"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Sorry we didn't get to update our blog anymore...internet was in and out and very slow. We got home late on Sunday night and since have been trying to catch up on our rest and adjust back to this time zone. I (Katherine) want to update you on our last couple of weeks!
We went to Berea Baptist Church on our last Sunday off from work. Berea is where the second baby house is located with a "hole in the wall" where mothers can anonymously place their babies 24/7.
We can most definitely say that we had an African worship experience. The music was both in English and Afrikaans and we worshiped for over an hour to songs that made you want to clap and dance around!
Little did I know, after visiting the baby bin, that the very next day 2 sweet little boys would come through! The first, a boy at only 1 day old, came early in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon a boy at 3 days old came. Beth (one of the staff members) went to fetch the second little boy and brought him by the baby house we were staying at and as she walked through the door she announced, "Katherine! It's your baby boy!" Needless to say, I was completely shocked and overwhelmed as she passed him to me. I was given the honor of getting to name him. (I wish I could tell you his name on here and explain how I came to the decision, but because of privacy issues I can't.)
As we spent the next several hours with him, there was evidence of the love his mother had for him. He had on a new outfit with what looked like his mother's socks. He also had a huge woolly snowsuit on with a hat and was wrapped in a big thick blanket. She had obviously made sure that her little boy was warm and well cared for when she left him.
My sweet little guy has beautiful black curly hair and perfect skin. I soaked up every minute I could have with him. I will be receiving updated pictures of him throughout these next several months!
I ask that you pray for my little guy and for his mother. Pray that a forever family comes for him quickly!
We had the opportunity to go to Kruger National Park the Wednesday-Friday of the last week we were in South Africa! It is a huge game reserve that is 350 km (about 218 miles) long and 60 km wide (about 38 miles)! We went on a safari from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening on Friday and saw so many animals! We saw 4 of the Big 5- which are the buffalo, elephant, lion, rhinoceros, and leopard. We saw all but the leopard. We saw hundreds of impala and tons of beautiful birds. It was amazing to see a new part of God's beautiful creation! It was the perfect ending to our trip!
After we got back from Kruger, we had one more full day until we had to leave to come home. We spent the day playing with babies and soaking up precious moments and memories. We had one last "family dinner" and then headed to the airport. As we left Annie, Susan, Emily, Sue, and Zoe all stood outside and waved. We have been so blessed to have a whole new "South African family"!! Thanks for all your prayers! Love in Christ, Katherine, Mary, and Sandra
We are absolutely loving being in South Africa at the Door of Hope! I was reading in Hosea 2 earlier this week and it painted a beautiful picture of how God redeems each child and claims them as His own and loves them without ceasing-
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor (meaning trouble) a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth...And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord." (vs.14-20)
Seeing each baby that is here and the hope they have in receiving forever families makes me recognize the Lord's unending love, saving power, and hope more than ever! In fact, 2 of our big babies are going home today!! Praise the Lord!
There have been a few changes in our schedule since we last updated you! I (Katherine) am now working in Starfish! Starfish is a group of 9 babies that are sick and/or developmentally delayed with special needs. We do some therapy with them every morning, have ball time, music time, and time outside in the sun. We end the day with a baby DVD, like The Wiggles or Praise Baby. It's a fun time to just sit and cuddle as they are getting ready to go to bed. I am absolutely loving it and all the kids have already captured my heart!
On one of our days off last week, we went to the Johannesburg zoo with Zoe, a volunteer from England and one of our baby boys! Since it is winter here, we had most of the place to oursevles! We had a wonderful day wandering around the park looking at all of the animals. They were all pretty active and so fun to watch. The baby boy we took with us is always so happy and absolutely loved the 4 on 1 attention!
When we got back to the Baby House, we were exhausted from a long fun day. As we were hanging out upstairs fixing dinner, we discovered our 4 oldest boys in the bathroom shredding toilet paper. They looked so guilty when we found them, but it was hilarious! I absolutely adore them!
