OVC work

my apologies for not being on top of this whole blog thing! I have been busy all day every day & never think to sit down and write. I'm away from the house everyday from 7:45 is about when we leave and we don't get back till around 5:15ish. Now don't let this sound like me complaining...because I am in no way! I love love love what I am doing here. It doesn't feel like work at all && that's what your 'job' should be like..especially if you are doing something you thoroughly enjoy! 

In a previous post I said what I will be doing, OVC in the mornings and then out in the townships for kids club in the afternoons. I know the work we will be doing with the OVC program will be emotionally draining. OVC is orphans & vulnerable children. Now, if you all saw the township I am pretty sure that you would say that every single child qualifies as vulnerable but with this kind of place you have to be a little more extreme. On Monday morning the OVC team which is myself and 4 others had a meeting discussing the cases that we had at the moment. One that we just had gotten really made me wonder about the world we live in and why some people should be allowed to walk this earth. Forewarned, this is quite sad and where the whole 'emotionally draining' part of this job comes in. The new case we got is of a 4 year old girl who was almost a victim of rape. 4 years old...no one in their right mind should ever think such an act is justifiable. To make matters worse this little girl, in her 4 years of life, had already been a witness to her older sister being raped, who out of that tragedy became pregnant. Apparently a man who lives behind this girls family asked if she wanted to go under the bridge to catch some frogs. Of course this sweet little girl would say yes, what little child wouldn't. Even though this story was awful in itself, the one thing that was said that really tore me up was when the words 'when he was about to put her on him' were read. When this was about to happen a lady walked by, heard the young girl screaming, ran down and pulled the girl from his grip and ran. Thank the Lord for that woman. It is sad to think that we live in a world of such disgust and anguish but so thankful to know that through all that God is there to shine light on dark situations. I just pray that God surrounds that little girl with his love every day and every night. 

Now as of right now I promise that will be the saddest thing I write in this blog!  I hope no more cases like that come up while I am here. But I wanted to really let yall know what I am doing with my time here. But heres the fun part about my job..the afternoon kids club. We go into the townships of Capricorn and overcome heights, they are neighboring townships, and we do after school activities. We have a teens club and a kids club. I've been working with the kids, ages 4-10

This week we have been talking about keeping our bodies safe and how we are in charge of our own bodies. With what I said before being so prevalent in townships we wanted to find a way to teach these kids how to keep themselves safe...in kids terms. It's been good so far. we've talked about things from healthy foods to why it's not good to be barefoot all the time.

I really believe it takes a certain kind of person to do what me and Jennifer are doing everyday. And I am beyond grateful God saw us fit to do the job. Seeing the conditions these kids live in..the scars on their bodies, their dirty clothes, some with open wounds that more than likely are due to AIDS is hard to get a grip on. You do have to be cautious but never will I turn down a hug or a hand from a little child because they might have a disease. I have been here almost 2 weeks now and I am already falling in love with these kids. It's to the point where a lot of them remember my name and yell it when they see me down the street. I do and will forever hold a special place in my heart for all my kids in Ghana, that love will never go away. But here...I'm just adding to my African family. 

Here are some of the kids that have already began to steal my heart!

 this is Roger, he is one of the guys I work with in the kids club. he is absolutely hilarious. love working with him!

 Ashlin

 Reese

well yay. love these precious faces! 

Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone. This simple goodness shines straight from their hearts and only asks to be lived.

- Michael Jackson 

Home sweet home

Well I have been waiting until we got everything up and put away until I put up pictures of our place! It finally feels like 'our' home and I love it. We've had quite a few people come this week that have rented out rooms in the house. Right now there is a french and german girl and then two guys from India, so needless to say were meeting people from all over. But here is where we will be calling home for the next 8 months! 

 our bathroom

 

 

 bedroom

 can take the girls out of Texas...but can't take Texas out of us :]

 Jennifer's bed is on the left and mine is on the right

 commons room. we usually eat dinner and watch movies in here or skype :]

 :]

 dinning room upstairs. the kitchen is to the left

patio hangout! 

yep it's quite fantastic here. 

:] 

First Day @ Living Hope

Well today was our 'official' first day. Instead of getting shown around and meeting everyone we got to go to the township Jennifer and myself will be working with! Now for those of yall that don't know what a township is, it is an underdeveloped urban living area that are reserved for non whites...so colored(mixed) and black people. Most of the homes are made out of scrap metal and many only have one room for the whole family. Problems flourish throughout these places from drugs and alcohol problems to higher crimes.

just to give an idea of what the townships are like

::So this is what I am getting to do with my life while here:: 

 They are just starting a new program OVC which stands for orphans and vulnerable children. What they are wanting to do with this is when the life skills educators are out in these townships and they come to find out that a kid they are working with is in a bad situation i.e. they are showing signs of abuse or malnutrition or extreme cases along those lines they will be able to do something about it. A girl named Tammy started this a month ago so it's very new and in the process of being built. With that said one of our jobs is to actually get this program started and get everything for it to become an actual branch of Living Right. Kind of a big deal :] So once we get more of a feel for what its going to be i'll update yall on it! The sole jist of it is to be able to refer these kids to people that will help them and get them out of their situation. There is actually a case going on right now with a little girl who has been raped by her step dad while her mom was in the hospital. Im really excited to be a part of this and be able to hopefully see this turn into a big program that will be truly beneficial. 

