Tuesday 7^th August 2012

by Suzy

Today I will complete this blog… no lost passport to panic about and then find and no son’s shorts to repair at the last minute!

I am sitting in a beautiful restaurant, based in a disused steam railway station, with this lovely bunch of people. Those of you who are steam engine experts will probably be itching to know what the engine is… it’s big and steam enginey, which is all I can tell you!

We have had a day when the majority of phrases used were ‘stop, stop, reverse the car!’ ‘wow’, ‘unbelievable’, ‘amazing’, ‘look over there’, ‘have you seen….’

Some of us left Berg-en-dal Rest Camp for an early morning drive. It was still dark at 5.45am but the sun was gradually rising. We drove slowly out of the camp, over the electrified cattle grid and out into Kruger Park. The first wild animal we saw was a bird of prey circling over the hillside. We drove a bit further, enjoying the sunrise and the scenery, but not seeing many animals. Suddenly, there was a squeal from the back of the car and we’d seen our first herd of impala (the first of many impala that we would see over the day). We continued driving and spotting different animals, none of which, in our wildest dreams, we thought we’d see so easily… a giraffe walked right in front of our car, across the road. It was such a beautiful animal and we felt so privileged to see one in its natural habitat.

In addition to this we saw elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and assorted beautiful birds. We have begun to try to identify all the different sorts of animal droppings which are all over the roads. Back to the campsite for breakfast, pack up the cars and we back out of Berg-en-dal heading into Kruger Park, towards Skukusa Camp. One car load took a slightly different to the other two cars. I was in one of the two cars that kept to the tarmac roads but we have all been overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells we have experienced.

More impala, more giraffes, elephants, rhinos, more impala, hyena, greater kudu, kudu, more impala, lion and lionesses, African grey go-away birds, leopard, wart hogs, more impala, wildebeest, dwarf mongoose, red billed hornbill (which is also known as a zazoo bird), more impala, zebras, lilac breasted roller, hippos, rock dassie, baboons, bats, hoopoes, blue lizards, Goliath heron, crocodiles, pied kingfisher, blue starlings, bush buck and tree squirrels. You can probably imagine how exciting it has been to see all of these animals in the wild, but it hasn’t just been the animals we have been overwhelmed by. The scenery we have driven through is stunning and my words cannot express the magnitude of the views we stopped to take in. A panorama that stretched for thousands of miles with not a single building in sight.

I have had so many wonderful moments today. I was so happy to see a giraffe just after sunrise, and the elephant we nicked named ‘Billy’ who was having a wonderful scratch against a tree trunk, but I think the biggest highlight today must be the lions. There were four lionesses walking along the road in front of a trail of cars, which were all jostling for a place to see the lions. We crawled along not quite believing that we were within touching distance of these beautiful cats. They drifted off the road into the bushes at the roadside and sat down. I noticed their tails were twitching and they were staring intently ahead. Just then a herd of impalas crossed the road and the lions got up and slowly moved on towards the herd of impala. We wondered if we might be in for even more excitement…it was long after lunchtime after all! We were all trying to take as many photos as possible and as I had a lioness on my side of the car, I tried to get a close-up of her. My friends in the car seemed to find it extremely amusing when I suddenly shut the window, saying ‘oh my goodness that’s just too close.’ Sadly, because of the closeness of the lioness (she was just by the car door looking up at me!) I missed taking the best photo of the day!

We have had a wonderful day. I would love for you all to be here experiencing this amazing country and meeting the wonderful people that we have met. Thank you for reading our blog. We know there are quite a few of you who’d like photos, but this is really tricky to do when the internet connection isn’t strong enough!

By the way, for all you steam engine buffs, the steam engine in the restaurant is Locomotive No 3638 one of 100 Class 24 steam locomotives used by South Africa Railways and was built in 1949.

