Happy New Years!!
In a little over a year I will ring in the new year here in Jo'burg with a few fellow journeygals. We went to montecasino tonight for dinner, and now we're back home watching movies.

Anyway, today we went to Brahmfisherville, and the club went VERY well!! There is a new church forming in the area, and they had gone to a great deal of work to invite children. We had plenty of people to transate today - yay! It was very cool to meet the people in the church. They might be interested in me coming out there to lead a youth Bible study... so that's a possibility.

I would write more, but I'm thoroughly exhauted! Tomorrow we're going to Sonderwater, so be in prayer for that! Thanks!

Happy 2005!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

FYI - I just added a new photo album where I'll put all the pictures I take during the holiday Bible clubs. Please take a look at them! I always find that I can pray better when I can picture what or who I am praying for. Thanks!!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Today we went to Dhlamini, Soweto and did a little back yard Bible club with the neighborhood kids. We didn't have a translator, which made things quite difficult because lots of small children came, and usually they don't speak English yet. But it was ok! We broke the volunteers in with the hardest day first! Tomorrow we'll have a translator - yippee! Today was fun though, and I think the kids had a good time, even if they didn't understand us. I am most excited about what God was whispering to me almost the entire time. It was as if He was gently whispering, "you can do this... this doesn't have to stop today." So... I'm gonna do it. The field we met in today was right behind Lilydale Primary School, so I know the area well, and the kids know me. I plan to recruit some of the older, more mature (is that possible in a 7th grader??) girls from the girls club I plan to do on Mondays, and I am hoping these girls will help me with a community after school club once a week in the field. They speak English and Zulu, so they can help me translate if little ones come. God only knows where this will lead! I would love to see it lead to helping me form more relationships with adults in the community. At least this will get me out of the school, and more into the community, and I am SO excited about this!! Please pray that God will continue to reveal His desires for me in all this. As I have said before, I only want to what HE is guiding me to do!! Also, pray for the children who came today, and for the adults we had a chance to speak with. Pray that God will continue to work in each of their hearts to reveal Himself more and more everyday!! Thank you for your prayers!!
God bless!
Bonnie B.
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy late Christmas!! I hope everyone out there had a great Christmas, celebrating however you did. I had a really wonderful Christmas, even though I was not with my family. I was too busy most of the time to think about missing them too much! On Christmas Eve I went to a service at Ridgecrest Family Church. I helped with the worship. After the service, I headed to the Saner house (my friends, Heather and Roger's family). I had a blast! After a nice dinner, we all gathered in the lounge to begin a crazy night of opening presents. And when I say crazy, I mean it! (I mean that in a nice way Heath and Rog!) I had a great time opening presents from home that my family has sent, as well as gifts that the Saners had bought (how sweet!). Check out my pictures online to get a better idea of what it was like for me on Christmas Eve! I spent the night at their house Christmas Eve and then on Christmas day I went to BIMS to have Christmas dinner, as prepared by American missionaries! Good stuff!! We had lunch there, then hung out all day playing cards, talking, and just hanging out. Then later that night we all had left-overs for dinner - just like in America! :) I stayed as long as I could, because I figured if I stayed busy, I wouldn't think too much about what I was missing back home. But I did finally come home at about 9pm, and then later that night my family called! It was so nice to get to talk to all of them on Christmas day! By the time we all finished talking, it was quite late, and I was exhausted, so I went to bed! Thus concluding my Christmas celebrations.

Now some more craziness is happening. Lots of things are going on in Jo'burg right now. There is an MK (missionary kid) camp this week, and a lot of journeymen are in town to be counselors for that. There are also other missionaries coming into Jo'burg for their team prayer retreat, so hopefully I'll get to see some of the jmen from those teams too. My flat is serving as a bed and breakfast for some extra people who needed a place to stay, and tomorrow (Wednesday) 2 journeygirls and their sisters are coming to stay with me for a while! Crazy I tell ya! There are also 3 volunteers coming in tomorrow who will be working with our team this coming week. They will be leading in children's evangelism in the townships. That's gonna be insane, so PLEASE pray that it will all work out! I'll be honest. I'm a little nervous about how things are going to go in the townships, as many things are quite unorganized right how. PRAY! Thanks!

That's about it for now... thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

What a day!! Today I went to Gold Reef City (an amusement park) with my friends. When they invited me, I declined because I'm running quite low on rands this month! But then they told me they'd pay for me... as a Christmas present. :) How sweet! So today was quite fun. I got drenched many times in the water rides. (Note: For future reference, don't wear jeans if you plan to get soaked on the rides!) I also got to ride on the Jozi Express, the newest roller coaster, and I got to ride in the very front - a first for me, and quite a rush! We rode all the big rides, and a few smaller ones too. We rode the Giant Wheel, other wise known as a modern day ferris wheel... I may have been the only one who enjoyed it though, everyone else was clinging to their seats and wishing for the ride to be over! But I LOVE ferris wheels, so I was having a blast! :) After we'd spent the better part of the day at the park, I came home. Then I went to the gym tonight and attended the power boxing class again - go me! Needless to say, after walking around all day and then going to a power boxing class, I'm exhausted! It's time to cuddle up on the couch, watch a movie, and then go to bed. :) I'm loving this "holiday thing." hehehe
Cheers!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Merry Christmas to ME! hehehe I just got 5 packages today from my family for Christmas!! Unfortunately, the boxes contained WRAPPED presents, and I promised I'd leave them wrapped until Christmas morning. It's fun to see presents under my tree. I don't have much of a tree... it's a little wire/beaded Christmas tree that someone here made... But nevertheless, my presents are under it! :) I've put a few pictures of my tree on my weshots photo site, under the album heading of "Christmas in Jo'burg." As I do more Christmas stuff, I'll put more pictures there, but for now, this is all I have. Hope you're all having a splendid weekend before Christmas! Get that shopping finished. :)
Love ya,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

I'm home! This morning I drove back from Swaziland... Back to the big city. You know, I have always known that I am not a city girl, but this past week has confirmed that! There's no way I could live in Jo'burg for the rest of my life (as much as I love it for now...). I loved being somewhere quiet and peaceful. The window in my bedroom (at the Allen's house) looks out over the mountains. Talk about an amazing place to have your quiet time. It was hard for me to make myself leave Swaziland, but alas, God has called me to be HERE, in Jo'burg, for the season of my life, and I'll make the very most of it while I am here. Don't get me wrong... it's not that I don't like Jo'burg, it's just that I often feel overwhelmed by the masses of people and cars and buildings. God's got me here for a reason, quite possibly to stretch me! But I hope and pray that He calls me somewhere a little more quiet next time! I had an amazing time this past week spending time with Monica, Steve and Lacie Joy Allen. Lacie Joy is 6 months old, and she is such a cute baby!! Soon I'll post a couple pictures of her on my photo albums. I didn't do all that much... I just used the time to relax and enjoy time with the missionaries. I hope I get to go visit them again in the future! They're such a great family!
Goodnight for now - Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howzit!? I don't know if I'll be able to update much this coming week because I won't be in town. I am going to Swziland tomorrow morning and coming back sometime on Thursday. I am looking forward to some time away from Jo'burg! I'm going to spend some time with Monica and Steve Allen (and their baby Lacie!!). They're a young couple, and Steve's from NC! He went to Southeastern... It's always nice to know people who are from the same place you are. :) They even know a few people from the Summit! Small world. :) If you want to know something about Swaziland, here's a link to some info: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wz.html

Ruth Anne is going to watch the kittens while I'm gone. :) I'm sure she'll enjoy that! But I will miss my kitties!! Please pray for safe travel to and from Swaziland! I've been before, but I've never driven myself. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and update this blog when I get home!
Love you!!
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

