Sharing Views Water Day

Last Saturday, 20 February, was close to if not the hottest day of the year. Reaching 43 degrees celsius (about 109 degrees farenheight), we were all weak from heat exhaustion. That didn't stop our Sharing Views team, however, from providing the kids with a fantastic Water Day. Nearly 700 children from the Kayamandi community came dressed in swimming suits or underpants ready to get wet! The local fire department came and sprayed the kids with water and foam, and there were lots of water games and even a water slide! Everyone involved loved it, and the water helped us to survive the intense summer heat!

My Garden

I was reminded of Proverbs 31:16-17 recently. It says,"a wife of noble character... goes to inspect a field and buys it. With her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker..." Now, I am not claiming to be that cool, but I did get a small bit of money last weekend that I invested into the soil. Our office had a small yard sale bazaar where we could sell things to the community and cheap rates. I decided to help work the bazaar and ended up earning R70 (which is about $10.) I then took that money and went to the nursery where I bought tomato, green bean, eggplant, strawberry, spinach, basil, coriander, thyme, and parsley plants. We have a small plot of land in the back yard of our apartment, and I was SO excited to take a stab at growing the food that we will need for nourishment. Food is getting very expensive and more and more nutritionally deprived due to the shipping of vegetables. Therefore, I am very excited to try to grow our own plants that will keep Neal and I healthy this year. Look out proverbs 31 woman... here I come!

Prayer Team 2010

We are very excited to see what God is doing this year in our prayer team. The prayer team is led by Abongile, one of our graduated students, who has recently joined our social work team. The group has grown and is now including many younger children as well. The kids and teens are eager to stand in the gap and intercede for their families, communities, country and the world. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the hearts of children trusting God for miracles and coming humbly to their Father in Heaven in prayer.

Opening Learning Centre

This past Monday, Feb 1, we finally opened our learning centre classes for the year. Up to this point, we have been marketing and recruiting new tutors. Then we had to have orientation trainings, and coordinate their schedules and transportation. It has been an admin nightmare, but with good results in the end. This week we have already signed on 45 tutors, and have helped over 200 students in grades preschool- grade 10. The students seem eager to learn and our partnership with the schools has never been stronger. We are so grateful to God for the doors that He is opening! Yesterday we had our grade 8-10 math classes and we were short of teachers. A group of grade 11 students also came for help, so we were spread very thin. I don't usually tutor math, due to my terrible math skills, but I gave grade 9 math a try and we ended up having a fun and educational class for us all.

Tahoe in the New Year

On New Years Day, Neal, my mom and I headed up the mountain for a trip to Lake Tahoe. My mom used her timeshare to treat Neal and I to 4 fantastic days in a condo in the Tahoe snow. Our trip included some fantastic R&R, sledding, snow shoeing, Neal and my mom skiied and I got an hour massage (still have bad knee). This 4 days with mom was such a special gift for Neal and I. It's memories that we will remember forever.

Merry Christmas!

Neal and I loved being able to see my family for Christmas. For Neal, it was his first Christmas in Winter, and his first look at the "American Christmas." On Christmas eve we enjoyed time with Dad and Sharon, my Grandma and Grandpa Nixon, as well as with my Uncle Mike and his wife Cindy. Then on Christmas Day it was loads of fun at My Dad and step-mom Sharon's house with all of their side of the family over. Christmas part 3 was with my mom, and her side of the family. We met with my Grandma, aunts Judy and Sandy, Mom, and a second Cousin Maureen. It was a nice quiet christmas with family at home.

I'm an auntie!!!

On October 17th my only sister Jessica brought the most adorable baby boy into the world. Our family has been so excited to welcome baby Charlie as the newest member. Neal and I had the privileged opportunity of going to visit Jessica and her husband Paul on December 14th at their home in Madison, Wisconsin where we got to meet Charlie for the first time. I loved every minute of our snuggle time!