This past week, my team and I transitioned into a new full time ministry here in South Africa. For the next 6 weeks, we will be working with an after school program for kids ages 8-17 near downtown Jeffrey’s Bay. Since the program doesn’t start until 2:30pm each day, we spend the mornings there from 9-12 doing administrative work and anything else the teachers need us to do, whether it’s grading papers, cleaning bathrooms, rearranging classrooms, printing sheet music, or painting and doing crafts for the kids. After we finish everything we need, we head off to lunch. Since we are downtown, there are many great coffee shops to go to, so this week we’ve been spending our lunch time hanging out, drinking coffee, and bonding as a team. We then return to our ministry an hour or so later and finish setting up for the kids, which includes making sandwiches for them and setting out fruit and drinks.
Once the kids arrive and get settled, we go into a time of tutoring, so I am usually helping one or 2 students with any homework they got from school. After their homework is finished we start on spelling, which is the most challenging thing for most of the kids since their first language is usually Afrikaans or Xhosa, but their spelling tests are in English. All of the kids are at different levels when it comes to their English, but even the ones who struggle the most are so eager to learn and get help from us when it comes to writing or saying a word. Also, this time is so crucial for them, since they never get any one on one attention in their classrooms of 40-50 at school, and it’s likely they don’t get any attention or affirmation at home either.
After tutoring they go into a time of worship until we leave at 4:35pm. The kids practice their violin, piano, or djembe, and we all come together to sing and praise the Lord. The kids have been working really hard on several songs these past few weeks in preparation for a big worship night we had on Friday, which was an amazing success, and they got to use their gifts to glorify the Lord within the community of Jeffrey’s Bay. Watching them praise God with such a joyful and eager spirit is so refreshing, and a beautiful reminder of the childlike faith the Father so greatly desires.
Spending my afternoons teaching and worshipping every day has become a dream come true. The Holy Spirit is so present and His love is so evident in each kid at my ministry and each amazing teacher who works there, in the way they love and pour into those around them. Each day looks a little different, but they are all filled with the same joy. Childlike joy.
