Ok. So I know it been about a week but it’s my last days here in Africa and I haven’t wanted to waste a moment!!!!
New Year’s Eve I spent here on the property. There was a party here in the ‘barn’ and I went to that. After midnight I called my family and spent the rest of the night talking to them and watching a movie with BeeJay. It was a nice way to start the year! The first day of 2010 I spent on the edge of the pool catching sun and enjoying the cool water. It was an insanely hot day that ended in a massive thunder storm. I’m going to miss the storms here! I love them so very much!! In the evening I went out with some friends and watched Ávatar’for the second time, and then chatted over coffee till the wee hours. When we got back to the car we found the battery dead and so that took a few moments to get sorted out. I ended up home after one. But it was such a great first day of the year. The next day I worked and slept! Sunday was church as usual and then work in the afternoon.
We had new volunteers come on Monday and so we had to a bit of cleaning to get ready for them. It’s been just me, Amy, Lauren and Taylor for so long that we had kinda gotten used to our mess but with new people arriving we saw the need for a tidy up! Monday I went with Rebecca and Lauren to pick up Gwendolyn at the airport. It was totally strange to be standing there waiting for her plane and knowing that in exactly a week I would be there again and this time it would be for me to leave! Very very strange. After we fetched Gwen up, we went for a quick grocery shop and then I got dropped off at a friend’s place to hang out with him for the rest of the afternoon. Gershwin made me an amazing lunch and then we hung out watching movies and chatting. Later in the evening, Michelle W picked me up and we spent the evening together. She made me dinner and we played with her four nieces. It’s making me sad to leave here because of all these amazing friends that I’ve made that I’ve grown to love so very much!!!
Tuesday I worked the afternoon shift and then all the new volunteers that had arrived so far and the old volunteers went out to dinner together.
Wednesday was my very last day in the babies’ home. It was a normal shift. I’d love to say that something totally magical happened that made it the most amazing shift ever but honestly it was the same as it always is, hard work with amazing little children who I love and adore! In the afternoon I did my farewell video for the church, and I had a breakdown. I couldn’t hold my tears back to save my life and had to be pretty much talked down and almost had to postpone the video for another day. I pulled myself together to whimper out something pathetic and ran!! Lol. Every since Wednesday I’ve found a reason to have a crying jag. It’s probably not going to stop anytime soon, I suspect. The Chadwick sisters, Michelle and Kerry, picked me up at 3 and we went out to spend the day together. They took me to an African market and I did all my gift shopping for my family. I have a negative bank balance now so my gift to all my friends back home is going to me coming home! Lol. Sorry it’s pretty sucky! Lol. We had a great time at the market. I’ve learned mad bargaining skills and walked away from more than one vendor and then was called back with a really good deal. One particular fellow, I wanted these art pieces from him and they were R35 each, so I offered home R100 for four. And he said ok and then I picked out four that I wanted and he changed his mind and said that he wanted R35 each for them again. So I just put them down and walked away and before he could call me back another quick fellow in the next stall yelled that he would do that deal and came running from the tree he was sitting under for the shade. So I made the deal with him instead, not because he had better stuff but on his quick thinking alone. We had a great time and I found something for everyone which was great because brothers are hard to buy for!!!! I’m telling you! Afterwards I was treated to dinner and a movie. It was so brilliant and again I’m saddest to be leaving such amazing and wonderful friends!
Thursday was my first day off from work and I just spent the day with Amy chilling out and then taking all the kids from the home for a swim in the pool. J
Friday…. Today! Busy day I’m telling you!!! I had my babies’ home goodbye party. It was brilliant. Barbara came back early from holidays to be there. Patrick came up from the office even though he isn’t a part of Botshabelo, because he felt “compelled to “because of me poking my head in the office all the time and saying hi and stuff. He prayed over my and prophetically spoke into my life and it was very cool. Adrian and Catherine came. May and Rebecca came as well and then all volunteers. It was very special. Everyone had something to say and I cried like a baby. The kids were very concerned as to why I was crying and I got lots of snuggles from all of them. We had cake and they presented me with a wall hanging with all the kids’ handprints on it. So it was pretty darn special and I feel so very loved.
After the party, Taylor took me to my tattoo appointment. Amy and Lauren tagged along for emotional support (ok they were more scared than I was, let’s be honest). I got “LOVE NEVER FAILS “tattooed in beautiful Edwardian script on my wrist with a little extra swirls drawn in. the reason so this Tattoo that I thought it would be such an amazing way to remember my trip, a lifelong sort of thing. How cool! To be able to say, this is my tattoo I got while I was in Africa. And the reason specifically for the wording, I was in a church service at Monte casino, listening to PJ Smythe and he was talking about this very that love never fails is from and it put me in mind, human love will always at some point let you down. Whether it’s from a parent, spiritual leader, friend, boyfriend………. No matter what, at some point they will let you down. And it’s not good to put that love on a pedestal and make it something Important or something to seek after. The only LOVE in the world that will never let you down is God’s love. His love NEVER fails. So that’s why I got that particular phrase! I love it. It hurt like heck to get done but not as bad as my first one at all and the girl that did it was gentle and very nice. She loved the tattoo so much that she took a pic of it on the company camera and on her own personal blackberry as well! So that was flattering!! J
This afternoon another volunteer arrived; making the grand totally of volunteers here now 9!!!!! It’s awesome and busy!!! We had a meeting to meet everyone and see where we are all from. It’s strange for me because I’m on the tail end of things, leaving in three days.
Please keep up the prayers for me when as I come home. Hear me when I say this, I miss everyone terribly, you have no idea, but I’m heartbroken to be leaving here. I can’t stop crying about it, and everything in me just wants to stay! I can’t wait to see everyone in Canada and I know that soon I will remember why I cried so hard when I left, but for now… ahh I’m sad!!!!
Prayer Request:
JOB JOB JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone knows anything for me, let me know. I don’t want to go back to doing elderly care if I don’t have to. I’d rather go into working with special needs kids or an office job. But I know that God has something for me so if anyone wants to be his messenger and let me know what it is!!!
