Well hey, a lot has changed since my last blog. I switched countries, and continents, and languages. I suppose the purpose of this blog is simply to say, "Hey everyone, I'm in South Africa!"
My team currently lives in Grassy Park, Cape Town, South Africa. We started our ministry for the next three months several days ago and I'm just going to give you a quick outline of what our weeks here look like.
Monday through Friday we teach at a Christian school that has 115 students. 80% of these children have been exposed to alcohol or drugs in the fetal state and many of them have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Many also have severe ADD. The school covers grades kindergarden through seventh with an age range of four-years-old to fourteen. All of these kids come from extremely impoverished and broken families who either live in community housing on the surrounding farms, the nearby state orphanage, or in the shacks of the squatter's camp down the road (think slum). Many kids are still living in emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at home and are constantly returning to these situations each night.
Enter our team.
Jayda teaches art, Ryan works all things technology from downloading new software to setting up internet to teaching computer classes, Elliot works on the maintenance team, and Kristen and I teach music and dance to 1st through 7th grade. Not only is it so much fun to spend every day of the week in constant dance class, but we get the rewarding privilege of just letting the kids be kids. You don't want to learn the choreographed dance today? All right, let's blast some music and make a dance circle or play a rhythm game or just run around for a second. Music, beats, and rhythm is literally built into these kids. Often I just laugh at myself when I watch them and think who do I think I am trying to teach them to dance? But we have fun and it is so good to watch these kids come alive. So I think I can check "teach a dance class in Africa" off the bucket list.
The school is our day job. On Wednesday nights we're at the church again for Family Night where several non-believing families from the farms come to receive a free meal and have a small group session for kids and adults. Just a time to build relationships and a way for the kids to get one more meal. On Friday nights we have youth group which just started three weeks ago so we get the privilege of helping build and grow it. Saturday is our day off and Sunday we help at church with everything from worship to the message to leading Sunday school.
Our weeks are packed and we're constantly busy. This ministry is emotionally taxing but we're dedicated to seeing it through. For now, our primary commitment is just to love on 115 kids through computers, art, and dance and we cannot wait to watch how God moves in this place.
Annie will be proud :). God has trained perfectly through the years for this next three months. Enjoy your time and dance and sing for Him!!! Love you bunches!!!!!
Nikki, we raised a son with some of those very issues; it is very challenging. Behind the erratic behavior was a big-hearted kid with a wonderful sense of humor. We just had to learn how to navigate the hard parts to get to the heart.