It's Raining Children: June 1st

This morning we talked with two outreach personnel at JL Zwane. Because women in power is somewhat resisted, both of these women went through detailed circumstances to get to their positions within the center. They go out into the community to find out what the people really need, ask questions, listen to stories, support community members through life obstacles, visit sick members and give hope. They work to bring the church outside the center’s four walls, reinforce what the church preaches, expand relationships, follow up with community events and stories and simply be a part of their lives outside 10:00 Sunday service. I think what they do is extremely difficult but necessary. Maintenance of relationships is what keeps them strong and thriving. Without that outreach, many people may be lost in the chaos of daily living.

Today’s challenge: partner with someone in the group who you don’t know very well

Personal challenge: drink two water-bottles because there have been too many things going on to remember to stay hydrated

After the morning’s discussions, we were able to see what our host mom, Noxie, does on a daily basis. She is a school teach for the 1^st grade. We all got to visit her classroom and interact with her students. Interacting with the children was very rewarding. We sang songs, took pictures, and experienced a true South African School. I finally had some happy feelings fill my mind after seeing the children in school instead of in the street. The spirit that these classrooms have is unbelievable. I wish my school days growing up had as much energy has these did. This school was one of the better schools in the community. However, it was run down with trash flooding the grounds. The only thing that helped me look past the rough conditions was how happy the children were to be in school and because of the education they had a better chance of having a better life. Noxie and her principle were to so happy and so proud of their school and the students that it was hard to feel sad because great things are happening in the community.

We left the children to their studies and proceeded to our next destination: Priscilla Home care. This was a sort of foster home where 12 children lived due to be abandoned or abused. It took some time for the children to warm up to us as for some of them , we were the first white people they had ever seen. Because of my love for children, I absolutely admired her work and dedication to getting children off the streets and out of abusive situations and giving them the love and attention they need and deserve. Teen pregnancy and caring for the youth has become a huge issue and it is so refreshing to see places such as this in the community working to overcome this challenge.

We then moved to visit Lydia, a woman struggling with HIV and caring for a child with HIV along with many other health conditions. She story was sad and really expressed the effects that this disease has on a woman and her children. She was one of the strongest ladies I have interacted with and her outlook on life is positive. She has good hope for her child and herself. It was difficult to see her and her child in the conditions they were living in, especially because the likelihood of getting infections in that environment is high.

We proceeded to visit Mary, a woman with a hand full of stories all revolving around living during apartheid. She had strong opinions and it was refreshing to her how she and her colleagues transitioned from the apartheid way of life to living in freedom.

The day concluded with the Rainbow After School Program where similar situations were experienced. It was a day full of children and their energy. These experiences have reinforces my passion to work with children and work to develop a positive mindset and five them hope for the future, just like many of these programs and people are doing every day.