World AIDS Day - December 1st

Please join me in prayer for the millions of men, women, and children suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world. I would like to highlight two of my friends who I have had the privilege of getting to know these past three months who could really use our prayers. Both were born with AIDS and both have lost their parents to the disease. The top photo is Sinoxolo, who lives with her brother and an aunt who cares for them. The bottom photo is a little boy named Thobela who lives with 6 other orphans in a home and is cared for by an older woman named Agnes. These are only two of millions of South Africans who have experienced great pain and loss due to HIV/AIDS:

* This nation of 43 million has more than 5.3 million known AIDS sufferers.

* Statistics indicate that 50% of today's youth under the age of 15 in South Africa will die within the next 10 years.

* The AIDS pandemic in South Africa is producing approximately 150,000 orphaned children per year, for which there is not an adequate infrastructure to provide care. It is projected that there will be 5 million AIDS orphans by 2008.

No longer can I read these statistics without picturing the faces of those that I know and care about that are infected with HIV/AIDS. It is easier, now, for me to see that these 5.3 million AIDS suffers in South Africa are real people with real stories, families, homes, and lives. I don't want to believe that half of the kids in the Friday orphan support group will die within the next ten years if things continue as they are going.

The AIDS pandemic is truly a God-sized problem. Please join me in praying that God would move mightily around the world and bring comfort and healing to those who are sick. I pray that people around the world would feel moved and led to be part of the solution. May compassion translate into action as we work together to help those who are suffering.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I wanted to express my thanks and appreciation to all of you, friends and family, for your love, prayers, and support. I am so THANKFUL for each one of you. May you enjoy this special day; what a great opportunity to praise God for the many things he has given!

Please keep Nosicelo's family in your prayers. She was one of the women involved in the HIV/AIDS memory box project. She passed away last week, just after the completion of her box.

SAFARI!!!
This past week I had the opportunity to travel with my parents to Krueger National Park in the northern part of South Africa for a safari. We went on two game drives each day (morning and evening) and were lucky to see the "big five" (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino) while we were there along with wild dogs, hyenas, giraffe, cheetahs, scorpions, snakes, frogs, zebras, and lots of birds and bugs. We witnessed beautiful sunsets and what our guide called, "God art"! It was a great time with my Mom and Dad as we enjoyed riding in the jeep looking at animals, eating, talking, sharing, and catching up. It was an experience I will never forget.
The first night we were there the guide got a call on his radio just as we arrived that a leopard had just made a kill (an ampala). So, we dropped our bags and jumped in the Land Rover jeep to check out the scene. I was speechless as we drove under a tree and a leopard climbed the tree and sat on the branch that hung right above my head. I couldn't believe it!? I was literally within feet of this wild animal and could literally hear it panting. Whew!
So, I am back at work and my family has joined me for the week. My brother met us in Cape Town yesterday (he had to miss the safari due to exams at school) and I am really enjoying sharing my life here in South Africa with my family. I am truly blessed!

Where I've Been...

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I updated you on what I have been up to and how to be praying. Things have been quite hectic around here as we are in the midst of training a new CHE committee. We have been meeting twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) for three hours to talk about leadership, goals, development, and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It has been a lot of fun getting to know a new group of people; worship with them, pray with them, and learn with them and from them. Please keep this new committee in your prayers as they go through applications and decide who the next group of CHE's will be. (If you are unclear about what the CHE program is, please read a previous blog entree called "CHE" to learn more!)

This week I have been working on a really neat project in Philippi with 17 HIV+ women. We are working on memory books. This project is a week long and each day the women come for about 4 hours to be creative, artistic, expressive, and to share thoughts and feelings. They began on Monday by designing covers for their books and discussing the importance of passing things on to those that they love. Next, we worked on a writing wills, which is so important because often when someone dies in Philippi their shack and other possessions are taken by neighbors or relatives leaving nothing for the children. Other items that will be put in the memory book are a family tree, a personal letter to their children, drawings, and personal information about themselves (what they dream about, what makes them happy, what is hard for them, etc.) The whole purpose of the book is to have something for the women to pass on to their children and to help them express thoughts and emotions that may be botled up inside.

As you can imagine, this is not an easy project for these women. However, it is so neat that it can be done in a supportive environment with other women who are also HIV+. Today, we had a really good time of sharing and prayer as each woman talked about what she hopes for. Many talked about the hope that they find in God. Some of the women brought their children along (most of whom also are HIV+). I held a three-month old baby on Monday who was already partially blind and very, very sick. I am beginning to see first hand how devastating HIV/AIDS is in Philippi, and how prevalent it is as well.

