First two weeks

Arrival

I have now been here for two weeks. For some reason it seems as if I have been here longer. The first week I was here was very hard in terms of rest. My body was not adjusting well to the 8 hour time difference. So, I was tired during the day and up at night. Thankfully, to date, my body seems to be adjusting to the time difference. Upon my arrival here I was surprise to see how developed Johannesburg is. I guess I thought I would live in small huts, walk everywhere, fetch my own water and pretty much live in an agrarian society. I blame the media for this misconception. L That of course was not the case. South Africa is one of the most, if not the most developed countries in Africa. They have everything that America has to offer. I haven’t decided whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. But at any rate this is where the Lord has me and I am thankful. The weather here is beautiful, the scenery is amazing and I have been told that there is much more for me to see. I look forward to the creation telling of the glory of God.

The Children

Lambano currently have 29 children from the ages of 18months to 8 years old. They are all a delight. The first couple of days I was here I prayed incessantly that I would remember their unique but difficult to pronounce names. It was hard but after weeks I can say I know all their names. Lambano has 4 different houses that are homes to all 29 children. There is about 22 full time, South African women staff here, so they are always being taken care of. I share the same yard with 7 of the 29 children. I love this! Whenever I leave I am asked in beautiful S. African accent, “Keisha, where are you going?” and when I come back home seven children run up to me and hug me and ask me more questions. This is an awesome feeling. The children here are so happy. They are always smiling and when we pray at night their prayers are filled with Thanksgiving to our God. What a humbling thing to hear how amazingly thankful these children are to God. I came here to have an impact on them but within two weeks of being here they have had an impact on my life that I pray I never forget.
Within the 1st couple of days I was here, I was so consumed with getting to know the children that I forgot they were sick. It wasn’t until the fourth day I was here that it hit me that these children are sick and their estimated life span is brief. How could I have forgotten that these precious children were sick? I repeatedly ask the Lord, how could I have forgotten? I thought, well maybe the Lord didn’t want me to see these children as being sick but instead as His image bearers. They are all so precious in His sight and I am so thankful that I didn’t treat these children with pity or like victims. I have treated them like I would any other child, healthy and well with a promising life. After all, it is biblically accurate to say that the Lord holds each of their hearts in the palm of His hands and He is the one who will have the final say on their life span. In this I rejoice, God is so much bigger than diseases and suffering. I was reading through Matthews’ gospel and I came across the woman with the bad blood who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. God is the Great Physician and if He wills to heal them He most certainly will. But, as for today, we are faithful to love, teach and encourage these children to trust and obey God, to laugh and play and to really live each day as if it truly was their last.

The Township of Katlehong

Katlehong is one of the many townships in Africa. The townships are very impoverished and in desperate need of revitalization. This past week Martha who is employed full time with Lambano has become a dear friend. Last week Martha and I along with a resident of Katlehong traveled into the township with the objective of interviewing the residents to see if they were in need of Lambano’s services. Our service to Katlehong includes providing food parcels for the residents. As you may imagine there are more residents in this township than Lambano can feed. So, we only help homes where the children have been diagnose with HIV/AIDS. The AIDS epidemic has destroyed many families here. We try to help the go go’s (grandmother) who have assumed the role of raising their grand children because of the death of their parent(s). However, this week we interviewed a young girl who was only 22 years old. She lost her mother and her older sister to AIDS. Her sister left 2 children, age 7 and 3. This young 22 year old girl has dropped out of school and is now raising her niece and nephew! Wow! I have so much respect for this young girl, she is so young and not only is she dealing with the grief of losing her loved ones but she is also left with the responsibility of caring for two children who are terminally ill. I cannot disclose her name but please join me in praying for this young lady who has made such a huge sacrifice.
Other services that Lambano provides to Katlehong is to take in children who are dying from this epidemic and give them medicine until they are fit to go back home. These services were provided to the little girl Zincle who was in my brochure. If a HIV child is given medication, their life span is significantly longer than those who are not on medicine. So, being able to provide medicine for these children determines the difference between life and death, literally!

The Crime

Hmmm! So far I haven’t experienced any crime. Thank God! It is dangerous here but thankfully the Lord has kept me safe. I do however, have to be careful when I walk down the streets and am out in public places. But, I try not to live my life in fear of those who are able to kill the body but unable to destroy the soul. I do think criminals are looking for the vulnerable and the fearful. So, I try to act ‘normal’ as if I belong here and am use to the dangers of this place. And again, the Lord has promised that not a hair will fall from my head a part from His will. So, I take great comfort in these TRUTHS! Please do continue to pray for our safety here.