Bit the Bullet (or my first entry...)

Hey there.

Well, I bit the bullet and got a blog for several reasons:

1) I can handle being a nerd I guess. I don't really care too much what people think of me. :) Blogs are a bit nerdy right? Anyways, I still think they are pretty sweet. Everyone becomes a journalist, and everyone's thoughts and lives somehow become something that is publishable and interesting to just about everyone else, or so its seems. I think that's pretty crazy.
2) I'm a flipping English major, which means I should be writing more than I already do.
3) Writing helps one make sense of life. Everyone should do it.
4) I'm going to South Africa. I think this is the reason that pushed me from my procrastination and motivated me to sit here right now and start typing (its 2:30 a.m.) I hope to update this once in a while, between taking care of four preschoolers and having an african adventure.

This is all for now though. I'll be at the airport in less than 24 hours, and have much to do til then.

Instead of explaining all over to you what I'll be doing, because I feel like I've told the world already, I'll post a letter I wrote about my trip a couple weeks ago.

Enjoy.

P.S. Isn't the blog pretty? Thanks Keith. :)



Dear Family & Friends,
Hello all! I am writing to let you know about an exciting opportunity I have decided to pursue. In a couple weeks I am heading off to Durban, South Africa to spend a month helping out a young ministry called Sinakekele Children. Sinakekele Children is a ministry that is deeply concerned with the raising of South Africa’s abandoned and orphaned children.
As you may know, South Africa has the highest number of AIDS patients in the world. Over six million people are suffering from this epidemic. Many children have been orphaned or abandoned, grandparents are left raising all of their grandchildren, and children are raising children themselves.
Sinakekele Children’s unique vision captured my heart. They do not want to be a transition home, an orphanage or an institution. Their goal is to provide a permanent loving home for each abandoned child, but an unwillingness to adopt children who are HIV positive is a major problem. For this reason, any child who has AIDS or is not adopted by the time they are three years old becomes a permanent part of this family. In this way, each child is guaranteed a stable and loving environment. Furthermore, their vision for the future includes hospice care for terminally ill mothers, outreach to child-headed homes, pre-school facilities, and youth camps directed at AIDS education.
For the month of May I have the exciting opportunity to work with the four children who are currently part of this family: Mary and Jake, who are almost three years old, and Simon and Siya, who are four. During my stay, I will be doing constructive pre-school activities in the morning with Jake and Mary and outdoor activities with all four children in the afternoon. The ministry is in a transition phase and will be moving in mid-April onto recently donated land that currently has no housing facilities. Obviously this is a challenging time for the ministry, as they try to raise funds and build proper living facilities, and move. I am hoping that I will be able to assist them during this time of upheaval and change for the children.
I am amazed at how the pieces have fallen into place and I am very excited to see what God has to teach me, and for the opportunity I have to assist this ministry in any way I can. One of my pastors in Waterloo, where I attend university, recently challenged our church with this quote, “Regardless of what we do or say at 11:00am Sunday morning, affluent people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.” My hope is that I will be doing my part to show Christ’s love.
I leave right after my exams on April 22nd and really need your prayers during this time!
 Safe Travels. I am pretty nervous about traveling alone, and would appreciate your prayers that everything would run smoothly, that I would have peace of mind and good sense.
 Health. I have final exams right up to the day I leave and will be packing up and moving back to Sarnia at the same time. I would appreciate prayers for health during this time as well as while I’m in South Africa.
 Strength, Energy and Creativity. Working with four preschoolers all day for a month is going to be tons of fun, but obviously a lot of work.
 Sinakekele Children Ministry. The ministry is going through an exciting and stressful transition phase. Pray that their plans for facilities run smoothly and that their ministry would continue to be blessed.
 Jake, Mary, Siya and Simon. For their continued health. Jake and Siya are HIV positive and Simon has other health problems. Pray that they would react well to their ARV medical treatment and that I would be able to be a blessing to them during my stay.
I will be back in Sarnia on May 23rd and am looking forward to sharing with all of you what I was able to do, learn and experience during my time in South Africa. Thank you so much for your prayers!!