In the morning, we were back at Elim school. The children were ready and waiting, with some jumping up and down and yelling as we drove through the gate. We joined all the students in the school building for morning devotions and prayer and it was back to work where we’d left off the day before. This day the boys worked on making practical items from two-liter plastic bottles, such as planters, watering devices, or holders for kitchen utensils. Some went well beyond the basic ideas, engineering a variety of improvements into their projects. The younger students continued with games learning word and number concepts. Fedor totally engaged some of the older boys as he taught the principles of solving a Rubik’s cube.
In the afternoon, we were off to the Ditshego Place of Safety property. Isabel Nel, the managing director of the Ditshego projects greeted us and, with other staff, gave us an overview of that property and the projects there—both active and planned, as well as the preschool at the Mooiplaas informal settlement. After a tour of the property, the team broke into groups for the rest of the day—painting a classroom, making posters, and playing basketball with the girls and soccer with the boys (Ivan and Fedor had looked forward to this).We returned to clean up at Mahanya, as West View had again extended its hospitality, this time inviting us to attend a Hawaiian themed dinner for confirmands and their families, as well as new members joining West View that evening. It was a very nice event and everyone recognized the irony of traveling halfway around the world from America to a Hawaiian dinner. We all appreciated the generous friendship shown us by the West View community.
