Hello everyone!
We made it! We're home all safe and sound! Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers, love, and support over the past 7 weeks! God truly changed our lives through this trip, we will never be the same! We can't wait to sit down with all of you and show you our pictures and share more stories that we didn't have time to post on here. Right now I'm really just at a loss for words. God truly has done exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all that we ever could have imagined for this trip! We can't thank and praise Him enough for giving us the opportunity to serve Him in South Africa! All glory and praise to Him, for HE IS WORTHY!!!
May God richly bless each of you!
Abby & Shelly
The experiences and adventures of two girls serving the Lord in South Africa for seven weeks of their summer.
7/20/11
7/18/11
A few final pictures!
Here are a couple of photos from this past week that we never posted...
This is Amanda...
And this is Shirley...
Susan reading a story to some of the kids from the preschool...
Playing guitar...
Well, hope you enjoyed these final pictures! Please keep us in your prayers as we fly home tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 2:00 p.m. home time. We should arrive in Newark at about 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Love,
Abby & Shelly
This is Amanda...
And this is Shirley...
Susan reading a story to some of the kids from the preschool...
Our girls group for the "What the Bible Says About Sex" Bible Study. Because the electricity was out at that time we had to do it by candlelight...
Playing "Down by the banks" with the kids. They loved it! :)
Playing guitar...
Well, hope you enjoyed these final pictures! Please keep us in your prayers as we fly home tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 2:00 p.m. home time. We should arrive in Newark at about 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Love,
Abby & Shelly
7/17/11
Week #7 Prayer Update
Sorry, once again that this is a little delayed! Yesterday and today we were at a game drive, which was a lot of fun! This evening we took Amanda & Shirley to the airport, so they are probably on their way home by now, so please keep them in your prayers! Just 2 more days and we'll be the ones flying home. That's crazy!
So here is our final prayer and praise update...
Praises:
Love,
Abby & Shelly
So here is our final prayer and praise update...
Praises:
- Amanda & Shirley - For the time they gave up to come and serve with us here. They were a huge blessing to us and to the people here as well.
- Electricity - After almost 2 weeks of the electric being off at Ebenezer it finally came back on today! Praise God!
- Game Drive - For safe travels to and from and just for a good time of fellowship and refreshment. It was awesome to get to see the animals and marvel at God's beautiful creation!
- Just for the amazing trip that God has blessed us with. He has taught us both so much and definitely changed our lives!
- Safety - Please pray for Amanda & Shirley's safety as they fly home and also a smooth and quick recovery from jet-lag. Also keep our upcoming journey home in your prayers. We will be flying by ourselves so please pray for our safety and that everything would go smoothly.
- Goodbyes - That God would give us the strength and peace that we need to say goodbye to all these beautiful people that we've built relationships with over the past 7 weeks. It's going to be hard, and I'm sure we'll both be in tears! We're excited to come home, but not looking foward to the goodbyes, that's for sure!
- Our adjustment back to life in America - Please pray for strength as we go home and adjust to the time change and just normal life back in America. But also pray that God would continue to impress upon our hearts the things that He has taught us here and that He would show us how this experience should change our daily lives at home. We have now tasted what it is like to live life outside of our comfort zones and we never again want to settle for the "normal", lukewarm, mediocre Christian life. So please just keep that all in your prayers!
Love,
Abby & Shelly
7/13/11
A Quick Little Update...
Hi all!
Just thought we'd post a quick little update to let you all know what we're up to. Our final days are just flying by here! They are jam-packed with activity. Our mornings are spent with the preschool kids, singing songs, telling Bible stories, and doing crafts, games and puzzles. Right now they are apparently replacing the roof on the preschool building because there were so many leaks and stuff, so we are unable to use those facilities in the morning with the kids. So we have all been in the dinning hall which has been interesting. The first morning was a total disaster, but thankfully this morning was a lot less chaotic, so that's good!
In the afternoons we spend some time with the elderly, reading to them, rubbing lotion on their hands and just visiting with them. Shirley has also been taking all the young boys out to the soccer field for 2 hours in the afternoon and playing with them. They all love it! :)
Then in the evening we have our Bible Study with the youth using the book "What the Bible Says About Sex". So far that has gone very well! The youth have all been very open and receptive, which is a praise!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as our time here winds down and we prepare to go home. Goodbyes are going to be difficult for sure! But we are both very excited to come home too!
Love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
Just thought we'd post a quick little update to let you all know what we're up to. Our final days are just flying by here! They are jam-packed with activity. Our mornings are spent with the preschool kids, singing songs, telling Bible stories, and doing crafts, games and puzzles. Right now they are apparently replacing the roof on the preschool building because there were so many leaks and stuff, so we are unable to use those facilities in the morning with the kids. So we have all been in the dinning hall which has been interesting. The first morning was a total disaster, but thankfully this morning was a lot less chaotic, so that's good!
