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.

The Beginning

Sunday, 12 February 2012

So it's all about to start. The Rays of Hope Guide Company starts on Friday. I am excited, but nervous at the same time. Although I ran a Guide company for 10 years, it was a totally different culture. This time we are starting in an orphanage - Ikhya Lomusa in Marlborough. Only two of the girls will be from the orphanage, another 4 will be bused in from the Child Headed Household Programme, also run by Rays of Hope. In a typical yard where these girls live, there is only 1 tap to about 20 families so your normal basic hygiene is an irrelevant luxury. I will have a lot to learn and a lot to adapt to. Some of my preconceived ideas will have to go but I am convinced the Lord has called me to this outreach.


It happened like this.
I have never been one to hear God talk to me. Most often a set of circumstances and some scripture verses have been the most usual way I have been guided. It was the same pattern last year in about April or May. One of the things I enjoy about my job is I get to take students from our school to various science orientated competitions to compete against other schools. The area finals of the "Johannesburg Libraries' Psyched for Science Model Building Competition" were held at the Florida Library.
We were the only white school there and the first thing that struck me was how privileged the students of our school were compared to the others. Whereas our winning entry was a valve designed to prevent wastage of water during toilet flushing, some of the others were things like a cardboard box with a hole cut in and a picture pasted at the back to represent a TV. I realised that it was the lack of teaching skills and resources that disadvantaged many black schools. That was the first pointer.
The second was in the charity book shop. Outdated library books, donations and homemade goods are sold to raise money. While I was browsing through the book shop, waiting for my teams to be judged, I found in an obscure basket almost hidden under the table, not one, but three books about Girl Guides. They were very outdated and probably of British origin. During 10 years of running Guides, I had not come across any books like that.
The two impressions superimposed for me a powerful message. God wanted me to run a Guide Company in an area that was very disadvantaged and where the skills could make a real difference to girls. As my church, Rosebank Union, is very involved in Alexandra and supports orphans and Child Headed Households, it seemed the logical place to start.
I've been in contact with the church and the Girl Guide Association of South Africa and at last everything has come together and I start on Friday.
My head is so full of all the things I could do, all the things I need to do with the girls. It is almost overwhelming. Please pray for wisdom for me that I can get the programme right - The right balance between fun, team building and the important stuff for this first meeting on Friday. The girls must want to come back again but must also have a good idea of what Guiding is and the importance of the promise.
"I promise that I will do my best
to do my duty to my God and my country,
to help other people
and to keep the Guide law."
http://www.girlguides.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&Itemid=3







photo from http://www.rosebankunion.org/rays-of-hope


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