Music Academy and More Weddings

It's been a very good and busy week! Most of this week for me was spent working to finish the curriculum for this 2009 year for the Music Academy and meeting with people from some of the local schools to talk to them about getting the MMA involved in their schools. The idea was very well received at the Masi Primary School. Monday I'm meeting with the music teacher and possibly headmaster of Christian David, a school near Capricorn. The idea is to start doing some fun, large group music things with the kids at the schools during their long breaks during the school day. From those large groups we could find smaller groups to do the more concentrated lessons like we are doing with the 4 kids in Capricorn. It's definitely exciting to have some of these things come together for the MMA.

This was another weeding weekend for us. Mike and Pam Talley, the Living Hope volunteer coordinators (from Nashville), befriended a couple from Masi and decided to help put a wedding together for them. I was asked to do the music for the wedding and Jeremy and Danielle helped out as well; Jeremy doing video and Danielle helping with several things. It was fun to not only be the musician for the wedding but actually be the "music coordinator" for their wedding. I met with Brian and Blessing earlier in the week to plan out the music and then spent the week getting all that together. The wedding ended up being very nice and it was amazing to find out how so much for the wedding had been donated or given as a gift, including the cake, the rings, the flowers, etc. Its funny how in less than 5 months I've helped in 2 South African weddings and still have one more that I'm doing music for in May. It's been quite fun!

Jeremy has been busy this past week working with the team here from Delaware on the new property that Living Hope acquired, the old False Bay College campus. The plan for that campus is to house the classrooms and offices for Living Way, the economic empowerment branch of LH as well as the volunteer housing and some of ACTS offices. Unfortunately, we (the volunteers) have to move out of the Team House the 1st of February, but the new property won't be ready for us to move into yet, so we'll have to move somewhere else temporarily until it's ready. One more move for us! The new property is coming together well and it will be so exciting once it's all finished.

That's about all for now. My family comes in less than 3 weeks, which is very exciting! Unfortunately, because of the pregnancy, Jennifer and Christian won't be able to come. But that just gives me more reason to come back here and bring them with me next time! It will be fun to share some of what I'm doing here with family.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Have a wonderful week!