Thursday, June 18 - School Visits

This morning I stayed behind to do some writing and to later go out to a primary school with Tina and our boys. Prior to leaving, I was conflicted between the feeling of relief at having some down time and a prompting from the Holy Spirit that said ‘go.’ I’ve had this experience in the past, and it is unmistakable; characterized by a feeling of knowing beyond a doubt that I am being led to do something and a warm rush throughout my body that the Spirit is prompting me. I stood, considering my options, and decided to stay. My one and only regret about the trip, but it was a big one. What follows is a second hand account of what I regretfully missed.

Our entourage returned to the Bambino Day Care in Lusaka we visited the day before. Our teacher faction Mary Kirk, Carol Ryan and Amy Crockett, having met with the folks from University of Pretoria yesterday, were glad to have an opportunity to be with these children. Mary and Carol brought donations of Frisbees, balls and jump ropes from the States. When they arrived at the Day Care, everyone in our group handed out the goodies to the children who were jumping up and down and excited to see their friends back, and thrilled that they brought gifts. Two responses to this event left some in our group dumbfounded. One of the children, having never seen a football before, took a bite out of it thinking it was food. The children, and even the teachers, looked quizzically at the jump ropes. Not one person in the group knew what to do with them. I was shocked to learn that this simple, yet quintessential childhood toy of American culture was an anomaly to a teacher and a small child, as it is, most likely to anyone in Mamelodi. As halting as this revelation was to our teachers, the children’s excitement surrounding the balls and Frisbees escalated.

The new soccer field was calling them to come out and play with their toys. Coach Dave showed the kids how to dribble a soccer ball, while other children threw their Frisbees and mini footballs. Carol, Mary, and our soccer guys taught the teachers how to throw a Frisbee – another classic childhood toy that had escaped their youth experience. The boys on the soccer team were really struck by this event, I was told, and how much of an impact they made on the children’s lives.

The soccer crew then travelled to Kenton High School for a rematch with the S.O.S. Children’s Village team. The game ended up in a tie, but the real story happened postgame when our U.S. team gave the S.O.S. Village players soccer cleats donated from home. The keeper from the Village team asked if there were any gloves. Brendan Utrecht was moved by this boy’s inquiry and perhaps by the Holy Spirit as well. Brendan removed his own gloves and handed them to the boy telling him they were his. Brendan’s gesture of kindness moved Frikkie and Mary to tears, and the hearts of all there.

Marnus, helping with the education pillar this morning, took Dr. Mary Kirk, Prof. Carol Ryan and 1st grade teacher extraordinaire Amy Crockett to one of the High Schools in Mamelodi. There they met with a deputy principle, and they were thrilled that she took a lot of time with them to tour the school. She shared with them that since enrollment has increased so much over the past two years their science labs had to be converted to classrooms, leaving them with inadequate facilities for their science program. Carol later shared that she and the other teachers were amazed to that the staff, principals and teachers were extremely dedicated despite the limitations of their situation. They were also amazed at the good attitudes and smiling faces of the children under such challenging conditions and the fact that they were so dedicated to their studies. Mary and Carol also made some great connections with University of Pretoria officials, which they hope will materialize into an exchange program with both students and teachers from the University of Pretoria and NKU.

The ladies then went to AmaJobJob http://www.ehubs.co.za/amajobjobweb/ama_index.html in Pretoria. Operated by Marnus’ cousin Vivienne Schultz – the organization trains jobless South African women with skills to help lift themselves out of poverty. The women also go through a learning process of behavior change and take away their new skills to become entrepreneurs. AmaJobJob is situated in an old U-shaped firehouse, which is rented from the government. The building showcases art made by many of the women on its walls and is currently housing a group of students from Germany.

Bula-Dikgoro Primary School

Tina, Matthew, Josh and Mattie and I went to Bula-Dikgoro Primary School. One of the first things we saw at the school was the mural on the wall below. Matthew and I were both struck by the things these kids long for and how difficult it is for them to come by.










Things we take for granted

Like many schools in South Africa, Bula-Dikgoro Primary School is constructed in such a way that the doors to the classrooms open to outside courtyards. When Matthew and I first arrived here, the children were changing classes and we were nearly mobbed by the many kids who wanted hugs and to shake hands in the Mamelodi way—shake once, hook all four fingers with your partner’s, snap your thumb with theirs, then shake once again.

