Today I had to say goodbye to my kids at Ithemba. In just the month that I have been volunteering here, the kids have made their way way into my heart.
It truly amazes me how much love God has given me for them in such a short amount of time. These kids have become my joy for this past month in South Africa and it breaks my heart to have to leave them.
I will never forget their smiling faces and hearts full of love and thankfully I have a way to make sure of that. Here is a picture and short description of each kid in my class! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Luyakha is a handful. He loves to cuddle, but he doesn’t want anyone else to come near me, ever. He will fight the other kids who try to hug me.
Vanessa is sooo smart. She always tries the hardest and loves to show off all that she knows. She’s the first to answer any question I ask the class.
Tariro is a sass queen. She loves to hide her papers or her crayons when I come to collect them. She’s smart but likes the try to trick me by acting like she doesn’t know the answers when I know she does.
Hope is an angel. Her sweet smile never leaves her face. She shares her food with everyone at lunch time. Hope is so full of love she just can’t hide how much she loved everyone.
Alunamda is a little shy but also a little sassy. She’s smart, but she’s quiet. She’s often in her own little world, but when she lets you in you see her sass and her smarts.
Desire is the most quiet and kind kid in the class. He is definitely the most well behaved. He’s always quiet, always sits still, and never hits. He’s shy, but his rare smiles are priceless.
Isenathi is kind and proud. She loves to show off how smart she is and even likes to help teach the other kids at her table. She will always make sure she’s being seen, but she looks out for others too.
Lwandiso has quite the personality. He is definitely the class clown. Whether it’s shoving crayons in his nose or sticking his tongue out he never fails to entertain.
Nicolene recently got moved up to my class. She is smart, but likes to act like she doesn’t care. She can easily answer any question, but she’d never be first to answer.
Simanye is a troublemaker. He wants absolutely nothing to do with school work and won’t listen to a word you say. Still, he’s cute and sassy and he knows it.
Unamandla is something else. Some days she is quiet as a mouse, but others she is bouncing off the walls. She loves to love and will always hug you.
Khayone really is a sweetheart, but he gets himself into trouble. He really likes the attention and will do whatever it takes to get it. Once he gets his attention, then he is so sweet.
Sinothando is always smiling. He loves to pull pranks like hiding crayons and stealing papers, but mostly he loves to make people laugh. His smile really is contagious.
Olwam is smart and she knows it. She loves high fives and is the best at any and all hand games. She’s kind of shy, but isn’t afraid to love you with all she has.
Iminathi is beyond sassy. She loves to mimic me and, even though I don’t understand it, she has a come back to everything I say to her. But, she’s so cute that it just makes me smile and laugh.
Athule is simultaneously sweet and mean. He’ll run up to you smiling and give you the biggest hug and then slap your back as hard as he can. He’s always laughing and is as cute as can be.
Lakheni is my best friend. This boy is my absolute favorite. Lakheni is definitely a trouble maker, he loves to run around and act completely crazy but he is the most adorable kid you’ll ever find. Deep down, he actually is a real sweetheart. He loves hugs, high fives, and forehead kisses. Lakheni, in all his moods and all the trouble he causes, is so full of love. He definitely knows that he’s my favorite and uses that to his advantage.
So there you have it. These are the little angles who have come to fill up my whole heart. I cannot express how hard it is me to say goodbye to them. These children are so in need of love and they are so open to love. I am confident that my love has affected them as much as their love has affected me.
And here they are all together, with my teammate Sarah, and the teacher we’re blessed to work with, Bridget.
Bridget overflows with love like Christ’s. Her patience continually amazes me. She didn’t only welcome Sarah and I into her class, but she also welcomed us into her heart.
My Ithemba Class will forever have my heart and it breaks my heart to leave them.
The other class that I have got the pleasure of falling in love with here at Ithemba is my after school 2nd grade class.
Imange, Vicky, Trinity, and Sim. These kids are so smart and hardworking. I can’t explain how much they have amazed me. They have loved me since the very beginning and I am beyond blessed to call them my friends.
Tears filled my eyes and streamed down my face as I walked out of the gates of Ithemba for the very last time today. I never thought it would be this hard. Ithemba overflows with love and you cannot walk out of that place without being changed by their love. I have fallen in love with each and every kid, teacher, and staff member here and I will never be the same because of their love.
As hard as leaving was, God has comforted me even in that. He reminded me at Church this past Sunday,
“I love these kids more than you could ever love them so be my hands and feet and show them how I love them.”
I may be leaving my kids, but God isn’t. He’s staying with them and He will continue to love on them so much more than I ever could. I have shown them His love and His love will remain.
