You guys must have been praying. In my last email I mentioned two young girls from the orphanage who had been sick. We took them to the doctor, and they could not get tested for HIV because the mothers were not present. Well, the good news is that the mothers were found and signed a waiver saying the girls could get tested; the results came back negative! I could not believe it! Even the doctor was sure these girls were positive. I was so excited. This was such an answer to specific prayer in my life. Many times as I held those girls I asked the Lord to touch their bodies and heal them. I found out on the last day of seeing the kids. It was definitely much easier for me to leave the girls knowing they were not HIV positive. It was such a gift from God for me. I truly am so sad to leave those kids, but I know they are in good hands as many people are still going back to visit them weekly. Even the girls from Gugulethu we had been living with promised to go and visit the kids. I really could not have asked for more.
Our last week in Gugulethu was mostly spent saying goodbye to people. We spent a lot of time just visiting the people we had really gotten to know. On Sunday night, the people we had lived with had a big BBQ for us. Many of them are very poor, and I know they spent a bit of money. We appreciated their gesture so much.
The church we had been going to asked us to each talk about our time in Gugulethu on Sunday. It was a honor to do that for them as they had helped us tremendously in getting acquainted with the township. They are great people, and I will really miss them.
As I said in my previous email, I have had mixed emotions about leaving not just Gugulethu, but Cape Town in general. I have really enjoyed my time and the people here. I also have been presented with a couple of opportunities to come back here and work full time in Masiphumelele. I have the opportunity to come back and staff a DTS, or to come back and fully work in Masiphumelele. If I did come back, I would also spend a lot of time volunteering in the high school. I was talking to a friend today who is starting some type of initiative against the child trafficking industry here in Cape Town. By the year 2010 there are supposed to be nearly 100,000 women and children trafficked here for the 2010 World Cup held in Cape Town. The aftermath of having that many women/children trafficked here is a massive sex industry left in Cape Town. The government is doing nothing to stop this. This is also something I have a heart to be involved in. I am also going to try to raise some awareness about this while I am in the U.S.. If enough people hear about this, then the U.S. government can put a little pressure on the South African government to move to action against this horrific injustice.
This week is mostly spent debriefing our time in Gugs and our time here as a whole. It has been so fun to reunite with the other teams that went to Uganda. Seeing them again and hearing their stories has been amazing. It is great to have a week of talking about our time here and getting perspective on things, especially before going home. We are also counseled on re-entry into our own countries and cultures. I think this is so necessary as this whole experience can be pretty overwhelming at times.
As far as what is next in life, I truly have no idea. I am going to spend some time at home visiting many of you, and I cannot wait! I really just want to spend some time appreciating the people I love and appreciating the simple things in life. I also just need some time to process this whole experience, as I know I will never be the same again because of it. As I go home, I would like you to keep me in your prayers about a few things.
1. Future: Should I stay in the U.S. and teach, or come move back here on a more permanent basis? I truly just want God’s will to be done. I am also open to other ideas the Lord throws in my direction.
2. Finances: I need to make money quickly as I get home. Staying overseas for this long is expensive.
3. Health: I had a horrible virus a few months ago and my stomach hasn’t been the same since then. I have gone to the doctor three times, and they don’t have any answers for me. I am not in any pain, but I am constantly bloated. This is nothing serious, just bothersome.
I would appreciate so much your prayers in theses three areas. I also want to thank you all so much for your support along this amazing journey. Your emails, letters, and support have fueled me more than you realize. I could not have done this without all of you! As I am home, I will be sure to keep in touch with you and keep you posted on my future plans. Also, feel free to email me or call me in the future. I would love to talk more about my experience here as these emails barely scratch the surface. I also would love to hear what is going on in your lives as I have been so “out of the loop” for so long! Again, thank you all very much for your help and support. You will hear from me again soon. Love
