There were several reasons why I decided last month to take a one month Facebook fast. It was not something with which I wrestled for months. I woke up one morning and felt like God was telling me to remove distraction from my life. Of course, my response to this was to get on Facebook. Within five minutes, my kids knocked on my bedroom door twice, the dog starting barking outside and needed to be called inside, my phone rang and I got two text messages. I, however, in the midst of the normal Morrison Clan mayhem, was annoyed that I was pulled away from Facebook. That very evening I posted my status that I would be taking a one month fast from Facebook.
As I said, there were several reasons I decided on a fast. So I'll share some of the reasons. First and foremost, my family was a major reason. It's summer time and fun time in the sun. There is no reason to spend the day behind my computer when my kids need to go to the pool or have a play date or a sleepover. It's my time with my kids. Facebook was taking too much of that time.
Another reason for the fast was intimacy. Let me just explain that a little more. First it was intimacy with God. When I getting on Facebook as much as I was, I was stealing time from God. I was not able to hear Him as clearly. I was desiring Facebook first thing in the morning instead of waking up and declaring my love to Him and thanking Him for my day.
It was also giving me false intimacy. Facebook has a way for keeping me up to date with friends daily happenings but the REAL relationship is not on Facebook. I no longer felt the need to call my friends when all the little things happened and talk about our days, process our problems, vent our anger, sing our praises and just have a minute to hear each others voices. I was "hearing" all of that on Facebook and so months would go by with just a quick call hear and there. I needed to reconnect to my friends, call them, make lunch dates, stop by their houses, get kids together and live in daily REAL relationship.
The other side of the false intimacy was I had created friendships in my mind based on knowing about their lives on Facebook and commenting here and there. I was then hurt when I would reach out or invite someone into my life and found no response. These people were not "friends" as Facebook would label them but rather acquaintances and people I knew from school or church or friends of friends that I met once at a function. I know many of my friend "clean" out Facebook friends with whom they are not currently in relationship or do not accept friend requests if they are not truly friends. I am not one of those.
If I actually know you, we can be "friends" on Facebook. I like to believe my Facebook is a transparent representation of me. I share the good, the bad and the ugly but always with grace and dignity. I don't bash or blame though I do vent. My page is PG and Christ centered and my kids, their friend, my nieces and nephews are all friends as well as my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma and pastors. I share my life and if you want to see you can (that is as long as I actually know you). I love to see what God is doing in your life and pray for many of my "friends" on Facebook. BUT, I needed to be reminded that Facebook is a social networking sight and no, I do not have 485 friend with whom I am in deep, intimate, daily relationship. That would just be exhausting.
So in this fast I was reminded to wake up and call out to the Lover of my life and thank Him for the day first. I had time to invest in the summer fun with the kids, went to the pool a thousand times, made play dates, helped kids make a movie, had sleepovers and wasn't distracted. I reinvested in my intimate relationships and picked up the phone, made dates and visited friends. I remembered who my friends are and even if I don't pick up the phone to call you often, I know you are out there (even when you're states away...you know who you are). I prayed more then I have in a while. I cried a lot because I was open to what God is doing. But the most important thing I think I gained from my fast was that I decluttered my life, some physically and some emotionally...but that's another blog post for another day.
All in all, I would say I am glad I fasted from Facebook for a month. I'm not sure if or when I'll do it again. I'm not saying goodbye to Facebook just yet, but I am cutting back for sure. I want to dedicate more time to some hobbies (I've started knitting again, though I'm not very good at it and I'm trying to figure out if I actually like it). I would like to blog more. I would like to continue to declutter my house. And most of all, I want to invest more time into my loved ones: family and friends. So I hope you don't see me on Facebook as much but I also hope you see a few more blog post from the crazy Morrison Clan world.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day 4 at the Care Point Part 2...Dedicating the David Hames Building
After the wonderful luncheon with the Gogos, we went over to dedicate a building being built in David Hames' honor. The building will be a preschool classroom on the care point.
