Thankful

I'm thankful for so many things! One of the things I'm thankful for is the pure joy I often see in both people and animals. I love watching my second graders as they play at recess and sing in class. I also love watching my dog, Tosca, as she runs and plays with the other dogs at the dog park. I loved seeing the joyful smiles on the faces of the African children I visited as we tried to communicate with each other. And I loved watching two herds of elephants splashing around in a large watering hole at Pilanesberg National Park.

One of the members of our mission team made a short video of some of the elephants. We stood spellbound for about twenty minutes as we watched the elephants rolling around in the water and playing with each other. I'm thankful God allowed us a peek at these gigantic creatures in their natural habitat.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Saturday in South Africa

As I write this, it's early Saturday morning in South Africa. In a few hours the cemeteries in many of the black townships will be crowded with mourners burying their loved ones (most are AIDS-related deaths). If it's Saturday in South Africa, then it's Funeral Day. Before I went to South Africa I was told that many in the townships spend two or three Saturdays every month attending funerals because so many people are dying of AIDS. But when we actually drove through one of the cemeteries on a Saturday morning and saw numerous funerals already in progress and others setting up, and then we saw several busloads of people drive into the cemetery, it became more real to me the staggering number of people that are dying from this disease.




On another day we drove through Avalon Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Soweto. As we drove through this huge cemetery, we were focused on the many grave markers extending as far as we could see. So many of them indicated young people in their early twentys; there was also a large space reserved for children. And there were rows and rows of empty graves, already dug and waiting to be filled the following Saturday.




A common sight in the townships is advertisements for funeral parlors. Visiting the cemeteries and thinking about death was not a fun part of the trip, but I think it was an important part because it helped put a face on the AIDS pandemic in Africa for me. Along with interacting and holding children suffering from AIDS and listening to the stories of adults affected by the disease, the cemetery visit was a reminder that thousands of people are dying every day. It's a reminder that we need to do all we can to help. I'm so thankful that my church, as well as many other organizations, is trying to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer from AIDS and show them the love of Jesus.

Lebone Educare Center - South Africa

We spent a good part of our time working at the Lebone Educare Center in the township of Botshebelo, near the city of Bloemfontein. This daycare/preschool has a staff of 9 very hardworking, dedicated women who care for and feed about 100 children from the ages of 6 months to 5 years five days each week. All of the children have been affected by the AIDS epidemic; many have lost one or both parents to the disease and live with grandmas or other relatives. Some of the children have also been diagnosed with AIDS and receive medication at the center. But many of the children are healthy and enjoy playing, learning, and teasing each other - just like children here in the U.S.





The children receive two meals each day: a porridge in the morning and pap (made from corn) with fresh vegetables from the garden and occasionally a little meat for lunch. Sometimes they also receive a piece of bread or fruit just before they leave in the afternoon. It's hard to believe, but for some of the children that is the only food they eat during the day. When they left on Friday we were told that some children would not eat again until they arrived back the following Monday. There is just no food available in some of the poor homes, so the families are grateful the children can attend the center both to learn and to eat. I can't imagine going without food for a whole weekend! (I feel both guilty and grateful for all I have.)






After eating each child stacks his/her bowl and washes hands and face on individual towels hung on a rack. Then comes rest time.





They also have bathroom breaks throughout the day. The bathroom routine is begun with a chant: "Follow, follow, follow the leader" as they line up and walk outside: boys to a circle of rocks and girls to a series of colorful chamber pots. (The outhouses are only used by adults.) Each does his/her business and then returns inside. One of the projects our church is working on is adding inside bathrooms in the new addition to the building. Hopefully it will be finished next year.




My partner and I spent part of our time organizing a picture database of all the children. We took individual photographs of each child and matched them up with names and birthdates. I also spent a lot of time helping to care for the children. Other members of our team spent time painting the new office, reception area, and storage room. Still others were in charge of various construction aspects: laying out the areas for the new addition, repairing cracks in floors, putting together shelves and building a new desk for the director of the center. We worked hard and accomplished a lot. And I gained a deeper understanding of how hard the caregivers and cooks work. We ended our time at at Lebone by giving a party (braai) for the workers to show our appreciation to them. There was plenty of food, fellowship, and music!






