March 16th, 2000
Maggie writes:
Dan and I went to the Hospice at Home program yesterday, to deliver the last of the sweaters that we packed in
our duffels-they were well received, and we talked again about providing some money soon for blankets, which can
be purchased here, cheaply-saves $'s in shipping-Ned has a place to buy these at a good price-will let you know
more, as I know-
We went on to the Usuthu Farm, -- raining, of course --- and toured the nearby school, as our other school experiences last Friday motivated us to see another rural setting and the facilities-about 670 kids, 17 teachers, and all in greyish tan uniforms-the teachers we met were more mature looking, including beautiful Cynthia, who lives in one of the Anglican houses on the farm property - and whom we have talked with in past visits- anyway, we met with John Weatherson, farm mgr., who had a list of projects for us to help with over time - many of which are pretty basic things-but cost some money and he will have the estimates for us soon-this was a place that Bishop Paul asked us to hone in on, for parish/diocese focus, as scattering all over the country would have overwhelmed us-anyway, we saw 10 fresh graves in our walk around the already familiar area-since we had two "consultants" from the farm with us (John, too), we did not ask "pointed" questions, but suspect many were AIDS related deaths-these fresh graves were not there two weeks ago-the paradox, again-is that the graveyard, partly with older headstones, is near the "dump" and the falling down outhouse that folks use-hmmmm-anyway, it was a sad, moving scene for Dan and for me ---took photos, but won't have to look at them, as the site is planted in my brain, and my heart-human life is so fragile, no matter what the cause of death. (will hope to find out causes when we speak with John the next time)---
Last evening, Dan and I were at a couple's home for dinner-both work full time and the "gugu", (maid, cook, and sitter for their 8 yr old)- (gugu means g'mother, by the way) had cooked --- the deacon at All Saints, Pat Wright, who has not been licensed here yet, (been here for over 2 years, and would be the first woman deacon in this diocese) was there, as was her friend from England-delightful evening and we were grateful for the chance to meet more folks in an informal setting-there are many good people here, and we hope to keep in touch after we leave here.
That's about it from our part of the world-the rain is something we have become
accustomed to-just don't let it get in our way, as long as roads
are passable and bridges don't fall down-basics, eh???
love to all at your end of the world
-love, maggie
Dan continues:
I wanted to add some reflections, on our visit of yesterday, to what Maggie has already sent. The school was in better shape than some we have seen in that it had some water available from a tap between the buildings and there wasn't as much vandal damage because there is a fence and they have a security guard which patrols the perimeterafter hours. However, there was no electricity, probably because the buildings hadn't been wired and because of the costs. In spite of this, the teachers semm to be dedicated to educating the children. The kids appear happy and healthy. We came upon a group of teachers who were cooking over a wood fire and asked what they were doing, as the school had been dismissed by that time. They responded that they were fixing things for the kids to eat following "sports day" which would occur tomorrow. They were doing this on their own time.
The other thing which hit me hard was the presence of the new graves, which, to our knowledge hadn't been there two weeks ago. It was a stark reminder of how fragile life can be and how fortunate we are to live in a country where the health care is probably as good as any other place in the world. I'm not saying this to make anyone feel guilty, but as a country, we have a great deal to be thankfulfor and we also have a responsibility to share some of our abundance.
The experience here has been quite rewarding. We are priviledged to be here and meet some wonderful people. I'm hopeful that more people from Trinity and the Diocese can have a similar experience.
Yours in Christ,
Dan
The first picture is of three teachers at the school.
. The second is of three little girls who had classroom cleanup duty.
The third is of a group of boys who were playing soccer with a small, partially deflated playground ball, but when they saw my camera they immediately stopped and grouped for the picture.
The fourth is of Maggie and a young woman and her child being carried in the traditional back pouch. As a point of interest, we have been told that babies heads are always covered when in public to keep evil spirits away. Also, people aren't supposed to touch the head of any baby.
The last picture is of the graves which we saw at the farm, which hadn't been there(or we hadn't noticed them) two weeks ago.