Just a little information for those who do not know, David Hames was a member of Vanguard. He was a videographer that went to Swazi three years ago. Many of his video is part of the Beyond Survival website and provides information as well as swells hearts to hear about Swazi. In 2010, David was on another missions trip videoing in Haiti when the earthquake happened. He died in the wreckage. In his honor, is widow, Renee and her boys created a fund for Swazi. This building is being build from that fund.
Being a young widow as well, Renee's generosity spoke to me in a very powerful way. I was very impressed to see her give back to something her husband loved so much when her needs were and are great as well. David and Renee's boys are very young and they have a lifetime ahead of them. Being David was only 40 when he passed away, I have to assume that Renee and the boys will not be completely financial covered for as long as they will need it. She is a gracious and generous woman and this building being built is an honor to not only David but Renee and her boys.
As I was preparing for this trip, there were several times when I wondered what God had in store for me. I don't know that all of that has been revealed yet, but I do know that being at the dedication was very healing for me. I watched as some of Renee's very close friends broke as they stood in the building after we prayed and dedicated it. I watched them through a window as many from the team gathered around them, held them and prayed with them. I watch through this window frame and at that moment had great peace. I wrestled with that greatly.
I had once been the grieving widow whose friends gathered around and wept with me. Now I stood outside this building and watched. Renee was not there in Swazi, but her friends stood together and wept for her. I wrestled with wondering why I was not in there weeping too. I understood more than anyone there what the building represented. I lost a husband 3 1/2 years ago. That really isn't that long ago. I wondered why I had great peace. I wondered by I was looking at the sunset over the building watching Renee's friends through a window and was peaceful.
My mother had once described me as the girl that would cry with her friends when they were crying. When I overheard this description, I did not like it. I thought it showed that I was weak. As I grew up and faced the many things that I have, I started to understand that being able to grieve with others was God's gift to me. Grief is a painful thing. OK...that sounded a little obvious, but it's true. Grief hurts! There are many people that cannot stand in that pain with others. There are many that run from pain. There are many that leave their friends when they are in pain. But I am not one of them.
God has called me to the grieving. God has called me to help those who are stuck in grief. God has called me to walk with those who grieve. Because of this calling, I had to walk through great times of grief. Human nature would dictate that we trust those who understand and understanding comes from experience. In order to walk in my calling, I was going to have to loose much and grieve for a long time.
BUT...now I'm on the other side of this. The thing about helping others is we need to have learned from it and be in front of it. If I am crying so painfully hard about loosing my first husband, there is no way I can help someone talk about their losses. So I have peace and at this moment it was awkward.
We had been briefed before going to the care point that it may be hard to go off into the kitchen and eat lunch as we see these kids through the windows eating pap and beans but that was not something with which I struggled. The reality is that what I was eating would not keep them from being hungry. The food they are feeding the kids at the care point is fortified with protein will help keep their little tummies full being they only eat two times a day at the care point. That was a very logical answer for me and was easy for me to accept though I know others struggled with it.
My struggle came with the building dedication. You would think I would have rejoiced that I am not grieving anymore (or rather not weeping in grief anymore because I still grieve). You would think that would be a testimony to God's amazing healing power in my life and a blessing to be walking in such peace. All I could think is that I am called to the grieving and I am peaceful about that. I can watch a woman weep for her friend while "enjoying" the sunset giving God all the glory for the day. I feel blessed to be able to honor this man and his widow and their children. I wept as I talked about a personal experience with David and then I had peace. This is not the first time that God gave me "Peace that surpasses all understanding" and I'm sure it will not be the last.
At the end of the day, I know I needed to be on this particular trip to Swazi to stand in that building to pray over it and dedicate it to God. I know that God had something he wanted to tell me and I am so glad I was listening. My theme this past year has been Psalm 46:10 "He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." On this day, I was still and He was exalted among the nations and in the earth. Thank you Lord for fulfilling part of Your plan for me this day. I pray I will always remember this and hold it close to my heart as a reminder that no matter what I may think, Your plan is always perfect for me.
