Good morning all. Yes it is 1:30AM in Michigan, but already 7:30AM for us here at Bethesda. Just wanted to write a quick line or two before our day got started. We weren't able to post last night, it was a super busy day we hope to be able to write about both days tonight if time allows. Thank you so much for all your prayers and the encouragement you have been to us. It is like you are right here side by side with us. Today will be an action filled day as we get to go to school. I will be teaching at assembly (chapel) grades 1-7 and the rest of the day observing and helping out any way possible in the classroom.
Taking plenty of pictures, but because of limited use of downloading we will share all of those with you when we get home.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
08-11-08
Hello Everyone! We miss you all so much and thank you for praying for us each day and for reading our blog (sorry we are a bit long winded...but you know us, we like to talk alot). Today we worked on a couple projects that the full time staff needed to be done. They were nothing up front or noticable to anyone really but we came to serve and by doing this we freed others up to invest in the lives of the children here. We also got to sit in on a meeting of all the administrative staff. We spent the remainder of our morning and afternoon with Klaas and Ruth. Klaas, a South African, is the child care director, he is the one responsible for working with the government (state- they actually call them providences- and federal level) and social workers to bring in and keep orphans at Bethesda. It was obvious the moment he opened his mouth that he had a wealth of knowledge, not only about South Africa but also the children he serves here and a passion for them coming to know Christ. Ruth, an American who has been in S'Africa for ten years, is the school principal and also is in charge of some aspects of the onsite finances of Bethesda. Everyone seems to wear multiple hats that they never anticipated wearing when they arrived here. It has been good to spend time and appreciate what each staff member brings to the team.
Late this afternoon, we had the chance to play with some of the children out on the playground. It was definately the highlight of our day. They are such happy children smiles are constant and contagious. We love to spend time with them. Just before dinner, we experienced another S'african first, the providence shut down the electrical grid to save energy. So we were without power for about three hours, this would not have been a problem except it was dinner time. So the South African family we were intended to have dinner with was not able to cook the meal they hoped to share with us. We hope we can reschedule and spend an evening with them. Instead we went with plan B and got pizza in town with the teachers and interns. We learned that what you order is not always what you get. The interns ordered one thing and got something completely different...they didn't like it but andrew loved it and ended up eating some of their pizza (pepperoni, feta cheese, and some kind of spicy pepper). It was good day. We are doing really well, and sleep like rocks every night. We seem to go to bed very early (between 8 and 10), we think it is a combination of working hard during the day and the sun going down early around 6. Either way, we are up with sun at 7.
English...................South Africa
Stay Well......................Tsala Pila
Flash light.....................Torch
Pop/Soda......................Cool Drink
God.............................Modimo
Band-aid.......................Plaster
Late this afternoon, we had the chance to play with some of the children out on the playground. It was definately the highlight of our day. They are such happy children smiles are constant and contagious. We love to spend time with them. Just before dinner, we experienced another S'african first, the providence shut down the electrical grid to save energy. So we were without power for about three hours, this would not have been a problem except it was dinner time. So the South African family we were intended to have dinner with was not able to cook the meal they hoped to share with us. We hope we can reschedule and spend an evening with them. Instead we went with plan B and got pizza in town with the teachers and interns. We learned that what you order is not always what you get. The interns ordered one thing and got something completely different...they didn't like it but andrew loved it and ended up eating some of their pizza (pepperoni, feta cheese, and some kind of spicy pepper). It was good day. We are doing really well, and sleep like rocks every night. We seem to go to bed very early (between 8 and 10), we think it is a combination of working hard during the day and the sun going down early around 6. Either way, we are up with sun at 7.
