February 2006

February 2006

10th - I went with Glenda down south to what is referred to as the “bush”. I always imagined the bush more like a jungle or literally in the bushes. This is just the most rural part of the country, and extremely poor. We went down to meet with the pastor and community and leaders to present our heart for the community and wanting to help by training some of the teachers of the informal schools there. There are so many kids here uneducated due to lack of money. So many kids are orphaned that the oldest child is left to fend for the rest of the kids left behind. It is said that approx. 20% of home are lead by children 13 yrs. and younger. This community has come together and tried to put a school together. They were first literally meeting under a tree and when the rains came the community came together and put up a stick and mud hut for them to meet in. The are fed two meals (usually a pourage of some sort) and educated by volunteers in the community, young adults with very little education themselves no higher than a seventh grade education at the most, no teaching education whatsoever. So my job is to work with these teacher once a week just training them, giving them ideas or what ever I can help with. It has been a total challenge for me going from teaching in the states with all the curriculum, paper, copiers, art supplies, markers, desks, etc. to nothing here. They have one med. sized chalk board to teach with and some random old already-used donated book from a local school (which do not seem to be too helpful), no desks some paper and pencils that have been donated. Wow I have gotten off subject, well we had this meeting with the community and leaders completely African outside this hut on the ground in the dirt. We were surprised that the community was so open to us and gave us pretty much free reign with the school and training teachers. During the meeting some ladies started screaming and we turned around to this homestead directly behind us and a man was beating his wife with a stick. First on the back of the head then her face and more, I will spare you the details. The pastor and some of the men got the old man to stop and he claimed he left her at the pub and came home to eat and she walked in on him eating!? Crazy, and this meeting was at 10am. So the police were called and they actually came with in the hour, but did nothing because it was a domestic problem that needed to be taken care of on the property. No wonder there is so much abuse and violence, no one wants the responsibility of dealing with it or being held responsible. It all died down and the meeting ended well and we are now off and running with this community and their school. This afternoon my heart has been so extremly heavy over what happened down in the rural area today and for so many more reasons. We feel like God has been challenging us to step out in some areas, but doors seem to always close and I am not understanding, I know we always do not understand. I have such a passion to teach and do what I know I am good at, like I did in the states, yet we are here and really not doing what we thought we would be doing. Trying to work towards it, I don’t know!

13th - Our first training day in Kumkwele went well. I had four teachers that I was working with and you would have thought I gave each of them a bundle of money. Simple things as making poster with them to put up on their stick and mud walls and talking through some structure of a schedule and stuff and they were shining from ear to ear. It excited me as I was feeling so down lately as to what my purpose here in Africa was. My priority is obviously my family and then ministry. I was a little nervous with teaching teachers to teach with no resources. I will be working with them next week and will probably be having all 64 kids drawing in the dirt floors with sticks or their fingers, we will see. I would love to see them get so much: individual chalk boards, desks, books, etc. but the community is coming together to fund a building and put it up and when we can pour a whole floor in the main hall for the same price as the mini chalk boards we have to live in the reality that they are used to having nothing and they do not notice the difference. Also when they are given everything they do not take care of it and seem to take so much for granted and generally looking for a handout. It is hard for me as an American though who is from the want it and get it now generation and mentality, which just does not work here.

14th - Doug and I actually had a date for valentines. I came home from grocery shopping and there were beautiful roses on my table and then we went out. The funny thing was that two other missionary couples were at the same restaurant having dinner. That is what you get with soooo many options here in small little Swaziland Africa!!

16th -Tonight we had a medical team here for dinner from the states. They are here and working daily holding clinics in different locations daily for 10 days straight, sooo much work. They have been seeing over 150 people/children daily and having to turn some away due to it getting so late. What an amazing ministry though.

19th - My baby girl turned 5 today!! I cannot believe it, time is flying by. We celebrated as a family today and will have a party next week.

25th - Today 6 of Kylea’s little friends came over to celebrate Kylea’s birthday with us. Since it is summer here we played sprinkler games and Kaden and I got burned. We had a blast running around with water balloons, sponges and just getting wet.

28th - Another month has come and gone! I spent this morning down in Kumkwele training we are up to about 8 teachers that I am working with. I am teaching them how to teach phonics and the alphabet their sounds and how to properly write the letters, I actually feel like I am teaching first and second graders. Some of them do not even know the sounds to each of the letters or the difference between a lower case and capital letter.
Tonight we had a spout of disobedience with Kylea. She reverted back to lying and telling me her brother did something and she actually did it. So we had a time of thinking and talking and discipline. Usually after discipline she pulls away from us. Now we are going through “Growing Kids God’s Way” and they touched on this in our last session so I tried it. I disciplined her and she pulled away and so I told her I would let her be and think about what just happened for a few minutes and I would be back. As soon as I began to leave she started crying for me and said she just needed me. So I sat down and she crawled up in my lap and we talked about why we discipline, how much I love her, etc. She has been amazingly clingy tonight, loving and hugging, and smooching. I know some parents are so much against disciplining, but for us it seems that when we set boundries and are consistant with them it truly shows our kids how much we love them and are watching out for them.