Seems crazy that over 2 weeks have come and gone. Absolutely crazy.
April is kind of a silly month, when it comes to the South African school schedule. There is one full week of school in April. There is no school the first week. There is no school the last week. And between those weeks, there is a four-day weekend—thank goodness.
The first week I was here it was a school holiday, surprisingly. But we kept our doors open should children need a safe place to be during the day. The staff had prepared an Easter-themed VBS, and even though attendance was less than half of normal enrollment, we had the opportunity to journey through the final days of Jesus’ life with the kids that came each day. For many of them, this was their first exposure to these stories, and each day, they seemed to absorb them like sponges. There were a few moments I wish I could have captured in a bottle to open and relive later. Like when the teeniest and most toothless of the four-year-olds keenly volunteered to be Jesus in the reenactment of the Last Supper. While the story was being narrated, he washed the feet of his 12 classmates, making sure he didn’t miss any spots. When he got to Peter, he scrubbed his hands and little shaved head, too, just like the story said. Or when we finished talking about the arrest, beatings and crucifixion of Jesus (the mild version, don’t worry), one kindergartener whispered, “That makes me sad,” with crocodile tears in his eyes. Precious moments.
Easter camp was a nice segue into normal school days when the property is buzzing with life a little more loudly. 79 miniature lives and 12 full-grown lives, to be exact. In a moment of perfect mental lucidity, I could even tell you all their names. And that is quite an accomplishment. If you saw these names you would be dumbfounded by the fact that such a bizarre selection and sequence of letters could, in fact, make names. (I still haven’t mastered the art of the clicking sounds, to the great amusement of the staff and students.) I have spent time in all five classrooms, but will primarily hang out with Grade R (kindergarten) for the remainder of the year, and for that I am excited. They are so eager to learn, and their teacher is so capable of shaping their pliant brains. Plus, there is no shortage of laughter in the process. Obviously, I will have to sneak into the other classrooms from time to time, cause the 2s, 3s and 4s need kisses, hugs and high-fives.
African escapades of the week: 1) I watched our sweet, and fast-acting gardener discover a snake (ew!), freak out, then mutilate it with a motorized weed whacker. That didn’t put an end to him, but a 2-by-4 in the hand of the school director against his nasty little skull did the trick. Apparently it’s the first snake they’ve ever seen on the property, and I hope and pray that the weed-whacker sent a strong message to his compadres, so their slimy slithery selves will stay far far away…cause I hate their stinking guts. 2) I got pulled over for no apparent reason, and was scolded in broken, mumbled English for not having an international license. Well, officer, it’s not actually required that a foreigner have one of those to drive here. He was probably looking for a bribe, and definitely didn’t like being told the real rules. He had no rebuttal, besides trying to glare a hole right through me. Frustrated but defeated, he motioned for me to drive on. As they say in South Africa, “Pleasure, sir”
I’ll leave you with some matters to pray for. First, as fall descends down here, allergies and cooler weather seem to be spreading some sick bugs. Pray that we can all stay healthy and avoid sharing germs. Next, we are 1/3 of the way through this school year—whoa—and praying that the groundwork for next year will be laid according to God’s perfect will and timing. Pray that we would be sensitive and obedient to His leading. Last, I have some dear friends packing and preparing to come visit for a whole month! If you could cover their final preparations and travels with prayer, that would be super. They’ll be on their way April 26th. I can’t wait to host them here, and let them see firsthand all that God is doing in this place. I just know that they will hugely bless the kidlets, the teachers, and most especially, me :)