I just love Saturdays. You get to sleep in and enjoy life... well, at least that holds true for THIS Satuday so far. :) I slept in, and then when my kittens would finally let me sleep no more, I got up, read for a while (which I am loving, by the way) and had breakfast. A little bit later I was picked up by my friends Melissa and Heather and we went to the new mall, Clearwater Mall for lunch. Now I can say I've had a tramazeni (or however you spell it). Then we walked around for a bit and went to get coffee for the road. I was craving a Iced Mocha Freeze... mm mm good. Well, we walk into Seattle Coffee (the best coffee place in SA, at least from an American's point of view!!) and who was there but Kylie, Ronny and Daniel!! Crazy... I can't get away!! haha... not that I would want to get away from them or anything. So, since Heather and Melissa were just going to take me home and drop me off, I got a lift with Kylie and them. So we chilled at the mall a bit longer and then they brought me back here. Kylie and Ronny checked my place out, and then they all left to go back to BIMS. :( So fun getting to see random friends in random places. :-) Now I am doing some computer stuff, and I plan to spend a quiet night in with some movies or books.... my good stand-bys. Hooray!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Ahh… another GREAT night with the missionaries. They have been the biggest blessing to me in such a long time. I’m sure that God knew exactly what He was doing when he sent these people to BIMS at this specific time. Actually tonight I got to spend time with my own missionary team, as well as the visiting missionaries!! Tonight I went out to dinner with my team (minus the kids!) for a little Christmas celebrating. Then after dinner I rushed off to Montecasino (again) to go see The Incredibles with the other missionaries. I got a bit lost, and more than a bit frustrated that I was arriving to the movie 30 minutes after the start time. But I’d already paid for my ticket online, and I didn’t care how much I missed, I was going to get there! Well, thanks to the obnoxious adverts and previews, I only missed maybe 5 minutes of the movie! After the movie, we got ice cream and hung out for a little while. We took a few pictures and said some goodbyes! I’m glad they are better, so that they can go home (they were here for medical), but I’m sad that they are leaving!!! They have been amazing. It’s been great hanging out with other young people who share my vision, my heart. They understand when I talk about missing home while loving this country at the same time. They understand me – PERIOD! That’s the biggy… It’s awesome to find people who truly do understand you. See why I’m sad that they’re leaving? But I thank God for the time we have had together. Now I must get back to my own life in South Africa! Actually, next week I am leaving South Africa. On Monday I am leaving to go to Swaziland until Thursday. There’s a missionary couple up there, and I’m going to visit with them and use the time to RELAX! Sounds nice, hey? Can’t wait! Wow… I’m sleepy. It’s been a long day… and the kittens kept me up all night last night! Just like having kids… ugh! Hehe Goodnight!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howdy folks! I had a great night tonight! I went to BIMS to meet up with the other young people there and then we went to Banditos, South Africa's clostest thing to a Mexican restaurant... not bad. :) Then the 4 journeymen -me, Jayme, Daniel and Brian (whom I just met)- went to Westgate mall (a mall on MY side of town!) to watch a 10 rand movie (that's really cheap). We saw After the Sunset, which turned out to be a pretty good movie. Then they came back to see my flat. I just wanted them to see where I live! They were pretty shocked at how nice it is... I felt kinda bad, but I'm not complaining. :) Oh yeah, all three of them are journeymen in Mozambique. Jayme is actually heading home to the US tomorrow! These journeymen keep finishing their terms and going home! It's so strange for me to keep seeing them leave... and no one new is coming!! Sad... :( Who's going to be here to tell ME goodbye? Well, they just left, and I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to bed!! Thanks for checking in on me! :)
Cheers!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

What a nice, relaxing week so far. On Monday I went and baby/kid-sat for the Lechners while Angie took Charlie out to lunch for his birthday. Janna Kay was there too. Joshuwa (JK's son) loves to play with Abby (Angie's daugher), so the two of them kept themselves occupied! Don't you just love kids? :) Then later that night I went back over to their house for cake and ice cream for Charlie's birthday. Hooray for birthdays! Yesterday I got to go to Carnivore to eat with a team of baseball missionaries that were in staying with the Holidays. (I didn't have to pay - yay!) Then I went with them to Bruma Market and bought a couple cute Christmas decorations. On my way home I stopped by BIMS and now there are 2 more journeymen there! I am LOVING all these great people being at BIMS. I guess being a Jo'burg missionary certainly has it's perks! I'm going back to BIMS to hang out with them tonight. :) Last night I went BACK to the Lechner's house to watch Abby,Luke and Coleson. Will is in the hospital!! He was pretty sick since last week, and he got dehydrated, so they had to put him in the hospital so he could have an IV. Yuck... poor kid. Anyway, I got to watch some movies with the muchkins and hung out with them till Angie and Charlie got back. I love my time with their family!! Ok, I'd better be going. Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

*Happy Anniversary* No, not to me... but to my brother Brad and his amazing wife of one year, Cheryl. Today's not THE actual day, but it was this weekend a year ago that they were married. And since I never know when I'll get to blog, I thought I'd go ahead and make the announcement today. :)

Not too much has happened today... nice lazy weekend. :) I talked to my Mom for almost 3 hours today. I think we're still making up for the months we went without me having a phone line. haha! Really though, I'm so thankful to be somewhere with working telephones so that we can talk. I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't have my talks with mom! I've just been online a long time looking at touristy things to do in Sout Africa. Why? Because in TWO MONTHS my Mom and Dad are coming to visit! Hooray! I can't wait! :)

Cheers for now....
Bonnie B.
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Another night at Montecasino! No, I didn't go gambling. I went to meet the missionaries who are (still) staying at BIMS right now. Kylie and I went to see Bride and Prejudice. Funny, funny... who knew it was going to be a musical!? hehe Well, I had planned to ONLY go see the movie and not go out to dinner with them because I have to make this paycheck last all month, and Jo'burg is not the cheapest place to live! Well... I got coaxed into going to dinner with them at the Japanese place. All was well, until the end of my meal when all of a sudden I had this strange, poking sensation in my mouth, and low and behold, there was a piece of METAL in my stir-fry!!! Wow... That was not cool. But what WAS cool, was that I got my meal free. I was almost finished with it anyway, so... hooray!! Then we went and got coffee and dessert, and because Ronny is such a cool guy, he picked up the whole tab! Amazing I tell ya. There need to be more Ronnys in the world! :) So, I made out nice tonight! Not only did I get to spend more great time with other missionaries (which is always fun and encouraging) but I didn't spend a fortune. Hooray!

Now I am off to dream land... wonder if I'll dream about Indian singing and dancing... That could be fun. :) Goodnight!

Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

The latest piece of news is that I won't be teaching lifeskills at Lilydale anymore next year. The principle told me today, at the end of the prize-giving ceremony. So... now I don't have any schools for sure. But I do know that I will be able to do the girls clubs at Lilydale next year, even though I won't be teaching in a class. Guess there's no better place to start than back at the beginning! I'm sure God likes nothing better than a clean slate, and a willing heart! I'm working real hard on having a willing heart!! :)

Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Wow! It’s December already!! Crazy thought… A year ago I was heading home from the training center around this time to go to my brother’s wedding. He’s almost been married a whole year… wow, and now he and his wife are expecting their first baby – hooray! Today was a pretty fun day. I went to BIMS to watch a movie with Daniel, Kylie, and Ronny. It’s always fun to hang out with people who are a lot like me. They help me to see that I won’t be TOO out of place when I go back to America. :) Then I went to the new mall here in Jo’burg, clearwater mall. Wow… It’s so nice… And so classy! I felt like I was at home. hehe
Tomorrow I am going to the prize-giving ceremony at Lilydale. I get to see my kids again! Yay! Then I’m going out to lunch with the teachers afterwards. I’m a bit nervous about that, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.

Well… I don’t have much more to update you about. I haven’t been doing a whole lot. I’ve been reading a lot! I love having time to actually read the many books I buy.

Ok, I have to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight since I have to get up early tomorrow and go to school.
Goodnight!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hmm… not a whole lot is new since I last wrote. I went to church at Ridgecrest on Sunday and helped with the worship. Well, I don’t know that I personally helped anyone worship, but I did help with the singing. hehe Sunday afternoon I felt horrible! Probably as a result of not enough sleep the past couple of days. So I slept a lot and then went to the team prayer meeting that night. I took the team my extra pumpkin pie (so that I wouldn’t eat the whole thing myself!), and they said it was good! It’s one thing to have guests who say it’s good, but when fellow Americans say pumpkin pie is good, I know they’re not lying to me. Yesterday was a great day. I spent the latter half of it chillin’ with the Lechners! I haven’t done that in way too long. I absolutely love this family! You know when you meet people and you think, "I hope to be like them someday"? Well, that’s how I am with this family. Charlie and Angie are a great couple, and I can only pray to have a marriage like theirs someday! They also have 4 really cool kids and they’re always fun to hang around. I got to help Angie bake some peanut butter cookies last night too. I’m getting more domestic all the time!! So, hooray for time with the Lechners!
Have a great Tuesday!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

