2009..... so long!!!!!!!!!

A year in review!

Soooo it’s almost 2010 and I’m finding it hard to believe a whole year has passed by! I don’t know it anyone else feels this way but sometimes when I try to contemplate how time goes by it seems totally unreal. Like dreamy thing that didn’t really happen. And the speed that it went by is ridiculous!!! Shame!

So last year around this time I was oh holidays at my parents celebrating Christmas and new years. We had the whole shebang, fireworks and all and we were all together as a family which was awesome. We knew that this year I would be in Africa at this time; I had just got the confirmation that I was accepted by Botshabelo to come and so we knew that we wouldn’t be all together this year. So it was a special time. We had so much fun. Lisa and Riqui came aswell and we all had a blast playing games and carrying on!

After the holidays I started working and saving for my trip. Everything this year was focused on getting to Africa. I knew I was coming sometime in September or October and the planning began in earnest. Planning and saving. I had already done a bit of saving for sure but this time it was serious hardcore J

I also got into the Vancouver Island University and did my upgrading so that I could get into the LPN program. (Licensed practical nurse). I was one of the older students doing my Biology 12 and it was actually a lot of fun. I discovered my inner student after being out of school for 6 years and had a great time sitting at the back of the class and paying little attention but still getting good grade. J I passed with an A- grade and challenged my grade 10 math test and past with a higher than average score so I definitely felt that God blessed me in that. I’m now in line to take the course in 2010 if I so choose. I don’t know for sure what God had planned for me just yet but it’s an option now. Those three months while I took the course was hectic because I would work in the morning, go to school in the afternoon, and then come rushing home to work again till 9 at night. Then I would study in between. I did that schedule four days a week and it kept me very very much out of trouble!!! Lol

In May I took a trip for 10 days to Toronto to go to an LTT (leadership training time) with a whole bunch of churches relating to mine. I also got the chance to stay with amazing and wonderful friends there and we had the best time getting to know each other better. I ended up renting a car and three of us drove to Niagara Falls. It was totally stunning and awesome to see the splendor of Gods great creation!!!! Walking around the city and seeing all the old building and the history was amazing as well.

My sister got engaged early in the year and shortly after one of my best friends/roommate also got engaged. It became wedding madness all around me! Bridesmaid AND maid of honor in the same summer kept me very much out of trouble!! The spring was full of wedding dress shopping trips and all talk was either wedding or Africa. There wasn’t much else on our minds!!

My roommate Lisa and I had a hectic time at the first half of the year with our landlord. We lost our good awesome landlord when he sold the condo we were living in and the new landlord turned out to be very very very challenging. We had to start looking for a new place because of the trouble that he was giving us. We found an awesome one for the beginning of June and moved into the basement suite of the same house that another one of my best friends lived in. ahhhhh heaven to live with nice people again! With the move I didn’t bother unpacking all my stuff. In fact when packing boxes they were often labeled “don’t open till 2010” and then when my daddy came to help us move we put all those boxes into his trailer and sent them to Victoria to be put into storage till I came home again in January 2010. It was a very strange feeling I’m telling you!!! I can’t remember where most of my stuff is now and I’m just hoping that my winter clothes are with my parents so that I can bundle up when I get home. As I sit here writing this in my tank top and capris I know that in 12 days I’m in for a rude shock!

June and July were pretty much all dedicated to the weddings. Between showers and stagettes and other people’s weddings it was madness!! Lol. Sooo much fun actually!

This year was also the year that I got to try out a relationship. It wasn’t particularly successful…. (Still single ;) ) But it taught me a lot about myself and what I really wanted in life and a life partner. I used to have a conception that life would be perfect and amazing the moment I found someone, got a ‘boyfriend’, but actually, when it’s not the right person (which it wasn’t, only took me three months to sort that out, and a little help from my good friends! Lol) but when it’s not the right person it’s actually not good and worse than being alone. I was, at the end of the relationship, actually more unhappy than happy and when I did finally break it off, although I was completely heartbroken at first, I also knew an incredible sense of Gods peace fill me. So, it sucked at the time, but I’m glad I got the chance to sort that out and see for myself. In the end, I was always accountable to and eldership couple in my church and was totally protected in that way. God is so good and HIS love never fails.

August came with all its weddings and fun. The month went by super fast and before I knew it, Mary and Dallas were married and then Lisa and Tony. After their wedding, another one of my bestest amazing friends, Riqui, moved her little self to Edmonton, Alberta to start school there. And I moved out of my basement suite and lost my roommate. It was a hectic end to the summer and I’m not gonna lie to you, a LOT of crying was done! I moved in, for my last three weeks, to Mike and Tanya’s place. They offered their home up to me and let me live in their basement suite for the last few weeks before I left for Africa.
The last few things had to be done up including getting my visa and saying all my goodbyes and quitting my job. I applied at the beginning of the year to get the time off from work for my trip to Africa but the job I was in denied me the time. They said it was too long for me to be away as a casual employee. So I quit. I definitely felt Gods plan for me was Africa and so I know with all my heart that when I get back there will be something for me, something awesome! Then my car decided to die two weeks before I was to leave and that of course had to stress me out. Lol. Thankfully it was fixed for 100 bucks and I had amazing friends take care of me and I didn’t miss any work or anything so that was pretty awesome. I winterized my car and got it ready for my return and payed all my bills and put my cell phone on vacation disconnect…… every little thing that had to be done got done.

September 22 I left Canada and flew to South Africa. And you all know the rest!!! I’m on the tail end now of my time here. I leave in 11 days or so. It’s gone by like crazy fast and I hardly believe sometimes still that I’m actually here. This year has been amazing and full of adventures. Growing in God, building friendships, and doing awesome things!

I got to pet a lion and a crocodile this year people!!!!!!!

lonnnnnng entry.... sorry... lol

Twas the night before Christmas and I forgot to write…. And then four thousand years later I decided to sit down and have a go at it. Lol

Shame. I’m so bad at this lately. Lol. I have a life now you see and more things to do that write. J totally a good thing!
Christmas was amazing considering I was totally homesick and expecting it to not be that great…. But it really really was. God blessed this season totally!

Christmas eve was spent working the morning shift and then cooking my sweet potato recipe for an amazing Christmas eve dinner with Sidney and Janine. Janine is Canadian and she KNOWS how a Christmas dinner is supposed to look. We had the works and it was stunning! We had mashed potatoes, my sweet potatoes, ham, green beans, veg with cheese sauce, bread, stuffing……. We ate and ate! And for pudding (desert) we had Nanaimo BARS!!! Whoot!!! It was so nice. After dinner we played a game and then went to the 10pm evening service at church. Soooo nice. We sang our hearts out caroling and the preach was good. Lattteeee late I made the dough for sticky buns so that it could sit overnight in the fridge… and that was Christmas eve.