Yesterday was Nelson Mandela day! It's a public holiday here, celebrating the 92nd birthday of Mandela. The community is asked to do 67 minutes of community service in honor of him. We had TONS of visitors and the ministry was so blessed with mountains of nappies (diapers), food, clothes, and money to spend as we need. The babies were overwhelmed at the 100+ visitors we had throughout the day, but they loved the one-on-one attention!
I can't believe that we only have 2 weeks left!! Thank you so much for all your prayers!
We can't believe it's already week 2 here at Door of Hope! We have been busy, working hard, and loving it! We have been getting creative with some of our daily activities with the babies. We read books, play outside on the playground, go for walks, have ball time, and Mom's latest invention, baby aerobics. On one of our days off, we went out for some groceries and stopped in at a little souvenir shop we saw. As soon as we walked up to the door of the shop, the owner looks at Katherine and said in a thick accent, "Excuse me, would you mind the store while I go to the loo?" After he walked off and couldn't hear, we all laughed so hard and took a picture of Katherine "minding the store." But, no, we didn't get a discount. :-(
Another fun outing we took was to Moyo's, an authentic African restaurant. Mom, Katherine, and I all got South African dishes. The restaurant was beautiful and the music and atmosphere were wonderful. We went with three of the other volunteers from the United States. As you wait for your food, there is lady who comes around and paints your face. It was such a fun experience! So many of you back at home were so generous to give money for clothes for the babies here at the house. Yesterday, we went shopping with one of the ladies on staff here at Door of Hope to find some adoption outfits. When a child is adopted, they like to dress them up very nice for their new family. We had so much fun picking out six specific outfits for kids who are being adopted in the next couple weeks, and also several outfits for the staff to keep in stock. The two babies who will be adopted tomorrow have already tried on their outfits and they look great! We are so excited for them as they are meeting their forever families! Special thank-you's to you all at home for your contributions!
Today, we went to a church just a few minutes down the road, and we were able to take one of the little girls with us! She was so well behaved for the entire 2 1/2 hour service! The service was bilingual. The first song was in Afrikaans and the rest were in English. The pastor spoke in English mostly, but would add bits of Afrikaans. The music was awesome and it was extra special to be able to take out one of the babies. Afterwards, we went to the old favorite, Mugg and Bean, for lunch.
We are about to go watch the final game of the World Cup with some of the aunties! We can already hear people blowing the vuvuzelas in the streets!
We appreciate your prayers and support! We ask that you pray for the children being adopted in these next two weeks that they and their new parents adjust well and that it is a good fit. Also, pray for the children and parents that are being matched up for adoptions in August and September.
We had breakfast at Mugg & bean on Thursday morning and skyped a little with Ned and Dad. After, we went to get our car and then headed to Pick 'N Pay to get a few groceries. It was a productive day and a good start to getting settled in!
Orientation on Friday went well! There are a lot of details, names, and routines to remember! I think it will all seem easier once we get out of jetlag and in a routine.
Our first day of working was on Saturday. We worked with another international volunteer from Iowa named Emily. She was sweet in answering all of our questions and helping us begin to learn the routine. We enjoyed getting to know some of the personalities of the sweet babies. They soak up all the attention they can with their sweet baby sounds and smiles.
Monday was our first official day off and we went to the Glen Mall and enjoyed lunch out and walking around, getting a little shopping done as well. There is a ton of World Cup banners and advertisments everywhere!
On Tuesday we got to take the 4 toddlers on a walk up and down the neighborhood hills. We got our exercise and the boys enjoyed seeing the different sights and hear the different sounds!
Last night, we watched the Uruguay vs. Netherlands with Auntie Francinah and Lucy in their flat at the baby house. The game was fun to watch, but being with the aunties was a blast-we laughed a TON! Everytime someone would score, Auntie Francinah would blow her vuvuzela and we would all cheer!
Thank you for your prayers! Please continue to pray for forever families to come for our babies.
