Our team spent the last few days in another town and here are some of my journal entries while we were there. 

DAY1

Uncle Phil had a dream a while back that God told him to go to a place he never heard of. So he asked his wife where it was and she knew so they drove to that dry village and saw a little boy on the street. They asked him “is there a church around here?” and he said there was only a church building that had not been used in some time. Uncle Phil knew that the Lord wanted him to build a school. So they did and the school was an incredible success. Children from the area were introduced to an English curriculum and had a great opportunity to learn in a positive environment. Then one woman took over the school and it did not go well. The government closed the school and all the kids had to take a bus to another school. The other school was so far away from the children’s homes so they did not walk there and had no schooling. We traveled to this little coastal town and are staying here for a few days. Now we are rebuilding this school and restoring it. Today we cleaned and painted the building to prepare it to be a successful positive place for children to learn again! Our efforts are to help meet the educational needs of this community in the name of God’s Love. Amen. 

DAY2

Today we went to the pre school to finish up painting and we were able to spend time with some of the little ones. We ran around playing tag, giggling, and learning names. The kids ran around in the sunlight shining from right above the mountain tops. We were blessed to be able to see these kids again when we packed into the back of a car and went to visit their little street. We asked Uncle Phil “how are we going to talk to the people there if we don’t speak Afrikaans?” he replied “faith”. As we arrived there were very few people in sight but we walked up a dirt road passed a little brown building with a cross. Jonathan, Presley, and I came to a house with about six kids outside. We prayed for an Auntie and walked back down the hill to the brown building. There I saw one of the children from the pre school in her tiny blue unicorn sweatshirt with her little friend giggling so much before I picked her up with a hug and they went into the gray fenced playground. Remembering all the other kids up the hill we went and invited them to come play with everyone. The street was filled with laughter as these children let loose running and chasing each other and sliding down the skinny metal slide. We had walked up only knowing English while they speak Afrikaans but didn’t need to say much to have an amazing time playing on swings and loving on these kids. Really connected with a few of the girls who look after the babies in town and loved seeing them run around and just be kids and laugh with each other. It’s a blessing to be able to sit back holding a tiny baby and look out at a playground full of smiling kids and all my new friends here. It’s a blessing to be their sister in Christ and for us to be a representation of the Love of God to these kids. “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

Habakkuk 1:5 

These sweet babies of South Africa stole my heart.