a donation of 180 fruit tees from a van into the front of the centre. When we finished it looked like a forest of greenary, lemon trees, mandarins, plums and nectarines. Our methodical process was momentarily paused when Nicola attempted to stop a goat from eating lemon tree leaves and proceeded to chase it around the building before finally out the gate!
Thursday home vists went really well. I was back with the lovely lady called Jan from HCC who I have been with every other week. Luckly for me, she can't speak Zulu so its all translated by a wonderful lady from Ethembeni. We visited the triplets who I have mensioned before and they have grown up so much just in the time that I have been here! I think they are getting used to me now which is so lovely. They run to the door when they hear the car and they blow lots of kisses at us when we leave. I can't believe that under two years ago they were so close to death and now they are three little buddles of joy (and trouble!) After getting back to the familly centre a lot later than most people and after my lunch of rice and some kind of vegatable stew (every lunch at the family centre tastes the same but changes between meat and veg), I met a group of students from America who are helping out with Ethembeni for the next three weeks.
On Friday before our youth work at HCC we had a meeting with Grant, the director of Ethembeni, where we were given a number of new projects that we are going to work on in the next two months. One of these is for the girls to organise Womens days for the girls and ladies in Mpophomeni so if anyone has any good ideas that we could do then please let me know! We are also starting to plan English lessons for the ladies at Ethembeni because although they speak a reasonable amount of English, they are all keen to improve their comunication and understanding.
I will try and keep you all updated on our projects and what we are getting up to. I hope you are all well,
Lots of love and blessings from S.A x
Wednesday morning we worked from home so armed with tea and coffee and a pen and paper we did some plans for the walls of the pre-school and spent the afternoon at the family centre with the children. We were then sent for from the care centre and when we arrived were told that we were helping move a donation of 180 fruit tees from a van into the front of the centre. When we finished it looked like a forest of greenary, lemon trees, mandarins, plums and nectarines. Our methodical process was momentarily paused when Nicola attempted to stop a goat from eating lemon tree leaves and proceeded to chase it around the building before finally out the gate!
Thursday home vists went really well. I was back with the lovely lady called Jan from HCC who I have been with every other week. Luckly for me, she can't speak Zulu so its all translated by a wonderful lady from Ethembeni. We visited the triplets who I have mensioned before and they have grown up so much just in the time that I have been here! I think they are getting used to me now which is so lovely. They run to the door when they hear the car and they blow lots of kisses at us when we leave. I can't believe that under two years ago they were so close to death and now they are three little buddles of joy (and trouble!) After getting back to the familly centre a lot later than most people and after my lunch of rice and some kind of vegatable stew (every lunch at the family centre tastes the same but changes between meat and veg), I met a group of students from America who are helping out with Ethembeni for the next three weeks.
On Friday before our youth work at HCC we had a meeting with Grant, the director of Ethembeni, where we were given a number of new projects that we are going to work on in the next two months. One of these is for the girls to organise Womens days for the girls and ladies in Mpophomeni so if anyone has any good ideas that we could do then please let me know! We are also starting to plan English lessons for the ladies at Ethembeni because although they speak a reasonable amount of English, they are all keen to improve their comunication and understanding.
I will try and keep you all updated on our projects and what we are getting up to. I hope you are all well,
Lots of love and blessings from S.A x
Tuesday 12th - An exciting new project and a little request...
It was good to get back to Ethembeni after over a week away from the family centre and the care centre because of Durban. On Tuesday we were given one of our main projects for the next two months (I can't believe that we have been here for four weeks already!) which is to paint and decorate a pre-school in Mpophomeni called Grace Chapel Educare Centre. There are 180 children between the ages of 1-6 in four classrooms with 5 teachers! The walls are concrete and bare with the schools colours on the walls, dark orange and brown. The girls visited the school on Tuesday morning and spent the afternoon making plans and setting up a 'Just Giving' page. Our main aim is the paint the hallway to make it more cheerful and to provide bag and coat hooks which will create more space which is desperately needed. We have money given to us from Ethembeni but we need more if we are going to achieve our aim of making it a safer and better learning environment and especially to get the coat hooks made. This a link to our page and it would be amazing if we can raise as much as possible! Any donations would be greatly appreciated and would make the world of difference, especially because the exchange rate from pounds to rand is so good. I will try and post some photos on here when I can,
http://www.justgiving.com/transformsouthafrica
Thank you!!
http://www.justgiving.com/transformsouthafrica
Thank you!!