Christmas morning started VERY early as all the volunteers decided to work the whole day together. So Me, Amy, Taylor and Lauren worked from 6 am with the kids. It was sooooo awesome to be there with there. They didn’t have presents or anything because all of December they have been receiving presents through donations. In fact, it seems every day they got something new to play with. So the actual Christmas morning they didn’t have anything to open. But it was fun because we were all there to play with them. We had a great time. Each of us taking turns to run back to our place to shower and get ready for the day. I made the rest of my sticky buns. We had a group potluck Christmas breakfast with all the people on the property at 10 am. We brought most of the kids down to the breakfast with us and it was a yummy feast! Mom, your sticky bun recipe is just as popular in Africa as it is in Canada! They went over VERY well, even with the security guards who came to find out why the gate alarm got set off and ended up with a plate of food each! J it was a wonderful way to celebrate with all our friends from the property!!!

After breakfast it was nap time for the kids so we all went on break and opened our Christmas presents from each other. It was so sweet. I got a great book from Amy and Lauren about safaris and a huge bar of chocolate from tay tay! Yay. At half twelve Adrian pitched up to drive us to Christmas lunch at Catherine’s mom’s place, Elma. We had a huge feast with homemade Christmas crackers for all of us and stockings as well full of candy. the dinner was amazing and we had such a good time. It was wonderful to spend Christmas with another family and just feel so blessed! At four we had to be back at the baby’s home to get the kids through their baths and dinner and bed!!! At seven when we were all done our shift we high fived and collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Lol!!!! It was such a great day but oh so tiring.

After that we all made our phone calls. I talked to my entire family and then Lisa and then I got sweet phone calls from Angela and mark and jen! It was so cool!!! it made me totally homesick to hear everyone’s voices but it was so nice at the same time!!!! What an awesome day!

Boxing day was another work day. Everyone was super tired from the day before so we just dragged ourselves through our shifts!! Lol.
Sunday night Amy, Lauren, max and I went out to a pool bar and I learned that im not totally rubbish at playing pool. We had a nice time seeing as we were almost the only people there. There was one other couple playing and a guy sitting at the bar who ended up being invited to join us and play with us. we played probably eight games at least! And I made friend with the other couple who turned out to be a south African and a Scottish lady who enjoyed picking the music with me from the jukebox! J

Today was my day off and I went with Taylor to book my tattoo appointment. I’ve decided to get a tattoo in Africa as my ‘souvenir’ of being here! Taylor got one last week at the same place I’m going and it looks really good so I know its gonna be a good place to go. My original piece was going to be pretty big but I have zero dollars left so I’m going with something fairly small. It actually pretty much the same price to get something here as it would be in Canada so that’s cool. I’m excited!!!I may not buy groceries this week to pay for it but I’m excited!! Hehe.

Afterwards we got lunch and I got stung by a wasp at the restaurant. That REALLY hurt but considering last time I got stung I got toally ill and swelled up majorly, this time was pretty good. I didn’t even have to take a Benadryl. I was sure that I would, but by the time we got home an hour later the swelling had gone down and my arm wasn’t’ hurting anymore. So. Phew. Apparently African wasps are better for me?!

We went out tonight to the movies (where else would we be going? ) and saw avatar. That was a GOOD movie. I totally enjoyed it. We saw it in 3D which made it all the more amazing. The colors and ideas that are behind that film are pretty amazing. Very much enjoyed it.

Btw I saw a movie called ínvictus the other day, and I can’t remember if I wrote about it. But if you get the chance, go see it, it is a brilliant movie. Probably my favorite one of this year. And a lot of the scenery is totally what I see all the time here. Probably one of the main reasons that I enjoyed it so much actually. For my family, WAIT TO SEE IT WITH ME!!!! Then I can point out things that are familiar to me now!!!

Apartheid Museum and Soweto

http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/

Amy, Lauren and I went to the Apartheid Museum today. They have a special temporary exhibition on Nelson Mandela and it was soooo cool. the whole place was very cool. we didn't have as much time to go through it as i would have liked but it was very very interesting. i have an even more profound respect for this country and the struggles that it has gone through.

http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela.html

after the museum we went into Soweto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto) and explored. we saw Winnie Mandela's house, Desmond Tutu's house(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu) the Mandela's family house and we got our pictures taken in front of the Orlando Towers. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Towers). it was totally cool. we ended up at the Hector Pieterson Museum http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/hector-pieterson.htm we didn't go in but we spent some time at the memorial. it was very moving actually. a very good and historical day!!!

AFRICA i love theee

Ok. I know I know. Its been forever and a day since I’ve updated. Lol. I’m so busy its been crazy. I’m not going to even be able to remember everything that has been going on the last week or so since ive updated. Shame!

I went away for the the weekend to the Vaal Dam with a bunch of friend from the church. It was amazing. 11 of us in one house just swimming and braaing and jumping into pools with our clothes on. Lol (that last one was my idea, us girls did it when we went for a random walk late at night. ) I got to drive a Jet Ski by myself for the first time and had a blast doing it! I am sooooo sore from death grips on three seater tubes and choppy wake while trying to hang on to the Jet Ski. We spent the whole weekend pretty much in the sun and because I had the best head start I hardly burned at all, just the top of my head. It was an amazing weekend and I had the best time!!!!!

It’s winding down to my last three weeks here in Africa. I’m so thankful for the friend that have been calling and keeping in touch!! I got mail today from riqui!!! That made my day!!! And the random phone calls that cheer me up and keep me going in my homesickness. Thanks tope!!

I went today out with a girl that I met when she was dropping of donations for our baby’s home. She is a Canadian girl who has been here for seven years working in another, much larger, babies home, called ‘the door of hope’ (Google it) its way bigger than our babies home (52 kids!!!) and they have way more babies. So she picked me up today and I went to check it out. They have soooo many babies and all of them are way smaller than our babies. Lots of them are preemies and just tiny. I saw one today who’s little tiny head was no bigger than a tennis ball!!! And her body was barely there. Just so small. They also have a new program just starting for special needs babies. It was so cool to see it and get an idea on a different home. Very cool. I also ended up at joberg hospital to visit four of the homes babies that are in there. Now that was grim. The hospital is massively huge and no one seems to be doing anything constructive. Its dirty and sad looking. Very sad looking. I wouldn’t want to be in there for any reason at all. And the little ones that are in there are so so so small and helpless. They leave people there on duty watching in case the babies stop breathing because the sisters(nurses) don’t check the kids that often. Every three hours pretty much. So. If your not there keep watch, then no one is…. Its very strange. Coming from a place where everyone in a hospital seems to be running and moving, to a place where everyone just sits around and doesn’t do a thing. Very frustrating.

As I said before I’m home in three weeks. I need some prayer.

PRAYER REQUESTS!!!!

-A JOB!!!!!!!

