Pictures say a thousand words!

My friend Mel and her son, my friend, Matt at the Berg.

Myself and my friend Emily on our 8 KM hike through the Berg.

The cascades.

Emaus Methodist Church.

Worship at Emaus Methodist.

Love wins!

Working with little kids always reminds me how much I do have to learn from them. The past few days I have been back to work with the preschool at Phakamisa. We have had twenty kids the past two days come to us with their normal preschool teacher from the townships to have some time to practice their motor skills in different activities such as drawing, cutting, painting, fantasy centers, pyschomotor classes, dancing, and playing in sand. It is truly amazing how well behaved children are when they have something to do. The children are completely fabulous. Today, one little girl taught me how to properly tie a baby doll on my back. Many women here in South Africa transport their children on their backs. So, naturally when the three year olds I work with are given a doll and a blanket they tie them to their back and leave them there while they play. My first attempt at this was a failure as the doll nearly had a fatal fall. Luckily Amanda was there to save her and teach me how to properly tie the baby to my back! I will have to keep her tips in mind for when I have babies of my own.

Yesterday as well was a learning day for me. I was playing with play dough with a few girls. Most of the children only speak Zulu and so I was teaching them the names in English for the cookie cutters we were using with our play dough. I taught them butterfly and they caught on very well. Then we moved to heart. I pointed to the heart and pronounced heart for the girls. After I waited for them to repeat it back to me, but without a moment of hesitation they instead said, "I love you" in their beautiful Zulu actions. I tried to correct them several times, but every time I pointed to the heart they said like little parrots, "I love you!" I laughed like crazy and they proceeded to give me hugs. It is so nice to be loved and hugged and kissed for no reason at all!

Often when I look at the children, some of whom have AIDS, and all of whom have tattered cloths and come from some of the poorest areas of the world, I feel such sadness and anguish. Yet, yesterday I was reminded in so many ways how they really know how to love one another. While playing with the play dough with them I was often a bit anxious that a fight would break out as they took dough from another one's plate and started creating with it, but there were no fights or upsets. The children all shared with each other. The kids helped each other up when they fell and loved on each others baby dolls. The children knew how to love and so amidst all that the world has thrown at them I was reminded today that love wins. Poverty does not win, nor AIDS, nor broken homes, none of these things have power over the love that the Holy Spirit has blessed them with each day. So, although many of my thoughts are filled with sadness today I was reminded through the hugs and kisses on the hand that in the end love wins!

The lost sheep.

Not but three days into my time here in South Africa I got to hear from Archbisop Desmond Tutu twice in one day. I think I might have endured the 27 hours of airports, plane rides, plane food, and swollen ankles simply to hear him speak. My good friend, Anna, who is in the picture had told me he was coming to Durban to speak and got me tickets before I had arrived. The morning session was for pastors and so my name tag read, Rev. Audrey Warren- can you handle it! Then we went to a dinner in the evening. His visit was to release a book called, Pilgrimage of Hope. This book recounts the history of the Diakonia Council of Churches in the Durban area and their work in the struggle against Apartheid.
The Archbisop had many things to say about the church, the upcoming election here in South Africa, and the status of his country. As always he spoke boldly yet with humility on all subjects. He made us laugh and then made us want to cry. Yet, what touched me most that day was his incredible interpretation of scripture. At one of his humble moments he reminded us all that we were all, in fact, damaged people. We were all the lost sheep. Then he went on to remind us of what the lost sheep looks like. Contrary to many paintings in our church Sunday school rooms or prayer stations, the lost little lamb was neither clean nor innocent. Tutu explained to us in all his humor that the lost sheep ran through some stables to get himself/herself lost. She probably charged through some chains and got wrapped in wire a few times. Needless to say she probably even fallen in a few ponds and then proceded to roll in pile of dirt. Desmond explained to us that it was that mud-caked sheep that Jesus draped over his off white robe and carried home to clean and love. What a beautiful image to poner. I think I will always hear this story differently now. How I love South Africa.