08-15-08

Hello Everyone!
and experiences from our first week here at Bethesda. We also learned a little about him and how God brought him here. A group of 5 John and Lois Mixon, the Director of Bethesda and his wife, are back here in S'africa. So we spent most of the day with them. Before our meeting with John though, Andrew prepared for his lesson for chapel next Wednesday, and Kate helped at the school by reading a test to a boy who does not read English well. We then met John in his office and chatted about our surprisesAfrikaan men came from a seminary about 45 minutes away. They came wanting to learn about how Bethesda does orphan care ministry and in particular the school. They came with many good questions as they are trying to determine whether they should start a grade school of their own for orphans. For us, it was good to hear again, and this time from John's perspective, how and why Bethesda puts such an emphasis on the family. Bethesda exists to reach orphans with a holistic approach that meets both physical needs and spiritual needs. It seeks life and heart change, that will last for the rest of the children's lives rather than just feeding and housing orphans.

We spent most of the afternoon playing with the kids. Kate was doing what her mom would love to do if she was here. She was cutting hair! and making Andrew very nervous. No, no, no don't worry... a few of the older girls had hair extensions that had been in since June so they wanted to take them out. So they told me and a few of the girls to cut them and then we began unbraiding the braids. Andrew just so happened to run by with some of the other kids and saw us hacking off her hair and could not understand why we would be taking scissors to the girl's hair. His quote was, "Does your mother know you are doing this?" It was too funny! In all fairness, he has no idea what hair extensions are, much less that you could just chop them off. We hope you all got a laugh out of this story! No hair was harmed in the making of this story. :) While Kate was having a hair day with the girls, Andrew was running around the playground playing with the children. They like spinning on the swings and digging in the dirt.

Tonight, we had dinner with Ruth (the school principal), the Cryans, and the Mixons. We had homemade pizzas. We shared both of our stories and how God brought us to this point on our journey. It was amazing the number of contacts and friends we all share. Chad Hibbard, the Billmans, the Geshays, Ken Rudolph, and even my parents from national youth ministers conference. Looking forward to craft day for Kate and attending continuing education for the community, houseparents, and Andrew. We love you all!