Berea, Katherine's boy, Kruger, and Homeward bound!

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

Starfish, Zoo, and Nelson Mandela!

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!

Love, Katherine, Mary, and Sandra

World Cup, Babies, and Adoptions!!!

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.

Love,

Mary, Katherine, Sandra

First days!

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.

Love,

Sandra, Mary, and Katherine

Hello from South Africa!

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.


Mary, Katherine, Sandra

Baby Clothes Galore!

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.



Thanks again!
Auntie Sandra

56 days!

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
• The Door of Hope caregivers
• Our families at home while we are gone
• Opportunities to share the love of Christ
• Good health and safety

Thank you so much for your support!

Love in Christ,
Auntie Katherine