The past several days since my last post have been extremely mixed, with some awesome highs and some deep lows (challenges). As winter seems set to stake its claim on Cape Town I generally find life a little tougher to deal with as I am far more of a warmth and sunshine kind of person! And really, who enjoys getting out of a warm bed in the dark? There is definitely something to be said for hibernating!
Finances continue to be an issue as the one local organization who was helping us to pay salaries is now no longer able to do so, which means that on a daily basis I am seeking funds to pay our 1 1/2 staff member as well as finding money to support myself. As many non-profits find, this is a constant struggle and stresses me out quite a bit, though I am gently learning to rely on God more and more as he has continued to provide exactly what we need!
We had some incredibly awesome surprise donations of "stuff" recently . . . South Africa Rugby were upgrading their office supplies and donated an incredible copier/printer/fax/phone, which we desperately needed. It is awesome and will take me some time to figure out what all the buttons are for!
We also received 6 huge black bags full of brand news kids Crocs - you know, the funny looking, but incredibly comfortable shoes! These came courtesy of a student teacher who was doing her prac at Maitland Garden Village Primary school! So great! We will use these as a motivation for our children to get their forms for our holiday program back on time - "Bring your form back by XXX date and get a FREE pair of shoes!" This way it seems as though they are actually doing something to earn the shoes (however small it is) rather than just having them handed out!
Our girls and boys hockey teams continue to have fun and are getting better and better with each match. They look SUPER smart in their new uniforms!
We have been working hard at getting a holiday program together for the upcoming June / July holidays. This is tough work as we have never before had such long holidays in the middle of winter, this is all thanks to South Africa holding the soccer world cup. It does not really make sense to me at all as it seems as though all the soccer games are outside of school hours anyway, so what the point of having the kids out of school for 5 week is, is beyond my comprehension! We would desperately like to take the kids out on some field trips during this time, we have been offered some generous discounts, but are still struggling for funds. Anyone who would like to sponsor a day out for our kids please let me know! Our options include:
The World of Bird - R625 ($89)
Planet Kids (indoor play area) - R625 ($89)
Drakenstein Lion Park - R500 ($71)
This would include entry for 20 children and 5 adults to these attractions. I am working on family and friends to help with transport!
Some GREAT news is that one of our sponsored kids came home yesterday with a certificate and trophy that had been presented in assembly for "Working very hard to achieve the very best everyday" I wish you could have seen how proud she was. This obviously made my day and certainly made hers! This poor kid has been through so much in her life, going to a good school and having a wonderful Christian teacher is about the only stable thing in her life, so this was such encouraging news!
If you would like to sponsor a field trip for our children please contact me or go to our website - www.campsonshineafrica.org where you can donate through PayPal, please reference where you would like the money allocated.
Check it out . . . http://vimeo.com/11785809
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