God is faithful. He is able. He is doing so much, even when we don't see it or feel it. That's how I feel about this summer (winter) in Jo-burg. Although I don't understand what is happening at this point, I am praying for clarity to take from this what He wills.
At TWR, I have been getting to know employees more and more and am blessed by their friendships. People come by my "office" to talk, speak words of encouragement, and to pray with me. They have showed me around different areas of Johannesburg and taken me in as "one of them." That has meant so much.
Work-wise, I have been doing much of the same: writing proposals and researching. I was able to visit a charity organisation and talk with them about funding one of our projects, then come back and write a proposal specifically for them. It is exciting knowing that a proposal I wrote could be used to raise funding for a project that will improve people's physical lives and spiritual lives as well. While I could spend time explaining everything I have been doing to you, I think it's better to focus on the few significant things that have happened.
For one, Winfred and I visited St. Frances Care Centre in Boksburg, a place of hope and healing for people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. St. Frances is a nice facility that is well-organised and structured. Many of the South African orphanages, foster homes, and care centres I have visited previously are old, worn down, and run by very few people. The atmosphere is depressing at times. At St. Frances, however, the buildings are newer, there are decorations on the walls, the medical facilities are well-done, and everything is organised. The service so many people - currently, they service over 5,000 people - over 1,000 people receive ARV's (anti-retrovirals) and 140 of those are children. They provide a hospice for those at the terminal stages and counseling for those at all levels. Winfred and I came on behalf of TWR to bring a selection of our Christian programming for the leaders to sample. After they have listened to the programming and approved it, TWR will install speakers into the facilities for patients to listen to. The programming covers anything from HIV/AIDS to Through the Bible instruction to Children's programming. I look forward to hearing how all of this comes together.
During our tour of the centre, my favorite areas were for the children. The first building we visited was for children from ages 3 to 7. Many of them are AIDS orphans, but all of them come from unhealthy family situations, leading them to reside at St. Frances until they are provided with a better situation. During the week, they receive basic schooling and counseling. On the weekends, these children go home with a loving and healthy "foster" family so that they can experience what a healthy home looks like. Later on we visited the babies and toddlers building, where we were greeted by dozens of sweet little ones who smiled, screamed, and ran at us the minute we walked through the door. They wanted us to pick them all up - they tugged at our pant-legs, reached their hands up, and some even cried. Winfred and I couldn't help it; we picked some of them up and just held them. You could tell they were so happy just to be held. The little girl I was holding, although she was small, spoke excellent English (as they are taught in English by the workers). She pointed to parts of my face and asked me, "What's this? What's this?" The nurse worker informed us that 16 of those toddlers were HIV+, only 5 were not. How much I wished that we could stay longer! These children are precious; I thank God that they are in a nice, warm, place where they are loved.
Apart from work, I have been keeping busy as well. Sounds just like me, right? =) Last weekend, a group of us took a trip through Sandton, Soweto, and a fan park at Melrose Arch. We rode the Gautrain ("how-train"), the new above-ground metro in Jo-burg, into Sandton and looked around Nelson Mandela square and the mall at Sandton. Then we rode a taxi into the city center, hopped on another taxi into Soweto, and met up with some friends there who toured us through the area. We saw a lot of historical places: Walter Sisulu square, Nelson Mandela's home, the Hector Pieterson memorial, and the church where Mandela and others met to discuss politics and plan. It was a wonderful experience. We even ate at an authentic African restaurant where we ate meat, pap, chakalaka, and acha. Then in the evening, we went to Melrose Arch and watched the Germany vs. Uruguay game at the Fan Park. There were tons of people and excitement as everyone was rooting for Germany. We were so thrilled when Germany won the match for 3rd place in the World Cup!
Also took a trip to Swaziland with five other people from the Jo-burg office. We visited the TWR office in Manzini, met the staff and toured the transmitter site. It was amazing to see the giant transmitters and learn about how they work and how far they broadcast. Some of the antennas broadcast all the way from Swaziland to unreached areas of the world! I pray that God uses His Word to bear fruit in the lives of people who have never heard. Swaziland is a beautiful country full of rolling mountains covered with African villages. The people are friendly and the food is excellent. There is great need, however; of the small country's population of 1 million, over 1/3 are living with HIV/AIDS. One tenth of the population are orphans, and over half were orphaned from AIDS. Statistics say that over 3/4 of the population is "Christian," but the people need to become empowered to live out God's commands and live. Please pray for the country of Swaziland - for the church leaders and members, for Truth, for salvation, and for AIDS to be stopped.
I have a little over two weeks left here, and I pray that the rest of my time is spent wisely and with discernment. There is so much to be done in Africa, and I just want to be used in some small way for God's kingdom. I pray that He leads me to know what I need to do, where I need to be, and what steps to take in order to get there.
Little girl at the Baptist orphans centre in Tembisa. She and I held hands. =)
Children at the Baptist centre in Tembisa. We sang songs with them and taught them a Bible story.
Open Schools project in Polokwane area.
Eugene teaching the children one of the lessons. Notice how they are under a tree - and the only products needed for class are chalkboards (laying on the rock), workbooks and pencils. In some areas, the class uses an audio component from TWR.
