Tuesday, August 16, 2011

To everything there is a season... including the flu.

Well, I seem to have let another month go by without updating. I have been super busy organizing Christmas gifts, tutoring half the kids, doing home visits, hosting people in my home and doing the Guardian Business Startup.

Tutoring is going well. The boys are all reading and writing, and all the kids seem to be doing well except Barbara. She is the most faithful in both school and tutoring attendance, but due to learning disabilities (and not at all for lack of trying or laziness) she is consistantly failint. Please pray that God will open her mind and give her the understanding she needs to pass her exams and do well in school. Most of the other kids are doing great, we are still having attendance issues with Memory and the Daka family, but they were recently warned and they have until the end of the year to show commitment or we will have to replace them, out of fairness to the others in the community and their sponsors.

The guardian business startup has to be the most rewarding thing I have ever been a part of. To be able to say that I am facilitating TEN families in getting a fresh start and a clean slate.... to be able to provide food and shelter and medical care for their families.... it's phenomenal. So far we have started on the first 5 families, and we will finish them before going on to the next five. We delivered two bales of clothing to two homes, and went back for two more and by the time we got back, Mrs Daka had sorted, organized and laid out her clothing to sell outside her home. She wasn't even waiting until we helped her rent or build her kantemba (or, shop)... she was ON IT. It made me so happy to see her jump right in within a few hours!!

The most powerful so far has to be Kaumba's Uncle, Isaac. He converted a room in his home into a shop... complete with shelving units and a buyers window. He had it all built and rady before we even got there, and he officially opened for business on Saturday!!!! So exciting... it is beyond words!


Katherine left after a 6 week visit, and she is missed! She did a great job and had a wonderful time here helping out. 3 days after she left, Maurice, a good friend from home, came for about two weeks to visit and help out. The kids all immediately took to him, and there were a lot of broken hearts when he had to leave on Sunday. He was a huge help in the work while he was here and it was a blessing and an encouragement to have him here.


Right now I am down with the flu so I took yesterday and today off. Tomorrow I will go back and continue with the business startup. Please kee all of the guardians in your prayers and also Fanny, Maureen and I, as the startup involves a LOT of travel and work.