GO Group #54 - Katie, John, Amybeth, Susan, and Carrie - a motley crue!
Katie and Amybeth in Dulles airport enjoying our last meal before heading off to South Africa....mmmm sushi!
GO Group #54 ladies - Carrie, Susan, Amybeth, and Katie
front view of the South African Airways Airbus 340-600 which took us from DC to Johannesburg
....this was a HUGE plane!
Airbus 340-600 South African Airways
one row of seats on the airplane
John, and the back of Carrie
plane is starting to fill up - we did have an incredibly full flight
part of the welcome from our Mamelodi friends once we arrived in Johannesburg
dancing in the Johannesburg airport
GO Mamelodi!
Shelby and Amybeth at the Kopanong Hotel in Johannesburg
in front of the Apartheid Museum - one of the pillars
in front of the Apartheid Museum
Mandela quote in front of the Apartheid Museum
in front of the Apartheid Museum - reconciliation pillar
in front of the Apartheid Museum - equality and reconciliation pillars
panoramic view of Johannesburg
Pilanesberg National Park
John is all set for our safari ride at Pilanesberg National Park
our game driver, Umbu
a "pumba" (warthog) in Pilanesberg National Park
warthog in Pilanesberg National Park
colorful bird eating a large bug in Pilanesberg National Park
cool rock formation in Pilanesberg National Park
kudu (African deer) in Pilanesberg National Park
red heartbeast in Pilanesberg National Park
giraffe in Pilanesberg National Park - we were the only group to see this giraffe!
giraffe in Pilanesberg National Park
rhinos in Pilanesberg National Park
impala in Pilanesberg National Park
springbuck in Pilanesberg National Park
zebra in Pilanesberg National Park - looking right at us
zebra in Pilanesberg National Park
more springbuck in Pilanesberg National Park
more rhinos in Pilanesberg National Park
rhino closeup in Pilanesberg National Park
wildebeast in Pilanesberg National Park
hippos (you can barely see them) in Pilanesberg National Park
hippo stood up
hippos in Pilanesberg National Park
hippo bottom :)
Amybeth at a rest stop in Pilanesberg National Park
Mamelodi informal settlement area (shantytown)
Sunday lunch at Charity and Faith Mission Church - 11/23
Charity and Faith - school building
class rules in the school
Charity and Faith - orphanage; can house up to 16 orphans
one of the little orphan girls - 6 years old
Charity and Faith - hospice
11/23 Sunday night - host families; Wisdom, Sarah, and Johanna
11/23 Sunday night - host families; Sarah's daughter, Wisdom
11/23 Sunday night - host families; Sarah, Wisdom, and Johanna
Katie, Johanna, and Amybeth
Phillip - native South African who now lives in Cincinnati, helping out with the gardening team
my awesome lavender gardening team! Colin, Kermit, and Amy (others not in the picture)
Howhalo working the pickaxe (while we stand around and watch!?)
Kermit getting into the groove
Sana, the woman who owned the home where we made our first garden, talking to Athalia, one of our Charity and Faith volunteers
Sana and Athalia
Kermit, Amy, Alexia, Colin, and Karla
neighborhood ladies watching us garden
our first garden!
Amybeth, Athatlia, Karla
Amybeth w/ a pickaxe
Amybeth waiting to swing the pickaxe
Andrea (hoe-master) :)
James - one of our Charity and Faith volunteers
Howhalo
Howhalo, Amybeth, Andrea
most of our lavender team - back row: Amybeth, Karla, Howhalo, James, Andrea; front row: Athalia, Amy, Kermit, Alexia
11/24: home visits - some of the neighborhood children
some of the local neighborhood children in our gardening area
Colin working the shovel
homeowner helping out with the garden
children helping water the garden
Amy showing children how to plant the spinach plants
Colin, Amybeth, Mel (Charity and Faith volunteer), and Amy with homeowner and kids around their new garden
Amy shoveling, with Nelson, one of the local boys who helped us out all week
Nelson, local neighborhood boy who became our unofficial "foreman" for building our gardens
brother comforting baby sister
William, local neighborhood boy
"Mama" - she knows how to swing a pickaxe!
Pastor Titus
Pastor Titus introducing Ambassador Eric Bost
US Ambassador to South Africa, Eric Bost
one of the big gardens we planted for a homeowner who was already growing some plants
"macho axe-off" - I don't know who won this contest!
"chick axe-off" between Shelley and Amybeth
Amybeth with little neighborhood baby boy
some of the neighborhood children who watched us all week
Some of the children who helped us out: Bafana (Charity and Faith volunteer) - blue shirt, Stephanie - red shirt, Nelson - yellow shirt, Shelley - white shirt, and Oman - black shirt
Bafana (Charity and Faith volunteer) - blue shirt, Stephanie - red shirt, Nelson - yellow shirt, Shelley - white shirt, and Oman - black shirt
Amybeth with two neighborhood girls - Andrea was giving out balloons
two boys trying to create static electricity with their balloons
11/26: Sundowns game - pre-game crowds
Sundowns game - Cincinnati crowd
Mamelodi Sundowns (yellow jerseys) vs. Orlando Pirates (black jerseys)
Mamelodi Sundowns
Athalia and Amybeth
most of the yellow jerseys here are the Cincinnati folks
2nd group of Cincinnati and Charity and Faith Sundowns fans
Amybeth and Athalia at the Sundowns game
Amybeth with some of the neighborhood children
pretty flower growing in one of the gardens
one of our gardens - the water bottles are like make-shift "aqua-globes" that automatically water the garden
Our one big "oops" - a busted water pipe in one of the yards. Thankfully, Roy saved the day and fixed it!
busted water pipe
Chicken coop - complete with eggs!
Chicken coop
local men doing contract work on one of the homes in the neighborhood
children waiting for bags of peanuts
some of the local neighborhood boys
some of the local neighborhood children
some of the local boys who helped us garen
Andrea brought bright pink nail polish and painted both fingers and toes
some of the local children
local neighborhood children
our last day of gardening - prayer circle with the children
our whole lavender gardening team - back row: Howhalo, Amybeth, Andrea, Colin, Karla, Athalia, Alexia, Roy; kneeling: Amy, Kermit. Go lavender!
Charity and Faith Mission Church
boys on the wall at the baptism service
Katie, Shelley, and Colin watching the baptisms with some of the local kids
Amybeth - getting ready to be (re)baptized!
Athalia - what a sweetheart!
Amybeth in the baptism pool
Athalia getting ready to baptize Amybeth
Yay! :)
Athalia's mom, Amybeth, and Athalia
Athalia's mom, Amybeth, Athalia, and John - John and Amybeth were baptized!
Amybeth and Colin - both got baptized in South Africa!
