Just bored..

News, news.. Hmmm, what do I have to tell you?

Not much is going on. The kids are on a few holidays again this week. Monday (today is a holiday), Thursday and Friday are holiday as well. Not just the kids but everyone. I think they make up holidays in this country just for a day off. Something like family day;o)

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday I’ll be heading up to the Drakensburg mountains for a hike with a few people from my church. I’m looking VERY forward to that. Some nice crisp fresh air and I heard the stars are absolutely amazing once out in the country. Let’s see if they are as good as the stars in the northern hemisphere:o) I’m sure they are.

So I can get quite bored and lonely in my little place. I was in the washroom and I found a slug and I’ve grown quite fond of the little guy. I even named him Sampson. I don’t have an actual picture of him so I drew him up as I see him.
Oh yeah, there was another reason I wanted to write. Food can be limited here and my creativity with food is limited!! If you have good recipes for ground beef, chicken, pasta, please e-mail me!!!!  Thanks!   

OK!! Where do I begin!

I will start with Ruth's house being put on the market yet once again! About 3 weeks ago we found out that the owners of the house want to sell the house leaving us till the end of June to fine another place to rent.

I went to camp I came back and on Saturday Ruth showed the actual drawn up plans from the architect (sorry its sideways). Ruth tells me that she has 1/3 of the money. With the brick fundraiser up and going and the plans drawn up it's becoming a reality.

We went to Ruth's sister the day after I got back from camp. The Salina's (missionary couple from American that lives across the road from Ruth's donated property) were in the area and they absolutely needed to have a meeting. I went with Ruth and we sat down and Joanna called her husband up and she whispered to him. Ruth and I looked at each other both thinking, "are they going to take away the donated land?!" They told us the exact opposite!!
They are moving back to America so their son can finish his gr. 12 at home. They offered Ruth the land for R450 000, house and all! Not bad! But with that in mind it leaves 2 adult women with volunteers, babies and a teenage daughter. It also leaves us with a ministry that they started and have done beautiful things with ei, weekly feedings and womens bible study, visits to a local school, etc.

The Salina's, along with people that know about this are praying for 2 Godly men and someone to head up the women's bible study and the feeding scheme as well. We will also be in need of volunteers! Joy! I'm guessing the next 6 months and before hand they will most definitely be helping out with building, painting and all that good stuff. Also the kids will be homeschooled come next year when they start new grades. So if you know of anyone that is interested in volunteering for a year as a teacher that would be lekker!!

It's happening guys. By the end of June we may be out there!! It seems so unreal because Ruth has been pushing for 5 years and God is opening the doors all over the show!! With that in mind you can also pray for a car for her! If God's blessings are on her might as well take advantage.. hahaha;o)

Please pray for all these situataions! Also for her daughter Taz as she won't like to come out to the farm with. There is a possibility of boarding with her school, but God will need to provide the funds for that if Ruth wants that to come to pass.

Please, please pray for us. It is needed urgently now!!

Good Friday

Well after going to Dan's blog spot, he's put me to shame.  I really have to come on here more and update!!  He goes into such beautiful detail!  So here I go trying to give it a try!!

Right now I'm sitting by Simon listening to some rap music and he's making farting noises to the beat.  I've come to realize that 

amusements  with farts start at a very early 

age and goes with you to the grave.

Well for some people anyways;o)

 

   

Good news!  You see the volunteer car has been without radio since i've been here.  A guy by the name of Andrew (many thanks to you!!!)

 knows his stuff about wires and all that stuff so he said he'll take the car one afternoon and fix it.

Well it came back with new seat covers, new mats, a new air freshener and....  A new cd player!!!  Joy!  It's so nice having mu

sic!  The kids don't have to listen to my beautiful voice anymore!!  I feel like I'm driving a brand spankn' new car.

If you look carefully you can see the knob of the stereo.

 

 

The kids are on holiday now for three weeks.  I'm finally starting to understand the school year. There are four terms through out the year.  Between terms they have three week holiday and so today it begins.  I won'tbe here for the first week because I'm going to a youth camp with the church.  And yes I'm a camper!  You are still considered a youth in your 20's, but I'm pushing it. I'm pretty excited about it though.

