Sheila (SA) - Bethany Home news

Sheila (SA) is enjoying her placement at Bethany Home in Malaysia. She writes:
Although I am still working at Bethany Home, my sleeping accommodation has changed. I now live in one of the Independant Living Houses which is empty at the moment. Next to me are 2 volunteers and on the other side of them are five boys all from Bethany Home. They have been taught to look after themselves. A teacher looks after them through the night. Three of them work at the Lighthouse (vocational training for young adults), the other two at Bethany Home doing various odd jobs,ie maintenance of ground etc. Apart from looking after their own house, cleaning, washing floors,and doing their own personal washing, they also cook tea. Every boy has his own duties. The teacher is their to oversee and make sure boys don't get unruly. These boys are also responsible for cleaning my house each day and washing down the patio because it gets very dirty, like soot which looks terrible when wet.
The first night when they offered, I said, I would do my own cleaning, they were sad. They wanted to clean Auntie's house also. Well! what could I do, so I let them do it. Tonight I will cook tea for everyone, good old fashioned stew and toast. It will be interesting to see their reaction on the flavour, compared to what they have been used to!
I have started painting one of the group homes. The teacher would like a theme of some kind. I have chosen colour blue. I will then paint a rainbow, representing God's House, a tree, representing life, with an Australian outback. The children will then hang their favourite photo of themselves on the branches of the tree. Really exciting challenge.I will then start on my place. Sheila (my adopted name is Shelalah).

(for information about People in Mission, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, Ph 02 8267 4230, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au)