Now we will be working on that during the morning and then we will get to go into the township in the afternoon to do kids clubs! Which is like an afterschool program with the kids that live there just to give them a safe fun && educational place to be after school. I worked with the younger kids, 10 and under and i immediately fell in love with them. Played soccer with a few of the little boys and we became best friends. Also met TARZAN. It was hilarious, this boy walked up wearing nothing but hunter green sweatpants. He was light skinned, light eyed had dirtyblond curly hair that was sticking in all sorts of directions. Right when he walked up I said oh my word its Tarzan, so that is his official name he will be hearing from me. I WILL be getting a picture of him sooner or later.

But jennifer and myself are going to be helping in these after school clubs to, in a sense, be the eyes of OVC and to look out for un natural behavior by the kids. Hopefully while we are there we won't find any new cases but kids are not really high priority in these places. When the club is over we feed them a sandwich and a cup of juice. Sadly it may be the only thing some of these kids get to eat all day. 

Some may think this is extremely depressing and a risk to catching something that floats around these places but its a small sacrifice. I am so overjoyed about this work and it's been one day. Who knows...in a few months I may hate it, but I honestly can't see that happening. Ever since my summers in Ghana I knew I wanted to work with at risk kids and do something in an orphanage or somthing along those lines. I did my practicum my senior year at Methodist children's home and did alot of the kids case files and put them together. At the time it was kind of boring and I would catch myself wondering why I was doing all this. I think now it was God's way of preparing me for this. When they told us this morning what OVC was and how we were going to help start it, I felt a sense of peace. Funny how God works in your life. During these next 8 months I want to be a sponge and retain all the information I learn as well as the knowledge I gain from starting up something like this and hopefully carry it over to my future. 

 PS. I LOVE the people i'm working with. They are all so nice and [[hilarious]]. 

God is good ALL the time 

so excited to see how he is going to use my talents...as well as my weaknesses to bring glory to him. 

RIP Papa Norton

 

 

What a handsome man he is! I love my papa and he will always be close to my heart. His funeral is today and as much as it kills me to not be there, I get to now enjoy his presence on every adventure I take here. May the Lord bless him and keep him.

God saw that he was getting tired,
A cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around him
and whispered, "Come with Me."
With tearful eyes, we watched him suffer,
And saw him fade away.
Although we loved him dearly,
We could not make him stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes "the best".

RIP Papa Norton

Today I woke up to a text I knew I was going to get while over here...I just wasn't prepared for it to be so soon. Sunday, February 19, 2012 my papa Norton went to be with the Lord. It was something that was expected but still you can't help but be sad. He was 95 years old and left this world in the arms of the ones he loved. I'm sad I wasn't there when he left but so glad everyone was sitting by his side, in his own house, during his last moments. He is part of the reason adventure flows through my blood. He and my nana have been all over the world..to every single continent. He lived his life and many looked up to him throughout these years. 

...I got this from Chancey...she couldn't of said it better. 

"Harvey Norton passed away today.. Some knew him as Harvey, some new him as JM, but to us he was just plain ol Papa. He is know for many things around here, from being involved in the beginning of Fort Worth Christian, to starting and building a successful metal company.... But to us he was Just Papa. He gave and shared and was a driven business man, but to us, he was just Papa. He was looked up to, sought after, mentored, and strived to be liked, but to us , he was just Papa!.....So to all of u who know one of those many characters he played in this life, know that to us he was OUR PAPA and he is going to be dearly missed."

He played a part in my want to travel so to him i'm thankful. I'm thankful for the love he showed, the jokes he said, and the smile he had when I came to visit. The last time we were all together he was telling his caretaker that I was going back to Africa! I know he loved this place and I don't think he'd want me anywhere else right now. I will miss him constantly but I know he is not hurting anymore, he is able to be the man he once was. 

prayers for my family would be greatly appreciated, especially for my nana. She just lost the love of her life for over 70 years....but oh what a blessing those 70 years have been.

Love you papa.