Internet has been difficult, so we apologize for this entry being so late. We wrote this last Thursday:
After a couple VERY long flights, we arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday about 9:30 pm (S. Africa time). We spent Thursday getting settled into our room, unpacking, grocery shopping, and meeting some of the aunties and babies.
Katherine already knew many of the aunties from last summer, and they were all very excited to see her! No one shakes hands--just hugs! We all felt very welcomed.
On Thurday, we picked up the car. Driving on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car! Of course, Katherine drove that day. She drove very well. Mom thought it felt like we were driving backwards.
Thursday afternoon, we spent a little time with some of the babies. Three of the babies were ones that were in small babies when Katherine was here last summer. She was excited to see them so big. We are looking forward to getting to know the babies and playing with them.
We have orientation Friday and work Saturday and Sunday. A work day is from 7am-6pm and includes bathing, feeding, changing, playing, helping with laundry, washing bottles, and anything else that comes up.
In 39 days we will be in South Africa holding babies, playing, and singing songs. In anticipation of all the fun, we and our friends have done a little baby clothes shopping. Each precious one that wears these clothes was created by our Mighty God. As we dream about serving our Lord by holding and praying over these little ones we want to thank you for your contributions.
Pictured below are some adoption clothes, play outfits, and sleepers.
Guess what? I'm returning to Door of Hope in Johannesburg, South Africa this July…with my mom and sister!!! We are going to be leaving June 29 and returning August 1.
When I start thinking about how I'm going to be back at Door of Hope in just 56 days I get so overwhelmed and overcome with excitement and anticipation. Last summer, God completely amazed me with what He’s doing in South Africa. He is rescuing orphans and placing them in a safe and loving temporary home; He is loving on those orphans’ birth mothers and showing them hope and love; He is calling out forever families to take in and forever love these sweet babies; He is in the city showing hope to the hopeless, love to the hurting, strength to the weary, and peace to the restless. Since I've been back, I came across a song by Sara Groves called I Saw What I Saw. Here are just some of the lyrics-
I saw what I saw and I can't forget it I heard what I heard and I can't go back I know what I know and I can't deny it
Something on the road Cut me to the soul
Your pain has changed me Your dream inspires Your face a memory Your hope a fire Your courage asks me what I'm afraid of And what I know of love And what I know of God
I cannot even begin to tell you how blessed and humbled that God has called and is calling me to be a part of this ministry. I can’t forget what I've seen and experienced. This past school year, God’s been really working in my heart and life and is without a doubt calling me to work and be a part of this kind of ministry- whether it be in a Door of Hope-type setting or in the States at an adoption agency. I can’t seem to get what I saw and felt out of my mind. When I reminisce about all the memories that I have from this past summer, I'm 95% of the time moved to tears (if you know me, you’ve probably seen this on more than one occasion…haha). These tears are the only way I feel that I can express my love for this new passion that God has placed on my heart. So, after I graduate in May 2011, I am planning on getting my Masters in Social Work!
All this to say…I'm SO EXCITED to be returning to Door of Hope in July!! I'm even more excited that I'm going to be sharing this experience with Mary and Mom! We will be taking turns updating the blog as the days get closer to our departure and while we are there.
We are collecting some items to take and give to Door of Hope:
Adoption outfits are the greatest need. For boys this is a collared shirt with pants and a smart sweater. For girls this is a dress with tights and a little jacket or cardigan. Outfits can be topped off with little shoes or slippers.
Boys’ winter outfits size 3-6 months is the biggest need, but any age through 18 months can be used.
Wash cloths
Bibs
Slippers or socks
Winter pajamas, 12 months to 5 years
Winter clothing 6-12 months
Or, you can just give us cash and we will purchase the items once we arrive in South Africa.
