Five Words from Jensen’s World

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Jensen is turning into a little South African.

Sweetie = Candy

Although this seems like a term for endearment, it’s actually what Jensen now calls “candy.”

Example: “Mama, can I have a sweetie?” (I have to remind myself she’s not asking for a boyfriend)

Biscuit = Cookie

A biscuit really should only be coupled with gravy or given to a dog, but Jensen now uses this word for “cookie”

Example: “Mom, I’d really like a chocolate biscuit.” (Do you see how wrong this feels? Is a biscuit ever chocolate?)

Fetch = Go Get

Again, I feel this word should be reserved for dogs – but here it’s used when something should be retrieved by humans.

Example:

“Mom, can you fetch my jacket and slippers – I’m cold?”

“No, Jensen, you can fetch it yourself.”
“But mommmmmm…I’m not tall enough. I’m only 4!”

Hey = Huh

Jensen now consistently uses the word “Hey” where we Nebraskans would generally use “Huh.” She always catches me off guard with this one.

Example: “Whatcha ya doing, hey?” (I feel a bit like we’ve turned into horses)

Plastics = Band-Aid

I guess there is plastic involved with Band-Aids – but using this logic, shouldn’t all things constructed with plastic be called “plastics?” For instance…toothbrushes, cups, plastic silverware…Can you imagine? It would go something like this, “Go brush your teeth with your plastics and take a drink from your plastics and don’t forget to eat with your plastics?” Something is not right.

Example: “Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! I need a plastic! I’ve cut off my right toe!”

P.S. I won't go into how she asked me for a "rubber" this morning (yes, that would be an "eraser").

High Tea and High Hopes

The “Baby Safe Girls” celebrate the small and big victories of 2010 – with a dress-up High Tea event

During tea, we looked back over 2010 and were amazed that the Lord brought hope – even in the midst of seemingly impossible obstacles.

In 2010, approximately 500 babies were dumped in Cape Town alone. A result of poverty, abuse, HIV/AIDS, hopelessness and desperation, the challenge seemed overwhelming.

And yet through Baby Safe, 50+ babies were NOT dumped. 78+ mothers chose life; they made a plan and sought help instead of a rubbish heap. 27+ women and children walked a road of rescue or restoration, to prevent these circumstances from even happening. 238 lives were touched, changed, challenged. Now in 2011, we look ahead with expectation that the LORD will do even more!

The Stats of 2010…

- 238 women and children were helped by Baby Safe

- 107 women were counseled before their Termination of Pregnancy at the local hospital (of these women, 20 of them changed their minds and made a choice for life-over 1/5th!-and possibly more that went unknown)

Note: In the US, 1 out of every 5 babies are aborted. Yes! That is actually true. We are excited that here on the continent best known for high abortion rates, 1 out of 5 babies intended for abortion (at the hospital where we offer counseling) was saved.

- 58 women, who made a choice to parent, were met on an individual level by our Baby Safe team

- 38 babies were born

- 7 babies were successfully placed in loving homes through adoption

- 8 children were put in a place of safety in our network of safety families, 4 of whom were placed long term while the other 4 were able to be reunited with their family.

- 27 women and children experienced intervention or preventing for either difficult or even life-threatening situations, many going through the process of discipleship

- 1 baby successfully in our local baby safe, as 1 brave woman chose to give her child a future rather than dumping it!

These women and children came to us from every background, circumstance, race and region.

We worked with countless from our local communities of Masiphumelele, Ocean View, and Fish Hoek, as well as surrounding areas like Muizenberg or even Khayelitsha. They were black, white and colored, Xhosa, Afrikaanse, Zulu, Zimbabwean, Malawian, and more. Each one different. Each one desperate.

Yet the LORD sees each of them and calls them by name. He called them to life and not death, to hope and to healing. He looks upon them and sees his children, forsaken royalty, calling them to a greater destiny.

“The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,” nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”; but you will be called, “My delight is in her,” and your land, “Married”; for the LORD delights in you.” -Isaiah 62:2-4.

Note: Information adapted from Danielle Kittinger’s Baby Safe blog post.

Cup of Cold Water

Oh my! We know times are tough in America and gas prices have skyrocketed.

