Day Thirteen - Blog Post by Kimberly Steiner

Day 13 – Kimberly Steiner

Today was our last full day with the children and it really started to hit the team that time with them is short. Things started early for Isaac and Jonah, since they were on deck to help make breakfast with Lydia at 5:30am. They also got to make bread and muffins that the team enjoyed at dinner. 

When the rest of the team arrived, we were greeted by the students with lots of sweet notes that the children had written using the duct tape journals that they created yesterday. They told us how much our time meant to them and how much they were going to miss us.  They also wanted us to write back to them, which could be a full time job, since there are over 70 kids at the school!!!

Once the day got under way, things were hopping. Jason helped to get the “Tuck Shop” painted and ready for use. This is the little shop where students can buy a variety of snacks and school supplies with the pocket money that they receive for selling the knit items that they make throughout the year. Steve and Grace went to visit Siya’s family and do a little shopping for their family’s favorite African treats. The rest of the team was involved in teaching all morning. I have been with the Grade 2/3 students for the majority of the trip and have really come to love these kids. For the last couple of days I have been helping the new teacher by working with the Grade 3 children in a variety of subjects. It has been very different from teaching in the US, with most of the teaching coming in the form of copying information from the chalkboard and rote memorization. I did inject some of my own style when possible, which made things fun for me (and the kids, I think!). I also got to use some of my organizational skills to help the new teacher get the classroom set up. The room had been a bit of a dumping ground until now, so there was a lot to go through!!!!

In the afternoon, we had some great play time with the children. Some of the team members got involved in a crazy game that the girls like to play that includes stacking bricks while two people are trying to throw a ball at you (those girls can throw HARD!!!!!!). I think that they are planning to bring the game back with them, so look for that to show up on a youth group night J. The boys then led a rousing game of “Red Rover”, which many of the kids remembered from the last team’s visit and really enjoyed.  After the game, the girls led the Bible Lesson, which was the story of Jesus’ arrest, death and resurrection.  They showed the story through old-school flannel-graph, and the children were captivated. For the second day in a row, they were calling “Repeat, repeat” when it was over. We are praying that these stories will have a long-lasting impact on them, since that is really why we are here.

We are looking forward to being back with you all soon, as we are feeling a bit weary and missing some of the comforts of home, such as clean clothes, sleeping in our own beds and of course, pizza. Thank you all for your support of prayer and love for our team – we couldn’t do this without you!!!!