i saw a rhino

Wow, it's been a long week. Wednesday I went to a game reserve, and we drove around a place called Pilanesberg the entire day looking for sweet animals. We saw warthogs (not as fat as Pumba, by the way), impala, kudu, springbok, lizards, hippos, giraffes, elephants, and rhinos. They were all really close to the car, and it was sweet to see them since they weren't in cages. It became kind of a game to pick them out. Hippos are incredibly lazy animals, by the way. They lay around and do nothing. For ever

Today I'm working with the small babies, who are 0-3 months old. It is definitely a bigger challenge than babies you can play with and have fun with, but I love it. Some of them are just so tiny, and it's cool to see them along their different stages of development, and how God heals and changes each one. Last week we had 9 sick kids at one point, and now all but 3 are better, which is definitely a huge blessing, for them and for us, since they all had diarrhea. Two more got adopted today!!! I'll miss them a lot, but I heard that it went really well and their new parents are really cool people

Saturday marks the halfway point for Heather and me. I can't believe I've already been here that long. It's absolutely ridiculous. Time really does fly here, especially when I'm enjoying it so much. I got a new roommate yesterday. Her name is Emily, and she's lived in Egypt for the past year. She seems pretty easy to get along with, and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better

Thanks everyone for your prayers and encouragement. Keep the 3 sick kids in your prayers, and also the kids that got adopted and are assimilating into their new environment. There has also been a bug going around, so pray that it stops and nobody else gets it. Thank you so much, I hope you all are doing well!

By the way, if any of you want to email me, that would be awesome. However, my Virginia Tech email doesn't work here, so use dewwireddrummer@gmail.com if you want to tell me how you are doing or ask any questions. Hopefully I'll talk to some of you soon =)

Oh, and happy birthday Dad! I love you

=/

Just a quick post to say that I'm sick, so if you could pray that would be much appreciated. Right now I have a cough, cold, and sore throat. Also, more importantly, pray that nobody else gets it (especially Heather, since we live together) and that the babies don't catch it. Thanks so much

I had an awesome weekend, and the best chocolate milkshake of my life yesterday. The food here is so good, and it's cheap to eat out so I definitely do that a lot

Wednesday I go to Pilanesburg, which is a game reserve where I get to see some sweet animals up close. Hopefully. I'll write more about that later =)

hello, sheep intestine

I have a little bit of time...so this should be longer than usual. Saturday I went to Soweto with some other girls. It was awesome. We went to the Mandela Family House first, which actually wasn't that impressive, except I was excited that Nelson Mandela had been there on May 29th, which isn't too long ago. After that we finally ate real African food! It was a beautiful buffet, and the food was delicious. There was some kind of bean thing, which was one of my favorites, and the bread was fantastic. There was a dish called shakalaka, which was spicy carrots, and it was really good. I made myself try some sheep intestine, which is as disgusting as it sounds, but overall I'm glad I ate it, just so I can say I did. After eating on Saturday, we went to the Hector Pieterson museum. He was the first boy killed in the protests against the mandatory learning of Afrikaan in school in the 1970s. It was pretty fascinating, one of my favorite things that we've done so far
The rain has finally let up, and it has been sunny and warm and beautiful, just like you'd expect Africa to be. Still a little chilly, but I definitely prefer the winters here to Blacksburg winter. The kids are all so happy and healthy, and one was adopted today. It was my favorite, and I miss him a lot...but I'm so excited he has a family. It was a sad goodbye today, though
I'm going to Troyeville Baptist Church right now, which I love. Yesterday I gave a testimony about evangelism, and was asked at the last minute to run the Powerpoint, which I've never done before. I think I did a decent job. Afterwards the Pastor invited myself, Heather, and Russell to his house for dinner on Thursday night. It's awesome to be so involved with the church right away, and the people there are so welcoming, the youth especially. We've made some friends already, which is exciting
I work today and tomorrow, and then again on Saturday, but we have Sunday off so we can help Russell out with church, so it should be a pretty easy week
I'm learning so much here about God. I didn't realize how much I relied on other people when I'm in a good/bad/whatever mood, and it's been a good learning experience to not have that around as much. Of course, the girls here are awesome, as well as the staff, but it's definitely not the same as the huge community I have back at home. No complaints, but God is really using this summer for His glory, and to stretch me in ways I didn't think were possible. Every day is wonderful because there is plenty of time to be in the Word, or practice guitar, or pray, or just spend time with God. We don't have a TV or DVD player which I'm grateful for, because that would be way distracting
I am having fun, though. Saturday night was a mini Johnny Depp marathon with chocolate fondue and wonderful pita. Sunday after church we went to a wonderful Greek restaurant, too. It's kind of funny for me to be eating Greek food in South Africa, but they have all kinds here--Italian, Chinese, Thai, etc...
Ok well hopefully that's a good update for you guys. Thanks again for all the encouragement and prayers. Speaking of...