I just finished exams for the first term and they went alright.  I wrote four and 2 of them went well and 2 of them went iffy..  But as long as I pass I'm happy.  Church is absolutely awesome! Completely different to any church i've experienced.  If you don't b

elieve in God going into Destiny Harvest Church, you'll come out questioning your beliefs, no doubt!  

Siya is a pro at swimming now.  Actually all of them are and they all can swim in the deep end.  They are all very proud of it.  Jake and Mary are in pre-school still and Simon is in kindergarten/grade r.  

Friday's Simon's friend Mpilo has been coming over.  He is such a sweet boy!  

Such a good character.  They just go in the pool and they entertain themselves for a couple hours therefore I get to sit in the sun.  Such a hard life.  Mary's friend Tori (formally known as Ntombi) comes over once in awhile.  Tori came through Sinakekele

and was adopted 3 and a half years ago. I remember when she first came in.  She was born a hydrocephalic child and came in with a very large head and she still has it.  Ruth and I used to call her head.  Hehe, it's completely harmless.  But she is doing well.  The doctors said she wouldn't walk, but she's right up there with the other 4 year olds.

    

                                                                                                  

                                                                         

                                                       

 

Jake is doing well.  Him and I are actually bonding, believe or not!  Since the first day we met we've never clicked, but I think it's 

happening.  Wow, what is going on!?

  But he's still yours Caro.  By the way..  When are you coming back?

Ruth is busy, busy as usual.  We are now starting to get things ready for the brick fun

draiser.  At least 50 have been sold and we haven't officially started yet, but please don't stop!!  I guess I could say Sinakekele is officially selling bricks for the building!  Ruth is putting a gauge on her website that keeps track of the number of bricks sold.  So come on Canada let's kick some butt!! The website is www.sinakekele.org.za 

 

It has FINALLY cooled down here.  I'vetold you before and I'l tell you again, this Canadian doesn't belong in a tropical climate!!  And there's this blue chair here that I'm sure wh

o ever has sat on it has fallen at least once on it!  Mel is an exception with a about 10!

And if you check closely at the roof you'll see I had to pin up the material part.  I think because of the humidity it doesn't stick??  Sounds good to me!

I think that's it for now.  I think.  Hopefully I get in a better habit of coming on here!

Cheers all!

Brick Fundraiser

Hey everyone, it’s been a while!! Well not much is new actually. Just doing the same thing as I was before.

My weeks are pretty busy with Sinakekele and I usually have things in the evenings. So on the weekends I take it really easy!!!! Sometimes.

The kids have been really good!! We have finally adjusted to each other and we get on pretty good now. The first month was kinda hectic, but it has smoothed out quite nicely. Ruth is still busy, busy! She is thinking of getting a weekend job, but I told her she’s mad!!!

She has been speaking to schools and tonight, Tuesday 3rd, she is speaking to a rotary club. So that’s good. And she has now started a buy a brick fund raiser.

I’ll explain it and if you are interested you can contact me at cindeeklaudeman@mac.com. Ruth has a goal of selling 5000 bricks at $30 Canadian for a brick. You will get a little gift in the post if you do decide to donate. And once the building is up we will get the kids to put their handprint on the newly built wall. Those who donate, their names will be written on the handprints (i’ve been designated this job!!! I need volunteers just for that;o) and the nationality will also be put there along with the name. So come on Canada, let’s kick some butt!!!

We are also selling bricks in the UK, Switzerland, I think Holland and I’m working on Australia and America. If anyone is interested in taking this on in other countries, get a hold of me and I’ll give you the details in what you have to do.

Just to let you know the money you donate is only tax deductible in South Africa.

Well besides that not much is new. Bible college is going great and I’m really enjoying it! Ummm.. It’s really hot here. I checked what it was the other day and it was 28 but with the humidity it was 40. I’m telling you it’s been like this the whole month and a bit last month. I think i’d rather take the cold weather, but then again I would be saying the exact opposite once home. But I am a Canadian girl at heart and I can’t wait till the day comes God calls me back to Canada!! I miss it!!

Check you soon!

Here I am!

Hey everyone. I’ve finally gotten off my butt and decided to write you about what is going on.

Well I think i’ve finally adjusted to South Africa life once again. It has taken me till today to finally get back in to the groove of things and accept that I am on here on a one way ticket!
I started Bible College last week. It’s gonna be good. I’ll tell you more about it once I’m further along into it. Neat things are gonna happen this year!!

The kids are doing great! They are all in different schools now, except Mary and Jake. They are attending a school where the kids speak Zulu, but they teach in English. I think that’ll be great because when we move to the farm they will be able to communicate with the local kids in Zulu!

Siya is in grade 1 and is doing very well. He is joining the chess club which I'm sure he will thrive in. He’s very clever.

Simon is at Broad Acres again. He has dyspraxia and no muscle tone, which effects his physical wellness and his speech. There is only one other kid in his class which gives the teacher lots of time to focus on their needs. I’ve noticed a difference in his speech and physical wellness from last time I was here. He is improving.

As for Ruth and Sinakekele... Things are moving. Ruth has four GREAT opportunities for raising funds.

Exciting things are happening here guys!! Ruth is calling it “2008 is the year to celebrate.” She is finally going forth and doing a whole bunch of fundraisers. Her passion has been restored and she’s ready to kick some ass!!

She is having a fundraiser towards the end of March or the beginning of April and it sounds promising. She has much more “elite” contacts so it should amount to good things. She is trying to get Thea (founder of TLC) to give the main speech which would be awesome because she has started from nothing and now has a thriving place for abandoned babies. A living testimony she is!

She will be also selling bricks for her building project. Each brick will cost R200 and for the Swiss and Canadians, $50. For other countries, contact me if you are interested. In return (locally) a magnet will be given with the Sinakekele logo and a thank you that looks like a brick. Once things get going and it is set in stone I will put another post and if you are interested you can contact me.

Ruth has contacted the local schools to raise money. There’s a thing called the interact club and they raise money for charities. She is still waiting on a response. If it’s a go she wants a puzzle drive where the kids buy a piece for R5. If the school reply, Ruth has to give a quick presentation to the schools. She wants me to speak as well so pray for me please!!! Sinakekele will frame all the puzzles a thank you with the Sinakekele logo will be put into all the frames. The representative of the interact club will come to the fundraising dinner and they will present the money to Sinakekele in front of everyone. Ruth plans on getting the local paper involved. This will also make good publicity for the school.

There is also a professional fundraiser company here which will go and get funds for Ruth. They take something like 30-40%, but that’s okay b/c Ruth gets at least 60%. They raised
R5 000 000 for Ruth’s church. She has contacted them and she is now waiting for a response.

Things in this country are still crazy!! To save power they now have these things called load shedding in which they will shut off the power of big areas for a couple hours. It can be quite an inconvenience especially when you re at the internet café or trying to cook dinner for the kids!! Gotta’ do what you gotta do I guess…

So these next few months will be full of exciting things!!!!! Keep on visiting cause hopefully each post will bring news of good things!!
Remember to keep us all in your prayers, if you pray:o)

Love to you!!

In SA.

Hey everyone.. This is just a very quick post. I am here safely in SA and things are going good.
It's exciting to hear the news of Sinakekele. 6 months time things are gonna be completely different!
I'll post much more once I get another plug in for my mac.
Oh, just to let you know... Benji is back home!

Bye!

Switzerland

Well my time here in Switzerland is quickly coming to and end. I’ve been fairly busy so i’ll just tell you what i’ve been up to this last week.

My plane trip to Frankfurt went quite well. No complaints there. Actually... I was trying to get some shut eye in Frankfurt and there is absolutely NO place to lay down and rest. So with lack of chairs and sleep I was determined to find a spot to sleep. I found a spot by the escalator, pulled my jacket over my head and tried to sleep. I was half asleep when I felt something land on me. I took my jacket off of my head and couldn’t see anything so I pulled my jacket back on my head. The only difference is that this time I had the smell of Juicy Fruit the whole time I was trying to sleep. I looked for this bloody piece of gum but I only found it once I got up. Someone spit their gum at my head from the escalator.

After my tragic gum incident I boarded my plane to Geneva! I was looking out the window in the plane and all what I saw was the foothills. I was thinking to myself that the Alps weren’t that impressive! Yes I know, blonde moment. But then the plane turned around and there they were in all their glory. No matter how many times I see mountains they never cease to amaze me!

The landing was smooth. I collected my luggage, went through customs (I didn’t get a stamp for my passport!) and ran into Carolyn’s beautiful arms.
We drove a little over an hour to her home in La Tour-de-Peilz, very close to Montreux. It is absolutely beautiful here!! I thought I might not make it to South Africa. Becoming a snowboard bum is very tempting! We did some running around, went by her brother Kevin’s flat (Mel you should date him) and then back to her mom and dads.

The next day we went snowboarding at Crosets, about an hour from La Tour-de-Peilz. It was cloudy and snowy, but I will take anything besides Mission Ridge!! It took me about an hour to catch on and then I was boarding like a pro! Because of the snow conditions you couldn’t see where some of the trials dropped off. Good thing for the coloured poles to help you navigate through the run.

After the boarding we relaxed our poor bodies in some natural hot springs at Lavey-les-Bains. I could’ve stayed there all night! It was sooo nice. You’re surrounded by the Alps. Why do I want to leave?? Oh yeah, SA;o)

Okay, what day am I on?? So on Thursday the 9th Carolyn had to study for a final for Friday. He sister Tamsin took me around Lake Geneva (Thanks Tamsin), saw a statue of Freddie Mercury and then to Chateau Chillon, a castle in Montreux I believe. I’m not a fan of history, but it was really cool to see the inside of the Castle and to see how people survived. The view from the top was astonishing!! After the Castle we went to Vevey I think. Walked around for a bit and then went back home.

Some random French guy at Chateau Chillon.

On Friday I slept in while Caro wrote her exam. I’ve been getting up around 5:30/6 every morning, but today I slept right through to 8:30! Oh yeah, but that will end once I get back to SA. 5:45 am here I come! Umm, I kinda veered off there.

So after Caro got home we went to Lausanne (where Caro goes to Uni.) and looked at the shops. It was very hard to say no to some of the clothing. No room in my luggage:o( Probably a good thing. We stopped off at a shisha bar and had a shisha and a beer. We got back to La-Tour-de-Peilz around 9:30, quickly packed some overnight things and drove about an hour to Caro’s friend that lives in Neuchâtel. When we finally arrived her three friends were patiently waiting for us to eat a very late supper of spaghetti.

Sat. morning we got up and had breakfast (i’m gonna miss the chocolate croissants!!!) and then toured around Neuchâtel. The villages/town’s here are so cute. We then went to the village where Caro was born and departed ways from her friends. They were all very nice! Too bad I can`t speak french. Next time!

Sunday morning we got up to go skiing at Verbier. I was pumped all ready to conquer the mountains. Boy was I wrong!! You see in Canada I always snow boarded goofy foot and when I boarded the first time here I went the opposite way. So we changed the board to goofy before we hit the slopes and I was much better the other way (I guess i’m regular then!). I kept on trying to catch on goofy and it wasn’t happening. Of course stubborn me wanted to beat the goofy so I didn’t change the bindings until an hour after. Everything was good until about two hours later when I had a nasty fall and then I couldn’t board anymore. I couldn’t do anything and I was getting soooo frustrated. The F-bomb came out a few times. I even swore at the mountains. They conquered me!! Little do they know I will come back and kick some serious butt!! Finally I decided to quit before I did some serious damage. But the view from Verbier was gorgeous! It was well worth the view!

Nice view while eating lunch.

I had enough at this point.

The kissing picture is for Mel. I just couldn't get it by the picture.

After snowboarding we went to Caro and Tamsin’s friends. They have a cute little flat in a mountain village. We had some tea and dessert and headed back to Caro’s home.
So here I am on monday taking it easy before I have to take off tomorrow. Gotta pack (the room where i’m staying is a wee bit messy!) Oh yeah I forgot to tell you I ate horse and the ironic thing it was imported from Canada!! Hahaha.. It tastes like beef, but the texture is a wee bit different.

Check it out Megan, it's the Canadians that butcher their horses!

That's it from Switzerland. Next time South Africa!!