Day 5

Hair Update

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Leg hair regrowth : Alex - legs itching due to regrowth

Andrew - legs itching due to regrowth

Jonno - nil

Hair regrowth: Jonno - noticeable

Moustache growth: Jonno - growing quite nicely
                                   Andrew - just noticeable with the naked eye
                                   Alex - did not want to participate

Hey guys!

just continuing with day 5's adventures. I should mention that on day 4 we visited a dam, Hillside Dam, in the afternoon. It's a very nice parkland and we could see a few people having a bbq enjoying the rare sunset.

So day 5 started with us heading to the Sandra Jones Centre to visit the kids again. We arrived to a very tranquil centre, not a single child in sight playing outside. To our amazement and surprise we found the kids inside making paper butterflies with the help of a christian South African group. We suggested to the kids that they sing a few songs to the visitors before they departed and show off their newly learnt guitar skills that Andrew and Alex had taught them. The older girls (Lisa, Sam, Sameso) led the chorus of voices, reverberating the room with a heartwarming and moving atmosphere, which I'm sure moved the SA visitors, because it still moved me even though I heard them sing previously.

We handed out 30 AAA batteries to the girls for their MP3 player (which Alex bought for a steal at $8USD), more balls to play with and gifts from their sponsors. Andrew continued to teach the girls guitar while Alex, Debbie's kids Stef, Madi, Beky and I played games with the others. Can I just say that the girls at the centre really know how to dance (they just seem to have a natural rhythm and moves in their genes) and laughed at every moment I tried to replicate their moves.

After leaving the girls centre, we drove further down to greet the little ones. It was meant to be their bed time, but when they caught sight of us, they poured out of their rooms wanting hugs, love and playmates. It's a very moving feeling, having kids running and grabbing you, trying to get prime position in your lap.

Leaving the centre, we headed into town to grab a bite to eat at a place called 'Chicken Inn'. Can i just say that Colonel Sanders might be turning in his grave because someone has cracked his 11 herbs and spices recipe. Andrew bought this double chicken burger which came with 2 of the thickest chicken fillets I've ever seen on a burger. Alex bought their equivalent of popcorn chicken. Funny story. They didn't have 50 cents in change, so they offered to give him a piece of cheese as substitute. Since Alex didn't order a burger to put the cheese in, they just gave him a slice of cheese to eat.

After lunch we headed to Bendover Boutique, pretty much a massive market selling second hand clothing at an incredibly cheap price. When i say 'massive' i mean that if all the clothes were piled together, it would compete with Mt Everest. This is something you definitely need to see as no picture can even capture a glimpse of what it's like.

We headed back home in a tired state and that's where we are at this point in time. There's nothing much planned for tonight so Debbie has bought us a few dvds to watch. I think with the spare time i have tonight, i can kind of catch up and reflect with everything going through my head since i've been bombarded with so much eye opening experiences in so little time. To hear and understand what situations these kids have come from and what scars these kids have had to bear physically and emotionally is intense. You definitely feel a deep sense of sorrow, injustice and disbelief but on the flip side of the coin, to see what the Sandra Jones centre is doing to support these kids during these traumatic ordeals and putting a genuine smile on their face through the love of Christ, well, that's why Andrew Alex and I wake up every morning wanting to visit them.

Stay tuned for Alex's blog about our next adventures.

Jonno

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pic1- andrew's massive chicken burger
pic2 - 50c cheese
pic 3 - kids playing
pic 4 - stef, andrew and becky asleep in the car
pic 5 - Bendover Boutique with Alex and Madi