day was filled with twists, turns, ups, downs, stops and starts.
In September, Hopebuilders, a Mariners Lighthouse organization, donated a
pre-fabricated home to Kayamandi. The home is a prototype of more that
can be sent in the future, as the village desires. The team prepared and
painted the structure and sent it by air to arrive in the squatter’s camp before
our arrival. Unfortunately, the shipment was delayed and when it finally
arrived in Capetown, the truck to carry it to Kayamandi broke down. Our
plans were put on hold time and time again as we waited for the building to
arrive. While we waited, we petitioned the Town Counsel to allow us to
place the home on one of two sites.
choice. Just as our team arrived in Kayamandi this morning, the pre-fab home arrived. We were joyous and nervous,
knowing that the Town Counsel had not given the final word for either site. By afternoon we were on pins and needles. We
finally got word that the Town Counsel had agreed to the site of our first choice! Cliff and Rose, the team members who
founded Hopebuilders, were absolutely glowing! We realized that had the building arrived according to our schedule, we
would not have had permission to use the preferred site and the home would have been placed in the less desirable
location. Cliff later told the team, “It was just God’s way of saying ‘I wanted you guys to have this site today’ “.
As members of the team began clearing the approved site (the second very big job of the day!), they heard a familiar
noise. Luis said, “That sounds like a tractor”. The team laughed a bit and then looked down the road and saw a big yellow
Caterpillar tractor roaming the streets of Kayamandi! The man operating the tractor was happy to help clear the site and
accomplished the task in about 10 minutes, a job which would have taken the team several hours.
experience. Our team was assigned a translator, a local teenage girl, to take us
to as many families as possible, to help us talk with them, photograph them and
pray for them. Our translator led us through the winding streets of the village, but
did not lead us into homes as we had expected. I asked her to take us to homes
of people that she knew. She told us she was taking us to the top of the hill to
see the view. As a photographer, I love taking in a beautiful view. However, I
really wanted to be meeting people and photographing people. As we
continued what had now become a hike up the hill, Paula asked, “Where are we
going?” The translator again explained that she was taking us to the top of the
hill to see the view. By this time, I was actually growling out loud when the
translator was out of earshot.
lagged behind the group, trying to keep my growls from scaring the translator, I heard a young girl call to me. She motioned
for me to come into her home. I called to the group and they followed me into the girl’s home. Her mother had spotted me
out the window. She wanted to have her photo taken with her daughters. I was thrilled! As I shot a few photos, I heard Paula
behind me say, “My, what a nice chair you have. Laura, did you see her chair?” as she motioned to a side room. I looked
into the room and there sat a wheelchair from the Free Wheelchair Mission with whom Mariners has partnered!! The lady
waited patiently as we stood in shock, speechless, fighting back tears. I was growling no more. The woman, unable to walk,
kindly agreed to pose in her wheelchair for more family photos and then allowed us the honor of praying for her. In making
this connection, this woman who clearly needs medical support, can now receive help from the mission center in Kayamandi
and her daughters can receive help through the child sponsorship program.
As we left, Paula, with much wisdom, said, “Now we know why we were brought here”. We were given
the privilege of seeing the fruits of someone else’s labor, someone who had lovingly gifted this woman
with a durable wheelchair. We don’t know how the wheelchair got to the top of that hill, but we know it was
God who carried us there, on a roller coaster called Kayamandi.
Laura Adams, for the Fall 2005 Africa Team
