New Surroundings - Week 1

After arriving on friday the 29th, it was a surreal feeling finally going back to Rehoboth. When i left last year, things were so much different. I had kind of expected it to stay the same but reality was far from that. After dropping off my bags in my room and meeting Joan and Tamara (the other volunteers) I made a turn to the first 3 houses built to see the kids that I spent so much time with last year. They were all thrilled to see me and arrangements were made to play football the next day. Saturday was nothing but absolute madness!The shops were, how you say, eventful! I bought plenty of vegetables (There you go mum!), bread, pasta but no milk, margarine, meat or drinks. Luckily, the first week consisted of some meals at the main house with Yvonne and Alfons so my shopping blunder wasn't to evident.
At Rehoboth, they are adamant that you don't work at the weekends. This is so you can have your own time to unwind, relax and get used to culture changes.
Sunday brought the first church outing with the kids. They attend the Paddock church about 10 mins down the road. The older children all go, with one or two house mothers and the driver, Mak. The church is an old school building where the church only starts when everyone has arrived. The relaxed idea at this church extends into the service which was very refreshing. It was refreshing to be in a place where the preacher could speak for 40 mins if he wanted, or the singers could sing another song if they wanted. It was refrshing to be in a place where people's need for God made them listen and acknowledge everything being said. It was brilliant after the service to meet up with Penel and Adelaide, friends I made last year. Penel even went so far as to say I should go and make pizza for them. It's funny that I travel 6,500 miles and can't escape Pizza.
Then Monday came. The first day was an orientation day, showing me round the village and refreshing my memories of last year. I had a meeting with Yvonne and then Alfons basically telling me what my tasks were around the village. Having mentioned that I was handy with a computer, I set about assembling a computer in a house for the house mothers to use. This is so she and a friend can teach themselves (with the aid of a disk) how to manage computers, type letters and generally build up basic computer skills. In the afternoon we had a 10th birthday party for one of the boys with cake, crisps, sweets and juice. Which all went down well with not only me bu the kids aswell. Not bad for a first day.
Tuesday morning was the start of real work as I called it, my first full day. After spending the morning in the creche with the babies, I started cleaning the gutters on the office. After days of heavy rain, leakages were becoming a problem so I became chief gutter cleaner, which later turned into gutter dismantler. Tuesday night came with a deliverance course at a church in Margate. Now, I am not an expert on deliverance and don't think I ever will be! I probably didn't help joining the course half way. That coupled with the fact that I was dealing with concepts I had never thought about let alone heard of. Oh well, we'll see what next week brings.
Wednesday, after more guttering saw my first cell meeting here at Rehoboth. It was in Umtentweni, just on the coast. It was at the house of the cell group leader Mark. It was evident from my first step in his house that I would be made welcome, and I was. 3 hours later, we left after studying a very worthwhile DVD from Rob Bell an American Pastor. Like the night before I joined half way through a course but unlike the night before I got into straight away and had a really great time at my adopted cell group.
I mentioned before that I couldn't escape Pizza even in South Africa, and this became apparent again on Thursday night. I had had a hard day at baby creche in the morning and guttering in the afternoon and then i remembered we'd decided to host Yvonne and Alfons for supper, and I was making Pizza. To cut a long story short, it was a great success with everything being devoured ( and not by me either).
Friday came as a massive relief. After a long week it was nice to unwind at the end of the day. Creche had taken it out of me in the morning. The kids were so excuberant and playful which is nothing but good, but after a few too many fingers in your nose and knees in the crotch a lie down was well deserved.
The weekend is mainly a time to shop, with little time to shop during the week. However this time I was armed with my list. Everything bought, ticked off the list and still with some change.

Until next week.

Rob