I forgot to say in my last blog... I've added TWO new albums on my webshots page. One is of my kittens and the other is from tonight's Thanksgiving dinner. Check it out!!
enjoy!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Wow… I am exhausted! Last night (Friday night) I met up with Daniel, the journeyman staying at BIMS, and Ronnie and Kiley, who are also staying at BIMS. Two permanent BIMS people, Charlotte and Sarah, also joined us. We went to Monetcasino (no, we didn’t gamble). We had dinner and then went to see a movie (well, Charlotte and Sarah went home, but the rest of us went to the movies!). The boys saw National Treasure, and Kiley and I saw "Little Black Book." Well, I got back t BIMS at about 1:30am, then had to drive back to the West side of Joburg. For some reason I decided to go ahead and make my pumpkin pies… at 2 O’CLOCK in the morning!! I was so excited about today that I couldn’t sleep. So, I made pies. I finally tried to go to sleep around 5am, but wasn’t all to successful. Today I cooked ALL day. I made rolls from scratch, green bean casserole, stuffing, butternut squash, and mashed potatoes. Wow… I’ll be honest, I impressed myself! I’ve never done that much by myself at one time before! It’s very rewarding to look at a great meal, and say, "I made this!" I learned a lot today! A lot of what I made was a first for me. I’ve seen the stuff being made, just never done it on my own before. Well… I finally learned! My friends finally started coming at about 6:30 (I love SA, but I hate SA time). A couple of the girls (Kerryn and Heather) helped me reheat everything and make it look presentable. Well… soon after that we ate! And unless people lied, it turned out very well. I’m quite satisfied. J I am so lucky to have friends here in SA to do this for! I think most of them were thankful… most anyway, which is good enough for me. Now I know I CAN cook! Yay! But wow… I need to go to bed now. It’s been a LONG day!!
Cheers!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy Thanksgiving! I had an amazing Thanksgiving day. :) As I mentioned before, today I went to BIMS to go a Thanksgiving dinner, pot-luck style. Well, there were a lot of missionaries at BIMS (it's like the head quarters and people come in for all kinds of reasons)! A lot more people than I expected, one of whom is a fellow journeyman in Mozambique (that'd be Daniel). There was also a young couple in from Namibia. So the four of us had a grand time hanging out at BIMS during and after dinner. I love South Africa, and South Africans (well, most of them... hehehe) but I AM American, and sometimes it's just nice to hear people speak the way I do and about the things I know and understand. The missionary "family" is definitely one of the biggest perks of the IMB!!! I'm meeting back up with the 3 of them tomorrow to go out on the town - yippee! Oh, one more good thing... I made a brocolli/rice casserole to take to the dinner, and it turned out ok! I must say, I'm shocked AND proud! hehe The recipe called for "condensed cram of chicken soup" but somehow accidently got just cream of chicken soup... oops. Well, there's nothing worse than a runny casserole, so I quickly whipped out my "Cooking in Africa" cookbook and looked up a condensed soup recipe. Turns out all I had to do was add some flour. Oh yeah... go me. :) And people ate it so I know its not just me who liked it! Ok, it's way past my bedtime. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Bonnie B.
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howzit my friends? Well, it’s been another quiet Monday night for me. I’m getting used to those! The cats keep things pretty lively around here. Right now they do a lot of fighting… Well, actually it’s more like staring and hissing. Last Wednesday I inherited a cat, Meisie ("Macy") from Laura, a journeyman who just went home today. They kittens seem to be ok with her, but she definitely does NOT like the kittens (Wallace and Oreo). It’s pretty entertaining to watch them though… they’re slowly adjusting to one another. So yeah, I have THREE cats now. According to Melissa’s theory, this means I will never get married (women with more than one cat don’t get married…). I’m sure hoping her theory is wrong! Anyway, I also made some amazingly delicious (yeah, I’m braggin’) chocolate chip cookies for tomorrow night. My friends and I are getting together for dinner and the 3 hour finale of Survivor : Allstars (yeah, we’re behind). So that should be fun! Tomorrow’s also my last day of teaching this year!! What a crazy thought…after tomorrow I will have officially survived a whole year of teaching in South Africa. Hooray! Alrighty, I have some chatting to do and some emails to write…. My how I have missed the internet!! :)
Cheers!
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

What a wonderful feeling... to be updating my web-log from the splendid comforts of my own home! God is so good. Just when I thought I was going crazy (and broke) having to check my email and update you all from internet cafes (and sometimes at missionary houses), I finally have the ability to be on the internet at home! My lap-top is still in the shop, and is gonna be ridiculously expensive to fix, so I'm not getting it fixed. So much for that old friend! Someone has so graciously lent me the lap-top I am currently using for the next 5 months. I'll figure out what to do later further on down the line. Right now I am just thrilled to have something, ANYTHING to use!! I also just got a phone line on Monday... I love it when all the pieces come together oh so nicely. :)Well, not much has changed to update you all about. Schools are still the same. This coming week might be my last week for this year... I'll have to talk to the principle when I go on Monday. Last week it was all but insane at school. The students had finished writing (taking) their exams on Monday, so when I went on Tuesday, they all thought they were on holiday (vacation)! It was crazy. I don't know how I didn't lose all patience and go crazy! Like I said, God is good. :) This coming Monday and Tuesday WILL be the last days of girls club for this year. What a great ministry that has been. I've loved getting to know my girls, and they seem to have really enjoyed it as well. We'll be having a party for the grade 7 girls since they're going to high school next year! They're growing up! Please pray that they'll be able to go into that high school with a strong faith that NO ONE can destroy!!Socially, life has been slow, but nice. :) Last night I met some friends for dinner and a movie (take away and a dvd... fun times). Today I spent A LOT of time online, catching up on lost time, and chatting with friends I've lost touch with. I rented a movie tonight and had dinner in during a decent sized storm. Nice... stormy weather, and a movie in my pjs... doesn't get much better. :) Tomorrow after church I'm going to my friend Jason's flat for a braai. Ah... South Africa... you gotta love it.Well, Thanksgiving is coming up. How crazy is that? Last year at this time I was at the MLC (missionary learning center) busily planning the Thanksgiving worship service. Man, I miss that... there was just something really cool about having a full out worship service on Thanksgiving. Sure beats over eating and watching football (although I DID watch some football last year... it's gonna be weird not watching it this year!). But in case you're wondering if I'm doing anything, of course I am. I AM still American you know. ;) On the actual day I am going to BIMS to celebrate with fellow missionaries. Then the following Saturday (a week from today) Melissa and I are cooking a Thanksgiving meal for our South African friends. We even have some essential American ingredients from the States. :) Hooray for Thanksgiving! Please be in prayer for me this week, and as the Christmas season approaches. It's so weird not being home for it all (it's also weird talking about Christmas when it's HOT). But I know God has put me here now, and I want to live life to the fullest while I am here!! Being sad about not being with familiar things is not my definition of life to the fullest. I plan to enjoy every minute of South Africa while I can! (Watch... a year from now I'll be saying "pray for me... I miss South Africa" hehe)Alrighty, thanks for checking in on me my friends! God bless! And Happy Thanksgiving!!

Cheers,
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:

http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy Sunday. Wow, I don't know where to begin. Friday afternoon I was with Heather, and through a few random happenings, we ended up saying "let's go to Durban!" After laughing for a few seconds, we both realized we really DID want to go to Durban, and well, neither of us had any weekend plans... I just recently got vacation time (Nov.4th) and have been dying to get out of Jo'burg. So... we got out of Jo'burg. A couple hours later we were on our way to Durban, South Africa. Wow, it's amazing. It's gorgeous, peaceful, and an amazing piece of artwork on our Father's behalf. He did pretty good when he designed Durban!! On Friday Heather and I drove down and stayed with a friend of hers in Petermaritzburg that she had been on Team with (a year long mission thing). We stayed in her 21st story flat and hung out with some of her friends that night. Saturday we drove down to Durban. Though we got lost once, we finally ended up going to the mall to meet some friends. I ate lunch at Pizza Hut!! hehe I hadn't been to one of those since the US! We had lunch with Heather's friend Thyra, the PR lady for MIC, a Christian music group in South Africa (they're apparently pretty big). Then Heath and I went to the beach. We walked out onto the beach (hooray the beach!) and had ice cream on the pier. Then after a little while we went back to the pavilion (the big mall) and saw the movie Jersey Girl. After that we had dinner and then went BACK to the beach to have coffee on the pier! That was my favorite part. It was so peaceful. The wind and waves were massive, but it still seemed quiet (how, I'm not so sure, but I don't really care). Heather and I had some deep conversations over coffee as we stood on the pier. Memories... that's all I can say. It started to rain, so then Heather and I went back to Thyra's house to spend the night. After staying up late to chat with people, we went to sleep. We went to church at Kloof Harvest this morning. MIC was playing there, so I got to meet the band. They're pretty cool... just normal people who happen to be in a cool Christian band. :) Soon after that Heather and I headed back to Jo'burg (sigh). We stopped to have coffee with Goose, a friend of Heather's. We just got back a couple hours ago, and I'll be honest... i want to go back to Durbs. It was so nice, but I wasn't there long enough!! I am thankful that I got to go at all though. It was such a great chance to get away! Praise the Lord for good friends and memories!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

