Progress! And a video!

I returned to Alexandria, South Africa this past November for a short trip. I again served at Jehovah Jireh Haven, Kings Garden Preschool and Jehovah Shalom Mission School. I was blessed to go and see all the kids again. Thank you to all who supported me on this trip or did in the past! God is moving in these children's lives and it is a huge blessing to me to be apart of it! Here is a summary of the trip and don''t forget to check out the video at the end!

*At the beginning of the school year, a teenage boy told his teacher from Jehovah Shalom Mission School that he would never see him on stage. During my trip, this same boy was one of the lead singers in a Christmas carol concert at a local church! And, when his school performs the skit to the song “Everything” by Lifehouse, this same boy plays a part in the skit!

*A 5-year-old attending Kings Garden Preschool now has more language and fine motor skills than when I left a year ago!

*Oceans of Mercy is starting a kindergarten class to help better prepare the younger children at JJ for the next years of school!

*Kings Garden Preschool had only 3 children from JJ attending when I was there last year. This year, there are 5 preschoolers from JJ attending! And next year 11 preschoolers from JJ will attend!

*A 14-year-old student at Jehovah Shalom Mission School can now do addition and subtraction with 4 digit numbers! When I was there a year ago, she could hardly do 10+10!

*All the children have grown in their understanding of the love of God and how much they mean to Him. More specifically, those who attend the Kings Garden Preschool or Jehovah Shalom Mission School memorize verses daily and are taught lessons from Gods Word!

*JJ will have its first High School graduate this month! She has worked so hard and in January she will be one of the helpers in the new kindergarten class!

*On my previous trip to SA I struggled a lot with fear, for no specific reason. I asked for prayer and this time I did not experience fear once!

photos for your pleasure

Fear and Peace

In a little less than 13 hours I head back to Alexandria, South Africa! I am super excited and really looking forward to seeing the kids and local South Africans I met before. But along with all this excitement and expectation comes fear. Fear is something I really struggled with on my previous trip, for no particular reason. So I ask that you pray with me that the peace of God would dwell in my heart rather than fear. I really do not want to be overcome with fear and I really want to experience His peace!
I cannot thank everyone enough for their support. The encouragement and feedback I have received has been a huge blessing to me. I pray that because of your blessings to me and His grace in our lives, I can be a blessing to the Jehovah Jireh Haven kids!

just one month

In just one month, I will be landing on the beautiful South African soil! And I will get to see some beautiful faces...like THESE:

and THESE:

AND THESE:

AND TONS MORE FACES!!!!!!!!

Im returning to South Africa!!

Hi Friends!

This blog is all about my previous experiences in South Africa, and this November, I am going back!

In August 2011 I left the United States to serve as a missionary in a land I had never been to: South Africa. I’d always dreamed of working at a children’s home abroad, and this was my opportunity. While I was there, the greatest lesson I learned was in giving as Jesus gave. I was a stranger to the locals, but they showed me hospitality, friendship, and the opportunity to go deeper with God. I came back in December 2011 and since then have tried to reflect an attitude of giving as Jesus gave. Also upon returning to the States, I was unsure if God would lead me to go abroad again. After more thought and prayer, I have continued to have the desire and leading to go abroad, specifically to South Africa to serve through Oceans of Mercy.

So on November 21^st, 2012 I will make my way back to South Africa to serve again. I will be working with the same children’s home, Jehovah Jireh Haven (JJ). I plan to serve at the school I helped start when I was there previously, as well as at the preschool some of the younger children from JJ attend. I am excited for the opportunity to continue to build the relationships I have with the children of JJ as well as the local South Africans. I will be returning on December 1^st, 2012.

I would like to invite you to support me as you feel lead. Most importantly, I need prayer. I am a firm believer that prayer changes the outcome of all situations. Specifically, I would like prayer for myself to have a flexible, loving, and sensitive heart. I would also like prayer for those I will come in contact with. I desire for God to use me as He sees fit during this time to meet the needs of those around me. Secondly, I need financial support. Your donations are tax deductible. A check can be written to Oceans of Mercy with my name in the memo line and sent to Oceans of Mercy at P.O. Box 860143 Shawnee, KS 66286-0143.

Below is a picture of some of the children from Jehovah Jireh Haven getting ready to sing at a Christmas party. A local news station put on the party for the children last year.

                      

Thank you for taking time to read this letter. If you have any questions or would like to hear more about my upcoming trip please feel free to email me at eda989@mail.missouri.edu. You can also read more on this blog to see more about my experiences last year or visit oceansofmercy.com to learn more about Oceans.  Thank you for being a part of my life!