In the afternoons we spend some time with the elderly, reading to them, rubbing lotion on their hands and just visiting with them. Shirley has also been taking all the young boys out to the soccer field for 2 hours in the afternoon and playing with them. They all love it! :)
Then in the evening we have our Bible Study with the youth using the book "What the Bible Says About Sex". So far that has gone very well! The youth have all been very open and receptive, which is a praise!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as our time here winds down and we prepare to go home. Goodbyes are going to be difficult for sure! But we are both very excited to come home too!
Love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
7/10/11
Our House
So we only have a week of our trip left and we're just now posting pictures of our house. Sorry about that! :) It certainly isn't finished yet, but it's getting there slowly but surely. Here are some before and after pictures for you. We'll start with our bedroom.
So this is before...
Just gotta love those pink walls!
And after...
And after...
And here's one of the bathroom and storage room addition that's being put on our house. This was taken a few weeks ago, so by now there's a roof on and stuff. We're just waiting for the toilet to go in and the shower to get all hooked up. Maybe we'll get to use it once before we go home. :)
So this is before...
Just gotta love those pink walls!
And after...
Then the main room in the house before...
And after...
And here's one of the bathroom and storage room addition that's being put on our house. This was taken a few weeks ago, so by now there's a roof on and stuff. We're just waiting for the toilet to go in and the shower to get all hooked up. Maybe we'll get to use it once before we go home. :)
Can't wait to get home and share the rest of our pictures with you all!
Love,
Abby & Shelly
Week #6 Prayer Update
Hello everyone!
First of all, the lack of updates on the blog has been due to the fact that the power has been out at Ebenezer for a week now so we haven't been able to get online much. We're hoping that the electricity will come back on tomorrow!
Just a quick little update for you all. Amanda and Shirley arrived safely on Friday night and are doing very well so far. Because our house at Ebenezer is so tiny, right now half of us are staying at a near by conference center at night and the other half are staying at Ebenezer. We are going to rotate back and forth during the week so that we all have turns having hot showers and using clean toilets at the conference center. :) This week we are going to be kept pretty busy, so I'm sure the time will just fly by.
Here's our prayer and praise update for week #6...
Praises:
Love you all!
Abby & Shelly
First of all, the lack of updates on the blog has been due to the fact that the power has been out at Ebenezer for a week now so we haven't been able to get online much. We're hoping that the electricity will come back on tomorrow!
Just a quick little update for you all. Amanda and Shirley arrived safely on Friday night and are doing very well so far. Because our house at Ebenezer is so tiny, right now half of us are staying at a near by conference center at night and the other half are staying at Ebenezer. We are going to rotate back and forth during the week so that we all have turns having hot showers and using clean toilets at the conference center. :) This week we are going to be kept pretty busy, so I'm sure the time will just fly by.
Here's our prayer and praise update for week #6...
Praises:
- That Amanda & Shirley arrived safely on Friday night and are adjusting quickly and are already being a blessing to us and the people here at Ebenezer.
- That we were all able to get hot showers on Friday night at the conference center. :) I'm not going to say how long we had gone without taking showers because, well, it's just kind of gross! :) But let me tell you, I don't think a shower has ever felt so nice as it did on Friday night!We couldn't remember when we last had a hot shower, so we all just soaked it up and took nice long showers! :)
- Health - Shelly was sick all day on Friday, and Bill is fighting a nasty cold, so continue to keep us in your prayers that we would remain strong and healthy.
- Preschool - This week since Amanda and Shirley are here we are planning to do a VBS type of program in the Preschool. Our theme is going to be on health and hygiene and stuff like that. In addition to teaching the kids how to take care of their bodies we'll also be doing Bible lessons, songs, games, and crafts every day. So please keep all of that in your prayers!
- Our last week here - Pray that as we come down the home stretch we would finish well and that in our last week here we would be able to be a blessing to all the people that we come in contact with. Also pray that God would continue to prepare our hearts to go home.
- Electricity - Please pray that it comes back on soon! :) Without it for a week you run out of water, and the toilets get all backed up and stuff, so pray that tomorrow would be the day that it would come back on!
- Youth Bible Study - In the evenings this week we are going to be doing a study with the youth based on the book "What the Bible Says About Sex". This is a huge issue here that never gets addressed, so that is why we are going to be doing this study with the youth at Ebenezer. Pray that the youth would have open hearts and minds and that through this study they would choose to live a life of purity. Also pray that we would all have wisdom as we lead the study.
- Patience & Flexibility
Love you all!
