... three stories

Story ONE:

Holiday club ended on Friday with a HUGE day - over 1,000 kids and banana splits for everyone. Actually, it wasn't really a banana split... first bananas - then smashed up cookies - then marshmallows... mix in custard with your hands... and lots of random sweeties... then add jello- and finally ice cream. Everyone promised me it was amazingly tasty. I was just glad to have an excuse not to try...

On Thursday, I had the older girls come to my art room. I set them to work putting together octupus out of yarn- and I'm so glad I did. We totally ran out of supplies to make aquariums! As always, I had planned for about 150 to come through my room... but after the chaos was over, we realized we had gone through the 150 bottles and the 100 girls outside hadn't gotten to make. I'm SO glad we had the forsight to do those octopus. They came out super cute too.

A HUGE thank you and giant hug around the world to my friends that donated supplies and money toward these projects. At church on Sunday, the leader said "And Trace... who comes from America and doesn't know that we usually just color things in at the art station here... got it in her head to make these beautiful projects this year..." It's really only because of my friends in the states that were excited to put together ocean supplies and post them in a big box for me that the kids got to do something more... something they all took home and were excited about. Thank you THank you!

Story TWO... My dad - he's still at Butterworth - Robert Fletcher if you want to go say hello for me.... I'm sure my mom is there too. She'd love some flowers and a DELL crossword puzzle book. He's in a great mood when I've talked to him... totally the comedian. I've always said that my dad and David Letterman were somehow twins that just didn't know each other yet. Yesterday he told me that he's been sleeping on the visitors chair and letting my mom sleep on the hospital bed... "I think it's a good decision... I mean, if the nurse comes in the middle of the night with another one of her injections... she's going to go for the one in the bed not the one in the chair!"

Seriously, every time I've been able to talk to them, I've been so impressed with the way they are loving each other through all of this - my mom celebrates when he remembers someone's name... when he was in ICU, he'd wake up at 3:00 in the morning , disoriented and call her - she'd come right over.... they are laughing together and talking to doctors together and loving each other well. It has done my heart good to hear them - and learn from them.

Dad's motor skills and memory are improving... his vision will be permantly affected though. No more driving for my dad... and we'll have to modify his computer... but he'll be fine - and for that, I am ever-so thankful.

Story THREE: I won't see you again till Monday. We are packing up right now to drive up to Botswana tomorrow for a bit of wilderness camping. It comes at a really great time... we are so looking foward to the awayness of it - and the rest and the fresh air and maybe even getting to see some animals (hopefully not TOO up close!) I've done up my hair for the occasion... 10 hours sitting in the same chair with three girls working non stop... I'm planning to have this look for a while- I'm glad I love it so much. So, peace to you - no matter what your week looks like. Write a few pages, sing a few songs, sit for a spell and intentionally breathe in the fresh air. See you Monday.

Day three of Holiday Club and other things too

Day three and the kids are going strong. We've picked up quite a few new children... today in the art room I went through a day and half worth of supplies. Tomorrow I'll have the pre-teen girls coming through and we are going to do a yarn octopus. Super fun. But I have to admit... I am crossing my fingers that it works out in the midst of the chaos that rains down in my art room for that one hour each day.

You can start to see that the leaders are getting exhausted from the high energy it takes to lead these groups of kids - and the late nights they are together at the dorms. Last night they had a really spirit soaked service where 12 of the teenage leaders gave their faith a name and listened to what God has been speaking in to their lives. Even Mady was touched by how beautiful it was for these high schoolers she is serving with and mentioned it to me today.

Avery decided the hordes of kids was a bit much for her and she's moved herself from participant to "helper" after she realized her group was communicating in Tswana and she had no idea what was going on. I'm glad to have her involved in whatever way she feels most comfortable... and be able to find value in all the different moments here.

In completely a other, but continually connected part of our lives... my dad has a stroke yesterday morning. It wasn't traumatic, but is was way more than simply mild. He is currently in ICU at Butterworth - but Mom thinks they'll move him to the Neurological Ward by the end of the day seeing as how he has stabilized.

