spending time with friends is a source of pure delight for the soul when the relationships have a spiritual foundation and the ways in which time is spent are noble and free of things that are unworthy of our station as a soul.
this sums up how our time in South Africa was recently spent. we returned after a 3 year absence to see friends with whom we developed familial and spiritual bonds. it was pure joy to be reunited.
after mingling with everyone in the two townships where they now live, we took a few of them with us each day so that we could be together in a different environment from which they live. six days later when we relocated to a rented, unoccupied house, we had decided to ask their parents if 5 of them could stay with us for the rest of our holiday. with their parents' approval, we spent the last 9 days of our holiday with this group of young souls who are like our sons.
we lived together, cooked together, ate together, cleaned up together, prayed together, listened to music together, danced together, played games together, went on outings together, and completed a study book together! for our family, and for them, it was a long-awaited dream come true.
a photo display of our holiday this past December/January:
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| we always love to do the water balloon toss with the kids |
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| their first time up in a ferris wheel |
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| running for a pass playing American football with 'Coach' |
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| pyramid on the very windy beach at Camps Bay |
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| brothers |
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| cooking together |
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| mac cheese, fried fish & salad |
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| playground in Greenpoint |
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| roasting marshmallows |
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| brotherly love |
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| Mphati and 'Coach' at Boulder Beach |
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| hangin' out after playing ball..someone always on a cell phone! |
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| Sami & Bintyi on the field in Century City |
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| best of friends.. |
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| hanging out at the ice skating rink |
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| Linda singing 'I'm Building Me a Home' in Malmesbury |
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| everyone loves Coach |
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| Dyami showing his card trick at the V&A Waterfront food court |
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| such a beautiful day at Boulder Beach by the penguins |
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| working on a rap together in English and Xhosa |
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| in front of the Christmas tree at the V&A Waterfront |
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| unity in diversity :) |
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| playing Pictionary |
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| rotating sleeping together..on the floor |
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| intensive studying book 1 |
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| exhausted and smushed in our small rental car together (all 7 of them) |
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| recreating the pose that most of us did together 3 years ago |
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| true brotherhood |
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| very happy to be together at the Abedian home |
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| carrying the washing machine to the outside basin to rinse out the water |
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| at a movie theater to watch Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom together |
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| playing American football on the Sea Point promenade |
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| last day together |
moments like these are eternal imprints on our souls. we will discover the patterns we've woven in our hearts with each other in the worlds beyond. there is nothing that matters more to me in this life than establishing spiritual bonds of friendship. praise be to God for these moments..
spending time with friends is a source of pure delight for the soul when the relationships have a spiritual foundation and the ways in which time is spent are noble and free of things that are unworthy of our station as a soul.
You guys are such a blessing to our world. What joy it brings for me to see how you enrich these kids lives and they enrich yours. For all of eternity you will be together.
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