Lovin' The Kids of Refilwe

They all wanted to touch and play with my hair.

The children of Refilwe are incredible kids. Imagine being bounced around in the foster care system, or being taken from the only parent you've ever known and left in a strange place.

Refilwe godparents have as few as two children in their home, or perhaps as many as 6 or 8 kids in their care. Every single child is fed, cared for, and loved. They are taught values and morals and that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their life.

Not only did I work in the community preschools, but I also got to work alongside the fabulous teachers in the Refilwe preschool. Those women love those little ones, and their care and education is the top priority. The kids arrive at school in the morning and they're fed a yummy breakfast. They spend their morning singing songs, reading stories, doing art projects, playing, and being loved.

After lunch they finish their studies and take a nap. Awww...the perfect afternoon.

The day before I landed in Johannesburg, another young man from Fresno had arrived. Ryan Moore immediately set about to find his place as a volunteer. Everyone has a place at Refilwe. Ryan made plans for a Saturday day camp and by the weekend, the new project was up and running.

This place gets under your skin, and it's difficult to shake its effect on one's heart and life. I know people who visited Refilwe years ago and a huge piece of their heart remains to this day in Johannesburg. 

Giana and 'Neesa

In the last couple of weeks, Giana has decided to return to Refilwe after her holiday home visit. Her financial needs are great, and your support is very much appreciated. 

Send donations to:

Northside Christian Church
Attn: Giana Stoeckel- Africa
2709 East Nees Avenue
Clovis, CA. 93611

Tap Dancing to South Africa

I've written before about being chastised by the church for working in the theatre. I was even denied reconciliation because of my connection to the entertainment genre'.

My theatre family, however, has always been quick to recognize a need and to respond. I could not love and appreciate you more!

When my daughter was missing, it was my actor friends who saw to it that hundreds of "missing child" posters were plastered all over the city. Now Giana will be teaching tap dance lessons to South African orphans–and theatre moms and kids have once again shown their love and support. They are my shoe heroes!

My dear theatre family, you have blown me away with your resourcefulness and generosity. Together, you donated over 40 pair of new and used tap shoes (and another 20+ pair of jazz and ballet shoes).

So, to Lori, Lynn, Melissa, Tina, Sonja, Nadine, Collin, and Joseph, thank you so much for your donation of time, resources, and SHOES! Your kindness reaches to the other side of the world to the hearts and feet of God's kids in South Africa. How cool is that!

You Go, Girl!

The photo I use for my blog banner is the top half of a picture my daughter Giana painted for me. I hope to someday get a portion of the painting tattooed onto my body. But, that's another topic for another time.

The hands in the painting represent me, and the butterflies are my three now grown children. They know I'll always be here for them (thus the open hands), but Tom and I raised them to fly free. Gia chose Africa as the backdrop for the piece because she has flown there now several times, and I was lucky enough to share one of those amazing life-changing trips with her.

I've known for many years that Giana needs to fly. An old adage says, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was." It's hard for a parent to let a baby bird fly away from the nest, but it's what you do when you love the anxious little creatures. Gia was born to fly - and she's been flappin' her wings since she was twelve years old.

Last Sunday Jaco Van Schalkwyk was visiting church from South Africa where he is the Executive Director of Refilwe Community Project, a foster care facility for orphans. I'd heard about Jaco, and was excited to meet him. I told him how my daughter was hoping to one day be part of a long-term volunteer service in Africa. He said, "That's the kind of thing I like to hear."

Well, within three hours Gia was sitting at a table with Jaco and his American hosts. One thing led to another, and bam, Gia is scrambling to get to South Africa. As luck would have it, she already has a trip to Malawi, Africa planned and will be leaving on July 27. It won't take much to get her re-routed to Johannesburg instead of California.

The logistics are still being worked out, and we're not sure just how long she'll be out of the country and off our continent. I KNOW this is where she's supposed to be - at least for now. She's got a heart for the hurting, a love for the indigent, compassion for the lost, and wings to take her where her passions lead.

I'm so proud of the beautiful independent daughter that God entrusted to me. You go, girl!