Christmas at the Beach

    Yesterday I was cleaning my classroom after the lesson that I had given on prayer.  While putting crayons in boxes and cleaning scraps of paper, Homotso came in the room.  He is below grade three, which means he is not in my class.  I could tell that he was lingering around me while I was cleaning.  Usually he likes to help me do things, but I could tell that he had something to say.  Finally after a few minutes of silence he spoke.  “Chelsea”, he followed with a wavering voice, “I love you.”  I was sort of stunned by the words that came out of his mouth.  Tears came to my eyes, because he is a child of few words.  While holding back tears I replied, “Homotso, I love you too.”  Having those words come from his mouth meant the world to me.  Slowly my work is impacting lives in this one small corner of the world.  Another teaspoon of dirt was turned.
    Thanksgiving in Africa was almost as good as Thanksgiving in America, minus a few ingredients.  Many of the dishes needed to be altered or scratched because of the lack of American ingredients here in Africa.  Although it was not quite the same, I still did eat more than I would in America.  Our cooking teams got excited about making the foods we eat at home,  and the dishes seemed to add up.  Our families were missed during the holiday but there was no lack of guests, a team of twenty is pretty large.
    This past week we had a Christmas party for the kids from Ithemba.  We met at a lagoon, where there was food and gifts.  It was great to see the kids out of their normal surroundings feeling as though they were normal kids for once.  I loved being able to run around with them in the water, and see the joy in their faces.  I can see the trust that they are beginning to build with me.  When they arrived at the park they climbed out of the van and so many of them called my name and jumped into my arms.  I am really going to miss them over Christmas, but I am excited for a new school year to start.
    In two short weeks I will be home for Christmas.  I find that really strange because here I am laying out at the beach on any free time I get.  The cold and snow is going to be quite a shock.  I feel like I have been in a constant summer, and I am really liking it!