08-14-08

Andrew and I worked seperately all day today. Andrew helped Frans with maintenance. They sealed up holes in the team center's ceiling to insure critters (including but not limited to snakes, mice, rats, and birds) from not coming in or making a home in the ceiling. Andrew also believes this will keep the building just a little warmer. It gets down into the thirties at night. We certainly made a mess, but at the end of the day the team center looks a whole lot better. It was good to spend the day one on one with one of house father, to get to hear his story, share mine, and to hear his heart both for ministry and orphans.
Kate spent the day with Frans' wife, Salome. Salome broke her ankle last week and it is now in a cast. So she is having a hard time getting around her house, caring for her 8 kids,
maintaining the house. Five of the children are in school during the day, so Kate spent the morning playing with the three younger children. One of the many highlights of the day was when the four of us were playing with the dolls. Gontse and Pienkie wanted to take their baby dolls to church. So we pretended to go to church; they dressed up the dolls, sang songs, Gontse "preached" a sermon in an upside down story book about John the Baptist, and they all said memory verses. This all came from a five, four, and three year old. It was so sweet. Kate helped them with snack, played at the playground, and when more of kids came home they all played outside before having lunch. After lunch, Kate helped put the younger kids down for a nap and the older kids with homework. Later she and the oldest child, Gladness, helped Salome with making dinner.

After Andrew's workday was done, we played outside with the kids in that family more, and took our almost daily walk to recap the day. We were invited to dinner at Frans and Salome's home. At the end of the meal, we sang Rudolph Happy Birthday "Lake Ann Style", he turned eight today. We had a crazy birthday celebration with balloons, wrestling around, and many pictures. We ended the night with a time of singing praises to God in both English and Tswana and then prayer. It was so good to see the kids interact with their parents just like we did when we were growing up. Having orphans in a family setting is really the best way to raise the children.

One little note of prayer, Kate was sick before leaving for the trip and her nose is now extreamly stuffy and then very dry. We are not sure if it is left over from the cold or due to the dry dusty climate. Today her nose was bloody every time she blew it. Other than that, we doing very well and loving our time here. (Kate is even eating her vegetables!) Can't wait to see what God has for us tomorrow.