8 November 2007

8 November 2007
I found the monkeys frolicking around the fourth tee yesterday morning and have the photos to prove it. It has become obvious to me that the dozen or so monkeys move around the golf course to suit their fancy and rarely stay in the same spot very long. I spotted one little fella in the middle of the fairway where he sat all by his lonesome self for about five minutes. And then all of a sudden the rest of the group materialized from who knows where, seemingly with the purpose of posing for my photos. As soon as I put my camera back in my pocket they disappeared again. Really a weird experience.
Our time in Swaziland is quickly coming to its end. Wednesday we had our last work day at New Hope. This time I worked with the gardening group setting up drip irrigation and planting bedding plants of lettuce, beets, onions, bell peppers and cauliflower. The above amounted to a full day’s work for the six people in our crew. It was interesting working with a local Swazi foreman who spoke clear English but in a wee little voice that none in the group cold understand completely. In the end, the six of us stood around sharing notions about what we had just heard before we started what we believed to be our leader’s directive. The work was satisfying and we were all bushed when it became time to pick up our tools and call it a day.
Our last day at New Hoe Center included the dedication of a new senior girl’s dormitory that was completed only as far as the foundation. Since no other groups like ours are planned to be around in the next couple of months, it was decided to do the dedication now while a crowd of interest folks were available. The program was complete with kids singing and dancing and a fifteen minute oration by our leader. The final act was to give each person in attendance, kids included, a couple of drops of oil in the palm of each hand so that we individually could anoint and bless the new building to its intended purpose. In the afternoon, our group divided into groups of three and four and took bags full of donated clothing (Linda’s contribution included) to the homes of needy families. The first home I visited seemed fairly stable. Although there was no electricity or running water, The walls and roof appeared that they could withstand any weather condition. The next two I visited were pretty poor. I have some pictures showing mud walls with tin roofs held in place by rocks or, in one case, by a metal cable slung across the roof with a big rock dangling just above the ground on either side. All the houses we visited had oodles of kids with one lady in charge. The last house had a grandmother caring for eight kids ranging in age from less than a year to about 10. Our gifts were gratefully received. Our interpreter forwarded the heart felt thanks expressed by the recipients. I think the operation was supposed to be a feel good affair for members of our group. Certainly there must be a number of different ways of providing the help we brought that didn’t require the recipient to entertain a handful of people at their doorstep offering goodies.
We finished our work at New Hope Center with a barbecue dinner with the staff and kids. I’m sure it was a big treat for the kids because their diet doesn’t feature much meat. Other than that, it wasn’t quite what you would expect under the title of “barbecue”.
I have had the privilege of rooming with a really interesting person, Blake Goodman. Blake is 35 years old and the owner of a helicopter service business that is just three years old. He had stories to tell about working the New Orleans Flood that gave me a whole new perspective of the disaster. His firm was hired to go to New Orleans but then told to “stand-off” for several days because people were firing guns at helicopters from roof tops. When they were finally authorized to fly into the city, no one could direct them to a person in charge or an area to be served. He was a part of the Atlanta, Georgia contingent that seemed to make up half of our group. Blake and I got along very well until we got into a discussion one night that involved homosexuals. I was asked my opinion before I knew his. Once he discovered he had a flaming liberal on his hands he dropped the discussion and was really quiet for the next couple of days.
I have learned the names of a few of the people I worked with through the week. About a third of the group have been on a Heart For Africa trip in the past. Most were recruited through presentations at their churches by Janine Maxwell, the co-founder, with her husband, of the organization. There is a significant group from Atlanta, Georgia and another group from Boston. The Boston people brought their pastor along; a young thirties something guy who was very easy to like. A third group from the Chicago area plus a half dozen or so unattached people like me rounded out the group. Although I asked a half dozen times during the first couple of days about the size of the group, I never got a definitive answer. I think there may be as many as thirty. I asked for a list of names and was told that privacy laws prohibit such a list. Interesting. I missed some kind of opening exercise that would allow people to introduce themselves so that names and associations could develop. A little team building would have been very helpful. Although we all wear name tags around our necks, one becomes a little tired at staring at people’s chests, and then to find out that the name tag has flipped.
Given my inability to get acquainted, everyone seems to know me by name. I kind of stand out as the oldest in the group. A white beard and mane kind of separates me from the rest as well, I guess. It is a little disconcerting, however, to have everyone calling me by name and not being able to respond in like fashion.
In general, the participants tend to be “Saved” Baptists. They are fond of speaking of the “God Moments” that occur each day. A lot of time is spent in recognizing “God’s Hand” in that which occurs each day. One lady fell and broke her leg. She was hospitalized for a couple of days and returned extolling the glory of the moment. She was sure that God had her leg broken so that she could meet a soul mate who was a nurse serving her. In the end, her friend was given the bible that she carried with her every where she went. The lady was sure that her gift was the first step in her new friend’s salvation and thus the real reason for her broken leg.
There has been a big push for participants to become financially involved with the New Hope program. The first step is to adopt one of the children by providing $60 US each month to support the child. A surprising number of our group, surprising to me at least, have become sponsor “Adopters”. There seems to be great joy is found in telling the rest of the group about the child that the person has adopted. I the rate of our group’s adoptions, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the children have multiple sets of sponsors.
My observation, which is probably totally unfair, is that my fellow
group members are taking greater pleasure in “being Christian helpers” than they are in the service they have provided. Each day at four o’clock, we participate with the children in “giving thanks”. Divided into groups of 15 to 20, we go around the circle naming the things that happened during the day for which we are thankful. The children’s comments seem real while the adult contributions are revealing. Typically, we adults tend to be more thankful for the “good feelings” we picked up during the day rather than the productive contribution we made to the program.
The trek west to Pleasanton will begin with a bus ride back to Johannesburg, South Africa at 8:00 AM Friday, which is 11:00 PM Thursday California time. I am suppose to arrive in San Francisco at 8:00 PM on Saturday. Good friends Marty and Paul will be there to shovel me into the trunk of their car for the last leg of my adventurous journey.
I look forward to sharing my pictures with anyone who even hints that they are interested.
Love to all,
Grandpa / Dad