Sunday, October 21, 2012

Bowy House turns 10!!!

Last week was full of joy as the MCM staff and many community members celebrated Bowy House' 10th birthday.  
There were activities scheduled all throughout the week of 14-19 October which appropriately started with a thanksgiving service at Cortrai Church in Suider (southern) Paarl.  The theme of Cortrai Church for the quarter is all about 'hope' which fits perfectly with the Bowy House vision...love and hope for the Bowy House children and their families. A new video was shared (available soon on YouTube) and Rev Theo Hay spoke about hope to all of us. The Bowy House kids were adorable as they sang and clapped along with our very own Uncle Edward.


When we arrived at Bowy House on Monday, we were greeted by this beautiful banner in front of the house. We had an Open Day scheduled on this day, and individuals from all across the community were invited to join in the fun. 

The birthday spirit was high, and the children enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to Bowy House, led by Aletia Grunding, MCM's CEO.


Balloons were also a big part of the decorations, and after all of the festivities and excitement was over, the guests and children stood in the gardens and released them into the air.  The children could not understand why big people would let go of the balloons! 


On Tuesday, the MCM staff had a chance to celebrate together.  Wearing their new Bowy House 10 year birthday t-shirts, the staff enjoyed a time of singing and worship and a special devotional message followed by a lovely feast and birthday cake, of course.


The remainder of the week included a Schools Project where students and teachers from two primary schools (Cortrai and W.A. Joubert) and two high schools (Paarl Girls High and La Rochelle) came to learn more about Bowy House and to share their love with the children.  We also had an opportunity to invite back some of the children (and their families) who had formerly lived in Bowy House. It was an amazing experience to meet all these former young residents and hear their parents testify about how much they experienced the dedication of the Bowy House staff. They continue to feel blessed by the wonderful care that their children received while living at Bowy House.

Former Bowy House residents

Lastly, members of MCM leadership, Bowy House staff and children organized an outreach to another children's home, Miriam House, located in Mbekweni.  Currently caring for 22 children between the ages of 0-22, Miriam was blessed by our visit, and grateful for the gifts of clothes, food, toys and cleaning products.
MCM is grateful to the many partners who helped us to organize this week's activities, and we look forward to working with you on many more Bowy House projects in the future.

 

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