-$$$$$$$$$$$

-I have been blessed with a place to stay for free for my first month back, after that I need some accommodations… and I need them cheap cheap cheeeeeeaaaappppp

Thanks be that I serve an amazing and huge God. This is like nothing to him. So just pray into it for me.

still kinda blah!

ok. sorry that i've not been updating. i've been sick. and sick some more. and then i just plain have been lazy. lol. life here is
not as fun when your sick. but life isn't really fun anywhere when your sick is it? after my three days of fever, i got a strange rash and nausea thing. i was sick saturday and sunday with the rash. it was like a strange thing cause i've never had a rash in my life before and all of a sudden i was cover head to toe pretty much with red bumps. it was odd. and then i had this nausea where i felt like i was going to barf all the time. pleasant hey"? :) sorry for the detail. anyways i didint'much feel like updateing.
beside feeliing under the weather its continuing to be busy life here. a lot of people have gone on vacation. i'm now in charge of when people bring in donations to the babies home, making sure they get put away and i have the storeroom key and everything. lol. it seems like a lot of reponsibility but its not. still im taking pride in it! :)
Gordon taught me how to make proper south african pancakes last night.(including his secret ingrediant and i'm not telling a soul! ) and i actually learned to flip it in the pan without a flipper or spatula. jsut 'flip'! lol. small things make me happy as you know. south african pancakes are an amazing thing and i love them. you dont'just have syrup on them and call it a day. they are bigger and thin and you can do anything with them. last night we had them with sugar and cinamon. and gordon made me one with peanut butter, banana, nuts and syrup. mmmmm sometimes i put cheese in them. hazelnut spread is yummy in them too. they are very very yum!
my time here is go;ing fast now that i'm on the tail end of it. i have less than a month to go now and i'm feeling the time slipping away so very fast. i want to get as much as i can in now before i got. its hectic tho because everything is quiet and people are all on holidays and away. but i have lots of christmas plans. dinners and goings on so its gonna be fun. i'm missing snow, i know you all think thats a crazy thing to miss. but its 10 days till chrismas eve and i don't even feel like it! the weather is either hot hot hot or its crazy storms. we have had hail here the last two days. and when i say hail i mean we have had twoonie sized chunks of ice falling from the sky denting cars and cracking windshields!!! its so so so cool to watch. but not fun to be out in!
i decorated the tree today. its just a tiny little thing and we have hardly any decorations but i used what i could find and its very cute sitting in the corner of the room.
anyways if you think of it please pray for me. i'm stuggling as you can tell with my health. i now have a sore throat and a drip back there that usually means a cold is coming on. its so dumb to get colds in the summer!!! lol i'm also trying very very hard to keep a cheerful spirit of adventure and fun in the holiday season. missing home an aweful lot and its not getting any easier day by day.
also another one of the kids left the babies home over the weekend and she was my favorite girl and i cried and cried. i didn't cry in front of her or the kids tho which i was proud of. we had a prayer time for her just before she left and i did my praying in my inside voice because i knew if i spoke she wouild hear the tears in my voice. i'm not going to lie, i have some heartbreaking stories that i just can't write on here but if you think of her, prayer would be great. (maybe this is whyy i'm getting sick now, i'm stressed out a bit...lol ) so now we are down to 12 kids which is, i must say, a more managable number.
happy birthday today to my mommy!!! i got to talk to her for 10 minutes on my airtime before it died. lol
thanks for those who call me over here. *cough lisa cough* i really appreciate it. and thanks for my mail *cough carin cough* it really lifts me up when i hear from home. God has blessed me here with amazing and fun friends and thats why i think i've made it this long without having some sort of a homesickness melt down. i'm going to hate leaving here more that i hated leaving canada when i came...... . i now truely love two countries. :)

sickness

sooo monday after life group was over i started feeling worse and worse. i had slept for three hours after getting off shift monday afternoon and had taken a LOT of medication to stem that yucky feeling just so i could get to life group (it was the last one of the season!!!) but as soon as i got home it all came over me and felt sooooo rotton. so i went straight to bed after taking a few over the counter sleep assitance things... tee hee. i slept for 12 hours straight and woke up with a high fever, headache, aching pains all over my body and the general feeling that death would be the better option!

i layed on the couch for the better part of the day in major pain and feeling horrible. my fever broke sometime around 9pm ish. i had passed out on the couch watching tv with Taylor. he claims that i was snoring but doubt that.... ;) i'm feeling much better this morning although quite worn out.


i don't know how i got this or where but Aimee and Geoff are both feeling the same way so i wonder if we picked it up on our picnic on sunday. its the most random thing.

hopefully its gone now. :)

beautiful sunday....

i love sundays here. i didn't have to work this week so that is always nice. i got up at the crack of dawn and did two loads of laundry and updated my blog before church! :) thats impressive yes? :)

church was awesome. we had PJ Smythe in the flesh preaching the last of the series that we have been working on, Jonah in Jozi. i've ordered the whole set of it so that i can bring it back to canada. its very applicable to any country/city. i brought one of the babies down with me and he fell asleep during the worship and proceeded to sleep right through all the preach. i was happy about that! :)

after church BeeJay and her daughter, amiee, geoff and one of the kids from the babies home and I all went for a drive and a picnic. we spent the whole day out and the kids played in a pool and we watched mokeys eat the garbage out the cans. its so funny because what i think is cool and neat, everyone else thinks is a pain and pest. lol. monkeys are way cute in my books...

we have a new pet on the property. i found a large tortoise yesterday walking along behind the bathrooms by the water pumps. we are now keep the gates shut in the volunteers areas and we are keeping 'speedy phobe'for a pet. she is super cute and super fast. she gets all over the yard at a great rate of speed. its very cute. and she is pretty big too! she is about the size of a rugby ball.

today i worked. and had a hard day aswell. i haven't been feeling very well all day and i'm not really sure whats wrong with me. i'm feeling very very very tired and i think i had a fever aswell. i got off work and slept for 3 hours. first i was burning hot and then i was freezing cold and i felt like i couldn't move an inch because of how much i was aching. i feel better now but not a hundred percent so ... i don't kn ow.... i'll have to try to get to bed early tonight i guess.

hi..... for anyone who reads...

soooooo its been a while. but not to worry! i've just been insanely busy. :)

i went to Pilanesberg for my camping trip. it was amazing. the drive down i got picked up by Kerryn and toby and then in four square area we traded all vehicles into the bigger suv/truck ish cars. i drove the rest of the way to the campsite with brad and chanee. it was super fun and we chased bad weather all the way down. it was like we would run into rain and then we would drive out of it, only to run into it again. all the way there pretty much. we stayed in covoy with the other vehicle so that was nice. when we got there it hadn't rained yet but we could see it was coming. so we picked out our campsite and then beat a hasty retreat to the restaurant for a cool drink till the rain sorted its self out. there is no point setting up your stuff while its raining african style. seriously the rain here is drenching. there is no chance of quickly running out of it and staying dry, if you step out the door, you are wet! so we waiting for about thirty minutes and then when it was pretty much done we started setting up camp. now the people that came with us are major major major campers. Ian and his wife, Katie, well actually mostly Ian are so set up its not even funny. Ian does lots of trips into Zim so he is well prepared for pretty much anything. We set up so much electricity in the campsite that we pretty much glowed. He had a fridge and a freezer, a microwave and and then the usual kettle and stove top!!! lol. haha. it was so awesome. it took forever it seemed to set up camp but once we did we were well sorted! i'm telling you!

i got so major help setting up my borrowed tent, which was nice because it turned out to be a massive thing and i didn't have a clue how to get it up! it was funny to be the only single person on the trip with the biggest tent! it was so big , it felt like it was the size of the two of the other tents put together. lol. it was nice i had lots of room for all my stuff.... .... ... and then some to spare.

the next morning we were up at the crack of dawn and at the gate to the reserve by six. you have to get on the road early if you want to see thing. the animals take shelter from the heat after a certain time in the morning and then you won't see anything. we had a GREAT first drive. we saw elephants and zebras and rhinos and impallas galore. we got to see a jackel, and he came pretty much right up to the car. we think he could smell our billtong or something. i spotted a croccidile. we saw hippos and turtles and waterbucks. we saw tons of birds aswell. which was really cool because often we would stop to look at this amazing bird and then something else would catch our eye. we saw an ostrich and giraffes as well. it was totally amazing. i got to see elephants to my hearts content. i mean they were so close to the car that i could smell them and hear them eating. at one point we saw this one bull all by himself and he walked almost right up to the car. chanee had to keep telling me to stop hanging out the window cause i was so excited!!! it was very cool. at about 1030 we headed back to camp for 'breakfast'. and then we chilled out for the afternoon. there was a big swimming pool at the campsite so some of the gang went for a dip. i was boiling hot so i went to the showers and had a very lonnnngggg cold shower. swimming would have felt good but it was so flippen hot and i had been up so early that i just need some chill by myself time.

we went back out on another game drive at 4 and saw lots more stuff. i got nominated an honerary south african when i spotted sternbucks hiding in the grass. apparently they are hard to spot! so yay for me! :) i was happy because i was seeing lots of stuff and i "got the eye" really quick for finding thing. we also got to see a cheetah! apparently there is only one in the reserve so that was pretty sweet!

we had a braai when we got home but and listened to an elephant screaming in the bush. don't know what was causing the trouble but he was upset. it was pretty cool to hear him!

the next morning we got up super early and broke camp and then headed back out for a final drive. we had late breakfast in the reserve in a designated area that was supposed to be fenced off and electric set up, but the elephants had been in and there was poop everywhere. so we kept our ears open for trouble and had a nice breakfast. lol.

all in all we saw so much stuff and got lots of pictures. it was an amazing trip!

i got home sunday afternoon and after doing laundry i begged Antoine to take me to the movies. Taylor caught a lift with us and we met a bunch of people from church at the cinema and we all saw twilight.

Monday i still had a day off and so me, amy lauren and Antoine went to the Lion park. it was so fun because they let you pet the baby lions. so we went in the cage and had a great time with the little cubs. sooooo cute. and then we got to feel a giraffe named Gambit. they are so gentle when they eat out of your hand and their tounges feel so cool!!! i got totally covered in slobber. :)

then you go on a min game drive and the lions are so close to your car that you could reach out the window and touch them if you wanted to. but of course you don't. lol. your supposed to keep the windows shut.... but of course you don't! lol.

monday night was life group. i love my life group here. we had the best laughs.

tuesday Aimee and antonie and i went back to the movies in the evening. its so nice to get off the property and get out and about that even if all it is is going to the movies its awesome. :)

wednesday we had a massive storm come through and the power went out from 7 and didn't got back on all night. so we went next door to Beejays and danced around singing christmas carols with her and Aimee. then we sat in the dark back at our place till like 1030 and tried to tell scary storys.... didn't go very well cause none of us know any. lol

thursday we lost power again and this time on friday they had to call an electrician in to fix the problem. lol. this is africa baby.

friday we had a farewell braai for the dutch volunteers. it was awesome. we played drums and made a massive racket. so much fun and dancing around.

yesterday was urban market and i worked the morning shift at the babies home. by myself, i took nine kids to the market in one go. i stayed down there for almost 2 hours and i was so proud of myself. this was my third market and two months ago when i had first gotten here i could only handle taking 2 kids at a time to the market. now NINE. haha!

after market, Sdu and Gershwin took lauren and i bungee jumping. i DIDN"T jump people. no freaking way! but i got great video for lauren of her jump. it was pretty cool!

last night we all went to the cinema again. :) its the thing to do here. turns out, movie going is a universal form of entertainment. :) who knew! :)

off to pilanesberg

i'm off in twenty minutes to pilanesberg for the weekend. im super excited and worried about the fact that i have no clue how to set up the tent that i'm bringing! ahhh. lol.

wednesday night the volunteers threw a Braai and it was so stunning. not many people came but the ones that did were the best of the best. lol. we made a lot of food and about twenty people came. we ate and danced and had a good time. we will have to do it again because it was so fun.

thursday was another work day and then lounge by the pool day. ":) in the evening i went to another life group with Antwione. it was nice and i met people related to a family in my church back home. andrew and janice you don't read this but if anyone does that knows them, tell them that i've met his sister and brother in law. :)

this week has been pretty stressful with work and everything. so if you think about it please prayer would be appreciate.

will update when i get home. hope i dont' get eaten by a lion or run over by a rhino.... ;)

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!!!

weekend fun

í'm getting busier here in africa and its brilliant!!! lol

Last night after i got off work i ended up spending the night with BJ. she is a girl who came here a few years ago to volunteer and ended up staying, and now she actually is fostering a little girl and lives here on the property. she is originally from Holland. its pretty cool. we are the same age and she is now a single mother and has a full time job here in the country. but she is good friend with Jaylene, from my church back there in Canada. so she has been to Canada twice now and spent lots of time in Nanaimo. so last night we hung out and watched movies she took from visiting Canada and pictures from her visits there. it was so nice to chill out and look at pictures from home. lol.

today was work and church!! i love bringing the kids to church. my arms are always full of babies! hectic but fun. after church BJ took her little girl and i took a little one from the babies home and we went out for coffee at the local tiny airport. it was fun to let the kids play and look at planes and have a cool drink on the outdoor patio. just chillen out and chatting. it was so nice to take out one of the kids and hang out one on one with her. actually the one i took with me is one of my all time favorite kids. she is so cute and ladylike. i'm pretty sure she actually ENJOYS tidy up time and she is always dressed like a little princess. and keeps herself really clean all day. and gets frustrated if she 'has snot'lol. i'm forever being asked for tissues for 'the snot'. :)

when we got back i pretty much hopped back in the car with Taylor and Fort and headed to Monte Casino for church. God First has their evening service in one of the theaters at the casino. it was awesome! we tape the service and show it the next week in Urban Life so there was lots of people there from Urban life taping it and helping out. very cool to see the partnership that is happening. and PJ is a pretty lekker preacher. i really enjoy his messages. today especially was brilliant. speaking on the part in Jonah where the Ninavites had 40 days to destruction and they put on their sackcloth and repented. the analogy being that we as people have 39 days of life and then on the 40th is when our life is over and what are we doing with our 39 days. ok there was a lot more that that to the preach but i'm tired. lol.

now i'm waiting for a call from my parents and then i'm going to bed! i'm soooo tired. getting up every day at 5 am is for the birds!! btw... today was a nice warm day but for those of you with the misconception that africa is hot all the time... .i'm sleeping with two blankets on my bed and socks on at night because of how cold it gets over night! seriously you wouldn't believe how chilly i am at night. once the sun goes down this place coooooollllsss down! not to mention the daily rain showers! its is lightning and thundering gently as i type!!! :) i love the weather here honestly. it changes so fast!!! love it.

thanks for all the messages and love. love you all!!!

urg!!

i know i've be terribly delinquent in my writing!!! haha. you would think that i would have all the time in the world to write but i'm telling you .... its hectic watching movies day in and day out! JUST KIDDING!!!!

i've been working a lot lately, i'm on a stretch of nine days in a row actually. my own doing really. i traded one shift with someone for a weekend off at the end of the month. i'm going camping with Brad and Chanee and some friends of theirs. i'm VERY excited about it. but this stretch of work is also longggg... lol.

i can't for the life of me remember every day events of the past week so i will just think up some highlights. :) i promise to be faithful to the blog again!

monday i went to life group. i've decided on a group that i'm now going to stick with for the rest of my time here. its a wonderful group and i love the people in it. i feel very at home there and very comfortable as well. its a little farther away but this awesome girl, Michelle has said that she will pick me up every week. which is amazing. so i'm all set.

amy got bitten by a spider this week. we don't know exactly when it happend but probably when she was sleeping. she called me one morning while i was at work and told me how swollen her hand was. i made her come over to show me at the babies home and when she came over it wasn't the swollen hand that worried me as much as the red line traveling up her arm!! so we got her to the doctor and he put her on anitbiotics straight away and she is totally fine now. so thats an answer to prayer.

i went to the movies with nicole and mamello this week. i drove, and i'm loving it. its not not a problem really for me being on the other side of the road and i drive like i did in Canada, crazy and fast. lol. only here thats just normal. hehe. (dad i'm kidding i totally just drive the speed limit and obey all the traffic laws.... ;) )

friday night i made dinner and invited a bunch of people over. it was lekker if i do say so myself. i made spaggetti and and garlic toast. it was was so fun! Taylor, tumi, Antwini, Lerato (BJ was busy so i was babysiting her) Johanna and Luke, Amee and Geoff, and the dutch sisters. so it was a good crowd. we ate, watched a movie and then had a water fight and late late later a few of us made pancakes!

ohhh the water fight. well lets see. this all started because amy and lauren and i had the grand idea that we needed to buy water guns and surprise attack some people. it ended up with ballons and guns and a full on war. which was so much FUN!!!! a few hostages were taken (tumi's bike is still hidden in the girls loo) and i've heard rumblings of a retribution that will come down on us. but it is SOOOO worth it. that epic battle happened on thursday night. and then friday night the guns were laying around and so it because irrisitable and we had to battle once more. lol. i feel like this will be a trend for the next while. so cell phones are a bit of a concern. lol.

Today was Urban Market. i worked in the coffee shop this morning clearing tables and being in charge of the cake table. that was fun. and then wandered around the market and found some absolutely stunning art peices that i bought. this guy was selling them and he gave me a great deal. they are original peieces and they are just beautiful!!! i'm so happy. ive been looking since i came here for the perfect art to bring back and there is a style of painting that i love but i hadnt seen anything that was perfect till today. they are done on peiece of wood but they are quite light so i shouldn't have any worries getting them back home. i have them up in my room now and i just love them. they are three pieces, one is of a woman carrying a jar on her head and they other are warriors with spears. so cool!

ok. late for work. much run. work is going so very well. every friday i assist with the swim lessons. actually the guy that runs the upkeep of the property is going away in december with his wife and while he is going i'm going to be in charge of the pool. making sure it doens't turn green and keep the chemicals in balance. apparently every year he goes away and no one does the pool and it turns green and takes weeks to fix and make right, so i've offered to try to keep it blue!!! hehe.... hope it works out!!! lol.

and i've also being working on some menu ideas for the babies home and hopefuly in the next little while myself and another lady in charge (Barbara, affectionately known as Go Go, which is Grandma in sotho or zulu or something) will be doing over the whole menu and some of my recipies will be going into the weekly menu plan! kinda cool.

ok. running away. cheers!!!

finally have INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 28th, Wednesday

the not having internet thing is starting to get waayyyy old i'm telling ya!! lol i know that when i lived in Canada it was kinda
obvious that i was totally addicted to the internet but this forced rehab is not fun at all! hahaha.

today was pretty good. last night i went to bed insanely early because i was feeling totally misrable. i had been fighting a sniffle
all day and by like 8 i was for sure in for a terrible cold. so i hit the hay early early! but by three when i had been woken up with
a drippy nose, and very feverish feeling and just misrable all over i took some major action. that being, i took a bunch of cold and
sinus medication, topped it off with a fast acting gravol and sent out a prayer sms!!! i literally passed out till 10 the next morning
and when i woke up i felt right as rain, i'll be it a leetle bit groggy. And i've felt fine all day. so..... yeah if you were praying
for me... thanks cause it totally worked. i've never had a 24 hour cold before but now i have. HURRAY.

today was a good day. i pretty much spent the day puttering about until work in the afternoon. the babies home is quieter now, missing
its littlest resident. she has been adopted now and will be leaving in three weeks. i think that the new proud parents are going to bring
her by in two weeks for a little visit before she goes and then she is on her way to Holland to live her new life. its looking like
her new parents are solid Christians and they have another child already that they adopted from SA. so they know the ropes. its pretty
exciting, even if we miss her.

Prayer Request:

~continued good health

~i'm a little bit missing home now and i know that its normal but just prayer that it doesn't interfer with how i serve here.
no one wants someone around that obviously doesn't want to be around. and i don't want to give off that vibe. i want to be here
with all my heart, i just miss my peeps thats all. :)


ummmm okkkkk its Monday November 2.

honestly i had a great great weekend but i just didn't feel like updating for some reason. partly because i didn't have the interenet, which switched
on today!!!!!!hurray and partly because i was missing home and just didn't have the get up and go to write. that being said, let me re-cap my weekend for ya.
friday i worked and then went to the movies with nicole, mamello, amy and Lauren. we went in a tiny shower of rain that turned torrental
on the way. people were driving with their hazzards on, going less than 20 and pulling over on the side of the road. it was hectic! i was very scared and
tho we made it safely we almost rearended someone and we went off the road at one point and hit a curb. Lauren and i both hit our heads because of the side
of the car we were on. let me tell you that i was happy happy happy when we parked! haha. whew.

