We knew that one of the things we would see here is a ministry that is working with people with AIDS. Today was our day to visit that place. The name of the ministry is iThemba Labantu in Philippi, and it is run by the Lutheran Church. This bustling place of activity has a youth marimba band, a soup kitchen and a workshop where women do sewing and craft projects which they sell to support their families.
But the two ministries that impacted me most were the children's preschool and the AIDS hospital. When we entered the preschool, the children were preparing for lunch. They were singing, "If you're happy, and you know it..." We were definitely happy when we saw their beautiful faces, so we clapped our hands, stomped our feet and "wiggled our bums" along with them. Before they ate, they said a prayer in English and Xhosa, the native language spoken in their township. The school teaches in both languages so the children do not lose their link to their heritage.
After that, we went to the AIDS hospital. The director of the center, Otto, suggested we sing first, so we stood in the hallway and sang Amazing Grace to the patients. Then we went into the rooms and prayed with the people. I prayed with a woman named Gloria. Her body was frail, but her eyes shone brightly. Even though we were separated by so many things - nationality, race, health - we discovered that we both have teenage sons, and we were bonded as mothers. I told her I would pray for God to heal her and give her strength so she could soon walk out of the hospital and go home to her family. I gave her a t-shirt from Living Water, big enough to be a dress on her, and told her that the shirt would cover her as our prayers will cover her. If you are reading this, please take a moment right now and pray for Gloria.
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