To commiserate with America’s Ridiculous Price of Gas Pain – the price of gas here is $6 a gallon. Since we typically buy gas in liters and rand (the currency here)…it took us a while to calculate fully HOW BAD IT IS. Our mouths fell open when we did the math last week and realized it’s $6 a gallon. Painful!

Shortly after I came to this realization...I kept a diary of my driving schedule.  Let's just say - it's the LAST day I'll do that!

The Diesel Diaries - A day in the life of the Ostrand diesel truck (we decided to buy a 10 year old truck to transport soccer equipment and mass amounts of people who live in the townships).

Keep in mind this is from the girl that REFUSED to drive in Africa for the first 6 months I was here

Destination #1. 7:30 am  - Go to Ocean View to pick up the women for the Sisterhood of Success class (NONE of them have cars and many cannot afford the 75 cents for a taxi to class)

SHOULDA BROUGHT MY HEELS: Today my crew of women is running a bit late (God bless Danielle who picked up the "on-time crew" and took them to class). The first two women stroll up (they are so tiny they look more like teenage girls). They still need to take one of their kids to creche (the word for preschool here), so I drive over to the creche to drop off the child.

Discussion going on in the truck at this moment? The fact that we are missing Beth, one of the other students. Beth told them she was sick…but they are concerned that she lied about being sick and that her abusive boyfriend is holding her captive in her flat (an apartment complex like “the projects” in the States). A gangster and drug addict, he doesn’t want Beth taking the Sisterhood of Success class – he’s terrified she’ll realize she can become successful without him…a REAL-LIFE “sister of success,” if you will.

They convince me to weave the truck around the back alleys of the flats and talk her into going to class today. I don’t usually roam around the flats – overrun with gangsters and drug addicts – but I tell them if the three of us go together, we can do it.

Note: Regret #45: Giving up high heels in Africa – those spikes could have come in handy today, coupled with a Fancy Nancy Karate Kid Kick to the kisser.

Trooping up the deteriorating stairs, we quickly knock on the door and she answers immediately…fully dressed and ready to go. Apparently her 4 year old ran out of the house when they started fighting, afraid her dad would beat her mom again.

Now we’re off to find the 4 year old girl! Somewhere! We track her down at a neighbor’s house and take her to crèche.

ON OUR WAY TO LIVING WAY CAMPUS (where we hold the Sisterhood class): I ask the girls…"What is your happiest childhood memory?"

map of our area

• Mia says, “I remember being in school and going on field trips to museums. That was fun. I didn’t know then how hard life could be.”
• Lisa says, “I remember walking with my sister hand in hand on Christmas morning – through our neighborhood to my grandmother’s house. That was a nice memory.”
• Beth says, “I don’t have any happy memories.” Choking up… “but I know Jesus can change my life.”
• I say (still driving), “Beth…Jesus was there with you when you were a child – all those times you cried…He cried with you. He was there. He loves you.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the truck.

Destination #2. 8 am - Go to Living Way to drop off the women for class – I hop out of the truck and run through my morning Sisterhood routine: make sure there is enough food for snacks and lunch, collect money the students have earned to pay for the class, update the “contest board” (whichever team of women can pay off their $30 for the class first – wins a lunch out with Alli and me), answer questions, confirm the schedule. It’s a bit “hectic” (as they say here).

Destination #3. 8:30 am – Jump back in the truck at lightning speed and go home to pick up Jensen for school (we only have one vehicle that can take our kids). Karl has given her breakfast and packed her pink princess backpack with the required items for preschool in Africa: snack (she’ll only eat bread and butter – you’d think she spent her first 4 years in prison) and her “cozi” (aka swimming suit – daily swimming at school – why not?)

Destination #4. 8:45 am - Go to preschool (drop off Jensen – she is met by a posse of happy friends to see her)

Destination #5. 9 am - Go back home (try to remember to grab everything else I may need for the day

Destination #6. 9:15 am - Go to Living Way again (pick up Alli – my fabulous partner in crime – her car is in the shop)

Destination #7. 9:30 am- Go to All Nations for presentation on what Baby Safe does and how Sisterhood for Success if making a difference. Meet Elmien for the first time – the newest member of the Baby Safe team - and ask her if she can help us with class today. Amazingly she agrees!