Here are some pictures from this event. We all had red balloons and released them in honor of David's company that was called Red Balloon Productions in reference to one of his favorite films. They don't seem to really show what we experienced but here they are:
Just a little information for those who do not know, David Hames was a member of Vanguard. He was a videographer that went to Swazi three years ago. Many of his video is part of the Beyond Survival website and provides information as well as swells hearts to hear about Swazi. In 2010, David was on another missions trip videoing in Haiti when the earthquake happened. He died in the wreckage. In his honor, is widow, Renee and her boys created a fund for Swazi. This building is being build from that fund.
Being a young widow as well, Renee's generosity spoke to me in a very powerful way. I was very impressed to see her give back to something her husband loved so much when her needs were and are great as well. David and Renee's boys are very young and they have a lifetime ahead of them. Being David was only 40 when he passed away, I have to assume that Renee and the boys will not be completely financial covered for as long as they will need it. She is a gracious and generous woman and this building being built is an honor to not only David but Renee and her boys.
As I was preparing for this trip, there were several times when I wondered what God had in store for me. I don't know that all of that has been revealed yet, but I do know that being at the dedication was very healing for me. I watched as some of Renee's very close friends broke as they stood in the building after we prayed and dedicated it. I watched them through a window as many from the team gathered around them, held them and prayed with them. I watch through this window frame and at that moment had great peace. I wrestled with that greatly.
I had once been the grieving widow whose friends gathered around and wept with me. Now I stood outside this building and watched. Renee was not there in Swazi, but her friends stood together and wept for her. I wrestled with wondering why I was not in there weeping too. I understood more than anyone there what the building represented. I lost a husband 3 1/2 years ago. That really isn't that long ago. I wondered why I had great peace. I wondered by I was looking at the sunset over the building watching Renee's friends through a window and was peaceful.
My mother had once described me as the girl that would cry with her friends when they were crying. When I overheard this description, I did not like it. I thought it showed that I was weak. As I grew up and faced the many things that I have, I started to understand that being able to grieve with others was God's gift to me. Grief is a painful thing. OK...that sounded a little obvious, but it's true. Grief hurts! There are many people that cannot stand in that pain with others. There are many that run from pain. There are many that leave their friends when they are in pain. But I am not one of them.
God has called me to the grieving. God has called me to help those who are stuck in grief. God has called me to walk with those who grieve. Because of this calling, I had to walk through great times of grief. Human nature would dictate that we trust those who understand and understanding comes from experience. In order to walk in my calling, I was going to have to loose much and grieve for a long time.
BUT...now I'm on the other side of this. The thing about helping others is we need to have learned from it and be in front of it. If I am crying so painfully hard about loosing my first husband, there is no way I can help someone talk about their losses. So I have peace and at this moment it was awkward.
We had been briefed before going to the care point that it may be hard to go off into the kitchen and eat lunch as we see these kids through the windows eating pap and beans but that was not something with which I struggled. The reality is that what I was eating would not keep them from being hungry. The food they are feeding the kids at the care point is fortified with protein will help keep their little tummies full being they only eat two times a day at the care point. That was a very logical answer for me and was easy for me to accept though I know others struggled with it.
My struggle came with the building dedication. You would think I would have rejoiced that I am not grieving anymore (or rather not weeping in grief anymore because I still grieve). You would think that would be a testimony to God's amazing healing power in my life and a blessing to be walking in such peace. All I could think is that I am called to the grieving and I am peaceful about that. I can watch a woman weep for her friend while "enjoying" the sunset giving God all the glory for the day. I feel blessed to be able to honor this man and his widow and their children. I wept as I talked about a personal experience with David and then I had peace. This is not the first time that God gave me "Peace that surpasses all understanding" and I'm sure it will not be the last.
