Patrol dinners

When I asked the girls at the beginning of the term whether they could cook, they all put up their hands enthusiastically.   When I asked whether any of them would like to do their cook’s badge, one from each patrol, Jeanette and Maria volunteered.   We decided to have patrol dinners at the end of the year, the Flamingos would go to Jeanette’s house and the Blue Cranes would go to the orphanage where Maria would use the kitchen.

I wasn’t sure whether it would work.   There was transport to organise, food to be bought and got to the cooks, a tester to find.   Thanks to the Rays of Hope staff, the ingredients and transport were organised.   When I found out that a friend of my son used to be a Scout, I asked her to come along and test the girls.   Trying to find our way in Alex was a bit hairy – there don’t seem to be any numbers and we had to ask passers-by to help us.   I am sure the Lord was helping us because we came to the right yard just as two young boys were going in and they knew where Jeanette lives.

I was proud of the girls.   Jeanette made us a baked beans dish with vegetables and jelly and custard.   Kathleen and I had to leave before cofee because it was getting late and we still had to get to the Blue Cranes.   When we got to Ikhya Lomusa, my heart sank because there were two Guides sitting on the couch, Maria was nowhere in sight and there was no sign of food or eating.   However once Maria was called it turned out she had finished cooking but they were waiting for us to arrive.   We had yummy chicken with rice and a sauce and a green salad.   Well done to the cooks and weel done to the rest of the patrols who found their way to the right places and came in uniform.

The girls in their new skirts

 

 

Heritage Day

The last day of last term was Heritage Day.   Jeanette's school had had a special celebation and she came with her two neices dressed for the celebration.   Tsegofatso and Zinthle were enrolled.   We played the chocolate game afterwards which was not a success.   The girls just got too excited and out of control.





Some of the Guides in uniform

The chocolate game

This term the court-of-honour/patrol-in-council decided that one girl from each patrol would do her Cook's badge at the end of this term.   The rest of the patrol would come to "her" house for a patrol dinner.   The Blue Cranes will come to the orphange where Maria will cook and the Flamingos will go to Jeanette's brother's home.   During meetings we will learn table settings, balanced menus and start Christmas crafts.

I was given an old guide uniform by one of my old Guides.   Zinthle wore the skirt for her enrollment.   When I asked the girls if they would all like to wear skirts, they were very enthusiastic.

    We had been donated two big boxes of craft materials.  
Among these were about 15 packs of finger-puppets to make.   I undertook that if the girls made some finger puppets last week and the week before, I would take them to work and try to sell them as well as the left over kits.   Well, we made enough money to buy skirts for all of them, especially since Mary, our    Regional Commissioner ,will let us have them for a little above cost price.   Thanks Mary and my supportive work colleagues!

Zinthle

Tsegofatso

Rays of  Hope asked us to do a performance for the closing ceremony of their fund raising cycle rally.   Luckily we have done two performances already so just just had to practice what they already knew.   Here's hoping it all goes well tomorrow.

Guide Sunday

 

When I got an invitation for Guide Sunday mentioning that part of the collection would be going to the Rays of Hope Child Headed Household Programme, I thought it would be really nice if the Guides could go.   Unfortunately the event was to be held in Sasolburg.   However, with co-operation from Bertha, Trish, Ikhya Lomusa and Saul, transport was organised and lunch was provided and 8 nearly perfectly clothed Guides were underway.   The church service was meaningful and interesting, I had to do an impromptu presentation on Rays of Hope.   Afterwards we went to Echo park for lunch.   We took a game drive around and spotted Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Springbuck and waterbuck.

  

Candlelight Club

Candlelight Club is an organisation for senior citizens whereby once a month they have a tea hosted by different organisations.   Once a year the Girl Guide Asociation hosts them at Waverley Guide Hall.   When I heard they were appealing to Guide companies to provide entertainment and remembering how much the Rays of Hope Guides had enjoyed the visit to the old age home in Alex last term,  and after suggesting it at court of honour to great enthsusiasm, I offered their services.   In a way that was a mistake because although I thought I'd consulted all the people, four of the girls were involved with a drama production which clashed.   However we went ahead, sang our songs and then rushed off to get the girls back to Ikhya Lomusa not too late.

Althought the practice had been better than the actual performance where nerves started kicking in, the girls did very well and were much appreciated.   Two who were not involved in Roseact met me earlier and I transported them to the hall where they were involved with other Guides, Brownies and Rangers serving tea to the old people.   Our commisioner thought the girls were good enough to merit their entertainer's badge and signed it off for us.   The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves but I had been stressed and was glad when it was over.

                                         If I were not a Girl Guide.......

