Sports Day!
On Friday, September 12 we hosted the 2nd Annual Sports Day at Naledi Christian Academy. Last year, it was so hot that we all nearly melted, so we bumped it up a month to avoid the summer heat. As it turns out, spring got skipped over this year, and it was still HOT. The kids were so excited to show off their sports skills that it didn’t seem to phase them. And their parents came toting umbrellas, because we don’t have much in the way of shade around here. We were blessed to be able to use the new sports fields adjacent to our property. The festivities commenced with the singing of the national anthem. Our 4 and 5-year-olds sang out all four verses, which is no small feat considering each verse is in a different South African language. Next on the roster was 3-year-old foot racers. The cuteness levels during this particular event were off the charts. Next, the 4-year-olds exhibited their agility in a boys versus girls obstacle course, and the Grade R class showed off their speed and fancy footwork in a mini soccer match.
The staff decided they needed to put on a finale, so they all lined up in their imaginary starting blocks before sprinting the length of the field.
The 2-year-olds were happy spectators, each with a bag of chips in their lap and a class visor shading their tiny faces. The parents were all smiles—some made a spectacle by cheering boisterously. One mom, whose 3-year-old won his race by a single stride, was jumping up and down, beating her chest while exclaiming over and over, “That’s my boy!!”. Next year we’ll have to add a few friendly competitions for the parents!
Medals and freeze pops were handed out before the sweating and clearly exhausted little sports stars were sent home to recover over the weekend.
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Field Trip!
Thanks to our VBS friends at Rocky Mountain Bible Church in Frisco, Colorado, who collected pennies at their VBS this past summer, we were able to take the kids from House 50 on a field trip to the fair that was in town!
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Reading is FUNdamental!
Our Grade R learners are doing so well with combining the letter sounds they have learned many of them are beginning to read, so one day we sent them to the 2 year old class to share a story with their little buddies.
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Bicycles!
Thanks to our generous sponsors Jeff and Bonnie the kids who stay on the property now have bicycles and are learning to ride, which is keeping Papa Bill busy tightening chains, adjusting seats, handlebars and training wheels! Any aspiring bicycle mechanics out there willing to lend a hand?
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“Writing”
Excitement is in the air as the countdown towards the end of the preschool year is upon us! The weather temperatures have already changed from cool to hot… almost overnight! Sports Day, our annual event scheduled during springtime, has come and gone. We are noticing how the children have added weight and height to their fast-growing little bodies and no longer look like they did in January! Names on our classlists for 2015 are being added daily and in some classes, have already reached capacity.
Even though one school year is rapidly coming to a close, preparations for a new year are already taking place! The children in Grade R have been busy “writing”, which in South Africa terms this means taking an exam. They are participating in their first readiness test that will determine whether they are ready to move on to Grade 1. Unfortunately, too many children in South Africa get promoted into the next class year after year, whether they are prepared or not. It is not uncommon to learn of a 5th grader who is 14/15 years old, painfully struggling in school who has never learned basic skills before being moved on!
The Grade R children at Naledi Christian Academy are taking this exam very seriously, visibly demonstrating that school is something to be valued. Our goal at TentMaker Ministries is to offer a solid Christian education to each child that walks through the doors of Naledi Christian Academy. Our hope is that each child will continue to have a lifelong thirst for learning. And with God’s help, this we know… all things are possible!
Drivers Ed!
One of the young men living on the property passed his matric with distinction last year and has plans to go to medical school to become a doctor. In order to raise the funds necessary to attend school he plans on working as a paramedic, and in order to become a paramedic he must first obtain his drivers license. So we’ve been busy three afternoons a week driving laps around the inside of the property, taking him from never having driven to being ready to practice on the roads. Before we can do that he will have to obtain a learners permit by passing a written exam regarding road signs and safety.
Summer vacation season may be over for all our friends in the northern hemisphere, but don’t forget that your past and future flights on Delta, KLM, Air France and Alitalia Airlines can help support our ministry in South Africa! Email us at info@TentMakerMinistries.com for more information.
Prayer Requests/Updates/Praises
Visa Extensions
Praise God, we’ve received word that the visa extension applications for our staff that have been in process for over 5 1/2 months have been finalized and the “outcomes” can be collected at the end of this week. Thank you for your prayers. Rumor has it that the “outcomes” are good (i.e. the extensions have been approved), but your prayers for that to be the case are still needed and appreciated until the visas are collected.
Mission Team Headed This Way
In less than two weeks a group of 10 from Calvary Chapel Belmar (Lakewood, CO) will be headed this way for a week and a half of light construction and loving on the community kids. Please keep them in your prayers for traveling mercies and that Christ would do a mighty work in and through them as they step out in faith to answer His call to serve alongside us here.