English...................South Africa
Stay Well......................Tsala Pila
Flash light.....................Torch
Pop/Soda......................Cool Drink
God.............................Modimo
Band-aid.......................Plaster
Sunday, August 10, 2008
08-10-08
This morning for church we went to a new church plant in the township right across from Bethesda. The pastor is also one of the houseparents, he also goes to seminary ten days a month and works on maintenance. He is a BUSY man! The church was in a small concrete room that was smaller than half of a basketball court (it is a daycare center during the week). We were the first ones there and helped set up (we were there only 5 minutes early...but that is very early in African time). They certainly love to praise the Lord in song and dance...Baptists in America are going to have to learn to dance once they get to heaven. They said the clap and sing with their voices and dance with their feet because that's what God has given them to praise the Lord. When we get home we will have to show you all the video of the singing. The pastor taught from Matthew 16:13-20. It was really cool to hear him speak in English and then hear his wife translate it into Tswana using the same hand motions and voice inflection. Even when we couldn't understand what they were saying you could tell they loved God with all their heart. We had lunch with the Cryan's, they heard that Andrew was part Mexican (lol!) and loved tacos so they made him tacos for dinner.
For evening church we went to a completely different type of church. Ruth (the school principle), Heather (one of the teachers), and Alyssa (one of the interns) attend that church. It is a mostly white church (Afrikaans people) in Pretoria. It was what we would think of as a typical Sunday evening service. American missionaries started this church about a dozen years ago, and it has really grown.
We are looking forward to working hard this week at Bethesda on maintenance projects, at the school, and helping with child care. It is going to be a VERY busy week, and we can't wait to start the adventure.
For evening church we went to a completely different type of church. Ruth (the school principle), Heather (one of the teachers), and Alyssa (one of the interns) attend that church. It is a mostly white church (Afrikaans people) in Pretoria. It was what we would think of as a typical Sunday evening service. American missionaries started this church about a dozen years ago, and it has really grown.
We are looking forward to working hard this week at Bethesda on maintenance projects, at the school, and helping with child care. It is going to be a VERY busy week, and we can't wait to start the adventure.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
08-09-08
Couple of quick notes from our day today...
Our luggage completely arrived at Bethesda around noon. It is very dry and dusty so our socks were turning orange from the clay/dirt/sand. Thank you for your prayers for our luggage to arrive.
Would someone please tell Patrick that we found a person (one of the interns) that loves "Skyline Chilli" here in S'africa. Not only loves it but actually was a waitress there in Ohio...some world huh?
Today was a long and eye opening day. We went on the "Temba Tour" with the Cryans and Meredith. We drove through three poverty stricken townships. There are no words to describe the things we saw, and we will remember them forever. The people live in poverty like we have never seen before, and we are having a hard time putting it all into words. The homes are mostly tin shacks, no bigger than the living room in your home. None of them have running water in the home, electricity, or indoor plumbing. They have to search for wood to make fires to keep warm in the 30 degree weather that is here at night. Some of these homes are led by children. The mom and dad have passed away (often from AIDS, yet no one will claim that is how they died) and the oldest child drops out of school to provide for and take care of the younger siblings...some of which are infants. A handful of the orphans here at Bethesda are behind in school and have had a difficult time adjusting to life as a child again because before they came to Bethesda, they were raising their younger siblings. As we drove, it completely shocked us to see modern convience side by side with poverty, whether that be KFC next to a tin shack or the wireless internet that we are able to use just a football field away from people scavenging through other poor people's trash to find food.
Another humbling and sad experience we had today was going to the Temba Cemetary. Roger and Carol couldn't believe how many more grave sites were there since they had last visited in February. We saw once again the havoic and disaster the AIDS epidemic has caused in this country. We some countless graves of children, many who never lived to see their first birthday. Many were small mounds of rocks without a headstone. They decorated the graves with the baby's bottle or toys. There were hundreds of people that arrived on buses for the many funerals that were going on simultaneously throughout the cemetary. It was a very sobering and eye opening morning.
After lunch, we got to help one of the families here. The houseparents had to go into town; so we watched their nine children (6 of which were under the age of 4). Meredith, the intern here, helped as well. It was high energy for 5 hours. It was so good to finally spend some time with some of the children. The boys loved Andrew's red goatee and sideburns, they couldn't stop touching them. Kate wasn't left out though, her hair was styled too...the one and a half year old kept touching it and saying "Payloah" which means beautiful. They were so sweet and so full of life. Andrew also played an interesting game of uno with 3 of the 3 and 4 year olds...not sure of the rules but in the end, everyone was a winner! We had a great time with them.