                                        Practicing their Zulu dance

3rd Term 2012

Things are going a little better with the Rays of Hope Guide Company.   One reason is that I now have two helpers, Bongikele and Nelly.   Bongi lives in Berea at the Christchurch Shelter.   We tried the taxi route.   At the beginning of one meeting  I got an SMS from her saying she had taken the taxi to Alex and was now waiting for the local taxi to fill up before it would leave.   An hour later, near the end of the Guide meeting she sent a message again saying she was still waiting.   I had to tell her to go home again.

Nelly is studying in Pretoria and can't always get away on Friday afternoons.   During the holidays I met them both at Park Station and we investigated the Gautrain as an alternative transport option.   It would work well for Bongi.   She can walk to Park station from the shelter, catch the Gautrain to Marlboro and then walk to Ikhya Lomusa.   It is about R15 more expensive than the taxi per week but I have a sponsor for Bongi and I don't mind paying in the difference.

The girls relate much better to young black women and the behaviour has improved.   They are also getting the idea of the law and promise and are becoming real Guides.

We have three new Guides, two who are not part of the child headed households programme.   When they can both come, Nelly and Bongi act as patrol leaders, setting an example to the girls of how things should work.

Today we had another cookout at Trefoil Park.   We made omlettes in zip-lock-sandwich bags, a technique I learned at an international camp in Canada.   Although the top of the plastic bags melted a bit on an open fire, we could cut the bottoms off and the omlettes were delicious.   We cooked lunch using a hot box.
                                        
                                         Omlettes on bread

                     
                                             Making dampers.   Not everybody's was successful
                                           One fell in the fire and two were too runny to cook.

                               Then the girls learned to make a tripod.

                                                  And tried it out

By 1.30 the chicken and rice had cooked really well in the hot box

and everybody was hungry

After tidying up, including scrubbing black pots, the girls got a lovely surprise.   Rays of Hope had been given a sweet hamper and we shared out the goodies much to everybody's delight.

Next week the Guides are going to be performing at the Candlelight Club which is organised by the Region once a year to invite pensioners from varius old age homes for a tea and entertainment.   Rays of Hope Guides are going to be the entertainment.   Here's hoping all the arrangements go well.

Visit to the Old Age Home

Yesterday the Rays of Hope Guides visited the Itlhokomeleng Old Age Home in Alexandra. It was probably the best meeting we have had this term. I have been feeling very despondent about the Guides recently. When we voted for patrol leaders there were more votes than girls. When I tried to incentivise them by handing out mini chocolates, the store of chocolates mysteriously halved. Obviously I was failing if the girls couldn't even keep the first Guide Law, "A Guide is to be trusted." It was no use rationalising that for orphaned and abandoned girls, lying and stealing are survival skills. My enthusiasm waned but the Lord had called me to run a Guide Company and I wasn't about to give up after a term and a half. All the girls turned up for what they had decided was to be our unit good turn for the term. We had been practicing singing for two and a half weeks. All the girls wore their denims. Minenthle borrowed a white shirt from the orphanage. Those with school shoes polished them. Only two forgot their sashes and scarves. You might think that is disgraceful but for these Guides that is impressive. The driver transported us to the Old Age home through very congested Alex traffic. Mandisa and a friend, Jannet, followed by car. I didn't know what to expect or how the programme would go. I didn't know if there was any kind of hall or place where we could sing to a group. We were shown into the dining room area where many of the frailer residents were congregated watching TV. The matron came to greet us and welcome us.

The girls were a little shy at first but we began with a mime of people having a picnic and leaving all the rubbish lying around. Then a group of Girl Guides came along singing "if you see a piece of paper pick it up, pick it up." Our lead singers, Laiza and Minenthle sang beautifully and confidently and led "Siahamba" and "Shosholoza" Just as we finished our last song, supper arrived. The girls made themselves useful handing out plates of food, collecting dirty dishes and doing the kind of things I would expect Girl Guides to do. They enjoyed themself and were really helpful. Maria got to push a lady in a wheel chair back to her room after supper. I feel really proud of the Guides and I see a glimmer of hope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcDXH-_DuUA

Cookout at Delta Park

Overall it was a successful day. A couple of challenges but then isn't that what serving the Lord is all about? Six girls arrived. There had been no sign of Stella when the driver had called for her.

First I demonstrated how we were going to cook rice in the solar cooker in the sun. Only Jeanette believed it would cook. Then while the Blue Crane Patrol made pancakes, the Flamingoes decorated meskit bags.

The gel stove that we used for the pancakes was challenging as the wind kept blowing the flame out and the gel would finish just as a pancake was half cooked. Nevertheless, they all got eaten.

