November Craziness!

Baking with a few girls

Baking with the older girls

Man I am getting bad at this! Sorry guys!
In the last month my head has been everywhere!

I love it here with the kids! As I speak I am sitting in my house located right in the heart of the village, with kids riding by on bikes. (Which were actually donated from Canada, Calgary to be specific!) Or walking by. I am just listening and enjoying the shouts and squeals of them all.
I would normally be right in the middle of it all but today is my day off.  But could not help myself to a few cuddles with some of the babies and chatting with some of the teens as they ride back and forth.

My favourite animal I have seen up close! It was right in my garden!!!

Over the past month there have been quick a few break ins with many of the international volunteers, houses which are all located down the hill from the village and away from sight most of the day.  Don't worry nothing has happened to me. Which has been great. God has been protecting Salome and I up here in the village! Because of this MCC has been talking about moving Dominik (SALTer) and I to either a different location all together or to just be off site during the night. Dominik and I feel strongly that we should be here at Lily even though things are getting tough. As of now we are here and praying constantly that the break ins stop happening. If they continue there is a good chance we will be taken out of here. Which breaks my heart when I think about it.

On a happier note some of the things I have been doing around the village is building relationships with kids.  What better way to do that than baking? Swimming? And going on bike rides?

My great roommate, Salome! We will be joined by
another girl on Saturday!

Almost every weekend Salome and I try to have a group of girls over to bake something. Not only are we having fun making a mess and eating yummy treats we are having them build skills of how to bake! Like I had mentioned the village got donated bikes not too long ago, right now its the activity that everyone wants to do.  Most of the time the teens ride back and forth on the bikes in the village, but we also try when its nice to go out of the village and actually go for a little ride into the surrounding community. And well swimming is just fun! Especially when it is hot out! Though after two groups have been in the water, you don't really want to get in because the water is....brown and looks nasty!

Last week Prisca, Dominik and I took a few days off an heading to St. Lucia, a town 3 hours north of Durban. There we enjoyed lots of beach time and also a day safari! This was a great distraction from things and a nice get away! :)

The teens who got baptized! :)

This past Sunday we also celebrated 5 of the teens getting baptized! This was very exciting as they were the first ones at Lily to get baptized!

On another note. My supervisor Jon was admitted to the hospital earlier this week. He had a blood clot in his lung. Prayer for him and his family would be great! He is now at home in PMB and it on some medication but prayer that he would recover would be fantastic! Thanks!

Until next time....find some kids to bake with! Really its fun! :)



 Here are some pictures from the safari!

One of the watering holes, but no animals that we saw!

Buck

Baby Zebra

Giraffe!

Baby warthog! They are gross but this baby was cute!

Yawning hippo!

Group photo Prisca, me and Dominik

Beach day!

My First Week at Lily

The entrance of Lily of the Valley! (A.K.A My new home!)

It has been so fun getting back to Lily and seeing all the kids and volunteers!  There have been so many new faces to get to know as well!

I came here on Friday and started the weekend off getting to hangout with the kids and just getting comfortable with them again.  Which made the whole process a lot easier!   Allison (SALTer at Hope Valley) was also here and so it was great to catch up with her and just get to know her, and then to hear how things are going on at the farm and at school.

View of par of Lily

My weekend started Friday off packing my stuff and heading to Hope Valley with Pros.  Where I was getting a little nervous to see people (but I was not sure why).  I got to see most of the teachers and all of my students!  I walked into my old class room where I said “Hello!” and all the kids just turned around and stared at me!  Ha! It was really funny.  Allison and I were expecting them to go a little crazy.  But they were all just shocked they didn’t know what to do.  Eventually they all got up and gave me a hug.  Where I got the reaction I expected was with the grade one class.  They all got up and ran to give me a hug, which was nice!

