Monday, July 26, 2010

Camp Sonshine Is Number 1 . . . We Follow Jesus Christ The Son . . . If You Ask Us Why We'll Say: . . "He's The Truth, The Light, The Way" . . .

Term 3 has begun whether we were ready or not, fortunately we were! While most of the country is suffering from PWCD (post world cup depression) the Camp Sonshine kids have been enjoying some exciting activities and some exciting visitors!

During the first week of the term we were so excited to have Sarah, a former staff member from the USA com
e and visit. Sarah recently got married and chose to have her honeymoon in Cape Town, while showing her husband Aaron this beautiful part of the world and introducing him to the Camp Sonshine kids! We celebrated Sarah's visit by taking the kids to a local sports field where we played games and collected tadpoles - a favourite winter activity!

The kids were so excited to start playing field hockey again, we were thrilled that more kids than ever before have signed up to play! Many parents have come to ask me how their kids can get involved. We are so encouraged that children and parents are excited about being involved in sport. We are fortunate to be able to play almost all our matches at home (as transport can be an issue for us), and to have a very supportive local hockey club who is keen to see these kids develop and grow as players and hopefully one day join the club, once they reach high school.

Our Friday afternoon "dance club" for girls is also continuing to grow - these kids are born with a natural rhythm that puts me to shame! They love coming up with their own dances, the older kids often teaching and encouraging the younger ones. I just love seeing these girls working together and helping one another.

During the second week of term we welcomed a visit from Amy, a former volunteer from Florida, USA, who is now teaching English in Korea. Amy came over to South Africa for a week long holiday and spent an afternoon with us. The kids were super excited to see her and soon caught her up on all the local news.

We currently have Sabina, an Austrian volunteer working with us. She will be with us until the beginning of September. Sabina is super helpful and is proving to be a wonderful asset in the classroom and during our after school care program.

We are beginning our staff recruit for our annual camp which will be held in January 2011. We recruit volunteers from all over the world for this incredible camp. It really is TONS of fun and is something that these children genuinely look forward to all year! If you are interested in being part of this incredible ministry, please let me know or go directly to our Camp Sonshine International web page to sign up -www.campsonshineinternational.org
We are now earnestly fund raising for a new classroom / after school care centre as the one we are currently using is just about at its "best before" date. We need a total of $14 300 to complete this project, $11 100 to get started. We have raised $6 773 to date, so are looking for another $7 500. If you would like to donate money toward this project, you can do so through our website - www.campsonshineafrica.org by hitting the "donate" button. Please put "classroom" in the memo section so that we know how to allocate your donation.

Many blessings to all of you, from all of us at Camp Sonshine Africa!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Waka, Waka, Yeah, Yeah


Shakira and Freshly Ground's "Waka, Waka" has most definitely been the soundtrack to our 2010 Winter Holiday Club! As the holidays draw to a close and the kids get ready to go back to school we can reflect on a wonderful few weeks of football and fun!

For staff, volunteers and children the school holidays come as a welcome break from the school routine. We were treated to an extra long break this time around due to the Soccer World Cup. What a treat it has been hosting the world in our back yard. Some of our children, who participate in a street soccer league, were even invited to watch one of the games live! What a moment in history for these children!

We had some great days and some fantastic field trips, which all help to contribute to the positive memory bank of these children's lives. Some of the activities we did included a visit to the Coca-Cola factory, a mini World Cup tournament, a trip to the ice-rink, a craft and baking day, a talent show, a picnic, a trip to the Drakenstein Lion Park, a special "Girl's Night In" for the older girls and a treasure hunt and game-show day!

We were sadly let down by the police, who promised to run 2 fun days with the children, and provide lunch. The police did not turn up for either of these days and we were left fitting the bill to feed the children and come up with some very last minute activity ideas. All staff and volunteers were extremely flexible and accommodating and in the end we had 2 fantastic days, even though they were a last minute scramble! Sadly this kind of thing does not endear the children or the community to the local police!

On some days we were a little disappointed with the turnout, but looking back I believe that the children who were meant to be there were there. We met 2 children whom I have not seem before in MGV, they came along and loved every moment. Both these girls will be joining in our after school care program next term! Even though Garden Village is a small community, we seem to meet new children and families all the time!

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers are we begin term 3 of 2010!