At the end of the day, I know I needed to be on this particular trip to Swazi to stand in that building to pray over it and dedicate it to God. I know that God had something he wanted to tell me and I am so glad I was listening. My theme this past year has been Psalm 46:10 "He says, Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." On this day, I was still and He was exalted among the nations and in the earth. Thank you Lord for fulfilling part of Your plan for me this day. I pray I will always remember this and hold it close to my heart as a reminder that no matter what I may think, Your plan is always perfect for me.
Here are some pictures from this event. We all had red balloons and released them in honor of David's company that was called Red Balloon Productions in reference to one of his favorite films. They don't seem to really show what we experienced but here they are:
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| Kimberly with her balloon. |
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| Amber blowing up her balloon in the doorway. |
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| Hayden, a beautiful boy that has a deep relationship with David's sons. |
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| Marty in the background...always need someone to break the tension. |
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| Cody followed suit. |
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| Through this balloon you can see Laura blowing up her balloon. |
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| The team about to release the balloons. |
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| The release. |
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| After the release, this one balloon got caught in front of the building. |
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| Sunset at the dedication. |
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| Friends praying and weeping in their grief. |
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| Prayers at sunset. |
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| Laura placing a balloon in the building...it will be forever apart of the building. |
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| A balloon in the wall. |
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 4 at the Care Point - Gogo Appreciation Lunch
We had the wonderful pleasure of blessing the Gogos with an appreciation lunch. The word Gogo means Grandma in siSwati. These woman are not all necessarily Grandmas, but here the term Gogo is an honored term for the woman that is the head of her home. These particular Gogos dedicate their time and energy by coming to different Care Points every day of the week and cooking and caring for the kids. They do this completely voluntarily. They also make bags, purse, coin purses, table runners, and aprons to be sold for Timbali crafts as a source of income (for most the only source of income).
At this lunch, we gave them lunch and a gift. The gift had a medical kit in it for them to care for their own families with common items that we may take for granted such as: a manicure set, Neosporin, band-aids, ibuprofen, children's ibuprofen, wash clothes, soap, tooth brush, rubber gloves and a few other items. There was also a personal card to each of them from MOPs members of our church and team members from the trip. All these items came in a large plastic food container.
Each lady took great time to look through every items and cheers came from the crowd as they were handed out. Marty, a team member who had been an EMT for years, helped explain how to use many of the different items. He explained dosage of the ibuprofen and Neosporin as the "Miracle Cream."
At this lunch, we gave them lunch and a gift. The gift had a medical kit in it for them to care for their own families with common items that we may take for granted such as: a manicure set, Neosporin, band-aids, ibuprofen, children's ibuprofen, wash clothes, soap, tooth brush, rubber gloves and a few other items. There was also a personal card to each of them from MOPs members of our church and team members from the trip. All these items came in a large plastic food container.
Each lady took great time to look through every items and cheers came from the crowd as they were handed out. Marty, a team member who had been an EMT for years, helped explain how to use many of the different items. He explained dosage of the ibuprofen and Neosporin as the "Miracle Cream."
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| Lauren & Noelle handing out goodie bags to the Gogos. |
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| Gogos reading the cards from MOPs. |
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| I loved watching this woman. She sat all by herself. She was so sweet. |
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| Marty & his magic cream. |
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| Gogos walking home after their lunch. |
Day 3 at the Care Point
Day three was the "Fun Day." I started the day by painting nails of the preschools with several other team members. The kids would go from person to person and get their nails painted (boys and girls alike). I though the boys would want blue and the girls would want pink. It didn't seem to matter to them, they all wanted their nails painted. Many had so many layers of colors you couldn't hardly tell what color it was. We joked that we were really going to like one of the colors but it would be impossible to recreate because it was actually a mixture of 7 layers of colors. We finally just had to put them away because every kid had just about every color.
It was the last VBS day and then we gave T-shirts to the kids that said "Chosen" on the front of it. They got a cupcake and a goodie bag. The preschoolers got theirs in the mornings while the school aged kids where at school. In the afternoon, we gave the school aged kids their shirts and goodie bags after their VBS. We actually put them on them and I got to be one of the ones that did that. It was absolutely amazing.