I ask that you begin to pray for:
The babies and toddlers at Door of Hope
The parents that give up their children to Door of Hope
The forever families that will adopt these dear ones
Ohmygoodness…Rachel and I will be leaving exactly one week from today.Time here has just flown by!Our last 7 days here are packed…tomorrow (Thursday, July 30) through Saturday we work.Then Sunday morning (really early) we are heading to the airport to pick up Heather and Maria from Cape Town and spending the day with them.Monday, August 3, is our last day of work.Tuesday is our packing day and we will also probably hang out at the Baby House a while.On Wednesday, our flight doesn’t take off until 9:45pm, so we will probably finish packing that morning and hang out with our babies until we leave sometime in the evening.I can’t believe this is all the time we have left here!
Since last Friday (July 24), our days have been packed full of adventure and fun.On Friday, Rachel and I went to the zoo with Uncle Colin and our 2 oldest babies who we call Pooh Bear (8 months) and Big Mama (almost 11 months).We had so much fun!!We just happened to pick the coldest day to go, but we bundled them up in snow suits and wrapped them with blankets.They could hardly move they had so many layers on.Uncle Colin was hilarious talking to the animals and to the babies.He adores Big Mama and pushed her around in her stroller most of the day.He would get so far ahead of us while Rachel, Pooh Bear and I stopped to watch the animals and we would have to run to catch up with him.He’s a great man and Rachel and I love spending time with him.We were all exhausted, but it was a great day!
After we got back to the Baby House, we unpacked our bags and started to change the babies in to their pajamas.Auntie Francinah came up to us and asked if we would drive her to the Baby House in Berea to pick up a new little girl…we did not hesitate to say yes.This is the Baby House where there is a hole in the wall where mothers can anonymously place their babies.When we got to the Baby House, there was a little girl bundled up in so many blankets we could hardly see her face.She had been dropped off by the police just a couple hours before we got there.Two of the aunties that work at that house were with us and we prayed over her before we packed her in the car to head back to the Baby House in Glenvista.In the car, we read the police report and our hearts broke, not only for this precious little girl, but also for her mother.She was found by the police naked in a public restroom at a park just hours old.What kind of desperation had overcome the mother to just leave her baby like that?My heart breaks to think about how her heart is broken in not even knowing if her beautiful girl is alive today.I pray that through the horrible trials her mother is experiencing that she will find God and be filled with joy in the way he fills the void in her heart.On the way home, Rachel sat in the back with her and decided that Rebekah would be a good name for her…it did not end up being her name, but Rachel and I still call her Rebekah.She is beautiful in every way- with big red lips, black hair, and flawless fare skin.The small baby room is full, so Rebekah just stayed with us 2 days before she was moved to another home.Words cannot give this adventure justice…God, “keep Rebekah as the apple of your eye and hide Rebekah in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17).
“The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.”
Deuteronomy 10:17-21
We worked on Saturday, then we had the next 4 days off.
On Sunday, we took two of our babies to church!They are two that don’t get to go out much because they are a lot of trouble.One is super fussy and wails if no one is holding him all the time and the other is a little girl who spits up like a fountain.During the service, I was holding the little boy who is fussy and he loved looking around at all the people and just as the sermon started he fell asleep.I was thinking that this was good until he started to snore SO loud.It was hilarious.The lady in front of us turned around and whispered to me, “Just wait until he’s older…it’s only going to get worse.”Haha, so I had to leave and we sat in the cry room.I'm glad I left when I did because his snoring only got louder and he woke up coughing and started to cry and fuss.After church, we went and walked around at the mall and got some lunch.We went to our favorite Thai restaurant and we didn’t even have to order…they knew what we wanted.It’s kinda crazy because we haven’t been there tons of times, but they recognize us and knew exactly what we wanted.From previous conversations they knew that we worked at Door of Hope and were so excited to get to meet a couple of our kids.The little girl that spits up like a fountain only spit up twice the whole time we were out!It was a huge praise!
