God's Community

Feb 25, 2012

Hi, everyone! I miss you all very much and I’m praying for each of you constantly. My time here in Africa is slowly decreasing. But my love for it is rapidly increasing! This week has been very exciting and joyful.

First, on Wednesday morning, the 4 and 5 year olds that I have been working with performed the story of Jesus Feeding the 5,000 at the 8:30 am chapel. We had an unexpected surprise when Ntebeleng and I arrived. The boy, Miguel, who was supposed to play Jesus, was nowhere to be found. We discovered that on Tuesday night he suffered a severe asthma attack and had to be hospitalized. This threw everything into mayhem, and the first ten minutes Mma Beauty and I were trying to find someone else to play Jesus in Miguel’s place. After we tried at least five boys who either got cold feet and would not say the lines, or got too silly and kept mixing up the lines, we finally got a boy named Faith who could do it without much difficulty. However, as we all processed into the church a car rolled into the Daycare and out popped Miguel! So we quickly took the costume off Faith and dressed Miguel and he stepped into his role as Jesus immediately. In the beginning Mma Mudereri led the school in the Botswana anthem and then some worship songs and then proceeded to tell the rest of the school about the story we’d been working on. After she was finished the children and Mma Beauty along with Mma Garonne set up the scene; Ntebeleng and I had baked fish sticks and bought 5 loaves of bread the day before and we put it in a basket (I know ,and the children know, that there were 12 baskets but for the moment we only had one!) It was amazing to watch the children slip into their places with no difficulty and they all knew what to do as well as had their lines completely memorized! Miguel was loud and clear and there was no child that misbehaved. When the performance was finished they sang “Jesus Loves Me” and then they sang the song “God is so good”! I must say I was impressed with the graceful way these children portrayed this wonderful story and like I’ve said before, children really are our best teachers! Theirs truly is the kingdom of heaven! Mma Mudereri was extremely pleased with the whole performance and after watching what the children did she came up to me and put me in charge of directing the 5 and 6 year olds who are going to do the whole Passion play! I will be helping Mma Goncee who’s the teacher of the 5 and 6 year olds and I’m EXTREMELY excited for another opportunity to put my theatre skills into practice! At the moment we are rewriting the script and beginning to block it, and I love every minute of it.

My second exciting event happened last Sunday when I visited St. Michael’s in Mogodishante, which is actually where my supervisor, Father James Amanze, is pastor. I was invited by a young woman named Tshegofatso Bogacu whom I met at the Diocan Link Committee in January. She wanted me to come and get involved with the young adults there, and she said that after she heard me speak in the committee meeting she thought that I would be a great influence on the youth and be able to encourage them. She came and picked me up at around 9:30 since it takes us 30 min and she wanted to be there in time for the 10:00 service. It's not like the service was actually going to start at 10:00, but none the less. We had a good time on the way, just getting to know each other. I loved the little place the moment I laid eyes on it. It is a small church, beautiful with wooden pews and a large fan in the center of the ceiling. We entered the room filled with people dressed in brilliant colors chattering about various sorts of things in Setswana. Tshegofatso and I sat up in the front where some of the young women were already sitting. I greeted them all and introduced myself in Setswana which they appreciated. Well, as I expected, the service did not start at 10 but more towards 10:30 but I was not bothered by this nor did it seem like anybody else was for that matter. When the service finally did begin, the Deacon announced that Father James Amanze was unable to attend today and so we would just have to start without him. The service is celebrated exactly the way we have it in the states but it’s all spoken and sung in Setswana, which to me is so beautiful that it almost makes me cry when I hear it. I managed to understand a lot of the things that were either being sung or said, and the things I did not understand Tshegofatso would quietly tell me. I learned several new hymns but one of them that we sang has become one of my favorites. It goes like this: AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! It says: There are no problems and nothing to fear because our God is here. BEAUTIFUL!!