The second house on the right is where I live

After the quick visit there we headed to Lily.  It was nice to get to Lily before all the kids got home from school.  I got the chance to unpack all my things and get to know my new roommate, Salome.  She is from Germany and will be here for 3 months.  So far we get along great!  After spending some time with the kids and getting reactions like, "Oh, Miss!  What are you doing here!?" and "You're back!" Allison, Salome and I spent the evening cleaning our kitchen.  We spent almost 3 hours just trying to get the kitchen together.  Our biggest goal was getting rid of all the bugs!  Our kitchen was a home to many cockroaches!  Yuck!  But so far it has been great!  Today, Thursday, I have not seen any!  Something is working!

After face painting!

Saturday morning I spent painting little kids faces!  This was fun! The kids are so cute!  In the afternoon the kids went swimming which means I become a life guard!  Ha!  The pool is not deep at all, so its not hard with the older kids but the younger kids is a little scary! Over all though so much fun!

It was great to go back to the church service on Sunday here at Lily!  The high school students always do a great job with singing and its just so different from home!  Maybe one day I will be able to share the experience with some of you!  Even if it is through video!

My time at Lily in the past was always during the weekend or holidays so the kids were never in school.  Meaning this week has been a stretch for me!  It has been difficult to try and figure out what I am supposed to do during the time the kids are at school.  I know over time things will get better but for now I feel a little lost during those hours.  I always look forward to when everyone starts coming home from school!

Also spend a good deal of time learning how to play Spin Tops!

For now Wednesdays and Thursdays are my days off.  This Wednesday some of us volunteers went into Durban, where the weather was beautiful in the morning so we made a stop at the beach for a little while!  After we headed to the mall for a few rounds of bowling!  I  did well my first round but slowly went down hill with each game!   And today, Thursday has been pretty relaxing... I have stayed in my house and cleaned and listened to music.  Not much else to do.  I could have read or watched a movie but there were somethings I wanted to get a little cleaner.  I also made a quick tour of my house.  So if you want me to send you the video let me know and I will send it to you! :)

Salome, Dominik, Christy and I at the beach!

Now it is almost the weekend again. And its going to start all over!  Can't wait until things become more comfortable and I am able to just enjoy where I am!

Until next time.....enjoy your bug free home! (unless you don't and you have cockroaches and want to get rid of them then try mixing baking soda, sugar and water and leave it is spots you have seen them supposed to get on their feet and they take it back to their eggs and kill them!)

Gotta Love Transitions

Me in front of Notre Dame Cathedral
(No I did not see Quasimodo!)

Hey all! Sorry for taking so long. Well longer than I had hoped it to be at least!  When I last left you I was just about to leave Toronto!  Well just incase you did not know I made it to South Africa safely!  
The 'road' here was long, but enjoyable! During my flight to Paris I talked quite a bit with the lady who sat beside me, her name is Julie.  Anyway Julie and I decided we would take the train into Paris together.  This made my decision a lot earlier of whether or not I should go into Paris!  It ended up being that we spent pretty much the whole day together until I needed to head back to the airport before it got dark.  Julie was travelling for work and had been to Paris, it was so great of her to spend the day with me! It was such a blessing!
My time in Paris was spent mostly on a tourist bus.  Julie knew of a bus that went around Paris going to all the main sites where you could hop on or off the bus when ever as long as you had your ticket!  Julie and I got off at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.  Both places we enjoyed both the sites and a bit of food! Of course I was in Paris so I had to take part in enjoying not only cheese and bread but a little glass of wine too.
It was very cool to be in a place with so much history, and to see these iconic places.

Eiffel Tower!

After spending a long day in Paris I waited around the airport for almost 4 hours until my flight left.  I spent a good chunk of my time on the flight sleeping...or at least trying to.  I then got to Johannesburg, (where all 3 of my bags made it!) and met up with Pros for a smoothie.  Then finally made it to PMB where Jon Barnes (one of the new South Africa reps, who are taking over for James and Joan) met me to bring me to the prison....the old prison.  Remember?
I have spent the last few days with Jon, Dawn, Khaya and Ali.  I am looking forward to getting to know and spend time with the Barnes Family over the next two years! Over the last few days Dawn and I have spent many hours running around trying to get things ready for me to go off to Lily.  So tomorrow the next transition starts.