We had exceeded our expectations at the bible college and today we left for the Kruger. According to Google maps it was going to be a 5 hour trip and we knew we had to be checked in by 4pm. We decided to take no chances because the traffic could be heavy. We have seen accidents causing huge queues and if we were caught in one we still wanted to get there on time. We therefore left at 7am. We were also careful that drivers did no longer than a 2 hour shift at any one time. As it happened we had a very fast and pain free journey. We stopped at Nelspruit (near the national stadium) for a bite of lunch and a comfort break with a few shops to look around.

And then….. oh my word – WOW !!! - unbelievable. We stopped on a bridge just before going into the Kruger. It was a photographer’s paradise. Elephants, hippos, amazing birds, crocodiles. Helen burst into tears saying that she has been waiting 50 years for this. The word “stunning” is a gross under statement, what a wonderful welcome to the largest National Park in South Africa.

From then on it just got better and better. We checked in and a slow drive taking more pictures – monkeys, a warthog, birds, antelope, more elephants, etc. Then we reached our little huts. Really nice thatched cottages – fully air conditioned, comfortable beds and all the facilities that anyone could want. A few of us went for a swim in the pool, an unheated pool – but refreshing in this heat!

The past 2 weeks have been enormously rewarding but hard work and now the relaxation starts, and a different kind of fun.

by Tony

PS internet connection here in Kruger is very slow and not open all hours!!!

PPS This morning (Tuesday) some of us were up with the sun for a 6am safari and saw elephants, giraffe, buffalo, rhinos, impala, dwarf mongoose and some colourful birds. Some zebras were also seen in the distance- many more photos and WOW moments for the team.

Day 13 Sunday 5^th August

by Team B

Today started with a cooked breakfast by the wonderful Steph: fried bacon, scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Yummy!! We then got ourselves ready for church. This week we had a special slot in the service. All the Bibles that had been sponsored by people back in the UK were presented to members of Hope Church who don’t have a Bible. The members of the congregation were able to choose from translations in English and Zulu. This was a very moving part to the service as many Bibles had been given in memory of family members from the team. During the service a conga procession took place with some traditional African moves thrown in for good measure. The music, just as last week, continued to be at a rather high decibel. The youth performed their drama that Dan had written (for the Youth Event yesterday) and many of the congregation were able to follow the English and laughed at the appropriate points. Rob also preached on the theme of skills and talents of each individual and we sang 'Faithful One' which they appreciated.

After the two and a half hour service we returned to the college for lunch (yes, it was a shorter service this week). Andrew then gave us a lunch briefing as we leave for the Kruger tomorrow. We found out who we were sharing rooms with and the plan for travelling to Kruger National Park. We are aiming to leave Siyabuswa at 7.00am which means a very early start for some who like a lie-in.

After the briefing some of the team set off on a photo tour of Siyabuswa led by Rob. We stopped at many ‘hotspots’ for photographs many of which consisted of the diverse buildings that are around the local area, including some with solar panels especially for Tony! 

After dinner we made our packed lunch for the long journey tomorrow. We will be leaving Siyabuswa at 7am so everyone is having an early night followed by an early breakfast. Looking forward to glimpsing the big five!

Day 12 Saturday 4^th August

by Jocey

Our day started without electricity, so no cup of tea to start the day. After a few hours power was restored just in time for preparing for our ‘Gold Peer Educators Youth Fun Day.’ Suzy, Rod and Rob went on their adventures collecting young people from around the area. They had to avoid herds of cattle, goats and sheep that cluttered the road. Rod’s young people decided that they would help Rod find a radio station and ensured that he and the rest of Siyabuswa could hear it.

Meanwhile, on the dusty football pitch preparations were underway for the fun day to commence. The first group of teenagers to arrive gave us heaps of fun and entertainment showing us their dances and then proceeded to try and teach the team. It was hilarious as we all got mixed up and could not keep up with the moves. We now appreciate how tricky some of the moves are.

After all the young people arrived we realised that all the grade 12’s from across the province were missing as they had to attend extra lessons at school. Suddenly, a herd of cattle with humungous horns came stampeding at African speed (the speed of a snail!) towards Ali’s tub of resources. Tim, who was on security, went charging like a bull after the bull; brandishing a whistle and shouting shoo!

Simultaneously, another base was under attack by none other than Pastor Rob (now known as Bishop Rob!) He miraculously managed to destroy 2 hours of hard labour by carelessly reversing over two tubs full of water balloons. Funnily enough they did not survive. He also drove over Frances’ jumper. This event would have been avoided if he had not been blasting out the stereo which meant that he did not hear Tim frantically blowing the whistle with the appropriate emergency signalling as instructed by Andrew.    

Eventually, the opening ceremony was upon us. It consisted of a superbly written drama by Dan on the theme of parts of the body and Thomas’ missionary skills. There was a song and prayer followed by a brief introduction by Pastor Jack. The games were then underway.

We had 5 stations which the groups rotated around. They were, tug of war, water balloon games, dodgeball, fushi (an African game) and a tin game. Gallons of water was consumed in the 30 degree heat and that does not include the water balloon games! Every now again we had an intruder, of the cattle variety, which Tim did a good job of shepherding! After 2 hours of fun and games we supplied sandwiches and drinks carefully prepared by Tim, Rod, Eva, Abby and the members of the Gold team. 

Our taxi drivers then ferried the young people home with Rod getting a scenic tour to each ones house. The rest of us went back to the Bible college for a late lunch and a well earned rest and much needed showers. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch preparations for our trip to Kruger were underway beginning with our living space being blitzed with a Susie type tidying. A delightful meal of pap, rice and pork stew was prepared by members of the team and eaten enthusiastically especially after we were told this would be our last meat.

We ended the evening with yet another briefing. But this time we had a cross made from candles, where the engineers and other members of the group spent ages lining up the candles and even resorted to the use of a tape measure. Rob spoke about Dorcas (Acts 9), as a member of staff at the school has the same name, and a time of prayer was then had giving thanks for all our adventures and accomplishments over the past 2 weeks before the evening concluded.

Finally, going back to our homes 15 minute’s drive we were met with yet another power cut not just once but twice; when Tony was half way through yet another very important email. Another memorable day – and many more photos taken – apologies to all those hoping to see photos, we have taken over 3000 but haven’t been able to resize and post them yet…

Day 11 Friday 3^rd August

a combined effort by the B team

Today was our first complete, whole, everybody-together outing! In addition to the 22 team members we also took Wesley and Nelson (two of the students at the Alathea Bible College). The college students don’t get many opportunities for outings, so we were delighted to be able to share this opportunity. We travelled for two hours and then stopped at the Spar service station (which is a posh name for a rather basic refreshment stop). We stocked up with refreshments for the rest of our journey – only to discover that our destination (a massive shopping centre on the outskirts of Pretoria) was just 30 minutes.

The shopping mall was just like the Oracle Shopping Centre – big and shiny – but the car parking was only 60p for 3 hours rather than several pounds you pay in Reading! We had great fun amongst familiar shops – looking for books, postcards, Ipod earphones, stamps, binoculars, toys and games. Tony was tempted to buy and Ipad but was restrained. We all found different places to eat lunch, and all were well fed.

Three hours stretched to four, allowing time for some ice creams to be purchased before we climbed back on board our three trusty minivans. Then we set off on Tim’s mystery tour of Pretoria – first stop, the Union Building, a beautiful building of palatial proportions with views over Pretoria. We enjoyed wandering round the manicured gardens and taking many photos of the team.

Then we drove round Church Square (English) or Kerkplein (Afrikaans), which is the historic centre of the city. Its most prominent feature is the statue of the Boer leader and president of the South African Republic Paul Kruger at its centre. Statues of four anonymous Boer citizen-soldiers surround that of Kruger's on a lower level of the plinth.

Several historically and architecturally significant buildings surround the square: the Palace of Justice, the Old Capitol Theatre, the Tudor Chambers, the Ou Raadsaal (Old Council Chamber) and the General Post Office, which was designed by John Cleland. The turreted Palace of Justice was the scene of arguably the most famous political trial in South Africa's history, the Rivonia Trial. During this trial, Nelson Mandela and a number of other prominent liberation struggle figures were charged with treason and subsequently incarcerated.

All of which was very interesting, but for one thing, we had chosen Friday rush hour to drive through this historic city. Which meant that the roads were packed with workers heading home for the weekend – joined by a convoy of three minivans full of English tourists. It felt a little like driving through the centre of London, only the driving here is even wilder!

We stopped on our way home at the Spar centre on the A573 to KwaMahlunga, where the lovely lady in the car park recognized us immediately. By this time it was around 6.17pm and it was dark – and the traffic had built up and was like a never ending sake of red lights with big orange buses, huge articulated lorries, cars of every size and the ubiquitous taxis (which are like minibuses). We saw the most amazing display of African driving skills – when the two lanes of traffic were moving slowly, we saw drivers pull out to make a third lane, potentially going straight into oncoming traffic!! Not only that, but some frustrated drivers even drove up on the verge by the left hand side of the road. Thankfully we managed to get back to Siyabuswa safely, with many more special memories and special photos of a rather orange moon.

When we got back to our base Rose started looking through some of our thank you cards. Here are some quotes from some of those lovely cards from the children at Grace School:

'You are an old tree that can survive in all seasons.'

'God bless you all, in all you do.'

'You guys rock!'

Good night all!

Day 10 Thursday 2^nd August

by Laura

Today was our final day at Grace Christian School, and it was an emotional one for all of us!

We all had an early breakfast this morning so as to have time to stick all the labels in the Bibles that arrived today (we have 50 Zulu Bibles and 50 English Bibles). This was a fulfilling and emotional task for all of us as we thought of what a wonderful gift these Bibles will be to the congregation of Hope Gospel Church. We hope to be able to give these out in the 11.00 am service this Sunday.

The A Team started the day by having a final play with the children in the Infant School which we all hugely enjoyed. We brought the parachute and lots of balls, balloons and books with us and after playing for about half an hour we presented them all to the children at the school. They sang a few beautiful songs for us and the headteacher was so pleased with the gifts, especially the books.

We then joined the B Team at Grace School for a South African Celebration Ceremony that Murriel (affectionately known as Grannie) had prepared for us. It included traditional dancing, singing and playing the drum in the African sunshine. Lots of pupils (or learners as Muriel calls them) and teachers (educators) gave speeches thanking us and asking God to bless us. Murriel was even moved to tears as she thanked us all for everything we have done here. It was a very emotional occasion, and a beautiful celebration of the South African culture.

Murriel then invited us to an African lunch prepared for us by the school which was really lovely and a very touching gesture. The lunch included barbequed chicken, beef and sausages, pap, thick gravy with vegetables in it, salad, vegetables and fruit juice. Although I’m not the best person to ask, apparently the meat was lovely, and the gravy certainly was incredible.

It was the last 'after school club' for the A Team, Jocey, Rob and Rose today as well, to add to all the emotion! It was led by Daniel and Abby who did a great job and really brought the theme of ‘Sticking to Jesus’ Team’ to life. After a fun packed two hours of games, creative prayers, chatting and Andrew being hit in the face with two plates of shaving foam (custard pies), all the children left with a goodie bag containing sweets, pencils, balloons, flags and colouring books which were loved by everyone.

Andrew then called another meeting for the A Team but surprised us all by giving us chocolate instead of actually having a meeting.

While the A team were busy with the 'after school club' - Helen, Suzy and Eva held their final craft session with ladies from the college and from the school. They have made a beautiful banner which will be presented to the college and will hang in the classroom which we are using as our base at the College. The ladies are overwhelmed by all the resources we have been able to give them. They have also been moved to tears because we have been able to share our love of sewing and card making. They are planning to meet every Wednesday from now on, to continue to make things for others and to pray together - the group will be known as the Dorcas Group (see Acts 9). Helen, Eva and Suzy were very touched by their response. Each of the ladies involved was presented with a certificate to recognise their participation, which caused great excitement.

Dinner was sandwiches (as we had had such a big meal at the school earlier) and we had a very relaxed devotions led by Andrew which included a very powerful time of open prayer.

Today was pretty special and unique, so many smiles and a few tears, but a really beautiful day. Oh and Tim got stopped by the police again... it's a long story which he'll be happy to share when you see him... maybe it's because he looks so young that he gets stopped???

Tomorrow we'll get a chance to be tourists - for the first time since we arrived - we are heading for Pretoria for the day!

Day 9 Wednesday 1^st August

Everyone so far has been telling you they have been having an early start. Well, the really early start has been 6.15am when the teachers have been getting up ready for school. We have been taking part in assembly at 7.30am which still amazes me. The children are so genuine in their worship and a real love of the Lord shines through.

Yesterday evening a child came to me in need of support and I spent lots of time talking with her and giving her some much needed love. This morning the first thing I saw when I arrived at school was her running up to me. Moments like that make you realise that you really are making a difference.

The rest of the day was truly delivered from prayer. The last week and a half have been filled with elements of frustration at the way African teaching varies to the standards we have in England. However, we had identified teachers that had potential to really take on board the things that we wanted to teach them. Today we were given a day with 6 teachers from across the Grace School who took part in a morning of teacher training. We started the morning with prayer as we were worried about how to deliver some of the new but essential elements they needed to really consider in their planning. It was a lot for them to take onboard but they asked lots of questions and were engaged in the activities that we carried out with them. After a lunch break, which at school is 10.45am, we asked the teachers to plan a lesson for tomorrow where they could try out some of the techniques that we explored with them. They were so inspired that we had teachers running off to get materials to make resources. The UK teachers are going to go and teach with them tomorrow to support them. At the end of the day the teachers were so thankful saying that we had been an answer to their prayers and sang us a lovely song. This token of appreciation made our hard work and continuous early starts and late nights preparing resources by hand for them so worthwhile. Two teachers have asked for our email address which is such a positive sign as it means that we can continue to support them even when we return home.

Whilst this was all going on the pupils were outside having a ‘sports day.’ Our youth team went down for an hour to join them which was great. Lots of the children who board at Grace School have begun to come up to the bible college in the evening where our youth have been sitting outside with them teaching them to make friendship bracelets.

Rod, Tony and Tim were busy fixing computers at the school yesterday and when this was mentioned to one of the teachers today she asked me if I would teach her how to use a computer. That is my task for after school tomorrow.

The craft ladies met again this afternoon and I went to join them. I had originally planned to just go and take some photographs of the group that have now truly bonded but ended up doing some pinning for them in preparation for a patch work banner. A gorgeous little 3 year old girl, who’s mum is in the group, decided that she wanted to come and help me so climbed up on my lap and kept passing me bits of material, paper and pins quicker than I knew what to do with them. We then spent some time playing together.

The music suite (5 keyboards, 2 broken desks and an old door) has been coming on today. The hope was for 5 desks which the 5 keyboards could be placed on. However, only 2 tables without tops plus one door was found. The amazing Tony, Rod and Tim modified what they had and made tables with space for power cables to be passed through them.

After a tasty dinner we closed the evening with devotion time where we heard that Khoshi (the only female student at the Bible College) had told Susie that many groups come and go but each of us in our team had really made a difference. This was such a lovely end to the day and seeing as some of our projects end tomorrow, will really help us finish them feeling that we have done our best and helped the people of Siyabuswa.

The adult team have raised a glass to all the successful tasks that we have undertaken so please join us, as all of you back home have been so supportive that you deserve the ‘well done’ too!

Time that I signed off now. Speak to all you soon.

Frances x