Abby & Shelly
7/7/11
Photos
Here are some photos from this week so far...
This is Sebastian, a volunteer from Germany who was here at Ebenezer for 10 days. He helped us a lot in the preschool and we really enjoyed serving with him and getting to know him.
We visited the elderly this afternoon and read the Bible to them and rubbed lotion on their hands.
Hope you are all having a blessed week!
Abby & Shelly
7/6/11
Please Pray!
Hi all!
We would just like to ask you to pray for us, we definitely feel like the enemey is attacking right now. It seems that all our efforts here are being undone. We're having some issues with some of the people here at Ebenezer. We were able to have a meeting with everyone tonight which helped a lot. But please keep us in your prayers that God would give us the wisdom and patience we need to handle each situation.
Tonight at Bible Study, Satan was certainly attacking! There were people laughing, yelling, and carrying on while we're trying to worship and read God's Word. It was just very difficult and discouraging! So please keep us all in your prayers! Thanks so much!
Oh, and one more thing. We had asked for prayer concerning the Crisis Intervention Program that we were going to be starting this week. Well those plans kind of fell through. Not enought children showed up to make it worth while, so we are not going to be doing that this week after all. Just thought we'd let you know that. God is definitely teaching us how to have flexibility! Each day we must let go of our own agendas and wills and exchange them for what God has in store for us. So continue to pray that we would remain flexible and willing vessels that the Lord can use.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. We love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
We would just like to ask you to pray for us, we definitely feel like the enemey is attacking right now. It seems that all our efforts here are being undone. We're having some issues with some of the people here at Ebenezer. We were able to have a meeting with everyone tonight which helped a lot. But please keep us in your prayers that God would give us the wisdom and patience we need to handle each situation.
Tonight at Bible Study, Satan was certainly attacking! There were people laughing, yelling, and carrying on while we're trying to worship and read God's Word. It was just very difficult and discouraging! So please keep us all in your prayers! Thanks so much!
Oh, and one more thing. We had asked for prayer concerning the Crisis Intervention Program that we were going to be starting this week. Well those plans kind of fell through. Not enought children showed up to make it worth while, so we are not going to be doing that this week after all. Just thought we'd let you know that. God is definitely teaching us how to have flexibility! Each day we must let go of our own agendas and wills and exchange them for what God has in store for us. So continue to pray that we would remain flexible and willing vessels that the Lord can use.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. We love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
7/2/11
Pictures
Here's a few photos from this past week. Enjoy!
Hope you are all having a wonderful week-end!
Shelly & Abby
Taking the elderly on a walk...
Hope you are all having a wonderful week-end!
Shelly & Abby
Week #5 Prayer Update
Prayers...
Shelly & Abby
- Crisis Intervention Program - We are starting a program to help some of the kids here who have lost their parents or a loved one. So we will be doing that in the afternoons this week. Please pray that the kids would be open and that God would use this program to comfort and heal them.
- Amanda & Shirely - They arrive this coming Friday, so pray for safe travels and that the Lord would prepare their hearts for their time with us here.
- Our last 2 weeks here - Pray that the remainder of our time here would be fruitful and that we would be able to be a blessing to the people here. Also pray that God would continue to prepare our hearts to go home and apply what we have learned here on this trip.
- Health & Strength
- Patience & Flexibility
- That our house is coming closer to completion every day. Maybe it will be done by the time we leave. :)
- That we are both healthy
- The weather has warmed up a bit! :)
- The elderly responded very well to our time spent with them this past week.
Shelly & Abby
7/1/11
Mice & Chicken Feet
So the adventure continues...
All day today the women here at Ebenezer have been preparing a wonderful meal for tomorrow. Chicken feet. :) Needless to say, we will not be eating lunch in the dining hall tomorrow. :) They all think it's the funniest thing that we get so grossed out over these chicken feet. One of the girls actually chased Abby around with chicken feet dangling from her hands. Gross! :)
But that's not all. Our evening of sitting around the heater peacefully munching popcorn was suddenly interupted by a little guest. A mouse. :) The next hour was spent in a mad chase trying to get it out of the house. We finally succeeded only to have the persistent little guy come right back in! By this time we were all in tears, practically rolling on the floor laughing! :) Don't worry though, we finally did get him out of the house. So now we can sleep in peace! :) The best part is that we got it all on video! Can't wait to show you when we get home. It's pretty funny! :)
Hope you all are having a week-end full of adventures like us! :)
Love,
Abby & Shelly
All day today the women here at Ebenezer have been preparing a wonderful meal for tomorrow. Chicken feet. :) Needless to say, we will not be eating lunch in the dining hall tomorrow. :) They all think it's the funniest thing that we get so grossed out over these chicken feet. One of the girls actually chased Abby around with chicken feet dangling from her hands. Gross! :)
But that's not all. Our evening of sitting around the heater peacefully munching popcorn was suddenly interupted by a little guest. A mouse. :) The next hour was spent in a mad chase trying to get it out of the house. We finally succeeded only to have the persistent little guy come right back in! By this time we were all in tears, practically rolling on the floor laughing! :) Don't worry though, we finally did get him out of the house. So now we can sleep in peace! :) The best part is that we got it all on video! Can't wait to show you when we get home. It's pretty funny! :)
Hope you all are having a week-end full of adventures like us! :)
Love,
Abby & Shelly
Real quick.....
