last month we had the pleasure of welcoming joe williams and his team from jesmond onto the thembalitsha projects here in grabouw (see post here about their arrival). one of the team, andy, has made a short account of their trip, which we have posted below. i hope this will give you some idea of what our short term mission teams get up to and will help you see the benefits to both them and to the community that we serve.
Andy’s Africa Account
Our
time
at
the
farm
mainly
consisted
of
2
duties,
helping
the
‘house
moms’
and
painting
the
house.
Helping
out
the
‘House
Moms’
look
after
the
children
was
very
tiring
at
first because
they
were
so
energetic!
It
was
also
great
to
see
a safe
haven
for
them.
We
worked
to
decorate
an old
house
that
was
being
converted
in
to
a
new
office;
again
this
was
another
time
to
see
the
team
work
together
productively.
Although
some
would
say
equal
amounts
of
paint
ended
up
on
the
floor
tiles
than
the
walls!
I
was
also
privileged
to
accompany
a
couple
of
the
Themba‐care
Nurses
on
one
of
their
rounds
of
the township,
Rooidakke.
Feeling
slightly
daunted
as
I
was
split
from
Izze, I
joined
8
Nurses
and
we
headed
out
in
a
Combi
(van).
It
was
a
relief
when
the
2
Nurses
and
myself got
out
in
the
township
to
do
the
round.
The
aim
was
to
check
that
the
patients
were
taking
their
medication
and
that
their
prescriptions
were
in
order.
What
they
explained
and
became
obvious
as
the
morning
went
on
was
the
problem
of
relocation.
The
government
had
a
housing
improvement
plan
where
they
were
building
new
houses
for
those
living
in
shacks.
However
this
was
proving
problematic
in
finding
some
patients.
Moreover
I
was
astonished
by
the
commitment
and
professionalism
of
the
Nurses
as
they
were
coming
to
work
immaculate
dressed
and
yet
they
too
were
living
in
the
Townships.
We
also
spent
time
helping
to
run
a
holiday
club
for
a
local
church.
This
was
great
to
harness
all
our
individual
skills
for
the
enjoyment
of
the
children.
The
first
couple
of
days
were
mayhem
but
we
soon
settled
in
to
a
routine:
running
games,
teaching
them
songs,
crafts
and
everyday
we
managed
to
give
a
short
Bible
Message.
Some
of
the
older
children
could
understand
English
so
we
pray
that
the
seeds
we
sowed
in
those
2 weeks
can
grow.
We
also
had
great
time
of
relaxation
and
fellowship
in
our
time
off.
Highlights
include
standing
on
top
of
Table
Mountain,
seeing
penguins
at
our
feet
and
celebrating
the
4th
July
on the
farm
with
the
kids
and
the
American
Volunteers,
Britton
and
Tyler.
In
addition
each
evening
we
had
a
time
of
study,
alternating
between
the
Sermon
on
the
Mount
and
Tim
Keller’s
book,
‘Counterfeit
Gods’.
These
were
great
times
to
focus our
work
on
God
amongst
the
excitement
of
the
trip
and
spend
time
learning
from
each
other.
In
each
morning
meeting
we
would
close
with
The
Lords
Prayer
and
this
was
great
as
it
made
me think
on
each
sentence
and
gain
a
deeper
understanding
of
God’s
sovereignty
at
the
start
of
each
day.
I
had
a
great
time
with
Joe,
Izze,
Lucy,
Beth,
Jen
and
Jasper
learning
from
and
assisting
in
the work
of
the
Village
of
Hope.
Many
thanks
go
to
Tim
and
Maz
for
their
hospitality
and
the
great
encouragement
they
are
in
being
a
light
of
God
in
Grabouw.
A
connection
with
the
project
has
been
made
and
I
hope
to
support
it
more,
it
will
always
be
in
my
prayers
and
I hope
to
return.
One
thing
that
it
has
taught
me
is
that
although
I
have
my
own
difficulties
they
are
nothing
in
comparison
to
the
needs
of
those
in
Grabouw,
I
have
nothing
to
worry
about.
It
is
my
prayer
that
the
Lord
continues
to
bless
The
Village
of
Hope.
thanks for the brief but positive account andy, and we hope to see you again very soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment