Weekend Warriors
Well, we aren’t really what one would call weekend warriors, but we do enjoy using our weekends for many different types of activities. We used our first weekend of holiday to spend some time with the oldest Sithole girls. Lebo, Julia and Petunia are the oldest members of our newest Bethesda family. They are great helpers at their home for their mom but were especially excited for a weekend away from home to be spent with two of their favorite teachers.
The girls came in on Friday afternoon and stayed with us until Monday afternoon. The weekend was a weekend full of firsts. On Friday afternoon, we ordered pizza, kept up with the first game of the World Cup and played some Wii. The girls enjoyed Wii bowling SO much that we decided to try their hands at the real thing and went to a local mall on Saturday for some 10-pin bowling. The girls had a great time…helped along by the bumpers in gutters so they could actually knock down some pins. After bowling it was time for some lunch. We decided that since it was getting later in the day and there was a McDonalds right at the mall, we would eat lunch there. Little did we know that NONE of the three girls had ever been to McDonalds. It was a fun time introducing them to Ronald’s menu that is pretty much the same world-wide. After lunch, we had one more quick stop to pick up a picture frame that we were putting together for the girls’ parents. We went to Makro which is the South African equivalent of a Sam’s Club or a Costco. The 2 of the 3 girls had also never been in Makro so we had to take some extra time so they could look at all the fun things and take in the overwhelming amount of “stuff” in the store.
The rest of the weekend was great fun as well. We played more Wii, baked two kinds of cookies,and played with the dogs. The girls enjoyed reading several of the children’s books we have accumulated in our guest room and playing with some of the toys. We also went to church together on Sunday. It was a great day of fellowship. I particularly enjoyed hearing the girls sing worship songs throughout the day as they reflected on Christ.
It is a tremendous blessing to have a house that we are able to use for ministry. It is even more of a blessing to actually practice doing ministry and encouraging our families at Bethesda by encouraging their children when we take interest in their lives. It is a joy to develop relationships with our children outside of the classroom. I look forward to seeing how God works in and through each of these children.
Tonya Small 