My attempt to try new things just keeps on going! Tonight I went to a Tae Chi class. Wow, I really stink at Tae Chi! :) But am I going to the next class on Saturday? *sigh* Yeah... I can't give up that easily! I met a couple who have been going to the class for about 3 months, and honestly, I think I can do almost as much as them. (ok, so what if they were almost 60 years old?) A few more classes and I'll get better! I'm really enjoying this new-found freedom to experiment with new things. I don't really have much interesting news to share with you guys. I've been a little bored the past few days. And to be honest, I've been really lonely. It's all part of "being a missionary" so I expect it and deal with it, but that doesn't make loneliness any cooler. I'm really thankful for my kittens right about now... Yesterday if it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't have spoken to anybody at all. Yeah... I know... It's sad. I have a few friends here, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with any of them to be able to call 'em up and say "hey, I'm lonely, let's do something." I wish I was, but I'm not. Guess no one else does that around here, so I'd be the weird one if I did it!! :) The missionaries are cool but they have their families to deal with. Ugh. Anyway, no more complaining Bonnie!! I still don't have a phone line, by the way, and my computer is still dead. I have a bad feeling it's going to stay that way. I miss my lap-top, I really do. Alright... it's time to say goodnight from Jo'burg. Goodnight my friends! I miss you guys more than you know...
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hello world! Where do I begin? Well, about a week ago a tragedy occurred on the Western Gauteng. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am sad to say, my computer has died. Bit the dust, kicked the bucket, whatever else you want to say... it did it. Yeah, I'm pretty devastated. That thing holds my life! A friend of mine is looking at it right now, and I'm praying he has some magic touch or something. If not, then I'd better find some spare money somewhere (yeah, THAT'S no problem...) to either get it fixed or buy a new computer. Eish! Easier said than done! But oh well, it's just a computer... a physical piece of matter that was given to me for a time. I refuse to let electronics get me down! I DO pray it gets fixed though!! :) So what's been happening since I last wrote? Not too much... I'm finished in two of my schools, so once I finish on Tuesdays, I have the rest of the week off. Crazy... I'm enjoying time to myself, and time alone in my flat! I've hung out with friends whenever possible, and I'm being more diligent about going to the gym! I've been to see some movies (Luther, the Bourne Supremacy and The Village), had some friends over for a braai, and went to my first Anglican church service. No, I'm not becoming Anglican so don't go calling the IMB on me. I was just visiting. Let's just say, "it ain't Baptist!" (And that's probably a good thing... hehe) I also did something new last night! I went to a Power Boxing class at the gym. If you know me at ALL, you should know that I do not handle new things very well. I'm very much a comfort zone gal. Well, things are a-changin'! I worked up enough nerve to go to the class, and told myself that I didn't care if I looked like a fool! Well, God blessed me! I went in a few minutes early, and there was a lady there (LizAnne) who also had never been to a class before, and she was also like me in the fact that well... she needed to be there as much as I did (get my drift?). I dare say I did a rather nice job in the class. Having done Tae Bo really helped, since that's mostly what the class was. Only thing is, the Tae Bo tape I have is 30 minutes long and the class was 60!! Wow, I think I sweat more in 60 minutes than I have the rest of my life. You know what was cool though? I ENJOYED myself!! It's amazing what the power of a group can do. We would do some things that when I did the advanced Taw Bo tape, I would take a water break during because they were "too hard" for me to do. But being surrounded by lots of people who weren't giving up, and some who were obviously struggling with me, made me keep going! I was surprised to find myself almost laughing at times because I literally was having that much fun. No, I can't believe it myself. Bonnie Boisvert enjoyed exercise! Hooray!!!!! Now, there were a few times there that I thought I was about to die. I mean, I wanted to kick the instructor in the head every time he'd say "just one more set!" Eish! Crazy man, he is. But I'll be going to the next class, that's for sure. I left there feeling amazing. I can't wait to do it again. I can't believe what I'm saying, but I'm so glad and grateful that I'm saying it! LizAnne promised to go to the next class with me, so that'll be cool. I'll have a work-out buddy. Some guy talked to us afterwards about a kick-boxing class somewhere else... but I think it was a plug to get us to pay more money. I'd love to do it. The guy said if you could do the moves from the class, you could do kick-boxing. I think it'd be more than cool, but I can't be spending MORE money! Oh well, I'll enjoy power-boxing while I can. :)
Well, my kids at Lilydale have been writing exams today, so I have free time, and the office said I could use their internet. I didn't even know that HAD internet until a couple weeks ago. What a blessing! I think that's all I have to say for now. If anyone wants to buy me a lap-top, do let me know. ;) I can dream, right? Thanks for checking in on me. :)
Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Well, I don't know how THAT happened... I swear, the computer screen showed me a big error message that said my post didn't post, so I spend more time and money typing it again, only to discover later that it DID post. Have I mentioned I love computer? Aye... You know though, reading through the two messages, I have a better understanding of how the different gospels all sound a little different. I mean, both my messages were written within 30 minutes of each other, by the person who it was about, on the same day of the things I was writing about, and still they both say things a little differently. The Gospels were written by 4 different people about something that happened a few years ago! No wonder they each sound a little different. :)

Anyway, I'm feeling better than I was yesterday when I wrote. Later in the evening yesterday my teammate, Angie, called me just to check in on me. How sweet! Then I went and had dinner with Kerryn. It was good to get out of my flat. Today I spent many hours sanding and painting (talk about making a mess - but it was fun!). Now I'm at the Holiday's house, about to play some games with the missionary women on my team. Their husbands are all leading a pastor's conference somewhere nearby, so we're having fun without the men tonight. Woohoo!! :) Tomorrow I'm having a small braai at my flat for the first time... don't know who's coming yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun no matter what. I'm gonna make some brownies here at the Holiday's house since Janna Kay has all the right ingredients! mmm mm good :) Alright, I'd better go join my fellow females! Hooray for game nights!! :-D
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey All... Today is a strange day. Way too many emotions wrapped up in way too few hours. Today was my last day at Diepsloot Combined School. I played a game with the kids to review our past lessons, and we just had a lot of fun. A lot of the kids (mostly girls, but a few guys too!) wrote me good-bye letter. Man, I wish I could show them to everyone- you'd laugh for sure. My favorite note: "I love you Ms. Bonny (yeah, they all spell my name wrong). You are my favorite teacher. You are beautiful. You look like a fish swimming in the water." WHAT? A fish? Um, is that a good thing? I can't decide... Anyway, so the saying of goodbyes was bitter sweet. I'm excited to have some more free time, and somewhat relieved to be done with Diepsloot, but saying goodbye to some of my kids was a little hard! But another goodbye has been harder and much weirder today. Melissa left this afternoon to go to the States. She's only going for 2 weeks, but when she comes back, everything will be different. She won't be on my team. She won't be my roommate. We won't be teaching together. The list goes on and on. In all honesty, I'm not sure what I'm feeling. I'm definitely having a down moment right now... It's just strange, really strange. I've never lived by myself before, so do to so in another country is a bit new and confusing (though exciting too!). I've also been walking around the mall and seeing lots of Christmas decorations being put up. That makes me sad beyond note because I am not looking forward to spending Christmas away from my family (although it looks like I may spend Christmas with a friend's family here, so that may be cool...). Anyway... I feel like my mind is spinning. I ask you to please pray for me to deal with these wacked out emotions SOON! I need to get back to being myself again and not so down. I don't like being sad!! Thanks for praying. I'm so glad to know people out there are thinking about me even though I am so far from home.

Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

I just want to say... life is good. No, I don't have a phone line yet (life's not THAT good yet!), but really, life is pretty daggum wonderful. I had a great day at school today with my kids, and an even more fantastic time with my girls' club after school. I didn't really "teach" per se today... we watch a movie about Jesus. Turned out to be a good thing I hadn't planned a ton though because there was some lady at the school talking about breast cancer awareness, and she totally messed up the schedule. (I've never seen so many pink ribbons in all my life.) I did talk to the teacher (Mrs. Shabalala) but she told me that she's going to see ALL the teachers from the area on Saturday, and she's going to talk to them then and give them my number if they're interested in me teaching there next year. Please keep praying for this opportunity! I need some more schools to work in next year, and I really want them to all be concentrated in one area of Soweto so I can really get to know people in ONE area (as opposed to 3 different areas this year). Anyway... while the kids watched the video, I pretty much stayed engrossed in my alltime favorite book by my alltime favorite person... "Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot. I'm tellin' ya, every time read that book I am so encouraged!! She's got to be the coolest lady ever. Well... I'm using a missionary's internet, so I'd better stop spending their money. Cheers!!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hi! I just have a moment, and I wanted to first ask you to please pray with me about something (that is, if you're reading this pretty soon!)... When I went to lilydale for Girls' Club today a teacher (a sweet Christian lady) came to me and said, "the teachers at the other schools ask me when you are coming to their schools." I replied, "I haven't been invited! Who wants me?!" And she said that a junior primary and a higher primary school asked about me teaching there. I'm
not so keen on the junior primary because many of them aren't very good at English yet, but the other school might be a possible ministry for next year. Right now is when I need to be looking into this, and God just dropped this in my lap without me even looking! Both schools are very
close to Dhlamini, where we are working to plant a church. The teacher said that when I come back tomorrow, we would phone the schools together. PLEASE be praying for God's guidance in what to do. I don't want to just take the jobs to be busy. I want to teach there only if God wants me to be there! Pray that HE will make it very clear what I am to do next year. Thank you for praying!!!

Now, quickly... I STILL don't have a phone line at my flat (apartment) and yes, it is killing me. November 5th is when I'm supposed to get one, and I can NOT wait. I don't know what to tell you about because I don't know where to start! I can't remember the last time I wrote, and I've no clue what I wrote about. Life's pretty great at the moment. Changes abound, however... could be good! On a sad note, Melissa is leaving on Thursday to go back to the States for 2 weeks. She'll be finished with the IMB as of Thursday, but not finished with South Africa (really, who could ever be finished with this place? :)). When she comes back she'll be teaching at the school where the missionary kids go.... she's have a "real job!" But I'm sad that she won't be living with me anymore. I'll have a big flat all to myself. Part of me looks forward to it, but I know me, and I know I'll get lonely. Yay for South African friends to come visit!

