life’s good!!!
Molo Molo Molo (howdy howdy howdy)! I am SLOWLY learning Xhosa. The thing that sucks is that every time i try, the older girls always laugh at me! Even though i’m saying it right, most of the time, they laugh at me anyways. But that’s ok, cause i’m going to learn it anyways and one day they will look back on them laughing at me and will feel bad for what they did. But i really am getting better despite what they say. I’m getting the clicks better and have a couple books now that will help me. Ronnie said that he knows a guy who can teach me in 2-3 days the whole language so i think i need to meet him.
Yesterday, i showed Phumlani that i am stronger than him. He tried to take me down when i had a soccer ball tucked under my arm and that backfired on him and he ended up with his face in the dirt (not really but i did have him pinned wrestling style). So now at least he knows not to try and pick on me. I climbed a big tree and started throwing pine cones at people below me and it turned into a full on war. They were throwing them at me while i was on one of the limbs and through one and smashed Unakho’s toes. That was actually pretty funny. Then i tossed one pretty hard and drilled Khanyisa right in the mouth. Her lip started bleeding a little bit but she’s a tough girl so she sucked it up.
I’m so lucky…people just randomly make tea for me. Phumlani is making my tea for me. He might as well be my servant. I’ve drank so much tea since being here. i have probably 2-3 cups a day with Ronnie and Sybil then i get my servant, Phumlani, to make me my tea before bed time. Actually, Phumlani’s just a really servant hearted guy. He does it on his own.
Today, i did a bunch of work in the storage room which is within the next month going to be the new bathroom for Phumlani and i and the rest of the people that are coming May through August. The plumber is supposed be coming Monday to start working on it. We’re going to talk and see what all we can fit in there. Someone donated a washer a while ago and we’re going to hook that up for everyone. We’re going to put a shower and sink in there as well. It’s a pretty good sized room and should look really nice when everything’s finished.
I heard some AMAZING news today. Schaun called us here at the village today and i got a chance to talk to him. It’s always nice just to hear people’s voices back from home. Anyways, he told me that someone had just given him a check for me in the amount of $1500. WOW!!! Schaun, my dad, and i think a couple other people are coming here to Port Elizabeth to spend a few days with us and then flying to Uganda to see some people that have a mission up there. It’s called Invisible Children (you should check out there website it’s pretty amazing what they’re doing). They have a great ministry for children in some ways similar to Oceans of Mercy. But, they have been planning that trip for probably a couple months now and ever since i heard about it i was REALLY wanting to go ever since i met the guy who started that place in Uganda but the money wasn’t really there for me to do that. But thanks to this persons amazing gift, i get to go now. I don’t know if that person reads this or not but if you do…Thank you so much. Thank you to all of you. You all have NOOOOO idea how you’ve blessed me and given me so much joy just by trusting me that God’s will is being done here and by investing in me, the hearts and lives of these children.
Whelp…i think that’s enough for tonight! I definitely have more for tomorrow so make sure you check then also. (i don’t want to write too much for you all to read at once!!!)
I love you guys sooooo much!
daniel
Movin’ Right Along
what a nice weekend so far. eventful…but nice!
friday night i picked the group up from school and then later the older one’s and i went back to phumlani and xolelwa’s school because they were having a fundraiser there with food and some games. i really enjoy hanging out with these guys. right now i’m pretty much just a clown around them. they are constantly laughing at all the “american” things i do. it’s a lot of fun. the games at the school were rather boring but we kind of made them fun. they had kareoke and xolelwa sang a Leanne Rhymes songs and kept getting all confused with where the words were on the screen and where she was in the song. really funny.
Ronnie and i were talking a few days ago about how it’s sad that some of these kids don’t get to experience some of the fun things that all of have and do get to experience. like dating for instance. Phumlani is 18 years old. i know that when i was at the age of 18, besides maybe one or two other things, girls was all i could think of. all i wanted was a girlfriend or a “special someone.” Ronnie and i couldn’t imagine what it’s like for him because all we know of is how guys like us are constantly saying ”i’m so lonely” (dave p.) and i’m sure he is too.
anyways, why i said all of that was because last night at the fundraiser/party thing, phumlani came up to me and said “i might have an opportunity tonight.” he didn’t explain, all he said was that. so i kind of ingnored it. then some of the girls pointed out this girl in phumlani’s class that they said he liked. kind of cute, but i still ignored it. an hour later, just before we were going to leave, i noticed that i didn’t see phumlani. a few minutes later he walks over and sits down by me and says, “i did it.” really vague but ok, “did what?” “i kissed her man!” Wooooohooooo! oh it was so funny! the girls were teasing him but i was congratulating him and told him “nice job, way to go dude!” now i know that probably a bunch of you are thinking “oh great! way to be a good influence on him!” but it was so awesome. just to see how excited he got. i can’t wait to tell Ronnie and Sybil about it. hopefully they’ll be able to be excited for him also.
see…i told you eventful. that was just one night
today we hung around the house, did some laundry, watched a movie that i bought for them (remember the titans), and washed the car. after that, around 1 we went to the beach again. it was a really nice day today! probably around 80 or so. it felt that way because the sun was really bright and hot today. i got REALLY burnt. my shoulders, upper back, and arms look like the pink panther.
we took one of the younger girls, Lisa, with us also. she is adorable. 3 years old and has an amazing smile and laugh. after the beach though, she didn’t seem so adorable anymore and i realized that it was probably a bad idea to bring her. she would freak out every time a dog got within 100ft. if she could see it, she was screaming and crawling all over me to get me to pick her up. then we walked 1/2 a mile to the closest bathroom (which i don’t understand the reasoning behind that one. if not for peeing in, what’s the ocean for) and of course i had to carry lisa. then when we weren’t even around any dogs let alone people she still wouldn’t let me put her down and have her walk. she screamed and cried! AWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! eventually i took her to the car and she stayed there the rest of the time we were at the beach (not by herself of course).
whelp, that’s all.
actually i forgo, tonight phumlani and i went to see a movie. they obviously don’t get to go and see movies at a theater very often so we had a good time doin some male bonding and getting away from all the girls.
ok, now that’s all. thanks guys for taking the time to read all this and partake in what’s happening here!
peace out homies!
daniel
Patience is a Virtue
you guys are amazing! i wanted to tell you all how much i love reading your comments and it’s so exciting for me to see who has left a comment. i wish so much that i could write each and everyone of you back but my internet time is limited because we have dial-up-connection here so the minutes keep adding up if i’m not careful. please be patient because i will do my best to write you back. it might just take me a little while.
your friend
daniel
B-E-A-UTIFUL DAY!!!
it is absolutely gorgeous today!!! It was supposed to be around 27oC. i’m not quite sure what that is in Fahrenheit but that’s ok. I know it’s nice. I’ve been walking around all day in a pair of shorts and no shirt or shoes. I have been trying to walk around without shoes on more often just so i can be more like the kids. They can sprint across the driveway (all rocks) and not even notice. I can’t even walk across the smallest of rocks without wanting to cry. I tell them it’s because i have baby feet. Tomorrow night Phumlani and Xolelwa (brother and sisters, i’m still hoping to have pictures soon) are having a fundraiser at their school. It’s going to be a bunch of games and food and stuff like that. The older girls, Phumlani and i are all going. Mama got to go to Cape Town this weekend. She left yesterday morning and won’t be back till Sunday i think. Her son was getting married so she couldn’t miss that of course. Ronnie and Sybil are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Port Albert. Their son has a weekend/holiday home there so they’re all meeting up there for the weekend. So you know what that means…DANIEL’S IN CHARGE! I keep teasing all the kids that i’m going to make sure that they have a boring weekend with me. Actually it’s gong to be fun. I’m sure we’ll go to the beach again cause it’s supposed to be hot the next couple of days. I also bought a movie yesterday while i was out so we’re going to watch it sometime when they’re all really bored. I bought “Remember the Titans.” I’m not sure if any of them have seen it or not but even if they have, it’s one of those movies that you can see over and over again.
You know it’s funny how God knows exactly how we are feeling and what we are thinking. Yesterday for some reason i was exhausted and kind of grumpy and today the same but then God showed me this prayer in a daily devotional that i have: Lord, help me today to draw strength from everything that comes to me! If you all could take a second to pray that prayer for me, i know that God would see our faith and will answer us accordingly.
daniel
Mother-Load Monday
WOW what a day! 8 o’clock came really fast this morning for some reason. i don’t know why but i just did not want to get out of the bed. it was just one of those mornings you know.
today i got some more experience driving. we went through downtown today. CRAZY drivers. now i know a lot of you that know me real well think that i’m a crazy driver but believe me, they are worse. people hanging out of the windows yelling at you and taxis all of the place. out of control.
Mama Gladys has been taking driving lessons and today she had one of them. she’s probably around 40 something and she has never learned how to drive. for someone her age to be learning how to do something like that for the first time, it usually takes a while. because i don’t know my way around yet i had to sit and wait in the car with Phumlani and wait for her to get done. it took 2 hours before she had finished practing her PARKING! i could probably teach Lydia how to drive in 2 hours. it was fun though, we walked to the grocery store, bought some water and candy and hung out laughing at pictures in my wallet.
it’s been a very busy day. just running erands all over the place.
oh one more thing. they had a dog here that they called Racie (i think). anyways, while the group from america was here, they hated the dog for a reason. the dog would constanly bite at your ankles, nibble on your shoes, and bark like crazy! i would say for no reason too but it’s probably because the kids here pretty much beat the dog. they have never been taught how to treat animals so they would kick the dog as hard as they could in the gut, hit it on the head, smack it, etc. anyways, we got rid of the dog today. we saw that it had killed a couple more chickens yesterday. it’s weird, it doesn’t eat them it just kills them. i don’t get that one. oh and as we were leaving the animal welfare place, we saw to donkeys going at it. i don’t know what it is but i’ve seen so many animals “mating” on this trip so far. Ronnie just says “that’s Africa for you.” : )
daniel
Hello My Good Buddies!!!
how is everyone doing today? Great i hope!
