Traveling. Our trip will start at Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Indiana. We will fly out of Indianapolis to Atlanta, Georgia, then to Johannesburg, South Africa. It is about a four hour drive from Johannesburg to where we will be staying. Throughout the week we will make trips to and from the Care Point in Njojane. And at the end of the trip, we will travel HOME! Of course, international flights are expensive and jack up the costs of the trip.
Transporting the goods. Connection Pointe is a partner community with Njojane, which means that more than 150 families in Brownsburg sponsor kids half way around the world. (More about child sponsorship and One Child Matters here.) Half of our luggage will be packed full of things that we can leave behind for the sponsor kids, and the kids that do not yet have sponsors. Some of these items will be inflatable soccer balls, sticker books, playing cards, puzzles, school supplies, blankets, and craft supplies. We are trying to leave as many things behind with them as we can without it being overwhelming or leaving too many new things that would put them at risk for people trying to steal from them. My parents sponsor a kiddo named Ncedile, and I will actually get to meet the little one! This is one of the moments I look forward to most.
Other expenses. The cost of the trip also includes boring things like living accommodations, travel insurances, and food. (Although I hear some of the food should be pretty interesting.)
Translators. Some of the kids and Care Pointe workers may speak broken English, but the primary language in Swaziland is Siswati. The translators will make it possible for us to communicate and interact with the kids while we are there. This is a key component of our trip as we will be trying to encourage them, give them hope, and share the curriculum we have been preparing for the kids at the Care Pointe. Our message themes are:
- God made me.
- God loves me.
- God wants to be my friend forever.
Crafts. Each child will get a shirt that they can put their handprints on to make a heart like this:
Then we will help the kids draw a cross in the middle of the heart. We hope that this reminds them of the message of God made me (and hands!), God loves me (the heart!), and God wants to be my friend forever (the cross is a symbol of his love and how we can be with Him forever!). I know, it's adorable. I am envisioning this being a chaotic and fun craft time with multiple languages, kids of all different ages, paint on hands, markers, etc. :)
I have also encountered some other preparation expenses in addition to the $3,200, which include passport and passport photo, Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines, and culture-appropriate clothing. Traveling out of the country is expensive!
Here's where I'm at:
Some people have already helped me with the costs, and I cannot thank you enough (You might have a little Swazi souvenir coming your way)! If you haven't contributed yet and would like to help me cover the costs of this trip, providing a little light and hope for these kids, your impact will be greater than you know. You can donate here: http://cpccweb.org/globalgiving.
