Africa
I am so sorry for the long delay in posting. As I write this, it is noon in Maseru, Lesotho, Africa and I am watching hordes of people pass the internet cafe in which I am sitting. Six Basotho ponies with their riders in full costume, hats and blankets just passed on the street.
The guy on the computer across from me is eating on an ear of roasted corn which he purchased from one of the many street vendors. Taxies are honking, both to attract customers and to warn the other cars that they want the right of way. What a mix of cultures, sounds and technology.
My long delay is due to the fact that for several weeks I was preparing for this first visit to the continent of Africa. We flew over here this past Monday, flying forward in time 7 hours and arrived in Bloemfontain on Tuesday afternoon. We took a day longer to drive down to Ladybrand, South Africa, where we stayed at The Siding, owned by dad's good friends, Terry & Angela Frankel. And then we drove across the border into Maseru.
When we arrived about 1:30 PM, we were informed that we were to speak at 4 PM that afternoon to a gathering of orphans and supporters of The Bana Project. We arrived to the sound of many voices greeting us with their "happy cry" and we spent a Spirit-filled couple of hours speaking, greeting, and taking lots of photos. They had advertised on the radio, and there was a newspaper reporter there to interview us. After the ceremonies and speaking, they had the children line up to receive their food. I am estimating that there were over 500 people, and more than 70% of them were orphans.
I will be giving you more information on this project soon, but you need to know as you pray that many people here in the government and the villages are watching what we are doing. Many are saying that our small project is doing more than the many organizations who are here from around the world, who talk about helping the AIDS orphans. The Basotho pastor who is in charge of this project tells us that "the people are dying like insects." There are fresh graves in every cemetery. Many houses are closed as both parents have died and the children gone to find someone to help them.
Tomorrow, Sunday morning, I will be preaching for the first time with an interpretor. And on Monday, we are hoping to track down some commercial sewing machines that we have heard about. God willing, we will be able to purchase something like that in order to establish a small sewing factory so that the orphans and ladies will be able to support themselves with work as they make school uniforms for the children.
