2010 and a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!!

I am sure many of us are wondering where this year has gone....but then again don't we say that every year?  2010....a year of new beginnings...fun....soccer.....new children.......new ventures......


So, in looking back on 2010 it has been an eventful, blessed, busy yet amazing year.

January

Christmas was a wonderful family time as my parents were here.  It was also a hectic time as a girl who I am close to was hospitalised with HIV and much of our days were centred around visiting her.  A year on I saw her on Tuesday and she is now a healthy positive young lady with a bright future ahead...... Praise God!!

This January was significant for me as I’d officially left Ambassadors in Sport to start my new life working part-time for Adonis Musati Project, and part-time as a tourism teacher for School of Hope.  We had Sian and Dave Edwards come and visit which was lovely.  We also had two American girls move in for a few months who were studying abroad and they were lovely. (Brenna and Mourette)

The picture was taken by my parents and shows some of the Zimbabwean boys that lived in our AMP shelter in Fish Hoek.  (see www.adonismusatiproject.org) 

February

Looking back February was not a particularly eventful month.  We still had our two American students living with us, as well as a lodger (Mimi) and this always ensured there was never a dull moment in the house.  The card game phase 10 became a regular pastime and all visitors had to learn how to play!

The photo shows Lee-Anne who was honoured to go to New York with the school matric class as part of a mentorship programme.  She returned in Feb after staying there for 2 months.  It was an amazing and growing time for her.

(see www.activecompassiontransform.org) 

March

March was difficult as half way through the month my house was burgled.  Although this was not pleasant, it was also a blessing in disguise as both Ode and I received new (much needed) laptops from the insurance, among other things. 

 The picture shows my tourism students from the School of Hope on an open topped bus trip that took them all around Cape Town.  Many of my students haven’t had much experience of tourism and this trip was so much fun, as well as eye-opening for many of them as to what Cape Town has to offer.

(see www.thembalitsha.org.za) 

April

April was a very mixed month.  Having my sister come and spend time with us was great, however she came a very busy time when lots was happening.  First the refugees I’d been working with at a local refugee camp were evicted and I ended up with 5 additional children (in pic) living with me for 2 weeks while their mothers found a new home. http://www.vocfm.co.za/index.php?section=news&category=vocnews&article=52544

 
At the same time Thandeka, Lindo’s older sister fell ill with measles and had to be hospitalised.  This was a traumatic time for her. (pic is of her and Lydia)  Lindo contracted the virus a week later and was also bedridden for a short while.  Lydia’s flight was delayed for a week due to the ash cloud,  which was difficult for her, but a blessing for me at this time J 

At the end of April Connor Martin moved in with us.  Connor came here to work with Chris Lockwood for a few months on his soccer project.    

May

One of many good things about having Connor live with us, is that we also got to have Sara Cheese for 2 weeks when she came out to visit him.   During her stay we all made use of a special offer at a hot springs about 3 hours from Cape Town for the weekend which was a well needed break for us all.  (see pic)

Towards the end of May a girl’s soccer team from Grove City University in USA came out for a few days on a mission trip and I helped to coordinate some of their stay which was fun! 

Of course May is my birthday month and I entered a whole new era this year....turning 35 eeeeek! 

June

Probably one of the biggest miracles of the year was Ode finally getting her South African Citizenship and passport.  As the day of her departure to the USA was getting closer we got more and more nervous about the eventuality of this actually happening.  God was in control and thanks to a friend who had contacts in high places she finally got what she needed in June!  A HUGE relief after 6 years of praying, fasting, queuing, fighting, crying.......

Obviously the other big event in June was the commencement of the World Cup in South Africa.  This time was the best ever for this country.  All of a sudden there was a unity amongst the people that I’d never experienced before.  All races, creeds and colours were travelling together on buses and trains, and there didn't seem to be a 'fear' in the air that often comes with the territory in SA.  It was a fantastic time to be in South Africa.

July

We were totally blessed with tickets to the England vs Algeria game in the group stages of the World Cup.  Thanks Connor!!!

Another girls team from Taylor University in America arrived early on in the World Cup for two weeks and had a fabulous time mixing with our soccer girls at Ambassadors, as well as helping to run a soccer clinic in a township on the peninsula. 

It was a long school holiday during the world cup and I spent a lot of this time looking for a new place to stay that was nearer the Adonis Musati Project and church.  I was very blessed to find a lovely little cottage in Mowbray, the perfect location.  Praise God!

August

The beginning of August was a difficult time with Ode leaving us for America.  Because we also moved out it made it a little easier as our circumstances were changing at the same time.  She settled in quickly thanks to good friends from there. (thanks Dani, Mike and Stephanie)

During August I received another visitor, my very good friend’s son, Sam.  Sam is 18 and came out for a couple of weeks.  It was great being able to share our lives with Sam, who came to school with me a few times and also got to experience the prison work that Ambassadors do.  

