This month we have completed our garden and have already begun to see our seedlings sprout! It’s quite a spectacular site, seeing the garden, literally, come to fruition. After tireless days in the unforeseen pressure of the sun or the heavy rain, we are now done!
Now, we are preparing to select 25 different families to participate in our organic farming experiment, where we prepare the land and manage it differently than how they have in the past. We are hoping to start a microfinance enterprise out of it, where we can mobilize seeds and fertilizer to their homes at a small price, that participants can pay back once there crop comes in and they sell the items grown.
Health classes have started! We have tried our first run-through, teaching the kids about physical education. Mostly, we wanted to see how many kids would participate and over 200 showed up! The kids are on their holidays and we cannot yet manage that many all at once as we get into the more in-depth chapters. It’s a good thing we started with games of “Red Rover”, (I switched up the rhyme a bit so the kids could understand the game in Portuguese), and we were able to learn one another’s names.
It was quite a difficult task to control so many students at once, so we hope to break them up by training teachers primarily for the lessons and then implementing them. Although Pastor Joao, would have liked us to hold classes first and demonstrate to the teachers by example, we are still working out how to do all of that and have quality in the classrooms and see that they're learning the material, too. After the first try we're learning how we want to see the future of the program proceed.
Christmas is in the air—and recycled art, too! The kids are turning trash to treasure at lightning speed. It’s so great to see them fight over the trash that litters most of the community. I’m hoping to create more of these “sustainable art projects” in the future so the kids can continue to make great toys and games with the things they can create! We have already created enough decorations for our upcoming Christmas play!
I have to say, it really doesn’t feel like November at all. This will be the first Thanksgiving I spend away from home. I’m truly feeling the heartstrings tear as the days come closer. I will be spending the holiday in South Africa with familiar friends. I’ll also be there to get my computer repaired and to see what goods I can collect for the kids that I can’t get here.
We made little halos for the kids to take home to wear and for our upcoming Christmas play.
From litter to treasure. We turned a common nuisance into a new toy!
I will be moving out of the house the Korean missionary family and I have lived in since I began here. I’m so grateful for their help in getting me on my feet and offering me their home. I’m now ready to take on the city on my own and couldn’t be happier.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to ask for some prayers of thanksgiving:
- For a truly incredible start to Project Rx. I am floored with how much we have accomplished.
- For the Jeong Family and their incredible generosity for letting me live with them for this time.
- For the amazing provisions that we have added to the program, including but not limited to new chalkboards, all of the garden tools and supplies, oral rehydration kits, games for kids and all of my office-like materials (printer, paper, tape, etc).
- For all of the challenges, struggles, triumphs and breakthroughs.
Thank you so much for following this and for all your continued support. It would not be anything without you. [Round of applause!!]
Posts
