Katlehong Youths

Yesterday, I visited an orphanage in the township of Katlehong. Every other week I meet with about 12-15 teenagers to discuss life issues. It has been neat to look at the daily issues and challenges of the life through the lens of the Scriptures. These young people have questions that are so intense and honest. I learn so much from them! Yesterday, the topic at hand was fear. Fear, as you know is common within all of our hearts, Christian or not. I began by asking the youth, “what was it that they feared most?” Some of the answers were as follows:

- God
- School

- Dog
- Dying
- Rats
- Heights
- Snakes
- Fighting
- Ugly Person

We had a great laugh at some of these fears. But, nevertheless they were legitimate fears for each of them. For those who said they feared God, I asked what was it about God that they feared? One young girl said that she is afraid that if she does not do what God wants He will punish her, while another girl said, she doesn’t so much fear God but she respects Him. All interesting answers, of course. I went on to share that fear is a natural God-given emotion. And with everything God has given us, He has intended us to use it for His glory. We talked about the two different types of fear; Sinful and Righteous. Simply put, a sinful fear is having a dreadful emotion of something or someone that God has not permitted us to fear. For example, the fear of man, the fear of dying, the fear of circumstances… A righteous fear, or the right kind of fear is a fear that God allows us to have, and that is a fear of Him (1st Samuel 12:24; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13)! This fear is not to be afraid of God, as if He is some arbitrary god who is waiting to zap us whenever we fail to obey. Rather to fear God, is to be in awe of His vastness and power to the point where we revere and honor Him with our lives. This fear of God grants us the desire to pursue Him, not merely out of duty, but more importantly out of delight.
The youth were glad to know that if they belong to God, His perfect love would cast out all fears. (1st John 4:18)

Many of these young people are the product of broken families. After we finished, one young girl shared with me that she was basically ostracized from her family after she was raped. They have blamed her for the rape. Can you imagine the angst that she is experiencing within her heart? Honestly, to say that it’s challenging to talk with these broken children would be an understatement. However, God gives me the grace and strength to minister the truthfulness of His Word. This particular young girl has expressed a love for the Lord and she is fighting hard to love those who are her enemies, even if it’s members of her own family. Please pray for all of these young people. I hope to talk with them in the future about forgiving those who have abused and/or abandoned them.

Children!

Being here at Lambano is a constant reminder that children indeed are a gift from God. The children here at Lambano are so dear and sweet to me. I’ve always said, and I will say again, “I came to love these children, but they have in turn loved me.” What a joy it is for me to be here! Below are some pictures of a few of the children…

Ok, I know that I say I love all the kids and I really do. But, this little girl has a special place in my heart. She is soooo sweet! She came to us and we thought she was negative, sadly she has proven the opposite. She was recently rushed to the hospital because of PCP which is a complicated form of pneumonia that is common with HIV children. PCP can be deadly but thankfully she has been diagnosed at an early age. She is unable to breathe on her own so she is currently on oxygen. I call her my, "dolly wolly polly." Did I mention that she is sooo sweet. I love holding her and singing to her. I really love her so much!!! :)

This little boy has been back with Lambano for a few months now. He has hydroencephalitis which is water on the brain that causes pressure and a stunting of the brain which can eventually lead to death. Because of this he was sent to Lambano to die, he was however, negative, so he was placed in another home (Lambano is a home for positive children). While at this other home, he was left in a crib with minimal stimulation, as a result, he digressed severely. Another American missionary (Barbara) loved and cared for this child, she would not just give up on him. After, having repeated surgeries and a lot of prayers, he is now back with us at Lambano. Now, he is talking and singing, sitting up etc. God is an AMAZING God!! He is now in neuro-physio therapy in order to develop his muscles with hopes of someday being able to walk and have a normal life. I have the daily task of exercising his legs. Because of the tenderness of his legs, he screams and wails whenver I touch him. I became the mean Auntie. But, I think he still loves me, because he always calls me "Anti Tieta" and he lets me hold him. :)

Yesterday morning I went into the "baby house" to greet the children. As I was saying hello, I noticed that this little girl, who is permanently on oxygen for lung failure, was playing with her doll. What struck me was that she tied a piece of pink ribbon around her dolls face which symbolizes that her doll was also on oxygen. This was too cute!

"Children are a gift from the Lord...Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!"

(Psalms 127:3 , 5)

A child goes home to be with her Maker!