It was amazing to hear the school aged kids recount the different things they learned at VBS the previous days. They were really listening and were answering questions.
I love to listen to the kids sing and recite verses. They all know the 10 commandments and The Lord's prayer. They sing many songs that I don't understand, but somehow it seems familiar. I know they are praising the Lord and so it seems I know what they are saying.
It was the last VBS day and then we gave T-shirts to the kids that said "Chosen" on the front of it. They got a cupcake and a goodie bag. The preschoolers got theirs in the mornings while the school aged kids where at school. In the afternoon, we gave the school aged kids their shirts and goodie bags after their VBS. We actually put them on them and I got to be one of the ones that did that. It was absolutely amazing.
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| Preschoolers with their shirts. |
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| School Aged Boys with their shirts. |
It was amazing to hear the school aged kids recount the different things they learned at VBS the previous days. They were really listening and were answering questions.
I love to listen to the kids sing and recite verses. They all know the 10 commandments and The Lord's prayer. They sing many songs that I don't understand, but somehow it seems familiar. I know they are praising the Lord and so it seems I know what they are saying.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
1st & 2nd day at the Care Point...Swazi
There is a saying on our trip, "It's not right. It's not wrong. It's just different." This seems like it would be very relevant but so far, I have found that it really is not that different. Yes the kids are all speaking siSwati and many are running around in the same clothes from the day before and barefooted. But I would have to say that is really isn't too different from home. If I do not tell my kids to change their clothes, they probably do not. If I let my kids, they would probably run around barefooted. When they are small, they mind as well be speaking siSwati because I couldn't always understand them. What I have found is that kids are kids no matter where you are. We all brought photo books to help connect with them and just showing them pictures of my family seemed to break the ice on the first day.
When I go over to friends' homes that have foster kids that have been starved for adult attention, they all swarm me and want to get every bit of attention they can. The same is true of the kids here. They want adult attention. They don't seem to notice or mind that we do not speak the same language. They don't seem to care what I say, just that I say something to them.
The preschool teachers have done an amazing job teaching them several things. One thing you can always ask the small kids is, "What is your name?" The answer is, "My name is Renee. I am ___ years old. I am a girl." I love to hear them say it and often will ask them again and again. They love to tell me and will say it again and again. They count with me. They sing "Jesus loves me" and "Jesus loves the little children." They hold my hand, jump in my lap, grab my finger and touch my hair. They love my piercings and laugh asking me to open my mouth, not able to figure out my lip piercing.
I was blowing bubbles with the preschool kids this afternoon. They all have to form a line to get a turn to blow. There was one little boy that never once chased a bubble but just got in line again and again to blow bubbles till there was only one or two other kids in front of me. He consistently got in line to blow. He didn't want to loose his turn and sometimes would push others in line. I would direct him to the back of line each time he pushed. He just keep getting in my line. By the end, I started making it difficult for him to blow by moving the wand around. He was laughing and laughing. It was fun to see him laugh. I had no idea what he was saying to me but we connected through a bottle of bubbles. Thanks Kim for bringing bubbles.
I got to go on a home visit after day one at the care point. We walked to a homestead and brought a gift (food). We got to sit on a grass mat outside and introduced ourselves and then prayed over them. We took a few pictures and then walked home. There wasn't much to the visit but it was amazing to visit with them for a few moments. We don't know a lot of details about them but we know that the girl from the care point was living there with her aunt and that she was an orphan.
I helped with the medical team on day one by painting the preschooler's faces after Marty had medically checked them that way we could tell who had been checked. They were so good about forming a line against the wall and waiting patiently for their turn. It was so fun painting their faces. Some the kids would get very excited to get painted and look in the mirror and see their faces and laugh. Some of the kids would barely smile trying to hide the smile, but I knew they loved it. Marty would teach them thumbs up when he was done checking them. Then I would paint their faces and I would give every single kid a thumbs up and they would give one back. Just a few minutes with Marty and they learned thumbs up. That was pretty cool.
