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 Outdated library books, donations and homemade goods are sold to raise money.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 They were very outdated and probably of British origin.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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