Tuesday 12 March 2013
Tuesday 5th - Monday 11th - To Durban then a Howick weekend and a day in the house
The reason for not writing on here recently is due to the teams travelling over the past week. On Tuesday we travelled one and a half hours in the car to Durban to spend the next two days at the Integral Mission Conference. We were staying with a host from Grace Family Church, where the conference took place. Ruth, Esme and Londy (our boss at Ethembeni) and I stayed with an amazing Indian lady called Valerie, a policewomen in the area where she lives called Umhlanga. We were so priviledged to stay with her, she took us out for pizza on our first night in a massive mall called Gateway - the first biggest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere! We drove there in an open top car and I put my head back and stared up at the stars and couldn't stop smiling! Staying in Mpophomeni for the past three weeks really makes you appreciate everything and when moments like that come along, I just can't believe how lucky we are. As well as having hot showers and staying in a beautiful home, the conference itself was brilliant. Although it was aimed at men and women who have given up their normal lives to commit themselves to mission work full time, some of what was said had a big impact on us and had relevance to what we were doing. It was also really good to spend some time as a team but also by myself, relaxing and thinking and having some quiet time to pray and spend time with God.
On Friday, after a stunning thunder storm while driving home, we had our first night in our new house in Mpophomeni. The girls are together in one house (which has a bath but no shower, but has a kitchen so we can cook for ourselves - we had spaghetti bol on Monday night!) and the boys are in a different house but they come to ours to eat supper together. Having said that, people have been so generous to us and we have eaten more at other people's houses than in our own!
The weekend was spent mainly in Howick with the wonderful HCC youth on friday and sunday lunch at Esme's house. However, Saturday morning was slightly different...there was the Ethembeni Jumble Sale. We got up early that morning and drove to the Care Centre where we found lots of the Ethembeni ladies already up and about setting up. As soon as we were settled at the table which was the 'till', the gates were opened. I don't think I have ever seen so much enthusiasm before as the small crowd threw themselves sprinting through the gate. Immediately two ladies began to fight over an item of clothing, it wasn't at all dangerous but it gave us all a bit of a shock, definitely woke us up! In the end, with items that were priced between R1 and R25 we managed to raise over R3400 which was amazing!
Monday was our day off this week. We had a relaxed morning, reading and listening to music which was so good and needed! However after the boys left after lunch we began to have our first experience of 'cabin fever'. We can't leave the house without a car or someone to go with us and unfortunetly all of Ethembeni's cars were being used so we apart from a 'turn' around the garden/yard outside, we didn't leave the house all day until Londy got home and we took the car to the petrol station to buy bread! We had a chat with Londy though and shes agreed that if we are on the main road we can walk to the petrol station together so hopefully we won't have that situation again. However, the relaxed day had a positive result because we are all feeling refreshed today which is brilliant.
On Friday, after a stunning thunder storm while driving home, we had our first night in our new house in Mpophomeni. The girls are together in one house (which has a bath but no shower, but has a kitchen so we can cook for ourselves - we had spaghetti bol on Monday night!) and the boys are in a different house but they come to ours to eat supper together. Having said that, people have been so generous to us and we have eaten more at other people's houses than in our own!
The weekend was spent mainly in Howick with the wonderful HCC youth on friday and sunday lunch at Esme's house. However, Saturday morning was slightly different...there was the Ethembeni Jumble Sale. We got up early that morning and drove to the Care Centre where we found lots of the Ethembeni ladies already up and about setting up. As soon as we were settled at the table which was the 'till', the gates were opened. I don't think I have ever seen so much enthusiasm before as the small crowd threw themselves sprinting through the gate. Immediately two ladies began to fight over an item of clothing, it wasn't at all dangerous but it gave us all a bit of a shock, definitely woke us up! In the end, with items that were priced between R1 and R25 we managed to raise over R3400 which was amazing!
Monday was our day off this week. We had a relaxed morning, reading and listening to music which was so good and needed! However after the boys left after lunch we began to have our first experience of 'cabin fever'. We can't leave the house without a car or someone to go with us and unfortunetly all of Ethembeni's cars were being used so we apart from a 'turn' around the garden/yard outside, we didn't leave the house all day until Londy got home and we took the car to the petrol station to buy bread! We had a chat with Londy though and shes agreed that if we are on the main road we can walk to the petrol station together so hopefully we won't have that situation again. However, the relaxed day had a positive result because we are all feeling refreshed today which is brilliant.
Tuesday 5 March 2013
Tuesday 5th March - Off to Durban
After a very hot week which included my first ever Zulu Church service and my first ever Zulu wedding (that post will follow), we are heading to Durban in about half an hour to the Integral Mission Conference. Nobody quite knows what to expect for the next three days! We have been told that it will be very busy, but we are all hoping we will have some time to spend on the beach!!