After the service, the youth group gathered for their weekly meeting to discuss their plans and upcoming events. They include college age students as well as younger ones. Tshegofatso introduced me to the rather large group who warmly welcomed me into their circle. I told them about myself and that I have always had a love for Africa since I was very small child, my passion to empower the disabled for missions, and that my second major is Theatre and Communications. The fact that I was studying theatre excited the group greatly and immediately they wanted to know if I would be willing to help them with their skits and mini dramas that they do in the spring around April and May. They perform as a Fundraiser for their mission work . They make it a rule that they don’t do any fundraising of any sort during the 40 days of Lent, which I really honor. I told them that I would be delighted to help out with their plays in every way I could. I did tell them my need to continue learning Setswana and they said they would be happy to help me, and they also want to work at helping get the disabled more involved in the church and society. I was pleased to hear that they were going to participate in the Fundraiser walk for Cheshire as I also was. Everywhere I go I feel like God is expanding my community of people to work with. Tshegofatso and I have become friends and we will work together with the youth as well as do other things together.
Speaking of Cheshire, I met with Raa Mabasa on Tuesday afternoon to discuss my theologizing project that I would like to do there at Cheshire. I want to work with scripture and help these workers and the disabled themselves understand what it says, and mostly what it does NOT say about why people are disabled. Raa Mabasa thought this would be a wonderful idea, since even though many of them are Christians, the culture, even in the church, sometimes believes that people are disabled because they, or their parents have done something wrong. The staff and even some of the parents of the disabled children will get involved with that study as well. He said that he has seen how the disabled are really rejected here because they seem to be evidence that someone has done evil, and so families often keep them kept shut away. Since they are seen as cursed, or as proof that the families are, they are embarrassed to take them out. Families will deliberately keep them hidden in order to avoid being blamed for the child’s deformity. He felt that doing something like a Bible study on God's love for the sick and disabled would be something so wonderful and he even agreed that we should get the St. Michael’s youth involved too, since they’ve been there and helped with the children before. We will discuss in more detail about how to do this on next Tuesday. We probably will begin this in early April. He believes that we should start getting some media attention on the problems of the disabled because of the wrong ideas people have about the cause of disability, and he said that even though he has been an advocate for the physically/ mentally impaired it’s not as effective as someone like me would be because he himself is not disabled. He wants me to speak myself and say why I can trust God and know his love in the midst of disability. So we will get that started up soon as well. THIS WAS WONDERUL!!!

On Friday I got a call from an Indian Doctor at the Princess Marina Hospital, who wanted to meet with me that afternoon. So Ntebeleng and I drove over there after our time at St. Peter’s and talked with Dr. Gureja for an hour about the needs of the disabled. He told me that Dr. Moffat, whom I’ve mentioned before, told him about me and that he would like me to talk to the staff that take care of wheelchair-bound patients and encourage them to rethink how they view these people. He said, "If they see you and your art, and hear about your love of God as well as all the things you can do for yourself, it will help them see that disability doesn’t define a human being." So amazingly, I have come to Africa to be asked by an Indian to talk about disability, such a small world this is! I will speak to them in late April.

It is so amazing all the opportunities God has given me to share my testimony and to just try to show Jesus - He is the one who really can bring people closer to Himself, but he is willing to use us when we are willing to be used. I am so grateful.
That is all for now. Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda

He shines brighter with every lesson learned

Feb 19, 2012

Dumalang, my friends! Otsogile Jang? I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the coming of spring. I’ve heard that you all in Missouri had a couple of inches of snow last week. I’m very happy for you all but I have to admit that I did feel a little bit jealous that I could not be there with you to celebrate the snow! It’s been very hot here and on some days it gets to the point where it is very uncomfortable. I try to keep drinking water and other fluids to keep me from becoming dehydrated which does help a lot but sitting in your own sweat is not the most pleasant feeling in the world, I must admit.