saturday was another work day. and then we had a concert on the property. Finding Noah, Reason, and John Ellis from Tree63 played. it was BRILLIANT!!!
i did an interview on the big screen before the concert which was hilarious. i just happened to be walking by and some guys from the church were like
'gwyn do this intereview!' i was like, but i'm eating a roti wrap! haha. all good fun tho i'm sure i looked like a total dork. The concert was lots
of fun. i was great to dance and yell and praise with a whole bunch of people.

sunday i went to church. i wasn't working but i went up to the babies home with the amy and lauren and grabbed three of the kids to take to church with us.
it just makes the load easier for the ones that are working when we do that. Church was good. we are still listening to the series on Jonah that PJ Smythe is
preaching. so its very good. i quite enjoy his style of preaching. later that night a while gang of us went to the movies. Me, amy, lauren, max, Lou, Stu and Taylor.
it was so much fun to get out. seriously when you don't have a car and you have to rely on other people you get very good at finding willing people
and then take every opportunity you can get! when we came back we had tea and music and then watched another movie. it was a great night. i didn't get to
bed till almost two. actually i called home with my limited airtime to wish my brother a happy birthday but he wasn't there yet. so i chatted with my
Dad very quickly. it costs me like an insane amount of money to call home so i can't really do it. thankfully! we have INTERNET again!!!! hurray!!!!!

miss you all terribly. thanks for those who email and leave me notes on here. it really takes a lot of time to write and know that people are reading but its
also nice to get the comments back. i miss you all so very very much. i feel like i've been away forever!

Durban and BAck. still no interenet at home!!! gah!!! and a bit homesick you guys!!!

Tuesday October 20th

it really helps me to write down the date fully because the weather here makes me feel like its the middle
of summer! not that its really that hot. i wore jeans today and a short sleeved jacket for most of the day.
but it also was hot enough to get in the pool and sunbathe for a while. sso.... yeah figure that one out!! haha

today was my day off so i got a beautiful sleep in. after a month here in africa i'm finally getting my sleep
on! i have been waking up at 5 every morning whether i'm working or not because the sun and the birds wake me up!
its NOT quite ever here. at night the frogs just go and go and go, and when i'm trying to fall asleep the rats
like to run around above my head and keep my awake.not afraid... just thinking..hmm they are noisy tonight. a
few weeks ago we are pretty sure one died up in the roof because of the stink in our rooms. lol. awesome hey? ;)
anyways, today was a glorious sleep in. then i did my usual laundry chore which takes forever because the machines
fill very very very slowly. but i honestly enjoy hanging it on the line and they smell so sweet. a little bit
crunchy compaired to a tumble dry with a bouce sheet but meh!

later on in the morning the girls and i went for breakfast at the wild olive. i'm addicted to getting mildshakes
there, thank you very much Amy, and its super cheap. breakfast and drink cost me R50 which is pretty much 7 bucks
canadian i think. so... pretty cheap really. the way i figure out the value of things is probably totally off base
but i have a general idea anyways. lol

after brunch amy and I went for a swim. it wasn't really warm enough but i enjoyed lying in the sun for an hour. i
must get brown!!! haha.

we have discovered the the restaurant that is walking distance from here, has free wireless with your meal. so Berdika
and I walked down there with our laptops to enjoy. we actually were there for over two hours. lol. and i ordered what
was considered an appy for my meal. hehe. but it was so stellar because there we can upload photos and talk on skype with
video!!! i actually got to talk to my Dad and Mom and a lot of my siblings just at the last moment before i was going to sign off.
!it was so sweet!!!! i tired to upload a few more photos and i updated the old blog. honestly it takes SOOOO long to put
photos on facebook that i get very frustrated quickly! i almost need to find another way to share photos or just forget it.

Im so excited because i leave for Durban in two days. i'm looking forward to the long break like crazy!i can't believe im going
to get on a plane again. lol. after my flight here i didn't want to fly again for a very very very long time. but this is just an hour
long flight. i have to fly because it would take over five hours to drive and its honestly so cheap to fly you might as well.

ummm tonight was pretty chilled out. i got to babysit for BJ tonight. she is fostering a little girl here. the little girl is
from the babies home actually. BJ has been fostering here for i think about a year now or so. she is the sweetest little kid. five
years old. so cute. so... pretty much a normal night for me hey? almost like i never left Canada and flew halfway around the world...
only to do the same i do back home!! hehe.

ok. shout out to my kids back home that i now all of a sudden miss terribly. Amariah miss you. Jessica and kaitlyn auntie Gwyn sends
big big hugs and kisses. Aurora please don't forget me!! Tobi i miss my sunday snuggles!!! Tali you beautiful girl!!!! i would like
a hug from you girl!!! JOsh and matteo... i would now enjoy watching barney with you!!haha...(welllll almo0st...lol) Si i hope your still
reading the blog with your mom!! and you all you unborn babies, i can't wait to meet you!!! lol.

Wednesday Oct 21


worked the morning shift today. it was pretty sweet really. i get along really well with the regular shift caregivers and so we
find the shifts go by pretty well. its just really hectic because, well really its 15 kids to wash and dress and find shoes for and get
food made for and then find shoes again for and then change again and then sort out little fights and make them stop eating sand and
change again!!! haha. seriously its a lot of kids! there is this one little boy that i really want to take home with me. he loves to cuddle
with me every chance he gets. i have to be so careful to not choose favorites but when its settle down time at night and all the kids are watching
a movie he will sneak over and hug me and then he just falls alseep on me. and how can you resist that! if i had the ways and means to support
him, i would be so tempted to stay here. the problem is getting a job here is not that easy and medical care is pretty costly. they don't have
the support system here that they do in Canada. its actually scary. keep praying i don't get ill, because i don't want to have to go to a doctor!
lol.

by Monday the smallest baby will be gone. she is adopted and the hand over is monday. so i need to finish her scrap book and it has to be done
now now because i'm leaving on friday for Durban and the social worker wants it before the weekend so that she can take it and photocopy it, so that
the church has a copy..... so tomorrow is going to be a crazy day of work, packing and finshing the album up.

after work today i got asked to drive and pick up one of the kids up at her school. she goes to a special ed school about 20 minutes away. i was
pretty honored to tell you the truth that they not only trusted me with their car, but with the picking up of one of the kids! so i got sweet directions,
begged Taylor to come with me for map guidance and made my third driving adventure in africa! totally sweet. it went really well and i'm totally getting the
hang of the driving. its coming now easily and i'm not really struggling to remember what lane i'm to be in and stuff like that. so i'm happy.


afterwards a tiny swim in the pool just before a freak thunder shower came up and i ended up swiming in the rain. it sounds crazy but honestly
the sun was still shining even while giant rain drops were coming down and if you've never swum in the rain, its actually really quite fun.
and whats the point of getting out!! your wet one way or the other!! lol however when the sun disapeared behind a giant cloud i knew it was time
to get out!

