SUN hallelujah

Saturday was a busy day! two party's in one day. even for me thats a pretty good deal. lol. i went to a canadian/american thanksgiving dinner. i made my sweet potatoes with the yummy nut topping. it was really nice and good to meet other people. the women were all volunteers that have stayed here and married SA guys. we had a nice big dinner and then just chatted and stuff. and then that night i went to another small party on the property. got all dressed up and had another huge meal! lol. i went to bed very stuffed.

sunday was fun. it was my life group on set up so i was there at the crack of dawn. for those reading who do set up at oceanside, i had to be there for 715! :) church starts first service at 8 am. so i went to the first service and then left a little tiny bit early and went to the babies home to pick up my favorite child to take him to the second service. i can't help it, i've got a favorite. he doesn't know that he's my favorite but he is. its been that way since almost day one. can't help it and i don't care. i heart him!!!!!!!!!! anyways, went to the worship for the second service and then took him to lite zone (Sunday school) and then i went and visited with people during the sermon for the second service. its nice to be able to do that. after church and returning my little man home, Me aimee , gershwin and sdu went to the African market in Rosenbank. Gershwin organized the little adventure for me basically, because i'd never been yet. it was gobs of fun! and HUGE! my feet hurt from walking around. so much stuff and so many people eager to sell! i was cautioned not to open my mouth there because they would take advantage the moment they heard my accent. i think it didn't really matter whether i spoke or not, tourist is pretty much stamped on my forehead but at least i wasn't wearing a 'i heart Africa' t-shirt or a 'big five' hat or something. i did find a Christmas tree ornament that i loved and since i collect a new one every year, why not one from Africa. and a gift for my parents. i think i need to say this here and now, i have very little funds and so as much as i will want to bring every single one of you a present home, i can't! :) ( i think i'm writing that more for my self than anyone actually. lol)

after the market i was pretty beat so just spent the night chillen and watching movies with the girls!

monday i did my usual sojourn down to the shops to return the movies with Lauren. halfway there my slip slop broke and i had to walk back up, get different ones and then try again. good thing i brought all my slips because i wear them every day non stop. they are wearing out as you can tell. and i'm getting the most amazing tan lines on my feet. :)

monday night i worked and then went to life group. we had pancakes and i brought the blueberry cheesecake ice cream topping. the pancakes in SA are totally different than in canada and you have them with lots of different things rolled up in them. they are kinda like crepes but thicker and yummyer! last night we had them with spinach and feta, mince and cheese, ice cream, and cinnamon and sugar. not gonna lie to you, it was soooooo gooooood!!!!!!!!!!! to my south african friends in canada....WHY HAVE WE NEVER HAD A PANCAKE NIGHT BEFORE!!!!!!!!!! :) i'm hoping to learn how to make them before i leave here thats for sure!

today is another day shift. yay. later after work i'm hoping to get some pool time! it a rough life i'm telling ya. :)

feels like canada here!!!

helloooo from rainy rainy south africa!!!! may i just say its freezing cold and wet here.
i had to put the heater on in my room last night because of how cold i am!!!! that where i am right
now, because its the warmest place on the property! right here snuggled in my room. i had to
do laundry today because i've run out of warm socks to wear and i'm hoping that putting the
clothes on the rack right here by the heater will get them dry sometime before christmas!

that being said, the weather is making it seem like home sweet home! tomorrow the canadian and
americans here in africa are getting together to celebrate thanksgiving and it feels so much
like home right now that its going to be just exactly like i was there! lol. i'm making my
sweet potatoe recipe and its gonna be devine.......lol i hope.

wednesday night i went with Taylor and Johanna to Monte to watch the hillsong 'i heart revolution"
movie. it was the one time showing and it was a packed theater. very cool movie and very convicting.
it was very powerful. i hightly recommend people to see it. it was also neat because everytime they
feature something in africa it felt so much more real. because i'm here now and i've seen it
and i have a much better understanding of it now then i ever did before. the poverty especially.


