Good Hope, Great Kids

We are in South Africa this week visiting our friends who are missionaries, and one of the days we got to go down to the school they serve at to see the work being done in South Africa!

Good Hope Christian School is a kindergarten through seventh grade school serving the “colored” community in middle-class Cape Town. Here, they kind of divide people into three groups, even after apartheid: whites, black, and coloreds, the latter of which we would consider mixed races. These communities tend to be poorer and susceptible to gangs and other detrimental life paths if not prepared during their schooling years for a different life. This is where the school comes in to provide a quality, affordable school so these kids can have access to a better life.

Jim, our friend, is the vice principal of the school (he’s currently working to move ownership of the school completely to nationals!) and had apparently been telling the students for weeks that we were coming because they were extremely excited to meet Mister Foster’s daughter and her friends!

We arrived about a half hour before school started and got to meet all the teachers and grab some quick hugs from some of the kids.

Today was their chapel which meant a short church service before school started. They sang some songs and recited a Bible verse and the South African national anthem. There were probably about a hundred students and they sang so confidently and beautifully!

Then we got to teach them some of our favorite songs, like I Thank God, and they REALLY loved the “hell lost another one, I am free” swaying in the song so much that we couldn’t hear the music anymore so we got super lost! But they just laughed and we all eventually got back to the song.

I (Shawna) was graciously given the opportunity to give a message to the students. We talked about the armor of God, what each piece means — complete with putting on each imaginary piece of armor — and how important it is to keep our armor in tip top shape.

We then got to visit with one of the grades for a bit, further disrupting their school day, but the teachers seemed happy for a new experience for their students. Jadon and I got to visit with the fourth graders who asked an assortment of questions, including quizzing Jadon on long division!

(don’t worry, he got it right ;))

After that, we went to play soccer with the kids in their break. We were quickly humbled by their soccer skills, but there were some amusing things that happened during the game ;)

1. One girl kicked the soccer ball and her shoe came off and promptly hit another kid in the forehead

2. If you kicked the ball over the fence, you got a five minute penalty so several kids would cheer if the ball went over because it meant that one of the good players on the other team was out for a bit

3. My team had most of the girls, but they were doing some choreographed dances in the goal zone the whole time (which I loved but forgot to video)

4. These kids obviously watch a lot of professional soccer because they were nailing the fake-injured thing! One of the boys was hamming it up, grabbing his shin and rocking and whining, the whole nine yards, and Jadon went to make sure that he was okay, and then the ball rolled past the boy and he jumped up without missing a beat and kicked the ball - a miracle!!! ;)

Although too short, today was a wonderful glimpse into the work that is being done in South Africa! This school brings the hope of Jesus to the people in the Cape of Good Hope at the bottom of the world. I hope we visit someday for longer, but until then, they will be in my prayers often.

Blessings,

Shawna and Jadon