"play with kids week"

So basically if I could sum up this week, I would call it "play with kids week". Mornings consisted of playing with kids at the refugee camps, and afternoons were spent at Red Hill running Kids Club. And I thought I could get away from singing Brother Friend and J-O-Y.... The refugee camps were an interesting situation, because basically nobody WANTS to be there, but they're all still there because no one has a safe place to return to if they left the camp. A group of kids that I was wrangling around one day this week captured a frog, and after marching it back to our tent chanting "we caught the frog!" and then finding out that it was a very rare endangered frog and switching the chant to "we're going to put back the frog!" a little boy said something that struck me. As I was explaining to seven or eight 5 & 6 year olds why we had to put back the frog I said, "We need to put him back so he can go back to his home." Justin, a boy who normally causes trouble and is very loud put his head down and said to himself, "At least the frog has a home to go to."
Now, in the past couple of days the camps have changed. I don't know all the specific details about the refugee camps, but here's what I do know: it isn't good. The Somalians have basically taken over the camps and are not allowing any volunteers or food to be brought in. This basically sets up an unorganized, frustrated group of few thousand people, who are already tense with each other to begin with, and then also throw in a forced hunger strike on top of that. Oh yeah, and the hunger strike includes the children, who really have no say in the matter. Pastor John Thomas spoke on it this morning in church, and he says that he trusts what God is doing, but the future isn't too bright at the moment if things continue the way they are. ANYways......we are all very safe and we didn't catch Scabees from any of the kids at the camp. Pray for the people in the camps, and that as always, God would be glorified through the whole situation even though it is difficult to see at the moment. And also pray that I would continue to look to God for wisdom in everything.

On the other hand, my times off have been great! Today we went to the Green Point Market, and climbed Lion's Head mountain. We all ate at an incredible restraunt last night called The Meeting Place, and I ate Springbok. What is a Sprinkbok? Well aside from being a fast, antelope-like animal it also happens to be the mascot for the South African rugby team. Sigh....I guess I'll just have to go the South Africa vs. Italy match on June 21st in Cape Town....dang....

Oh.....and......
it's Africa...I promise.