Ample, galore, copious, plenty, etc. Take your pick, they all apply, we've had a full week.
It began on Sunday and continued through to today. Today, where I am lounging sea side, watching surfers, soaking up the sun, and completely baffled that this is my life.
Sunday began with a four hour church service where I was not sure which was going to pop the aluminum roof off: the fierce, howling wind outside or the praises of the congregation inside. We were welcomed as “family” by the the church next to the school. Together we danced, we prayed, we were filled spiritually and then, we ate. Oh did we eat! Lunch with the church and then our contact hosted us for a traditional South African braai (bbq) for supper.
Sam and Ash are excited about the feast too!
Monday Three hours later we were plum tuckered out preparing for the Christmas party scheduled for the next day. Over 400 bags of age appropriate gifts had been individually labeled and stuffed and 200 or more cup cakes had been festively decorated. We were ready to shower the kiddos with our love and with the communities generosity!
Just a few of the gifts…
Tuesday Teems of kids, ten to twenty deep, with their faces pressed to the gate began to accumulate a half hour before the party was scheduled to start. It would seem the whole community had come out. Mother Christmas arrived in a police car and all chaos ensued. When all was said and done the little ones left with a cup cake, an ice cream cone, a gift and a few good tricks from the clown. The older ones a hot dog, an ice cream, a gift and a wonderful performance by the next Justin Bieber (I can still hear the shrieks of the girls!) Christmas had come to Sea Vista, South Africa!
The growing crowd with sweet Charmel working to hold them at bay; 45 minutes left to go! Kelly and Keenen, from my class, with their gift bags. By the way, Kelly was smiling until she realized I was taking a picture and not a video. She prefers videos. Duly noted, Kelly, duly noted.
Wednesday we were blessed with time. Our contact gave us the afternoon off to shop. We were hosting Thanksgiving and we had yet to raid the grocery store! Once shopping was complete we were blessed with a second dose of favor; Skype time with our families. A welcome surprise for all!
Having nothing to do with Wednesday (but I thought I'd share), these are the bags we decorated with the kids that are being used to enter in a contest to raise money for the school. Pray we win!
Thursday Taking video as shamelessly as the parents, I concede these little ones, despite my displeasure at times with their behavior, have in fact wriggled their way into my heart. How proud we all were to see so many children, their families and a team of dedicated teachers commit to a key solution to breaking the generational cycle of poverty; education. The opportunity to learn is a gift and we celebrated it; congratulations Class of 2011!
Introducing Decan. He is in the middle and he is a misfit. Don't tell but I have a total crush on him.
Friday Our contacts this month have blessed us time and time again so we set aside this day to show our gratitude; American style. For Thanksgiving we, miraculously, had a turkey and two pumpkin pies. Through a lot of hard work by Team Nikao we also had green bean casserole, pasta salad, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, two chocolate cream pies and a berry cobbler of sorts. Then we had a few special delights, well, special according to my palate. An amazing cranberry sauce (definitely getting the recipe) and a green salad with avocado (yes, I had seconds). I find I crave fruits and veggies often so it was an especially delightful day for me having five different selections from this genera to choose from.
The spread…
Saturday the sun came up, the sky was clear and the wind died down. It was a perfect day to be off and go exploring. The only hiccup was a lack of transportation into town. Our options were a two to three hour walk along the coast, a 40 minute walk in on the road or an unknown lift. As the Lord would have it locals stepped up both ways. Thanks go out to the owner of the mini mart downstairs for getting us to town and to one of the ladies from the local church, who we bumped into outside the grocery store, who brought us home. The hospitality of this small community makes me re-think my claims that I couldn't survive the “quaint life”.
Then, as if I wasn't already riding high on local favor, another bit of blessing found its way into my already overflowing cup. The zip on my pack broke earlier this week. Asking around I learn the bartender at a pub just down the way also worked as a master mister fix it. He quoted a rate that I felt was fair and said it would be ready in a few days. When I went to pick it up today he asked me all about the christmas party and graduation at the school (it is a tight community here – news travels fast). I filled him in and then asked what the damage was for the work he'd completed. “No damage, you paid for it in the way you've taken care of this community and our kids.” Seriously, the Lords provision is apparent at EVERY turn.
Needless to say, everyday I have felt more than provided for and aware of repeated acts of kindness being directed my way. And to think, I came here under the notion that I was going to serve. Tis I who am being blessed and I am abundantly grateful!
Not every picture can be cute. I forgot I had flipped up my awesome sun hat when I attempted to capture what I was seeing as I crafted this blog. It humors me so I thought I'd share. Happy smiles!
