Ntwanano

We heard this young woman recite at Sabbath School today, and were so impressed with her poise and confidence. Her name is Ntwanano, and she's 16 years old.

Please remember that this is a place of grinding poverty. Which makes her accomplishments all the more impressive.

She told us that her dream is to go to medical school and become a gynecologist.

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.

Kruger National Park

Tomorrow we're going into the game park, to see the animals. Lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, ostriches, hyenas, giraffes, impalas, zebras, wildebeast--all the African animals.

I'm still not sure whether I'll have any internet access for the next couple of days.

On Sunday, we go to an Adventist hospital in the nation of Lesotho, a landlocked country entirely within the Republic of South Africa. It has an official AIDS rate of 34% of the population, though public health officials estimate it at over 40%. It is hard to imagine.

Mpisane Public School

This is Mpisane School.

Mpisane School has 420 students.

They are served by 12 teachers.

What were we complaining about at our school, again?

And another

The woman in the middle is Elsie. She is the mother of three small children.

Elsie has breast cancer. There is no discussion of treatment. When asked, the caregivers simply say, "She will die." "What about her husband?" I asked. "She has a man, but I don't know where he is." "What will happen when she dies?" "There's a 'granny' who will care for her," Audrey said, "but that can't last for long."

While were there, Zelena and Audrey bathed the emerging sores on her right breast, and put some salve on it. That's all they can do.

I asked Elsie (through a translator) "How do you feel when your caregivers come?" "So happy!" she said. She laughed softly. "They come to see me, and I'm happy."

Another story

Today I visited Themba Ngwenya's house.Themba is 12 years old. He has six brothers and sisters. We picked Themba up at school so he could show us his house. No one else was home.

About two months ago, Themba's father murdered his mother with a knife. No one knows why, for sure. What they do know is that shortly afterwards, Themba went looking for his dad. He found him. He had hanged himself from a tree near the house.

This family has no relatives. Social workers moved the seven children into a neighborhood where they thought the neighbors would be tolerant, and possibly helpful. The "parent" of the family is the 16 year old sister, although everyone works.

The astonishing thing is that these children are surviving. The house, such as it is, is relatively clean. They're getting some government help. But the biggest help are the Nhlengelo caregivers. "We visit them. We help them with transportation and solving problems with the government. We give them hugs," said Zelema. There's not much else they can do. The caregivers themselves aren't rich. But as you see here, Zelena loves Themba, and vice versa.

Themba is simply stunned. He doesn't meet your eyes, but he does answer questions. There is no response to a hug. But I am so impressed that this family is getting by.

The danger, helped by the Nhlengelo caregivers, is that they will be taken advantage of. The girls are especially vulnerable.

Just one story—more tomorrow

A group of us went to visit what is euphemistically called a child-headed home near Nhlengelo. Here's the story—and its not unusual.

Both parents of this family of 8 children died of aids just a few years ago. The children had a granny and a few other relatives nearby, but so many had HIV/AIDS, and all were so desperately poor, that no one would (or could) take them in. They moved as squatters into a shack with no door.

Here's another common part of the story: a man moved in with them, saying he would protect them. These were all children, none older than 14. He did not protect them, of course. He raped one of the girls, leaving her pregnant.

When the Mawelas found them, they were barely surviving. This family, though, had one thing going for it: the parents had government ID's. Mrs. Mawela went with them to the government office, and helped them qualify for a small house and a tiny food stipend.

Today they live in this tiny two room house. Several of the siblings have left (I didn't ask…) but with two extra children, there are seven in the house. Without Nhlengelo, this picture could be much, much worse.

I talked with Farence, the young man in the picture, and his sister Joyce (the one who was raped) at their house. They are lovely young people, struggling every day just to find food. Farence is in the tenth grade, and is the head of the home. He is thoughtful and polite—the kind of young person every parent would love his or her child to grow up to be. He studies hard, hoping he will someday qualify to go to college.

I hope he succeeds.