Destination #8. 10:45 am - Go back to Living Way with Elmien and Alli (for the third time today) and find out Elaine, one of the students, just received a phone call that her mom is very sick and she needs to be rushed to Ocean View to take her mom to the hospital.

Destination #9. 11 am - Go back to Ocean View (for the second time today) 

• Drop off Elaine at her house
• Go to Ocean View library (post dance class flyer for 10 year old girls to attend a new dance class)
• Go to an Ocean View crèche (one of the crèche directors called very upset that the some of the Sisterhood children have been coming to creche on days we didn’t pay for/make payment for Sisterhood childcare) 

Destination #10. 11:30 am - Go back to Living Way (for the 3rd time today) - Do individual evaluations for each student with Richard, the instructor, and Alli. They both have such amazing input and encouragement for the women.

We determine that of the 15 women attending the class - 10 are employment-ready and 5 are micro-enterprise-ready – which means the 5 will go on to “Sisterhood of Dreams” – a pre-entrepreneurial course. The others will start a genuine search for employment. We’ll help them with weekly support groups, accountability and internet training so they can search for jobs online. We also want to find out which women want to continue with the Bible studies after the course is over. Most of them want to! Exciting!

Individual Evaluations with Alli, Richard and me

Destination #11. 12:30 pm - Go back to preschool (Pick up Jensen – she looks happy and exhausted – about like me at this point)

Destination #12. 12:45 pm - Go home (have some family time over lunch – crackers, cheese, turkey – with baby marrow dipped in hummus. Yum!)

Destination #13. 1:45 pm - Go back to Living Way (for the 4th time today) to finish up individual evals

ON THE WAY THERE PICK UP MAN ON THE STREET: See Shane at the robot (aka “stop light”) on my way and give him a ride in the back of the truck (he’s a man with a bad limp who begs on the street that Karl and I have befriended - we're praying for a job for him). Drop Shane off at a taxi stand and return to Living Way.

Meet Shane

ONCE THERE, WE CONTINUE WITH THE EVALS: We pull each woman out of class one-by-one and spend about 10 minutes with them individually.

For some of these women, this is the most positive feedback they have ever received in one sitting – many in their lifetime. They beam as we tell them how proud we are of their efforts.

FORGIVE OR FIGHT: During our individual sessions, a heated argument breaks out with the women back in the classroom. Ironically enough, this happens during the “forgiveness” section of the lesson. We ignore it and let Elmien, who is handling the group discussion, take care of it. Baptism by fire…she does a great job and somehow manages to calm the class down and work out the fight. Drama, drama, drama!

Finish up the evals with barely enough time to get the women back into Ocean View before the cresche closes early on a Friday. EVERYTHING seems to close early in South Africa - but especially on a Friday.   3 pm?  Really? For closing a creche for working moms? What I wouldn't give for ONE 24 hour Wal-mart!

Destination #14. 2:55 pm- Go back to Ocean View (3rd time today) - we’re down a car for transport so the 9 of us pile into the front seat, back seat and bed of the truck.

• 3:02 pm - Drop Zimbini off at the Ocean View wholesale shop to buy baggies for her brownies (she is fundraising for the course by selling brownies – but needs the little bags to put them in)
• 3:08 pm - Drop off some women at Ocean View creche #1
• 3:12 pm - Drop off other women at Ocean View creche #2
• 3:15 pm -Arrange for some of the women to stay at another location (abusive boyfriends and family members make their current home situation unsafe)
• 3:20 pm - Pick up Zimbini from wholesaler to give her a ride home
• Do you feel like this is too much information about my gas mileage? It probably is...bear with me!

Destination #15. 3:30 pm - Go to Masiphumelele, the “black township” - I would normally drop Zimbini off at the entrance of Masi, as I’m running late to get back home. However, her hip started hurting her this morning, so I maneuver through Masi alleys and drop her off at her house.  I've been to her house 3 times - but I still can't rember how to get there!  I think she must be seriously questioning my geography skills. In fact, she says as much - in a Xhosa sort of way.  Gotta love Zimbini!

Zimbini

Destination #16. 3:45 pm - Go to Alli’s house (drop her off – this day has bedraggled us both!)