One thing the girls were pretty good at was collecting wood and making fires. For a group who are brand new, to light a fire without any paper, using only one match was quite impressive. I taught them to wrap chicken in tin foil and cook it in the coals and I introduced them to banana boats - bananas with chocolate and marshmallows inserted and wrapped in foil and cooked. The rice was beautifully cooked, not one chicken piece was burned and they all enjoyed the banana boats.

After washing up, the fires were still hot enough to toast marshmallows. Nellie, my new asistant was very impressed with toasted Marshmallows.

I asked Amanda, who had missed the enrolment because of a funeral, if she wanted to be enrolled at closing colours and she said yes, so we did.

The girls enjoyed the day but their good behaviour couldn't last so long and they became very challenging towards the end. Next time I'll go for a shorter day. Seven and a half hours is quite heavy for primary school children.

Please pray for the selection of patrol leaders.

Enrolment Day

 

There are always two events – the one I plan and picture in my mind, and the reality.   The first one went like this.   The District Commissioner would come at about 4.15 by which time I expected the girls to have arrived, looking neat and smart in their denims and shirts and accompanied by their friends and family.  We would do the enrolment, play the chocolate game, including all the brothers and sisters and finish with delicious eats.

Well the delicious eats materialised. They were provided by the orphanage and organised by Bertha.  Plenty of sandwiches, boxes of juice for twice as many people as we had as well as two big packets of assorted biscuits.  

Things started going wrong when I got a phone call from my commissioner just before I left.  Her dog needed to be rushed to Onderstepoort and she wouldn’t be able to come and enrol the girls.   I would just have to do it myself.   Then I got a call from Bertha.   There appeared to be a crisis involving the transport and everybody would be late.

On the positive side, Nelly came to help me.   She had been a grade 10 student at Roseact at the time when I was teaching science on Saturday mornings.   She is so enthusiastic and I am sure she will be a great help.  

When the girls arrived, further disappointments.   No sign of Amanda.   Minenthle didn’t know where she was – perhaps gone to a funeral with her aunt.   The girls from the orphanage arrived without their uniform.   Laizah was wearing ski pants and a short frilly dress and Maria did at least have jeans but a pink top.   One of the carers from the orphanage went to get white school shirts for the girls and Maria was almost acceptable.   So I only enrolled two.   The rest will have to wait until next term.

The chocolate game was a great hit as it almost always is.   The party went well and we ended up by playing “I wrote a letter to my love” for the last 10 minutes before closing horseshoe.

Not quite the success I had planned but I think Jeanette for one enjoyed it.   I also have ideas about how the cookout will go on Tuesday.   No doubt the actuality will be vastly different.   I must try not to have expectations.

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A change of Mindset

When you go as a missionary to a foreign country, you have to adapt to the new culture and work accordingly.   Likewise, I am going to have to adapt to a new culture.   Instead of carefully planning the programme to get the most out of every 15 minutes, I must realise that although Guides starts at 3.30pm, I will never be able to start before about 4.10.  
I had planned to make mosaic crosses with the Guides in preparation for Easter.   I realised that I had been setting my standards too high.   Instead I would spend most of the meeting testing each Guide and making sure she was ready for the Enrolment. 
Sure enough there were no girls at 3.45.   I had put up the flagpole myself.   Jeanette and Samkelisiwe arrived first with John and who I thought was Mitah, the driver’s children.  (The driver, Saul, is Jeanette’s brother).   There was no sign of Stella, who was supposed to come in the combi with Jeanette and Sam.  I thought that John, who is about 5, would be much happier across the road at the orphanage where there is a play area with swings.   Well, I thought wrong.   After arranging with the carers at the orphanage to leave him there, I sent Jeanette and Sam back while I waited for Laizah to finish her lunch and show me her room.   Well, John ran into the road and stopped when he saw me running after him and screamed.   I picked him up bodily to get him off the road and he screamed even more as I carried him to the pavement.   I didn’t know what to do.   One of the carers calmed him down and ascertained that he wanted to stay with Jeanette.   So I had to give in.
So, already feeling stupid, I got Jeanette and Sam to get out the patrol boxes and clean up for inspection.   Laizah came soon after and we went outside for the opening.   I did inspection with the three girls and I broke the flag with Jeanette and Sam as escorts.
I was impressed with the way the girls are trying to look neat and tidy.   They are using the shoe polishing kits and nail brushes that are in each patrol box.   I talked a bit about Easter, asking the girls if they knew anything about it.   They just looked at me blankly.   I went into a brief summary of the gospel and the fact that Jesus died for us so we can have a relationship with God and have eternal life.   I explained that the egg is a symbol of new life so we were going to make tiny Easter eggs.
We went inside to start melting chocolate and Maria arrived.   She at least knew about Easter and could even quote John 3:16.   I asked Mitah how old she was to decide if she would join us in the programme.   Jeanette said “That’s Amanda”   I couldn’t believe it.   I know that I am bad with faces but I didn’t even recognise my own Guide, that I had gone to visit last week and that I had bought a pair of denims for when I found out that she, too, didn’t possess a pair of jeans.   Because she had arrived with John, I had assumed she was his sister, Mitah.   Admittedly, they do look similar, even though there is more than 2 years difference in age.
Mitah is in the middle.   The other two pictures are both of Amanda.
I tried to laugh off my stupidity by mentioning that I was going to be 60 this year and my memory is not what it was.   Sigh.
Despite these ineptitudes of mine, I think the meeting was a success.   Four of the girls can now say the promise and have a good idea of what the law entails.   Only Sam, who has just recently joined us, and Stella who didn’t come will have to be enrolled next term.   I told them that if I couldn’t sign off each clause of the Trefoil challenge, they couldn’t be enrolled next week.   They tried.   They worked together as patrols.  I have a bit more hope for them.
The chocolate Easter eggs were a great success. It didn’t take long for each girl to fill one mould with chocolate and the orphanage allowed us to use the fridge. .
Surprisingly, the scooby doo was also a hit.  For the same girls who couldn’t make a clove hitch after 5 tries last week, to be able to tie the scooby doo knot was quite impressive. It was one of the options to do during patrol time along with colouring in the flag or decorating the patrol box.