Bill and Susan asked Shelly and I to pass this along to all of you.
Help TentMaker Ministries bring the Word of God to the orphans, vulnerable children and caregivers they minister to in Africa by casting a vote for them in the Giving of Life Grant initiative at http://www.givingoflife.com/browse/tentmaker_ministries/ . The 10 ministries receiving the most votes between now and November 4 make the finals. Please vote for TentMaker Ministries every day, share the link and encourage all your friends to do so also!
Thanks!
Abby & Shelly
Help TentMaker Ministries bring the Word of God to the orphans, vulnerable children and caregivers they minister to in Africa by casting a vote for them in the Giving of Life Grant initiative at http://www.givingoflife.com/browse/tentmaker_ministries/ . The 10 ministries receiving the most votes between now and November 4 make the finals. Please vote for TentMaker Ministries every day, share the link and encourage all your friends to do so also!
Thanks!
Abby & Shelly
6/28/11
A little update...
Hi all!
So we just thought we'd update you a little with what we've been doing these past few days. Both today and Monday we have been able to spend some time with the elderly here at Ebenezer. We've taken them on walks around the soccer field, read the Bible to them, and just helped them get to and from the dinning hall and stuff like that. It's been interesting, but good so far! :) We are also still helping out a little at the Preschool in the mornings. Right now the schools are on break for 3 weeks, so we don't have nearly as many kids at preschool as we did before. This has certainly helped to cut down on the chaos!
The rest of this week we will continue to focus on the elderly and the preschool. Next week we are planning to do some different programs with the school kids that are on break and we will also be preparing for when Amanda and Shirley come the following week. Then we'll be headed home! It's amazing how fast time flies by!
Something that you can be praying for is our continued physical health. One of the little girls here at Ebenezer has worms, so please pray for her to get better and also that we would not get infected with the worms! Thanks so much for your continued prayer support, I know we've said this a million times, but it really does mean so much to us!
Love and miss you all so much!
Abby & Shelly
So we just thought we'd update you a little with what we've been doing these past few days. Both today and Monday we have been able to spend some time with the elderly here at Ebenezer. We've taken them on walks around the soccer field, read the Bible to them, and just helped them get to and from the dinning hall and stuff like that. It's been interesting, but good so far! :) We are also still helping out a little at the Preschool in the mornings. Right now the schools are on break for 3 weeks, so we don't have nearly as many kids at preschool as we did before. This has certainly helped to cut down on the chaos!
The rest of this week we will continue to focus on the elderly and the preschool. Next week we are planning to do some different programs with the school kids that are on break and we will also be preparing for when Amanda and Shirley come the following week. Then we'll be headed home! It's amazing how fast time flies by!
Something that you can be praying for is our continued physical health. One of the little girls here at Ebenezer has worms, so please pray for her to get better and also that we would not get infected with the worms! Thanks so much for your continued prayer support, I know we've said this a million times, but it really does mean so much to us!
Love and miss you all so much!
Abby & Shelly
6/26/11
A few photos
Here are a few photos we thought you might enjoy.
Bill teaching at youth group on Friday night...
And here are a few of the precious children we get to love on everyday!
6/25/11
Week #4 Prayer Update
Well, we are officially halfway through our trip already! God has taught us so much and we are both excited to take what we have learned and apply it to our lives at home.
Here's this weeks praise and prayer update!
Praises...
Shelly & Abby
Here's this weeks praise and prayer update!
Praises...
- That we got through another week without getting sick or hurt.
- For all the lessons that God has been teaching us so far. There are too many to list here on the blog, but we can't wait to come home and share them with you all!
- That the Bible Studies and youth group are going well and that the people here are responding with open hearts and minds. It's so cool to see them begin to have a hunger and thirst for the Word of God.
- That the workers have begun to build a bathroom and shower onto our house! We are very excited and hope that it will be finished before we leave! :)
- Please pray for Amanda & Shirley, 2 women from our church who are coming to serve here in South Africa for a week. They will be here from July 8 until July 17. Pray for safety as they travel and adjust and that they would be blessed and be a blessing while they are here. Also pray for us as we help Bill & Susan prepare for their coming.