"The Mob"

Matthew doing 'the shake'

Each child wore a blue uniform – pants or skirt with sweater – and a neatly pressed, white-collared shirt. If you can’t afford a uniform in Mamelodi, you don’t go to school- a sad, but true reality. The uniforms don’t cost much, but there are still some parents who can’t afford them. The children, just like those at the S.O.S. Village and Bambino Day Care, all want their picture taken and to see their image on the screen. We shook hands and took pictures until a bell finally rang. Teachers and staff still had to shoo the kids off to class, as they were so excited to see new faces and visitors. Two lucky classrooms of children remained in the courtyard while David sang. Jennifer did an awesome job of leading the kids in the hand gestures as David went through his repertoire.

The kids there followed the protocol that took shape at the previous schools without even knowing it. The order of events included the children excited about seeing a keyboard, some for the first time, and anxious to touch the keys. A frenzied chaos transformed into calm yet excited attention as David began to do ‘his stuff’. Right on key, the children immediately responded, eagerly learning the words to the songs David taught them and they sang with vivacious spirit. They love the attention, interaction and engagement. Each grade was reluctant to return to their classrooms, and I can’t imagine that they will be able to concentrate on their studies for the remainder of the day.

The kids gathering to see David

Waiting to begin. Note posture; hands at side or on knees.

David demonstrates a penny whistle


Once again singing "I Can Do It"Meanwhile, Josh, Moses, Mattie and Tina went for a walk to the soccer field near the school. On the way back, Josh was accosted by a guy who tried to take his wallet. Thankfully, Moses stepped in to fight off the assailant, saving Josh from a stolen wallet or worse. Until that point, we had not encountered even a hint of danger in the township. I can’t imagine how Tina must have felt, but I’m sure relief and gratefulness were in the mix after it was all over.

The kids enamoured with Jen's hair

When it was time to leave, our friends could shake hands enough, hug enough, or touch Jen and my hair enough - again amazed at the texture. Following our good-byes, we met with the staff in their meeting room where David donated penny whistles, harmonicas and his keyboard to the school. The principal was so excited, he picked up a harmonica and played an impromptu song. A large, jovial presence; he played, waved his arm in a 'join-in' gesture and performed a little stomp-dance. His enthrallment with the instrument was childlike and commanding at the same time - his movements beckoned everyone to dance with him. You couldn't help but feel his joy.

After our time at the school and the boys' re-match at Kenton High School, most of the group went to another Confederation Cup playoff game - U.S. vs. Brazil. After a huge loss for the U.S., everyone headed back to the resort for a great South African braai (BBQ), we sat in a big circle. Dave Kisor shared a funny song he wrote about jogging and a few of the soccer guys shared a rap song they composed detailing the funny hilarious events of the week.

The guys singing their rap
Paul Crockett and his sister Amy sang a song for us while Paul played on his ukulele, which was very sweet. Paul – our photographer extraordinaire (everyone is an extraordinaire at something if you haven’t noticed) – played his ukulele throughout the week providing soft sounds for everyone’s listening pleasure as we drove around (and around) or waited (for one thing or another.) He is very talented on both fronts. He snapped about 6,000 photos throughout the entire week (no joke.) We are all hoping to see those photo someday Paul – at an online photo sharing site perhaps?

To end the evening, Frikkie gifted everyone with a hand-beaded pin fashioned with the American and South African flags. The pins were those made by the women at the Bambino Day Care center, which we had visited the day before – although at this point, it seemed like the week before. It was the perfect symbol and keepsake of our trip. In addition to being a product of Mamelodi, it symbolizes the coming together of our two countries and created in a manner that Bridge to Cross hopes to foster – a positive outcome resulting from a learned skill enabling someone to help themselves and their family to a better place. Frikkie went on to kindly acknowledge the contributions made by the entire group for the week and thanked everyone for their hard work and efforts. I think we were all in agreement when it was said that we were grateful for the opportunity to share in the experiences Bridge to Cross provided on our amazing mission trip.