Tomorrow I am heading to Lily and will start settling in to my new place and there is a hope that I will get to stop in at Hope Valley to see my fellow teachers and my old students!  I will also get to meet the new SALTers for this year.  So far I have met one, Melinda, she is working here in PMB at the Project Gateway School where the MCC office is located.

My new friend Julie, who took me around Paris

I have mixed emotions about tomorrow. I am excited about going and seeing everyone and getting settled in finally!  I will finally not be living out of a suit case for the first time in 5 months!!  I am a little nervous to see people at the same time.  I am praying settling into my new role will be good!  I will try to keep you up dated as things go!

Until next time... watch an episode of Friends! (Watching this show has been really great and helping me not to stress too much and miss people from home too much)

The Next Steps

General Orientation Oct. 2015

I sit here in my hotel in Toronto with mixed feelings! Over joyed at the fact that I finally got my visa! And with some sorrow as well, as it becomes more real that I am actually leaving Canada.

Nice streets in Down Town Lancaster PA

When I was in Toronto two weeks ago I was not able to get my visa but with the help of many people we figured out everything we needed to do. And I left the whole situation in God's hands as I headed down to Akron PA for my general orientation with many other MCCers.  Some were just starting their journey with MCC and others had been with MCC for years. Some where staying in North America to keep working from the offices to support local programming and others, like myself, were getting ready to go off and serve in other countries.

Orientation was great.  A lot of it was a repeat for me as I had just done orientation last year with SALT.  There were some different things, and I of course the people help shape how orientation can go. Which did make it go differently too! I got to know fellow co-workers from the Saskatchewan office and that was a great joy! Along with many others who were heading across the world!

 Nice streets in down town Lancaster PA

Please pray for those who are all on their way to their new placements; for safe travels and that they can feel at home quickly in their new roles.

Tomorrow I fly out of Toronto to Paris! Where I have a 12 hour lay over! I am still trying to debate if I will feel up to actually going out.  It would be great to go and try and see things but I am also a little scared to do it by myself. I have heard mixed things about Paris, well mostly the people. So not sure what I am going to do. But I will let you know how it goes and what I decide to do! :) After that I fly to Johannesburg for a few hours where I will have coffee with Pros! And shortly after will head to Pietermaritzburg (PMB) where I will try to get a good-nights rest.

Got my VISA excited face!

I am not sure what my time looks like after that. Like if I am going out to Lily of the Valley right away or if I will be in PMB for a few days. Again I will let you know how things go!

Until next time... check out Lily of the Valley's new and improved website! http://lov.org.za

Until Next Time Canada

Selfie time with Jake

Selfie time with Tay

The last few months were so great and I will cherish them dearly as I continue to reflect and remember the moments I got to share with my dear family and friends. 

I hope you know how much it meant to me to be able to spend that quality time with you whether it was sitting in the couch watching 'Dancing with the Stars', jumping on a bunch of trampolines crashing into each other, seeing you get ready for your big day, sharing a cup of coffee or a meal, going for a walk in the valley, sitting around a camp fire, going to some kind of sporting event or sharing stories of our past year.

I am truly going to miss each one of you! Remember that I am so looking forward to hearing from you! I would love it even if it's just a 'Hello!' Or 'Guess what! I am pregnant!' ;) haha, just kidding!

Selfie time with Hay

Selfie time with Katie

Since I have left home I have been a tourist of Toronto and now I am resident at the MCC Welcoming Place. Where MCCers from all over the world come to gather and learn more about MCC and all the good things that will and has happened in the organization.

My time in Toronto was a combination of good and frustrating! I got to the South Africa Consulate on Wednesday morning praying things would work out and I would get my VISA. But someone had different plans and choose to make me squirm and be frustrated! I have been trying to be understanding but there really was a few hours after I left the consulate where I was ready to just throw in the towel and go back to Saskatoon. I had posted on Facebook how things were going and asked people to pray as I struggled with what to do next. And I could feel your prayers working, so thank you! I was given peace and got things figured out over time.

Gotta love laughing with these two!

