World Missions - A Note From Carla Giger

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Greetings,
What a busy month and a half it has been! We ended the year at Bridgman on a high note. Here are some of the things that we have been up to.

GASA Retreat: The first weekend in November, I took 10 GASA girls to a retreat center outside of Johannesburg. We had a great weekend. Our theme was Beauty, focusing God’s beauty and our own beauty. It was a fun “girly” weekend, with many opportunities to share the gospel in depth.

GASA Premiere: Every year, GASA hosts a premiere, where we invite girls from the community to come check out GASA to see if they would like to be involved. We had a huge turn out, a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing to see the excitement about the program. It also helped us to realize just how far the GASA program has spread within the community. All of the girls who came had heard about the program and some of the things we do. We already have 13 girls signed up and have space for about seven more. Last year, we didn’t have anyone signed up until the program actually started at the beginning of the year.

Aftercare Closing: On November 30 we had a closing party for the aftercare program. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves. We had a small carnival with several little games, like a bucket toss and egg race. We even rented a blow up jumping castle for the kids to play in.

Holiday Bible School: The first week of December was Holiday bible school at Bridgman. This is one of the weeks that we all look forward to. It allows us to really reach out into the community, more than we get to with the aftercare program. We averaged 60 kids per day, with few of them being our own kids from the aftercare program. One day we even had 95, and did as best as we could to cope with our small space. One of the parts I like best about HBS, is the kid’s eagerness and excitement to be there. Malusi and I would arrive at Bridgman at 7:30 to set up to start at nine o’clock, but the kids would see us pull up and come running. It was so much fun, to see that kind of excitement about bible school and a challenge to prepare when you also have to entertain kids. The kids just soaked up everything. I lead the singing station again this year. I love signing with those kids, even when it is raining so hard on the tin roof of the church that you can’t hear yourself! We sang to God anyway.

GASA Closing program: On Saturday, we held the GASA closing program where the girls were awarded their certificates for becoming peer educators for HIV/AIDS. It was a nice day. The girls stood up and gave testimonies about the year, and shared with those who attended what they learned and the activities that we did. It was a time of mixed emotions for me. It was challenging saying goodbye to some of the older girls who I have gotten close to this year, and my Jr. facilitator Nelly (one of the original GASA members), who is going to college next year. But it was also a time of excitement, that these girls finished the program, are stronger now, and have a more positive outlook on life and ways in which they can reach their dreams. Nelly said it best when she was given an opportunity to speak. She said GASA was not just a program about HIV/AIDS but it is a sisterhood. How true she is.

There has been so much going on the last month and a half, and we are continuing to see God move in big ways. We spent some time looking at just all of the ways God has blessed us this year. We were sponsored by one of the “gourmet” grocery stores, with food every week, so we are now able to give the kids a full meal most days and not just a sandwich. The aftercare program went better than it has in many years, and our numbers did not drop off at the end of the year, as much as they have in previous years. We were blessed with some amazing volunteers, and while it is hard to say goodbye to them this year, God has a lot more instore for them. And for the first time ever the GASA program ran a full year, and the girls are excited about coming back next year. We have been so blessed!

As I write this I am preparing to leave for the US, in a couple of hours. A little nervous about the weather, since it is about 85 degrees, my windows are open and I’m enjoying the warmth, but know that is about to end. I’m going to spend Christmas this year with family and friends and look forward to my time at home. For those who I will see, I’ll see you in a few days, and for the rest of you, I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Blessings,
Carla