Skukuza

I don’t have internet access here, so today I’m literally “phoning it in”: one of our leaders has a cell phone connection that will allow me to post a text message via a friend in the United States, but no pictures.

On Friday, our group entered the Kruger National Park in our coach. Kruger is a vast section of the low veldt in northeastern South Africa, set aside to protect South Africa’s wild animals. The number and accessibility of them is astonishing. In not many miles of driving, and staying only on the main road (you are prohibited, of course, from leaving your vehicle between the fenced oases) we saw impala, wildebeest, hippos, rhinos, many giraffes and elephants, buffalo, monkeys and baboons, zebras, hyenas, lions, and a few less well-known herbivores whose names I don’t remember. (A few from our group went out for another short trip, and saw a leopard.) Several of our group members are avid bird watchers, and one, Larry Blackmer, is equipped with the most amazing huge telephoto lens on his camera, that can focus on distant critters and bring them in close, and doesn’t even have to be set on a tripod to do it! I saved myself the trouble of taking mediocre pictures of animals with my tiny camera, on the promise that Larry would share his with the rest of us. (Larry also kindly shared his binoculars with me, for which I am very grateful.)

This morning we went to the Dwarsloop Seventh-day Adventist Church. One of our group members, Ray Hartwell of the Pennsylvania conference, preached a marvelous sermon, followed by a baptism in an outdoor baptistry. This is the church that was started by Pastor and Mrs. Mawela, after their Nhlengelo Center for the care of HIV/AIDS patients opened the doors for them in the town. There were quite a number of people there, including the caregivers, many of whom are not Seventh-day Adventists, but who are deeply committed to the Mawela’s ministry. The Nhlengelo Center has become almost a church itself, and for good reason: these people of various faiths are doing the work of Jesus together.

When I get back to Johannesburg, I will share a video with you that tells the fascinating story of how the Mawelas began this work. These people have character and leadership, and miracles happen where they are.

Tomorrow we return to Johannesburg in preparation for one more trip, this time to the Adventist Hospital to the Kingdom of Lesotho, where over 40% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS.