KRahill

Autumn is starting to ominously drudge its way into life at Komga. Sunrise is no longer at 5am and the days are noticeably shorter. When you are at an altitude of about 1/2 a mile that means cold, crisp morning air that then dissipates as the afternoon sun heats up the climate. The nights as well are beginning to cool as we can no longer sit outside comfortably with a cup of tea gazing at the sky in a t-shirt and shorts. However, the brisk night sky is clearer than anything I have ever seen as sometimes I feel I can reach out and pluck a star into the palm of my hand from the sky. With no central heating, the only way to stay warm is wearing layer upon layer of shirt, short, sweatpants and ... read more

First off, Merry Christmas to everyone! I don't have much time as I leave to start my little holiday trip in less than an hour. The last few days have been quite fun for us here at Open Arms. Father Christmas was a little late coming in last night but thankfully he made it and as the kids ran into Emmanuel Hall for chocolate chip pancakes this morning, all the presents and stockings were there. In addition to the presents provided by Father Christmas, the East London Rotary Club also presented each child with a gift. We gave the Rotary Club a little insight into each child so everyone was really happy with their gifts! Instead of writing all of the children's reactions, I decided to include a bunch of pictures of today's events. We all ... read more

Hello Everyone, I hope Sandy didn’t hurt anyone too bad and that all is well! So far here we have not had any terrible storms but rather rain almost every day. In fact, this morning (Thursday morning when I started writing this blog) as I opened up our kitchen and dining facilities at 5:30 am, the fog was so thick I could barely see in front of me. As I opened up the doors to the dining hall, I literally saw wisps of clouds float into our Emmanuel Hall. I stood there in awe as a little puffy cloud leisurely hovered past me then slowly dissipated into the air. We are quite elevated here at Open Arms and it is quite common to wake up in the morning to walk out your door into the middle ... read more

I feel so much has happened since my last update! First off I now have a new roommate named Uncle Dudley who derives from Phoenix, Arizona. Dudley was superintendent of six Phoenix high schools for 5 years after a very successful career as an assistant superintendent, principle, athletic director and history teacher. He will be my roommate for the next two months as he helps Open Arms develop a plan for home schooling our children. It will be a laborious endeavor as homeschooling about 17 children properly will require much foresight and planning. Personally, I am very happy that Dudley has arrived as its good to have a guy volunteer to hang with during the days. We have already had discussions pertaining to education issues in the United States along with other philosophical tops each night ... read more

Hello everyone, It has been a while since my birthday but there is rarely time in the day to have access to a computer unless I stay up late (which for me is past about 10 pm now). First of all I had a fantastic 23rd birthday! Thanks to everyone who sent me emails or cards in the mail! I will hopefully be able to respond to everyone's emails by the end of this weekend. The day started off normal as I made sure all of my kids got to school. After which I went to East London for the day. Driving to East London from Komga is said to be the most dangerous highway in South Africa which is saying a lot. I will soon be driving there on my own now that I have ... read more