On Safari at Hlane

Today we went to Hlane Wildlife Preserve. It’s the largest protected animal park in Swaziland. We were guided in 3 land rovers through 30,000 hectares. Believe it or not, there was a chill in the air today and slight frost on the grass this morning. We saw Impala, not the Chevy, the herd type. The guide explained that the “M” marking on their tush stands for McDonald’s – to the lions. One of the greatest sights, was to see 7-8 white rhinos – 5 of which were laying in the middle of the road. Their heads are HUGE, not sure how their necks don’t get stiff.

We were within 10 feet of a young male elephant. He had only one tusk, which the guide explained he lost one in a fight. It was fascinating to see him swirl his trunk around the tall grass, then kick it with his foot, so that he was not pulling up the roots.

We also saw a pride of lions, which blended perfectly with the tall grass. The guide pulled the land rover within 25 feet of these gorgeous animals. It was incredible. We also observed were warthogs and numerous birds.

We had lunch at the reserve, under a giant tree with branches that reached down to the ground, so it was like eating under a large, living umbrella. As we were eating, our treat was to watch the rhinos at the waterhole.

Afterwords, we visited the house that Fr. Charles is building. The landscape was absolutely breathtaking, with a view of a great mountain scene.

The extreme contrast in life here is almost indescribable. Fr. Charles and Arch Deacon, Lona Rosa are two of the nicest, compassionate men I’ve ever met. And yet, due to “random acts of violence”, we stay within the gates of Thokoza Church Centre in order to be safe. The mountains and valleys are absolutely the most beautiful on earth and yet the HIV/Aids rate for adults is estimated at 42%, which means nearly half of the adults will be gone within the next 5 yrs. ArchDeacon LonaRosa said he is burying 8 people per week from the parishes he oversees. It’s very tough on the priests And even though poverty is a huge problem here, you hear the people laughing together – often.

Going back in time – yesterday Sue showed her Godly play story to the children. It was the story about Abraham’s life. When she was done, she asked the kids what the most important part of the story was. A girl raised her hand and said, “To pray to God everyday”. Sue agreed and said that God always knows what’s in our hearts and he wants to hear from each of us, because we are all his children. HOW COOL IS THAT???

Another question: “How does this story relate to you and your life?” One boy said that he is now living here on earth, like Abraham was in the story.

That day we fed the kids peanut butter sandwiches and gave them stickers, which they put on the faces and arms. They loved both.

Something very whimsical that day. Stevie and I decided we would help the women do the dishes after lunch. We went by the fire where their children were. Their skinny puppy started a tussle with the rooster, which fluffed up it’s feathers. The puppy was winning the boxing match. The puppy also took on the goat, but the goat won.

Every day is a great adventure. Thank you all for your prayers. We all feel it and are very appreciative. Ohh and good news about our songs. We are sounding better together, as we will be called to sing on Wednesday, the night of our going-away celebration. Luckily, Meghan is very good at playing the Xylophone. Carla and Lydia have been practicing a great duet, “I’ll be a Sanctuary.”

One more week here….

Reflections by Cheryl