This last week has been full of blessings, valuable lessons, and some cultural adjustments. First, cultural adjustments. I’m not someone whose ever had experience with hired domestic help, certainly not in a different culture and country. Ntebeleng and I were becoming very close, and I really liked having her as a friend and companion. But I was not careful to remember that she is still my paid assistant, who is here for a job and not my best friend. I started buying stuff for her that I thought she needed, helped her pay her phone time, let her use my phone when she no longer had any minutes, took her to lunch so we could practice my Setswana etc. It started getting to the point where she depended on me for a lot of financial help, and I started feeling that she was taking advantage of me. She didn’t want t do the housework we had agreed for her to do, etc. I think that for me to have kept on saying that she was my friend wasn’t helping either. Our definition of friends is very different in our two cultures. When I started backing away from her and becoming more direct with her about asking me for things, the tension between us started to increase. It got to the point where I needed to talk to Mma Evelyn, the one who brought Ntebeleng to work for me to help me figure out a way to settle the situation before it got totally out of hand!

On Wednesday, Mma Evelyn sat us both down and listened to both sides of the story. Then Evelyn explained to us that in each culture the definition of friendship is different. She also helped us see that it is not wise to borrow each other’s things such as using each other’s phones, buying things that aren’t necessary, as if she was not a paid helper. We are friendly, but not exactly "friends." Talking it out really was helpful for both of us and I feel like my relationship with her is much better now that we came to an understanding of what is appropriate. Thank the Lord!! This situation was very discouraging to me at the time because I felt like I was the one at fault, and that I really failed to be careful and aware of the situation at hand. I began to doubt myself a bit and then I became distressed that I was not as culturally aware as I thought I really should have been. I just really had not understood, and neither had Ntebeleng. The night before Mma Evelyn came; I talked to the Lord about this and He really did help me see that this is a complex cultural issue and it is NOT necessarily a failure. I made the commitment that night that no matter what happened at the meeting the next day I was going to continue to love Ntebeleng and be her friend no matter what, and move forward. I felt that once I did that I was more prepared to listen in the meeting and open myself up to making things right again for both of us. I think Ntebeleng had felt badly, too, because she thought it was rude to refuse what I offered, even though she was glad to have the things, but she knew she ought to repay it and couldn‘t. I didn’t know how she felt and she had no idea how I felt. In the end, it was wonderful and both of us have a fresh understanding. There is a way to be friends, and yet employer/employee, but it has to be clear. Now it is! Thank you Evelyn!

Now for the blessings. I have the most fun and wonderful service project ever at St. Peter’s Daycare. I absolutely LOVE working with the children there. They are really poor, disadvantaged kids whose families cannot care for them. Either a parent has died or both have, so they need a place to be in the daytime. AIDS is still a huge problem here. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have been going there. This week I read the story of the Feeding the 5,000 from my Setswana Bible to them. They seemed to really understand the story and are able to tell me about how "Jesus shared the food he had with others" and that he was teaching his disciples to "share what they had"! They see that Jesus can do anything, and that when we follow him we can take part in his way of life too. This week we have been acting out the story, which is hilarious, and overall we have been making good progress. Beauty and I wrote out the lines last Friday and distributed them to the children. The little boy playing Jesus is named Miguel and is 5 years old. He is a very bright young man and has pretty much memorized his lines in just a few days. We keep changing the disciple who asks Jesus to send the people, because the little boy, Faith, who was originally supposed to say the lines often gets nervous and freezes and then doesn’t say the lines. We got a girl to do the part and she was very good and we really did not have to tell her what to say! Last Friday we put the children in their costumes which excited them greatly and they all squealed with delight as they took turns trying on their costumes. One little girl in particular whose name is Monkogogi, and is about 4 years old, was just adorable as Mma Beauty helped her into her white cloth dressing gown. She kept twirling around and around as she was being put in the dress and then would giggle with joy. We are going to perform the short play this coming Wednesday the 22nd at the 8:30 am chapel. I’m really getting close to these children.

Mma Mudereri had the parents over on Friday for their monthly meeting and she had me come along so that the parents could meet me. Mma Mudereri introduced me to the crowd and told them that I was a student from the USA studying here in Botswana until July. She explained to them that I was teaching the children about Jesus and telling them the stories about his love and kindness and that the children were beginning to understand Jesus’ love for them because of what I was able to show them. Mma Mudereri also said how much she and the staff appreciated having me there and that it was important to them that the children see someone like me and understand that just because I’m disabled does NOT mean that I cannot do things for myself and can teach them things just like any other able bodied teacher. The parents seemed to appreciate this and they broke into applause once Mma Mudereri was finished. What a blessing to be able to teach others and broaden their horizons.

