Its been an exhausting week! With the end of the taxi strike we were able to get back into the Kwazakhele location and back into ministry at CCMP. But I started coming down with a pretty bad cold on Sunday night, and its taken me all week to get over it. But despite the sickness it was a great week.
We’ve been finding our place and feeling more comfortable with the programs that happen. So I’ll give you a rundown on what our week looks like.
Mondays we have kids club. <The children and youth programs are run by a couple of college-age guys from the community: Mabhele and Andile. These guys are great with the kids, but don’t do a lot of planning ahead of time (typical of many college guys!). So often I’ll get to the center and they’ll ask me if I have any ideas! Luckily, I do plan for situations like this!> So Monday I brought some paint and paintbrushes with me. We played a few games, sang some songs, and talked about how God created each and everyone of us uniquely, that we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”, as the Psalm says. I told them that no one in the world has handprints exactly like theirs. Then we painted the kids hands and had them place their hands on paper, to remember that God made them special :). It was simple and not terribly creative, but the kids liked it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays look very similar. The center runs a soup kitchen for the kids to come and get a meal after school on these days. We come and hang out with the kids, and then set up tables in the hall where kids can come and get help with their homework. Mostly my teammate Matt helps with math and science, and I’ll help with English, (and sometimes the easy math!).
Wednesdays we have teen club. Often its the same story as Mondays. I arrive in the early afternoon, and Andile says “Do you have any ideas? Do you want to do the message?”. And I, being prepared for this kind of situation, sit down and help them plan. This week we played a couple of games, one that I taught them, one that they taught me. 
And we had a discussion about our identity in Christ, using Romans 8. It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but God showed up, as He always does! 
On Sundays 3 girls from the team and I teach Sunday School for the kids at the center. That has been an adventures in itself, and might deserve its own blog. But for now suffice it to say that its challenging but a lot of fun!
Also, on Tuesday mornings and Saturday afternoons 2 or 3 of us are continuing to visit Algoa Frail Care, where I went last semester. Its been great to continue those relationships and seeing how God is working there. This Saturday we are bringing some of the teenagers from the church we have been attending with us to meet the kids and see what we do there. I’m excited about the chance to bring these teenagers alongside us as we minister in their community.
So that’s what my week looks like. I’m sure there will be many more adventures to tell of before my time is up here!
Some things I would love you to be in prayer for:
Continued safety as we travel and spend time in the township
For relationships to develop with the kids and the youth
That the language barrier would not cause too much difficulty in communication, especially with the kids
That the team would get/stay healthy, and that whatever is going around wouldn’t get in the way of our work.
Thanks for the prayers and support!