Destination #17. 4 pm - Go to the store (need chips for tonight – everything is much better with corn tortilla chips, isn’t it? Somehow a little Mexican goes a long way)

Destination #18. 4:30 pm - Go home (sit down for a half hour and discuss the day with Karl)

Destination #19. 5:00 pm - WALK to pick up Jensen from her play date in our neighborhood. Congratulate myself for zero gas mileage used for Destination #19.

Destination #20. 6:00 – Walk home with Jensen and make dinner for the family (pan sauté a flaky fish here called hake, and serve with broccoli and baked potatoes - Emme eats some fish!)

Destination #21. 7:00 pm - Meehan picks me up for our girls night (Thanks, Meehan! I don’t think I have the energy to drive ONE more block or the will to spend one ONE rand on gas).

I’m tempted to complain about the driving and Alli says, “You know Julie – there’s that verse about giving a cup of cold water– maybe giving a ride is the same thing?”

Maybe it is…I’m holding out for THAT! If so, I gave out about 20 cups of cold water today.

Note: Names of Ocean View community members changed.

On days like this Karl takes the bike to his meetings and soccer events so I can have the truck. Here are some photos of him transporting soccer players after practice a few days later. He has SERIOUSLY fit 27 kids in that truck!

Thank you again to all who gave towards our vehicle last fall!  You've been giving out quite a few cups of cold water yourself. We are grateful and the people of Africa seem to think it's their truck.  Looks like they're right!

Joyful Expectation

Two things I try to avoid in life is getting my hopes up and change. The truth is, I get pretty disappointed with disappointment.

My secret plan is to silently expect the worst and set my expectations low. Even though I can expect and pray for good things for others, I just struggle with doing it for myself. I can’t believe I’m admitting that – but it’s true.

A few months ago in our house church, we studied this passage.

Our house church

Romans 12:9-13 (The Message)

9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

In our house church we use the Discovery Bible Study model – which ends with the question, “After reading these verses – how will you change?” The idea is – let’s not just read the Bible, let’s decide how we are going to tangibly obey what we just read.

Ha!

I used to be able to sit in church, hear a sermon and think “That was GREAT! Somebody should really start doing that!” Now at church, we read a passage, have a lively discussion and then each decide how we are PERONALLY and SPECIFICALLY going to change. Then we tell each other what we decided. It’s painful! Have I mentioned I don’t like change?

Seriously.

If you’ve known me for any length of time you might think, “Well – she changes her hair and it appears she has changed her continent recently – she MUST like change.” But this is misleading. I don’t like every day change that means I’ll have to do something differently.

It’s very inefficient (efficiency is one of my MOST favorite things). I want to learn how to do something well – and then just keep doing it FOREVER that same way. I don’t change my desktop graphic, I don’t rearrange my furniture, I don’t like to upgrade my cell phone. I even resist a new television series (back when I had television) – it just seems like a lot of work to get interested in a whole new set of characters and plot line. You see my point - it’s putting it mildly to say I resist change.

So after reading that passage about being “cheerfully expectant”– I realized I had to change. Even though I can do it for others, I really don’t “cheerfully expect” at all for myself. In fact, I PURPOSELY don’t joyfully expect. That night God showed me how wrong I am.

So, my “I will” statement was…”I will have joyful expectations.”

Bethany, a friend in our house church, asked me a few weeks ago, “How’s that going with joyfully expecting?”

Julie and Bethany

I said, “Yes, I think that’s a really good idea…but I still don’t want to.”

She said, “Julie, how much would your life change – if you really did ‘joyfully expect’ good things?”

Hmmm…how much would it? I began to realize, if I joyfully expected good things, even if bad things happened, I would just continue to expect God to work it for good. Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere?

I thought I would be changing Africa – but as it ends up – Africa is changing me.

So the 2 things I avoid – high expectations and change – are pretty much the two things I am choosing to embrace at this moment. Church isn’t for us something that happens once a week, it’s something that happens throughout the week as we live in community. That means I see people almost every day that know how God is working in my life. They’ll actually say, “How are those joyful expectations going?”

I can’t get away from it!