Another blessing this last week was that I was asked by a lady named Pam, whom I met at the Cathedral the Sunday before, to come and speak on Valentine’s Day to the Thuto School just outside Gaborone where she works. She said she’d been watching me for the last 2 Sundays and was so impressed with all that I did and my confident attitude and thought that it would be great if I could speak to the children at her school and encourage them. I was honored by this invitation and opportunity to witness and of course I said yes. So on Valentine’s Day Ntebeleng and I headed to the school and we were greeted by a crowd of children from the ages of 5 up to 12 all wearing reds, whites, and pink for Valentine’s Day. They were gathered in the court yard where they were going to have a presentation. Each class took turns doing various skits, songs, and poems for the special day. It is bigger here than it is in the USA! After all of them were finished it was my turn to speak to the crowd. I introduced myself and told them where I was from and what I was doing in Botswana. Then I told them that I was born without arms or legs and that it was no accident and how much I could do for myself. I even showed them how I draw, brush my hair, hold a toothbrush, and how I washed my face. And since it was Valentine’s Day I stressed the part about how God loves each of us just the way we are and that we are made in his image. They seemed to really understand this and even repeated back to me the part about how we are all made in HIS image. Then I told them what my interests are, what I like to do in my free time, etc… After I finished speaking the principle told the students that if "Miss Minda can do this degree in college and draw, teach and preach as well as do so much else for herself than there is no reason why you cannot use the gifts God gave to you. I don’t ever want to hear any more excuses about why an assignment isn’t finished or why you did not get your homework done. From now on all of you are without excuse!" I think that I encouraged the staff as well.

After I was finished, the principal and the teachers presented me with a gift of 480 pula! I was not expecting this and I almost cried when they presented it to me. Once the assembly was over the teachers distributed candy to all the children and sent them to their classes. Ntebeleng and I went to have a talk with Pam and Mma Maria-the woman who started Thuto School. She, Mma Maria, told us that the school was started in her home a few years ago and that this large building was just opened the first semester of this school year! She has also started the Thuto Primary School which is just a few kilometers away from this school. She told me that when she started the school in her home she and her husband had very little money, a big dream, and never failing faith. So see how good God is - everywhere and all the time?!

Now for the valuable lessons. God has really blessed me this last week with a lot of good experiences that will remain with me forever. First, He really helped me understand that cultural misunderstandings really are not easy to avoid and they will happen. This doesn’t mean that it is failure when I don’t understand something and that I JUST HAVE TO LEARN what works and doesn’t.

Second, I used to not like children because they made me feel so self-conscious of my body because of their curiosity. I have really discovered through this service project a love for them that I haven’t ever fully known, or for that matter wanted to admit. But in this last month of working with them and nourishing them I have had so much fun. This is a wonderful feeling for me because I’m able to give them hope and encourage them to follow God, and then to the dreams he shows them. Maybe one day I’ll be able to adopt my own children and love and care for them, but for now I love my work with these children and they give me a lot of hope. I have been reminded of one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament in Matthew 19:14 when the disciples are discouraging the children away from Jesus, and his simple reply : "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

My third and final one for the moment is this. God has helped me see that I’m a teacher; I know not the kind that teaches math, science, literature, etc… I’m a different kind of teacher who encourages people to offer to God who they are, as they are, and to see themselves as God’s gift, and then to offer to the world what they have; a teacher who helps others see and appreciate differences, and one that gives hope!

As I close this I would like to leave one prayer request which has to do with language. I’m doing fine in it, but as I’m moving onto level 2 there are things that are becoming a bit more complicated, such as telling our taxi drivers where to take us, and being able to describe some things around me. I keep getting some words mixed up. I love it, but it is sometimes so confusing! Please pray that I don’t get frustrated with myself too much with this. It is easier to be patient with others than with myself!

Love you all. Sala Sentle!
Minda

Blessings!!!!