WHELP… I’m on my own. The group that i came down here with left yesterday. It was very hard to say goodbye to all those people. Scott, Schaun, Becky, Jameson, and all the other wonderful people that i cherish. It was very hard for Sybil as well. Sybil, for those of you that don’t know who that is, is Schaun’s mom and Ronnie’s wife. She is an amazing lady and she had a tough time saying goodbye to her family and especially her grandkids.
We had a good day though. After we watched them off we went out to eat the three of us and had Calamari and chips (fries). First time i have ever had Calamari and … i loved it! Then they kind of showed me around the boardwalk and they showed me the closest beach to us which is like 7-10 min. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Jennifer, you’re going to love it! long and lovely beach, great sand as well. after we got back i took all the kids up there, all 12 of them. It was the first time i tried to drive. it went fine except i killed the car probably 5 times before i got it going. I kept dying because i had the emergency break on and also that there is a choke on this SUV, something i’m not used to having on a vehicle.
They loved the beach though! A bunch of them cannot swim so it took a lot of convincing to get some of them in the watere. Plus it was a little cold to just jump in to.
Today we went to church and instead of going to youth, most of the older kids stayed in the service with me. The music was great! I don’t know what it was about today, i don’t know if it was the singers, the music, or the people that were there, but i was just full of joy this morning. I think that I am just extremely excited about being here and also i know how blessed i am that God has provided EVERYTHING!
i read a verse last night in a daily devotional that i have. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him…” 1 Timothy 1:12. How awesome and confirming that is for someone in my position who is taking this step of faith and following what he believes is God’s calling for his life. Reading that verse and standing in a congregation of people that i don’t know and have never met…something about it just put the most amazing feeling in my heart! I couldn’t stop smiling! Then i looked over and one of the girls was asleep!
well…i’m being called talk to you later!
love you
daniel
I MADE IT!
hey everyone…i’m so sorry that it took me this long to finally let you all know that I AM HERE!
we got here perfectly fine!
this has to be kind of short and sweet but i wanted to tell you some cool news!
today we have bible study for the school we’ll be working in primarily. there’s supposed to be, probably, around 300-500 kids. we were planning on 200 at most probably and the word just got out, people kept telling all their friends and now we don’t know what to do! pretty crazy! that kind of stuff is just a small example of God’s magnitude and we are definitely going to be expecting some cool things to happen. we’re going to be baptising any of the kids that want to be baptised after the vbs is over.
i got to baptise two of the people that live in the village a couple nights ago. one was a worker, she’s probably 25-30 years old, and the other was one of the girls. She’s about 10 or 11 years old, one of the sassiest little girls i’ve ever met. she is amazing. anyways, the water was absolutely freezing cause we did it at night and it was so funny, took all of us forever to get in! that was the first time i’ve ever baptised someone and, boy, what a smile i had on my face. such a blessing to be there when two ladies are cleansed by God’s gracious hand! Awesome, truly awesome!
the people here are great! the kids are great! the girls in the house are halarious. they are such good dancers and singers that i have no doubt that i will come back ready to compete in dance competitions!
Thank you all so much for the comments! they have been a blessing!
The group that came down here at the same time i did are heading back tomorrow around noon and that’s when everything starts up. That’s when when my trust in God becomes SOOOOOOO valuable!!!!
OK, so much for short and sweet! alrighty, time to go. things will start to be different when the group leaves and you will hear more about what’s going on!
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
daniel
Time For Change!!!
hey guys…i figured that since i’m leaving i should try a new hair style. so tonight me and my buddy dave had some fun with the clippers! check it out and let me know what you think the kids will think of it!
here’s the before picture of my lovely sister lydia and i being ourselves!
here’s the haircut in process
and here’s the final cut with my bald spot right in the middle of a sweet mow-hawk!
So…..What do you think?
i’m thinking that the kids are going to love it!
I also wanted to share this with you next thing with you. This is what will help keep me focused on my purpose for being in africa.
Just clicking along!
Just thought i’d let everyone know…….
I GOT THE LAUNDRY DONE! one baby step at a time!
i also wanted to thank everyone for coming last night! i really had a good time! Great Food, Great Company, Lots of Laughs (thanks Jonny).
All together = Great Night!
daniel
First Post
hey everyone….i wanted to try this thing out, trying to find a way to update people and keep you all informed on what’s going on while i’m in South Africa. so this is just a trial one…don’t mind me, actually leave a comment after you read this so i no that everyone understands how to use it. Don’t forget about tomorrow night!
Thanks guys!
daniel
