Legs, Arms – Where do They go???

Dimpho
There are 3 stages of development in children’s drawings.  Children progress through stages of development in Art which parallel their development in other areas.

In the period from 0 to 9 years of age, children’s art develops through three broad stages – scribbling – preschematic and schematic stages.

Scribbling is a very important step in the development of drawing and writing skills; and believe me, do they like showing off their creativity!

Dimpho is in the preschematic stage (3 to 4 years).  This means that he is beginning to make forms relating to his life world.

His cute little head-foot man is a universal form drawn by all children who are allowed express themselves.

I love seeing them develop into young learners, self-confident and ready to go to school!

Changing Tomorrow….

We were visited by Rosina and Adelina, and it again impressed on me how we can be instrumental in changing the future of those around us, if we are willing to step out in faith when God tells us to do something way above our ability and comfort level.

When Adelina was brought to the Care Center she was carried from her house, as she was so weak that she could not walk anymore and found it hard to even breathe. She was just skin and bones, shivering and shaking the whole time, her body broken by AIDS. Her mother was crying as she knew her daughter was right at the end, she had seen this same scene play out too many times before and she was ready for the worst.

But God had a different plan. Everyone rallied around her, praying for her, feeding her, caring for her….and slowly she started to get better.

From the brink of death, God touched her body and not long after she started putting on weight, started moving around, and for the first time in months had a smile on her face.

Soon she was joking around, happiness returned and no-one had a bigger smile than her mother!!

They moved back to Lesotho, and some time later Adelina became a mother herself!

So it was a big surprise when they told us someone was wanting to see us outside, and it was Adelina and Rosina!

Living proof that God answers prayers and are still doing miracles. The Care Center had to be built on a hill out in nowhere so God could show a village that He answers prayers and still do miracles.

Matlakeng: Bursting Out Of The Seams!!!

72 kids!! 
And this is after we had to tell the parents of the under 3 year olds, that we cannot accommodate their children anymore. We will split the kids up and let half go inside the house and the others stay here.

Our budget only allows for 50 children so we had a parents meeting, and they all decided to pitch in, in addition to what we give, so that the extra kids can be provided for.
So now we REALLY need to find an additional teacher!!

Our heart is to provide free education and food for the kids of the families from this village, who are all really poor. So any help will be greatly appreciated.

See all those bowls, amazing….

Our stove is now way too small, so they make food in 2/3 batches.
All the additional kids has really caught us off guard and next week we will have to order a bigger stove for Matlakeng!!

The parents cart water from down in the valley every day and then they fill the children’s water bottles.
We received the quotation for the repairs to the well today too, so God willing this weekend they will start to strip it down so the new parts can be ordered.

Soon there will be water in the village again!!

Praise God!!

Kotsonkoaneng – Another Day care Open!!!

 

 

 

 

 

God is good!!!!

And so another Day care is operational!!!
Through God’s provision the kids have a new building that is nice and cool, provides shelter when it rains, provides a clean place where their meals can be prepared, where they can hear God’s Word, learn to read and write, and where they can know someone values them and cares about their future.

 

 

 

 

As a Thank You, a present from the little they have, a jar with home made peach preserves.

Jesus is Lord!

Amen.

 

 

Lesotho January 30, 2013

We were handing out vitamins and biscuits at the daycares in Lesotho today.  The schools opened the 28th, so it was our first visit for 2013….many new faces showed up, not withstanding the fact that it was raining non-stop since school opened.

Even though we are in summer here, and have had quite a few real heavy downpours this past 3 days, the village still do not have water (pump is still broken), so everyone drinks water from the river. It may not provide any help in preventing diseases from drinking un-purified water, but I am sure their little bodies can make use of any boost they can get….so for taking their vitamins and minerals they each got a biscuit! Not that I think anyone needs a bribe to eat vitamin gummy bears..

At Mashidi the teacher was in hospital, but we went there anyways so me and John could talk through our plans on the extension to their building. We are waiting for the end of the planting season after which the people promised to come and help so we can finish this project, that has been in limbo for way too long. We found 4 kids at the daycare with the lady who cooks looking after them. They did not have much to do, so we left them with extra snacks!!

Talking of downpours, it was so muddy and the pools of water so deep that we got stuck on our way up to Kotsongkoaneng, and very nearly did not make it out. Fortunately there were young guys that helped us push the truck out of the mud hole we were stuck in. Not even the diff lock was any use in this super slippery clay.

We abandoned the plan to go to Kotsongkoaneng and will go there again on our next visit.

God Made Me Special

More pictures here:  God Made Me Special

Art @ Leratong

And again, the other pictures, here: Art @ Leratong