Changes in 2010

So far 2010 has been full of changes in our (my family and I)'s lives! I think Piwi the dog is the only family member for whom life is pretty much the same as always!

I left Ambassadors in Sport in December after almost 7 years with them. It wasn't as difficult as I thought as my departure was gradual from the middle of 2009. So much has changed within the organisation as a whole, especially in the Cape Town office that leaving wasn't such a 'train smash' as they say here! I am now working part time for Adonis Musati Project (www.adonismusatiproject.org.za) working alongside vulnerable refugees in Cape Town, helping to find shelter, food, jobs and education for those in need. I will write a post specifically on the plight of the refugees we meet on a daily basis. The rest of my time is spent at the School of Hope. This is an amazing, small, Christian school in Athlone (a gang-ridden area) for teenagers who have previously dropped out of school and want a second chance. Again I will fill you in another time on this matter. My foster daughter Lee-Anne was such a girl, she didn't think she'd ever finish school, and quite frankly her chances were 0. 1% of people living on her street had a matric certificate (school leavers certificate) and so it was accepted that she would probably fall into the 99% of those who didn't. Lee-Anne grew up in a children's home, and was Ode's best friend. This is how I met Lee-Anne, and this is how she ended up in the School of Hope. This is also how she achieved her matric! Anyway.......School of Hope were looking for a tourism teacher, and those of you who know me from my youth may be aware that I studied tourism, and also worked for a good few years in the tourism industry! This information was leaked to the principal (who happens to be a good friend), and I was offered the position. I had always said I would NEVER teach at the School of Hope! They have something called the 'baptism' which is the occasion when a teacher first cries! Sadly, it seems, every teacher there cries at some time or other. Lee-Anne would come home telling me stories of how they treated the teachers there and I used to shudder and think 'thank you God for calling me into soccer ministry!'. Haha! So, I prayed about the offer, and felt quite strongly that I should say yes! It would be one day a week, (that's what they said, but actually with the planning its much more). I'm half way through the second term, and for the most part I'm loving it. Needless to say I was baptised earlier than most, but that's just a Holland thing! :-)

So, moving on to Lee-Anne, the next oldest in the family! How has her life changed? Well for starters, like I have mentioned already, Lee-Anne passed matric!! This was no easy feat, and we are all sooooo proud of her hard work and perseverence! She almost gave up many times, but believed in herself, and pushed through. She had the opportunity of a lifetime in January when she was given an all expenses paid trip to New York, along with the other matriculants from School of Hope. This was an amazing opportunity for them as they are the type of children that can only dream of travelling on an aeroplane! (many have never even been to the airport - so I have discovered in class) This was a through a project called Active Compassion Transforms, a mentorship programme that enabled the matrics to be mentored by young people from New York, and then visit there for 10 days to hang out with their mentors, experience the City and visit schools there. For Lee-Anne, it was an extra special experienced as she was invited to stay on for two whole months to be an 'ambassador' for the programme and also for School of Hope. I do believe she grew immensely during this time overseas. Lee-Anne has decided that she would like to volunteer for a year in some capacity working with children. She is already spending a few hours a week at her old children's home, and has some other options ahead including possible classroom assistance at our nearest primary school. Hopefully this volunteering will give her confidence, but also give her an idea of what she would really like to do in the future.

Moving on to Ode! Ode also passed matric with a B!! This enables her to do a 'batchelor' degree. This is exactly what she needed as she had already been offered a full scholarship to study and play football at a wonderful university in Tennessee, USA. (Lee University) Because she had a few months to spare between now and then, she enquired at a shop in Cape Town that sells soccer gear, boots, memorabilia, and kit. Nothing could be better suited to Ode, the girl who knows every stitch of every boot on the market, and who wears what! She has proved to be a good saleswoman, earning decent commission each month, and is looking forward to the hype the World Cup will bring to the shop, which is right in the centre of the city! She does however work hard and only has Sundays and Saturday afternoons off which I personally think is a little harsh!
We are now just waiting for the email to arrive to say Ode has received her citizenship, which should be any day now, and then we'll be on overdrive to get her passport and visa! Please pray for this!

So finally we come to little gorgeous Lindo! Lindo has been living with us for just over a year and comes from the Ark Homeless Shelter, where I have known her for about 4 years. Lindo is 10 years old, which is debatable as her birth certificate says something different, but she is a typical little girl who loves dolls, Hannah Montana and animals. In January this year, about a week before she was due to go back to the Primary school around the corner, a great bridging school for Lindo, coming from the Ark, but not the best by any means, when we got in touch with a german lady who used to sponsor Lindo at the Ark. This lovely lady opened a facebook page so that she could catch up on how Lindo was doing and touch base with me. It was this lady who suggested trying to get Lindo a place at the German School in Cape Town. It was all very sudden, but in a nutshell Lindo received a full bursory at the school and started in 5c (the only english streamed class in the school). It hasn't been plain sailing for Lindo. Her start in education wasn't wonderful, the Ark do their best but their teachers aren't all fully qualified and therefore the children are at a much lower level than their contemporaries at other schools. The German school especially expects the children to be organised and independant, which has been a struggle for Lindo (and I'm not really a good role model in the organisation realm). We are hoping and praying that she gets through the year and picks up academically as she goes on. She is adorable and I love having her around the house.

So there you go, a summary of our little happy family! In between all these snippets of news we have also had two wonderful American students, Brenna and Mourette living with us for a few months and are looking forward to a lovely young lad, Connor moving in this week, and further visits from friends in the next few months - not to mention the all exciting World Cup that is landing on our doorsteps in what, 34 days??