Feb 10, 2012

Dumalang my amazing friends! Otsogile Jang? It is rather cool Thursday evening and it’s hard for me to believe that another week has gone by. I’m beginning to see how true it is when my friends who have completed their semester abroad tell me how fast it really does go! And it REALLY DOES! WOW! This has been a week full of excitement and DARLING little children!
I started my service project at St. Peters Daycare on Monday and it has been very successful so far, and so much fun. I will be working there Monday, Wednesday, and occasionally Friday. On the first day Ntebeleng and I arrived at the Daycare at around 10:00 am, right as the children were finishing up their mid-morning snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cups of milk. I’m going to be working mostly with the 4 to 6 year olds retelling the stories of Jesus. Their teacher, whose name is Beauty, is originally from Zimbabwe but now lives in Botswana. She is 43 years old and has a 19 year old son still in Zimbabwe finishing school. She began working with the children of St. Peter’s in the fall of 2009 shortly after her husband died. She loves working with children and her patience is like a never ending fountain. The children love and respect her as much as they do Mma Gladys Mudereri. Garonne, the 23 year old assistant teacher to Beauty, has just finished school a few years ago herself.

Anyway, I entered her classroom and her curious little pupils never took their eyes off me. They all greeted me with a polite “hello, Auntie Minda.’’ Immediately I got out of my chair and walked around the room to show them the way I “rolled” without my chair. The children just squealed with delightful fascination. Then they started taking my arms and feet touching, hugging, and tickling them and then bursting into laughter. It’s so much fun to watch how easily entertained little children are at the least interesting things! After I finally got them settled down, I had Beauty pull out the chalk board so that I could show the children how I held a pencil, or in this case, the chalk in between my chin and arm. Each time I wrote my name or drew a picture the room was filled with the great roar of applause and the kids crying out “Well done, Auntie Minda!” Later on I read them the story of the ‘’Feeding the 5,000’’ in English and Garonne helped me retell what I said in Setswana. We made them count the five loaves, two fish, and the twelve disciples. This went over very well and the children seemed to enjoy listening and they seemed to really understand the whole point of the story. I asked them what they thought was so cool about the story and they said because Jesus showed his disciples how to share with others what they had. I have a strong feeling that teaching such a responsive group is going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to everything God will do through this experience. He has already opened my eyes to the fact that I really do enjoy children more than I usually like to admit.


My helper Ntebeleng was taking pictures like crazy and the kids loved it. They would strike dramatic poses each time she pulled out the camera and if they didn’t see it they would ask her why she wasn’t taking a picture and when she was going to take more photos. When this happened she would always take the camera back out and the children would immediately go ballistic!

When the morning activities were finished, the children went to wash up and get ready for their lunch. Each class lined up and took turn going into the dining hall. Since there is no table that is a good height for me in the dining hall, Ntebeleng and I eat our food with Gladys in her office. This is a lot of fun because it gives us time to rest and talk without the children hanging all over us. We enjoy talking about the future plans for the Daycare, activities for the children, and exciting new events. Speaking of exciting things happening, the staff has agreed to take the older children of St. Peters on a field trip to the Cheshire community of the disabled!!!! The staff agreed with me and Gladys that the children need such an experience like this and it’s important for the children to see a different sort of suffering. They said that even though some of the children at St. Peters are orphans they are NOT hidden the way a child who is handicapped is. The teachers also said that the kids need to understand that even though someone is physically/ mentally handicapped it does NOT mean that they can do nothing. On the 13th we are going to discuss some possible dates to take the kids up there for the visit.