Durban in one more day! hurray!!!

thurday Oct 22.

tomorrow i leave for Durban and i'm so excited. today has been the most discouraging day i've ever had here in Africa. i want to come home right now.
so tomorrow's break will be most welcome. i can't really talk about why i'm having a bummer of a day, but i can ask for prayer. so please do so for me.

today i finished the album for the littlest member of the babies home. by the time i come back from Durban, she will be gone. so i held her tonight and fed
her a bottle and kissed her goodbye. i'm so happy that someone is adopting her and that soon she will have a mothers love and a fathers care. its a good thing!
but she will be missed. such a sweet little baby and i honestly think i only saw her cry like once or twice. so good natured. lucky parents!! :)

i'm not taking my laptop to durban. i need the break from writing and i don't want to have to worry about it. see you when i get back. :)




I"M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DURBAN WAS WONDERFUL!!!!

FRIDAY 23
i left super early in the morning and caught a 915 flight from the Lansiria airport. i flew with this little airline called Kulula. its so cute. its a tiny little local
airline. they are a little more relaxed than most airlines. during the safety speech at the begining of the flight they tell you that in case of a crash the oxegen will
come down. put in on yourself first and then assist elderly and children and people behaving like children! in case of water landing 'please stop screaming and put on the
life vest that are under the seats" they tell you where the exits are in case of an emergancy and then show you the lighting and so on, and then finish with 'if you can't find
the exits, thank you for fly Kalula Air". i laughed! the only thing that concerned me on the flight down was that they announced that they were leaving the first five
rows of seats empty because they needed it for balance and weight distribution! ummmmm what the what!!!!

i flew into Durban and was treated to a stunning view of the Indian Ocean as a flew in. it was so beautiful and awesome to see an open body of water after all this time.
Durban is lush and green compared to here in Jo-burg. so much more rainfall in the coastal area and so its much more jungle like. i love it. the air was totally more humid
and warm. Andrew picked me up and the first thing i saw within five minutes on the road was a monkey crossing an overpass. apparently they are very very very common here and
get into all kinds of mischief. i've decided the best way to describe them is they are to south africa what racoons are to canadians. except possible a little worse. apparently
Mel has had to chase them off her dining room table. haha!!!


Andrew took me to a restaurant on the beach, Joe Cools, and we had a breezy burger in the sunshine. i got african politics 101, which i found very interesting but i'm not going
into detail here. suffice to say, its very different than in Canada and i know mmore and more now how blessed a country i really do live in.

after that we headed home. Andrew and Mel du Toit live in Hillcrest area, for those of you following on a map :) its a little outside of the city of Durban. its a stunningly beautiful
area on the top of a ....well a hill but kinda a mountain esh area. the views that you can get living up there are georgous. you over look all the lush green hills. its so pretty.
they have a awesome home with a big garden (yard) and a cute little pool. they are in the middle of renovations with several projects i think in their minds. but the current one
is they were laying the cement for a deck when i arrived. so the garden was busy with activity of the men working and Andrews dad was also there, so i got to meet him as well.
Andrew and Mel also have a little 2.5 years old, James, who is a busy busy little guy, just full of life and activity. so right away you can imagine there was just a great
homey kind of enviroment and it was so nice to just be there and chill. (brace yourselves to be jealous now because i got totally spoiled rotton in Durban) andrew and Mel
had set up their guest room for me, and had bought a bed the WEEK before i got there. and what a fabulous bed! a huge queen size comfy bed!!! totally spoiled right!!! the rest of
the day we chilled out, when shopping for dinner stuff, had spaggetti bolinaise for dinner and chatted and had tea. just generally very nice and relaxing after the busyness
of the babies home.

SATURDAY 24
Mel and I went out together to get some errands done in the morning. Andrews Dad is getting married this saturday and Mel is doing all the decorations and cards and menus and so
on for the wedding so she had a few things to get done in the morning. so we left the house around 8 and went to craft stores and floral places. and got the borrowed decorations
stuff and went the wedding venue and looked at how to set them up. it was a crazy busy morning but since i adore wedding stuff and anything related i was actually pretty much
a happy camper. i got to meet Jus' (andrews dad) fiancee Sharon as well and yeah... it was just cool to meet all these people who i know family of back home. very cool. actually by
the end of the morning i had been invited to the wedding by everyone.. bride, groom... lol. i wish i could go.

we left the smallest du Toit with Mel's mom and headed down to the water to go to Ushakak, which is an aquarium/water park in Durban. when we got there we met up with NEIL!!!!!!!!!!! who
i haven't seen since he left Canada in April! so that was Great. we've been smsing back and for for the last few weeks and it was so great to see him again. weird tho, now i'm here....
the aquarium was so cool. We went to the dolphin show and then toured around the aquarium part looking at all the amazing sea life and the sharks especially. they had pretty much everything
you could think of that lives in the ocean. some very amazing creatures. my favorites being the jelly fish and the turtles. when we were done with fish we got our swiming costumes on
and went on to the water park part. those who know my mortal fear of water slide would be so proud of me. i tried most things and only could not be convinced to go down the straight down
drop slides. i went down once on the easist of the hard ones and almost peed my pants screaming. no thanks! lol. but i did do the other curvy slide and they were fun. only came away with
a small minor injury.... long story but yeah... lol

after we wore ourselves out and it started raining a little bit we dried off and headed down the boardwalk a tiny bit, down to the beach and put my feet in the Indian Ocean. what a cool
feeling to think about being there, looking at the bay and the view of the city of Durban and think...wow! i can't believe i'm actually here! crazy cool!!! then just down the beach we went
to a restaurant that had been recommended to us. Moyo. its this african restaraunt that serves awesome african style foods. our waiter was really good and fast and we had a good time. we all
got our faces painted with african designs. I had an amarula, which apparently comes from a plant or berry or something that elephants eat in the wild and get drunk on. :) sooooo yummy.
then we had starters of venison samoosa's, Pap with tomato gravy and Springbok (which was served thinly sliced and pretty much raw. they soak it in lemon juice and thats what 'cooks' it. )
i tried all of it and it was all really really good. then i ordered the Ostrich burger. i just had to try something different and you dont get that in canada often i don't think. lol.
it was very very very good. i'm not kidding it was very tasty. tender and apparently ostrich is really good healthy meat. :) all the food was tasty and the service was very good. i would
highly recommend it to anyone! if your in the area! ;)

it was probably like 8 by the time we were done eating so said good bye to Neill and headed home wards. we took a drive by the stadium that they are bluilding for the World Cup next year.
its massive and the design is very stunning. its going to be quite the landmark!

