May News

A team from the USA, lead by Krissy from Thembalitsha, visited the school for three days (23-25 April). Lindsay, Brian and Heather were a tremendous support to the Graceland staff. Their programme consisted of spending the morning with the children singing songs, doing fun crafts and playing games. Something very special was when Brian (USA) shared his message with the children in English and Renette (Every Nation's team leader at Graceland) translated his message into Afrikaans so that the children would understand. Afternoons were spent assisting Leon in varnishing the veranda’s wooden beams. Although their time with us was short, their impact was significant. Their love for Jesus and care for the children and staff of Graceland displayed how much Jesus cares for his children, all across the nations.

 The team of students from Every Nation Church in Stellenbosch, who visit Graceland on a weekly basis, have spent the past few Wednesdays reinforcing the theme of colours with the children. They taught the children that the rainbow is in the sky to show that God's promises are true... in other words, that Jesus loves us all. Using different colours of fruit they also taught the children about the 9 fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The children listened well and could name the different colours, as they had been taught by their teachers.

One of our lovely teachers, Angeline, is leaving and her farewell at the Devon Valley Hotel was a time to celebrate the good times that had passed at Graceland and remind each other of God's good plans for us as individuals, but for the community of Devon Valley as a whole. We thank Angeline for her commitment to Graceland over the past four years and wish her all the best for the opportunities which await her.

 Elizabeth and Jeanine visited a pre-school in Franschoek to get some tips and extend Graceland's network with other pre-schools. Anne Pederson is a dynamic teacher and principle, thus we were both able to learn from Anne's experience and tips. Allowing room for change always leads to growth. Graceland has grown tremendously over the past decade under Elizabeth and Thembalitsha's leadership and will continue to grow from strength to strength so that the children of Devon Valley may reap the benefits.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of Graceland's successes during the month of May. We have updated our ‘Needs List’ if you are interested in making a valuable contribution to the running of the school and the education of the precious Graceland children. Contact info@thembalitsha.oeg.za to get hold of a copy.