Special Project

Hey Family all over the world,

Wow. Sorry for missing my entry last month. Its been very busy and my head space has been a little cluttered.

Spring is here and to be honest its closer to more summer weather. South Africa doesn't have transition weather. Its winter or summer. Only two modes. Its pretty interesting.

We had three groups come through Refilwe. A church from Fresno, California, a YWAM team based from Switzerland and a High School group from the UK. For three weeks in July the schools have a holiday. Ryan and Megan put on an amazing Refilwe Holiday Club, Teen Club and then an all inclusive holiday club.  Everyone in Children’s Ministry works extra hard in July.



I am sad to say that my dear friend as roommate Stephannie and her brother Michael went home to Colorado. They served faithfully for six months here at Refilwe and are very missed.

At the Baby Home we received two new babies! Baby G came to us at one month old. He came to us needing lots of Love and Patience after a very rough first month of life. And Baby K came at 9 months old being Very feisty and so independent.  Both have had very hard transitions being away from the only home they had every known. We are so thankful that after a month of being at El Roi they have both settled in better and we can see their bright and wonderful personalities. We are excited to see what their future holds.

Baby E had a very busy month of July. She turned One!!! This little Ball of energy had such a fun birthday and enjoyed being in the center of attention. July was also very special for her because she was adopted into her Forever Family! She was embraced by her South African Mom, Dad and Big Sister.

Morgan is here! We have a new baby house volunteer from North Dakota. She is here for four months and is already a wonderful addition to the Auntie Team.

Happy 3rd Birthday S

For the Last two weeks we have honored to be apart of a special adoption. Dear friends from the Netherlands have adopted another little girl. It has been exciting to be on the other side of an adoption and watch a beautiful bond form in the first few weeks. Little Hannah is a wonderful addition to their family.

AB doing babys hair

SPECIAL PROJECT:
We are going to the JOHANNESBURG ZOO!!!!  This is the first big outing for El Roi and Im hoping Some of you will want to  get involved! It will cost about $150 to cover all expenses. This includes entrance fees, transport, and lunch for all 18 of us! I'm pretty sure the Aunties are just as excited as the kids. We are going on September 9th, just a little over a week away! If you want to help us with the cost of our Zoo trip, will you email me please? Even a small contribution will be appreciated!

whitinafrica@gmail.com

Prayers Requests:

-Wisdom. I need to make some decisions in the next couple months and I need patience and quiet heart listening to the Lords Leading.

-Adoptions! We only have ONE baby who might have a chance to be with his family for Christmas. Last Christmas we were overjoyed to hear that most of our kids were finally in a legal place to be with a family. We were counting all the babies and toddlers who would spend their next Christmas’ with their families.  That joy was somewhat short lived. Unfortunately, the courts are causing so many problems and red tape that most of our kids will be spending Christmas with us again. We are desperate for Judges to provide court dates and sign papers. Only God can soften hearts towards our kids and adoptions. I pray that God will surprise us all and we will have more adoptions than we ever expected by the end of the year!
-Zoo trip. This is a huge outing for El Roi and I would love some prayers for safety and the kids have a wonderful time getting to see these animals we are always talking about. I cant wait to see their faces when they see how big an elephant actually is! I can't wait to tell you all about it next month!

N is so sweet to give me a flower

Tractor Time!

Miss AB got to go to church!

peek-a-boo

DR visit

Quack

June Anniversary

Hey Family all over the world,

Are you ready for the big surprise?!?!?!?!


L is with her family!

L had a 2 day adoption process. On the 14th of June her mommy, daddy and brother came to the house to meet her for the first time. they spent about 90 minutes playing with her and talking to her. Then mommy helped put her to sleep for nap. They got a tour of the house and got to go through her book that Nicole makes for all the kids. On June 15th we prayed for her and gave last hugs and kisses, then Nicole put her in the car to take her to ABBA guest houses where she will spend the next three weeks with her family before they fly back to Sweden. Her Family has known their daughter was in South Africa for many months and I cannot even imagine the anticipation and excitement of those days.

waiting to meet her family for the first time

she did great playing with then

getting ready for her forever

brother love!

We are very excited to have 3 more adoptions coming up. Please pray with us that the paper work is done quickly. And that our kids will be with their families soon! We are not sure exactly why adoptions are starting to be processed again but we are so excited!

Mr. T is doing very well and a very hungry little boy. I think he is going to be a big kid : ) He likes to be held and to be swaddled. It has been so cold lately I think he has the right idea to be cuddled in a nice blanket. : )

Happy 1st birthday S

YOU are so LOVED!

June is a fun month for me. My birthday is in June and I celebrate my South African Anniversary.

My Birthday was fun. I had high tea at a nice hotel about an hour away with dear friends. It was fun to feel celebrated and get all dressed up. There are not too many occasions at Refilwe where dressing up is necessary lol.

June 19th is the anniversary of my move to South Africa! Three years ago I packed up four suitcases and got on a plane for what was suppose to be a six month trip! Well, so much for just a six month trip.  haha.  I have learned so much and been stretched and challenged in more ways that I could have imagined.  I am so thankful for my support system that literally stretches around the world. Thank you for financial support, the prayers, the emails, Skype calls. WhatsApp messages and FaceBook communication. At the end of the day all I can say is God is So Good!

Katie and I

high tea snacks

Sushi Birthday lunch

I have two typical days for me and they look like this:

5:00- Wake up
5:15- Breakfast and read bible
6:30- walk up to the baby house
6:35- Prep for the day, night shift debrief, pray with aunties
7:00- Bath and dress kids for day
8:00- All babies bottles/ Toddlers Breakfast
9:00- Small babies Nap/Big babies cereal
9:30- Big babies Nap/toddlers outside time
10:30- toddlers milk
10:45- toddlers nap
11:00 Small babies bottle
11:30 big babies up wake up
12:00 big babies bottle/ small babies nap
13:00- Big babies purity (baby food)
13:30- Big babies nap/Toddlers wake-up- Lunch
13:45- Small babies wake up
14:00- Small babies bottle
15:00- Small baby nap
14:30-15:30 Toddler Educational time (art, letters, numbers, bible verses, outside time)
15:30- Big babies wake up/Toddlers milk
16:00- Big babies milk
17:00- Small babies milk/big babies biscuit snack
17:30- Big babies bed/ toddlers dinner
17:45- Aunties finish cleaning house, fill out charts, day shift debrief.
18:00- Pray with Night shift and go home.
18:20- Shower
19:00- put away everything from the day/ watch an episode of a show
19:30- Make dinner
21:00- Bed
and Repeat for 2 more days
on the weekends we don't have a cleaner so we are also responsible for dishes, laundry, and cleaning bottles also
I usually work 2 weekends a month sometimes 3 on short staffed months
there are usually 3 aunties per day shift (sometimes only 2)
small babies 0-6 weeks
big babies  6 weeks- 15 months
toddlers 15months-3 years

my cat hanging out with the boys

My days off look quite different.

7:30- wake up
8:00- breakfast/devos
9:00- office for internet (emails, FB, find out about whats going on at the rest of Refilwe)
12:00- lunch
12:00-19:00 depends on the day.
-Movies
-TV series
-mall for groceries
dishes
cleaning house
painting
finishing touches on toddler crafts
a nap
laundry
hang out with Cindy
write my blog
prep sunday school curriculum 
19:00- Dinner
21:30- Bed
* sometimes more than one of these above happens in a afternoon and sometimes only one maybe two if i have the energy lol

Roughly the schedule goes three days at the baby house and two days “off”. Ideally this is what would be great but it heavily depends on Volunteers and paid aunties taking leave. There are weeks where I have been at the baby house 3 or 4 times and many weeks where I have been with the kids 6 days in the week. 


Today is June 30th. Today is my little C’s 2nd birthday. I have kinda had a heavy heart this week.  I wish we had an update from her family. I wish I could see how much she has grown. Maybe her big brother will make her a birthday picture? I wonder what they will do for her first birthday as a family? I hope she fits into 12 month clothing by now and that she is enjoys all the frosting on her cake again this year :)

Happy Birthday Little Princess! Love you so much!

AB and I are so happy Mr T is home from the hospital

our fathers day wall.

S is learning to climb trees

L's  favourite thing to do is to ride is the wagon with all the toys : )

May Update

 

  Hey Family all over the World,

I Love parenting wins. You find out that  the things that you say everyday are actually being heard.
I pick up the toddlers from nap and they say to me “don't pee in your bed, pee in the toilet.”
Yes, my love. Good Job.

The Storm comes with loud thunder. “You do not need to be afraid. you are going to be okay.”
That’s right! I am right here.

But warms my heart even more is when they are able to repeat truths about God to me.

In the middle of dinner N randomly turns around and says “God made the heaven and Earths. God lives in Heaven.
When I start telling a bible story they tell me their version and what they remember before I even get through the beginning of the story.
 When I forget the Beginning of this weeks bible verse but they can tell me anyway. Their favourite verse right now is: Lord, there is no one like you. You are great. Your name is great and powerful. Jeremiah 10:6

Our Friends from the Netherlands have gone home. We have missed them this month and it has been so quiet around Refilwe without them. They built strong connections with people from our community in Joe Slovo and I  know the work they did here will help Refilwe now and in the future.

We had a double birthday this month. Toddler M and Baby R had birthdays on the 5th. Toddler M was a clown being so charismatic and hyper. Such a big difference from him last birthday. Little Thabi was quiet and observant. She enjoyed licking the frosting off her cupcake :)

Mothers Day was a good day at the house. The Aunties loved their mothers day gifts. We prayed for our kids Birth Mommies, that their hearts would turn to Jesus when they ache for their children. That they would be comforted by their heavenly father. Us as Aunties, as the “in between”  mommy. That we would be patient and Kind with the children. That Jesus would give us a deep love for them but, be able to openly release them when our time with them is done. And last but most important we prayed for their forever mommies, that God would bring them soon. Mommies will come that love Jesus and teach these kids to love him too.

I have been learning to do black hair! I started simple and I'm working my way to being a pro! okay.. maybe not a pro lol but I do want to have a selection of things in my back pocket that I will be able to do. AB is patient with me while I learn and figure out how to do certain things. It helps that  I let her watch the disney show “Princess Sofia the First” on my phone when she starts getting antsy.

Little S and Little E started taking steps! S is taking about 10 steps and little E only took her first step on her own on Sunday.

Little E

Little S

KJ and I

My Dear friend Kate Jenkins Surprised me! KJ lived with me for 6 months working with the bigger children at Refilwe. We talk about it often: Sometimes I wonder how we are as good of friends as we are due to the fact we are so different but, it just works : ) I am so thankful for her Southern Sass and encouragement while she is here. She leaves on Wednesday : (






We got a NEW BABY! Mr. T came to us at 5 days old. He came from IA and is so sweet. We all love him so much! Please Pray for him however, at 3am this morning he spiked a high fever and Nicole took him to the hospital. He has been admitted with an unknown infection. We are not sure what it is or how long he will have to be in the Hospital for. His now 10 day old little body is working really hard so he can come home to us soon!

My first Mr, T cuddles

our kids are getting so big!

oh kitty

getting some preschool love in!

I have some big news next month! I am excited to be able to share with everyone in My June Blog, keep a look out for it!