SUNDAY 25

church! we were all soooo tired after the busy day yesterday i think we could have happily gone to church in our jammies and not cared.... lol. got the day started with a phone call from Mark and Jen in Canada and that was awesome. it was so so so good to hear voices from home!!! actually made me a bit homesick to tell you the truth. anywayyyysss.... Andrew and Mel go to Hillside Church. Hillside, for those
of you interested, is the church that Mike and Debs planted Oceanside Church out of! they have a great building and the people are very friendly. i got the chance to speak to several people who send
greettings with me to Canada and in fact got to speak to the whole church! as the worship ended and i was rummaging for my bible and pen i heard the annoucement that 'andrew has a brought a Canadian visitor
and they are just going to come up and bring greetings from the church in Canada" that being the first time i heard that i was bringing greetings, i had all of the time from my chair to the front of the church
to prepare! haha. i honestly don't remember what i said, except for sure Hi from Oceanside and specifically Mike and Debs. haha. N E ways! three shades of red later and mentally planning to punch andrew in the
car on the way home, it was a good preach and nice to meet a few folks afterwards. shame, there really isn't anything more awkward then being in a new church. i had the advantage of being globally introduced and
still finding people to come to me and chat was challenging. i feel so sorry for people when they first start coming to a new church. its so very uncomfortable!

after service we went to a little tourist shopping area. i love looking at all the local stuff, paintings and carvings and stuff. i can't afford to buy but i do love to look look look. we had lunch at a cute little
cafe and then we went to a Crocidile reserve. we got to see all these crocs in real life and close up. im telling you, canadians will not understand this at all probably but seriously they let us into the reserve,
paid our fee and then we were let loose. i'm not saying that we were roaming WIth the crocs, but there was no one keeping an eye on us at all. the safety measures in place were such that if you wanted to, even I
could be over a fence into the crocidile enclosure. not that i would want to. i'm[ just saying. actully the area where the turtles live, they keep kinda like a petting zoo. you let yourself into their pen and go looking
for them all over. and when you find them you can pet them and touch them all you want. its very different. i have this one picture, where the only thing between me and a croc is the wooden bridge i'm standing on.
if i wanted to, i could have poked my fingers through the slats of the board and petted a croc right on the nose. no problem. :) they also have all the kinds of snakes that you find roaming in africa. green mambas, black
mambas and so on. there was even a burmese python laying her eggs while were were in there. it was so quiet in the reserve ( we were the only people there) that one of the staff offered to let us hold a baby crocidile.
SOOOOO cute. they are so soft when they are small. very soft and very warm. i have awesome pictures of me holding it. apparently its not the common thing but because it was so quiet we got the chance.

we did a little driving around and got to see a lot of the area. totally awesome day!! for the evening we chilled out and watched a little tv before bed. pretty much a crazy busy weekend i'm telling you.

MONDAY 26

caught a 950 flight back to Joburg and had to work the afternoon shift. i was totally exhausted and dragging my butt but it was nice to be home ! amy and the kids missed me! lol. on the afternoon shift that i worked
the caregiver, Lizzie managed to horrify me by cooking herself a stew of chicken intestine and chicken feet and pap. SICK SICK SICK! she tried to get me to eat it but seriously it smelled so very bad that i just couldn't\
even work up the courage. gross! lol i learned how to tie a baby on my back like the african women does here and was walking around the propery with one of the babies on my back. it was so cute and totaly effective.
your back doesn't hurt because of all the support the blanket provides and your hands are totally free! lol. and she was content to play with my hair and drool down my back. :)

today. tuesday Oct 27

busy day. i went with another woman from the church and picked up the new volunteer at the airport. came home, did a ton of laundry, grocery shopped and chilled out a bit because i think i'm getting a cold. my first time sick in africa! booo

pray for me. this trip away was the medicine that i needed and at the same time it reminded me a lot of home and i'm very very very homesick right now. like.... i want my mommy homesick. :)

still no interenet at home. we are starting to get a little hopeless on that front. :(

love to all...

at another internet cafe

At an restaurant eating chillen and using the free internet.
Amy and I
At Monte Casino!!! awesome mall!!!!
Monday October19th

im a bit behind. first of all there is NO internet still. its very very very frustrating. and also i had a busy weekend
so i didn't bother writing.

friday: was my day off. but its the kids swimming lesson day so i still did some work. i just loved taking the kids in smaller
groups to the pool. so much fun. they are terrified of water and so its a chore just to get some of them in, but once they get
over the fear you can tell they have so much fun. after the pool we had a little volunteer meetng and then Taylor, amy and i
went to our little internet cafe and i posted the previous update. I got to drive a little bit as well and i was way more
comfortable once i got going.

Saturday: the rest of the gang went to the lions park in pilandsburg (no clue how to spell that one) but i had to work the afternoon
shift so i stayed behind. it was lekker to have the whole place to myself. i got a sweet phone call from Michelle M. and then walked down
to Spar to return a movie and get more airtime for my phone. then just chilled out watching tacky noon television. its cool watching
another cultures tv. lol. then i worked and went to bed very very very on time.

Sunday: up with the birds. Brad and Chanee drove in from jo-burg and picked me up for church in an area called four square, i believe. there
is a little church plant there that planted out of Brirntson (spelling?? lol) so i got to meet a quite a few new people and a lot of them
knew Mark and Jen back in Canada, so i was litereally introduced to everybody as "gwyn from Canada, she goes to the same church as mark and jen."
haha. awesome. i met a lady at the church who was visiting from somewhere in the interior of canada. isn't that a small small world? she was there
visiting her parents. anyways, i now have her business card, she sells and exports biltong and all kinds of South African
sausages and meats. lol.

Church was brilliant. it was sweet to fellow ship with a smaller group of believers. i think i got a chance to meet/chat even briefly with the entire
church. yeesss... it was small... lol.

after church i was taken out for a lunch with brad and chanee and then back to the babies home for an afternoon shift. i got to take 8 of the kids to a birthday
party on the property. it was so fun and the kids ate so much candy it was crazy. they loved it and i had fun, especially when i realized four weeks ago
i would never in a million years considered taking 8 kids under six years old out alone. and yet here i am....... :)

sunday night Nicole, Mamello and i went to the movies. it was stellar, we went to this huge huge huge mall that is also a casino.... Monte Casino its called.
i'm betting if you google it, it would totally come up. (don't have internet right now or i would try it to prove my point) anyways it
was pretty awesome. the theater is huge. the whole thing is huge. we strolled around the mall after the movie and checked ou the casino. turns out, casinos are
boring. but after seeing them in the movies and stuff it was cool to walk through. when we parked and got to one of the many
entrances and i couldbn't stop looking at the signage out front. i will post the picture, but basically it said the the mall was a 'gun free zone' and that i could
check my guns on a seperate floor!!! haha. seriously awesome. they check your bags at the entrances and run you over with a metal detector as well.. ... ..
its pretty intense i suppose if you think about it but mostly it just cracks me up! lol

Monday: worked the morning shift today. its getting easier every shift but i'm still pretty much exhausted every time. 15 kids will run you ragged i tell ya.
after work a bunch of us went for a late lunch down at Spur. and then i went to life group tonight. tried another new group, sidney and janenes. it was great.
the guy that led the group, i've actually met him and his wife before when they were visting in canada. so it was cool to hang out with them a tiny bit. the
group was really big tho and that made it very hard to connect really.

thats about all for now. sorry its kinda a rushed update. its almost tuesday now by my clock and i'm supertired. hoping the internet will be connected soon but
i've stopped holding my breath now!


cheers