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!!!