- Continued health & strength
- Hot showers and warmer weather. :)
- This coming week we will be focusing on spending some time ministering to the elderly here at Ebenezer. Please pray that we would be able to be a blessing to these precious men and women and that through us God would touch their hearts with His love.
Shelly & Abby
6/18/11
Pictures!!!
Here are some photos from this past week. We'll start off with Preschool. Notice in the picture below how we both are holding babies while trying to round up all the kids. This is how it is all day long. :)
The children eat lunch and then are supposed to have "rest time". After repeating "lay down NOW!" what seemed like one hundred times, and rubbing 15 little backs, all of our 3 year olds fell asleep. They slept for over an hour the first day, so that was really nice!
Two of our absolutely adorable babies!!! Aren't they precious???
Playing games outside with the teacher...
The adult's Bible Study with Bill & Susan on Friday afternoon...
And here's a little sneak peak of our house! Like we said before, it's not quite finished yet, but when it is we will post lots of before and after pictures for you!
Hope you all have a great week-end!
Love,
Abby & Shelly
Week #3 Prayer Update
It's hard to believe it's already time for another weekly prayer update! Time is flying by!
Prayers...
Abby & Shelly
Prayers...
- Bible Studies - Continue to pray for our weekly Wednesday night Bible Study and also the small group studies that we have on Fridays.
- Health & Strength
- Patience & Flexibility
- Preschool went very well this week. The teachers seem to be catching on really quick, so that's good!
- Bible Studies - We were able to start up a weekly Wednesday night Bible Study for everyone here at Ebenezer. Then on Fridays we have small group studies with all the different age groups. (adults, youth, and primary age) The youth study went very well and we really felt like we were able to get to know them all better.
- The house is almost finished!! And the builders started working on adding a bathroom to our house!!!! YAY!!! We are very excited about that! :)
Abby & Shelly
6/14/11
Preschool
Hi all!
So today was our second morning working in the preschool here at Ebenezer, and we're pretty much exhausted! :) In our class we have fifteen 3 year olds, 3 babies, and one other teacher. So yeah, it's a lot of work! We're gonna have some pretty sick arm muscles when we get home from holding babies all day. :) You should hear us, we both sound like old ladies, groaning and complaing constanly about our aching backs. :) No, but really, we're doing fine! :)
So far the teachers have been very receptive to the schedules that we have brought in. Before they really had no structure at all, so this is a huge step for them! Keep praying that they will catch on quickly and that after we leave they will continue with what we're teaching them. Also pray for us that we would have the strength and energy that we need to get through each day.
We will post some pictures of preschool at the end of the week, so check back for that! Love and miss you all!
Shelly & Abby
So today was our second morning working in the preschool here at Ebenezer, and we're pretty much exhausted! :) In our class we have fifteen 3 year olds, 3 babies, and one other teacher. So yeah, it's a lot of work! We're gonna have some pretty sick arm muscles when we get home from holding babies all day. :) You should hear us, we both sound like old ladies, groaning and complaing constanly about our aching backs. :) No, but really, we're doing fine! :)
So far the teachers have been very receptive to the schedules that we have brought in. Before they really had no structure at all, so this is a huge step for them! Keep praying that they will catch on quickly and that after we leave they will continue with what we're teaching them. Also pray for us that we would have the strength and energy that we need to get through each day.
We will post some pictures of preschool at the end of the week, so check back for that! Love and miss you all!
Shelly & Abby
6/11/11
Week #2 Prayer Update
Wow! In a way it's hard to believe that we've already been here in South Africa for 2 weeks! We are having an amazing time so far and God has already taught us so much! Here's some things you can be praying for us about this week...
Shelly & Abby
- Preschool - On Monday, Lord willing, we will start working in the Preschool here at Ebenezer,and let me just say, we've got our work cut out for us! :) Right now the kids just kind of run wild and the teachers really don't do anything. So we are going to be training the teachers how to follow a schedual, and just try to bring some order to the classes. Pray for patience as it will be challenging in many ways!
- Bible Study - This coming week we will be starting up some weekly Bible Studies for all the different age groups here at Ebenezer. Please pray that the people here would have open hearts to hear the Word and that they would each desire to know Jesus on a personal level.
- Patience & Flexibility - Pray that we would continue to have open hearts and that we would be willing to give up our own agenda for whatever God's plans are for us here.
- Health & Strength - Continue to pray that we would remain healthy and strong so that we can better serve the Lord here in South Africa.
- That the weather warmed up! It was beautiful and sunny today!