We then walked next door to another family's home where we were to have dinner. This family has 6 children, ranging 5-13 years old. The dad is a pastor, an administrator of a school, and a houseparent...he is very busy. But was so interested in Andrew's work at the Holland Rescue Mission. Here in S'africa they don't have anything like that for the poor, but he compared what Andrew does with some of the ministries of his church (reaching out to orphans and abused women). It was a wonderful time of fellowship over dinner and the time of singing that was led by the little five year old girl. The dad also read some verses to encourage us and his family, followed by Andrew closing in a time of prayer. It was very special and great to interact and get to know this family. It was so amazing to see these many orphans apart of a great big family that loves God and is raising these children to love Him and serve Him.
Exhausted at 9 pm! Good night!
Our luggage completely arrived at Bethesda around noon. It is very dry and dusty so our socks were turning orange from the clay/dirt/sand. Thank you for your prayers for our luggage to arrive.
Would someone please tell Patrick that we found a person (one of the interns) that loves "Skyline Chilli" here in S'africa. Not only loves it but actually was a waitress there in Ohio...some world huh?
Today was a long and eye opening day. We went on the "Temba Tour" with the Cryans and Meredith. We drove through three poverty stricken townships. There are no words to describe the things we saw, and we will remember them forever. The people live in poverty like we have never seen before, and we are having a hard time putting it all into words. The homes are mostly tin shacks, no bigger than the living room in your home. None of them have running water in the home, electricity, or indoor plumbing. They have to search for wood to make fires to keep warm in the 30 degree weather that is here at night. Some of these homes are led by children. The mom and dad have passed away (often from AIDS, yet no one will claim that is how they died) and the oldest child drops out of school to provide for and take care of the younger siblings...some of which are infants. A handful of the orphans here at Bethesda are behind in school and have had a difficult time adjusting to life as a child again because before they came to Bethesda, they were raising their younger siblings. As we drove, it completely shocked us to see modern convience side by side with poverty, whether that be KFC next to a tin shack or the wireless internet that we are able to use just a football field away from people scavenging through other poor people's trash to find food.
Another humbling and sad experience we had today was going to the Temba Cemetary. Roger and Carol couldn't believe how many more grave sites were there since they had last visited in February. We saw once again the havoic and disaster the AIDS epidemic has caused in this country. We some countless graves of children, many who never lived to see their first birthday. Many were small mounds of rocks without a headstone. They decorated the graves with the baby's bottle or toys. There were hundreds of people that arrived on buses for the many funerals that were going on simultaneously throughout the cemetary. It was a very sobering and eye opening morning.
After lunch, we got to help one of the families here. The houseparents had to go into town; so we watched their nine children (6 of which were under the age of 4). Meredith, the intern here, helped as well. It was high energy for 5 hours. It was so good to finally spend some time with some of the children. The boys loved Andrew's red goatee and sideburns, they couldn't stop touching them. Kate wasn't left out though, her hair was styled too...the one and a half year old kept touching it and saying "Payloah" which means beautiful. They were so sweet and so full of life. Andrew also played an interesting game of uno with 3 of the 3 and 4 year olds...not sure of the rules but in the end, everyone was a winner! We had a great time with them.
We then walked next door to another family's home where we were to have dinner. This family has 6 children, ranging 5-13 years old. The dad is a pastor, an administrator of a school, and a houseparent...he is very busy. But was so interested in Andrew's work at the Holland Rescue Mission. Here in S'africa they don't have anything like that for the poor, but he compared what Andrew does with some of the ministries of his church (reaching out to orphans and abused women). It was a wonderful time of fellowship over dinner and the time of singing that was led by the little five year old girl. The dad also read some verses to encourage us and his family, followed by Andrew closing in a time of prayer. It was very special and great to interact and get to know this family. It was so amazing to see these many orphans apart of a great big family that loves God and is raising these children to love Him and serve Him.
