Yesterday was a travel day. We drove from Johannesburg to the Umbhaba Lodge, near Hazy View, on the edge of the Kruger National Park. I am seated in a cabana at the edge of pond, where early in the morning Nile crocodiles and hippos sometimes appear, just a few feet away from the room where I’m staying. We are here to visit nearby Bushbuckridge, where people come to a Seventh-day Adventist pastor and his wife to die of HIV/AIDS in the Nhlengelo hospice. More on that later.It is a measure of the contrast in this country that while we visitors sleep in beautifully appointed rooms and eat in a fancy restaurant, a few miles down the road are impoverished people waiting to die, and having no one to turn to.
The heroes of this story are Pastor Paul and Martha Mawela (in the middle) known to their community as Papa and Mama. They are the good, Godly people who have devoted their lives to caring for those who have no hope. We'll be visiting their hospice on Wednesday
2 comments:
Your stories are absolutely amazing, Loren!! The little boy in blue pajama's touched my heart. Wow!! So much for a small boy to experience already! And "Papa and Mama's" home must be a piece of heaven!! I can't imagine the lives they have touched and the stories they can tell.
Totally humbling to hear how others are so committed to making a difference in their world!!
Giftie is a sweetheart. It's startling how matter of fact these compassionate caregivers are: it has happened to them so many times that someone they have cared for has died of HIV/AIDS. Fortunately, there is some hope for the children.
Post a Comment