Reasons to thank God
1 A kid got adopted! That is always awesome
2 We've had some new arrivals lately, and all are in good health
3 Team dynamics are still excellent, and continually improving
4 It's sunny! And so so warm...
5 There's no way I'd be able to learn the lessons I am if I was not here for the summer

Reasons to pray
1 Pray for the kid that got adopted, that he'll grow up in a loving Christian home
2 As always, the health of the kids here. One is pretty sick, and hasn't gotten better lately
3 Rachel and Katherine, the two other girls I'm living with, are moving out tomorrow to stay at a new place. Heather and I will have new roommates, so pray that the transition is smooth. I'm gonna miss those girls a lot
4 Rest. It's so easy to get tired here, especially working such long days. At the end of the day I often feel like collapsing. I'm so happy, but it is exhausting
5 That I will continue to enjoy being here, and not get too homesick. There's some stuff going on that will remain unmentioned, but God knows it

I love all you guys, and I'll post again when there's more news!

first day...done

Yesterday was my first full day of work, and it was incredibly exhausting. I pretty much collapsed at the end of the day, but in a good way. I love my job, and I love all the little kids. One is getting adopted soon! I'm excited for him, but of course it'll be sad to see him go
Besides taking care of babies, my life pretty much consists of drinking tea, playing guitar, and hanging out with Jesus, which I am absolutely loving. I don't have a lot of time in the day, but what I do have I've learned to use wisely so I don't waste any of it. It feels much better than laying around doing nothing, which is usually pretty easy to do, especially during the summer
It has rained so much here, it's pretty unbelievable. Everybody is telling us that his is 'Cape Town weather,' not Johannesburg weather, because it usually never rains here in the winter. I heard a rumor floating around that snow is possible...I might be slightly bitter if it snows here, although July is supposed to be their coldest month
Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement. It's good to hear, and definitely necessary. I have no new or pressing prayer requests, just the same ones as before. There's nothing too exciting going on right now, but I go to Suweto (sp?) for a half day on Saturday, which should be pretty sweet. So I'll write more on that later
Ok...off to drink some tea and warm up hopefully =)

I'm Here =)

Hey everyone! I made it safely in Joburg. It was a long flight (17 hours) but well worth it. Sorry I couldn't get on before now, my internet access was somewhat limited
Life here is awesome. It couldn't be better. The staff here (mostly South African) is incredible and incredibly welcoming, and they have made the transition easy. Everyone is a family here, and it really feels warm. Speaking of, the weather is freezing, or at least way colder than I thought. Today it is probably in the low 50s, which is cooooold compared to summer in Virginia. Oh well, if that is the biggest sacrifice I really don't mind
I'm getting along incredibly well with Heather, the other girl who came with me. She and I are similar in so many ways, but not to the point where we are in conflict with each other. That's such a huge blessing, as she has been a constant encouragement to me. Last night she brought out her guitar and I used a pot to play drums, and we worshipped with two other girls from North Carolina. It was incredible
God has been teaching me so much since I've been here, and a lot about the love He has for His children. 2 kids have already been adopted, which is awesome, and a few others should get adopted soon. I am a little sad to see them go, but it's such a blessing for them to live with a real family instead of at an orphanage. No matter how loving and caring the staff here is, there are still a lot of babies to focus on, so I'm sure it is much better for each kid to get individual love, and have parents and be able to grow up in a good environment
I have so much to say, and I don't even know where to start, so for the most part I'll have to tell you all in person when I get back. I'm keeping a journal so I don't forget anything, don't worry. I have to go soon, but before I do
Each day of work (which is 3-4 days a week, depending) looks like this
7 am--wake up the kids (I am responsible for 12 babies between 3 months and 1 year), bathe them, change them, clothe them, and feed them
7-10 am--play with the kids
10 am--nap time, thank goodness. We have a break here for tea and staff devotionals
Noon--wake everyone up, feed them, change them
3ish pm--feed the kids, change them
5 pm--dress them all in pajamas
530 pm--put all the kids who are still drinking milk to bed
6 pm--put the last 5 to bed
Overall it is an 11 hour day, which is exhausting, but well worth it. The kids are incredible. I'll tell you guys more about each kid later, or else this post will get too long

Reasons to thank God
1. I get along so well with Heather, and the two other girls, Rachel and Katherine. We are all sharing a tiny room, so it is a good thing we like each other
2. Of course, there were no problems traveling and we made it safely here
3. The transition has been the easiest it could possibly be
4. South Africa is beautiful, even when it is raining. Just to look outside and see beauty, different from the kind I see in Virginia, is a huge blessing
5. The kids are wonderful. I'm not allowed to post their actual names or faces online, but I will tell stories about them later using nicknames. They bring such joy to my life, and make this whole trip worthwhile
There are a ton more reasons to thank God, but those are the big ones

Prayer requests
1. Both Heather and I have had a little trouble sleeping. Last night was much better, but rest is necessary as we work long hours
2. Pray against any attacks on our relationship with each other, which are going so well so far
3. Pray that the kids will continue to get adopted. They need families
4. Good health is important. I hurt my hip pretty badly on the way here, but it is getting better. Nobody has been too sick so far, although Rachel fell and hurt her elbow last night
5. That I will be open to everything God has to teach me

Thanks so much for reading, and I will post more soon. I love you guys. Oh and Kara--I won't be able to post videos for CGS all summer, but I will once I get back I'm sure

=)