Day two I also helped with the medical team but for the school aged kids. I was checking heads, faces, necks and ears. I was amazed how many kids had really clean teeth with no cavities showing. Most of them looked pretty good and were healthy at a glance. Obviously a quick look over is not very much, but I expected to see more problems then we saw. I got to ask each kid their name and grade as I check them. Even in the few moments I saw them, they would connect to me. Several kids came and hugged me before they left. We didn't get to check nearly enough kids, but I guess some is better than none.
We're back at Asante Guest House (where we are staying) and are going to have pizza with the other team that is here from Georgia as well as some worship time. It will be fun to socialize and hear their stories.
Please continue to pray for our team while we are here.
Pray for rest.
Pray for energy.
Pray we stay connected to His will.
Pray for our families from whom we are separated.
Oh, and to end the very long day one. We discovered a lizard in our bathroom. I probably would have let him stay but I wanted to close the door to take a bath. I tried to enlist the three 12 year old boys, but they all chickened out and Wendy, my lovely roommate came to the rescue, caught him in my PJs & released him outside. I would say that I rather lizards than bugs...but alas there are both. Tonight I was attacked by misquotes as I wrote this blog. For those who do not know, I am very allergic to them. I have six or so VERY large welts on my legs. Oh well...TIA (This is Africa).
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| Cheryl showing pictures of her family. |
The preschool teachers have done an amazing job teaching them several things. One thing you can always ask the small kids is, "What is your name?" The answer is, "My name is Renee. I am ___ years old. I am a girl." I love to hear them say it and often will ask them again and again. They love to tell me and will say it again and again. They count with me. They sing "Jesus loves me" and "Jesus loves the little children." They hold my hand, jump in my lap, grab my finger and touch my hair. They love my piercings and laugh asking me to open my mouth, not able to figure out my lip piercing.
I was blowing bubbles with the preschool kids this afternoon. They all have to form a line to get a turn to blow. There was one little boy that never once chased a bubble but just got in line again and again to blow bubbles till there was only one or two other kids in front of me. He consistently got in line to blow. He didn't want to loose his turn and sometimes would push others in line. I would direct him to the back of line each time he pushed. He just keep getting in my line. By the end, I started making it difficult for him to blow by moving the wand around. He was laughing and laughing. It was fun to see him laugh. I had no idea what he was saying to me but we connected through a bottle of bubbles. Thanks Kim for bringing bubbles.
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| Wendy blowing bubbles with the kids at the Care Point. |
I helped with the medical team on day one by painting the preschooler's faces after Marty had medically checked them that way we could tell who had been checked. They were so good about forming a line against the wall and waiting patiently for their turn. It was so fun painting their faces. Some the kids would get very excited to get painted and look in the mirror and see their faces and laugh. Some of the kids would barely smile trying to hide the smile, but I knew they loved it. Marty would teach them thumbs up when he was done checking them. Then I would paint their faces and I would give every single kid a thumbs up and they would give one back. Just a few minutes with Marty and they learned thumbs up. That was pretty cool.
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| Preschoolers lined up waiting to be checked by Marty. |
Day two I also helped with the medical team but for the school aged kids. I was checking heads, faces, necks and ears. I was amazed how many kids had really clean teeth with no cavities showing. Most of them looked pretty good and were healthy at a glance. Obviously a quick look over is not very much, but I expected to see more problems then we saw. I got to ask each kid their name and grade as I check them. Even in the few moments I saw them, they would connect to me. Several kids came and hugged me before they left. We didn't get to check nearly enough kids, but I guess some is better than none.
We're back at Asante Guest House (where we are staying) and are going to have pizza with the other team that is here from Georgia as well as some worship time. It will be fun to socialize and hear their stories.
Please continue to pray for our team while we are here.
Pray for rest.