So I am choosing to joyfully expect good things – joyfully expecting God to show up and somehow work out all these messes for good. And there are A LOT of messes.  Real relationship with real people is messy...poverty is messy...township life is messy.

So now, when I need to make a decision or choose my attitude, I’ll ask myself, “Julie, what would you do if you were joyfully expecting good things from God?”

He loves to do GOOD things! I know this!  I'm expecting it!

Next time you see me – ask how my “joyful expectations” are going!

Heaven - The Real Deal

She died and went to heaven. Seriously. Actual-real-deal heaven.

Have you ever wanted a small glimpse of the afterlife? Something to make you hold on a little longer? Sometimes even a tiny slice of heaven can make the days not as cold, the nights as dark, and the road not as long.

Mike and Kalyn

Kalyn seems like a regular person. Originally from Oklahoma, she moved here to South Africa with her husband to work with All Nations. We both went to the “Girls Christmas Craft Night” last month, and while I was craftin my fingers to the bone stitching felt birds together, she rocked my world with her story…

Kalyn’s Story:

When I was 16 years old, I was sitting on the hood of my car playing the guitar. A friend of mine hopped in the car, got behind the wheel and started to drive it up a hilly street. As she drove down the hill, the car gained speed. I couldn’t balance, so I planned to throw my guitar off and grab the windshield wipers, but the force from throwing my guitar caused me to flip backwards onto the pavement. I had massive injuries to my head and was rushed to the hospital.

The doctors told my mother I wasn’t going to make it.

I remember physically leaving my body and watching everyone gather around me in the hospital room. I even remember seeing our neighbor boy lie to a nurse, saying he was my fiancée to get into my hospital room. Later, he was shocked I knew he had done that.

After hovering there for some time, I then was with Jesus. I just remember His eyes – looking at me with such love! We didn’t have to speak. He could read my thoughts and I could read His. He is AMAZING! It was so real…all my senses were SO ALIVE. It makes this life we are living now – seem like we’re dead – compared with how REAL and full of life that life is.

Even at our most healthy, fit, vivacious life, it is as if we are not even alive here on earth. THAT is how amazing being in the presence of CHRIST IS. Every cell of your body is vibrant with life. It is brighter than the brightest sun. It is incredible to be in His presence!

I was so filled with joy that all I could do was dance. I danced without stop in the presence of Christ. It gives me joy just remembering. Words truly can't express how it is to be in the presence of Jesus. In the scripture it says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” (I Cor. 13:12).

It is as if we experience His full glory and it is INCREDIBLE!

Some time passed, although I had no concept of time, and I remember Him looking at me. I stopped dancing and He asked me if I wanted to return to earth or go with Him. Of course there is no way anyone would ever want to leave the presence of Jesus. It is as if you are truly alive for the FIRST time. I answered that I wanted to go back to earth. I was shocked that those words came out of my mouth. NO ONE would choose to return to earth after being that full of life. I believe it was the prayers of my mother and friends that caused me to choose to return. After that I woke up from my coma several weeks later.

It was a painful recovery…I still wear a hearing aid and have no sense of smell. In fact, I had to re-teach myself to read. But for years afterward – whenever I would reflect on that time, I could still feel the presence of Jesus. In fact for a long time, whenever I would hear someone had died, I would say… “That’s WONDERFUL! That is GREAT! They are with Jesus – they are having the time of their life!” My mother would have to remind me people were grieving and sad.

In heaven we are more alive than ever in this body on earth. It IS an actual place, and I look forward to being COMPLETELY ALIVE after I have died and left this earth!

Pudding That’s Not Pudding

If you ever hear “Bring your costume and some pudding” in South Africa, you’ll know this is a swimming party with a dessert potluck (that is not likely to include actual pudding, as you know it).

Here are a few “must know” terms for your next trip to South Africa…

Costume (or Cozie) = Swimming Suit (as in “swimming costume”)

Context: Bring your cozie!

Commentary: When I first heard someone say “Bring your costume!” I thought, “Costume? Princess? Pirate? Dinosaur? I don’t have a costume!”

Now Now = sooner than Now

Context: I’ll be there now now.

Commentary: People say this all the time. “Now Now.” From what I’ve been able to gather from several different sources – this is the equivalent of “asap” or “right now.” Of course this is Africa – so it’s not lightning quick or anything – it just means “I’m STARTING to head in that direction.”

