A day in the life of a missionary 13:51

We call it C.O.P. Change of Plan.  Today by 13:51 we had a major COP.  Pastor Thwala informed my ministry partner Ginger and I that we were going to paint a house for our friends today.  Of course we had no clue and therefore did not wear our painting clothes.  We rifled through the donation bags until we each found a tee shirt - we could cut the sleeves off of and a pair of pants - we could cut into shorts.

Dressed like silly clowns - we were off.  Greeting us were three of the daughters of the two women who own this house.  The other girls were friends sitting like turtles on Gogo Ginger.

Here is the house of our friends who are orphans.  Though the generous donation of a beautiful Christian family in Florida, the exterior of this house is about to be transformed.

I took a picture of all four sides - this is the lounge.

Pastor Thwala getting the paint can opened.  All the small children were whisked off to play at a neighbors house.  When we painted the interior in October - the babies were in the way and were covered in paint.  Plus, as Zulu mothers do - the girls had a daughter tied to their back.  How would you like to paint with a baby strapped to your back?

This is the front door and the bedroom window of the boys' room.

The third side of the house - second window to the boy's room and a door to the girls room.

Back of the house - Girl's bedroom window and window to the bathroom.  The actually bathroom is that outhouse building on the right.  The small square room  in the house is bare.  There is no running water in this house - thus no bathtub/shower, no sink, no toilet.

Stirring the paint.

The young lady in the green is one of the girls who live in this house - with her two daughters.  In the peach pinafore is their wonderful neighbor Patricia.

Let the painting begin - goodbye, worn out white, hello creamy yellow.

Many hands make lite work.

Gogo Ginger on the ladder.  Pastor supervising. 

Nicely done.

Fortunately, they don't believe in bad luck.

Mr. Rooster walking about the yard.

half the crew on rollers / the other half with brushes.

I wish we had had a roll of tape - rather difficult keeping the yellow out of the brown and the brown out of the yellow.  Impossible to  paint a straight line.

How do you like my cut off?

Rockin the outfit and the paint job.

Huge improvement - Wow that looks awesome!

Nicely done gang

Last bit of touch ups.

The back side didn't get finished - oopppppppps.

nowhere is as beautiful as Ntshongweni, South Africa.  I can drink up this view all day long.

All the supplies must be taken back to the church -which is quite the hike, plus it was a rather hot day.

I thought the boys were washing out the brushes... nope, washing their hands.

Three of the four orphans... Freedom their younger brother popped in for a second and then disappeared - without doing any work.  These three older children worked really hard as did their friends.  Plus a Pastor and two missionaries.

On our way home feeling very humbled to be able to help these teens with the improvement of the house that was left to them when their parents died.

The house looks amazing and God was glorified.