Finally, after about 30 hours of flying and another 2 days of driving, we approached the dusty crude road that lead us to Bhukwini, a small village of several thousand in the forgotten Transkei region along the wild coast of the Indian Ocean in South Africa. As we got closer, we realized that a group of children from the village had been waiting at the village entrance to greet us. The joy and excitement they showed as they ran along side our caravan with bright smiles and waiving arms is something we’ll never forget.
As soon as we got out of our cars, the people of Bhukwini were more than warm to our group of 30 Americans and 5 Xhosa South Africans with handshakes, hugs, songs and dancing. It was at that point that we connected with Rufus Luttig (another South Africa mission sponsor) and our additional translators. We soon learned that the community had been planning for our arrival for weeks, giving us a 3-hour service and reception with a sermon, meal, and cultural performances of praise and worship.
Our mission on this particular trip was to show the love of Jesus to this community, build a relationship and gain mutual trust with each other in efforts to develop a collective vision of hope for this indigenous village that is afflicted with poverty, HIV and other diseases, and an overwhelming amount of orphaned children.
The four days spent in Bhukwini proved to be the most rewarding, impactful, and heartbreaking days for many of us in our group. Each day brought the tension between joy and heartache. Joy…in the smiles of the children we fed and played games with…in the eyes of the adults who realized we were there to learn and offer hope and help through love and education. Heartache…in visiting the homes of widows and orphans…in seeing the deteriorating state of the schools, many of which had crumbling walls and floors made of mud and manure, filled with over-crowded numbers of children.
One classroom we visited had over 80 kids…these were the youngest in the school…and the most malnourished. In their impoverished culture, it has become common practice for the children to be of last priority. The adults eat first, while the children get the leftovers. And the youngest children often have much of their food stolen from the older ones. Many children eat meat only once or twice a month, if at all. This was one of the hardest obstacles for many of us to overcome. Thanks to Mama Gladys, a former Bhukwini resident who now runs an orphanage, we were able to convince the cooks to make separate batches of food for the kids allowing them to eat full plates of food.
In one of the home visits, I met a 25-year-old single woman who had 3 kids of her own, in addition to the 9 orphaned children left behind from her deceased parents. All 13 of them were living in one hut, with one small bed on a mud/manure floor with chickens running in and out. In the center of the hut was a small indention in the floor used for fire, with no proper ventilation for the smoke.
The hardest of the days for me was a day spent taking individual photos of the orphans in the village. These were not orphans cared for by an orphanage. They live on their own, or with brothers and sisters, or random relatives or friends. As the list of names of orphans grew to well over 100, my assignment became emotional as I imagined my own kids and how much they need and depend on me. These children do not get to receive that kind of love or protection. These are the children who are waiting for people like you and I to come in and show support…through smiles, hugs, encouraging words, prayer…and for those called, through a child sponsorship program.
The HIV/AIDS, agriculture, and spiritual awareness clinics were a much bigger success than we had imagined. Women opened up about HIV and abuse, and men were responsive in their learning about HIV and prevention. Both men and women were enthusiastic to learn more about gardening and agriculture. The children seemed to really enjoy the activities and lessons, but the best connections were made when each of us allowed ourselves to bond to individual children, showing them that they weren’t invisible, and letting them experience the trust and love that so many of them seemed to lack.
As we began to leave Bhukwini, songs of praise and thanks were sung by the hundreds of villagers that were with us that day. They surrounded us as we headed to our cars, showing hand signs symbolizing “I love you”, jumping up and down, giving us hugs, and telling us to come back. And as the journey to Bhukwini began, so it ended…with children waiving, running along side our cars.
Mother Teresa once said, “Let us not make a mistake – that the hunger is only for a piece of bread. The hunger of today is so much greater: for love – to be wanted, to be loved, to be cared for, to be somebody.” Our mission on this trip was to go and love in the name of Jesus.
Mission accomplished.
Buck Wimberly
November 5, 2007
see the pictures at http://web.mac.com/buckwimberly
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