Tag Archives: Travel

Hand Washing

One of the priorities of the Lesotho Connection and the St. Camillus Center is increased hygiene and sanitation practices. Stephanie came up with a wonderful idea. She has been collecting the little mesh bags that lemons or limes come in. Her idea is to put the soap into the bags and then somehow to tie the bags to the outdoor spiggots. There are about 5 different faucets outside for the children to use for washing their hands, getting a glass of water, etc. Niko took on the challenge of figuring out how to get the soap bags tied on securely to the faucet so that the kids can always have access to soap.

Sam and Will wrote a song:

Wash your hands,
Wash your hands
Every time you eat.
Wash your hands,
Wash your hands,
Every Time you poop or pee.

Niko and I added hand and body movement to go with the song.

Today we had the inaugural soap washing and singing. The kids loved it! Perhaps this small but important project is the concrete contribution I have been waiting to see us accomplish.

Grocery Shopping

While we have been here the children have been eating mostly papa, milk and morejo(greens). The pantry is quite bare. Today we took Sr. Juliana shopping for food. We have $1000.00 that was donated by our friends and family for food and formula. It is exciting to be able to provide this gift to the center in the name of our community. Our hope was to spend ½ of the funds today and to leave the other half to replenish the pantry as needed.

Sr. Julianna took us to Fairways Grocery store. Most of the stores in Lesotho are owned by the Chinese. They are cheaper, but the quality of the food is not good. Sr. Julianna is very clear that she does not want to support the Chinese stores. So we went to Fairways. Fairways is bigger than a 7-11 but smaller than most U.S. Grocery stores. Perhaps it is about the size of the Grocery Outlet in Tacoma.The biggest difference is that there may be 2 different brands of a similar product instead of the many different brands that you find in a U.S. grocery store. We were able to buy large quantities of rice, frozen chicken, canned fish, beans, bread, meat, papa, formula, and cleaning supplies at Fairways. From the local stalls outside we bought fruits and vegetables. We loaded it all into the van. As we drove home, I asked Sister Julianna how long these supplies would last. She replied, “2-3 months.” We spent about $600.00. Imagine feeding 20 children and 3 adults on $600.00 for 2-3 months. Amazing!

A Little Too Concrete!

We returned to the center excited to do something to concrete to help the St. Camillus Center. Sam and Will went out to help in the field. They are preparing the ground this week so that they can plant 12,000 cabbages next week. It was hard work. The land is so dry that it was like breaking up concrete. The workers had been at it all day. Sam and Will lasted only an hour or two. Then they came in and Will played soccer with the kids, while Sam, Niko and I took Sr. Julianna grocery shopping.

Concert for the Preschool

After the Bishop’s concert , we headed over to the Preschool. This is the school that the children from the St. Camillus Center attend. Being with these precious little ones was a fun way to end the concert series.

To be honest, I am relieved that the concerts are done. The gifts of this experience for Sam and Will are tremendous. I am grateful for all the time and energy that was put in to give them this experience and I am ready to be at the Center without the scheduled pressure of another concert. I am ready to have time to just live the life of and to be of service to the St. Camillus Center. 5 concerts in 4 days has really limited the time we have had to be at the Center. Of course, all the children, except for the babies and for the oldest, Slindle, were at school all day. So there would not have been much for us to do, except perhaps work on projects. I am ready to do something concrete for the St. Camilllus Center.

Concert for the Bishop

This morning we met outside in the Bishops Compound with the Bishop. He needed to meet with us very early because he had a meeting in Pretoria, which is north of Johannesburg, that afternoon. Sam and Will played about 4 songs for the Bishop and his staff. He was so appreciative and he clapped along with the music. He gave us each a beautiful key chain, and tried out Sam’s drum pad.

As the Bishop talked to Niko and I about our work, he became very excited. He really wanted to meet with us again, and was disappointed that he had not met us sooner.

Concert at the Center

It was fun to watch Sam and WIll play for the kids at the orphanage and their neighbors today. What was even more fun was to watch the performances of the children for us. Everywhere that Sam and Will have performed their music, the people have responded by singing a few Besotho songs for them.

After the concert, Rethabile and her cousin took the stage. They were fabulous! Their singing and harmonies blew me away. The children performed with singing and dancing. Stephanie got up and led the children in a funny rhyme that got their bodies moving. That sparked a memory in Niko and he got up and brought out an oldie from his youth ministry days, “Hello, my name is Joe. I work in a button factory…” This is a very silly rhyme that eventually includes all body parts moving in total silliness. It was such a delight to play together, to be silly together and to laugh together.

Concert at the Convent

The concert at the convent has definitely been my favorite concert of them all. It was inside, it was a small group, and Will did not need to strain to be heard.

The sisters loved it. Many of them got up, stuck their backsides out and danced. Even those in wheelchairs clapped and swayed from their seats. It was so much fun.

Again, we experienced Besotho hospitality, with delicious bread, fruit, coffee and tea. In gratitude, the sisters presented Sam and Will with small traditional painted Besotho hats. And then one of the sisters ran back to her room and came back with a Traditional full size Besotho hat for me. We left with our hearts and spirits filled with joy. What an afternoon!

Rethabile’s Family

What an incredible afternoon at Rethabile’s home. Her family welcomed us with open arms and set out a beautiful spread of foods made just for us. Literally, just for us. They did not eat anything. The table was set for the 5 us and the rest of them sat or stood around the kitchen area and visited with us, but they did not eat.

We ate the most wonderful sorghum and bean dish. I have never had anything like it and it was absolutely delicious. They also served mango juice, corn and sweet crackers. For dessert they served canned peaches from their own peach tree. They were delicious. They sent us home with a jar that we will carry back home to Tacoma and save for a special dinner.

I was moved not only by the hospitality and generosity of Rethabile’s family, but also by their gentle spirits. I am discovering that the spirit of the Besotho people is one of gentle, quiet, strength.

Walk to Rethabile’s Family Home

Today, Rethabile took us on a walk to her village. I love walking and interacting with the people we meet. Most of the time we are in the van, whizzing by and getting only glimpses of life in Mohales Hoek. But today, we walked. We passed a beautiful rondeval and the owner let us go inside. Rondavels are the traditional round Besotho homes with thatch roofs. They absorb heat in the winter and stay cool in the summer. They are much more energy efficient then the more modern cinder block homes. I find their earthiness and simplicity to be unbelievably beautiful.

Color Crayons and Paper

After our walk to town we returned to the center. All the children were back from school and for a short time we just checked each other out, not quite sure how to interact. Then I went to the car and brought out paper and crayons and a few markers for the older children. Suddenly, the energy shifted. Benches were moved to serve as tables, I gave out paper and crayons and every single child began to color. As they finished their masterpiece each child came to me and put it in my hands. I had not asked them to turn them into me, this is something they just did. As they handed me their pictures I oohed and awed and commented on the beauty of their artwork . At the end of our art time, every single crayon and marker was accounted for with very few broken pieced. I found that amazing: 20 children, 15 of whom are under age 6 and all the pieces were returned.

As I reviewed their drawings, I was moved by the messages I found written on their artwork. Slindle wrote: “Thank you for being part of my life.” I felt like these messages were their whisperings to us, the words they wanted to say but were too shy. These drawings became a bridge between us, allowing us to connect our hearts in a gentle way.