On Tuesday Ntebeleng took me to see her village, located about 45 minutes outside of Gaborone. It’s a small village and Ntebeleng’s house is not very big either for that matter. It’s a brick house with 4 tiny bedrooms; a small living room with 2 old couches and a battered coffee table. The kitchen, located in the very back of the house is the largest room in that little building. Outside to the left side of the house there is the outhouse and a small garden where Ntebeleng grows beans, vegetables, and pumpkins for her and her family to sell later on. Her stove is very small and it runs on gas. There is no electricity in the house and it’s very hot! I do believe that her whole house would easily fit right into our apartment!
I was a little overwhelmed at how much poverty many people here live in. Not only does she live in this house but so does her 21 year old daughter Hellene, her 18 month old granddaughter Natasha, her 30 year old sister Ono, and her 18 year old brother. She has another sister who is going to a computer school so her 2 children also stay at the house. Right now Ntebeleng is the breadwinner of the family, but her daughter and sister are trying to find jobs. Ntebeleng took me around the village where I met her friends- most of them were her age or a little older, came face to face with some live goats, a group of muscular cows, and a large rooster, and got to practice my Setswana a lot. The dusty road made pushing the wheelchair difficult and sometimes I felt bad for Ntebeleng trying to get through that rough way. But she told me that it was good exercise for her and that it was no problem for her to push me. After she said this I felt better. We stopped at a Truck Stop in the middle of the village and we talked to an elderly lady, the owner of the stop, she was very interested in me and that I was going to college. She was very impressed with my ability to introduce myself and tell who I am in Setswana. She was impressed that I could pick up a glass of water by myself and eat without a lot of help either! She told me so many disabled in Botswana cannot do a lot for themselves and that it was amazing that I was able to do so much for myself. This marks about the 400th time I’ve been told this within the first month of being here! Of course, that is because no one expects them to do much, and that needs to change!

When we were done with our tour we headed back to Ntebeleng’s house to make lunch for everyone. I helped Ntebeleng and her sister Ono boil white rice and then Ntebeleng showed me how to stew chicken. First she cleaned off the chicken and then placed it in a pot full of water and set it to a boil. Next she cut up garlic and onions on a small old stained cutting board and dumped them into the cooking pot. After this she proceeded to put in 3 spoons of Olive Oil, 5 tablespoons of curry, and 3 teaspoons of a barbeque beef base. Once she has done this she lets it all simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally from time to time. Soon it was ready to serve; Ntebeleng got out the dishes and silverware from under the sink and I spooned out the rice onto each plate and then she would come in with the chicken and gravy. We served the children first and they all sat huddled on the floor closed together eating their meal, babbling to each other. It was too hot for Ntebeleng and I to eat in the house so we went outside and sat on the porch. It was earlier afternoon and had cooled down a bit. We sat there eating our lunch watching the children play around with each other. Shortly after we ate we headed back to the flat. I kissed the children good bye and shook hands with Ntebeleng’s sisters and daughter and told them how nice it was to have met them. It was a lovely day!

Wednesday and Friday I was back at St. Peter’s from 10am-3pm. I love working with these kids because they are a smart group and they are so much fun to be around. On Wednesday I reread the 5,000 story and they all REMEMBERED it!! In fact they were telling ME the story!! Then I had them draw with their crayons what they thought Jesus feeding the crowd would look like. It was amazing what the kids came up with and they had so much fun with the colors. Some would draw a large Jesus with a small stack of loaves and great big fish- not always two! Other kids got carried away with drawing the crowds! I LOVED watching how much fun they had colouring. When it was time to put the children down for their afternoon naps I went and tried to help. Let’s just say that wasn’t the best idea. One the children kept getting up and wanting to play with me or would just try to sit up on their mats and watch me move around. Needless to say they did not get much in the way of sleep and reassured the teachers I won’t be around during the nap hour anymore. On Friday I had Mma Mudereri photocopy a picture of Jesus feeding the crowd from a children Bible coloring book I brought from the states. It’s one of those pictures where you’re supposed to connect the dots in order to form the image. I was AMAZED at how the children easily connected the dot and watch them get so excited with watching the picture being created- THEY WERE CREATING!!!! When the children were taking their naps that afternoon Mma Beauty and I pinned the original drawings and the line drawing side by side. Beauty would later hang them on the wall once the children woke up. I also helped her grade the work and she was very impressed with the way I wrote! I suggested that we draw out for the children some baskets, loaves of bread, and fish and on each of them have the kids only color 2 fish or 12 baskets. This would help them with their counting ability. Gladys and Beauty really liked this idea so I drew out several baskets, loaves, and fish, each on separate piece of paper for Gladys to photocopy. As they watched me draw they were in awe and said you are teaching the children and US how much you can do and give. I told them that I was blessed at this opportunity that God gave me to serve and witness here. Gladys told me that they are the blessed ones and that I really do give my heart in everything I do. But you see, the real witness is that Jesus can make every life beautiful. I think if nothing else, people will begin to believe that God has been good to me, that I am not cursed, and that neither are the disabled among them. That is what I pray for all the time. It isn't really about me, but I seem to be an example of what God wants for them, and so it is okay to be the center of everyone's attention.

