A week of learning

05/15/09
Last week a young woman named Dezzi joined the Cynergy team. She has been an incredible addition to the team. I am amazed by how quickly she’s jumped into the program and how committed she is to it. Dezzi has also been a reminder of where I was just a few months ago when I first joined the program. She’s also shown me how much I’ve grown. Over the past few months, I’ve seen my confidence soar. When I first was thrown into a classroom of 60 students to teach, I was terrified and timid. Now I can’t wait to teach a class, often taken over classes that Nikki or Reagan would have taught. Dezzi has reminded me how much I’ve learned in the past few months, not just about South African schools and culture, but also about myself. Nikki and Reagan have made a huge impact on my life. Because they believed in me, I learned to believe in myself. They’ve instilled a confidence in me that I can do whatever task is put before me. This new confidence has lead me to take on endeavors that I never would have considered in the past. They have shown me the impact that I can make in someone’s life by simply believing in and encouraging them. They’ve taught me that to really impact people, I must first love them. They’ve shown me the importance of meeting someone where they are rather than carrying on with my own agenda.
These skills have given me the liberty this past week to take more initiative. After school, we run an intervention program for our students who need just a bit more help. This past week, I realized that there were a few kids in the class that still did not have an understanding of the sounds of the alphabet. Because of this, they couldn’t keep up with the current lesson being taught. Rather than let them sit in on the lesson, I pulled them out of the class and started my own class with them, starting back at the sound card. Later in the week the class that I was teaching simply was not grasping the material being taught, causing me to slow my pace and not complete the lesson. Reagan reassured me that both of these things are more than ok. He reminded me that it’s more important to meet the kids where they are so that they understand half of the lesson then rush through to finish without any understanding. He reinforced how important is to meet people where they are. Nikki applauded my removal of the students from the intervention class and has now assigned me my own class of students.
Dezzi has also served as a good reminder this week. She reminded me of the importance of simply listening to people. As I mentioned last week, I love having Dezzi around not only because Cynergy desperately needs the manpower but also because I value her friendship. It’s been fun to see our friendship blossom over the past week. Dezzi lost both of her parents in the past four years, which made mother’s day quite difficult for her. It was encouraging to see how much she opened up to me about what she was going through, how much she trusts me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to encourage her. This week I had the opportunity to remind her of how strong she is, how so many other people haven’t been able to press on as she has. Once again, I was reminded of the importance of perspective. Dezzi isn’t one to dwell on the negative, but during this time it was hard for her to ignore what she’s experienced. Reflected on the positives of her parents’ deaths, of what God has taught her and how much she has grown, showed her how strong she is and empowered her to face what is in front of her. Dezzi has also taught me more about what it’s like to be a young person growing up in South Africa right now. She’s given me a fresh perspective of what life is like here.
Wednesday also contained new lessons. I’m still struggling to obtain my visa here in South Africa and returned to Home Affairs once again on Wednesday to get this precious stamp. After failing to get it last week, we met with a supervisor and set up an appointment with him to process my visa this week. When we arrived for the appointment, he informed us that I needed to pay another fee of > $1,000 so that the government has money for an airplane ticket if I become an illegal in the country and have to be deported. It didn’t matter that I’ve already purchased a return ticket; they needed to see the cash before I could get my visa. I asked Nikki and Reagan what they thought of this. They told me not to pay a cent, that they man was asking for a bribe. Though the deal seemed shady, part of me thought that there could be some truth to it. Stereotypically here, it is expected for the black employers working the lower end of Home Affairs to ask for bribes, but the supervisors, most of whom are white, are thought to be honest, mostly because they have more to lose. Nikki and Reagan’s hunch was confirmed by my uncle, a US diplomat who checked into the situation at home. He gave me the same advice that Nikki and Reagan did; don’t pay the man a cent. He also advised me to bring a local with me as it is less likely that a Home Affairs worker will try to blindside a local. Hopefully I will get this sorted out next week as I return to Home Affairs with Reagan.
It’s definitely been a week of lessons.

Praise the LORD!:
-For Dezzi
-For Reagan and Nikki
-For incredible friends, new and old
-For new experiences
-For growth
-For encouragement
-For empowerment
-For His love and grace
-For teaching me
-For opportunity
-For His plan for my life
-For a new day
-For sunshine
-For a warm bed
-For work
-For using me
-For joy
-For sacrificing His Son for my sake

Please pray:
-That God continues to provide the manpower and finances that Cynergy needs
-That our kids understand the program, growing academically and personally
-That my visa gets sorted
-For wisdom and guidance in my future. That God will open the doors that need to be opened and close those that need to be closed.
-For a smooth transition as I prepare to leave SA and return to the States
-For healing for my mom's knee
-That Nikki, Reagan, Dezzi, and Laura are strengthened and blessed daily. Pray that God provides all that they need and guides them for His name sake.