- That we are both over our colds and are feeling good. I think we are pretty well adjusted to the food and stuff now, so that is good!
Shelly & Abby
6/9/11
Some more pictures
Here's some photos from the last couple of days that we thought you might enjoy!
Playing our nightly game of uno with the youth. By the time this trip is over, we won't ever want to see an uno card again! :)
Playing our nightly game of uno with the youth. By the time this trip is over, we won't ever want to see an uno card again! :)
This is the view from our bedroom window, beautiful, huh?!
You know it's cold when.....
......1) you wake up in the morning and you can see your breath
2) when the butter is softer in the fridge then it is on the table
3) you are wearing 4, maybe five layers of clothing and you are still cold
4) you get used to the fact the you just can't feel your toes anymore
5) you walk around the house holding mugs of hot water just to keep your hands warm
So, as you can tell from above, we are cold. But it's all just part of the adventure right? :)
Tuesday night we went to bed to the sound of rain pounding on the tin roof. We woke up in the morning to the same sound. It's been raining off and on ever since. Hopefully it will clear up soon.
Oh, and one more thing. Over the past couple days of working with the children, we've had some unexpected little surprises. :) They have included: Shelly being peed on, Abby getting thrown up on, and both of us constantly being used as a tissue. :)
In the midst of all this, we're having a great time and God is definitely teaching us a lot.
Love,
Abby and Shelly
2) when the butter is softer in the fridge then it is on the table
3) you are wearing 4, maybe five layers of clothing and you are still cold
4) you get used to the fact the you just can't feel your toes anymore
5) you walk around the house holding mugs of hot water just to keep your hands warm
So, as you can tell from above, we are cold. But it's all just part of the adventure right? :)
Tuesday night we went to bed to the sound of rain pounding on the tin roof. We woke up in the morning to the same sound. It's been raining off and on ever since. Hopefully it will clear up soon.
Oh, and one more thing. Over the past couple days of working with the children, we've had some unexpected little surprises. :) They have included: Shelly being peed on, Abby getting thrown up on, and both of us constantly being used as a tissue. :)
In the midst of all this, we're having a great time and God is definitely teaching us a lot.
Love,
Abby and Shelly
Can you tell we're cold??? :)
6/7/11
Our Latest Adventure!
SHOWERS!!! :)
So today we took our first showers here on the Ebenezer property and well let's just say it was quite interesting! :) We arrived at the showers to find that there were no curtains. Upon inspecting the showers closer Abby discovered some spiders living in hers, a broken, half-working shower head, and COLD water. Meanwhile Shelly couldn't fiugre out how to close the wide open window in hers. Once we overcame these hurdles we mustered up all our courage, counted to 3, and turned on the water. Let me just say, it was COLD!!! After getting our hair all sudzed up we turned on the water to begin rinsing it and to our horror only a couple of drips came out. So we stood there, shivering, trying to figure out what to do. Meanwhile there's a man pounding on the door, rattling off something to us in Zulu. We both yelled "occupied!" and thankfully he went away. :) So yes, it was quite the experience! Although we didn't get very clean, may not have gotten all of the shampoo out of our hair, and were freezing cold the entire time, we walked back to the house with more memories made, and yet another adventure to tell! :)
So today we took our first showers here on the Ebenezer property and well let's just say it was quite interesting! :) We arrived at the showers to find that there were no curtains. Upon inspecting the showers closer Abby discovered some spiders living in hers, a broken, half-working shower head, and COLD water. Meanwhile Shelly couldn't fiugre out how to close the wide open window in hers. Once we overcame these hurdles we mustered up all our courage, counted to 3, and turned on the water. Let me just say, it was COLD!!! After getting our hair all sudzed up we turned on the water to begin rinsing it and to our horror only a couple of drips came out. So we stood there, shivering, trying to figure out what to do. Meanwhile there's a man pounding on the door, rattling off something to us in Zulu. We both yelled "occupied!" and thankfully he went away. :) So yes, it was quite the experience! Although we didn't get very clean, may not have gotten all of the shampoo out of our hair, and were freezing cold the entire time, we walked back to the house with more memories made, and yet another adventure to tell! :)
6/6/11
We moved in!
So we officially moved into our house at Ebenezer yesterday! It feels good to be getting more settled in here! This week we'll finish up the main room in our house (we'll post pictures when it's all finished!), and just continue to get to know everyone here better. Next week we'll start working in the preschool and doing weekly Bible Studies for all the different age groups. So please us in your prayers as we prepare for both of those things!
This morning we we did a little Bible lesson and some games with a small group of kids here that have not been able to get into school yet. (Either they came too late in the year to start or the schools are just too full) So that was a lot of fun! We are planning to keep working with them this week before we get involved in the preschool and stuff.