i got a phone call late wednesday night from canada and i realized how very homesick i really am.
unless God drastically does something, i'm sticking to my original leaving date. i've been feeling
like i might want to stay here longer because of how much fun i've been having but after talking
to 'home' i realized...no...i want to come home! i had a bit of an epiphany thursday morning while
i was doing my hair actually, staying here in africa would almost be an easier step of faith then
coming back to Canada. in africa, i have a job and a place to live. i know im not paid but other than
that, everything is a sureity. i know what i would be doing and my situation is set. coming back
to Canada means heading to a place where i have no job, no home and i will have no money. if i'm lucky
my car will start and i will be coming back to a cold winter. its actually very daunting. but i'm
coming. God will provide.

thursday was a chillen day. i walked down to the shops with Lauren and did some stuff around
the property and then worked. actually i went grocery shopping again this week with Barbara and that
was cool. she is teaching me the ropes of the shopping for Botshabelo so that when she goes
on vacation in december i will be doing the shopping. wow. :) so cool

neat God story: i went with her last week and we ended up speaking with this guy in the parking lot who
was helping us park the car ( background info: in south africa in every single parking lot there are
these guys that help you park, show you spots, help you back out and put your grocerys in the car.) anyway this
guy, james, helped us and barbara ended up inviting him to church. he didn't know the way tho
and we didn't have a map or anything, and so she told him that she would be back the next week
and bring him directions if he wanted them. so this week i wasn't even meant to go with her shopping
at all but it ended up that she asked me and i was released from the first part of my shift to go
with her. and as i was getting into the car, something (God) dropped this guys name into my head
and i was like "do we have directions for James"! . it was so cool because uup till that point
i think that both Barbara and i had completely forgotten the whole thing. so we grabbed some stuff
from the church and when we got to the shops sure enough there he was and he recognized us right
away and came over to us. so we'll see but i think he is going to be showing up for the 10 am
service this sunday. i know thats its seems like a small story but i think its pretty cool
how God speaks in the smallest ways to us when we stop to listen.

today is my day off.i'm going to be enjoying them, tho amy just came over from the babies home and
said that one of the kids was asking for me. pretty much my favorite little man!!! im not even
joking, if there were any reason for me to stay here in africa, its this little boy. i heart him
to death! all i want to do it take him home!! so i may have to go over and get some hugs....

cold dayz!!!!!

Monday i slept in and then walked down to Spar to get some food supplys with Lauren. its really not that far of a walk but it takes time and so you have to kinda plan your trip. :) and sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day. :)

after working afternoon shift i went to life group. loving my life group. they are pretty much so much fun and so very challenging. its cool to be connecting and talking things out with each other. Life groups, home groups, cell groups whatever you want to call them, if your someone who has trouble connecting in the church, or your NEW, or you just want new friends, its really the best way. the church is just so big and there are just too many people in it, sunday morning is not the way to meet people! lol .... thats my little rant of the day

Tuesday was my day off. i slept till amy woke me up..... well actually people slamming their doors loudly next to me woke me up but then amy heard me awake and pounded on my wall on the other side and we had a nice chat before actually getting up. and before my complaining seems like something you should feel ssorry for me about, the actual time i was woken up was 1030. hehe. it was a cloudy freezing cold day and thats why i think i got to sleep late for the first time really. the birds were quiet and i was cold so i was burrowed under my blankets (TWO) to keep warm. and then i slept.... mmmm

i've learned that no matter what plans i make for the day, i should not hold on to them tight at all because something will always come up. i made my way down to the coffee shop for a hot chocolate to warm up and got an invite to go shopping with someone. so amy and i tagged along and had a two hour adventure..... well really we just went errand running but somehow it was an adventure with tons of giggles. we ended up at a pet shop (well....in canada you would call it a pet shop.. ish) and amy and i bought each a gold fish. they were like R20 which is like......2 or 3 bucks canaidian i think. lol. we have named them rhubarb (amys) and Custard (mine) and they are pretty cute.