Ok, I'm spending a fortune at this stupid internet cafe. I could use some donations... haha I'll write more when I can. Thanks for checking in on me!!

Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey Guys!!
I have no time to write, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am doing VERY well here in Jo'burg. I have moved into a new flat, and I absolutely LOVE it. BUT we have no phone line yet, and so I have no internet! I'll update as soon as I can. but please know that I am loving life at the moment. Hooray! Oh, and Melissa and I got two kittens, brother and sister, Wallace and Oreo. :) Love you!!
Cheers
Bonnie B


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey! I must be quick tonight because I don't know how long the internet will let me stay connected... but things are going very well. I didn't have school this week... oh, Africa. :) But Melissa and I did get our keys to our flat on Monday, and we spent all week moving in. I love it! It's such a cool place. This weekend Laura (a journeyman in Nelspruit, SA) brought her youth council to Jo'burg for a retreat, so I'll be hanging out with them. We're going to Gold Reef City tomorrow, which is a South African amusement park... I'm a little nervous, but it'll be fun I'm sure! I have next week off of school as well since the kids are on break, but then we go back at the beginning of October for the last term of the year. I can't believe I've made it this far! ok, I'd better go... don't want to push my luck. :) Love you!!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Here are some Monday morning prayer requests!
*Pray that though the school schedule may be crazy (the teachers being on strike), I will not waste the time, and instead use it to plan ahead and get ready for the next school term.
*Pray that if I get to go to school on Tuesday, I will have a chance to speak with Meme (“may-may”) about a one on one discipleship.
*Pray for Melissa and I to finally get the chance to move! We’ve had the lease since the first of September, but the IMB people still have the keys and our furniture, so we’re just waiting on them.

Thanks for your prayers! I’ll keep you posted on the week!

Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey! I'm back from Zimbabwe. I had SUCH a great time!! It was so refreshing to be with other Christians who are serious about God and His mission. It was also nice to be with other Americans my age. It was so much fun to hang out with them for a week. The camp we were at was nice and quiet, and besides the big (I mean BIG) wall spiders in our rooms, all was well. (They're not dangerous spiders... they're actually beneficial because they eat mosquitoes, but for a Joburg girl, they're a bit freaky!) I can't really put into words very well what happened at the retreat... It was a chance for me to retreat from the business of Joburg and work and all the drama of my friends lately! It was nice to not be able to check email or receive calls on my cell phone. It amazed me to hear from other missionaries and learn that they go through the same things I do! God really used this time to refresh my spirit and reset my focus on the number one priority: Him. I put some pictures from the past week online, so check them out. :)

I was all ready to come back and really pour my heart out to my students this week, but when we got back to Joburg, Melissa and I found out that the teachers went on strike while we were gone, and when they're on strike, we can't go! Welcome to South Africa!

BIG NEWS!!! I got a new car!!!! Ok, so it's not new, but it's better than my last junker car. :) I now have a Toyota Corolla. It has air conditioning and a radio. I couldn't be happier! Melissa and I should be moving into our new home soon. I'm so excited. I have so much excitement in my life right now. Hooray!

Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Well, it's morning here in Jo'burg, and I'm about to head to Zimbabwe for the whole week! I'm going to a journeyman retreat, and I'm very excited!! I'm really looking forward to getting away for 5 days and just relaxing. Please pray that God will grant us all rest and a fresh renewing spirit! I know that most of us journeymen are pretty tired, and are in dire need of this break! I'll write when I come home. Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howzit! Well, I said last week that this past week looked like a fairly normal one. I think I was a bit wrong, but I'm glad I was! Monday night I got a random invite to go to a cooking course with a friend of mine. Very random, but very fun! My partner and I cooked smoked trout (we smoked it ourselves), smoked trout pate, and seed bread. mmm mmm good! It was a really cool set up... lots of different groups had things to make (all seafood) and then when everyone was finished, we all ate together. What a cool thing to do! So yeah, that was Tuesday. Both Monday and Wednesday night I spent the night at the Holiday's house, and got to hang out with them, which is always cool. Thursday evening and all day Friday I spent, for the majority of the time, relaxing and enjoying the house to myself. By Saturday I was ready to get out of the house, so I randomly (random things are quite common here!) went to a friend of a friend's 21st birthday party (21 is a big thing here... but not for the same reasons as in the States!!). It was a "barn dance" and everything was decorated like a farm. Talk about crazy! Heather and I laughed more Saturday night that in quite some time! They even had these people there to teach us line dances and some partner dances. Yes, I participated. For some strange reason, people here seem to think that all Americans like country music and line dancing. Whenever someone found out I was from the States, they'd almost always say, "oh, so you're used to this, eh?" Geez... But I did have fun. It was cheesy, but since we had to be there, we made the most of it. Then Saturday night I spent the night with Heather and we went to the Anglican church Sunday morning. Sean's band was playing in the youth service and Sean was preaching, so I went to hear them. I was also hoping to experience an Anglican church, but it seems the youth service is not your typical Anglican service, so I plan on going to a regular service sometime with my friend Roger, who actually goes to the church. Anyway, I came home after that and made some chocolate chip cookies for my friend, Faithlynn, who just turned 21 this past week. And after that it was time to go to Nancefield! Sean was preaching there as well, so I got a double-dose of Sean... Lucky me! haha And after that I went to have supper with some friends. Classic week if you ask me. I'm loving life lately! One more week of teaching, then it's off to Zimbabwe where there's no email, no cell-phones, and no drama of regular life! Hooray!! Have a great week!
Cheers,
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Melissa is on a plane right now on her way to the States. Please keep her in your prayers!! She's going there for her sister's wedding. It's a short trip... she'll be back home on Tuesday, September 7th. This will be the longest time I've stayed by myself since I got here, so please keep me in your prayers too! It's cool, in a way, but it's quiet! And I don't want to get lonely! This coming week looks to be a fairly normal one (although, anything would be normal after this past week ... some of you know what I mean by that... haha). Girls club on Monday, teaching on Tuesday and girls club on Tuesday after school. *insert fun event - Survivor night with friends, woohoo!* Teaching at Lawley on Wednesday. And teaching Thursday at Diepsloot. I only have 2 more teaching weeks left until Zimbabwe. I can't wait!!
Good night, and thanks for checking in on me!!
Cheers!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Wow, has is really been a week since I last wrote? I guess so... Not much has changed. School is still going about the same, and I'm still leading the girls clubs after school on Mondays and Tuesdays. I can't believe I only have TWO more teaching weeks until more time off! Woohoo! There are actually more weels of schools, but on September 12th I am going to a journeyman retreat in Zimbabwe! Very exciting. :) I am helping to plan and lead praise and worship at the retreat, so you know I'm happy about that! I'm also looking forward to seeing my two roommates from back at the Missionary Learning Center in Virginia. I'll also get to meet lots of other journeymen from other regions and countries in Southern Africa. Tomorrow, Sunday, Melissa flies to the States for a little over a week. She comes back the following Tuesday. This will be the longest time I've had to myself since I got here. I'm looking forward to it, but I also think I might get longely!! Please pray that my South African friends will be there for me this week so I don't feel too alone. :) We've just started watching Survivor: Allstars here, so we have a weekly Survivor night that I can look forward too. We'll see what else happens this week. Well, I'm off to some kind of event tonight at church. I have no idea how to say it, let alone spell it, and I really don't know what it is... But it is something cultural, and so they say I must be there! I'll have to let you know what happens!! Thanks for checking in on me!
Cheers,
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

The weekend! Hooray! I'm writing this Saturday night after I just got back from a very cool event. The BYSA (Baptist Youth of South Africa) Young Adults planned a big "hang out" event tonight in Jo'burg. It was cool... very chill... some bands played, and the Nancefield worship band was scheduled to play for a little while. Their style is way different than the rest of the folks there, since just about everyone else there was white (not everyone, just MOST!). Well, as they were going up to play I wished them well, and then they started saying I should sing with them! I had not practiced at all with them, and was nervous about singing in front of people I didn't know. But Sean encouraged me to join them too, so I finally agreed. I'll be honest, I felt really cool. hehe I was the only girl singing with them. It was very chill and free flowing... I felt honored that Sean felt I could handle that and do well enough to not make them look bad! Seriously, I feel weird saying that I felt cool, but it was this dimly lit area, the band was playing really cool rhythms, and I had this mic on a stand all to myself. I felt like a chic in a boy band... what the heck? It was cool though. I'm glad they convinced me to sing! Anyway, I also met up with some other young adults that I'd met occasionally before, and maybe I'll get to see them again in the future. I really like knowing people. I never realized that in the States, but being here makes me grateful for the people I do know and can call friends!! So yeah, a fun Saturday night! I need more of these!!