Two seperate people in the states emailed yesterday morning at 3:30... "I'm awake at this crazy hour for some reason and thinking about and praying for you." 3:30 is when my dad was able to make it back to the bedroom from the hallway, knowing something terrible was happening, and alert my mom. She knew right away what it was and she and my sister and brother in law were able to get him to the hospital immediately. Because of their quick reaction, my dad was a candidate for TPA a drug that thins the clot. Within an hour they could tell it was working and we are all so thankful.

Another dear friend had set aside yesterday to intentionally spend the day fasting and praying for our family. And here in South Africa, someone sent me a text message at the exact same moment with a prayer for our family.

When I say that praying for each other matters... it does. There is some inexplainable connection that God has decided to set in motion. I don't believe that he needs to hear our prayers... I think He isn't limited by our being involved or not. But for some reason, he has chosen to link us together - and to show himself to us through our prayer and the prayer of other people. And it is a strikingly beautiful thing.

The first day of Holiday Club

I've decided that I take entirely too long to post lately... so I'm going start something new... Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll have at least a photo for you to look at if not a story to go with. And today is actually a post in real time.


Today started our annual holiday club. For those of you who recieve our monthly e-letters... you know all about it. 600+ township kids bussed in from around the area. 60+ teenage leaders spending the week together in the dorms at a local high school - kind of like a mission trip in their own town.





I get to head up the art room this year... which means 150 kids coming through in an hour every single day. We have two projects to cycle through - a pop-bottle aquarium and then they go on to free painting... I adore these kids. 150 in 60 minutes is a bit hectic. But I adore these kids.








Madyline has a group of second graders this year - she has them all walking like penguins and dancing like mad. Our theme this year is Under the Sea - even though South Africa is bordered on three sides by the ocean, most of these kids have never experienced the sea - or even live fish for that matter. Our biggest hope is to give these kids a week of fun that is saturated with God's love and truth.... and lots of hugs for each little one.

The grannies and grandpas

The great clothing donation has come to a close. I'll be backtracking with images- because I was down for so long between the killer flu and then my busted ankle - I'm playing catch up now... but with all the money we generated from the huge jumble sale we put on with all the clothing... we hosted a lunch for the pensioners in Zandspruit.

I got there at 9:00 and there were already people at Emthonjeni - waiting. By 11:00 the place was packed. My main "job" was to do photojournalism for the event, but we don't have enough room inside the "house" for that many people, so we had set up chairs in the courtyard - all in rows - all facing the house - so every time I peeked out there, all I saw was rows and rows of faces staring back at me. I found myself very shy of the grannies and grandpas.

But then I realized how ridiculous that was. The worst they could do was reject me. So, by logic, the worst I could do was reject them. Wasn't that essentially what I was already doing by inviting them to Emthonjeni and then not talking to them? So I took a deep breath and walked outside to sit for a spell. The first thing I saw was a child sitting on a grannie's lap, holding her breast like a cup and nursing. Sometimes we forget that we really are in Africa out here. I looked for my friend, Mama Joyce and wove my way back to where she was sitting. It's easiest to overcome shyness with a familiar face. Mama Joyce and I talked about the cold at night that seeps in through the thin & gapy shack walls, the excitement of having a meal cooked for everyone, all the beautiful faces of the seniors that were gathering, the music that was playing, we sang together. I found, not surprisingly, that my hesitation had melted away as I hugged her again and made my way through the sea of grandparents, welcoming and having small conversations and taking portraits of stunning faces, etched with unimaginable amounts of life.

This generation, especially, has lived through so much. Most of them grew up into adult hood on their tribal homeland- some even raised their children in the rural tribe-oriented lifestyles. Apartheid, the dying of the land, generations of men migrating to the cities to work in the mines, the breakdown of apartheid, westernization watering down their own culture. They find themselves in a dramatically new world that has shifted many times over their years. Now, for scores of reasons, they all live here in the city....cramped in small make-shift shacks, many of them raising grandchildren. Some have family to provide for them in their old age, many do not, having lost children to a myriad of poverty induced illnesses, or HIV/AIDS or violence. To apply for a pension means days traveling by taxi to wait in long, lines - wading through confusing government papers and systems. Many don't have the knowledge of the procedures or the stamina to wait all day only to be given the run around again. It is a social group that is highly neglected. They are difficult to gather, often difficult to speak to (due to both language and personality), their needs are as individualistic as they are great.