It’s crazy to me how many people recognize us at The Glen.A lady at church came up to me and said, “I recognize you from somewhere…” and I was like “Oh no…I'm from the States.”But, she had seen Rachel and me and The Glen before and she works in a restaurant that we have never set foot in!Rachel and I also went in DigitalEye the other day to ask a couple questions about printing pictures and they just struck up a conversation about how they had seen us walk by with babies before.We are going to definitely miss all of the friends we have made here at Mugg & Bean and at the grocery store, Pick ‘N Pay.It’s so neat how God is giving us so many opportunities to share about who he is and why we are here.Throughout the time I've been here I've been praying that God would bring me many opportunities to share my faith and build relationships and he has definitely answered my prayers!
On Monday we hung out at the Baby House and helped Auntie Loyce and Auntie Lucy with some of the chores.Auntie Loyce has been the housekeeper since we have been here, but next month she is going to start working night shift.Auntie Lucy, Francinah’s eldest sister, started as the new housekeeper this past Monday.We helped to hang up laundry outside on the line, fold it, and put in back in the closets.From the weekend, there is always a ton of laundry, so there was a lot to be done.We joined Heather and Maria and they lead music time and we played with the babies for a while.
Yesterday (Tuesday), we picked up two of our babies, a boy and a girl, and went hiking at Klipriversberg Nature Reserve!We walked around for about an hour and a half.It was a workout carrying an extra 12-15 pounds of weight.It was a beautiful day!!Afterwards, we came back to Uncle Colin’s house and ate lunch and played.We watched The Incredibles and rested some before we headed back to the Baby House.Rachel and I love to spend one-on-one time with the babies and every time they come out of their shell and talk more and giggle and smile a lot.It is so much fun to be with them in different environments and get to know them.
That night Rachel, Maria, Heather, Melody, Emily, and I went out to an authentic African restaurant called Moyo’s.It took us forever to get there because we got turned around so many times, but when we got there we were ravenous and excited for some food.While we were waiting for our food, they came around and painted our faces!We all got little flower designs on our faces.Hands down, Rachel got the best painting…we laughed SO hard!It was a lot of fun to get to spend some time with the girls before we all head home this coming week.
Hello friends and family!! Howzit? (That is something that is said here quite often as a “How are you?”)
I can’t believe that it is already nearing the end of July…time has just flown by. Just two weeks from today Rachel and I will be home! For the remainder of our time here, we have many plans for almost every day until we leave so we can make the most of every minute we have left with the babies, aunties and uncles, and the people in Johannesburg.
I have enjoyed very much being with Rachel in this adventure. She had grown to be an incredible friend. We have shared so many laughs, frustrations, and tears. We have laughed so hard standing over a washer with clothes soaking wet, wringing them out until our hands here numb, over our many coffee dates, and at the funny things our babies do throughout the day. We laugh at the many “oh my goodness, we are in Africa!” moments that we still experience at the most random times. We’ve shared the frustrations of housing situations, driving in the crazy African traffic, and adapting to the different cultures of the aunties and uncles at the Baby House. We’ve shared the sorrow of missing our friends and family back home and have shared tears as we have heard the heart-breaking stories of our sweet babies. We are learning from each other and sharing the incredible moments where God is clearly speaking and teaching us more of his character and passion for his children. Rachel is such an amazing woman who seeks God with all her heart and has a huge passion for loving on people, just has Jesus did when he was on earth. She is an inspiration for me to love without inhibitions or fear. I am so grateful that God allowed me to be here with her for these 2 months. There is no doubt that Rachel and I are going to share these memories forever and we are going to be able to look back and see how God has worked, not only in our lives, but in those around us.
This past Sunday (July 19) we went to Rosettenville Baptist Church with Uncle Colin again and took two of our babies with us! We dressed them up nicely and bundled them up in blankets and jackets. The prior Sunday we went, and it was freezing inside the church, so we were going to be prepared this time. Of course, this Sunday they had the heaters on so high we got really warm. The babies loved getting to see lots of people and looked around during the worship time listening to all the different voices singing. During one of the prayers, a man sneezed behind us, making Rachel’s baby boy jump with fright. It was so funny…we had to control our laughter so we wouldn’t just burst out in the middle of the prayer. The little girl I was holding fell fast asleep during the sermon and didn’t wake up until I started to put on her jacket.
