arrival.

we're here!
we arrived in johannesburg, south africa on monday night. may 18th was the longest day of our lives. we left at 4am from oxford, and traveled for a full 24 hours. we arrived in africa at 4pm the same day. and then drove for over an hour to get from the airport to the refilwe base. like i said, longest day EVER.

refilwe is a fairly large organization that includes schools for kids of all ages, day cares, farming, trade school, accommodations, orphan-care, community building, health care education, and more. we had expected to be living in tents here for the next few weeks, but to our surprise and delight we were given a house to stay in! three bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and a little living room is ALL OURS. so nice.

the beds are especially appreciated, since most of us have been participating in hard physical labor for the past two days. our projects so far have included day care, going into townships with health-educators, and helping the maintenance crew construct a new fence around the perimeter of the base. the majority of us have been raking, hauling trees and digging holes. it's dirty, sweaty work. and we're tired. but it's great to see the progress we're making! refilwe has been having trouble with break-ins and theft, so we are assisting in the effort to make the place more secure.

our computer time is limited, but we will try to post updates as often as possible. please continue to keep us in your prayers. we hope to support the full-time staff here at refilwe by being an encouragement, and really getting some work done for them! pray for team unity, Christ-like attitudes, and strength to get our work done.

well, the computer room is about to close, so farewell for now.
-love from africa-