Cheers!
Bonnie

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

BIG NEWS!! Melissa and I found our flat today! We are so excited. It's a big, two bedroom apartment... it has an awesome kitchen, and big living room (lounge) area, a small (but nice!) back yard area, and a patio with a BUILT IN braai (bbq) pit ... oh yeah, lots of parties at our place! It has a cool bar area connecting the kitchen with the living room. Both of the rooms are big, and there are 2 bathroom... a definite plus when there are TWO girls in one apartment. :) They will let us have Laura's cat when she goes home. It's in a safe area, and there is a 2 car garage, so our cars will be safe from theft (big plus in Jo'burg!). I can't think of anything else. But we love it! I'm so excited about knowing where I'm going to be living soon. I can't wait to finally have our own place, and be out of other people's houses. HOORAY!!!! Praise God for such a great place!
Cheers~
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Good afternoon friends! I just wanted to share some exciting news. Melissa and I are finally getting to SEE possible flats (apartments) that we'll be moving into soon. We went to see one today that we really really liked. It was nice and spacious, in a great area, safe, AND they'll let us have a pet! We may be inheriting another journeyman's cat, Macy, when she goes back home in November. You know that makes ME happy!! Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement. :) Love ya!
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Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howzit!? I hope everyone's doing well. I'm doing alright around here... I've got my good days, and my bad days... just like you, I'm sure! Today was actually a good day. My kids were not as evil as they were last week - praise Jesus! Life's been pretty crazy lately. After the team left, one of the girls, Esther, stayed for a couple extra weeks to work with us. She left on Friday. On Saturday my friends and I went to a Jars of Clay concert here in South Africa. It's really cool to see a Christian band like them... in AFRICA! It was awesome, and we had some rockin' seats. On Monday, another volunteer, Ariane, arrived. She's staying and working with us until next Thursday, August 19th. She's really cool. Well, I'd write more but I am really tired. I definitely took some medicine to make me sleep tonight! Allergies are kicking in with the changing of the seasons again, so breathing is an issue sometimes... no worries, nothing some benedryl can't handle. :) I'll try to update again SOON! Thanks for checking in on me!!
Cheers!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Well, seeing that it is almost 2am, and my friends just recently left my house, I'd say that the dessert/coffee night was a success! I am loving having friends. We had a nice mix of American and South African goodies, and a wonderful array of American coffees and flavored coffee creamers (they don't have those here). Much fun was had by all. :) We also played Cranium... my team won. Then we all sat around and chatted for a while. During part of the time, they discussed important political matters... during which I felt lost and confused. Ahh... it's nice to have friends. God's really blessed me, that is for sure!!! Next week I am going to see Jars of Clay with these crazy people! Very exciting. :) Well, I do think it's bed time. T'was nice of you to check in on me!

Cheers!

I know, I know... long time no update. Sorry, again. But here I am once again. :) Life has been quite hectic lately. I don't know where the month of July has gone.  Man, I have to send out another newsletter soon.  That doesn't seem possible!  Yikes, I'll be going home before I know it... scary thought.   It seemed like I was waiting for July for so long, and now it's almost gone already!!  It was a wonderful month though.  My birthday parties, a trip to Swaziland, and most importantly, the visit from the Summit Church.  It was such an indescribable blessing to have 8 people from my home church spend 10 days ministering alongside the team here.  It was really hard to see them off, but God's been very gracious to me in helping me deal.  Thankfully, the day after the team left, Kerryn, a South African friend of mine, called and invited me to a "stir-fry" night at her flat (apartment).  It was a small gathering of about 6 of us.  It was really cool... they had put a table top on bricks and put thin mattresses on the floor for us to sit on.  The room was all lit with tea light candles, and they had even bought fortune (more like "proverb") cookies.  After dinner we all played a game and then just sat around and chilled for a few hours.  Man, that was wonderful... exactly what I needed to get my mind refocused on being in South Africa!  I am so fortunate to have some friends here.  I seriously thank God for blessing me with a couple girl friends, Kerryn and Heather.  I need them so much here!  It's cool to know people my age, who I don't feel like I have to minister to!  I can just relax and be myself!!  This past Monday and Tuesday night I had to sing at church.  The juniors team was scheduled to sing for a week of  MARRIAGE seminars!  Well, actually we just had to sing for the first 2 nights, but I just think it was funny that we, the single people, had to sing for the married people.  We had fun both nights retreating to a room in the church to listen to music and chill while the married folks learned stuff about being married. haha :)    Wednesday night, last night, I went to Heather's flat for dinner.  Can I just say again how great it is to have a friend like that!?  Someone I can just go hang out with, for no real reason at all.  God is so good.  Well, now it's Thursday (which is like a Friday for me since I don't teach on Fridays).  Pay day is tomorrow - halleluia!  Tomorrow evening we are having a desert and coffee night here for a few friends.  We were blessed with about 12 bags of chocolate chips from the Summit, and once I told some of my South African friends about it, they insisted that they be put to good use. haha  Most of my SA friends have either spent some time in the USA or are good friends with an American (other than me), so it's cool to hear what they like or miss from the US.  Anyway, my internet minutes are ticking away... and therefore my paycheck is slowly diminishing as well.  Thanks for checking in on me!!
Cheers,
Bonnie B.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hello out there to all who check this web-log! I know I have not updated recently, but that it because I have been insanely busy! As I type this now, the Summit ladies are waiting on me. I did try to update it earlier, but the internet went wacko on me. The team leaves tomorrow (expect a sadder side of Bonnie 24 hours from now!). I'll take time to write a good update during my greiving proccess. ;) Love you!
Cheers,

Bonnie


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey! Not much time to update right now, but the team from The Summit all got in safely yesterday morning. It was more than wonderful to see their faces and hug them! They brough many MANY goodies for me from my Sunday School class back at The Summit, and wow... I have been so spoiled by them! I also got lots of cool birthday presents from family, so that was fun as well. Today we prayer walked an area that has a new Mormon chapel there and then another area called Mofolo South. Both areas are in Soweto. Tomorrow (Thursday) we're going to a place I've never been to... I can't remember the name, and then back to Mofolo South to lead a Bible Study. Pray that all goes well. I'm having a great time with ALL my friends (old AND new!). Cheers!

BonnieB.

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey out there! I know it’s been a while… sorry!! But here are some highlights of things that have happened since I last wrote.

*My birthday!! My actual birthday was on the 1st, which was a Thursday. That night I went to worship practice, where I was introduce to a South African tradition… kissing the birthday girl! It was definitely a shock to me at first, but I got used to it. At least they were guys from church, and not some strangers! haha
The next night, Friday, I had a small braai with some of my new friends. Most of my friends from church do not have cars, and when the one guy with a car couldn’t come, none of them could come, which was sad, but I had a good time with my other friends! It rained like crazy, which is not normal for a South African winter… maybe God just wanted me to feel at home, since it IS normal for it to rain in NC in July! Thankfully the rain slowed enough for Sean to get the charcoal lit, and we were able to have a successful braai. My friends gave me some cool gifts, and Melissa made an awesome cake for me! It was really fun hanging out with them in the comfort of my own home.
That following Sunday, some of my friends came home with Melissa and I from church to help us finish the birthday cake. So, really I got to hang out with all the friends I wanted to, just at different times! I’ve got pictures of both events in my webshots photo albums.

*Swaziland! Monday, the 5th of July, Melissa and I headed up to Swaziland, a country north of South Africa. There are some missionaries up there, and they had a July 4th get together, and invited the journeymen in the area to come. It was so much fun, and Swaziland is so beautiful!! We also went to some fun shops and I got some Christmas shopping for my family done. I’m sending it all home with The Summit team, which will be here in about 14 hours!!!!

*The Worship Team – The team I am on, the “Junior” team, is in a rebuilding process. We lost a few people, one of the being the only other girl on the team. She sang melody, so it’s been important for us to find and train some new folks who can sing her part. We had a training/practice with one of the girls on Saturday, and she’s good! I’m so excited to be working with her. There’s another girl too, who hasn’t been able to meet with us, but I should get to meet with her tomorrow night.

This has been a fun, but long weekend. I’ve been so excited about the team coming, that I can’t think about much else. I’ve been trying to stay busy. Saturday, after practice, I hung out with my friends in Eldorado Park, then went to the young adults meeting that night. Yesterday (Sunday) I sang at church during both services, and helped Melissa cook a Mexican dinner for some of her youth that came home with us after church. Oh, and I’ve also been baking a little lately…mostly to kill time. Today I took Ruth Anne (one of the missionary kids) to see Spider Man 2. Mostly, I just wanted to see it, and I wanted to do something fun today to take my mind off of counting down the hours until the team gets here.

The team is scheduled to arrive at 10:15am, South African time. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight or not! I just want them to get here now! Please keep the whole team in your prayers for the next couple of weeks. Also, please pray that I will have time to enjoy their presence, and not be so hurried that I don’t get to spend any quality time with them. Thanks!!

I’ll be in touch!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Rain rain go away!!!