After church, we went for a day of fun at the Glen Mall with the baby girl. We carried her around in a baby carrier. She LOVED being at the mall and getting to spend some time with just me and Rachel. She just talked and talked, laughed, and smiled while we walked around. Her eyes were constantly moving trying to soak in all the sights. When we first got here, this same girl never made a sound and it has been so amazing to watch her open up. It was so fun, and I will never forget the smile she had on her face (I got THE BEST picture; I wish I could post it here, but I will definitely show you when I get home!).
On Monday, Auntie Veronica never showed up for work and she later called to let us know that she was in a wreck on the way to work. She and her husband were fine, but they were pretty shaken up. It was a much busier day without her help. She came to work on Tuesday and her back was a little sore, but she was feeling much better than she did on Monday. Praise God for his protection!
After work on Tuesday, we were invited to have dinner with a local volunteer, Jay, and her family. They cooked us an Indian cuisine feast! We started off with butternut soup and salad and then were served chicken curry, prawn curry, macaroni salad, and rice. It was all so yummy! We really enjoyed spending time with Jay, her sister Pria, her brother, Shawn, and her mom and dad. Jay’s father is the CFO (chief financial officer) of Coca-cola in Africa and the Middle East…so, needless to say, their house was beautiful!! They also own a local pizza place that Rachel and I have gotten take out from a couple times. It’s called Debnairs Pizza and it is SO yummy. They have invited us to their restaurant on Saturday to make and eat pizza with them! I'm so excited to get to spend some more time with them!
On Wednesday, Auntie Veronica was off, so we worked with a girl from South Carolina named Melody. She is living at the volunteer flat at the Baby House with the girls from Virginia. She is really sweet and we love working with her! It was a great day! We got to take some of the kids out for a walk to feel the sunshine and get some fresh air. We had the most hilarious music time yet. Several of the aunties and uncles were all dancing around and being really silly and all the kids were just sitting in bumbo chairs just staring. A couple of them kept falling asleep sitting up in their chair…it was a good laugh. I've attached a video of the crazy music time…
Wednesday ended wonderfully as I rocked 2 little girls to sleep. This is one of my favorite things to do at night before we put them all in bed. The 2 little ones I was holding were crying, so I just talked to them and rocked them until they were fast asleep.
Rachel and I are SO EXCITED about tomorrow (Friday, July 24). We are going with Uncle Colin to the Johannesburg zoo! We are also taking “Big Mama” and another little boy that we call “Pooh Bear”. It should be so much fun! While we have been here, we haven’t seen any elephants or giraffes, so I'm really hoping to get to see some. I'm also excited about getting to spend a little extra time with Uncle Colin. He tells us a lot of stories about growing up on his dad’s vegetable farm, about his late wife, and about all his children. So, I can’t wait to just walk around spending extra time with the family that I have found here. Big Mama should be a handful…she is beginning to stand on her own a lot and is thinking about walking. Rachel and I are definitely taking 2 strollers (they call them “prams”) and a huge baby bag to last the day.
So, I'm looking at my calendar, and we have only 5 more days scheduled to work! Our days off are filled up with taking babies out, so we will have plenty more days to spend time with them. I will be home in less than 2 weeks and I cannot wait to share stories and so many more pictures with you all!
Much love! Katherine
Prayer requests: - Continue to pray that Door of Hope can find a social worker and a new manager. - Pray for our children, that they will continue to be healthy.
Praises: - 6 of our 12 big babies have been matched with families and will be going in about 2 months! Several of the small babies have been matched as well!
Here is a picture of the Baby House where our 30 children live!
