Wait For Me

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was our Wait for Me event on Saturday. Around 450 children elected to attend the concert at King of Kings church where the message of sexual abstinence was clearly told. It is Living Hope’s firm belief that sexual abstinence (before a Biblical marriage) alone can stop the spread of HIV and AIDS in South Africa and the world. We had a number of dramas and songs, African dancing and generally a great time. At the end one of the volunteers told her story of premarital sex and its consequences, for her pregnancy and then an abortion, to demonstrate the importance of abstinence to the children. They were spellbound by her message and over 100 went forwards for prayer and counselling afterwards. This was a fantastic response but revealed more than ever before the reality of the situation. Of those who went forwards over 10 (all girls) had been raped by strangers or family members, all bar a few asked for prayer for family situations and 4 said they had been or were pregnant. This saddened our hearts but in a strange way we are pleased we now know children by name and their situation so we can respond directly and personally to them in the coming months and years. For me,

I am so proud of the children from Redhill who went forwards and more widely for those who committed to attend the concert by their own choice even in the face of fierce taunting from their friends back home.

Do pray for the kids who came, that they would have fully received and understood the message we taught and they would indeed commit to the abstinence pledge we offered them too.

The final stretch

So my time here seems to be disappearing fast which is sad. That said, I have been so thankful for all of God's goodness to me over these last few months in leading me to South Africa and sustaining me out here too. I have made many friends and feel like I have made a difference in the childrens' lives especially. My hope and prayer is that some of what I have started and continued will be fruitful in the months and years to come.

This week just gone was especially busy and I imagine my last week will be too. Tying up the loose ends and starting some new projects kept me busy but as always it was very enjoyable. Many of the other volunteers have now gone which leaves a quieter house with only 3 of us left; I have made 4 trips to the airport in the last 4 days!

Last week I had the priviledge of spending an evening at Mzo's house in Redhill. I was primarily pleased to have more than just a few minutes with him and we talked for some hours about the various benefits and drawbacks of living in Cape Town, especially the diverse cultures living on the peninsula. Later on, as expected, it got pretty cold so, although my mini sleeping bag was reasonable, the uneven floor and blowing wind prooved a little much in terms of decent sleep. Definitely an eye-opener and I am so glad we were able to spend the time together seeing as his evenings are very quiet. This little trip also gave us an idea, that good as it is for Mzo to generously give away some of his belongings to others who have less even than him, we wanted to get him some items for his house. Consequently Kendra, Hannah and I went shopping for him and bought a new sofa, chair, table, plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, slippers, cutlery and a bargain heater. Having done a mini makeover when he was out of his house we brought him back to our gifts and watched him smile like never before as he walked through the door. This along with the house we recently made really demonstrated for me how easily we rely on the many many things we own and take them for granted. The little English boys, aged 4 and 2, that we know take plates and water for granted and yet Mzo, 32, was ecstatic to receive them. Praise God we had the opportunity to do something for him!

So it seems I will be seeing most of you quite soon which will be good. Its a shame I have to leave next Saturday but good timing too. I look forward to hearing about what you have been up to....

Muchos love

Stuart