Finally in Africa!

I am running errands with Heidi today so she does not have to walk around town alone. She has print out a number of things, so I thought I would send out another update.

The place we are staying reminds me a lot of Powers Hall at Iowa Campgrounds. Only you don't have to go into the basement to get to the bathrooms. There is not much wildlife here, only domesticated animals. Lots of cows and goats. In fact, they roam free and there have already been a few times when we had to convince a bull that the road was for us and not them. There are also no snakes this time of year. They are all in hybernation. You can guess how disappointed I am about that!

It has been rather chilly here, but today is flat out cold. You can see you breathe outside. I would guess it is close to freezing. Who knew Africa got so cold? Especially being so close to the same lattitude as Hawaii.

The work site is not too bad. They already have a school and church there. The children have to use latrines, but they do have a toilet for the adults. The trick is that you have to fill buckets with water and carry them to the toilet so you can wash everything down after you are finished. The property is set up to have running water, but their water pump is broken. That is doubly bad because when it works, it pumps the water into a filter of sorts so it is safe for the children to use for drinking and washing their hands. The principal is supposed to be getting a price quote for the new pump so we can try and get donations toward it.

Today, a few of us will meet with the Minister of Social Wellfare and the Minister of Public Health. They will escort us to see AIDS hospitals and clinics in this part of Swaziland. Tomorrow we will meet some of the orphans who are the worst off and take pictures of them. We will create profiles and see if we can get people to sponsor them. Sauni is planning to speak with the various authorities about possible adoption options from the USA. Then on Wednesday I am to meet with the Public Health Workers around the village where we are working to train them on sanitation practices. All the while, our construction team is working on the structure of the Children's Home. The foundation is complete and they poured cement for the floor today. Things are right on schedule.

All in all things are going well. I have a little girl Tipo (pronounced Depo) who has decided I am her friend. She sought me out in church yesterday and stayed by my side most of the time we were there. One of her older sisters also spent quite a bit of time talking to me. She wants to take music lessons, but it made me laugh because she already has such a beautiful voice. Tipo is actually an AIDS orphan. Both of her parents and older brother have died from AIDS. She was tested a few months ago when this family adopted her, but must be tested once more before they confirm that she is free of HIV. I thought this family seemed relatively well off and then when I returned to the Conference Center Carolynn informed me that they were part of the chief's family. That explained a lot. It appears that we are meeting a number of significant people in Swaziland. It seems weird to be rubbing elbows with people who carry so much authority in this place.

The church service was good yesterday, but there wasn't much of an opportunity to pray with people. They dismissed the service in SiSwati so we didn't even know that it was over until people started getting up and leaving. hehe. Then we were taken to another room where we ate with some of the "men of standing" in the church. The women and children stayed outside while we ate, but I brought Tipo in with me. I put enough food on my plate for both of us to eat and gave her a spoon. She was thrilled. I didn't plan on purposely making an exception. I just didn't realize that the women and children were not going to be eating with us. Her dad nodded his approval and no one else complained. The food was not bad. We did not drink the juice, but everything else was well cooked and none of us got sick from it. They served chicken and rice, beans, carrots, beef stew and pumpkin. Most of us thought the pumpkin was sweet potato with a somewhat different flavor. The men laughed at us and told us it was not sweet potato, but pumpkin.

I think that is all I know for now. We have taken many pictures, but I don't know that we will be able to upload them until we return. Let me know if you have any specific questions about what things are like here.

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Be Blessed,
Jeannie