I will try to find some time to update you all on the past weeks events but I now have to get ready to go, love from South Africa x
I will try to find some time to update you all on the past weeks events but I now have to get ready to go, love from South Africa x
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Monday 25th - Wednesday 27th - Back to Mpophmeni
On Monday it was back to a working week with Ethembeni. We start most mornings at the Care Centre (CC) and spend the morning with our mentors. I went on a few home visits with Mama Titi and another lovely lady who was being shown where her new paitiants houses were. In the afternoon we normally head to the Family Centre to eat lunch and spend time with the children when they come in from school. Tuesday was very similar, Chloe, Nicola and I spent the morning at the CC organising and marking prices on items for Ethembeni's jumble sale and chatted to the American nurses who have come over for three months study abroad. (They taught us how to take blood pressure!) At the family centre we found ourselves 'attacked' by a group of girls who proceeded to plait our hair. It was not the most relaxing experience but the end result was suprisingly good!
Today I have been with Mama Titi and Sara to Howick with a donation to spend on the 98 children who we visit during the week. We had a budget of 20 rand per child to buy them some toiletries. We were able to get each child one flannel, one toothbrush, one toothpaste and a bar of soap each. To put this into perspective for you all, 20 rand here is 1.45 pounds and we were able to get them all of this which will make such a big difference to them!
It has been a hot hot week so far!! Today it is 36 degrees! I am currently sitting in the family centre and the children are about to come when they finish school. This afternoon I think Chloe, Nicola and myself are going to try and start our English lesson plans for the ladies working with Ethembeni, wish us luck!
Love to all xxx
Today I have been with Mama Titi and Sara to Howick with a donation to spend on the 98 children who we visit during the week. We had a budget of 20 rand per child to buy them some toiletries. We were able to get each child one flannel, one toothbrush, one toothpaste and a bar of soap each. To put this into perspective for you all, 20 rand here is 1.45 pounds and we were able to get them all of this which will make such a big difference to them!
It has been a hot hot week so far!! Today it is 36 degrees! I am currently sitting in the family centre and the children are about to come when they finish school. This afternoon I think Chloe, Nicola and myself are going to try and start our English lesson plans for the ladies working with Ethembeni, wish us luck!
Love to all xxx
Saturday 23th - Sunday 24th - A weekend in Howick
I am going to try and not write too much about the past 4 days but here goes...
On Saturday (23rd) morning Ruth and I had an unpleasently early start. We woke up at 5.15am because we were helping out with the Ethembeni breakfast cafe just outside Howick in a place called Lions River. This happens every week to try to use the profits to raise money for Ethembeni and is essentially a group of people who work together to cook, serve and sell good value breakfasts to mainly old people from the surrounding areas. Despite the early start and hard work running around with a try of burnng hot plates, I really enjoyed myself. It was a really good opportunity to tell people about why we are where and what we are doing with Ethembeni. The rest of the weekend was spent in Howick with Sarah, a lovely lady who came out to South Africa with Tearfund last year and is now working full time for Ethembeni as their first Occupational Therapist. She took us to Karkloof Falls, a stunning waterfall just outside of Howick. However, in order to get to the area where we could get out and paddle (some of us swim!) we had to go up the most bumpy, dusty and longest track I think any of us have ever driven up! At the top of this seemingly never-ending track we were able to paddle/swim above the smaller waterfall above Karkloof (which was still pretty high - Chole, Eli and Nicola jumped off it!) It was amazing to sit right at the top, watching vast amounts of water rush down, it was so beautiful. The rest of the day was taken up with a fairly amusing trip to the supermarket, a yummy braie (a bbq) and a relaxed evening with a film - a recharge that was much needed!
Sunday was also spent in Howick, going to the Howick Community Church (HCC) in the morning and evening and in between we were invited to a lovely couple's house who are called Vernon and Jill, who have said to us that foras long as we are here, we are welcome in their home, for a swim or to relax and read a book and even if we need a good nights sleep! One very noticeable thing about this country is that everyone is so welcoming and generous. Ruth and I made a Lasange for Nkosi, the lady we are staying with and she was so pleased, it is her favourite meal and she never has it! And that concludes our weekend in Howick!