I am so glad I could go and actually see and help out at the care center. I feel like I have new friends in Botshabelo and hope I can return to help again sometime. Unfortunately, the Sunday after we left a strong wind and hailstorm collapsed the original building at the care center (the building to the right). Thankfully the new building sustained very little damage, but now all 100 children need to fit in that single building (very crowded and noisy). That makes the addition even more urgent as it will double the space.




Before we left I wanted to purchase something for them to use at the center. The carpet the 2-3 year olds sit on was old and dusty, so I bought a new carpet and we set it up before we left on Sunday. One little boy was already using it after he fell asleep during the church service!



I have many memories and images in my mind of my time at Lebone. I'll end this posting with one of my favorites: friendship.

Pilanesberg National Park - South Africa

We arrived in Grand Rapids about 1:15 p.m. this past Friday, tired after being awake for over 40 hours and happy to be home! Now comes the adjustment back to "normal" life. The difference in time change is only part of the adjustment; more difficult is reconciling the difference in lifestyle and "comforts" back here with those in the South African communities where we spent time. I am so thankful that I could be part of this trip; God used us and taught us as well. It was an awesome experience! It's going to take some time for me to process all that I've experienced, but I did want to post a blog entry and begin sharing, so I thought I'd start with the easiest - our visit to Pilanesberg National Park. We spent the last day and a half at this beautiful game park, both to experience God's wonderful creation and also to begin to process our experiences before returning home.

Pilanesberg National Park is about 3 hours northwest of Johannesburg. We first went on an early morning (5:30-8:00) ranger led game drive and spent the rest of the day driving through the park in our vans, looking for animals. We saw three lions, two were finishing off a wildebeest they had killed the night before. Several hungry jackals were waiting nearby for the lions to finish their meal. We also saw quite a few impala, wildebeest, zebra, hippos (in the water), and warthogs, as well as an ostrich. Other than the lions, the most exciting thing we saw was two separate herds of elephants enjoying a late morning bathing time in one of the lakes. There were over twenty elephants rolling around in the water, having a wonderful time! I found out that elephants can go totally under water! We watched them for quite a while. Several of us took an early morning (4:30!!) four hour ranger-led walk on our final day. We saw two more lions right by the edge of the road at sunrise. One of the lions was only about 10 feet away from me - he was absolutely beautiful! (We were still in the jeeps, not out walking yet.) It was such a wonderful feeling to walk through this landscape and listen to the birds in the early morning. We ended our walk by observing a mother white rhino feeding with her baby. And on our drive back to camp we saw more giraffes and elephants! I was amazed at both the beauty and gracefulness of the animals (except for the warthog!) and also the way everything works together. A number of birds feed on parasites of the larger mammals and certain birds also warn other animals of approaching danger. It was also interesting to see how many of the animals in the park have adapted. They were not afraid of the jeeps or cars; they're used to those (at certain distances). But when we were out walking the animals felt much more threatened. A wildebeest way off in the distance saw us and ran farther away.

Here are a few pictures taken at Pilanesberg National Park:

News from South Africa

We arrived safely in South Africa last Saturday morning after a long flight - with an aisle seat!! :) We spent some time in Soweto which was very interesting before heading down to Botshebelo to work at the Lebone Daycare Center. I've met some wonderful people and spent time with all the children at the center. I can't wait to post some pictures when I return. I think the most important thing this trip has done for me so far is to put a face to the AIDS epidemic. I held a little child who is sick with AIDS and hasn't had the medication she needs since July. It's been a very moving experience. It's also been a lot of fun. I taught 2-3 year olds the song "This is the Day." Monday morning I'm going to visit a second grade class at a school in Soweto. Thanks for all your prayers - please continue! Love to all!