I Live in SOUTH AFRICA

Well we survived our first day in our new home! Words cant express the beauty of this place. I was sure I had been to some of the prettiest places in the world but this one just trumps them. We got in last night around 10. Tim and Natasha were at the airport to pick us up which was super nice. They work at Living Hope, the organization we are volunteering for. I was beyond happy once we got here because that ment no more flights! After 27 hours we were finally 'home' for 9 months anyways. Traveling was easy, layovers were short. On one of the flights no one sat next to me so for 8 hours I got to just spread out which was beyond fantastic. We are staying at the Eco Wave Lodge which is an old house that this lady, Katrin got and she rents out the rooms to different people. This place is awesome and so is Katrin. We drove around with her today and got to see different places. I think we will most def. get along. 

Today me and Jennifer went and got our car. It's this little 4 door toyota called Freda...we didn't name here. The PRECIOUS older couple we rented it from did.

 we've bonded. I think were going to have many of good adventures together ha!

After mastering the whole driving on the right side of the car, but left side of the road thing..we made it back home. Got lost once but I successfully directed our way back to our house. Jennifer was the designated driver for the time being so I got to take pictures and video things. :] ill put up a video later once it's done uploading :] 

Once we made it safely back to our house we walked down the street literally less than a minute away and this is what our view is....

ENJOY!!!

 needless to say we love it here. We are going into Town tomorrow to church, possibly HillSong which would be so awesome.

OH. I knew right away I would love this place when we came across this restaurant. not only did they have the 'Texan Blaze Burger' but these were the booths we sat in. OBSESSED. 

 just go ahead and envision that in my future home...because it'll be there.

Monday is our first day at Living Hope. Were going to meet everyone and have orientation and that's when we will find out what we get to do with our time here! I am so excited, Tim mentioned we'd be going into a township called Capricorn, which is really just a neighborhood of mud huts and metal shacks and we will be making relationships with the people that live there. I'm really excited because that is what I think of when I reminisce about Ghana. :] 

Just wanted to give yall an update of our time here so far! 

Hope everyone back home is happy and safe. 

'We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you'.
Psalms 33:20-22

I leave tomorrow. those words are kind of extremely weird to say & naturally I am just now finishing up packing...and by that I mean I am done laying most of the things I'm taking out. I am the absolute definition of a procrastinator. take it or leave it people..I have a feeling that is just something that comes with me! :]   

Good Lord Almighty I am going back to Africa but to a new part with new faces and new adventures. The last two summers I spent my time in Ghana, West Africa. A place where poverty is on every street....

but with that comes the faces of huge smiles and happy hearts. 

 

Surrounding myself with people who have little to nothing but live each day to the fullest was truly gratifying, I just wish more people lived with that mindset. Now a days everyone wants the newest of this and the best of that. I knew after my first trip to Africa it was always going to hold a special place in my heart, and for those of ya'll that see or talk to me on a daily basis know this. 

This time around however, I will be experiencing a new Africa. A place that is far from what I have known Africa to be. For the next 8 1/2 months I will be in one of the MOST beautiful places in the world. A place that, compared to the rest of Africa, is quite wealthy. I will be living in a town called Kommetjie, which is like a suburb of Cape Town. 

 

 I know, I know...it's like I am going to be in paradise for the next few months. Not to mention my house is a TWO minute walk to one of the best surf beaches in the area. Absolutely nothing like the Africa I have experienced but i'm positive it is where I need to be this time. I have no idea how God is going to use my talents or my weaknesses on this adventure but I do know that he is already there getting those whose paths I will cross ready for my arrival. 

 

Many people have asked me what im doing while im here...and that is indeed a fantastic question! && when I find out the answer I will absolutely be sure to let you know! haha. but in all seriousness, I really don't have an answer for you. 

WHAT? your going all the way across the world and you have no idea what your doing??....yeah I get that alot. Just part of the adventure I suppose. I'm not complaining...I know it's going to be beneficial to someone less fortunate than me and that is all that matters. I will be working with an organization called Living Hope. check it out! --  www.livinghope.co.za/

One of the jobs I know I will be doing is talking to kids about aids prevention and just life skills. I think the only way we can get this world to become a better place is to start with the next generation and teach them that with God in their life they can do anything they put their mind to. It's also very possible I will be working with people who have aids so prayers for not only my health but for theirs as well would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Tomorrow I will be opening the page to a new chapter in my story. I know that it is going to be filled with memories. Some will be good and others may be bad. I want to use every day to the fullest and just be a light to those who have been left in the dark. I want to befriend those who others consider outcasts and be a comfort to the lost. It's like Matthew 25:35-40, God is in each of these

people regardless of the way they live their life. 

 

Well I suppose I will finish packing! I just want to thank EVERYONE for their prayers and support for me while I have been getting ready to leave. I ask that you keep em coming! Jennifer and myself will truly be blessed by each and everyone of yall. 

 

WOO for spending 22 hours total in flights tomorrow. I just know this will all be worth it! My next post will be in my new home. I can't wait for yall to follow me on this journey. :] 

 

 

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." ~Saint Teresa of Avila