PASTURE VALLEY CHILDREN'S HOME NEWSLETTER
Click here for June 2010 newsletter in .pdf/Acrobat format
Click here for April 2010 newsletter in .pdf/Acrobat format
Acts 27:25
"Therefore take heart men, for I believe God that it would be just as it was told me."
JUNE 2010
Greetings to you all,
When the storms hit us it is wonderful to know that we can take heart in what God tells us. We can hold onto the truth of God's word and not be afraid of what is ahead. We can testify to God helping us through a storm of disease in the children's home and how grateful we are that God helped us through it all. In our last newsletter we reported on the children getting measles. We sadly buried Gracie and on the same day we had 3 children with fevers and coughing in bed. Michael was really sick and after a call to the doctor he told us to immediately take him to a hospital. He lay in Chris's arms all the way to Hlatikulu and was really weak and we thought we would lose him. I cried out to the Lord and told Him that I could not bear the pain of losing another child. The Baylor doctors were great and he was diagnosed with TB and treated. He was in hospital for 3 weeks as he fought the battle against it.
We were overjoyed when I was able to bring him back home and to see the smile on his face again. During the same time we had other children that were getting ill with measles and mumps. In total nine children were infected and we took turns watching over the fevers at night and day. But the medical storm was not over... Karen's (who had been helping with the preschool) ulcer that she was recovering from flared up again and gradually got worse. She was in bed and was not able to eat much food because of the pain. Eventually, she too needed to be taken to hospital and was flown back to the States where she could get specialist care. The good news is that she is recovering well and Chris is back at Pasture Valley. The children have now all been vaccinated for Measles, Mumps and Rubella and have recovered from it all.
HAPPENINGS AT PASTURE VALLEY
Preschool Visit
Every year a local preschool comes to visit Pasture Valley to see the animals on the farm. It takes a bit of organization to group the 75 children and show them around. Most children are afraid of animals and we always try to encourage them to touch the animals.
Nutrition Course
Action Against Hunger asked if we could host the training of an excellent 2 day nutrition course for 30 home based care workers from Mbangweni. We collected the ladies with our little milk van and set out the chairs and tables in the shed. Both our housemothers also attended the course and reported that it was educational and informative.
Market Day in South Africa
We were given an opportunity to display some of the children's crafts and jams at a market in South Africa. The table looked great, but unfortunately it was a really cold day and most people were more interested in hot food than jams and hand made cards. It was a good learning experience for the girls though.
VOLUNTEERS
Joe Dodson from the States kindly volunteered to help with the children's activities during their 3 week school holiday. He was great in teaching them computer skills, played table tennis and even took the kids to soccer matches in town. Joe also managed to arrange tickets for 10 of the children to attend the Bush fire festival which they will never forget (more about that later...) He has left a legacy behind in that he planted a small fruit tree orchard in front of the childrens home. We hope he will return one day to taste and sample the fruit!
Jenny Ritchey has been seconded to Pasture Valley through Peace Corps for a period of 3 months. She has thankfully taken over my duties in the preschool in the mornings and has a tight schedule of tuition of the grade ones for an hour in the afternoon, then gives computer classes to 2 children per day and also assists all the children with their homework in the late afternoon. Her input into the children's education is invaluable and much appreciated!
CHICKEN COOP
Yesterday the children went out with Peter to fetch some chickens at a farm nearby that was donated to them provided they could catch them. The boys loved this and an hour later they had caught 15 chickens, exhausted. There were exciting runs, some spectacular dives and some cunning moves to catch the half wild Swazi chickens. Uncle Chris had to speedily make a chicken coop and Gogo Constance's prayer was answered. She has been asking for a chicken coop for so long…
BAMBANANI CRAFT PROJECT
The ladies and men working on the paper bead necklaces have really worked hard and produced over 140 necklaces over the last month. Their quality is improving although there is still much that can be improved and much training to be done to bring in variation. Marketing of course is always a challenge and to get exposure, we booked a table at the Bush fire festival which ran over the last weekend of May. Jen and Justine worked hard to get the quality of the bead necklaces improved and set up the stall beautifully. For more information on the project and how it is doing you can visit its new website on www.bambananiswaziland.com. We are really excited about the contacts made and the opportunities for marketing. We will attend another market in July.
BUSHFIRE FESTIVAL
The Bush fire festival has become an annual event that draws many people to Swaziland. The organizers of the festival kindly gave 10 of the children free tickets to enter. I got special permission from the school to take the boys out early on Friday to attend a drumming and music instrument workshop at the Festival. They were so excited and could hardly absorb all that was going on around them when we got there. There were clowns and the market stalls and lights and food and drinks... Just too much to see and do. We got back home at 1 o'clock in the morning and had a couple of hours sleep and then motored up again with the 5 girls. They were able to experience a play, gumboot dancing and a string orchestra. I was exhausted but happy that the children got to experience so much.
SOME CHALLENGES
Our eldest daughter who had been studying in Manzini informed us that she was 2 months pregnant and that she did not know the whereabouts of the homestead of her boyfriend. We were terribly disappointed and Peter demanded to see the boyfriend to inform him of his responsibilities and to give him a lecture about taking advantage of young girls (typical father!). However, the reality is that the father will probably not take any responsibility and she will be left to care for the child on her own as is the case for so many women in Swaziland. We have brought her home and she is living with a member of our staff on the farm. We have arranged for counselling with the church and with Social Welfare as we try to find out what would be best done in this situation. Please pray for guidance and wisdom.
We recently had a break-in at the volunteer cottage with some people helping themselves to some blankets, duvets, bags and a mattress. It is rather cold at the moment so we hope that the thieves are nice and snug with all they took. The door lock was repaired and an extra security door has a padlock on it.
WORLD CUP
The boys are enjoying watching the football that has taken Africa by storm over the past months. They eagerly shout advice to the players on the screen and cannot wait to see the next game. They were so pleased with Bafana Bafana (South African team) scoring the first goal and with their performance. We have a vuvuzela (plastic trumpet) that is blown at intervals and the kids have made paper flags to wave around.
EDUCATION/RECREATION CENTRE
The drawings and design was made with a hall in the centre, an office and store room on one side and a bathroom and kitchen on the other. The blocks have been ordered and site selected close to the Children's homes. We are really excited about it being done and aim to have it finished by the end of winter!
THANK YOU
Thank you to all who have so generously donated towards the building project and the children. We have been amazed at how we have been so blessed. We were also given a sofa lounge suite and a computer for the children for which we are most grateful.
PRAYER NEEDED
Continued prayer for our teenagers and especially for our eldest daughter as she makes decisions for her future.
That we find a suitable builder for the education centre soon.
We are thinking of sending one of the children to a school further away, but are unsure if making an exception for one child would cause jealousy among the rest. Please pray that the right decision is made.
May God bless you all,
Peter and Michelle