after i got home Taylor and I watched some movies. we watch movies and people come in and out and join us and then walk away and then new people join us and walk away. its pretty distracting actually. lol. while we were watching we got invited to a concert, ...mmm let me think about it... ummm Yessss LETS GO!!! haha. "Finding Noah" were playing. so around 7 five of us crammed into Johanna and Luke's car and drove down to the venue. Luke was subbing in as the drummer for the band so we all carried a piece of equiptment into the venue an avoided the R40 cover! hehe. naughty!! it was a super fun night. just a small venue really but the music was rocking (mostly, the last band was BAD but even that was fun because of how bad they really were) the first two bands were awesome and loud! wow my ears were ringing. i got some fun photos and videos! hehe

i'm at the half way point right now of my stay here. i need prayer this week please. i feel like i love it here and tho i miss home greatly, i'm very disconnected from my life in canada right now. i got mail yesterday from Danielle and it was my first mail since i got here 2 months ago... it felt so good!!!!!!!!!!!!! and so strange at the same time. its not that i'm forgetting home sweet home, but since i have limited internet, i don't read facebook like i used to and i rely only on emails and messages from people really..... and i definitly have the feeling of life moving on and me being out of the loop. lol. i write here and everyone knows all my stuff but i know nothing about yours. its hectic really. anyways, i don't know what i'm doing just yet but i'm thinking about extending my stay here. financially i don'tknow how i will do it, but as someone here pointed out to me, i serve a HUGE GOD!!!!!

love to you all.
Gwyn

Church by the Pool in the Shade

last night was awesome. i went to a birthday party of a lady in the church who i didn't even really know. all i know is she was one of the first people in the church to greet my on my first sunday. her and her hubby. but thats the first and last time i've spoken to her so when someone invited me to a party i dint'really know who it was for but i was totally in!! haha. we got there a little late but just in time for dancing and so it was a great night that ended with sore feet!! :)

today there was a cycle race in Jo-burg and because of the race all the main roads were shut down including the one leading to the church. so there was no church today. but wayyyyy earlier in the week, BJ and I decided that it would be super fun to have our own church. so we asked Taylor to preach. and so we invited everyone on the property to come (tho a lot didn't unfortunatly for them... :) and we were going to have church by the pool. but it didnt'have much shade at 10 am so we had it just near the pool. hence our name "church by the pool in the shade"it was really sweet. BJ and I led the worship time. all the kids from the babies home came for it and the preach was sweet. all in all it was almost an hour long service! so much fun!!! it ended with Me, BJ and Taylor jumping in the pool with our clothes on. just for fun. i havne'tbeen swimming in my clothes since i was little!

afterwards we all got into our swim cozzies and had a pool party. other people showed up and there was a LOT of people in the tiny pool. it was a great morning/afternoon.

i worked at 130 and then after i got off a bunch of us played ps2 games and then card games till 12. and now i'm here. i'm nursing my sunburn and i actually don't want to go to bed because that means laying on it... lol.

:)

South Africa is finally warming up and it’s so nice. But to make things even better the storms come at night and cool everything down. African storms are amazing. The thunder and the lightning are just awesome!!!!! I love it here for storms!!!

Yesterday I worked the am shift with Amy and it went really well considering after 9 am the caregivers all left, leaving me basically the caregiver for the rest of the shift. It was awesome…. Well it went really well anyways. Lol. Only one of the kids got hurt and it wasn’t too bad. He was very brave and I was trying not to freak because he was bleeding quite a bit. Poor kid.

After shift Amy and Lauren and I took a whole bunch of them swimming, Aimee joined us and we had a pool party. It was super fun.

Later on, Amy’s mom and boyfriend picked us up and we went to Amy’s granddads place and we got to upload LOTS of pictures onto face book. I’m so happy because I got like 200 hundred pics uploaded last night!!! Then we all went out to dinner and shopping. It was super fun. We ate on the Piazza and watched the lightning and listened to the thunder. It was awesome.

After I got home, I got a phone call to go to the coffee shop on the property. I went down there to find all the boys watching rugby. Sorry to say that SA lost to France but the yelling and screaming and throwing things at the screen was totally hilarious. We then migrated in to salsa lessons. I had every intention of going to bed a decent time, but unless 2 am is decent…… lol.