Pray for energy.
Pray we stay connected to His will.
Pray for our families from whom we are separated.
Oh, and to end the very long day one. We discovered a lizard in our bathroom. I probably would have let him stay but I wanted to close the door to take a bath. I tried to enlist the three 12 year old boys, but they all chickened out and Wendy, my lovely roommate came to the rescue, caught him in my PJs & released him outside. I would say that I rather lizards than bugs...but alas there are both. Tonight I was attacked by misquotes as I wrote this blog. For those who do not know, I am very allergic to them. I have six or so VERY large welts on my legs. Oh well...TIA (This is Africa).
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| Here's our buddy. He climbed into the door frame after this picture so I could close the bathroom door. |
Sunday, June 12, 2011
1st Sunday in Swazi
Today we got to go to Pastor Walter's church. It was more than three hours long but it was an amazing experience. The people sang together without instruments and everyone just knew all the songs. They had beautiful harmony. It was wonderful to just close your eyes and hear their voices. It was like a piece of heaven.
There was another group from Georgia at church as well. They had been there for a week. They were the 2nd team from their church here this summer. We got to join them for lunch at Jumbo & Kriek's house (the missionaries on the ground here in Swazi).
We went to the half way house (an orphanage-not rehab). There were about 12-13 little kiddos there. This is the place where the Clapps got their two kids that they adopted from Swazi a couple years ago. I was amazing to see all the kiddos. At first they were very shy and cried when any of us came near them. It is very possible they have not seen very many white people if any at all. By the time we left, many were crying because they didn't want us to leave. We have plans to visit again and hopefully they will be excited to see us and remember us.
I was able to get a new SIM card today & talked to all three girls on the phone as well as Ryan. I also got to skype them much later & got to see their faces. I was pulled away from my chat with Ryan when Kimberly & Noelle discovered a lizard in their room. They search for it for about a half an hour with no luck before coming & getting me. I was the only other person awake. After searching for about a half hour more with them with no luck, we decided to all go to bed. Just another moment in Africa. I hope they are able to sleep tonight and pray they don't wake to a lizard on their face. Though none of us are scared of lizards, the though of sleeping with one loose in the room was not exactly desirable.
We will be heading to the care point for the first time tomorrow. We'll start the first of three days of VBS. I'll be leading over crafts. Please pray over us as we minister to the kids. Please pray over Kimberly as she teaches the lessons, Noelle as she leads the games & me as I lead the crafts. Please pray for the rest of the team that will assist us and for the construction team that begins their project tomorrow. We will also have two home visits tomorrow. Please pray that God blesses all He has in store for us and pray for blessing for all with whom we come in contact.
Well I hope all is well for those of you reading my blog. Thanks for listen.
There was another group from Georgia at church as well. They had been there for a week. They were the 2nd team from their church here this summer. We got to join them for lunch at Jumbo & Kriek's house (the missionaries on the ground here in Swazi).
We went to the half way house (an orphanage-not rehab). There were about 12-13 little kiddos there. This is the place where the Clapps got their two kids that they adopted from Swazi a couple years ago. I was amazing to see all the kiddos. At first they were very shy and cried when any of us came near them. It is very possible they have not seen very many white people if any at all. By the time we left, many were crying because they didn't want us to leave. We have plans to visit again and hopefully they will be excited to see us and remember us.
I was able to get a new SIM card today & talked to all three girls on the phone as well as Ryan. I also got to skype them much later & got to see their faces. I was pulled away from my chat with Ryan when Kimberly & Noelle discovered a lizard in their room. They search for it for about a half an hour with no luck before coming & getting me. I was the only other person awake. After searching for about a half hour more with them with no luck, we decided to all go to bed. Just another moment in Africa. I hope they are able to sleep tonight and pray they don't wake to a lizard on their face. Though none of us are scared of lizards, the though of sleeping with one loose in the room was not exactly desirable.
