ikhaya le themba

apologies for the delay in news...what a fabulous, fun filled hectic couple of weeks we have had.

we've had a fantastic time with our last host family in an area called Constantia-it's on the other side of the mountain to Woodstock, so a whole new area of exploring.

we have had such a lovely time, spending our afternoons helping out at a wonderful after school project in a township called imizamo yethu, right by Hout Bay. the project is called ikhaya le themba-meaning home of hope. we have been surrounded by between 30-80 chilren from 2pm ish-6pm ish; playing on the jungle gyms, hulla hooping, skipping, listening to readers, teaching basic cooking skills, art&craft & singing. andy has done a great job at leading a few percussion lessons-which the kids loved!

as we have only been volunteering at ikhaya le themba in the afternoons it has meant we have had plenty of time to explore more of the beautiful area too.....

we have spent time chillaxing on the many white sandy beaches including fish hoek, muizenburg, llandudno, clifton beaches&camps bay, wandering around little shops in kalke bay&simons town, visiting hilarious african penguins at boulders bay.....jam packed.

we've had delicious picnics at rhodes memorial, chapmans peak drive, kirstenbosch gardens. our eyes are still marvelling at the magnificent mountains&beautiful beaches.

all this travelling has been made possible due to some very dear friends......thanks for the green mamba! what a blessing. our bright green car has meant we haven't wasted a moment doing nothing, but spent every moment exploring. it took us a fair few days to realise we had the independece of travelling round in our own vehicle-wuhu.

we had a great time visiting where lui used to live&the office where she volunteered 7 years ago in cape town. sadly, the host family weren't in, which is such a shame, but the memories still flooded back.

when in harare back in october, we met a dear lady who lives in cape town-so we were able to visit her for a cuppa&crustless sandwiches. this was such a special morning, connecting with zim memories&friends.

you won't believe it but we have somehow managed to see U2, not once but twice now.....this last time at green point stadium in cape town, one of the venues built for the world cup. it was another performance we shall never forget-being in a stadium with 80,000 people-wowee.
an added bonus was that our dear PE host family came down for the concert&to see family-this meant we got to see them again which was divine. they also kindly dropped off andy's zim drum which we didn't manage to travel on the bus with.

we're starting to think about home now, as it's not long till we come back.....we finished volunteering today. the children requested andy sing a goodbye solo-absolutely hilarious watching the standing ovation&applause.

as we type this up, mum&dad h are in the air, flying out to meet us for our last 10days. we can't wait to see them&look forward to showing them all the many lovely sights. we're leaving our lovely&generous host parents tomorrow morning&will be staying in b&b's & backpackers with mum&dad h. our first b&b is called luisa house....even spelt lui's way, what a treat!

not sure when we will next get on the internet, so will sign out for now, maybe even until we reach the uk....!

we're very much looking forward to seeing you family and friends again, sharing stories, & catching up on the last 6 months.

we can't describe how much our trip has impacted our lives...we have learnt so much about ourselves & God, & gained different perspectives on life.

we have been blessed in oh so many ways, and have been overwhelmed time and time again. Southern Africa is a such special place & it will remain on our hearts for the rest of our lives,

with lots of lovex