I don't know what's come over the weather here in Jo'burg as of late. Jo'burg is notorious for VERY dry winters (hence the no snow winters). But lately we've had rain! Today we had one heck of a thunderstorm and dust-storm simultaneously. Talk about nasty weather. Ooooh... if it rains out my braai on Friday I'm gonna be a very unhappy young lady! And of course, when we do have wetness in winter, is it cold enough to snow? No way! I couldn't be so lucky. I keep hoping that by some flook of nature, it'll get really cold tonight and it'll snow JUST a little. Now THAT would be a cool birthday present from God. :) Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday!


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hey guys... I haven't updated this in the past few days because really, not much has happened! I am taking this whole "break" concept very seriously. ;) I got to spend some time with the Holidays today, which was quite fun, and very much needed. I'm getting to know them better. Even though we're from the same church, we really don't know each other very well, so we're working on that. Besides that, I've been relaxing and trying to go to the gym as much as possible. Friday's still a go for the braai, and I've got confirmation that my friends are coming, so I'm really looking forward to it! Other than that, I don't have much to tell you. Thanks for checking in on me though!!

CHEERS!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Good evening! Well, actually it's morning here now... just barely after midnight, so it's technically Saturday morning. I just got back from celebrating Heather's 22nd birthday. It was a lot of fun. I just enjoyed being able to hang out with them. And every time I hang out with them, I become more and more comfortable and more myself. Most all of them have said they can come to the Braai next Friday, so it looks pretty positive for a great birthday for Bonnie. Hooray!

I also got a wonderful package from my family today. The best thing in it was a video that they had made for me at a lot of different family functions. I miss my family so much, but being able to "see" their faces really helped!!

Alright, that's all your getting from me tonight. Blessings!!!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

PRAYER REQUEST!!

PLEASE pray for Melissa. She's pretty sick... fluish stuff. Pray for speedy healing! THANKS!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hmm… what to say, what to say… Honestly, I can’t remember what I said in my last update, so I’ll try to cover what I think haven’t yet. Well, it’s Wednesday night. Tonight Melissa said she'd make my birthday cake! I wasn't even talking about cake and she said she'd do it! Hooray for Melissa coming through for me. Now I just have to pray that my friends come. I'm inviting anyone I can think of... even if I hardly know them because this is the perfect excuse to invite them over! Melissa and I agree that if Sean thinks I have to have a bring and braai, then SEAN needs to do the braaing! Neither of us feels confident to do it, and when I went to the braai at his apartment complex, he said that the men do the braaing anyway. He seemed to enjoy himself that time, so hopefully he won't mind. That can be his birthday present to me. haha

My friend, Heather, sent me an sms about Friday. We're meeting at the mall at 6:30 ("half past 6" as they would say here) for coffee and then the movie is at 8:00 I believe. We're going to see Shrek 2 - it opens on Friday! I know I like these people - they're coffee people just like me! It's taken me 5 months, but I think I might finally be making friends that I can really call my friends... and not just people who I know from church... but NON-Nancefield people! Don’t get me wrong, I love Nancefield people!! But it’s nice to branch out some too. Hopefully after hanging out with them on Friday, I'll be confident enough to invite them to my place the following Friday for “Bonnie’s Birthday Bring-n-Braai.” (Wow, that’s a lot of B’s!)

Hmm... what else haven't I told you? Melissa and I didn't go to school today because one of the guys who works at the school said that the kids haven't been coming since it's the last week of school (yeah, this is Africa, remember?). So, I'm not planning on going tomorrow (Thursday) either. It's a 45 minute drive both ways, and I hate going when things are not normal (which at that school, is just about always). Did you read in my journal about why we didn't go last week? There was taxi-violence, and they closed the major street that we take to get there. So, I haven't seen my kids at Diepsloot in a while, but in all honesty, I'm not all that sad about it. All my attention is on Lilydale right now. Oh, Chantal DID come with me on Monday and Tuesday. I picked her up Monday before club. Club went very well. We had snack (as always) then played a get to know you game. Then I talked for a while about how easily it is for us girls to let what guys think about us determine what we think about us. I sang the song "Plain"... the one I originally was going to do for the musical. I hadn't planned to, but the CD was in the car, so I did it. Then I read an excerpt from a book I have. It's a love story, written about falling in love with this wonderful man named Jesus. It's really cool because it never says His name or blatantly says who it's about. So the girls were all into it because it's wonderfully written. Then I asked them, "who would like to fall in love with a man like that?" And most of them raised their hands. They were somewhat surprised when I said who the story was about. It was a great way to talk about really growing closer to God in a personal way.

After club, Chantal and I quickly came home, I changed clothes, and then we were off to the East side of Joburg for Mexican Night at BIMS!! Did I ever mention that to you? I can't remember. Close to BIMS there is a "Mexican" restaurant, and many of the missionaries go there. The owners are really cool, and often take suggestions that we offer. So... the BIMS people planned a night for the missionaries to all cook some Mexican food (the way we eat it in America!) and 5 of the Banditos people came to taste our recipes! It was awesome... and SOOOO delicious! Earlier on Monday, Melissa and I went to the Holidays' house to help cook. I made a soup that was quite delicious. At the dinner, we had a discussion time, and someone asked the owners if they tasted anything that they thought they might incorporate into their menus, and they said my soup!! YAY! Go me. That was also Chantal's first taste of Mexican food. Boy did she get a treat! After we ate, we stayed at BIMS to talk to a friend of mine. Remember the LSU team? Well, 3 of them stayed in Pretoria, SA for 3 extra weeks. They were all at BIMS Monday night because their plane was leaving on Tuesday. So after we ate, Chantal and I went to Brandi's room and we all talked until about 10:30pm. It was so nice! After that, we came back to the house and crashed! Tuesday Chantal and I went to school at Lilydale. They took an exam I had made for them and Chantal and I attempted to grade them... wow, that's going to take me forever!! Then we had club again, and it went about the same as on Monday - very well. After that I took Chantal home. Then I came home and crashed on the couch for a while. I finally convinced myself that I really needed to work out, but I was too tired to take the energy to go to the gym. So I did some Tae Bo in the living room. I've not done too much today. Slept in, and then watched a movie while I lounged in my pjs. Then I did go to the gym today for a total work out (weights and cardio). Then Melissa and I FINALLY went to the grocery store, so we have food now. Then we got dinner at KFC and brought it home to eat while we watched some TV. I'm getting used to this whole idea of break!!

And now, here I am… enjoying some time on the internet. I promise that I DO work, but hey, when you get a break, you enjoy it, right?? :) Right. Goodnight everyone!





Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Monday Morning… LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!! Yeah, I’m just a little excited about that. hehe I’ve finished writing the exam for my Lilydale kids. All I have left to do for this week is prepare the story for Lawley on Wednesday and write an exam for my kids at Diepsloot. After Thursday I am on break and schools don’t start back until July 19th. The volunteer team from the Summit (my church) gets here July 13th and I can’t wait!! In the time between the end of this school term and the 13th, I plan to rest, and recoup! I’ll get some planning done for next term as well, but mostly I just want to rest and work on building some of the friendships with people I’ve met lately. God has been so good in helping me to meet some people who might actually become my friends! That’s been a real challenge for me since I don’t really do much with people my own age. Thank God for my friend Sean at church. Since he goes to the Baptist college, he has friends our age, and he’s been a blessing me helping me to meet people! And just in time for me to be able to have a lekke birthday next month – hooray! Well, today I’m going to girls’ club at Lilydale. Then I am going to the East side of Jo’burg (to BIMS) to enjoy some “Mexican” food! There’s a Mexican restaurant close to BIMS, and every time IMB workers go there, they give them pointers on how to really make Mexican food… since we live closer to Mexico than South Africans do!! So… they’re closed on Mondays, and missionaries are getting together and cooking Mexican dishes to show the restaurant employees what Mexican really is! I’m really looking forward to that. But now I must go make myself look decent for the day before I go. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy Father's Day! I got to talk to my Dad this evening (along with other family memebers too). Yay for talking to family on the phone. :)

The youth weekend went SO well this past weekend at Nancefield. God really rocked the house last night at the concert, and the youth pulled off a nice musical tonight. I think the highlights of this weekend were a bit different for me than for the rest of the church though. Both Friday and Saturday I got to go out afterwards with some new friends. Saturday night I went out to this cool coffee place with some people from Sean's band (also people from the Baptist college). My friend, Heather, was also there and we got to catch up. I already have plans with her and some friends to see Shrek 2 (it's just opening here now) since it will be her birthday. Then the next weekend, they are helping me have a "South African" birthday party! Wow... I have plans for Fridays already! Now, this is what I've been wanting. God is so good!

Tomorrow I have girl's club again. Please pray that all goes well. I'm not sure yet if Chantal is coming again, but I hope she is!