We will be heading to the care point for the first time tomorrow. We'll start the first of three days of VBS. I'll be leading over crafts. Please pray over us as we minister to the kids. Please pray over Kimberly as she teaches the lessons, Noelle as she leads the games & me as I lead the crafts. Please pray for the rest of the team that will assist us and for the construction team that begins their project tomorrow. We will also have two home visits tomorrow. Please pray that God blesses all He has in store for us and pray for blessing for all with whom we come in contact.
Well I hope all is well for those of you reading my blog. Thanks for listen.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
On the Ground in Swazi...
Through my travels I discovered I forgot a few key things but other than that the travel was smooth. I forgot to pack my extra camera battery/charger and my glasses. I plan on just wearing my contacts around the clock for the next 2 weeks (which is how they are intended to be worn). I usually like to take them out because they last longer and my eyes need a break. But that is just little thing. As for the camera battery, I have a small camera if my battery dies and everyone on the trip has a camera.
We arrived in South Africa on Friday evening. We went out to eat at a fish place...I had sushi. The sushi was pretty good, but I only think it was good because Zach (a guy on the trip) and I were talking about sushi for a day now. We stayed at a nice hotel in South Africa. They were suites with two bedrooms, each with their own bath, a living room and a kitchen. It would have been a great place to stay for a while but we only really stayed long enough to sleep and then we were up early to travel into Swazi, which was a several hour drive.
The other small little hiccups were easily managed. The Clapp family did not make their flight to D.C. and were sent to Atlanta to take a direct flight to Johannesburg arrive around the same time as us though we had a stop in Dakar.
The flight was long, but there were plenty of things to watch on the in seat TV as well as music lots of music of which to listen. I didn't find myself bored just tired of sitting!
Today we went to the cultural center. I took an amazing video of the Swazis dancing. It's a bit too long to upload on the slow WiFi here so that will come later. I just feel very blessed that I do have WiFi here so I can keep people informed about our trip. My camera is in my room and my roomie is already sleeping. I'll try to post pics tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will go to Pastor Walter's church and to the half way house where the Clapps adopted their two youngest. For those who do not know, the Clapps are the founders of Beyond Survival, the organization with which I am on this trip.
Keep on praying for us. I have had some technical difficulties and my phone that I got to use here is not working. Pray I am able to get that worked out so I can talk to my girls and Ryan. I know I miss them and they miss me. It would be good to hear their voices right now. Well it's late at night here so I'm off to bed.
Thanks so much for listen.
We arrived in South Africa on Friday evening. We went out to eat at a fish place...I had sushi. The sushi was pretty good, but I only think it was good because Zach (a guy on the trip) and I were talking about sushi for a day now. We stayed at a nice hotel in South Africa. They were suites with two bedrooms, each with their own bath, a living room and a kitchen. It would have been a great place to stay for a while but we only really stayed long enough to sleep and then we were up early to travel into Swazi, which was a several hour drive.
The other small little hiccups were easily managed. The Clapp family did not make their flight to D.C. and were sent to Atlanta to take a direct flight to Johannesburg arrive around the same time as us though we had a stop in Dakar.
The flight was long, but there were plenty of things to watch on the in seat TV as well as music lots of music of which to listen. I didn't find myself bored just tired of sitting!
Today we went to the cultural center. I took an amazing video of the Swazis dancing. It's a bit too long to upload on the slow WiFi here so that will come later. I just feel very blessed that I do have WiFi here so I can keep people informed about our trip. My camera is in my room and my roomie is already sleeping. I'll try to post pics tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will go to Pastor Walter's church and to the half way house where the Clapps adopted their two youngest. For those who do not know, the Clapps are the founders of Beyond Survival, the organization with which I am on this trip.
Keep on praying for us. I have had some technical difficulties and my phone that I got to use here is not working. Pray I am able to get that worked out so I can talk to my girls and Ryan. I know I miss them and they miss me. It would be good to hear their voices right now. Well it's late at night here so I'm off to bed.
Thanks so much for listen.
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