September

One of the exciting things about September was the new bridging school that Adonis Musati had started at our offices.  This was to address the need for schooling for young children who are unable to get into local schools for various reasons;  language, arriving mid-year, no school fees etc.  The pic shows the first eight children, which has since expanded to 15.  Next year I will be more involved in the running of this school, and we also hope to move out to an bigger location.  We have some amazing volunteers who have been teaching at our school!

It will also be part of my role to focus on finding new schools for both the school children and also any other children or teens that we come across who are in need of schooling. 

 October

Thandiswa and Thandeka

Every year a great group of teachers arrive on our shores from New Zealand (and one from Australia) to help train up the teachers at the Ark School (the shelter where Lindo grew up).  www.rata.org.za  This is always a lovely time of encouragement for us to see old friends and make new ones.

Another big change in October was that Lindo’s two older sisters moved in with us (see pic).  This was a great move as they have been a huge blessing to us, for Lindo to have her two lovely sisters living with us has been wonderful, restoring the years they have been separated, but also it has meant I have been better positioned to help them with their school work.  Thanks to the School of Hope they both passed grade 10 this year (after having failed twice in a previous school) – see my previous blog –

November

End of year winding down often means running round like a mad thing.  This year was no different, and exams at the School of Hope took up a lot of our time.  Working alongside these young people to try and help them get the good results has been a personal highlight of my year.  

It was lovely to have a visit from David Vine, who was representing the missionary organisation that oversees my work.  I felt very encouraged and blessed.

www.impcharity.org.uk

As always having a houseful of young people is what I love and this month definitely has been that.

 

December

Adonis Musati Project also saw challenges as the year grows to a close with a new immigration law that says all Zimbabweans must have a passport in order to stay in South Africa (as opposed to an asylum seekers permit).  This has meant that many of our young boys have had to go back to Zimbabwe to find birth certificates.  With bribing to cross  borders rife, it is a difficult and scary time for many of them and I ask that you pray over the next two weeks that they all get back safely so that they can continue their schooling here in SA. 

It is heart wrenching to hear the stories of these young displaced people, many of them so intelligent and driven, yet so hindered by their circumstances.  For a good read look at http://childmigrant.wordpress.com/ which is the blog of an amazing young man who is very close to my heart. 

Now, as I sit in the comfort of my parents house I can't help but think about all my wonderful children (teenagers) in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  I pray that over Christmas they will feel the love and comfort of our wonderful heavenly Father.   Many of them are down on my profile as my sons and daughters....so if you feel called please pick one and pray for them.  If you would like information about any of them and their stories let me know.   Pray also for Lindo who I am sure is having a whale of a time with a wondeful family (the Nadins) who are kindly having her while I am here.  Also pray for Ode who is also being loved and blessed by our wonderful friends in America (the Ferguson/Davidsons), and for Lee-Anne who is here with me...pray that she does not get overwhelmed by our crazy family and that this will be a time of renewal for her as she continues to seek God for her future.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PRAYS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, AND FOR THOSE WHO SUPPORT US IN SO MANY WONDERFUL WAYS! I AM CONSTANTLY OVERWHELMED BY THE WORLDWIDE FAMILY WE HAVE IN CHRIST.  

From a very blessed Joelle...............................

England here we come........

This time next week I'll be in England.....

As I sit here and type I am thankful for my touch typing skills.  I am invigilating a grade 9 technology exam....and can't really afford to take my eyes off the 12 mishievious learners for more than a few seconds.  Tomorrow is their last day at school for the year and then the teachers have the daunting task of seeing who has passed and who has failed.   The teachers at this school invest in these learners in a deeper level than just academically, and it is so hard to see a child fail when they have grown so much in other areas of their lives.  I guess for this reason the School of Hope hasn't totally failed the child.  One or two of the learners have attended  drug rehabilitation programmes this year through the school.  Some of them have experienced love and acceptance in a way that they have never known before.  Every day these learners have heard Truth in the morning devotions, something that can never be taken away.  Pass or fail, this school cannot measure its success statistically by academical results!!

Its a hard school system here in South Africa.  Failing means staying in the same grade again, and this can be disheartening to say the least.  Lindo's two sisters, Thandiswa and Thandeka, who now live with us during the week are set to pass grade 10 on their third attempt.  Last night Thandeka (18) said to me with a big smile on her face, "yorr I cannot imagine myself in grade 11!"   I am excited to see these two girls blossom even more in their gifting these next couple of years.  Thandeka has joined the drama group at the school and is really showing leadership skills.  She is so sensible for her young years that I am constantly amazed by her maturity.  Thandiswa, the older of the two, is a natural homemaker.  Not as academically driven as Thandeka, she is still showing such perseverence at school and is determined to make it through to matric.

It has been an absolute pleasure hosting these girls these past couple of months, not to mention the positive effect it will have had on Lindo, who is on the verge of adolescence.  The influence of her two older sisters will be invaluable as they display qualities that any mother would want to see in their children.  Not only that, she is hearing her mother tongue spoken in the home, which will hopefully bring back to remembrance the xhosa language she spoke as a child and has since forgotton.