Sr. Julianna

Sr. Julianna is the soul of the St. Camillus Center. For many years, she has been the person that the community turns to, to care for children who have nobody else. Regularly, the police show up at her doorstep with a child in their hands asking her to take them in. Before this new center opened, Sr. Julianna had a much smaller building where all 20 children slept on the floor of one small room. And still she said yes and welcomed each child.

Sister Julianna not only cares for these children, but many others in the community whose parent’s have died or whose parent’s are sick or do not have work and therefore they do not have money for their children’s school fees or food. Stephanie, the Peace Corp volunteer exclaimed, “Every time I think I have a handle on all the different things Sr. Julianna does, I learn of something else that I had no idea that she was doing.

Sr. Julianna lives by faith. She believes that God will provide and she is consistently proven right. When no one else has any idea where the money or resources will come from, Sr. Julianna is grounded in trust and somehow the all that they need arrives. As we work with her, I am moved by Sr. Julianna’s gentle way. I watch as she gets out of her truck at the center and see the children run to her, to be held, to be patted, to be loved. Niko, got it right when he said, “She is a saint. You know that feeling you get when you are in the presence of the Holy? That is the feeling I get around her.”

The Children of St. Camillus

The children are beautiful. There are 20 children who live at the St. Camillus Center. Almost all of them have been orphaned by the Aids pandemic. About a third of them are HIV positive. 15 of them are between 6 months and 6 years old.

The older children seem a bit unsure of us. The little ones just want to be snuggled. Sam and Will are reaching out so tenderly. They are both friendly and gentle. I was so proud of their kindness as I watched them find ways to interact with each child.

Niko is a toddler magnet. The kids just want to be near him. They can sense his loving spirit.

A precious little boy named Rathahile snuggled into my lap. He is about 2 years old, bare bottomed with green stuff flowing out of his nose. He clearly does not feel well and just wants to be held. So that was my job this afternoon, to hold him and rock him in my arms. A very blessed way to spend my time.

Feeling Like the Beatles

Feeling like the Beatles

During the lunch break at Mary’s school, Sam and Will grabbed their guitars and went out and sat in the school yard and started to play. Within moments, hundreds of young people surrounded them. They played for about 30 minutes, when I began to hear music coming from the classroom next to where they were playing. I followed the voices and discovered the school choir singing. There were only about 15 students and yet it sounded like there were 100. The strength and tone of their voices was amazing and I immediately had goose bumps covering my arms. It was beautiful!

As soon as they finished the song they were singing, I ran out and got Niko’s attention. I told him about the music and encouraged him to come listen and to ask Sam and Will to come in as soon as they finished the song they were singing. Niko came in shortly. Together we took in the next song, but still no Sam or Will. When this song ended, I asked Niko where they were. He told me that they had stopped playing, but that there were some students that wanted to talk with them. I ran out to encourage them to come in. I knew the choir would only be singing 1 or 2 more songs because the lunch break was almost over. I did not want the boys to miss it.

I ran out and did not see them. I walked down past the next building and there they were. They were standing up against the wall getting their pictures taken with 3 girls and there was a line of more than 35 students waiting patiently for their turn. Sam and Will were getting a small taste of what it was like to have groupies. As we ran to hear the last song of the choir, Sam beamed with delight and said, “I fell like I’m one of the Beatles!”

Sam and Will Teach at Mary’s School

As soon as we were settled in Mary’s home, the first thing she asked Sam and Will was “Are you ready to teach my class tomorrow?” She then gave them her teacher’s manual and told them to go and prepare their lesson plan.

Mary is a high school science teacher. The students in her classroom are between 13 and 18 years of age. Sam and Will took on her challenge with amazing grace and determination.

Niko and I stood in the back of the room as Sam and Will stood before 50 Besotho young people and taught them about heat conduction. As I watched them, I was full of awe and I wondered, how is this experience going to impact their life? How will standing before 5 different classrooms of students today and teaching, impact the way they see their own teachers, or the way they see themselves? Will this plant a seed for them to pursue teaching one day? How does it feel to them to be the minority? There was not another white face in the school, nor had we seen another white person since arriving in Lesotho. This was the first time in their life that they experienced being the minority. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be 16 or 17 and to have such an experience. I was filled with awe at how well they were prepared and at their incredible willingness and spirit of adventure in taking this on.

