End of May

Hello everyone, not too much has happened since our last update, but it has still been a good couple of weeks. We have been busy with our after school clubs, and our usual work. On Tuesday during golf the cows go into the playground, and was a bit chaotic, but it wasn't long, and Sipho and I had them back in the field. 

We visited a shanty town, which is a temporary township last week Friday. It was eye opening to say the least. The people have 4 pieces of metal to their name, making a home then size of most of our bedrooms! It really makes you realize how blessed we are in Canada, and what little right we have to complain. The people there were welcoming, and we were even able to take a few photos. Last weekend I (Gregg) also traveled to Cape Town with Frank to purchase a car from our family; Martin and Rianna De-witt. It is a huge blessing that we were able to get there car, because unless we have a major breakdown, driving will be much cheaper then with the SIM car. It was a very long drive (1500 km) and a short visit, so unfortunately  I didn't get to see too much of Cape Town, but the savings will be well worth it! It is already June, and we have less then a month at Aurora, but we are going to enjoy every last minute we have with the children and staff. That's about all we have to report, so we hope you all have a wonderful June!                                                  

What Courtney was washing... chickens feet.

Us in the shanty town.

Government township on the left, shanty town on the right.

Teaching some golf in the pasture.

Some on undid the chain and let the cows into the playground during golf. Pandemonium.

Under control

Cape town.

Small Scare!

Hello all, another week, and another update. We had quite a scare last night. Rylee woke up at 11:30 and the power was out, thinking nothing of it we went back to sleep. At 12:30 am the power was still out and Neville woke us up, as you could clearly hear a hack saw through the windows very near by. Needless to say, it was a little nerve racking! We called the police, and a few nieghbours came over and we searched around. We came upon a power pole across the street without a transformer. The thieves used a long stick to trip the power, then cut it down, blew it open and stole the copper from inside. Whats more was that in the morning we discovered that they returned to steal more cable that directly powers the Walker's home!We learned today that the transformer box costs about 45,000 Rand (about $5,500) to replace, and the copper inside isn't worth more then 2,000-5,000 R ($250-$550)

Other then last night our last little bit has been great! I have inter-mural soccer going full swing and taught my first golf lesson. Courtney is teaching her first cross-country running lesson tomorrow, so hopefully that goes well. Courtney has continued teaching, and filling in for missing teachers, and I  replaced a floor, finished up the shed, and another assortment of odds and ends. On a VERY positive note, the neighbour volunteered the services of his tractor for the back field, so last week I only had to weed eat 2 hours a day at the school! Hope all is well, and thank-you for reading, and God Bless!

Courtney riding South African style!

Something missing?

What it is supposed to look like.

The first soccer meeting. 90 student in total.

First match, Lions vs Rhinos

Glue isn't dry, and they are already cooking.

Best roller I could find.

Ready to ride!

Agnes with Rylee

Nearly a Month!

Hello everyone, we have been here nearly a month already. I can't believe how time flies! We have been keeping quite busy, Courtney has continued tutoring the children who need extra help, as well as been teaching full classes for missing teachers. I have helped with miscellaneous  jobs here and there, including finishing up with the storage floor, putting up fire hydrants, fixing the fences, as well as a LOT of weed-eating, keeping the grass short for liability reasons. Courtney and I have both gotten involved in after school clubs as well. Courtney is helping out with the baking club, and I have been playing soccer 2 days a week, and am hoping to find some used clubs and teach some golf in the cow pasture. We also had an enjoyable long weekend for Freedom Day, where we spent time with family in Pretoria. Next week we are going to see where the children live, and visit the shanty towns near Ivory and Kempton Park.These are heavy by the way.

 Cutting the last row. 38 times....

 

Almost done. Note Sipho cutting the bottom of the door off because we had to add so much material. 5inches of dirt followed by 4 inches of sand followed by these blocks.

Spread the cement over the floor dry.

Spray, then brush the mortar into the joints.

Rylee talking to Lollipop, the schools tortoise.

Courtney and her grade-nots. (kindergarten)

Have to do to the cement fence in the background.....

Short Update

Hey all,
Things are still going great, our last week at Aurora was quite productive. I dug a big hole in the field, and leveled off the floor of a shed, raked and cleaned up, as well as finished planting the spinach. Courtney has been teaching students who need extra help, and giving them a bit of one-on-one time. This week one teacher was sick, and Courtney was thrown right into the classroom, teaching 40 grade 2/3 students. It was hectic to say the least, having to also take care of Rylee, but she did awesome! We are still learning the ropes here, but each day feels a bit more regular! That's all for now, here are a few photos!

 IN Vancouver, getting ready to leave.

 Rylee watching dad dig.

 Courtney's Class!

My hole!

We Made It!

Hello everyone,

We finally made it here! We survived our first week in South Africa, and love it here. We have spent time at Aurora, with other missionaries, and even connected with our family down here. This week I (Gregg) worked in the garden making room for some spinach. I am working closely with Sipho, the maintenance man at Aurora, and next week we will have lots to do! Courtney is working with a few students each day who are having troubles, and need a bit of extra help.

We learn more and more about the culture every day and are getting used to locking the doors while driving, and putting Courtney's purse in the "boot" rather then in the front seat. So far everything is going well, but it is still hard to stay on the left side of the road, and shift with my left hand! Sorry there are no photos in this update, but we forgot our camera in Pretoria with Frank, so when we update next we will have some to put up! We have limited internet access here, but will get on from time to time! Thanks for reading!

On Our Way

It is Saturday night, the eve of our trip. It seems unbelievable that after over a year of planning and fundraising we are finally going to be on our way! I can only hope that everything is in our bags and nothing is going to be left behind. In less then 24 hours we will be en route to London, and then to Johannesburg. We have a 9 hour flight followed by an 11 hour flight, so hopefully Rylee is feeling a little more tired then usual for the next couple of days. Our next update will be, the Lord willing, from the continent of Africa, 15,000 kms away.

A huge thank-you to everyone for their support. It mean so much to have had people ask about our trip, or wish us well, etc. We fell so blessed to have such solid support behind us, both here on earth, and in heaven above. Stay tuned for more updates!! Thanks and God Bless!

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of whom shall I be afraid?

Hockey Tourney

Thanks to all those who came out for our road hockey tournament! It was a lot of work, but in the end it was a huge success and a whole lot of fun! We were able to raise right around $1000 dollars toward our trip which is huge!! A huge thanks to all those who helped out and made it all possible, as well as everyone who came out to show their support.. It meant alot to see people buying $20 hotdogs!

Otherwise, we are doing well, we are getting so close to our April 8th departure date, it seems as though there is way to much to do! It will be awesome to get on that plane and not have to worry about packing anymore! We are very excited to start our time in Bapsfontein at Aurora!

Here are a few photos of the tourney:

Pauls Pals, the big winners!