The rest of our day was spent cleaning out the preschool storage room, which is...ahem...well let's just say it's quite the job! :) We also helped some of the kids with their studies when they got home from school. Their exams are coming up this week and they are all a little nervous, so keep them in your prayers! And just now we got back from playing a super fun game of Uno with some of the youth in the dining hall. It's a lot of fun getting to know everyone better!
We're both feeling better today which is a praise! Continue to pray that we would stay healthy and strong so that we can better serve the Lord and His precious people here in South Africa!
Much love to you all!
Shelly & Abby
P.S.
We just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your sweet and encouraging comments that you leave on this blog for us! What a blessing it is to have such a wonderful, loving group of people supporting us! May God bless each one of you!
This morning we we did a little Bible lesson and some games with a small group of kids here that have not been able to get into school yet. (Either they came too late in the year to start or the schools are just too full) So that was a lot of fun! We are planning to keep working with them this week before we get involved in the preschool and stuff.
The rest of our day was spent cleaning out the preschool storage room, which is...ahem...well let's just say it's quite the job! :) We also helped some of the kids with their studies when they got home from school. Their exams are coming up this week and they are all a little nervous, so keep them in your prayers! And just now we got back from playing a super fun game of Uno with some of the youth in the dining hall. It's a lot of fun getting to know everyone better!
We're both feeling better today which is a praise! Continue to pray that we would stay healthy and strong so that we can better serve the Lord and His precious people here in South Africa!
Much love to you all!
Shelly & Abby
P.S.
We just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your sweet and encouraging comments that you leave on this blog for us! What a blessing it is to have such a wonderful, loving group of people supporting us! May God bless each one of you!
6/4/11
Week #1 Prayer Update
Hi everyone!
So we decided to try to do like a weekly prayer update post for you all, so you know some specific things you can be praying for us about, k! So here's this weeks:
Please pray for...
We are so blessed to be able to serve here in South Africa. We are so thankful for all your prayers and support.
Love,
Abby & Shelly
So we decided to try to do like a weekly prayer update post for you all, so you know some specific things you can be praying for us about, k! So here's this weeks:
Please pray for...
- Our health. We're both battling colds and our systems are just trying to adjust to the water and food and stuff.
- Flexibility and patience. We're learning that both of those things are SO important! Pray that we would just be able to be open to whatever God has for us and that we wouldn't hold onto our agenda too tightly.
- Our move to Ebenezer. We're planning to move into our house there tomorrow, so pray that everything would go smoothly with that!
- The people at Ebenezer. Bill and Susan (the missionary couple we are serving with) have been put in charge of all the children's homes at Ebenezer. So we will be kind of enforcing the rules and overseeing stuff. Just pray that the people would have open hearts and minds and that we would have patience and be understanding of cultural differences.
- Shelly and I both adjusted to the time change very well!
- The house at Ebenezer got finished!
We are so blessed to be able to serve here in South Africa. We are so thankful for all your prayers and support.
Love,
Abby & Shelly
6/2/11
More Pictures!
Here's some more pictures of us with the kids at Ebenezer!
This is Shelly's special little baby friend that she cuddles with every day at preschool! Isn't she precious???
This is typically how it is when we play with the kids. They all fight over who gets to sit on your lap, hold your hand, or play with your hair. They are full of energy to say the least!
This is Shelly's special little baby friend that she cuddles with every day at preschool! Isn't she precious???
This is typically how it is when we play with the kids. They all fight over who gets to sit on your lap, hold your hand, or play with your hair. They are full of energy to say the least!
6/1/11
Pictures!!!
Here's some pictures for you all finally!
This is the view when you drive into Ebenezer. Straight ahead is the dinning hall/kitchen/church. Over to the right is our house. To the left is the preschool.
We'll post more photos when our house is finished, so keep checking back!
Love you all!
Shelly & Abby
This is the view when you drive into Ebenezer. Straight ahead is the dinning hall/kitchen/church. Over to the right is our house. To the left is the preschool.
We'll post more photos when our house is finished, so keep checking back!
Love you all!
Shelly & Abby
5/31/11
The Adventure Continues...
Hello all!
Well, we've been here in Africa now for about 4 days and there's never been a dull moment, between overflowing toilets, kids runny noses that get wiped all over us, driving on the opposite side of the road with very aggresive traffic, finding meats at the supermarket that we didn't realize could be eaten (for example chicken feet and cow intestines, thankfully we haven't been asked to taste any of these yet!), and huddling around our little heaters holding cups of hot water trying to stay warm! :-) But all in all it has been good so far!
