Gladness

Frederick Beuchner wrote:
"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladess and the world's deep hunger meet."

This quotation seems to have come to life for me. I've decided to spend most of my time at Kuyasa in Kayamandi purely because the fit of my passions and loves with their needs and wants is too perfect to be a coincidence. They need a chemistry tutor, a female sports coach and some basic computer/administrative work done...all things I can do and enjoy! There is a deep hunger for hope in escaping the norm of early teenage pregnancy, alcoholism and HIV. And my heart gets excited to know I have the ability to help out in a small way.

Kayamandi is a black township about a 25 minute drive from Pneumatix. They have an incredibly high HIV/AIDS rate and girls are getting pregnant well before any American school would think of having a serious sex education lesson. It is also an area controlled by alcoholism. Across the street is a colored township with a huge gang and methamphetamine problem. But Kuyasa is a shining light in a hurting area. Kuyasa commonly has kids finish their program alongside the public school requirements and go onto University. These students learn how to find a passion in a productive and healthy area.

I spent my first real day there today. Students will not start coming for two more weeks so the Kuyasa staff can get everything organized as last week was the first week back after Holiday. So I helped out Cindy (the Learning Center director who's American but has lived in SA for 5 years) with organization of the 30 week curriculum she created last year for the different grade levels. I am still in awe that she put everything together herself!

I met a girl in grade 9 and we were talking about how school was going. She said it was good except she really didn't like her natural sciences class. She said it was too hard and was in shock when I told her that's what I studied! We've made an agreement that if she works hard I will make sure she will pass natural sciences this term. It's that kind of thing and relationship that gets me so excited! I've come back to Pnx today happy and excited for tomorrow! However, something else I'll have to work on with her is her infatuation with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. I'll need to convince her that just because it comes from American doesn't mean it's cool :) She was surprised when I told her I didn't know them personally. She said, "You are all from America, how do you not know them?" Maybe I should have told her I do know them and gained popularity among the girls!

I also attempted to figure out a problem with some of their computers. I have a basic enough grasp of computer things that I can usually fake my way through something and stumble upon the solution but I had no such luck this time. After struggling with it for about an hour it was brought to my attention that the last time this happened, and maybe the reason for the current problem, the rats had chewed through the wires...to which I could only reply with This Is Africa!

As a suggestion from the one and only Beth Olson, I'm going to start an occasional shout out section in my blogs. Pretty much, I don't see why not so it is now an official section!
Also as a suggestion from Beth, my first shout out goes to LUTE! Gotta love those red headed Iowans :)
So Lute...Hallo van Kaapstad! Ek hoop jy doen is wonderlik!
Disclaimer: I haven't actually learned any substantial Afrikaans. I cheated and used Google Translate.