Today was pretty lazy in the morning. I pretty much spent my time chillening at the coffee shop. Its fun to go there because at any given time there will be someone else there to talk to

Then I work pm shift. It was one of the little kids birthday party today. I worked afternoon shift with Lauren and we took 8 of the kids to the pool. No on who reads this blog, besides my mommy, can understand how hard it is to dress, get towels for, get floatys blown up for and drag 8 kids under the age of 6 to the pool and back. It’s a lot of work!! Actually getting there isn’t as hard because they are motivated but getting back is horrible!! Lol But it’s worth it because they sleep so well at night when they have spent the time out swimming and running around.

Tonight I’m off to a party. So it should be a good night. Ciao!!

lots about amy in this post. lol

so i need to do some explaining of things.
firstly sorry about the lack of photos here lately. i dont' upload photos anymore because it takes to much of the interenet cap to do it. i'm going to try to get somewhere to do it soon but its not something i can do everyday at all. i really wish i couild but oh well.
the other thing is when you leave me an annoymous comment here, and don't sign your name, i don't know who you are. lol. and sometimes i can figure it out but not the last one. so whoever you are... maybe i'm just tired but... tell me your name! lol
today was great. i got sunburned by the pool and then worked an evening shift. we had a Braai tonight at mark and rebecca's place. it was kinda just a volunteer thing and it was so much fun. we just sat around and chatted, but it was nice to get off the property and hang out with cool people. i've actualy met mark and rebecca before when they came to Canada for a visit a few years ago. since then they have gotten marriedand are having their second child. lol. time flies.
ummm there are some random things here that i'm totally addicted to now adn i'm going to miss when i leave. GrapeTiser is my new favortie drink. i drink like 2 a day lately and i'm sure i shouldnt. Knic Naks are the best chipever!!! i eat ACE instant porridge every day sometimes for lunch even, in the cornmeal flavor. LOVE IT... its sooooo good. lol.
other things that i love here: when ever i'm in a bad mood, Amy pulls out her bible someone gave her here and reads proverbs to me. also likes to throw in random commentary about whats being read (amy is now reading overmy shoulder and she wants me to let you all know that she is actually not a christian, so it really means more that she does it for me :) it really does cheer me up greatly..... mostly because when i got here amy sworeshe would never even touch a bible and now she reads it to me. actually she is now quoting proverbs to me....... :)
anyways i should really head to bed. i dindn't get to sleep last night till half one (amy and lauren told me that it was two but it was jsut a ruse to get me to go to bed) we were all on the couches, lying around afterwatching 'forrest gump'and i was trying to be a good friend and listen to amy talk to me but i kept falling asleep and dreaming about jam, and then amy would wake me up by throwing things at me or yelling or rubbing my headand then i would have to relate what i had just dreamt. it was pretty hilarious, even tho now i'm totally exhausted! haha. to quote amy, i now need to get to bed because Ï get ugly after twelve"
OHHHH also... .one more thing, its looking like we are going to be getting a car soon. its going to be for the three volunteers that can drive to share and we will of course drive the others around. they took a copy of my passport and license today so i'm hoping we will have it by early next week. it means that we will have insane freedom to do what we like!!! so excited.
ok bed. cheers.