There are 12 in small babies, who range from birth to 3 months, 12 big babies, who are 3 months to 1 year, and 6 Starfish kids who are 6 months to just over 1 year.The Starfish program is a small, separate group of kids who have developmental delays or special needs that requires them to have a lot of extra attention.They do all types of physical therapy throughout the day and take them for swimming lessons once a week.Just recently, the Starfish program received an 11 month old girl who had cerebral palsy.She came in with one leg crossed over the other and her arms crossed across her chest.Her muscles were so tight that they could not move her from this position.Through a couple days of therapy, they got her legs uncrossed.Along with this, her shoulder was also dislocated.She has now been sent to hospice, so pray for her healing and that she can find some comfort. The Starfish program has seen a lot of improvements and growth lately!Three of their six kids are walking!One of the girls who is a little over a year is getting adopted on Monday by a family who specifically asked for a child with special needs!
Here is a little peek inside the big babies’ rooms.There are 4 beds in each room.Right now, 2 rooms are girl rooms and 1 room is for the boys.One of the rooms is set aside as a “mixed room” if we ever get any more boys.
This past Friday (July 10), we went out to lunch with Auntie Veronica and her daughter Nikki.We went to The Glen and ate at The Ocean Basket and afterwards went to Milky Lane to eat ice cream.Rachel, Nikki, and I got feesh and chips (some type of fish…I think heike and French fries) and Auntie Veronica got prawn, which is like JUMBO shrimp.It was really weird because it still had its eyes and antennas on it…I couldn’t watcher her eat it…it looked too alive.Auntie Veronica was all dressed up and seemed to be really grateful for the extra time we wanted to spend with her.She was a lot quieter than usual, but we had good conversation and had fun getting to know her daughter.We drove her back to her home in El Dorado Park which is about half an hour away.We drove past 2 huge shantytowns, which are small shacks built by the government that sit right on top of one another.It was crazy to just see acres and acres filled with these types of houses and the extreme poverty.Auntie Veronica has to take 2 taxis (which hold up to 14 people and are more like a bus system with stops) to work every morning, and it takes her a little over an hour to get to work in the mornings.It was so good to spend some extra time with Auntie Veronica in a different environment and to just sit and talk.
On Monday, Rachel and I did night shift with Auntie Betty and Auntie Esperance.Night shift is from 6pm to 7am.We didn’t get there until 7:30, but there were still tons of things to do.Each of the 12 big babies gets fed twice each night and the 12 small babies get fed 3 or 4 times each night.Along with the feedings and nappies changing, we had to change the water in the sanitizing buckets where we store the bottles, rings, tops,
and caps, sanitize the toys, wipe out the fridge, and make 144 bottles for the next day and night.There are 4 different formulas to make: infa 1, infa 2, infa-soy 1, and infa-soy 2.Some of the babies just get 4 bottles of 175ml, while others get 8 of 50ml.We have a chart hanging in the kitchen that helps us to know the types and number of bottles that need to be made for each child.
It was a lot of work…I have no idea how just 2 aunties handle all that work every night.We were completely exhausted in the morning and came back to Uncle Colin’s house and slept and rested for the remainder of the day.
Uncle Brice is the supervisor for big babies.He works Monday to Friday from 8-5.He is trained as a pediatric nurse, so he is very knowledgeable about keeping our babies healthy.He is from the Congo and has been working for Door of Hope for a year now.His wife just moved here about 3 months ago and owns a beauty parlor.You can tell that he loves the babies and the older ones always turn and look when he walks in the room.Two or three times a week, Rachel and I help Uncle Brice make purity for our kids’ lunch.We cut up butternut squash and potatoes, cook them, and then mach them until they are really smooth.Other times we cook rice and squash and combine them to give to our two oldest babies.Our favorite thing to make is apple and banana purity.The kids like the fruity stuff the best because it is sweeter than the vegetable combination.Uncle Brice also has an obsession with our cameras.He LOVES to take pictures and sneaks up on us often, taking our picture.This is how the picture of Rachel and I making the purity came about.Uncle Brice has a huge passion for Door of Hope and prays everyday during devotions for the ministry and for the babies.Throughout the day, every time he changes a nappie, he prays for that particular baby.Uncle Brice makes a ton of funny noises that gets the kids, as well as Rachel and me, laughing and smiling.
