Life lived so differently

I cannot believe how blessed you and I are. And on top of that, how we always want more and how we can never just be thankful, truly thankful, for the things we have. You guys, God has given us SOO much! My eyes are watering up as I type this.




Tuesday afternoon a group of us went out in the bakkie (truck) with about 20-30 crates full of half full, overdue, broken yogurts, juices and maas, a mixture of cottage cheese and sourcream. It did not smell to great. We drove out to a part of the township close to here and handed out all this "waste" (as the store calls it and what we would call it too) to many of the families and children who live there. I felt so bad giving them this food because it was soo gross and messy and some of it rotten. But at the same time it felt so good to give it to them because they were soo incredibly deseparate for it! It was soo hard to see. When the kids saw the bakkie coming they started yelling and running towards us shouting "Please! Please! Juice! Juice!" and "Mahyeno! Mahyeno!" (which was the name of the mission but it just changed to Melusi) They would congregate around us in the back of the bakkie and reach out their hands and some had huge smiles on their faces and others had this concerned, desperate look on their faces like they wanted some juice and food soo soo badly. SOO many kids! Everywhere! I never have experienced this before. It was very overwhelming.







Yesterday morning I went with Denise to visit the creches and oh my goodness! I loved the kids! They were soo adorable. Here are some pics of them. Some mornings during the week I will be teaching this kids. Not sure exactly how I'm going to do it because they don't really understand English, only Zulu. haha so ya, I guess the teachers are there too (I think!) and they speak English so hopefully they will transulate for me! Here we visited the school to bring them some food. They were soo cute wanting to help out and carry the crates and ran back to us when the crate was emptied. They were soo excited to see us and grabbed onto my hand and just smiled and laughed and wanting to be held. SOO CUTE!!






Then in the afternoon I went out on the outreach with Dione and some other team members. We hand out parcels of food to certain families and at the same time visit with them and pray with them in their homes. I got to pray for two ladies and it was really neat. They are so thankful and happy that I was here helping the poor and needy. All the way from Canada : ) hehe. They are precious people.





I have never in my life seen such poverty though. Here are some things I saw while I went out and hopefully this will give you a feel for how things are for these people. A chiildren, maybe 2 years old playing in the dirt with a bare bottom. A little boy washing in his home standing in a little tiny basin filled with very little very dirty water. A man about 30-40 years old weeping in front of us and his people as he suffers from great physical pain in his heart. Garbage and glass EVERYWHERE... and little kids not wearing any shoes and walking around everything. Mom's using towels as diapers for there little ones. Soo many kids with ruptures in their stomaches sticking out. This one lady the mission was able to give her a mattress and bedframe and she is 84 years old. And that was the first time she ever slept on a mattress in her life. 84 years of sleeping on the ground. Literally shacks for houses. Made with any they could find. Oh man the list goes on but I just wanted to give you a little taste of how life is for these people. It's so incredibly sad and breaks my heart so much. It's very hard for me to see such poverty. We take for granted sooo many things! Or I know I do anyways!

Here are some pics from the outreach yesterday. One of the 30 families we gave food to.This is one of the little girls who has a huge rupture in her stomach.

Last night I went with Dione to her cell group on this farm with a gorgeous house oh my goodness. So nice. And the people were soo kind and soo nice and really excited to have me here. They are people from the church here I will be going to. (the church is right on the mission here) The mission leader, Peter, is also the pastor. ya, so it was really fun and it is like a half hour drive out of Dundee and so me, D, and Maresa got to lay in the back of this truck with pillows and blankets and relax and talk and watch the African sun go down. Oh it was beautiful.



It's so hot here oh man! Yesterday it was 33 and i'm sure today is hotter. They say it gets the most 36-38.. yikes! and that is everyday until about March!



Oh my! And seeing Dione has been soo incredible amazing!! Wow! It seems soo weird and surreal!! Its crazy that I'm in Africa! with Dione! God is too good : ) The first night I got here to Dundee, Monday, she took me out for supper at the Steak House here. OH it was soo good and she has been such a sweetheart to me! Oh and has helped me soo much to feeling comfortable and settled in. IT's been so funny and it just soo good to laugh with her again and just be with her.



In about an hour we start Kid's Club, called Club5. We are doing a skit out of the book "You Made Me Special" (or something like that) by Max Lucado about the Wemmicks. Remembering that story? IT's a gooder. and then playing some games with them and having snack. Should be good : )



Sorry I havent written on this in a while. But here it finally is : )



Oh ya and I really really have to learn the Zulu language or some of the more important words to get by at least! It's very frustrating! So if you could pray that I catch on fast that would be perfect! Thanks!



Bye bye for now.