Sometimes pictures speak louder than words. It has been a very busy and great May, so I hope that by sharing these pictures and captions with you you'll get to see the awesome ways God is working in Shongweni. It has been such a joy for me to serve here in South Africa as well as get to see people back in the U.S. during my time there. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! What a blessing it is for me to know that I have such great brothers and sisters in Christ!
This is the playground called a Sonke that was put in by a team of American volunteers this month. It was great to have their assistance and the children loved having them here! I had the joy of introducing the playground to the children and helping the younger ones work their way around the tires and balance beam.
Shara and I have had the pleasure of getting to know many more children in the community and were able to hold after school programs while there was a short term team of volunteers here from the U.S. In this picture the children are working on making prayer rocks with the Bible passage, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This went along with the Bible account of the day where David beats Goliath with only a stone, because God was the one in control.
These are children who attend Shongweni Primary School. This is the school that many kids from the church congregation and the Orphan Project attend. Pastor Thwala has been asked to share a Christian message with many of the local schools. This has been a wonderful way to reach out to the community with the message of salvation in Christ and for the children to know they are always welcome in our church and community center.
This is the inside of one of the first grade classrooms in Shongweni Primary School. The teachers are very caring and do their best to help the children with the limited resources that they have available. In this classroom there is one teacher for 63 first graders, making it challenging and essential for teachers to be creative and resourceful in their classrooms.
Our sewing teacher Gori came back for a session to teach the women how to bead by hand on clothes and other materials. It has been very interesting to learn and great to see the ladies improving and learning new skills regularly.
Throughout this month stronger relationships have been built, more Vacation Bible School programs have been developed, and the community center has been put to use. Even our dirt soccer field has seen a lot of play. As Pastor Thwala, Shara and I work together to provide holistic care for the people in Shongweni Village it has been encouraging to see that people are curious about what drives our love for the community. Please continue to pray that God would open the door for conversation as we open the doors to our community center and church to them and reach out to them where they are in the community. May the assurance of Christ’s life, death and resurrection for your salvation give you peace and hope now and always. Love in Christ,
Julia
Julia