It is Sunday now - and Sandy and I just came from a four hour Sunday morning service at the Cathedral! No one here thinks anything about long worship times!

Baka Moreno, mowa we me le tsotlhe tse di mo teng ga me, bakang Liena la gagwe le le boishepo. Dipesalome 103:1

Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Psalm 103:1

Sala Sentle!
Minda

He shines in Everyone!!!!!!

Feb 1, 2012
Dumalang! Well, my dear friends, I have officially been in Botswana for now for three weeks, and it seems like only yesterday I got off the plane and settled into the flat! It’s even more difficult to believe that by next Friday (Feb 13th) I will have completed my first month of my 6 months study here in Africa! Can any of you believe this? I sure cannot. But this last week has been a quite an amazing one I must say!

On Monday, Sandy got all of her hair put into tiny braids-African style. She has wanted to do this for a while now. The hair dresser who did the braids, Ruth actually is from Zimbabwe. She makes a living by doing hair in Botswana. It was a lot of fun to see how detailed each step was! First Sandy and Ruth went and bought brown and grayish-gold hair extensions to match Sandy’s own hair. Then they separated out the strands of browns and grays in two separate piles. The top of Sandy’s hair was put in large clips while the bottom half was being done. Ruth began the braiding at the very bottom of the head and worked her way to the sides and then eventually to the top part of the head. It was so much fun to watch how Ruth’s delicate fingers weaved and worked through Sandy’s hair for 4 ½ hours. There was such a quiet gentleness about Ruth that it was restful to watch her. Watching this process reminds me of when I was a small child sitting next to my oldest sister Becky for hours and watching my mom braid extensions into her (Becky’s) hair!

On Tuesday Ntebeleng and I went to the St. Peters Day Care, which is run by the Anglican Church in Botswana for children affected by AIDS. Some of them are orphans. We talked about what I would be doing for my service project. Gladys Mudereri is in charge of the Day Care and also the wife of a priest in the Diocese. She and I got along very well from the very first second we met, and from the moment I saw her I liked her immediately! We arrived at 9:30 am and Gladys took us into the dining hall where the children were finishing up their breakfast of milk and porridge. When Ntebeleng and I entered the room, the sea of little shining black and brown eyes was fixed on me. None of these darling children had EVER in their lives seen anybody like me! Gladys introduced us, and told them that I will be working with them and doing a lot of activities with them. When Gladys told the children to say, “Hello Miss Minda,” the kids responded with a rather quiet “Hello” that revealed their surprised curiosity.

After we’d been introduced, Gladys took us out to show us around while the children finished breakfast. There is a large court yard in the center of the building. Then each classroom is aligned one right after the other. Each room is very nice and large with PLENTY of room for the children to move around and play. In each classroom there are pictures of fruit or animals and objects that have the Setswana name on the top right of the picture and then the English name on the bottom left side. In the front of every classroom there is a large black board where the teachers write out the lessons. Behind the center there is a small garden where the vegetables are grown and eventually eaten.