Exhausted at 9 pm! Good night!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Prayer Request and Tomorrow's Plans
Pray for us tomorrow as Roger takes us to Temba, which they call a township. Its kind of like a tin shack village. They are all over the place, some of them border Bethesda and we could see the living conditions (and the witch doctor's goats) as we walked the gated border. We are sure that it will be a very eye opening and humbling day for us. Also, we have learned that South Africans always have their funerals on the weekend. We are going to a cemetery in the morning, and they have told us there will be dozens of funerals taking place. They compared the parking lot to what it would look like outside of an NFL game. We look forward to having dinner with our first set of houseparents and children tomorrow evening. We also look forward to the possibility of getting our luggage tomorrow. We got confirmation today that it has landed in South Africa, but when it arrive is uncertain.
We want to leave you with a picture of the view from outside our window and some words we have learned today...
American .............South African
Truck ...................... Bakkie
Hello ....................... Dumela
Van ........................ Combie
Diaper...................... Nappie
Awesome.................. Lekker
More new words to come later :)
We want to leave you with a picture of the view from outside our window and some words we have learned today...
American .............South African
Truck ...................... Bakkie
Hello ....................... Dumela
Van ........................ Combie
Diaper...................... Nappie
Awesome.................. Lekker
More new words to come later :)
08-08-08 Our First Day
Today could be entitled "Welcome to Bethesda: 101". The day started at 7:00 and we got to experience milk from a box on our O-tee's (similar to Cherios). It was different, but not bad. The orange juice is really good (you'd like it Dad Dodd!). If we had our suitcase, multiple layers would be warm since it starts in the low 40's (some of the other girls here lent Kate some clothes so all was well). By mid morning it was already feeling like a summer day in Michigan (even though it is winter here the temp topped out in the low 70's). We took a walking tour to start the morning with Roger Cryan, and we met all of the full time staff. We feel so overwhemed with names and faces. It was also neat to meet all the houseparents and we can't wait to get to know them. We got to see the current buildings including the school, homes, and the new administrative building. They also explained future plans of growth and development and our possible future role in the ministry here. It was exciting to see all the great things that God has done in the 8 years here at Bethesda, and looking towards the next 8 years and beyond. To God be the Glory Great Things He Has Done, is a phrase that was repeated and seen multiple times today.
We were taught the core values, visions, mission statement, and why they do ministry like they do for most of rest of the day. It is a comprehensive Biblical response to the impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa and the orphans that are left behind by the epidemic. They believe that a relationship with Jesus Christ modeled in a Christian family is the best and only way to fix the problem. One of the major ways this is fleshed out is by modeling what a Christian family looks like. This is why Bethesda links 5 sets of houseparents with up to 8 orphaned children in each home. Bethesda is intentional about equipping and empowering these houseparents with tools and knowledge to raise these children in Christ centered homes. We spent our morning and afternoon in orientation about how Bethesda is run. We also got to meet lots of children throughout the day, they are so cute and have so much energy. "Mister Dodd" as they called him, is going to have a hard time with all these new names.
Bethesda's ministry relies on houseparents, those in the office and maintence, as well as their interns. The interns are people who typically come to Bethesda for six to twelve months and fill various roles throughout their time from teaching and tutoring to painting and childcare (babysitting the kids when a houseparent is away). Right now Bethesda has 2 interns that are Kate's age and we spent the remainder of our afternoon and evening with them. It was neat to see how Kate shares a lot in common with Meredith.
Here's a special shout out to Katie and Daniel Horton, we played a rousing game of aggrevation tonite with the Cryan's, the two interns Alyssa and Meredith, and the two American teachers Tonya and Heather. Tonya was SO excited to get to use her own brand new marbles that a friend of her's made who blows glass, they were cool! It was fun to play games and get to know the people here.
We were taught the core values, visions, mission statement, and why they do ministry like they do for most of rest of the day. It is a comprehensive Biblical response to the impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa and the orphans that are left behind by the epidemic. They believe that a relationship with Jesus Christ modeled in a Christian family is the best and only way to fix the problem. One of the major ways this is fleshed out is by modeling what a Christian family looks like. This is why Bethesda links 5 sets of houseparents with up to 8 orphaned children in each home. Bethesda is intentional about equipping and empowering these houseparents with tools and knowledge to raise these children in Christ centered homes. We spent our morning and afternoon in orientation about how Bethesda is run. We also got to meet lots of children throughout the day, they are so cute and have so much energy. "Mister Dodd" as they called him, is going to have a hard time with all these new names.
