camp called Kayamandi in Stellenbosch South Africa near Capetown. It had been four
months since our last team visited Kayamandi. The moment we stepped out of the van,
we were greeted with warm hugs and hellos. The children literally ran and jumped into
the arms of the ladies in our group, women they had never seen before.
me that I had taken on my first trip
to Kayamandi. As our team
toured the village, I trailed along
behind handing out photos to
people that I had photographed
four months earlier. The children
and adults were so excited to
have a photograph of themselves.
her two daughters on our trip in
July. When I handed her a copy of
her family photo, she looked at the
photo and turned and looked at
her home and looked back at the
photo, simply amazed. She was
absolutely thrilled to have a photo
of herself and her daughters in
front of her home.
missionary pilot, grabbed my camera
and captured the moment. My dear
friend Thandi, standing with us, was
equally amazed at the family photos.
Horizon International. With all of us crowded around watching, one by one, the American sponsor met their
Kayamandi child. For these children, being sponsored means they have a “mum” or “dad” in America, they can
buy school supplies and uniforms, they can afford school tuition and they will have medical treatment and food.
still waiting for her American sponsor whose flight had been delayed. We
brought her into the room and Pumla, the child sponsorship director,
explained to the girl that her sponsor was delayed and would be arriving in
one hour. The girl was 12, old enough to know what an hour means.
However, the news was too overwhelming for her and she burst into tears. At
that moment, Jenn, a woman on our team who had hadn’t really thought about
sponsoring a child, stepped in and said to the girl, “I will sponsor you. I will be
your sponsor.” We all burst into tears. We realized, painfully, that without
sponsorship, this young girl had absolutely no hope. It wasn't a matter of
waiting an hour that brought her tears, it was a matter of waiting her whole life.
Local South African missionaries Cassie and Jenny Carstens wisely guided
our team in putting on our first annual street fair. Each family on the main road
through the village was paired up with a couple of people from our team.
something they could make that could be
sold at the street fair. We bought the
required craft supplies and baking
ingredients and helped each family create
something to sell. We also brought rows
and rows of Christmas lights and simple
decorations for the festivities.
chatting with the families and building friendships with them. When the event arrived, the
ladies on the street each decorated a table and displayed their handmade goods for sale.
The Christmas lights were lit. The children played games. Different groups danced and
sang for everyone. The street fair was a wonderful celebration. And every lady on the
street sold all their goods before the night was over.
we had the privilege of
spending time with a group of
30 AIDS counselors from
Kayamandi. These women
counsel people with AIDS
and the families and friends
who give them full time care.
Many of the counselors
themselves care for close
family members and loved
ones who suffer with AIDS.
we boarded a large boat for a few hours
on the open water. At first the ladies
were fairly reserved. As the day went on,
our two groups merged into one. When
we came back to the dock early
because of choppy water, we sat around
the catamaran talking with these
amazing women, hearing their stories of
pain, suffering and death.
dancing began. The depth and magnitude of
the pain these women face was matched by the
joy and exuberance with which they sang and
danced! It was pure delight to watch. The
Capetown locals must have been quite surprised
as they strolled along the busy dock to see 30
ladies from a village teaching 16 Americans how
to sing and dance on a catamaran!
our short time in the village. We
look forward to returning twice
each year to continue building
friendships of trust with the men,
women and children of Kayamandi.
