Worshiping & Working
(Tuesday, March 14th)

DAY TWO AT THE VILLAGE…It is amazing to see how much has changed since the last visit here. There is a real kitchen, dining hall, and community area that have all been added. They have also added another toilet and shower! A shower that has a closing door, but still a view of the moon! More importantly they are adding to the number of kids that can take in as well as staff. We met a couple that have retired and made their way over here from Minnesota. There is also a couple with three children from Canada. We have also met Richard who is our host. He is originally from Seattle and is over here for a number of months to assist with teams that come over. He is also a caregiver for a number of children. He has begun to set up some wonderful opportunities. We had our first experience in a South African High School. It is a tech school, which means students have to pay more than the typical “public” school. On the other hand no matter what school you go to, all students are required to wear uniforms. There is an incredible sense of self-control and discipline among the students. All you teachers back in the states would be in heaven.


When we arrived at the school the students were arriving as well. They came to a central courtyard and lined up very orderly as they were waiting for our “program” to begin. To keep themselves occupied they began to sing. The beauty and quality of the music would soften any heart. Once all the students had arrived, the principal introduced us and told the students they need to listen to what we had to say. It was very important and could change their lives. Pastor Welcome had joined us and we sang some Zulu praise songs with Ryan, Richard and Welcome leading. After that, Ryan and Becky sang TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS (Yes you heard me right, in a public school with the encouragement of the principal and staff). Brian was able to share a short challenge. The students were going to play in a soccer game later that day and he talked about how Jesus should be the coach of their lives, managing their physical, mental and spiritual needs. HOW AMAZING to share the gospel of Christ to approximately 300 public school students with any worries of the ACLU getting involved!!!!

After such a high we made our way back to the village to begin work on some projects that had been identified for us. Brian and Becky dug a drainage ditch. Boy was that fun! They can attest that this part of South Africa is very ROCKY. Becky later moved on to scrubbing down a shower area with bleach to be later painted. How did Becky get all the fun jobs? Mike, Wendy, Ryan and Nick spent most of the morning nailing stripping to the new building to cover gaps where wind and rain was getting in. They will be later stained with Motor Oil. Now there is a home improvement tip I would never have thought of! By about 2:30 we were just about dehydrated and sun burnt so we called it a day for the project to move over to the soccer field and “watch” the Tech School tournament. Little did we know we would be playing… Nick, Mike and Brian played for the grade 12 team. HMMMMMM….we are not as young as we thought we were! Mike, that was a graceful fall! It was a great opportunity to make contacts and bond with the local community while sharing a passion of the Loskop community.

We headed back to Agathos cottages for dinner and them some team time and called it a day. God has blessed each person with wonderful individual talents. It is amazing to watch each person find their groove as they strive to serve and glorify the name of Christ. I wonder what tomorrow will bring…

*submitted by Brian