For those of you who don't know I didn't get my VISA, as the consulate asked me to get a vulnerable sector check done by finger prints. I had one done but the search was done by name and birth date. Which was not good enough for them. So after a few hours of calling around (done by Susan Reynar in the MCC Winnipeg office) and running around the city (done by me in Toronto), Susan found one place that has seemed to meet the requirements that would allow me (a Saskatchewanite) to get my prints and search them in Ontario. God has been good, even if things have been frustrating, I know it is him working through all these situations because he was the one who asked me to go and serve him and the people and kids of South Africa.

Jumping at the Apex

While I was in Toronto I also got to see Lydia (a SALTer in South Africa with me) which was so good to see her and have a familiar face in all the confusion and wondering. The evening I got together with her was the night the Toronto Blue Jays were in game five in Toronto! We decided to go and sit at a pub down town to watch the game and be part of the crowd and then joy the atmosphere of fans cheering for their team! It was so fun and nice to be a distraction. It was so good to see you Lydia! Thanks for being a listening ear!

Flames games!

Early this morning I used Uber taxi for the first time to get to the airport and headed to Philadelphia to get picked up and go to Akron. A gentleman named Don picked me up from the airport and we had a nice long talk about things and life. 

Now I am just spending time in Akron waiting for orientation to start. This evening, specifically, I am at the Ten Thousand Villages Cafe listening to Daryl Snider as sit and reflect on my time. 

Some of the words from one of his song was:

'Let the worries fear themselves,

There is nothing more real than the now'

Until next time... 'Let the worries fear themselves, there is nothing more real than right now'

Home....

Home really is where the heart is.  The last few weeks have been both good and difficult.  I love it here in Canada.  The beautiful people, the colours of fall, the sense of community of where I belong.  And when I think about leaving this place my heart hurts and I cannot help but cry.......

Then I have those times where I think about the great people in South Africa that I am so looking forward to getting to see again! And my heart gets excited about these things! I think how can I be so very sad and so excited at the same time.

I remember writing in my journal this past year, "Remember this feeling of being happy and content so you will know why you are coming back." I know once I am there it might take me a little while before I am actually fully comfortable again because it is a new role I am going into, but over all I know I will be happy and God will take care of me during these next two years.

I just have to get through this next month before I will be okay again. Having to say good-bye or see you later has ALWAYS been difficult for me! And this time is because my heart is in two places. South Africa will be my home for the next two years and when I am realistic about it, the time will fly by and I will be back here before I know it.

There will be major events that I will most likely miss while I am here, either births of nieces or nephews or friends kids, marriages of friends (I would say family but I am the only one left in my family...), and even deaths.  I am not saying any of these will happen for sure, but they each have their own possibilities.

The whole time I have been home I have tried my very best to be willing to say yes to going and spending time with people.  Not really knowing when I will be able to enjoy spending time with them again. Trying hard to live in the moments.

I have been able to share about my past year in large groups twice this last month. Once at Faith River (the church I attended before I left for South Africa last year) and once at the MCC office in Saskatoon. Sharing at the office was great, it was not only friends that made it to come and hear me share but people I did not know. I was able to share pictures and stories of my time. And after got to answer questions that some people had.  For me MCC has always been a place I feel comfortable and I am so thankful for that community of people who continue to support me and encourage me to keep going.

I will continue to struggle through saying good-bye over the next few weeks. As I say good-bye to one home and try welcoming the other.

Until next time.... go for a walk and see the beautiful fall colours that are taking over this country!

Wedding Number Two

This Saturday my second little sister gets married! I have had such a blast with her and my other sisters getting ready for the big day! She is also one of the most organized brides I have seen! They had everything ready for almost two weeks now! Both Mikaela and Lane have been such an inspiration to me as they face many challenges that come their way and they keep holding strong! Lane had his first chemo on the 13th of August and will have his second treatment on the 27th, two days before they get married.  They are doing well!  Once the day actually comes and goes I will make sure to post pictures of the beautiful couple, but for now I just wanted to share with you what I have been doing since I last blogged.

