House Dedications!!

Day 9 - wrote 3 pages

This morning at FP we prayed over the 3 shacks we built + handed over the keys to the families

1. Father + little boy (6 yrs?) [and wife & two more girls(who we never met)]

This is a video Deb shot at the first house dedication
2. The girl on the right and her two younger siblings (1 on her back and the little boy sitting on the ground)

This is the blessing of the second shack that Deb recorded
3. Robert\

This was the blessing of the third shack + the garden
All of the women you see jammin' out in these videos are the care takers i keep referring to throughout the journal.

1. The whole family is "in the program" meaning they all have HIV/AIDS. The father & son were the only ones home so i guess the mom was working somewhere or visiting family or sitting in line at the clinic. The older 2 may've been at the Creche (daycare) or something.
2. This 20ish year old and her little ones, (I think their mom just died, leaving her in charge of the other two) were the most outwardly thankful out of the first two shack-resident families. I cannot picture (very easily) being my age and being completely in charge of a baby and a little brother who cant be older than 4 - especially in Freedom Park.
3. Robert is someone who stepped up from the community to tend to & protect the garden from people hopping the fence to steal whats been grown. He is a volunteer, but now he has a good multi-purpose way to pass time.

All the ladies + Pastor Khumalo who came to pray + Johannes

All the fellers + Pastor Khumalo + Johannes

Freedom Park, I decided last Thursday, is the very last place I would like to - or wish anyone have to - be at overnight. The serious stories of rape and prostitution floor me. Chris pointed out a few nights ago how jail-like it really is: filled with pain, abuse, suffering, scarce food. I can only imagine the screams of a neighbor the little kids must hear any given night when a man breaks in and starts to have his way with a single mom, un-protected 14 & orphaned year old girl, or a 3 year old girl, just because he is a sick, desperate, perverted man. Jenny is so paranoid about just walking around; I don't blame her, but I'm not as scared. One, I haven't really had that situation put in front of me. Two, we always had to have at least one guy with us so we don't. Not all of us girls always had the security of the rule either though....

We also got to visit Phokeng today! :)

Tea party!

The girls were singing "Waka Waka" and they were killer! =)

The boys loved playing with Kristy's ipod!

They kept watching the music video for Michael Franti's "Say Hey" and dancing along :)

Random spurt: I'll miss the photography boys... :(
Dashboard Confessional Saves the Day.

Jon, Charles, & Sean just had the "what do you sleep in - boxers only, or do you wear a tshirt or socks or anything?" talk.... it was kinda funny.  (Jeremy wasn't kidding, I write everything... haha)

Sonner has some stellar song writing skills... not a joke.. he said his CD should be out in the next few months.
& For the last half hour (9p - 9:30) Dave and I did all the dishes from dinner and cleaned up the kitchen... not super awkward, just kind of since we don't talk much normally. Swapped stories a bit so that's good I guess - that makes...2 (Kristie and Dave), 4 days to hear everyone elses? Optimistic thought. However - doing dishes is a good way to pass time + get to know someone.

We met Johannes' family and I got to hold his new baby for a while after dinner!! They are ALL so beautiful!

I just read Micah 5, randomly, and realized the subject matter could totally apply to Africa! (Read it)