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Today was LaunchPad graduations. An afternoon full of certificates, photos, snacks and teary goodbyes.
We got feedback forms and kids came up and talked about how the class has impacted them. It was awesome to hear how much they’ve grown over the past couple of months.
So, we’re taking group photos today and saying “cheese” and the kids start yelling “Obama” instead. Um, what?! I was so confused. How do high school kids in Qwa Qwa already know the election results?
I asked my friend David about it. He said it’s was all over the radio this morning, and the election has been the big news for the past month. Makes sense I suppose. So, I asked him why he thought that everyone was so excited.
His answer surprised me. He said it was because they never thought Americans would elect a black president. And that it just shows that racism isn’t as bad as he thought it was. We discussed it for a little bit and then talked about South African politics some [they vote for parties, and the parties pick the candidate--I was trying to understand the process].
Hmm. The whole conversation was really interesting to me. It’s crazy how the election in America can change the worldview of kids here.
done.//
With the warm weather comes a few things…sweat (especially with the lack of AC), bugs and of course, water balloons.
We’ve been bringing them out a lot lately at Hope House, and last week at LaunchPad. I was on the unlucky receiving end (or lucky…it was hot on Wednesday, so I didn’t mind–besides spending the afternoon looking like I’d peed my pants).
Here are a bunch of photos from this week at LaunchPad. We taught lesson 9 of 10, it’s crazy to think it’s just one more week and then graduation! This week was on marriage…
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My friend, David, is our interpreter for LaunchPad. He usually hates photos…but, he looked at this one and said he actually liked it [he gave me permission to put in on facebook, so I assumed that applied to my blog too...]
When he looked at it, he said, “look at us, we’re going to change the world.”
I’m definitely up to the challenge.
Jace and I are teaching Love, Sex & Relationships to our LaunchPad class. It’s been a good 5 weeks, and it’s hard to believe we’re halfway through the book!
With a language barrier (we use an interpreter), I often wonder how much is getting through to the kids, how much they are actually applying to their lives, to their relationships.
Yesterday in class I talked about HIV/AIDS. We went through truths and myths about the disease. One of the myths is one that I’ve heard many times before, but didn’t think people actually believed…you can cure yourself by having sex with a virgin.
During our discussion after class, we asked the kids what they had learned in the class and through their small groups. One of the girls was quick to talk about the myths, she said, “we learned that having sex with a virgin won’t cure AIDS.”
Wow. It kind of blew me away. They are gaining knowledge from the class, they are applying it to their lives. I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to see first hand how myths are being shattered and lies are being dispelled with truth.
I changed my blog to www.katietjarks.com. The wordpress address will still work [but the new one is easier to remember].
I have a new email address…tjarks.katie@gmail.com. [the old one will still work too].
I’m starting to send out more info about when I’ll be home this winter and my plans for the future. If you want to be on the mailing list, send me an email [include your mailing address and email address and I'll add you to both lists.]
I added some new photos from LaunchPad and the recent Hand in Hand conference to my photo albums. Here’s a sampling:
Hand in Hand
LaunchPad
It’s been a busy week. Which is good, I prefer busyness. Here’s a quick recap of the last few days.
Wednesday: LaunchPad again. We had a few less kids from last week, but it was good. I’m horrible with names, particularly ones that I can’t pronounce. But, I’m making an effort to learn them the best I can. Some are easier to remember than others, for example, Happiness January. I think that might be my favorite…
Thursday & Friday: We had a pastor’s conference in Qwa Qwa. I’m always excited for an excuse to wear my shwe-shwe [my African dress]. It went really well. I’ll post more pictures soon.
This weekend has been relaxing [my obsession with scrabble continues...]. However, as the gulf coasts braces for a hurricane, wild fire season has started here with a vengeance. People have been burning fire breaks for the last couple of months, so hopefully all of the preparation paid off. Last night, the horizon was nearly entirely ablaze. Tonight, the air is full of smoke from nearby fires. Excessive wind doesn’t really help the situation. But, hopefully the season will be as light as the winter cold was, and it will pass soon!
LaunchPad classes started this week. On Wednesday Jace and I had nearly 40 kids in our class! They’re excited [and a little nervous] about the curriculum [Love, Sex and Relationships] and the new format.
We introduced ourselves and broke into small groups. We’re excited for this week! A good friend, David, is our translator. It looks like it will be another great term!
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