Today it was FREEZING and very windy! We spent most of the day working on our house at Ebenezer -painting, cleaning, organizing and doing things like that. Hopefully we'll be moved in there by the week-end, so keep praying for that! Yesterday we arrived at Ebenezer to all the children in the preschool chanting our names. It was so cute! :-) We're both really excited to start working in the preschool in the next couple of weeks!
Keep praying for the people at Ebenezer to have open minds and hearts and that we would be able to touch their lives with the love of Christ. Pray that we would also remain flexible and open to whatever it is God has for us. We so appreciate your support and encouraging comments, you all mean so much to us!
Abby & Shelly
P.S.
Tomorrow we're going to try to post some pictures, ok!
Well, we've been here in Africa now for about 4 days and there's never been a dull moment, between overflowing toilets, kids runny noses that get wiped all over us, driving on the opposite side of the road with very aggresive traffic, finding meats at the supermarket that we didn't realize could be eaten (for example chicken feet and cow intestines, thankfully we haven't been asked to taste any of these yet!), and huddling around our little heaters holding cups of hot water trying to stay warm! :-) But all in all it has been good so far!
Today it was FREEZING and very windy! We spent most of the day working on our house at Ebenezer -painting, cleaning, organizing and doing things like that. Hopefully we'll be moved in there by the week-end, so keep praying for that! Yesterday we arrived at Ebenezer to all the children in the preschool chanting our names. It was so cute! :-) We're both really excited to start working in the preschool in the next couple of weeks!
Keep praying for the people at Ebenezer to have open minds and hearts and that we would be able to touch their lives with the love of Christ. Pray that we would also remain flexible and open to whatever it is God has for us. We so appreciate your support and encouraging comments, you all mean so much to us!
Abby & Shelly
P.S.
Tomorrow we're going to try to post some pictures, ok!
5/28/11
Our First Day in Africa
Hi everyone!
So we arrived safely in Johannesburg at around 10 p.m. last night and didn't get back to where we're staying till 1 a.m. so we pretty much just crashed! :) Our house at Ebenezer Care Center is not quite finished yet, so right now we are staying about 30 min. away from the center. We're hoping and praying that we will be able to move into the house at the center soon, so keep that in your prayers! This morning/afternoon we visited Ebenezer for the first time. We met so many beautiful people and spent most of the afternoon playing with the adorable children. We are excited to get to know the people better and be able to plug in and help at the center. Hopefully we'll get better internet connection soon so we can post some pictures for you! Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we adjust to the time change, FREEZING weather, and everything else! :) Pray that we would remain flexible and be able to be a blessing to all those around us! We love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
So we arrived safely in Johannesburg at around 10 p.m. last night and didn't get back to where we're staying till 1 a.m. so we pretty much just crashed! :) Our house at Ebenezer Care Center is not quite finished yet, so right now we are staying about 30 min. away from the center. We're hoping and praying that we will be able to move into the house at the center soon, so keep that in your prayers! This morning/afternoon we visited Ebenezer for the first time. We met so many beautiful people and spent most of the afternoon playing with the adorable children. We are excited to get to know the people better and be able to plug in and help at the center. Hopefully we'll get better internet connection soon so we can post some pictures for you! Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we adjust to the time change, FREEZING weather, and everything else! :) Pray that we would remain flexible and be able to be a blessing to all those around us! We love and miss you all!
Abby & Shelly
5/27/11
We're in Amsterdam!
Hi all!
Just wanted to let you know that we made it safely to Amsterdam. Now we're just waiting to board our flight to Johannesburg. It's an 11 hr. flight, so pray for us! :) We just got off a 7 hr. flight from Newark so we're pretty tired! :) We'll let you know when we get to Johannesburg. Love to all!
Shelly & Abby
Just wanted to let you know that we made it safely to Amsterdam. Now we're just waiting to board our flight to Johannesburg. It's an 11 hr. flight, so pray for us! :) We just got off a 7 hr. flight from Newark so we're pretty tired! :) We'll let you know when we get to Johannesburg. Love to all!
Shelly & Abby
5/26/11
South Africa Here We Come!
So today is the day! Our flight leaves at 6:00 PM and if everything goes smoothly we should arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa by 9:30 PM tomorrow night. So please keep us in your prayers as we travel. Pray for things to go safely and smoothly and that we would be able to be a witness for Christ to those around us in the airports and on the plane.We'll post again when we get there!
Love you all!
Shelly & Abby
Love you all!
Shelly & Abby
5/16/11
Hi & welcome!
Welcome to our South Africa blog! Just wanted to make sure that everything is working right! 10 more days till we leave!!!! Please keep us in your prayers as we get all the last minute details together and prepare to leave!
Love to all!
Shelly
Love to all!
Shelly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)