Mary’s Home

Mary and Paul live in amiddle class home in Maputsoe. It is made of cinder block and has 4 rooms: A living room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms. There is an outhouse outside and a covered bucket in each bedroom for toilet use. There is no running water. All the water is carried in from their well. They do have electricity and surprisingly to us, they even have a flat screen tv.

It is evident to us, that Paul and Mary have gone to great sacrifice to make our visit comfortable and to meet our every need. Niko and I have our own bedroom. Beautiful bedspreads are on our beds. A baby bathtub sits in the corner for our washing needs. Luxurious body wash, lotions and toothpaste have been set by our beds. Sam and Will will sleep on the couches in the living room that fold down. Food has been cooked, special foods purchased and Mary and Paul are eager to make us feel at home. We have been welcomed like royalty.

Challenges Continue: On the Road to Mary

We left Johannesburg almost 3 hours later than planned. Packing the van and getting cash had proved much more difficult and time consuming than we had imagined. Finally we were on the road. Our research informed us that the drive to Johannesburg would take about 4 hours. If there were no other hiccups, we would be able to get to Mary’s home before dark.

Mary is our daughter of the heart. We were her host family when she came to Tacoma in 2009 with the Mennonite Service Committee. She walked into our home and immediately took root in our hearts. We have not seen her since she left Tacoma in August of 2010, but we have talked with her every month on the phone. I cannot wait to see her and to meet her husband, Paul and our grandson Sammy. Mary has asked to be the first and last person in Lesotho to see us. So we will spend our first night in her country in her home, then we will go to Mohales Hoek to spend a week at the orphanage. We will then return to Mary’s to spend a long weekend with her and Paul and Sammy, then we will drive to South Africa to go on safari and then back to Mary’s for our last 2 days. It is a lot of driving back and forth, but because of the inflexibility of her work schedule, it is the best way to get time with her.

Our drive was slower than expected, but uneventful until we reached Ficksburg. Ficksburg is about 20 minutes from the border of Lesotho. The sun was starting to set but we still had time to get there before dark. We had been warned not to drive or be out after dark. Our agreement with Mary was that we would call her when we got to Ficksburg and then she would go to meet us at the border. Her home is only 10 minutes from the border crossing, so this plan allowed for plenty of time. As agreed, I called her as soon as we reached Ficksburg. She was already at the border and had been there for 3 hours! She had been too excited to wait at home, so she went there right from work. There she was 4 months pregnant, in the cold winter air, waiting out side for us.

While I was talking with Mary, Niko took a wrong turn. We turned around and thought we got ourselves back on track, but we had not. We found ourselves on a long dark stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. By the time we realized we were on the wrong road if was just as far to go forward as it would be to go back. To make matters worse, we were almost on empty. I could not contain my frustration. My fear bubbled up and over. Poor Niko. He is driving this van that is stuffed to the gills, on the wrong side of the road in an unknown country, he has been robbed and his pride is still stinging from allowing such a thing to happen, and now he has taken the wrong road and his wife has lost her last shred of positive attitude.

We finally made it to a gas station, just minutes from the border. With the car filled we made it to the border, through customs and into the arms of our beautiful Mary. Tears flowed, laughter rang out and we rejoiced in this moment that we had dreamed of for 5 years. We were together again.

A Heavy Load

This morning we picked up our 7 passenger Toyota Van. Before we left Tacoma, we borrowed our neighbors 7 passenger Toyota van to be sure that we would be able to fit all of our bags and ourselves in our rented van when we got to Johannesburg. Things fit wonderfully in their van, and there was plenty of space for us to fit comfortably.

When we got to our vehicle in Johannesburg we knew we were in trouble. This van looked more like a large station wagon with an extra row of seats. It was small. We had a 4 hour drive ahead of us with 8 large suitcases, 3 carry on suitcases, 4 backpacks and 2 guitars. How were we ever going to fit in all? I went back to the counter to see if we could trade up to a larger vehicle. No such luck. They were all out of larger cars. We were going to have to figure it out and we did.

We were like sardines packed in a can as we traveled down the highway. Niko drove. I was in the front passenger seat and Sam and Will were in the 2nd row of seats. Suitcases were packed to the ceiling both in the back and between Sam and Will. Sam, Will and I had suitcases under our feet and backpacks between our legs. Sleeping bags were unfolded and stuffed between the suitcases and the windows.