Got to Visit with Adriana and Cambria

First I want to say sorry that I did a bit of ranting in my last blog.  It was just where I was mentally at that time.  Since then I have been continuing to learn how I can react to situations, and that it is my choice.  It will either make or break a situation.  So thanks for being patient with me!

My goof balls!

I have been to Calgary and back since I last blogged. I spent another week or two here in Saskatoon visiting with friends and then heading to Calgary for two weeks to spend time with my Mom and Dad, and my Alberta siblings and friends!  It was great to visit with my niece and nephew, Katie and Jakob. One day we spent most of the day in their backyard and they hangout in the kiddy pool while I visited with Nikki. Such a great visit too! I also spent a day at Calaway Park with the Unruh's and the Court's (my sister's families). This was lots of fun too! And the weather was perfect!
My favourite thing about having people I love in both Calgary and Saskatoon is the road trip between the two places! I know that may sound crazy to most but I have been able to better appreciate the beauty of the land that I have driven so many times and I am sure will continue to travel many more times in the future! Here are some of my favourite views that I see on my drive.

The 4 red sheds (I look for them every time)

The boarder sign

The valley by Drumheller

This was camping with some of my good friends!

Until next time...smile at a stranger! :)

Reilly and Phil's Wedding

How to even begin. Being home has been good. Difficult, challenging, frustrating... but also great, lovely, wonderful and beautiful!
Since I have been home I have been to two bridal showers. One for Mikaela (my sister) and the other for Reilly (my sister). I spent a few days in Calgary before I drove off to Saskatoon to spend time with my sisters and friends before Reilly got married this weekend!
I have been able to spend some well needed time with my family and friends! Though I also had felt like I was constantly busy so a few days before the wedding I had a day where I was a hermit. I stayed in the basement of the place I used to live (where two of my sisters and one of my best friends live).  They were all gone to work so I slept in and watch t.v. shows all day! I felt very lazy but it was well needed!
On Thursday I decided to drive out to the farm where Reilly and Phil were getting married.  It was really great to be able to drive out a few days early to spend some time with them all.  It was wonderful to spend time with Reilly especially. She even took me to the abandoned house where Phil had proposed to her.  The Braun farm is just beautiful though!
Here are some pictures of the wedding day!

Reilly and Katie's dresses

Nikki and I

Reilly looking just beautiful!

Phil and Reilly's first dance as a couple!

During my time in Saskatchewan I have realized how much I miss it. Yes I do live in the city but the country side is just so amazingly beautiful and I could stay in the country side for a long time.  I also got to visit Bethany, well Tyla and I stopped to take a picture with the sign!
There have been many good moments, but coming home from being in a different culture for a long time has its difficulties! I have had moments where I am frustrated at what people say or what they do.  Some moments that come to mind are when I went through a grocery line and the lady who was scanning my items didn't say anything to me other than "Is that debit?" The worst part if it was that I had said hello and have a good day when I left. And still did not get any response.  Another moment was when I wanted to share the kind of music that I would normally hear in taxis while in South Africa (its called House Music) and the people I shared it with just laughed and made fun of it.  It was not a big deal, and it was definitely not an attack on me but it just felt more personal than it should have. I just took offence that they didn't really want to try and experience some of the things I got to hear.
Not that it is anyones fault and I am sure there are many others who come back from an experience away from their home culture who have felt a lot of the same things I have but it has been frustrating.  For example since I have been home I have had more people ask me, "How is it being back in Canada?" No one really asks how my year went, which can seem like an insult, but I know its not intentional at all.
Also I have been home now for just about 3 weeks and I have had 2 people ask to see my pictures from my time.  Though I was not actually able to show them right at that moment so it just didn't happen.

I just want to say I really do love being home. And have missed everyone a lot. This is not to anyone specifically, I just wanted to be real and share how things were going.

Until next time here is a few more pictures!

Having ice cream with Ty!

Hanging with some of my sisters

Beautiful Sask fields!

Selfie with the Bethany sign!

Sask landscape again (that little house is where Reilly and
Phil got engaged!)