Bethesda's ministry relies on houseparents, those in the office and maintence, as well as their interns. The interns are people who typically come to Bethesda for six to twelve months and fill various roles throughout their time from teaching and tutoring to painting and childcare (babysitting the kids when a houseparent is away). Right now Bethesda has 2 interns that are Kate's age and we spent the remainder of our afternoon and evening with them. It was neat to see how Kate shares a lot in common with Meredith.
Here's a special shout out to Katie and Daniel Horton, we played a rousing game of aggrevation tonite with the Cryan's, the two interns Alyssa and Meredith, and the two American teachers Tonya and Heather. Tonya was SO excited to get to use her own brand new marbles that a friend of her's made who blows glass, they were cool! It was fun to play games and get to know the people here.
We made it :)
We got in last night, 7-Aug-08 that's how they would write the date here, 5 in the afternoon that would be 11AM EST. It's easy to say it takes 36 hours to get here with all the time change, but we found out that 36 hours of flying is a REALLY long time! Mom Dodd put it this way on her way in to work while we talked to her from the Atlanta airport. "You guys will be flying while I'm at work, when I come home from work, when I go to bed, when I wake up, and you'll still be flying when I go back to work ON THAT SAME PLANE!" God is good. We met two dozen southern baptist preachers and wives on our flight down they will be in JoBerg and surrounding villages for two weeks in hopes that local churches here will be able to plant new churches in time for World Cup 2010. PTL! Once we landed we made it through customs no problem and then waited for our luggage. We waited and waited, did a little more waiting and then the carasel stopped moving and no more luggage was coming :( We got our small suitcase (full of goodies for the missionaries a couple of jackets and church shoes) arrived safely. Our two large suitcases with all our clothes should be arriving some time today, or so we are told. God won't give us anything we can't handle so for now we will wear the same clothes a little bit longer. The Cryan's picked us up at the airport and what is normally an hour long trip took two hours last night, traffic was really bad. It was so crazy, there were wildfires along the side of the road. The Cryan's said this was common and would only be put out if they got close to the buildings, otherwise they would eventually burn out on their own (everything is so dry here, since it is winter). It was dark when we got to Bethesda so we can't wait to see it today. Dinner with the Cryan's was wonderful, and then by ten we were ready for bed and turned in for the night. Slept great, thanking God for safety in travels and can't wait to get going today. Thank you for all your prayers and comments, please keep them coming.
we've been on the plane FOREVER!
we've been on the plane FOREVER!Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Atlanta!
Last night ended LATE 1:15AM and the morning started early 3:15AM. What kept us up was not packing but finding out that Kate had passed her nutrition class!!! Praise the LORD! We were so amped up from the great news and our soon departing trip that we laughed ourselves to sleep sometime after one. After a full nights sleep we loaded up the car and Dad, Mom, and Kyle took us to the Gerald R Ford Airport in Grand Rapids. Our flight left shortly after 6AM and landed in Atlanta just before 8AM. We have a bit of a layover here in Atlanta until 3:30 and our travels should be over in just about one more day from right now. It's a LONG flight. We will arrive, Lord willing, in JoBerg at 4:30PM South Africa time and 10:30AM EST.
WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Thanks for being a part of our trip and keeping up with us on our blog. We covet your prayers and look forward to your comments on here.
WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Thanks for being a part of our trip and keeping up with us on our blog. We covet your prayers and look forward to your comments on here.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Elizabeth Schneider
This week, Andrew and I became an uncle and aunt a second time! This little one took her time coming into this world (she was two weeks overdue). My brother and sister-in-law, Kevin and Angela, went into the hospital Sunday evening and after a very long labor had their first child, Elizabeth Lynn Schneider very early Tuesday morning (July 29 at 12:56 pm to be exact). Elizabeth was 8 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches long. Both Angela and Elizabeth are doing great and will hopefully go home today. We are very excited to have this new little girl in our family, and we am so happy for Kevin and Angela. Congratulations you two!! We can't wait to meet you Elizabeth...we'll see you when we get home from Africa next month!
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