That's it for now. Check back later for more! :) Cheers!!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

I must be quick. But tonight was a fabulous night! The youth service rocked. Worship was intense and quite lekke (really cool). Sean brought the Word like nobody's business... spoke on our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit... good stuff. Sean also brought a friend of his with him, Ralph. We hit it off right away and I knew we'd be friends because we were teasing each other within 5 minutes of an introduction. Then after the service, some young adults (some from Nancefield and some from visiting churches) went to hang out at McDonald's. Oh, the sweet fellowship around McDonalds' tables! hehe Good times... good times... I met lots of new people! But now it is late, and I'm freezing my fingers off typing this. So it's bed time for Bonnie! Goodnight!!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Howzit?! I am in a really good mood right now. Any guesses as to why? Here's a hint... it's Thursday night... I just got back from sangin' practice at Nancefield Baptist. This weekend is "youth weekend" so the young team is singing Friday and Sunday (and maybe Saturday too, I'm not sure). We had a grand time tonight getting ready for this weekend, and I'm so excited to have things to do every night this weekend! Hooray! We realized tonight that the next time we practice, two weeks from tonight, it'll be a special day! Anybody know why? Well, you should... it's my birthday!! Where better to celebrate than in God's house singing' His praises with some cool friends? :)

Well, today I didn't go to school/work. You'll never guess why... taxi-violence! Two taxi companies were fighting (like with burning vehicles and shootings... serious stuff) and they closed down a major highway, which meant I couldn't get to school! So... I got another holiday today. Only one more week of teaching and then I am really on holiday! I truly canNOT wait. I'm looking forward to the break and to my friends coming to visit! I have so much to look forward to.

Ok, time to be going. I'll write when I can!

Love you all!!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Hello from the Lechner house! Once again, I am back to “pay-by-the-minute” internet. I got so spoiled while staying at the Moran household! So I’m trying to type my updates in word and then copy and paste it as fast as possible once I am online!

Well, today was a very good, but tiring day! I went to Lilydale this morning and taught 10 classes about the story of Joseph. I think 10 classes just makes for a long day in itself! But today was also the 1st day of the Tuesday girls’ club. It went very well. We hung out, had snack and then decorated our name cards like yesterday. Then I gave my testimony and told them (like I did yesterday) that if they doubted whether they were Christians or not, that they could come talk to me at ANY point and I’d love to talk to them. Well, yesterday no one came up to me, but today a girl was waiting for me. It broke my heart when she said, “I don’t know if I am a Christian because I keep praying for my mother to get better and she is still sick.” That really challenged me and I had to think fast! I talked to her for a while about God answering prayers in His own time and His own way. Then we talked about what it really means to be a Christian. I asked whether or not she had ever asked Jesus to personally come into her life, and her answer was very vague. I’m not into pushing for an immediate decision, so I left her with that to think about. She said to me, “I will do what you said to do,” which referred to admitting sin to God and asking Jesus to take it away. Please be in prayer for Nomvula as she prays and thinks about the things we have talked about!! After that, another girl was still waiting to talk to me. She said, “my mother and my father are both dead. I prayed for them to live and they didn’t.” I already knew this girl was in this situation before she was in club. I explained to her that we do not live in a fair world and that bad things happen to good people, even God’s people. I admitted that I can’t say that I know how she feels, but that God does because He watched His only Son die. I said that she can continue to pray for peace and that God will take care of her. She seemed pretty bitter, and it breaks my heart to see a 12 year old girl already bitter with God! Please pray for Lebo!! Pray that God will comfort her in her loss as she is still grieving long after the loss of her parents.

Needless to say, after club (I was there for 2 hours today!) I was exhausted enough. Then I had to go the house and pack up all my stuff to move to the Lechner’s house. I’ve been moving and rearranging things since. I’m trying to make my room feel like “home” as quickly as possible! I will be here a little over 3 months, so I should enjoy it while I can. I’m so tired now. I am going to bed early!! Tomorrow is a public Holiday in South Africa… Youth Day, celebrating the day that began the Soweto uprisings against Apartheid. I get a day off! Praise the Lord!!

Love you all! Thanks for checking in on me. :)


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

What a wonderful Monday!

This morning I got to chat online with some of my good friends back home. Then I went to the gym, where I actually ventured out and tried some new weight machines. Go me! haha Then I ran some errands and got ready for girls' club. I went to pick up Chantal, but she was really late! So I was nervous that we'd get there too late and the girls would leave. But thank God, we got there RIGHT as the gate was opening to let the kids out. We had 11 girls there today, and I really think they had a good time. We did a craft and had snack and listened to music. Then I shared my testimony with all of them. They actually listened to me! What a concept... I LOVE having a small group! Also, Chantal was such a blessing. The kids really like her, and she loved helping. Hopefully she'll be doing more with me in the very near future. We also had fun just talking, so please pray that we can maintain a friendship! Club went so well today, and I pray that tomorrow will go wonderfully as well!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) the Lechners are leaving. :( That means I will be moving to their house. I will be losing this excellent internet service, and I won't be able to update this web-log as often, but I will do my best! Pray that our move will go smoothly and that I will feel somewhat at home in their house for the next 3 1/2 months!

Ok, time for this tired girl to go to sleep! Goodnight world!
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Exciting Sunday!

Today (Sunday) God just got me really excited about something. I went to visit a different church this morning... the one I went to with the LSU team. Well, I didn't enjoy the service very much. They spoke a lot of Afrikaans and I didn't enjoy their music when they WERE singing in English! (You know music is a big thing for me!) It wasn't really terrible, but I was thinking when I left, "I probably won't be visiting here very much." Well, after church I was standing around talking to a few of the people that I met a couple weeks ago and I met a new girl. She was very blunt, and said I should give her my number because she's been praying for a friend and someone to do things with. She also is not working right now. She's been volunteering at an orphanage in Soweto, but is taking a break for a little while. I mentioned what I do, and she wants to come with me! She was so excited that she wants to come with me tomorrow already. This is a great thing for multiple reasons... 1)she's turning 22 soon, so she's close to my age, and maybe she'll be the friend I've been praying for (and maybe I'LL be the friend SHE'S been praying for!) 2)it's always good to involve people from here in the ministry, that way when I go home there's more of a chance that it will continue. Isn't this cool? Her name is Chantal. I'll let you know how it goes with her tomorrow! I think it will be nice too, to have her with me in the girls' clubs. It'll be nice to have someone from the same culture as the girls. Even when I wasn't thrilled about my choice of churches this morning, God knew exactly what He was doing!

Tomorrow (5 months in SA!) Chantal and I will be going to Lilydale to meet with the first group of girls for club. It will be fairly informal... very "get to know you." We're gonna have some fun for once! I want them to know that this is NOT classtime, and they can be real with me. I plan on sharing my testimony with them too. I think it's important for them to know where I came from. On their applications, all of them said they were Christians. Most of their answers to the question, "tell me the story of how you became a Christian" includes something about their mothers or grandmothers taking them to church, or going to church all the time. I hate to tell them (well, I look forward to it, actually) but when I was their age, my family took me to church whenever possible, and I enjoyed going, but I wasn't saved yet. I hope they can see from my testimony, that going to church doesn't make you a Christian! Please pray that the story of my own life will get through to them... even if it doesn't happen right away! Also, please pray that I will have discernment to know which of the girls really are Christians, and which are not. Pray that they have fun and want to come back next week! Also, pray for Chantal - that God will use her in great ways as she works with me this coming week!!

Ok, that's it for now. Oh! The gym was back open today, so I went and did my usual... the circuit weights and the treadmill. Today I walk/jogged 6.2 kilometers! Which is almost 4 miles! Woohoo! I can do it! Pray that I can keep this up!


Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Happy Saturday!

It's only the middle of the day, and it's already been fun. :) This morning Frank and Sherri cooked Melissa and I omelets for breakfast... nice, huh? Then I headed out to Irene Market with Frank and Sherri. I've never been to this market, but it was really nice! I've seen most of the same kinds of things before, but this one was set up very nicely and all outdoors. I've started buying Christmas presents already (yep, Christmas presents!). I figure, if I start now and send some home with the Summit team (they leave the US a month from today!!!!) then I won't be going crazy and mailing stuff home in December. Look at that, sometimes I really do use my head. :) After the market, we came home and I took a nice nap. That's pretty exciting for me, you have no idea! And now after I finish typing this blog, I must get ready for dinner. Chris Walker (the volunteer here) is taking Melissa and I out to dinner as a thank you for letting him work with us these past few months (as if he needs to thank us!). So I'm pretty excited 'bout that! Tomorrow morning I am going to visit a church that I went to when the LSU team was here. It's called New West, and it's in the neighborhood of Westbury. I am interested in seeing what it's like when they don't know that a bunch of white people are going to be there! So, lots going on this weekend - that's the way I like it!

Next week Melissa and I are moving into the Lechners' house. I can't believe it's already the middle of June!! Monday afterschool I will have my first girls' club meeting at Lilydale. Please pray that all goes smoothly!! I'm really excited about it, but I'm also a little nervous. Pray for my nerves to produce positive energy with the girls. They seem really excited about coming, so I hope they will be committed to the group!

Alright, I'd better go make myself look decent. Thanks for checking in on me!

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81