At Emthonjeni, we were able to host this lunch for the grandparents by using money we earned by turning donated clothing into a giant garage sale for the community. But we don't have plans as of yet to have any ongoing programs for this group of seniors. You can pray with us that as the needs of this demographic are recognized, solutions are provided for through our resources of people and funding.

a settlement school

First off, please forgive my delay... our internet has been down for weeks now. I"m taking advantage of a brief moment of connectivity to show you one more school.

This one was tucked way back on a lot after we snaked our way through the winding roads of an informal settlement. A few hundred children gather each day. A couple big sheds and a series of empty shipping containers are their classrooms - most of them having to sit on the floor or in the few broken chairs.

The teachers said "We just started this school because none of the kids were being taught. They just needed some place to go. Now we are back here and the school is so big. Show these pictures to people so they'll know we are back here and come help us. "

The same literacy program that I was visiting the other schools with, is starting a program in this little school as well, so these children will begin to get extra help with their reading. There is also an organization that has begun to build proper cement classrooms for them. All good stories. But there are still so many obstacles for them to overcome.

another day at school

This time in a primary school, again on the north east side of Johannesburg (about an hour from where we live). We visited a few grade 3-4 classes that are involved in a literacy program - which is what I was there photographing for. There were 3 sometimes 4 children sitting at each double desk - often sharing one notebook. Two of the classes we went into had no teacher for the day, only a 7th grade student babysitting.

The literacy program I was visiting is a Non Government Orginization that has chosen specific schools in targeted areas to work with. Many of these 8-10 year old students will be struggling with basic sight words... cat, is, am, was, it, are. Partially because english is a second language for nearly all of them - partially due to overcrowding, lack of resources, lack of nutrution and safety at home, sometimes even lack of healthy, providing parents. It's not an easy thing to have the freedom to stay a child in a poor community in Johannesburg.

the great clothing donation

A large, wealthy church in our area has decided to become more involved in its own missional projects - Emthojneni being one of them. So last month, they sponsored a huge clothing drive and then brought the bounty to us... in boxes and bags and piles and piles. Dekiledi, Jane, Estelle, Chrissy and I spent the day sorting through all the black rubbish bags filled with clothes - seperating out mens, womens, children, babies, trash. We sorted all day. Laughed a lot. Jane scored a fabulous sparkled evening gown that we simply have to plan an event just so she has an opportunity to wear that fabulous thing. I found some black, knee high, skin tight, platform, 6 inch chunky heeled boots. We ate lunch. We kept sorting.

In the afternoon, we invited 5 women in to go "shopping" into reusable grocery bags we provided them with. Each of these ladies were sweet enough to open their homes to staff members from this particular church last month. They hosted them for tea in the community of Zandspruit - to grow awareness for what 30 minutes of life is like in the informal settlement.

After the free shopping spree was over, we packed up the clothing, now all separated into categories and the events of distribution will begin. We have plans for this week and next week and then a huge jumble sale on 09 May - with the proceeds going toward a morning of tea and cakes for all the grannies and grandpas in the community. Of course I'll be photographing... and of course I'll share.

high school

Thanks for letting me muss....

and thanks for your words and encouragement and love. I know we will struggle. I know we are still good. It was pretty beautiful, the week after I was fumbling through all these thoughts and emotions, I took Avery to Emthonjeni one afternoon. Again, I was playing photographer and again, she was left to fend for herself a little bit. When I found her, she was playing the sandbox with the preschoolers... having a ball. Later in the car she said "I really like playing with the little kids. We don't have to worry about talking to each other. They just like to play without worrying about who I am." And I said "Siyabonga Baba Unkalunkalu" (Thank you father God) because her heart is resilient and finds it's places of joy and peace.

(and she gets a little help with her homework along the way)