2022 June Update
It's been a busy few months since our last update. We have welcomed three teams and will be hosting a fourth by the end of the week! After two years without teams, we are so happy to see you! We love the energy and excitement teams bring - you build us up and bring hope to our communities.
YOUNG ADULTS TRIP
At the beginning of May, just after some torrential rains and flooding in the Durban area, we hosted a group of young adults. We started the week a little differently than usual. We spent the morning with a surfing ministry that Build The Future helps support, Small Steps Surfing. It was a school holiday, so it was a perfect day to spend with the students. Their teen leaders led the morning, starting with exercises to build self-esteem and then onto skill-building activities both in and out of the water. It was a great morning!
After lunch, we toured the rest of our projects in KZN and spent the rest of the week working at Preschool Three (Bhidakhona). The team painted the inside of the container, prepped the outside and painted a colourful mural on the side. They also worked hard on our garden, tilling, planting and preparing a drip watering system to water the plants, an innovative design created by Clive. It will keep the garden thriving until the water woes created by the flooding ease, and we can install actual drip irrigation.
GEORGETOWN CROSSROADS TRIP
Not many teams have worked as hard to get here as the Georgetown team! After enduring many flight delays and cancellations caused by weather and airlines still affected by Covid restrictions, they drove to Newark, NJ, to catch their flight to Johannesburg (also delayed), finally arriving in Durban on Tuesday! Amazingly, it worked out to extend their trip, making up for the days they lost.
They hit the ground running with busy workdays at Preschool Three (Bhidakhona). They picked up where the previous group left off with the garden, prepared and poured a concrete pad for a stand to hold a water tank, and painted a beautiful mural of an African wildlife safari on the other side of the container! Along with the game drive at Thula Thula, they visited the Mandela Capture site, and because they had an extra day, they also attended Clive's church for Sunday services. After all the adversity to get here, it was truly a special week.
MASON CROSSROADS FAMILIES & STUDENTS TRIP
Less than a week later, we welcomed a large (nearly 40 people!) team from Crossroads Mason in Johannesburg. The families and students started the week off with worship at Grace Bible Church in Soweto and an afternoon at the Apartheid Museum. This team was too large for two vans, so they travelled by bus to Kya Sands, where they would work for the week. But the bus couldn't make it down the now narrow and very bumpy road to the preschool - so every morning and afternoon, Clive ferried them to and from the bus, ten at a time.
Not having teams in so long, the container classrooms were very much in need of repainting. This group worked hard scraping, sanding and putting a base coat on several containers. They worked in the kitchen, to the delight of Ntabeleng. They worked in the classrooms, to the delight of the teachers. They worked hard in the garden creating wire compost bins, and almost completed the greenhouse construction.
Being a family trip, the team asked how they could bless the families at preschool. So Wednesday was planned as a celebration day for the kids attending the Kya Sand preschool and their families. There was face painting and glitter tattoos, wonderful balloon animals, and lots of games and fun for the kids. The moms were treated to a "spiritual spa" where they received a tube of lotion, a hand massage, and prayer. (We saw a few dads slip in as well.) And as a treat, we purchased chicken and fries from KFC for lunch which the team serves to the Kya Sand kids and families. We are thankful for the donation that made it possible.
We ended the week with a game drive in Pilanesburg, where the team saw LIONS up close. It was an excellent end to a great week.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our next team. A group of educators are coming to lead a week of training for our teachers in Ndwedwe. Again, we are excited to see what the week brings.
OCTOBER VISIT TO THE U.S.
We are visiting the U.S. in October, and we can't wait to see you! There are several group events in the planning, and we look forward to sharing those details with you.
Please stay safe, and keep in touch!
Phillip & Clive