Please Sign Our New Guestbook! 
Dec. 9, 2005
Dear Friends,
Sorry I have not sent an e-mail earlier but I have been having trouble with my Internet account.
I went to a funeral in the valley this past week, do you remember the woman I have talked about in past e-mails, the one my roommate and I took to a hospital near the city so she could get better care than she was getting at the free hospital. Her 5 year old son goes to the preschool we sponsor in the valley, we have pictures on Our Journey web site of his family at the birthday party we had for him at his home. His Mom passed away last week and I had the privilege of attending her funeral.
Not so sure I can do
the funeral justice in words...but it will be in
my memory
forever.
It took place in her house in the valley, a mud rondavel
with a tin roof and cow dung
floor...all furniture and personal belongings were removed
and it was really
clean. the casket (a very simple flat top wooden box was
placed in the
middle of the room with a blanket over it...in this small
room there were
probably 100 people crammed in ... about five woman were
holding lit candles
wrapped in newspaper at the bottom and everyone else had
a homemade wooden staff of
some sort with a hand carved cross on the top... it reminded
me of a
shepherds staff... the house had two windows cut out...no
glass just cut-
outs...they were extremely happy to see us arrive, Ed,
Regina and myself
(they were teachers at the preschool) of course we were
the only white
people and were asked to sit up front with the body (we
were given chairs)
most people were standing...they would sing sad grieving
songs in
Zulu...anyone could start one, they would sound so sad
then they would sing
a joyous sounding hymn and all would sway back and forth.
Then something happened that took me completely by
surprise and scared me a little. All of a
sudden the preachers eyes went in the back of his head
and he went running
thru the crowd waving his staff...the rest joined in and
kept banging their
staffs over the body and yelling in Zulu, the only way
I can explain what
happened next was the crowd went wild and a minor stampede
started, knocking
people to the floor..this probably never lasted more than
2 minutes but it
was eerie. I have since been told the preacher saw evil
spirits over her
and they were kiling them with their staffs. No one spoke
English but we
were motioned to come up to the body and speak...I went
up , we let Ed speak
for all of us...I am sure they did not understand a word
but the family seemed real
happy that we were there. About four hours had past and
then people started
producing blankets and straw mats to put on the body..I
found out later they
were to be buried with her..I will find out what that means
later...
We had
to leave at this point, we had to have the truck
back that we borrowed and this was to be
Ed and Regina's last day, they were leaving
in the afternoon...not sure how much longer
it went on ... I wish I could have stayed
until the end.
Let me tell you about the road to her house....we parked
at the bottom
of the hill and had to walk up...the road was so steep
and rocky I kept
slipping backwards...can you imagine they carry water
every day up that
hill, there were about 12 young men digging her grave
by the house as we
left. I will send a picture later that I took from
a distance where no one could see me
take it.
I have plans to visit them next week and bring them food
and clothes. I am
so blessed to have had this opportunity to have a small
peek into their
culture.
Love,
Maureen
December 11, 2005
Dear Friends,
Words do not seem adequate enough to express how thankful I am to friends of Our Journey. I continue to receive e-mails asking what can one do to help, some of you are asking specifically what my needs are. So, let me begin, at the moment I am "totally" involved in trying to find a cure for my babies with chronic diarrhea. For the past seven months 5 of my babies have had chronic diarrhea, you can imagine what they must feel like. I have been told over and over again by the free hospital it is normal not to worry. At one point we took a stool culture to the hospital to be tested and on two different occasions it was lost. A couple of weeks ago I asked permission to take one of the babies to a private doctor he had been running a fever and crying a lot, I was granted permission as long as I would pay for it. The doctor found he had swollen glands and a bad sore throat (mind you he had been taken to the free hospital the day before and told there was nothing wrong) The doctor assured me chronic diarrhea was neither normal nor healthy. He prescribed some medicine and told me if this did not work he wanted to take a stool culture to see what kind of bacterial infection he had so he could treat it. I could not afford to take all the babies to the doctor so I asked other volunteers for some help. They collected enough money for me to get medicine for all of them. Sorry to say the medicine did not work on any of them so they will all have to see the doctor and have stool cultures done.
Anyone wanting to help specifically with this cost can do so by sending a donation to Our Journey Inc, the address is on the web site on "how to donate" write a note specifically telling us you would like to help with doctor visits and medical cost. You can not imagine how many baby wipes we have gone through. At the moment we are out of them and using one ply toilet paper.
Our Journey will purchase another case this week. We will also purchase some good diaper rash cream. It is so more cost effective for me to purchase them here than have them sent from home, the postage to send them from home is outrageous.
Another project close to my heart is to be able to help needy families in the valley. Currently I have been giving a lot of medicine and clothes that you all have been sending to them. You cannot imagine how appreciative they are. Our Journey would like to help financially the family that just lost their mother this past week (the funeral I went to). I plan on visiting them next week and bringing them food and access their needs. This is all made possible because of your help. THANK YOU!!
Maureen
Ps, I am attaching some pictures that were taken yesterday. Paul, a crèche volunteer was leaving and the crechies made him something to take with him. They are quite creative.