For most part, our sense of adventure took over. We were on a mission to get these 400+lbs of donations to the children of Lesotho. These suitcases were stuffed with school supplies, books, soccer balls, clothing, jackets, hats and shoes. What was 4 hours of discomfort in light of the needs of these children? Will suffered regular butt cramps, Sam figured out that he could flip the small suitcase on his lap to use it as a table, Niko navigated driving on the opposite side of the road and using only the side mirrors for visibility, while I took on the roll of Navi-guesser as we found our way out of Johannesburg and on to Lesotho.

We spent the day in Johannesburg with our wonderful guide, Agnes, from Feleng Tours. We visited the Apartheid Museum, Nelson Mandela’s Home in Soweto and the Kliptown Youth Program.

Kliptown is one of the oldest residential districts of Soweto. It is the home of over 44,000 people and lacks the most basic needs of schools, sanitation, and electricity. It is Will and Sam’s first experience of witnessing how the world’s poor live. 44,000 people living in small houses made of tin crammed together in a small space, without running water, with electricity stolen from the grid and with sewage and garbage visible on the side of the roads. In the midst of the squalor is an amazing project called the Kliptown Youth Project. KYP’s mission is to “KYP enables children to harness their potential and grow into dynamic and skilled individuals who can give back to society.” They provide tutoring, tuition assistance, Food programs as well as training in cooking, employment networking and technology.

We were each given a ticket which determined whether we went through the museum as a white or as a non-white person.

Zulu Dancers entertained us as we ate lunch.

Will umped in to embrace the culture.

Kliptown: Homes made of tin, one right next to the other

Kliptown

Kliptown Youth Program Computer Lab

Roasted Chicken Feet for Sale

We are in Dubai! We had an amazing flight. I felt like I was back in time 30 years ago to how flying used to be. The flight was long…14 hours, but Emerates is an amazing airlines and they treated us so well that our flight was a lot of fun. As soon as we took off, a flight attendant came around with hot, moist, lemon scented towels for each of us. At our seats we found a little travel case with socks, eye covers for sleeping and a toothbrush.

The food was delicious. They fed us lunch as if we were already on Dubai time to help us restart our inner clocks. It included an appetizer of crackers and dips, a salad of black eyed beans and corn, a main dish of lamb or chicken a delicious dessert of toffee pudding, followed by a cup,of tea and a piece of chocolate. We were also fed a snack of an individual pizza and a breakfast of eggs with various side dishes.

Niko and I watched 3 movies together that we missed seeing at the Grand Cinema: the 2nd Best Grand Budapest Hotel, Woman in Gold and Still Alice. Will learned some Arabic on the plane from a boy, sitting across the aisle form him. He and Sam are having a blast!

>We have a 3 hour layover in the Dubai airport. Sam and Will are off exploring the mall in the airport while Niko and I sit with the bags. Then we will fly another 8 hours on Emerates and arrive in Johannesburg at 9pm, ready to rest at the Blue Mango Lodge.

Airport Excitement

We left our house at 5:30 am overloaded with excitement and 8 checked and 4 carry on suitcases. Will’s mom, Ann, drove our neighbor’s van and his dad, James, drove his car to manage it all. Halfway to the airport we realized that Niko did not have his driver’s license. A moment of quick thinking had us off the freeway, Will and few items of luggage squished into the van with the rest of us, and James on his way to our home to get the license.

As we maneuvered all the baggage through checkin, I prayed that all the bags would meet their expected weight restrictions and that the 2 bags that were each over the size restriction by an inch would go through without notice. As each bag was weighed and thrown onto the conveyor belt without comment, I breathed a little deeper.

The next hurdle was clearing the South African government restrictions for traveling with minors. Just a month ago they instituted new requirements that minors traveling with their parent’s must have both a passport and a stamped birth certificate. Minor’s traveling with anyone but their parent’s must have a signed and notarized affidavit from each parent. The beautiful young woman checked over these items thoroughly. Then she called over her supervisor, who studied each item with scrutiny. They were very clear that if our documents did not meet the requirements, we would not be allowed into S. Africa. Again I found myself holding my breath as the minutes ticked by and still we waited for clearance.

As we waited, I took a deep breath and said a prayer. Immediately, I felt the presence of a very large protective angel standing to my left. I breathed a breath of gratitude and relaxed into the knowing that all would be well. Just as we were cleared and checked in, James arrived with Niko’s license and we were ready!

Body Sacred

Celebrating the Sacred In Ourselves, In Our Relationships and In Our World.