Well next week is enrolment.   Here’s hoping all the arrangements come together.   Most of them are out of my control.   Bertha needs to arrange with the driver to pick up not only the girls but also their guests, she has to organise with the orphanage to provide us with tea and eats.   Annette (my district commissioner) is coming to enrol the girls and I hope we can get going early so she can get home before the traffic.   Please pray for all the arrangements.

Visits and Flags

 

When I was involved in the Third Randburg Guide Company, we used to make a point of visiting the girls in their homes.   I saw no reason not to do the same with the Rays of Hope Guide Company.   So I organised with Bertha (who is my Rays of Hope contact ) to visit two families before Guides this Friday and two next.    All the girls except Stella had said that they had a pair of denims and a white school shirt so I had bought a pair of denims and a shirt for Stella and I asked that we visit her first.

It was raining on Friday.   I drove and Bertha directed.   When the road ran out and I saw the muddy track going down hill leading towards Stella’s house, I decided to park the car and walk because I didn’t fancy being stuck in the mud.

I’ve never actually known anybody who lives in a shack before.   Stella lives in a shack.  She shares the bed with her older sister (who is the head of the household since the mother died in 2010), her younger sister and the baby.   The brother sleeps on the floor.

Things were going well with Stella.   Her teacher, having seen the state of her only school dress and shoes, had given her a new school uniform and shoes.   Now two days later I had come with some denims and a shirt.   I wonder if she’s been praying…….

The next stop was Minenthle and her sister Amanda.   Two weeks ago when there was only one vehicle available and the girls had been collected from school, the two of them had not come and had run away when the driver had called them.   Bertha phoned their aunt who said they were tired.   Now there was no sign of Minenthle, although Amanda was there.   We waited until we had just enough time to be 10 minutes late.                           

After the girls had been given lunch in the orphanage, we had lost half an hour so again my programme was adapted.   I went over the last 5 Guide laws.   I don’t know how much they took in.   They just looked at me.   After three weeks of going through the promise, which they are going to have to say on the 30th when they get enrolled, not one of the girls could tell me what it was.

The highlight for me was that Jeanette brought a friend.   With Minenthle probably dropping out, five guides is below the minimum number.   Perhaps the Lord made provision before I even knew about the problem.  

After playing a relay type game about the motto,  We went outside to put up a camp style flag pole.   Well, one thing is for sure, I am going to have to hoist the flag for the moment with two escorts.   The whole flag raising procedure is totally beyond my girls.   Even marching in step is out of their range at present.   They can, however, knock in pegs.

Our ending was very rushed.   I misunderstood Bertha.   I understood that because the orphanage young people were going to youth groups at Rosebank Union to be there at 6, we had to finish promptly so the transport to take the girls home could do that and still be back in time to take the youth group kids.   So instead of having the duty patrol tidy up, I ended up doing everything myself.   Then I felt quite annoyed when at 10 to 6 ,I found the orphanage Guides playing in the street outside.   It turned out that I had misunderstood Bertha.   There were 2 buses and only Maria and Laiza were required to finish early.   I wonder if Friday is the best day to run Guides.   Already we had to miss a meeting because of the party at Ihe orphanage once a term to celebrate birthdays that term, now with youth group taking place on Fridays also, we might need to rethink.

