South African Update #3

Wednesday,  June 25

Woke up to a very chilly morning.  The nights here are around high 40s.  Anyway, today we are headed to Bhekabantu Primary School.  We arrived early and greeted the kids.  We did praise and worship with them, they love to do the hand motions.  After praise and worship, we did a few skits, 1 funny and 2 serious.  After the skits, Billy M. did the evangacube with the kids, and you can see,  just by watching their faces that they are really into it.  After this, he asked them if they would like to accept Christ and there were at least 100 kids that day that came to Christ.  Yeah!

We spent a few hours there and the kids were all awesome.

That night we went back to Bhekabantu School and set up our generator to show the Jesus film in Zulu.  We set up and around 6pm started to show the film.  They were about 250-300 people there, alot of the kids.  Most of them stood for the 2 hour film, since we didn't have that many chairs.   After the film, Richard spoke with the crowd and about 150 more people came to Christ.  We also handed out Bibles in Zulu that night too.

The nights are so dark here, since there isn't electricity for probably 40-50 miles.  When we were breaking down the film and generators, I had people asking for my torch, (my flashlight), so that they wouldn't have to walk the long miles to their homes in the dark.

Most people walk in the dark, with no lights and most don't even have shoes!  Some walk 6-7 miles like this.  

Thursday, June 26

Packed up today, ate and headed for a long drive to our next stop, St. Lucia.  Somehow our rooms at the inn we were staying at got lost, so Craig had to scramble to get us a new place to stay.   Drive not bad, we were really quiet and tired.   Big excitement for today, a few people in our group saw a really big Hippo walking thru town.   I was too lazy to get up and see it, but others really did see one walking across the street.

Friday, June 27

Today we are visiting the Little Bird Creche preschool and a medical clinic.  After driving (everywhere we go takes at least 1 1/2 or 2 hours to get there) thru more bush and safari areas, we arrive at the cutest preschool ever.  These little kids are all in a circle singing and playing little games for us.  They all have their uniforms on and are so young and precious.    After they finish their games, we sing a little for them and then the teachers take us on a tour of the school.  It was really nice compared to some of the other schools we had been to.  This preschool had been built with the help of Umbono.    

After the school, we visited Mpembeni Health Facility, the only medical facility in this area.  There were several women and children waiting to be seen by the nurse (a doctor only visits once a week).  It was pretty clean and the nurses were really nice.  They had TB and AIDS posters up every, plus free condoms in the hallway.   

The AIDS epidemic is the topic of conversation here.  At almost every school or event we went to, there was a song about what AIDS has done to their people and country.  They even get AIDS education in 2nd grade!!!!   But yet there is no talk of abstinence?

Saturday, June 28

Last day here in South Africa.  We pack up again and drive back to Durban.  Our mission trip is officially over.  We are a little sad to be leaving this beautiful country & people but know we must get back to our families here.

We are now prepared for the Durban YMCA and everyone has towels now, so maybe we can take showers tomorrow.  (first night here, we didn't have towels, you have to buy them, so needless to say, we went about 3 days without showers, we looked good!)

Some lasting thoughts

-about 700-800 people came to Christ during the trip!!!! Wow, God is so great.

-saw a little boy around 3 years eating wood chips, metal pieces and anything else of the floor  because he was hungry

-saw an older pastor weep when our team prayed over him and his church

-the grandmother who carried her grandson on her back while she worked in a field (her daughter had died of AIDS)

-the people pushing and shoving their way to the back of our Jeep when we were handing out Bible

-having the women at Pastor Joel's church embrace us immediately upon getting out of our cars, like we had known them our entire lives, some weeping and sobbing 

-see the joy in the children's faces while we sat with them to color, sing, or read a book

-being out in the middle of nowhere and looking up at the sky and seeing so many stars, planets and the milkway and knowing that our Great God designed all that