i heart africa

hey all. africa is beautiful and sunny today which makes me happy since i have laundry on the line! lol. monday it rained on and off all day and it was annoying for the kids running inside and out as the weather permitted.we had a visit at the babies home from one of the kids mothers. it may surprise you guys to know, most of the kids at the babies home are not actually orphans. they still have parents and relatives alive and near by even. this little ones mother is unwell and left them last year at a hospital and by the time she came back to get him, social services had stepped in and he was put into the system. she hasn't been to visit since january so there is obviously a problem there. and she is obviously unwell herself. but still, if you could see how happy he was to see her, it would just break your heart.
Monday night was life group, and i'm just loving it!!! we discussed how to harness the positive aspects of the city (Centurian) and use it for spreading the gospel and reaching people. we always eat and have 'table testimonies"during the night aswell. its just a chill time and i totally enjoy it!
today was another dayshift. and the littlest baby that got adopted two weeks ago came with her family to visit us. it was so amazing to meet them. they are a very beautiful family and even the grandparents came over from Holland for the adoption. proud opa and oma! it was so nice to see the little sweetie with her new family safe in her new mommy arms. they all look so very happy. they have a website of their whole adoption but i don't want to link it till i know that i have permission. i would think so but i must double check.
We have another new coordinator again. my third one since arriving seven weeks ago. :) its a bit hectic, i'm not going to lie. there is a lot of change going on in the church and thats why, i think, that the upheavals have been happening, but meanwhile i feel a bit like a ship lost at sea. i know people care.... but a bit out the loop and off to the wayside none the less. but hopefully things will change? we'll see.
im getting so excited for my camping trip. i'm going to coppy and paste an email i have gotten from the people that are taking care of me for the trip. its just very explainatory as far as where i'm going and what i'm going to be up to!

here it is: Hi Gwyn!We are going to Bakgatla Camp at the Pilanesberg National Park (a big game reserve). Good luck pronouncing either of those! It’s about 1.5 – 2 hours drive north of Johannesburg, in the bushveld.Pilanesberg has the Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant) as well as crocodile, hippo, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal, and lots of antelope, all roaming free within the Park. We’ll spend most of Saturday and possibly Sunday morning in the cars driving around the Park, trying to spot animals and birds. We are not allowed to leave the cars, except at certain designated spots, but there are enough of these to break the monotony of sitting in the car! The Park is very scenic, covering the crater of an extinct volcano, and there are lots of view-points and other places of interest. It is also malaria-free, by the way.Bakgatla Camp has a little shop where one can buy souvenirs and basic food and drinks. There is also a swimming pool, communal ablutions (yes there are flush toilets and hot water), and we have requested electric points in the campsite for convenience sake. We have booked 2 campsites at Bakgatla. We’ll be sleeping in tents, and sharing food and cooking duties. You will need:- A tent- A mattress to sleep on, preferably an inflatable one as they take up less space.- Bedding (sleeping bag should do fine, so would a duvet, don’t forget a pillow)- A raincoat or umbrella- Camera- Torch- Binoculars if you have or can borrow a pair, if not let us know and we will see what we can arrange.- Clothes and toiletries- Cap or hat- Sunscreen- Towel- Swimming cozzie- Some cash if you want to buy souvenirs – we have already paid for the camping and are happy to carry the cost of fuel and food.Obviously you didn’t bring things like a tent or mattress over from Canada! If you can try to borrow these from someone in the church that would be great, but don’t worry if you can’t, as we can arrange these for you from our family and friends. Please let me know by Monday so we have enough time to arrange these.We will also arrange:- A camping chair to sit in around the fire, - All eating utensils, - Food – we need to know if you have any requirements in this regard, e.g. if you don’t eat meat, or are allergic to dairy or eggs.- Mosquito repellantBeing further north Pilanesberg is a good few degrees hotter than Midrand. We are expecting the weather to be very hot, with the odd thunderstorm to cool things down a bit. So bear this in mind when packing your clothes! Suitable shoes would be sandals or crocs (preferably waterproof, as the showers are communal) and maybe a pair of sneakers. We will leave on Friday afternoon November 27th around lunch time, and return around Sunday 29th at lunchtime/later in the afternoon. We will chat about transport a bit closer to the time.Any questions let me know!CheersBrad

UMMMMMMMMMMMM brilliant NO!!!!!!!!!!! i'm sooooo excited. i've actually already found a tent, sleeping bag, and a matteress! i'm so insanely excited!!!!
at the end of the month a couple of the kids are going to be going to visit their mom's in prision and i asked if i could go along. unfortunatly i'm not a SA citizen so i have been told that i can't. i'm disapointed. its somethign that i would have liked to experiance. the first time they went i didn't want to go, in fact i was made that the kids were even going, but now i kinda want to check it out. anyways, not allowed. bummer
thanks for the comments and emails and messages. please keep them coming. it really encourages me to write here when i know that people are reading. lots of love to all!!!