Lets just say 2011 has been a year of learning valuable lessons....

(why oh
why do I just not learn the first time!!!).. I guess thats my way of saying its been a difficult year, and I have made some decisions that perhaps have not been the best. However, God in His grace redeems years such as these and I am better equipped for the rest of my life because of it I started off the year with three girls living with me, Lindo (who is now 12), and her two older sisters, Thandiswa (20) and Thandeka (19). They are both students at the School of Hope. By February I had managed to extend our family to me plus five girls!! All five of them sleeping upstairs in the attic bedroom, which was somewhat like a dormitory, thankfully with its own bathroom. Namhla (21) was repeating her final year the School of Hope after failing. Unfortunately her single mother had moved away at the end of 2010 leaving her with nowhere to live. Then Sylvia (20), a Congolese girl from the Ark shelter who I have known for over five years also became destitute. I reluctantly said she could stay at ours until she found a job. (She did find a job waitressing, but sadly they exploited her and she only earned tips, not allowing her to be in a position to move into her own room somewhere). She became quite despondent, and in July she moved away to her extended family an hour away. It was sometimes fun and games, but often quite stressful having them all stay with me, with their different cultural expectations and backgrounds.

Lindo

Namhla

Thandiswa

Thandeka

Wonderfully Thandiswa and Thandeka passed their grade 11 at school, and in January will officially be matriculants (final year). Being in matric here is a great feat for many young people. Only a small percentage of learners from previously disadvantaged backgrounds make it this far. Thandiswa and Thandeka have made it but because of failing years along the way are 3 to 4 years behind those who have never failed a grade. Thankfully the School of Hope has many learners in their situation and they are not out of place being that bit older. If it wasnt for the School of Hope both these girls would probably never have reached matric. Namhla re-wrote her final exams in November and the results will come out in January. We are optimistic that she will pass this time around. She is now back with her mother in Eastern Cape. Please pray for her future as she wants to study Tourism but in South Africa it costs a lot of money to go to college. She has been at school forever, having failed many times along the way, and to be finally out in the big wide world is quite a nerve-racking time for her. Lee-Anne (22), who many of you met last Christmas was laid off from her teaching assistant job earlier this year and has been caring for her cousins baby fulltime. Her cousin is a drug addict and unable to look after the baby herself. She is planning to either study next year, or go overseas as a nanny. Pray that the right opportunities present themselves. Lee-Anne has really grown into a

wonderful young lady with confidence and maturity. I am so proud of her and pray that God reveals to her what direction she should take for her life. Ode (21) is doing extremely well in America. She gave me a surprise visit in June, thanks to my wonderful family who made it possible. Her college team once again won the NAIA National Championships and she has been approached by semi pro teams in America to play during the summer. Her biggest excitement however was getting to come back to South Africa this month for 2 weeks to train with the National Team. She impressed the coach and we are hoping that she makes the final squad that will go to the Olympics next year. Actually for most of you it is come to the Olympics next year as its in England. I will hopefully also be over at that time. Ode again has shown enormous maturity and faithfulness in her walk with God and her attitude in all she does. I am extremely proud of her.

Lindo (my baby) has had a year of ups and downs. She was struggling academically at the German School where she had a bursary, and in July I decided that it would be better for her to change schools. She ended up at the school that Ode went to as a child. It was a big change for her, however being Lindo, she made friends quickly and seemed much more relaxed in an environment where she wasnt struggling to keep up with her peers. Next year she is in her final year of Primary school so as early as February we need to start applying for High Schools. Please pray for wisdom and favour in this area. One of the dilemmas being should we opt for a girls school or mixed. Lindo is very distracted by boys. She does however like the idea of going to an all girls school so we shall apply to all of them and see where she gets in. One of the things that has really helped both Lindo and I is that she has been seeing a Child psychologist for most of the year. This has been wonderful and has really helped Lindo through the difficulties she has faced. She is currently on the cusp of teenager-dom, yet inside is still a little girl who still likes playing with dolls. Her age is still up in the air, with us sticking with 12. Academically she is at age 9 level, and physically she looks 15. Her birth certificate says she is 10. We are busy trying to rectify the birth certificate with Home Affairs. Her mother has dementia and is very frail, and also doesnt speak English. It is not always easy to deal with these paperwork issues with her. I really pray that it gets sorted out next year. So, this is all getting a little long. Im sorry! As I said before it has been a challenging year for me and it was decided that I would not continue at the School of Hope next year. This was a sad decision but necessary. I am also moving out of my house (as we speak) and moving into my sisters little flatlet until Lindo and I find somewhere more suitable. Houses and flats are ridiculously expensive to rent and that is partly why I am moving. I also feel I need to spend more time with Lindo next year, helping her daily with extra tutoring and building the bond between us. I feel she has perhaps been a little neglected this year with all the comings and goings in the house. Sadly her sisters will have to move back to their mothers in the township, which is a small shack with no electricity. This will be difficult

for them in their final year, but I will be around to support them with their school work. Please pray for them. I know they have found it extremely difficult living with me this year. I am still volunteering with Adonis Musati Project, also an NGO undergoing reshaping. As the needs of refugees change in Cape Town, the organisation has also felt the need to refocus and adapt. Next year the focus will be on single destitute women and children as the need in this area is overwhelming. Many of the women we are seeing are from the DRC, Rwanda or Burundi. Their stories are devastating. We aim to give counsel and support as well as food and clothes to these women, with a plan to develop a health project and support groups next year. I also had two wonderful friends visit from the UK during the year who came at just the right time to encourage and spoil me (and the girls). So, there you go, in a (large) nutshell. I am excited for next year. I would appreciate your prayers and please know although you hear from me very intermittently; I cannot articulate how much I appreciate your love and support. I do still have a blog, but find it hard to share much on there as much of my work and life involved young people who I cannot really talk about online. If you would like to chat, I am on skype. Please feel free to invite me Thanks again to you all, and God Bless, and have a wonderful festive season.