Where to even begin...

What an amazing day! First think Thursday morning we went to Shongweni primary.  As we walked into the school we were greeeted by the songs and dances of the children, filling the entire couryard. With incredible enthusiasm they sang songs about never giving up.  Despite life's many hardships here the children are loving, respectful, and most of all happy.  They smiled and waved to us as they sang, and the little ones scootched closer and closer to us they could be first in line for hugs when they were done. 

After they had finished our group presented the school with all toys and games we had collected in Phoenix.  Seeing their reactions made it more than worth hauling over 100lbs of suitcases through multiple airports. 

As the children went back to start their school day we set to work.  One group did touch up paint on the exterior of the building, and another covered  the inside walls with butterflys and other colorful creatures to brighten up the interior of the classrooms.

Around lunch time the group headed back to the creche where the local woman were waiting with their beautifully designed baskets, placemats, pillow cases, and other items. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon working, until it was time to call it quits and head back to to the community center for the incredible feast prepared for us by the woman of Shongweni.  Before dinner the older boys in the village were brought in and all three soccer teams were presented with new uniforms, cleats, and soccer socks.  Once again the response was overwhelming, and half an hour later the boys were still singing and taking turns showing off their dance moves.  The team captains said a few words, and then the groups went outside for team pictures in their new uniforms.

After dinner we went back to the hotel, tired, but I think mostly overwhelmed by the magnitude of such an incredible day. 

Not your average Wednesday

Two more days in Shongweni and a lot has been accomplished.  On Tuesday the painters finished the Dludla house, and the team go to rededicate it to a very excited Nomusa.  As a special gift, she will be getting a porch put in within the next week as well.

The building team continued to work on the storage unit with only slightly less zeal, but considerably more knowledge, than day one.  Under the careful guidance of our local contractor, we constructed all the walls by Wednesday.  If all goes according to plan the roof will be added on Friday, and then the women will have additional food storage as well as an extra place to prepare food for the children.

After being in the village for three days, we are starting to recognize the smiling faces of the children that greet us every morning.  They are easy to fall in love with, and a game of tag or  a push on the swing is the perfect break from the hard work.  Someone in the group pointed out that preschools sound the same the world over, and I can't think of a more motivating noise that of screaming, laughing children as we work.

Welcome To South Africa

(The greetting we recieved upon ariving at the creche in Shongweni)

After a loooon fligh the October team landed in Durban, with feelings of exhaustion, excitement, and everything in between.  We were met at the airport by our local guides and carted of to the hotel for the evening. 

Bright and early Friday morning we headed out to get a truly local experience at White Elephant Lodge and Bush Camp a couple hours away on the border of Swaziland. 

Those in the group who had been on safari before knew what to expect, yet were still in awe of God's awesome creation.  Those of us who's primary knowledge of Africa came from Disney's  "The Lion King" were impressed by the movies accuracy, yet blown away by the magnitude of seeing elephants, zebras and hippos almost close enough to touch. 

After a weekend of relaxing and getting to know each other, we headed back to Durban to prepare for our week of work. 

As you can see from the above picture, saying we were greated with open arms is an understatement.  The kids met us with the kind of genuine love and affection and curiosity that only small children have.  We had traveled 10,000 miles to show them love, and here they were setting the perfect example. 

After lots of hugs and picture taking, we met our local missionaries and Pastor Twala and divided up into groups to get to work.

The group building the storage center had quite a time hauling bricks from the top of the hill to the site, but the teamwork proved effective and by lunch we were ready to build.  After many hours,  and a new appreciation for cement mixers, we laid four rows of blocks and were done for the day.

The group in charge of painting had the awesome opportunity to get to know and work with the Dludla family as they painted the entire interior of the house and even got a head start on the exterior for tomorrow.

A third group worked with the local women to improve their sewing skills, which will greatly increase their chance of bringing in income and becoming self-sufficient.

After a day of hard work, the team went home tired, but excited to head back tomorrow to see what else God has in store for us.