 

Pudding = Dessert

Context: Do you want some pudding?

Commentary: Pudding here is the generic term for dessert. Odd. A South African was telling me she had asked an American to bring pudding to a pot luck dinner and she brought with a bowl of chocolate pudding (as I most certainly would have). The confused South African said, “What’s this?” and the American said, “Pudding, of course!” So they served the pudding for pudding!

Force Cup = Plunger

Context: Well…we better go get a force cup.

Commentary: We’ve been in Africa for about a year now – and had to buy our first “force cup” recently. When Karl asked the Pick N Pay (grocery store) employee where to find a plunger – they looked at him like he was crazy – after several hand motions (don’t picture it), they pointed him to the “force cup” section.

Half Past Eleven = 11:30

Context: Meet me for lunch at half past 11.

Commentary: The most exact time gets here is 15 minute increments - “quarter past,” “half past,” or “quarter till”. Saying 11:15 or 11:45 is not common. I asked a friend once, “What if you had an appointment at 9:10 am? How would you say that?” She said, “Why would you have an appointment at 9:10?” Shouldn’t they just make it for quarter past?” Ahh…good point– it seems it’s just us Americans that like to be so precise. How I miss a movie with a show time at 8:25 pm!

Craftin My Fingers to the Nubbins

There are crafty-esque people and not so crafty. Research shows I fall into the definately NOT so crafty category.

However, I stand in admiration of these crafty people (not crafty like Brer Rabbit – but crafty like “I just whipped up amazing winter decorations for every room in our house, while I was knitting matching mitten/scarf sets for orphans and making home-made Christmas cards for all 200 people on our mailing list”).

THOSE crafty people. They are amazing.

I always walk away a little resentful I could not think of any of their amazing craft ideas in a lifetime or find the energy to craft up a single Christmas card. Oh sure, in college I made a few Christmas presents for friends.

I seem to recall an angel ornament made from a variety of noodles – this was the height of my Craft Career and my skills have since been in serious decline.

All told, scrap booking has left me with a few feeble attempts and one half finished book.

Knitting sounds like something I would like to do – but the skill set is beyond my capacity.

Even baking is something I leave to the professionals.

However, I will say here in Africa I am surrounded by some amazing Craftation Women. I even attended a craft night and attempted to make some “Joy to the World” birds. Yes, it’s true.

This is my green "Joy" bird - as in "Joy to the World" - to be hung from a pinecone branch I found outside

For those that know me well, rest assured that I was surprised as anyone to find myself later stringing pop-corn for our tree and hanging an Advent Bunting Calendar. I had not even heard of bunting till last week. Who knew this was the latest fashion? Triangle banner flags hung by string? Do you see how out of touch I have been with the Crafting World?

I even found myself buying some old buttons from an antique store – thinking, "WHITE BUTTONS! These must be useful to someone! Maybe they could be useful to ME!"

So here is the new me – attempting a few Christmas crafts – next thing you know, I’ll be making my own clothes, kneading bread from scratch, and canning tomatoes.

Alright - this idea is swiped from the VERY CRAFTY KATE (Christmas Advent Bunting Calendar) and the paper was donated by my friend Sarah - but I did print the numbers, cut and glue them (my 4 year old should be proud)

Advent Bunting Calendar (mark the day with a paper clipped black arrow)

We put our mini-tree on a table - in hopes of making it feel a little more tall-ish

Little did I know it takes about 2 hours to string pop-corn for a mini sized tree

OK - so I confess I did NOT make these (but I DID hang them with "sticky tack" - THAT is a skill).

OK, OK, I didn't make these either - but I hung them up in an attempted crafty-looking stagger


The white buttons inspired me! I think I'll put this star at the top of our tree (Jensen has been VERY disturbed we have a starless tree).

A few weeks ago Jensen said, "Mom, Santa is NOT going to like this house -there are not very many Christmas decorations."

I hope he appreciates the fact that I have been craftin my fingers to the nubbins!

Besides crafting...see the other cool things we are doing in Africa! See December journal

If you have a favorite Christmas craft, recipe or idea - please comment below!