Mar 12 2008
Day Two: Lawrencia and Bishops Schools
I cannot think of a more dichotomous way to spend a day than Wednesday, March 12. During the first half of the day, we had the pleasure of spending more time with our young friends at the Lawrencia School in Bloekombos. During the last half of the day, we had the pleasure of the company of a group of high school boys from the prestigious Bishops School in Cape Town. Two different communities, two different lifestyles, two different futures… at the moment. We hope our work here will inspire and encourage the less fortunate to achieve and the more fortunate to give.
We started our day off with making breakfast for the Lawrencia School – all 300 of them! Their smiles and their thank you’s were heartwarming!
– Vivian Roussel
Hugging the children good-bye was like being killed with kindness especially after a horrible defeat in net ball. We really did not want to leave the children and for a while I did not even want to meet the boys, but they turned out to be great.
– Vickey Casey
…
During the course of the day, part of the group essentially worked to create a library. We took an unused space, filled it with colorful chairs and carpets, and added the books Ann Beal commented on yesterday to some second-hand shelves. The room immediately took on a life of its own, and students swarmed to see it and be a part of it. Rebecca Schwartz declared, “I have never seen so many people happy to see a chair in my life.”
Later in the evening we travelled on the day we traveled on to the Bishops school and mingled with the boys. They exceeded my expectations!
– Rebecca Smith
…
Today, the opportunity to walk and ride through Bloekombos township with some others in the group was probably the most important experience I have had on this trip to date. We got to experience first hand some of the very important work that Carol Joost and her colleagues do, from serving a hot meal out of a metal shipping container to helping TB patients who come to the clinic for treatment to visiting HIV patients at home and at a hospice. In the process, I feel like we developed a much more complete understanding of the challenges that face the residents of this community. There is complete and utter desperation around every corner, and yet there is (and always must be) reason to be hopeful for a better future. I hope that everyone in the Chatham Hall group gets this chance as planned.
– Kyle Kahuda
6 responses so far
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The hope and joy you are sharing is amazing. What an awesome day!!
La
Looks and sounds like you are all having an experience of a lifetime. I’m certainly happy for you and wish I were there also. Kyle, apparently Maura was saying she wanted to go to Africa but ended up in Florida.
Go figure. Enjoy and bring back many pictures to share.
Wow! What a great way to keep us all “in the loop”. We are enjoying the pictures and comments on the blog so much! It makes us feel a part of your lives while you are so far away. It looks like an amazing experience for everyone. Keep up the communication–I especially enjoy the girls impressions.
The new library is so beautiful – I love those colorful chairs that look like hands!! What an amazing contribution to make. I’m sure it will bring hours of joy to the children. Please keep sharing your comments and stories and photos – we love them!!
sounds like you guys are having a great time! i’m jealous!! please tell rebecca hi for me. i cant wait to see more pictures!
Hi everyone! We’re all there with you…in spirit at least! Thank you for being such wonderful ambasadors. The comments and photos keep you in our thoughts and prayers. We are proud of you and look forward to updates every day.