Blog 2

Day 4

Dumela – hello, from South Africa! Today was a day spent with the Ditshego management staff.  Beth planned some fun team building activities that gave the Ditshego staff and the Resurrection team a chance to get to know each other better. We had a gratitude scavenger hunt first.  We got into groups and set out to find items on a list that had to do with things we are grateful for.  By the time we had completed our lists and shared out with the entire group, we were strangers no more. I see why the school is named Ditshego House of Laughter.  We laughed together all morning!  We took a mid-morning tea and coffee break and served our hosts, letting them know how much we value them.  Next, we built bridges figuratively and literally.  Using popsicle sticks we wrote words on them that represent building bridges within groups of people.  Then we used the popsicle sticks to build a real bridge.  The glue was as plentiful and spread around as the smiles and laughter!  Lastly, the groups designed zoos.  Using scripture that references how God wants us to care for the animals as a starting point, we created our zoos.  

We had lunch with the staff, sitting outside enjoying the beautiful day.  Being in the southern hemisphere, it is summer here and it was nice to be outside hearing birds we have never heard before. Lunch was chicken, pap (very similar to grits) and beets and spinach grown in their permaculture gardens. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!  

The afternoon was spent with Salaminah, Ditshego’s Fund Raising Manager, sharing about their history and work in the area, as well as getting a tour of the Raslouw Ditshego facilities.  We got greetings from the children who attend the open school, which is for children who do not yet have the proper documents to start at the local schools. The teachers work with them for up to a year, helping them keep up with their learning.  We saw various spaces where the staff supports the community by working with parents also.  September, their garden manager, showed us around their permaculture garden.  They grow many varieties of vegetables in the garden and greenhouses, plus have planted fruit trees out back.  Before we left, we met the chickens in their coop.  The staff collects about 45-50 eggs a day that they sell in the community.

It was a productive, fun day.  We have made lifelong friends here during our stay.  We will have dinner soon and then have an evening debrief and devotion and discuss our plans for tomorrow.  We send our love and greetings to friends and family back home.