Prayers...

I probably wouldn’t normally do two blogs in 24 hours, but I had to write this down now before it becomes the norm…

Tonight I decided to go over to the childrens’ home across the courtyard for evening prayers…I’m not religious, but I probably will end up being by the time this year is over. It was amazing…

When I arrived they were all chatting away and watching a programme on one of those big old fuzzy TV’s that makes everything look the same colour! Some of the younger ones were sleeping on the floor, whilst others were trying to sing to the lyrics of various old songs I had on my phone which they had been playing with earlier today. I had scribbled them down on paper for them, and they had miraculously not been destroyed in some way shape or form…(unlike the spinny toy I mentioned in my last post)…it turns out SHAWTY means Poo in Xhosa, so they found that quite hilarious whilst trying to sing to Iyaz’s ‘Replay’…

…anyways…they’re similar to the ones they sing in the morning before school, but half way through they all chanted their own individual prayers out loud, and the whole room was awoken by a chorus of whispers in Xhosa…AMAZING!!!

One of the little ones at the front who had been woken up for the event was wandering around and swaying whilst rubbing her eyes trying to keep awake, whilst one of the older children behind her attempted to hold her up and keep her in line! Adorable :’) The prayers ended with the children snaking around the room, shaking everyone’s hands in the traditional South African fashion which is a combination of three handshakes…our ‘normal’ handshake, followed by linking the thumbs and gripping the other persons hand, and the normal handshake again…it stands for Love, Hope and Friendship (or something…will check!)

But yeah…an amazing experience, and I will probably do it as often as I can throughout the year. The children had been asking me all day to come along, and I could tell how much it meant to them, me joining them!

Whilst praying, we had 6 new faces sitting in the corner observing...6 new admissions to the Thembelihle Home of Safety...although it is sad, i'm looking forward to inviting them into what is now also my new home...