Jo'burg Journals, Fall 2004

We've been keeping busy these last couple weeks! Seeing more of Jo'burg and more of the projects that Rosebank Union
Church is involved in as well as continuing to volunteer four days a week at the two orphanages. We are growing to love
the kids we're working with, especially at Oasis of Love, the orphanage for ages 0-5, where we spend most of our time.
We were able to take three of the 4 year olds out to the park and for some fries last Friday and it was so fun! The kids
hardly ever leave the home, their routine is exactly the same practically every day, so you can imagine that they were so
excited they didn't know what to do with themselves! Even getting into the car was an event! The kids at Oasis are
desperate for stimulation, especially the younger toddlers who are needing to learn how to sit and stand and walk. Some of
the kids who came from places where they were neglected are obviously developmentally delayed solely because no one
has been around consistently to teach them. For example, three kids were picked up by a social worker and brought to
Oasis a couple weeks ago, a three year old and her twin brother and sister, about 9 months old. The two nine months old
babies will just sit on their own for hours without making a fuss regardless of whether their hungry or need their diapers
changed... it's apparent that they were used to being left alone. But at the home, all the kids are well taken care of, well fed
and dressed, with warm beds to sleep in etc., by the few wonderful staff that work there. All the kids need is constant love
and attention, which we are happy to give!

Thank you for your continued prayers, God is listening! He has time and time again shown his faithfulness to us. It is
amazing to trust God to move when you know that He is all you have. On Sunday we went to church not knowing where
we were going to live or what we were going to drive because we had to leave the place we were staying by Tuesday. (A
car is a necessity for us to get anywhere here as public transportation doesn't exist and it's too much of a sprawling city to
walk anywhere, not to mention, not that safe either). By Monday night we were sorted out with a place to live and a car to
drive for the next two weeks! Yesterday, we moved to a little bachelor suite in the backyard of one of the young adults at
church that we met and we were graciously lent a car temporarily. We are so thankful and relieved that we are living
somewhere safe and will not have to hire a car which would have cost us an arm and a leg! Praise God! We have been well
taken care of by a few people at Rosebank Union who have been our connections to everything we need! We thank God
for them! Please continue to pray for our safety and protection and that we will daily be vessels and examples of Christ's
love to the kids we are with. Also that our energy keeps up with that of the children as the days can seem long when there
are 9 babies crying at once and you only have two arms!

Please email and let us know how you are all doing, you are in our thoughts and prayers! Internet is a scarce commodity
here in Joburg so if we don't reply for a long time it's not for lack of care, just lack of access!

in Christ's love,
Mariko and Chris
(Katt returned home, as planned, on September 20th.)