I'm so thankful that I'm here in J-Bay for a long period of time as opposed to the regular 2 week/2 month missions trip. I'm really starting to bond with the kids I work with, and I'm so happy about that. They know my name now (and they're seriously wearing it out, but it's all good!) and I'm learning many of theirs, which is not easy, with names like Sinesipho, Sinethando, Nikwa, Likhona, and the like. But yeah, it's so awesome. I bring crafts and pictures to color and what not for the kids, but I feel like alot of my ministry is just sitting with the kids and loving on them. Many of these kids simply do not get love at home. There was one occurence on Tuesday that just broke my heart. There was a new boy there, named Geshwin, and he was really shy and quiet, but he had a toy that some of the other boys wanted, and another boy, Royden, pushed Geshwin down violently and began kicking him. It seriously looked like something that would happen in a gang and it just tore me up to see such violence and anger in 3 and 4 year old little boys. It's so hard, because I can't even begin to imagine what these kids see and feel at home, and sometimes it's so discouraging because it's like, how much impact can I possibly have on these kids when they're going to go through so much horror in their lives. But I know that God WILL use me, and I just have to be available and God will work. So I just have to trust in that and just love these kids. They have such potential, too. They're so smart, and they do have alot of love in them as well - they've just been exposed to so much pain that it doesn't always come out. And it's sooooo fun to watch them dance! If I had just a fraction of the talent that some of these kids have I'd be incredibly happy. A funny little fact: Kids back home have their cheesy little dances that they do, such as the grocery cart or the sprinkler... kids here do the chicken getting it's head cut off. It sounds crazy, but it's actually a cute little dance.... it's just interesting to see the differences between cultures!

Today at the baby creche in Humansdoorp there was a boy I hadn't seen before and he was disabled. His legs were deformed from birth and so he couldn't walk. He also couldn't speak and so I'm not sure if he's mentally challenged as well. But he was soooooo cute, and his smile absolutely lit up the room. And his laugh was ridiculously contagious. I was just so encouraged to see the joy in his eyes despite his disability, and the love between he and his mother when she came to pick him up was beautiful to watch. God truly works most through the hardest things in life, and His joy can transcend all circumstances. He is good.