What we take for granted, is what others CHERISH

Here we are another week has started again and well as fast as it started as fast as I am wishing it would end so that Friday could be here already.
As you saw last week was not really my week and I must say I actually needed that, Friday I was not myself and all that but after a good cry session and just letting it all out I became ‘stronger” if you can say it that way? I was at a low point that day or well it felt like it and I got back up even stronger. I guess it sadly does take a person to get to the lowest of low to see what you have and to force yourself to make the best of the situation and carry on stronger because in the end how you handle the situation is all up to you proves what you are capable of all that and more.
Even though last week was not a completely good week I got the greatest news, that Willem has his off week next week, He is coming through on Friday and then off we go to Durban to meet the family and friends, I won’t lie I am a bit nervous but on the other hand I am super excited to meet them all see a different side of him and all as they say you can really tell a lot about a person when they are around their family and friends. And it will be our first trip vacation together so it is just all good on that side so much to look forward to as why I am telling this week to hurry up I HAVE A MAN I NEED TO HUG! I think it has only been a bit over a week or nearly two now that he has been gone and even though we talk over the phone and all I miss his face so much. I do not even want to think of him leaving again…. So will stop right there with that.
Things on the home front, Arabella is just getting bigger by the day and no I am not meaning like a huge pig just I guess the length wise and it is really funny and interesting to see her become more and more a part of the family and dogs and how the dogs interact with her. Of course Quiana was the first to play with her and well I do not think having a pet bird that walks around the house would be a good idea with her as she somehow catches the birds and eats them as cute as it would be to have a talking parrot walking around the house or riding the dogs back sadly it will not happen. But to see her and Bella interact is really amazing and how Bella just goes at Quiana giving her the hell back its true entertainment and I must say my heart melts every time we give Bella her bottle how Quiana comes and licks her face while she is still drinking. The cutest.




You know some times we are all too busy focusing on getting things done and is always in a rush that they forget to enjoy the moment and appreciate the small things. Looking at an email that was forwarded about a primary school it made me sit and think a lot, here I was upset over something small and there you get those kids and they have nothing and they make the best of the situation as do the people who work there this story really touched my heart and I wanted to be a part of it somehow you know help in a way, so I donated some money to them and yes you do get that feeling of well not really relief but like a comforting feeling that every little bit helps and I hope people see it and also try give what they can.
Link:
http://www.jccrafford.com/mug-and-tree-nursery-school/


If you would like to make a donation you can deposit the money into the following bank account.  Remember they are a registered non-profit organization.
Mug and Tree Soup Kitchen
FNB Cheque account
Acc nr : 62231158694
Bank Code : 250655

You can contact Trudie on 082 657 6211  or  Estelle on 072 456 0669.  You can also email Trudie at trudienaude.mugtree@gmail.com  or  email mugandtree@jccrafford.com
Trudie also has an “Adopt a Child programme” and you can email or phone her to enquire about this programme.
Attached is the link of the photographer who shared their story go and see and follow see how you can help and spread the news to everyone. You know in America on Christmas time mostly when you go shopping they ask you would you like to donate a dollar to good will or whatever charity it would be there and even if it is a dollar think to yourself how many people go shopping and how many people agree for the dollar donation what in the end it adds up to. I also added some of the pictures she took and just looking at the pictures it touches a person’s heart.