On Saturday (23rd) morning Ruth and I had an unpleasently early start. We woke up at 5.15am because we were helping out with the Ethembeni breakfast cafe just outside Howick in a place called Lions River. This happens every week to try to use the profits to raise money for Ethembeni and is essentially a group of people who work together to cook, serve and sell good value breakfasts to mainly old people from the surrounding areas. Despite the early start and hard work running around with a try of burnng hot plates, I really enjoyed myself. It was a really good opportunity to tell people about why we are where and what we are doing with Ethembeni. The rest of the weekend was spent in Howick with Sarah, a lovely lady who came out to South Africa with Tearfund last year and is now working full time for Ethembeni as their first Occupational Therapist. She took us to Karkloof Falls, a stunning waterfall just outside of Howick. However, in order to get to the area where we could get out and paddle (some of us swim!) we had to go up the most bumpy, dusty and longest track I think any of us have ever driven up! At the top of this seemingly never-ending track we were able to paddle/swim above the smaller waterfall above Karkloof (which was still pretty high - Chole, Eli and Nicola jumped off it!) It was amazing to sit right at the top, watching vast amounts of water rush down, it was so beautiful. The rest of the day was taken up with a fairly amusing trip to the supermarket, a yummy braie (a bbq) and a relaxed evening with a film - a recharge that was much needed!
Sunday was also spent in Howick, going to the Howick Community Church (HCC) in the morning and evening and in between we were invited to a lovely couple's house who are called Vernon and Jill, who have said to us that foras long as we are here, we are welcome in their home, for a swim or to relax and read a book and even if we need a good nights sleep! One very noticeable thing about this country is that everyone is so welcoming and generous. Ruth and I made a Lasange for Nkosi, the lady we are staying with and she was so pleased, it is her favourite meal and she never has it! And that concludes our weekend in Howick!
Friday 22 February 2013
Day 5 - Friday 22nd February
Hello again everyone,
I am now sitting in the basement of Howick Community Church where every Friday we have time to relax, get onto skype and the internet and also get together as a team to chat things over and pray before we help out with the youth in the church at 5 o clock.
Yesterday we met up with a team of volunteers from Ethembeni who go out into the community of Mpophomeni and another township up in the hills to give out food packages and meet with the families to talk, pray and read the bible together. This time I was with an English speaking lady and a lovely Zulu lady who translated for us which meant that the language was not such a issue. The living conditions are shocking, many live in houses that consist of between one and three rooms with often over five people to a house which are so dirty and make houses back home look like millionaire mansions. I have met some amazing people with incredible stories. We visited a Mum with triplets who, when Ethembeni first met them, just over a year ago, they were starving, barely breathing but now they are three bouncing, smiling children full of life and one of them proudly counting from one to five! We also met a grandmother who is 101 years old and just given her life to Jesus, its incredible!!
To give you an idea of what the area is like here, it is totally normal for goats, cows and chickens and children to wander all over the road. Transport is...interesting! There are a limited number of vehicles and people make seats in the back of a truck using old mattresses to sit on and then leave the boot open for air!
I have been here for under a week but I already love this country. There are so many people who are living in poverty but their joy and hope in Jesus is infectious. It is taking me a while to adjust to the life here and I am missing home but I know that these are going to be an emotional but eye opening three months,
Lots of love to you all xxx
I am now sitting in the basement of Howick Community Church where every Friday we have time to relax, get onto skype and the internet and also get together as a team to chat things over and pray before we help out with the youth in the church at 5 o clock.
Yesterday we met up with a team of volunteers from Ethembeni who go out into the community of Mpophomeni and another township up in the hills to give out food packages and meet with the families to talk, pray and read the bible together. This time I was with an English speaking lady and a lovely Zulu lady who translated for us which meant that the language was not such a issue. The living conditions are shocking, many live in houses that consist of between one and three rooms with often over five people to a house which are so dirty and make houses back home look like millionaire mansions. I have met some amazing people with incredible stories. We visited a Mum with triplets who, when Ethembeni first met them, just over a year ago, they were starving, barely breathing but now they are three bouncing, smiling children full of life and one of them proudly counting from one to five! We also met a grandmother who is 101 years old and just given her life to Jesus, its incredible!!
To give you an idea of what the area is like here, it is totally normal for goats, cows and chickens and children to wander all over the road. Transport is...interesting! There are a limited number of vehicles and people make seats in the back of a truck using old mattresses to sit on and then leave the boot open for air!
I have been here for under a week but I already love this country. There are so many people who are living in poverty but their joy and hope in Jesus is infectious. It is taking me a while to adjust to the life here and I am missing home but I know that these are going to be an emotional but eye opening three months,
Lots of love to you all xxx
Thursday 21 February 2013
Day 4 - Thursday 21st February
Hello everyone or Sawabona! (Hello in Zulu)
Sorry its taken a while to write on here but we are in South Africa safe and sound!