Throughout the week please choose a few of these women to commit to pray for as they face the reality of living with HIV/AIDS and seek to find healing in expressing feelings in the memory books that they are making. We have laughed together, sang together, and cried together yet I can't come close to imagining what it must be like to have to face living with a terminal condition like HIV/AIDS. Please pray that they would experience God's peace and comfort.

Please pray for...

Thembisa

Stella

Sonia

Buyiswa

Funeka

Busie

Zoleka

Nosicelo

Funeka

Phumeza

Nosamnkelo

Ethel

Kholiswa

Nosandise

Primrose

Nosipo

Noluthando

Live Performance!!!

On Sunday, one of my worst nightmares came true. We have bad dreams about embarrassing situations happening, but for me this takes the cake (and it was not a dream!) The picture that you see to the left is of kids happily playing outside of church in Philippi, but this was not quite how I was feeling while walking out of church this past week. Try to imagine the following situation...

I had mentioned to Mfundisi, the pastor of the church in Philippi, how excited I was because I had finally learned the words to a Xhosa worship song! He smiled brightly. In the middle of the Sunday worship service someone from the back started singing this very song that I had just learned! I enthusiastically joined in with the rest of the congregation, singing loudly! There aren't any instruments at this church, but the Philippians have such beautiful voices and sing so loudly there isn't any need for instruments. Well, here is where trouble begins....
Mfundisi stands in front of the congregation in the middle of my favorite song and waves his hands (which apparently means "stop singing!") and the whole congregation grew silent. He walks up to Erik and I, who were sitting near the front and grabs our hands, pulling us to the front of the church. He then said, "These two--- they come all the way from Ameerrriiicccaaa! And, they have learned our Xhosa songs!! Please, everyone, stay silent, for they will sing to us a song!" I couldn't believe my ears! This is horrible, I thought! Just because everyone in Philippi has a beautiful singing voice doesn't mean the pastor should assume that I can keep a note, or a key, or whatever it is called! I can't sing to save my soul!!! There is no way out of this situation!
Here I am, a lone white girl with my white friend, standing in front of about 150 silent black people who sing beautifully and are eagerly waiting for me to sing a Xhosa song that I just learned, a capella!
So, what other choice did we have? We started singing! And as I sang (off key and hitting all kinds of wrong notes I am sure!) the congregation started cheering! I couldn't believe it! Pretty soon my voice started quivering a little less and I sang a little louder. They cheered louder! People started standing up and cheering! I realized that my pathetic, musically-challenged, attempt at singing was enough for them-- it was the fact that I was singing in their language that really mattered. By the time we were done the whole congregation was cheering for us! (This is not usually the response I get when I sing! Usually it is, "Hey, someone quick turn up the radio, I think Jen is singing!")
It was quite an embarrassing, nerve-racking, situation that ended up being pretty special to me in the end. The reason is because I felt accepted. Despite my shortcomings and limited knowledge, the people at church on Sunday were willing to accept my attempts. More than that, they accepted ME. I felt loved. This is the perfect example of how God can turn something really horrible (me having to sing in front of the church) into something good (me feeling valued by the congregation and the congregation feeling valued that I would care to learn their language). God is good, huh?

OUDSHOORN, SOUTH AFRICA

About two weeks ago, Erik, Amanda (two other staff members) and I took the weekend and drove to a small town about 5 hours away from where we live. It was here that we visited an ostrich farm. The highlights were...
*witnessing baby ostriches cracking out of the thick shells
*seeing an ostrich "kiss" Erik (meaning pick food pellets out of the corners of his mouth)
*going on a wild ostrich ride (they covered the birds head with a sack to keep it calm and once I got on they took it off and it went wild!)

On this weekend get-away we also took an "adventure tour" at the amazing Cango Caves. These caves have over 20 chambers that extend deep into a mountain. One of the first chambers is big enough to hold 2,000 people! (they used to have concerts in there because the acoustics are so good!) The tour was 2 hours of climbing, crawling, squeezing, and squirming to get through all of the small chambers at the back of the cave. One man on our tour actually got stuck and had to be pulled out by his feet as he exhaled! I am glad to report that everyone made it out alive and with minimal scratches and bruises!

The true highlight of the whole weekend was getting to know my fellow staff members better. Erik, Amanda, and I were able to talk about our lives, ask each other lots of questions, and really become better acquainted. Overall it was a great time and I feel so blessed to have gotten to see another part of this beautiful country.