More Quick Comments
Hello, all! We are all still alive and well, and have been going, going, going since our last post. We'll have a full report soon, hopefully tomorrow. For now, we will post some quick comments just to let you know what we've been up to.
Our itinerary has changed a bit, but the trip to the lowveld, and our fast, are still on for tomorrow. Monday we visited Deacon Orma's orphan care project at St. Margaret's. The children greeted us with quite a singing performance. (Bishop Scarf and Donna repaid the favor by leading them in a few boisterous rounds of "Praise Ye the Lord," a children's song involving a lot of jumping and shouting.) Orma's project feeds over 50 children per day on most days. She shared their needs for more cooking equipment and staff. Afterward we visited St. Mathias, where Iowans helped build the priest's house six years ago.
Yesterday we visited Hospice at Home, delivered medical supplies donated from Iowa, and heard a report from the director on their work in Swaziland and their current needs. Then we visited a game reserve and saw some Swazi wildlife.
Today we went to Luve in the middleveld, where Iowans have sponsored a well and a garden project. We shared a gracious meal with Fr. Eric and his family, followed by a visit with the Shongwe family, who are sponsored by Iowans. (The eldest son Sipho visted Iowa in 1999.) The Shongwes are suffering a great deal after the death of the father and a daughter from HIV/AIDS. A second daughter and granddaughter have tested positive, as well.
We are seeing the effects of the drought in some of our travels, and it is pretty overwhelming. This afternoon we visited St. Augustine's orphan care project at Mpatha in the lowveld. The church there feeds 112 children one meal a day for four days a week, plus provides some schooling three days a week. The children seemed markedly less healthy in this desert region than other children we have seen so far.
Everyone on the trip is doing fairly well healthwise, so no worries. This is beautiful country and has been very warm, with some Iowa-like storms which hit the East and West but unfortunately skipped the lowveld.
We send our love and will report again soon.
---The Iowa Eleven
Our itinerary has changed a bit, but the trip to the lowveld, and our fast, are still on for tomorrow. Monday we visited Deacon Orma's orphan care project at St. Margaret's. The children greeted us with quite a singing performance. (Bishop Scarf and Donna repaid the favor by leading them in a few boisterous rounds of "Praise Ye the Lord," a children's song involving a lot of jumping and shouting.) Orma's project feeds over 50 children per day on most days. She shared their needs for more cooking equipment and staff. Afterward we visited St. Mathias, where Iowans helped build the priest's house six years ago.
Yesterday we visited Hospice at Home, delivered medical supplies donated from Iowa, and heard a report from the director on their work in Swaziland and their current needs. Then we visited a game reserve and saw some Swazi wildlife.
Today we went to Luve in the middleveld, where Iowans have sponsored a well and a garden project. We shared a gracious meal with Fr. Eric and his family, followed by a visit with the Shongwe family, who are sponsored by Iowans. (The eldest son Sipho visted Iowa in 1999.) The Shongwes are suffering a great deal after the death of the father and a daughter from HIV/AIDS. A second daughter and granddaughter have tested positive, as well.
We are seeing the effects of the drought in some of our travels, and it is pretty overwhelming. This afternoon we visited St. Augustine's orphan care project at Mpatha in the lowveld. The church there feeds 112 children one meal a day for four days a week, plus provides some schooling three days a week. The children seemed markedly less healthy in this desert region than other children we have seen so far.
Everyone on the trip is doing fairly well healthwise, so no worries. This is beautiful country and has been very warm, with some Iowa-like storms which hit the East and West but unfortunately skipped the lowveld.
We send our love and will report again soon.
---The Iowa Eleven
posted by Mission Team ~ Iowa at
9:16 PM
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