Blessings,

Erica Alexander

Hi Everyone!
I'm not in South Africa, but I wanted to give you an update on how the kids are doing in the new school. I know some of the Americans that went over to be the teachers so I asked them some questions and thought I would share their responses with you. Overall, the kids are growing so much in their understanding! There are great difficulties at times, but God has seen everyone through! Praise Him!
The new school, called Jehovah Shalom Mission School, started in January 2012. They are now in their third term. Jackie is the teacher of the 13-15 year old students and Abby is the teacher of the 8-12 year old students. The students are utilizing the ACE American Home school program.

"What is the greatest improvement you have seen in the kids?"
Jackie:  When I wrote up the reports for Term 2, I almost cried I was so proud at what I saw. They definitely still have struggles but they are working very hard. I had a few of the students start January not knowing how to read (at 12 & 13 years of age), and they are doing so much better now at sounding out words, etc. Most of them did not know how to do simple multiplication but can now count by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6's!
Abby: The greatest improvement I've seen with the kids is in the amount of work they are able to process and complete. At the beginning of the school year 7 of my 8 students couldn't read, process simple addition, and could barely handle any subtraction. Now only 2 of the kids really struggle with reading, most have moved on to not just 4 digit addition and subtraction but also multiplication and I have one starting division in a few weeks. It has helped their confidence a lot that they are able to cope with their work, which in turn helps them to accomplish more!

What has been the greatest difficulty for the kids?
Jackie: I have found that they are not good at asking for help or being vulnerable in general. It makes teaching them challenging when they do not ask for help when they do not understand something. We have been working on that and they are doing better at admitting when they need help instead of just guessing. When they struggle with a new concept (in Math, English, etc.) they tend to get very frustrated and shut down (don't want to work on it at all and don't want my help).
Abby:  I think the greatest difficulty for my kids (ages 8-12) has been behavior. Since all of them have been through so much trauma in their young lives, most of them struggle with self-control, anger, resentment, and discipline. They have improved, however it is still a daily struggle for some of them. I am working out a new approach for one of the youngest ones who likes to throw fits, but usually once the kids calm down, we pray together and then we can talk about why they were so angry, or why they shouldn't say mean things, or why school is important etc... Each one is different and I have to rely fully on God to work through me to make a difference!

 What do you love most when working with the kids?
Abby:  I love everything about working with the kids (even the bad days, because then we get to make the day better together). I mostly enjoy when we can do extra fun activities, such as art, board games or story time. They all are such unique personalities and when you let them just play, they are a hilarious and super fun bunch of kids!

What is still a major need to help support the kids?
Abby:  The biggest need we have currently is more teachers. So far for next year we have 3 full time volunteers committed, and we would prefer to have 6-7. We would also need them to commit for a minimum of a year because the short term coming and going is really difficult for the younger kids (they don't understand when people leave and have a hard time coping with it.) With the extra teachers we would be able to have additional, hands on learning classes such as music, an official art class, baking lessons, sewing lessons and other life skills lessons. People is our biggest need right now.

Abby with some of her students.

Field Day!

Worship time.

This was in June for Jackie's class...

This means they have gotten 100% on 10 of their tests.

First day of school back in January.

Jackie with her class

The desks for the students...they call them "offices"

Merit store shopping...the students earn points throughout the term and then go shopping with those points at the end of the term. They love this time!

A New Beginning

Tomorrow is another new beginning for me. I will start working at Coyote Hill Christian Children's Home as a Therapist and Case Manager. I am excited to love these kids. I'm excited to be a part of a ministry which instills in children their value in Christ. But I'm also nervous to start something new, change is not usually something I am good with. I'm scared I'll do something wrong or not be helpful at all. But I also believe that Christ has brought me to this place and He will see me through. I pray for the wisdom, love, and understanding to do my best. I pray that I can see each child or home parent as the precious child of God that they are, created in His image.

But my heart is also some where else. In SA. I've missed those kids a lot. Before I left SA I never really thought I would really miss the kids. I don't know why but the thought never occurred to me. I miss being able to hug them and hear their laughs. I miss being a part of something that was so life changing for these kids. In just a few weeks 27 of the kids will start attending a new school which will hopefully give them a better shot in this world. And all I can do is praise Him for what He used me for in SA and where He is taking me now. The kids at Coyote Hill need just as much love and attention as the kids in SA. Their emotional needs are very much similar no matter what country. So if you would like, you may join me in this new ministry at Coyote Hill by praying with me for the children, the job, and an increase in understanding, love, and wisdom.