Here is a short summary of the story:
Trudie saw the need for a nursery school as well as an after school care unit and kicked off with the Mug and Tree Nursery School in January 2013.  There are currently 27 kids in the nursery school and 30 in the after school care. Nobody working at the school gets a salary as there are just no funds for this.  They have one qualified teacher, Estelle Opperman and then there is Alicia Jansen van Vuuren, who is 20 years old and has her matric. Then there are the ladies working in the kitchen to prepare meals for 200 hungry mouths every day…their deed of love, they don’t get paid to do it.  Most of these kid’s parents are illiterate and are therefore not in a position to really teach their kids anything.  They can’t help their children with homework…because they can’t read or write!  Most parents can’t get jobs because although they can work, people don’t want to employ them because they haven’t got papers or they simply don’t look good enough to be employed. Trudie told me there are some parents that collect plastic bottles the whole day to earn money.  They don’t have a vehicle to drive around in to pick up the bottles, so they pull a big bag around or use a shopping trolley.  Apparently, if you collect something like a bakkie-load full of bottles, you get about R10-00.  Some parents are just not there for their children anymore and the children get left with the grandparents.  One grandmother, who walks her grandchildren to the nursery school, looks after 7 of her grandchildren on her own, with virtually no income. Every child at the school gets a box of cereal every week to take home and mostly, this is sometimes all that they and their parents have to eat in the evenings.  The kids get fed at the school and meals differ every day, depending on what gets donated for that day.  Trudie also make sure that they get soap, toothpaste and shampoo to take home.
Things that we take for granted every day, is provided by Trudie - like to make sure each child has at least one blanket to sleep under.  Some of these kids live in houses where 8 family members stay together and the house has only two rooms! Some kids sleep two together in one bed and some of them sleep in the bath because there is not a bed to sleep in!One of the little girls is incredibly clever and talented, yet she lives in a coal room next to their house that’s been enlarged to make space for her to sleep in. The one little guy’s dad drank out the little money that he earned and he then told his son he can’t get a Christmas gift because he was naughty!  Trudie said the little boy was crying at the nursery school, saying he would try his best not to be naughty so that he could please just get a Christmas gift this year.
Although these kids have nothing, Trudie and Estelle teach them to reach out to other people.  Just the other day they took 5 of the children to an old age home to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to an old lady of 81.  Trudie says the old lady broke out in tears afterwards, and said it was the best birthday gift she has ever received!
At the moment Mug and Tree is run out of a hall in Krugersdorp that they rent.  Somebody recently donated a house to them and they are now trying to find the money to repair this house so that the nursery school and soup kitchen can be run from there.
The other day Willem and I were talking about the movie Courageous, from the people who made the movie Fire Proof where these men make a resolution for their lives and families and it really does make you think and maybe it helps as well to get you on the right track if you can say that and I honestly think every family husband and wife should have a resolution.
The Resolution statements in the Courageous movie are based upon the highest priorities for men in God’s Word. Each statement describes a commitment you should resolve to live by as the leader of your home. Each of them is a call to action, and living by them will ultimately help you stand before God one day and hear him say, “WELL DONE!”
Here is the Resolution for Men:
I do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
1.       I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
2.       I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
3.       I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
4.       I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
5.       I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
6.       I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
7.       I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
8.       I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
9.       I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
10.   I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
11.   I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
There is a book for men and woman to read and well to help you make the resolutions in life Gods way and the one in the woman’s book are as follows there are 13 resolutions in the book. 

1.       I DO SOLEMNLY RESOLVE to embrace my current season of life and will maximize my time in it.  I will resist the urge to hurry through or circumvent any portion of my journey but will live with a spirit of contentment.
2.       I WILL CHAMPION God's model for womanhood in the face of a profeminist culture.  I will teach it to my daughters and encourage its support by my sons.
3.       I WILL ACCEPT and celebrate my uniqueness, and will esteem and encourage the distinctions I admire in others.
4.       I WILL LIVE as a woman answerable to God and faithfully committed to His Word.
5.       I WILL SEEK to devote the best of myself, my time, and my talents to the primary roles the Lord has entrusted to me in this phase of my life.
6.       I WILL BE a woman who is quick to listen and slow to speak.  I will care about the concerns of others and esteem them more highly than myself
7.       I WILL FORGIVE those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
8.       I WILL NOT TOLERATE evil influences even in the most justifiable form, in myself or my home, but will embrace and encourage a life of purity.
9.       I WILL PURSUE justice, love mercy and extend compassion toward others.
10.   I WILL BE FAITHFUL to my husband and honor him in my conduct and conversation in order to bring glory to the name of the Lord.  I will aspire to be a suitable partner for him to help him reach his God-given potential.
11.   I WILL DEMONSTRATE to my children how to love God will all their hearts, minds, and strength, and will train them to respect authority and live responsibly.
12.   I WILL CULTIVATE a peaceful home where everyone can sense God's presence not only through acts of love and service but also through the pleasant and grateful attitude with which I perform them.
13.   I FULLY RESOLVE to make today's decisions with tomorrow's impact in mind.  I will consider my current choices in light of those who will come after me.
It is something different to look at a to just sit and think about and not bad to sit and try place it in your own life. Well I guess that is enough preaching or however you want to say it for now just wanted everyone to ponder about things for a while.

And as I wait for the seconds, minutes, hours and days to go by until Friday I hope everyone is blessed and has a great day and week remember that if you can see, smile, breath, walk and talk you don’t really have much to complain about!

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