Monday 14 October 2013

A wonderful blessing . . .

A true blessing was given to us the other week!
The morning started with a beautiful sunrise and gentle cool breeze. After the usual morning rush and chaos to get everyone to school and work at the right time, I had a few minutes to catch my breath before heading to the butcher to get some meat before the flies beat me to it. As I arrived the meat was freshly hanging on large hooks reminding me of something from a living history museum I have taken the children to on many occasions back in the UK. This now is so normal; cutting a slab of meat off a carcass with an incredibly sharp knife, then chopping the bone smaller with an axe on a tree stump. It seems strange that many of these butchers shops are looking to modernise by getting electric meat saws, yet still meat is just meat, different cuts are unknown.
I returned home with my hard won 'nyama' picking up Mama Mawazo (my house help) on the way.
This morning was to be a special start to a much awaited event. Today we would meet our first ever visitor to Dar from the UK!!
Pat Knight with the Kids!
We drove the hour or so to get to town and then spent about half and hour finding somewhere close to our meeting place to park. I had to dash and find yellow T-Shirts and baseball caps (next blog will explain), whilst Stewart went to meet a customer who needed the help of MAF to organise his paperwork and logistics with arriving into the country with his family.
Dar was its usual busy self but I was fortunate to be able to find what I needed straight away in the first shop I went to - Praise God for everyday miracles!
I then hurried to the hotel where Stewart was meeting his client to wait for the phone call to say our friend - Pat Knight, had been safely dropped off. 
Having just ordered a water the phone rang and I left to walk to the rendezvous. It was so good to see Pat standing there! We went back for a quick soda then, once he was ready we headed back to pick the children up from school.
Pat explained he was on a 2 week mission with African Inland Mission, turning containers into living accommodation. This was his second week and they were getting on well though I could sense his frustration with the African 'pace' that things are done. 
It was so good to catch up with him and the children were delighted to receive chocolate brought all the way from the UK - tastes so much better.
We hurriedly changed as it was Tuesday and Tuesdays at 4-6pm mean just one thing -  Sala Sala Kidz Klub!!
Eve (back) and friends 

We rushed back to school with Pat to show him some of the work we are involved in, ministering to the quarry children that live just behind HOPAC, our kids school.



       
Every week the children come from the quarry behind the school where they live, to play on the playground with all the play equipment, be it lego, hoops, pike pike's (toy ride on motorbikes), swings, roundabout or climbing frame or simply a game of 'chase and capture Jack or Harry!' After an hour or so of play and a craft activity, the children gather to wash hands and then sit in the covered banda to hear a bible story or teaching on a biblical theme - a simple, clear 10 minutes when they get to hear of God's love for them. After a prayer it is snack and drink then home. These kids are great, they are amazing. they have nothing yet they we receive so much from them. 


Pat getting to know Isaaka and his sister.

This week the kids got a cup of pop corn which was a great hit! The snack always goes down well and is a real treat for these precious little ones.

It was also a treat for us to be able to share these guys with our friend who we know went back to the UK with lots of fond memories and a real sense of God working through him to reach out to others.
The best thing is you don't need to be on mission, in Africa or anywhere else other than where you are for God to use you to reach out to others. What we have learnt with these kids is that you just have to be there and be real for them. Love them as Jesus loves them, be His presence for them and show them how they can know Him.
We are learning that it's not what we can do for God, but what He is teaching us through what we see and what others are showing us - like these kids from the Sala Sala quarry.




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