We are not dead. We are alive and well and busy busy busy. And Busy. 
This post is an update of our trip from South Africa and Namibia. Kezia will do a current update of our lives very soon.
All in all, it was an wonderful mission trip. We worked with AIDS/HIV children, prison ministry, worked with refugees, and etc. It was a growing experience to lead this team of 6 girls with my wife. Too much estrogen at times, however I managed to survive with the grace of God.
In South Africa, we did various ministries from working with children in informal settlements to working in the streets of South Africa with refugees and those suffering from extreme poverty.
We worked with children in a settlement called Barcelona in Cape Town. Let me explain the concept of a settlement for those who may not know. After apartheid, millions of non-whites were forced to vacate their homes. From this settlements emerges. Just imagine one house less than 20×20 that has to house 5 to 10 people. Imagine that one house multiplied by the thousands.
In Barcelona we basically ran a Vacation Bible School, teaching them songs, playing games with them, loving on them, as well as feeding them. I was surprised to learn that the meal we gave them could be the only meal they would receive for that day. Those children never hesitated to offer you a smile and a warm hug. Unemployment in Barcelona was high at 70% to 80%. You can imagine the poverty as well as the violence. I was also met an refugee from Zimbabwe, who came to South Africa because of the bread shortage and lack of employment opportunities.
In Namibia, we worked with a school that takes in orphans, AIDS/HIV children and children at risk. Sometimes we would visit their houses and see how their family were doing. We visited one family, where the grandmother was taking care of the kids with her pension, because their mother died of AIDS just few weeks ago. The grandmother was also suffering from asthma and was still managing to feed her grandchildren with the little money she had.
Another house we visited, the mother was a recovering alcoholic and their family was living in a shack with one single bed with 3 children. Her children could not go to school because the mom spent most of their money on alcohol. She kept blaming herself for their situation. Then, we went to visit another house to find the mom wasn’t there. We found out later that she stabbed somebody couple days before and was hiding. There wasn’t much police work being done in their poor neighborhood, because in these places, the police only protect the rich and the elite, not the poor and the destitute.
We were very much touched by the people of South Africa and Namibia.
One of the things that we are doing now is praying about the possibility of starting some sort of initiative of an HIV/AIDS orphanage. Obviously, it will take some time, but we are praying for a team of people who has the heart for these children and who will able to commit their time and energy.
Please join with us and pray for this initiative.
Welcome back to the blogging world and God be with you in the busyness of your new responsibilities. It’s good that you have been able to take blessings from the Caribbean to Africa. Such links are to be encouraged.
By: Rowley on April 14, 2008
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