I am feeling a bit out of my depth, especially with plans to get the girls enrolled on 30 March when they don’t seem to understand the promise and law.   Perhaps I have been too  ambitious thinking I could get them ready for enrollment in just a term.    Lord, this is your idea, your company,   HELP.

Learning to polish shoes

I should have known better

It seemed like a good idea.   Let the girls paint the lids of the shoe boxes that they are using as patrol boxes.   Later they can then draw a picture or paste one.   When I tried with craft paint I didn’t even get a spot of paint on my hands.   Anyway, I provided newspaper to protect the paving.   To be quite sure, I provided black bags and showed the girls how to cut out the neck and arms and make a protective plastic covering.   What could go wrong?
I had told the girls to wear school uniform and to look smart because I would do inspection.   The four CHH girls had listened and did look very smart.   The other two wore jeans, Laiza’s looked new and made of a stretchy fashionable denim.   I showed the girls how to paint in very thin layers which would dry quickly.   Laiza got to paint for the Flamingos and Maria for the Blue Cranes.   I engaged the 9-year olds,  Stella and Amanda, in trying to get the information from them that they didn’t fill in on their forms last week.   It turned out that Stella, for one, cannot understand English.   Minentle translated and I managed to find out that Stella likes playing and is good at drawing and Amanda also likes playing and is good at singing.   I then showed Minentle and Jeanette how to do the duties for their patrol.   Minentle got on with preparing the juice and sandwiches and when that was done I called the others to come and eat and drink.
We could see Maria and Laiza painting outside the window.   I told them to wash the brushes and come and get juice.   When they still hadn’t come after about 10 minutes I went to find them.   Maria had paint splashes all over the front of her plastic bag overall.   I was just explaining that that was exactly why we wear protective clothing when I saw Laiza’s jeans.   The girls were trying to use a scrunched up black plastic bag to clean paint off her jeans.   A lot of paint,  When filling in her form last week, Laiza had listed her jeans as her favourite piece of clothing and I don’t know how much clothing orphans have.   I felt sick.   I fetched the paper cloth that I had thrown into my bag as an after thought and went to help get white acrylic paint off navy blue jeans.   I knew that if we got it before it dried we would be all right.   Fortunately we did manage to get all the paint off.
The next activity was to find puzzle pieces of the world flag that I had hidden in the garden.   The girls enjoyed the hunt, especially Jeanette, Amanda and Stella.   Once they had collected 12 pieces per patrol, they got together in patrols to assemble the puzzle.   I noticed where the Flamingos were sitting on the back steps that some paint had been spilled.   I moved them off and told Maria and Laiza to clean up but it was too late.   A lot of the paint had already dried.
By now time had run out (the girls had once again arrived 45 minutes late because only one driver was available because of a funeral).   At closing horseshoe I noticed that Jeanette had big paint splodges on her navy school skirt.   Once more to the water and the paper cloth.   Fortunately (or was it God’s intervention?) we managed to clean that off too.  
From my point of view, not a good meeting.   Besides the paint problems, we didn’t have time to get down to the important issue, the first three Guide laws although we did cover the flag.   The girls however had a great time even if two of them did go home rather damp.

First Guide meeting

 

One thing I’m going to have to get used to is Africa time.   The plan was that the bus would collect the girls from the Child Headed Household (HSS) programme  at 3pm and bring them to the orphanage.   They would be given lunch and at 3.30 they would come across to 5 Lupin St and we would start.   Well at 3.29 I got a message saying they would be a couple of minutes late as they were waiting for two children.   They turned out to be the drivers’ children.   He couldn’t leave them unattended so he brought them with him.  Eventually we got started at about 4.10pm.

I didn’t know what to expect.   When the girls arrived I felt a connection immediately.   They are just girls.   Guide age girls like any other.   We are going to have fun together. Laiza (12) likes fruit and vegetables and is good at English and Maths

Maria (12) likes chicken and rice and is good at singing

Jeanette (12) likes drawing people and is good at boxing

Minentle also likes singing and her favourite food is bread and eggs

Then we have 2 nine year olds, Amanda and Stella.   Stella says very little but modelled the sash and scarf for us

 

As a first meeting I think it went well.   We had fun, played with balloons, learned about the law and promise and how Guiding started.   We formed two patrols, the Flamingos and the Blue Cranes and had a couple of minutes patrol time.   The girls seem enthusiastic and all said they will come again next week.   Let’s see what happens.