When the tour was finished, we went to Gladys’ office, which is located in the back of the building, so we could talk more about my service project - this included some tea and delicious biscuits. I brought all the materials that I’d gathered at home, such as a booklet about the stories of Jesus and his miracles. Gladys was delighted when I suggested that I could retell the kids the Jesus stories and have them illustrate some of the stories and as well act them out! She thought that would be a wonderful idea because it would help some of the children really develop a clear understanding of God’s love for each of them and also help them with their English learning and communication skills. This is very important for them because they have to be able to understand English to go to regular school. They all speak Setswana, but in class they have to learn English because that is the official language. So they will teach me the stories in Setswana after I teach them in English! She and I read over some of the stories including Jesus calming the storm, walking on water, healing the sick, raising the dead, turning water into wine, etc… and eventually settled on the ‘’Feeding of the 5,000’’ as the first story to tell act out. Gladys told me that this is a good one to start out with, because she and the other teachers have been helping the children learn the importance of sharing with others and not always being the ones to receive. I will start my project next Monday, and we are going to use real bread and fish sticks! I have a feeling that it is going to be a lot of fun as well as interesting. I was already falling in LOVE with this place the minute the gate opened and our taxi drove in.
During our talk I also mentioned that the older children who come for after school care could retell the stories and illustrate them, writing a little bit about themselves and then bring the stories together and make a booklet in both Setswana and English that St. Peter’s could then sell in order to support the Daycare! Gladys liked that idea as well, and thinks we should do something like this starting next month. I am sure we could sell some in the US as well as in Botswana for other children to read.

Mid-morning, while the children were still in school Gladys, Ntebeleng, and I went out to see the Cheshire Center. It is a community that takes care of mentally and physically disabled men, women, and children throughout Botswana. Gladys had wanted to do this for quite a while now and this particular day she could finally accomplish another task on her to-do-list! It is only a few miles away from St. Peter’s, so we figured we could go to Cheshire and then be back at the Day Care right in time for lunch. I was so stoked to go, that I could hardly sit still in my seat for the ride. We were warmly greeted by the director who excitedly gave us a tour of the place. Sandy had actually told him about me before I arrived in Botswana. I met with the staff, the caregivers, those who are in charge of the funds, cooks, laundresses, and the beautiful children. I got to hold several of the children who were severely disabled that they really could not move themselves at all. They were so precious, and I could see God’s face shining through each of them. One little girl whose name was Kaleboga, could not move her legs at all and her hands were twisted in a way so that she could not easily grasp anything very easily. Even her neck was limp, and her head lolled from side to side. She could not have been more than 10 years old. But her disability did not keep her from reaching out to the world in any way she could. I held onto her for a good thirty minutes and I will never forget that absolutely tender smile that never for a second left her face. We simply sat there in each other’s embrace. I almost could not break away from her when it was time for us to move on. I came across another little boy who was similar to Kaleboga but he was at least two years older than she, and slightly more mobile. He wanted to take pictures of me with him and continuously asked Ntebeleng to “flash some snaps!” He finally settled on taking a picture with us hugging each other. The poor lad!!

Before we left, the director told us about a mile walk that happens every year, done in order to raise money for the disabled. It is to take place on the 25th of February and he wondered if I would be interested in joining them in the walk. I immediately I said that I would- how on earth could I not?! Of course, that committed my “pushers” to walk, too!

On the way back to St. Peter’s, Gladys and I thought that it would be very good, as well as important if the older children would make a trip over to Cheshire and meet the children there. Gladys said that would be good for St. Peter’s children - especially those who are orphaned, to see a different sort of suffering and it would be good for them to reach out to others. This would also be wonderful on another level. If the kids from St. Peters make friends with the kids at Cheshire they may end up wanting to do things together outside the center which then would bring them out into the public more. Hopefully this would start encouraging other disabled people to come out into society as well.

I would like to see something like this happen while I’m here – the disabled really coming out and being acknowledged as children of God just as others are. I want people to see them for who they are. I feel like this is a large part of why I’m here and every day I think that God lays this on my heart more and more. Pray that the churches will be more and more willing to embrace the disabled and then to let them, serve alongside “normal” people. It is not easy anywhere, but it is hard here because many people still think that someone did something to the mother, or that the mother did something wrong to make these people handicapped, and so they are not really seen as “good.” Please continue to pray for me as I begin my service project next week and for God to open new doors of learning opportunities for me. Again I’m so happy to be here!

Baka Moreno, mowa we me le tsotlhe tse di mo teng ga me, bakang Liena la gagwe le le boishepo. Dipesalome 103:1
Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Psalm 103:1

Sala Sentle!

Minda