Check out our new crechie! she is precious!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 17, 2005 (very
late)
Dear Family and Friends,
I cannot believe Christmas is almost here ... even in South Africa. This will be a different Christmas this year to say the least. Usually about this time of year I am stressed out, worrying about what gifts I need to buy, will it be right, does it cost enough, will everyone be happy with what I bought them. This year is different, I did not give gifts, it's been all about me receiving ... I have learned to graciously receive and enjoy what ever is being offered to me. I seem to have gained an awareness that I am quite enjoying ... it can be the Gogo's saying good morning to me in Zulu and trying to teach me to respond back in Zulu ... they giggle at me when I mess up, which I do every time ... it's about enjoying the babies when they greet me every morning when I get them out of their cribs ... they yell in unison "MAUWEEEEN" over and over again. When I receive all the encouraging words from you all on the web site... I get warm fuzzies. I am so blessed to have learned to receive!!!!
I just returned late tonight from a four-day trip to Cape Town ? nine of the children that belong to our choir (ages 10-15) were asked to sing at a wedding. I was asked would I travel with them as their chaperone. It was an amazing journey; we spent 16 hours driving there each way. The person getting married is the founder of an organization that makes a large donation every year to our Out Reach Program ? we feed over 4000 people in the valley each month, we drop off a basic food packet once a month to these families. For many of these families this is the only thing between them and starvation. This generous person paid for and arranged our transportation, someone to drive us back and forth from Cape Town? we were all housed with a friend of his. On the morning of the wedding, the children and myself accompanied the groom and some of his closest friends on a hike up Table Mountain; all had a great time.
The wedding was spectacular; it took place in a township where the couple worships, (townships are usually in the city where small communities of black people that are extremely poor live). Most houses are modest to say the least, for most one very small room made of assorted pieces of junk, metal, cardboard, many rocks and tires or anything heavy holding the pieces on the roof down. The couple getting married is white and from affluent families, these Christian have chosen to take the church to the people and build it where they can get to it. That?s another story, the church was not completely finished in time for the wedding, the windows and doors were put in less than twenty four hours before the wedding ceremony ? thankfully it did not rain because there were gaps still all around the windows, I think they were put in just for appearance sake for the day of the wedding. The inside of the building was not even started but the wedding could not have been more eloquent. There were over 500 people in attendance, from many different races and walks of life.
I have truly experienced walking in HIS Presence!
Peace, Joy and
most of all Love,
Maureen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dec. 21, 2005
Greetings!
I am in the process of fulfilling another one of my dreams, I have always wanted to play Santa Claus at an orphanage ...guess who Father Christmas is this year....you got it...ME!!! I will be in a utility trailer pulled by a tractor with my elves on Christmas morning - I am beside myself, I am giddy I am so happy. It is amazing, when I seem to get at my lowest, and I have been the past week. My God lifts me up..well this time He more than lifted me up...I am Santa Claus!
Every year since my children were born I have read The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve to them and my nieces and nephews ... even when they were grown..it's a family tradition. I offered to read it to "all" the children here Christmas Eve...it will be a hoot. During these holidays most of the kids go back to the valley to extended family or a Gogo offers to take them with her...all Gogos here have two weeks off during Christmas. Well there is always about thirty children left behind with no place to go...same children every year..either they have no one or there is not a safe place for them to go. We will do our best to make this the best Christmas ever for them. I feel like a child myself at the moment.
I will take good pictures of all of the events and send them. God is good!!!
With love,
Maureen
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dec. 23, 2005
Thankfully I was able to get to the valley this morning to deliver Christmas presents and food to Thabiso's family (the family I talked about in my journals - they lost their Mom two weeks ago and have absolutely nothing)
You will see sheer excitement on their faces when I give them the presents, I will cherish these moments forever.
Thanks to Our Journey supporters I was able to do this.
Merry Christmas!
With love,
Maureen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 25, 2005
Christmas night
A Christmas that will never be forgotten, it began on Friday, a trip to the valley to bring food and presents to Thabiso's family (the preschool boy that lost his Mom a couple of weeks ago). I still smile when I think of the looks on all of their little faces when they seen me climbing the hill to their home with a basket full of presents.
Christmas eve was spectacular, we all gathered in one of the houses and sang Christmas Carols by candlelight. We ended the night with me reading Twas The Night Before Christmas.
Early Christmas morning - all the children woke up with stockings in their beds, Santa had visited during the night while they were fast asleep. Eating cookies and d chocolate before they even got out of bed.
Christmas breakfast was a treat for all, a volunteer had bought breakfast for everyone, fruit salad, yogurt, juice and French toast, they even had Corn Flakes. They usually have porridge every day and nothing else, if you could have seen their little eyes, so wide and twinkling with shear delight. Just when they thought they had it all Father Christmas (Santa) and his helpers arrived in a 4x4 decorated with red balloons and streamers) can you believe I got to be Santa, a dream come true for me. Presents for everyone!
Santa and helpers asked permission to ride in the 4x4 through the valley singing Christmas carols and shouting HO HO HO and a Merry Christmas to all! Children came running from the hills in every different direction to see Father Christmas. We stopped at one of our Gogo's houses to wish her and her family a Merry Christmas (she also had three of our children with her for Christmas holidays) the kids were jumping up and down with joy.
Then back here for Christmas dinner, all had a feast. This was the Best Christmas ever. I hope you enjoy the pictures I am attaching because words cannot do justice to what I had the privilege to experience this Christmas Season.
With love,
Maureen