Heather, one of the volunteers from Virginia, brought her guitar and often sings and plays for the babies.They love it!We put them in the bumbo chairs so they can all see Heather.They all just sit and watch her, listening close.We get out bells for some of them and they shake them.We usually do this right before bed time, so it is a good way for them to unwind and begin to get sleepy.It was so funny the other night, because one of our boys was raising his hand like he was moved by the music.He kept his hand up for a while and we all laughed so hard…I guess you had to be there to see it in person, but it was hilarious.
In our group, the oldest is a girl who is almost 11 months.The aunties and uncles call her “Big Mama” because she is so huge.She is 10kg and hardly has any hair.She is on medicine for TB which causes her to gain a lot of weight and have gray hair.When she first came in, she was really malnourished, but now she is definitely well fed.She is our grunter.She grunts all the time and has the highest-pitched scream ever.She definitely demands a lot of attention.She is growing up so fast!When we first got her she was doing the army crawl, but now she is crawling on all fours.She can pull herself up and walk when her hands are being held.She is starting to stand a little on her own.Yesterday, she was zooming up and down the hall with a toy on wheels.She was squealing and laughing so much.I think she is going to start walking soon!!
This is a picture of Rachel and I’s bedroom.It’s really nice and the sun shines in it during the day, so we hang out in there a lot on our days off.Sometimes we eat dinner in our bedroom sitting close to the heater to keep warm because the rest of the house does not have any heaters.Uncle Colin is so sweet to let us stay with him.The other night we came home from work and he was making us dinner.We cooked carrots, potatoes, onions, green beans, cabbage, and butternut.It was a lot of work, but we enjoyed spending time cooking and eating with him.
Here is a picture of Auntie Veronica, me, Auntie Loyce, Rachel, and Auntie Bebe:
Can you believe that we only have 18 days left?!We will be home in a little over 2 weeks!It’s hard to think about not seeing our babies everyday and for a couple, it’s really hard to let go because they are not in very good situations where they may be going back to their families who have previously treated them badly.I came across a song on Rachel’s computer called “Hold on to Jesus” that says “Hear me dear Jesus, rock this little one to sleep.Keep her close when she’s scared; give her grace when she’s weak.I know she’ll stumble, but I know she’ll make it through if you hold on to her just like you say you’ll do.Hold her Jesus, she’ll hold on tight to you.”This is a beautiful prayer that I will be praying often for all our babies.Also, (thanks to the flip book Mom made me!) Psalm 17 says, “Keep [insert baby’s name] as the apple of your eye; hide [insert baby’s name] in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do [him/her] violence, [him/her] deadly enemies who surround [him/her].”God has each child in the palm of his hand and he will not lose his grip.
Much love to you all and I can’t wait to see you soon!!
Sandra, Mary, and Katherine are going to South Africa in July to work at Door of Hope orphanage!! Katherine went last year through the Baptist State Convention and completely fell in love. She has talked about it so much that the Wiggins girls have decided to return together! We are all so excited and can not wait to love on some babies, build relationships with the aunties and uncles, and explore the city of Johannesburg!
Little did I know, after visiting the baby bin, that the very next day 2 sweet little boys would come through! The first, a boy at only 1 day old, came early in the afternoon. Later in the afternoon a boy at 3 days old came. Beth (one of the staff members) went to fetch the second little boy and brought him by the baby house we were staying at and as she walked through the door she announced, "Katherine! It's your baby boy!" Needless to say, I was completely shocked and overwhelmed as she passed him to me. I was given the honor of getting to name him. (I wish I could tell you his name on here and explain how I came to the decision, but because of privacy issues I can't.)
On Tuesday we got to take the 4 toddlers on a walk up and down the neighborhood hills. We got our exercise and the boys enjoyed seeing the different sights and hear the different sounds!