My home for the next three months is the township of Mpophomeni, not far from the town of Howick in South Africa. I am staying for the first two weeks with one of my five team members Ruth, in one of the volunteers houses which has been an eye opener to say the least. I have been so humbled, there is mum called Nksoi who lives with her three sons and they live together in a two roomed house in the township where the charity is based, one bedroom and one sitting room/kitchen. As soon as we arrived they brought out home made biscuits and Roiboos tea and welcomed us with big smiles. They then gave us their beds!! And they are sleeping on the sofas (one turns into a bed) in the other room. For a bathroom there is a toilet which doesn't really flush and then a just a simple cold tap. If we want hotter water we have to add water from the kettle and use the plastic tubs to wash...so far I have been using a flannel and soap and washing my hair directly under the tap. I know it sounds hard but I am getting used to it surprisingly quickly but it doesn't stop me realising how lucky we really are.
Over the past few days we have been shown the family centre and met some of the children who are amazing! They love playing with our sunglasses and teaching us Zulu. We have all been given an individual mentor who we are going to stay with most mornings, mine is called Mama Titi and she is lovely! She spends most of her time at the care centre which we visited yesterday and today, where they have four rooms to look after very very ill people who can't live at home due to their condition of HIV. On Tuesday I went with a lady called Nelly up to another township to do home visits. This was up in the hills so we had to do a lot of walking but met some people living in worse conditions that those in Mpophomeni. They all speak Zulu so at the moment the language is a bit of a barrier but it will get easier..I am trying to remember words!
It has been very very hot, Tuesday was 34 degrees but in the evening we had the most beautiful storm ever, very loud on the tin roof but the lighting was stunning, lighting up the sky.
Lots of love,
Sorry its taken a while to write on here but we are in South Africa safe and sound!
My home for the next three months is the township of Mpophomeni, not far from the town of Howick in South Africa. I am staying for the first two weeks with one of my five team members Ruth, in one of the volunteers houses which has been an eye opener to say the least. I have been so humbled, there is mum called Nksoi who lives with her three sons and they live together in a two roomed house in the township where the charity is based, one bedroom and one sitting room/kitchen. As soon as we arrived they brought out home made biscuits and Roiboos tea and welcomed us with big smiles. They then gave us their beds!! And they are sleeping on the sofas (one turns into a bed) in the other room. For a bathroom there is a toilet which doesn't really flush and then a just a simple cold tap. If we want hotter water we have to add water from the kettle and use the plastic tubs to wash...so far I have been using a flannel and soap and washing my hair directly under the tap. I know it sounds hard but I am getting used to it surprisingly quickly but it doesn't stop me realising how lucky we really are.
Over the past few days we have been shown the family centre and met some of the children who are amazing! They love playing with our sunglasses and teaching us Zulu. We have all been given an individual mentor who we are going to stay with most mornings, mine is called Mama Titi and she is lovely! She spends most of her time at the care centre which we visited yesterday and today, where they have four rooms to look after very very ill people who can't live at home due to their condition of HIV. On Tuesday I went with a lady called Nelly up to another township to do home visits. This was up in the hills so we had to do a lot of walking but met some people living in worse conditions that those in Mpophomeni. They all speak Zulu so at the moment the language is a bit of a barrier but it will get easier..I am trying to remember words!
It has been very very hot, Tuesday was 34 degrees but in the evening we had the most beautiful storm ever, very loud on the tin roof but the lighting was stunning, lighting up the sky.
Lots of love,
Esther
Saturday 16 February 2013
So...here we go!
A good start, the suitcase almost not shutting, last lunch with family before driving to Heathrow! Its all feeling very real suddenly and I can't believe time has gone by so fast! For those of you who know me well, I am having that horrible feeling that I have left out something essential, but I'm sure that with my mad list writing, I have everything I am going to need for three months away in South Africa.
Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers as I get ready to leave. I am meeting my wonderful team in exactly 5 hours outside terminal 3 and so the adventure begins!
I will try to keep this as up to date as I can and if you want to contact me personally or want to give me your email, my email is esst@hotmail.co.uk.
Lots of love and I am going to miss you all! X
A good start, the suitcase almost not shutting, last lunch with family before driving to Heathrow! Its all feeling very real suddenly and I can't believe time has gone by so fast! For those of you who know me well, I am having that horrible feeling that I have left out something essential, but I'm sure that with my mad list writing, I have everything I am going to need for three months away in South Africa.
Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers as I get ready to leave. I am meeting my wonderful team in exactly 5 hours outside terminal 3 and so the adventure begins!
I will try to keep this as up to date as I can and if you want to contact me personally or want to give me your email, my email is esst@hotmail.co.uk.
Lots of love and I am going to miss you all! X
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