On Sunday morning at around 10am one of our babies went home to be with the Lord. This sweet little girl died at 13months. She had TB meningitis on the brain. I had the opportunity to go to the doctor with this little girl a few times. She made slow progress, but during her last days it was clear that her health was deteriorating. Lyn is one of the founders and the executive director. She is also the medical person of Lambano. She is an amazing lady and her love for the children here is evident. She was with the baby until her last breath.

Death is such a common thing here and elsewhere, of course. Within the past 2years I have experienced more deaths of loved ones than ever before. Last night I was thinking about the fact that life is so very temporary. Everything we have is a gift from God and He has all authority and liberty to take away what He has entrusted to us. As I was thinking about this heart throbbing truth, I became quite melancholy. But, I recalled and pondered on the certainties that we do have in this life, especially as Christians. I was reminded that although this life is brief and in constant transition, one thing that does not change is the character of God. He is the only one who will not be taken away from us. He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit and we are forever His. Nothing can separate us from God, not even death. (Romans 8:38) Our parents will die, our children will die, our brothers and sisters will die, our friends will die and we will die. Death is inevitable! But, praise God that for the believer, “death has no sting and the grave has no victory.” (1st Corinthians 15: 54-55) I am clinging to these truths and I am rejoicing in the only relationship that will not be extinguished. My prayer for you and I is that in light of the surpassing greatness of God, we will wholeheartedly live not for ourselves but for the One who died!

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1st Corinthians 15:54-55)

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1: 21


Baby with mother a few
days before her death

Spring Day Outing!

On Saturday, we packed lunched, bicycles and of a course a first aid kit for a day at the park. The heavy winds, the threat of rain and the changing temperature is descriptive of our Spring Day. However, the unpredictable weather did not dampen our moods. We all went out and had a great day at the park. The children had so much fun riding their bikes, eating, and playing with one another.

Response to the 1st Bible Study

Thanks for your prayers regarding the Bible Study. In my opinion it went well. We had about 15 students who showed up, most of which are a part of the “church group” on the campus. During our time together, we prayed, sang songs in Zulu, and shared about why we desired to start a Bible Study. We also asked the students to tell us whether they were Christians by a show of hands. They all raised their hands, and then I asked, “what assurance do they have in their claim to be Christians?” Most of the students in the ‘church group’ did give us biblical reasons for their claim to being Christians. Kenneth, Nafe (Malawians) and my self were quite encouraged by their knowledge of the Scriptures. We are praying that more students will come who lacks the knowledge of the gospel and the Scriptures. We are also in the process of deciding whether or not to divide the study into two groups; those who are a little further in the faith and those who are new or uncertain about the gospel. There are pros and cons for both, but at this point, we are not sure what would be the most effective or beneficial. Please pray for wisdom for us as we make this decision.

Towards the end of the study, we had a Q & A time. This is always my favorite because we get to really hear what’s on the heart of the students. One question that was asked was by a young orphan girl, who we also work with at another orphanage in Katlehong. She asked if she had to go to church, because the church she goes to the pastor always calls them orphans. It seems that she didn’t want to always be reminded that she was an orphan, which is understandable. We answered the question by sharing that God has promised to give special grace to those who were orphans and that there is nothing wrong with being an orphan, in fact God has said that He will be a father to the fatherless. We also encouraged her to talk to her pastor.

In short, although we have questions about the fruition of how God will use us amongst the youth. We are confident that there is a need for the teaching of the Scriptures in this township. We do not know the specifics of what God is doing or when He will choose to work on the hearts of these young students. Nevertheless, we are confident, that God is faithful. His purposes cannot be thwarted, His Word will not return void and His plan and purposes will be established. Please continue to pray for us as we labor for His name and renown.

Bible Study!

After months of planning and praying, today is the day that the 1st Bible Study in Katlehong will begin. For the next months, three Malawians seminary students and myself will do an evangelistic Bible Study with high school students. I am really excited and eager to see how God uses this.I can't wait to learn from them as they learn from me. Please pray that the Lord will bring students who are hungry for the Word. Pray that the Word will go forth in a clear and simple manner. Language is definitley a barrier, so we hope to be as clear as possible in our communication. Pray that the word would penetrate on the hearts of the hearers, in such a way that would lead to repentance and love and devotion to the One True God of the Bible. Thanks for your prayers, Talk to you soon.....:)

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