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| October 17, 2006 Can you believe this summer has gone by and I will be returning to South Africa on November 1, just two weeks away? It has been an amazing summer for me, I have spent most of my time speaking about Our Journey and showing Power Point Presentations. We have gathered a lot of support from old friends and new friends. I will be returning to work in an Outreach Program in The Valley of a Thousand Hills; which is located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which has the highest AIDS infection rate in the country. I am not sure exactly what my duties will be just yet but excited just the same. Many people have inquired about precious baby Phila, the most current report was three weeks ago; he was doing very well and is still at the hospital where I left him last May. He is well enough to be released from the hospital but the court has not made a decision on where he will be returned to; there are two choices – he could be placed at another orphanage in a place of safety or he could be returned home which more than likely he would not receive the medical care he needs to survive. Please keep him in your prayers. I have been promised that I can visit him at the hospital on the next Monthly (November) Food Parcel Drop. I will keep you posted. So many great projects are in the making this summer, I am returning with baby quilts for all my precious babies with their names embroided on them ….I can just see their little faces lighting up now. These same wonderful women Quida and Debbie spent most of their summer making baby quilts, sewing shirts, shorts and dresses for children in the valley. When I say I feel like I have been walking with “Angels” I mean it literally! Another project was launched – BLANKET PROJECT - WINTER 2007 - SOUTH AFRICA Most families sleep on a dirt floor in mud huts.... it is not uncommon to see mud huts that will have at least one wall crumbled away, creating a gaping hole. This has been the worst winter remembered; in seasons like this people just die from the cold. Most children go to bed hungry as it is, which makes it difficult to sleep. One of our dreams is for Our Journey to purchase blankets in South Africa (for as little as $15.00 a piece) for some of these families. It has been so cold this winter that some nights to provide a little extra warmth; they burn any wood they can find in an old bucket in the house. This is a dangerous practice and has resulted in many fatal fires in the surrounding areas. Most families in the valley rely on the Monthly Basic Food Parcel given to them each month by The Outreach Program I will be involved with next year, for most without this food they would starve to death. Most families have no water or electricity. I have truly witnessed what it is to have nothing! Hot of the press – Much love, |