The Pines 2008

Epilogue

2008-06-16T23:45:00.004-04:00

After recovering for the past week, I thought it appropriate to make a final post. I started this whole thing with a comment about the Grand Canyon. Little did I know at that time how appropriate that would be. Between all of us on the trip, we took in excess of 6,000 pictures. After looking through most of them recently, they still only provide a glimpse. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I suppose I could go on quite a while with 6,000,000 words and still miss 90% of the trip.

Don'y worry - it's late and I just don't have it in me.

I will post three final pictures. Most work teams over the last year or so have painted a mural on the walls of the hallway commemorating their time at The Pines. Our team decided to do something a little different. Let me just say that it is always a good thing to have an artist on the team. Laura did a spectacular job with the map. Debbie and Josh completed much of the lettering. Most of the rest of us provided artistic insight (read - we felt free to point out where we thought it wasn't quite right). Have I said how much we enjoyed having Laura on the team?

Our mural, while it would likely have made him feel uneasy, is a tribute to David Seefried. But more than that - and knowing David I feel compelled to say this - it is a tribute to the God he served. Let us not look at The Pines and say "look at what David built," or "what a great man he was to sacrifice his life to do this." Rather, to truly honor David's memory, let us look at The Pines and say, as he did, "look at what God has done in this place," and "what great a God we must have for a man such as David to sacrifice his life to do this." It may only be a slight change in wording, but it is a complete change in perspective.

We just could not resist taking pictures of the clouds on our way from JFK to Rochester. What a great way to end such a spectacular trip.

Josh complained that if you looked at the pictures on the blog, you wouldn't know he was on the trip. So I thought I would post some proof. Some day he will make someone a good wife...

6-8

2008-06-08T10:37:00.001-04:00

As we sit here in JFK after leaving The Pines 31 hours ago, I thought I would take a final opportunity to update the blog. We were quite busy on Friday cleaning everything up from the week, but not too busy to spend some serious time with the kids.

I don’t have to tell you that the hardest part of leaving was leaving them behind. At the beginning of the trip, we talked about how we were going to schedule in a side trip to a lion park. Honestly, by the time we got to Saturday, I don’t think most of us cared.

We did go and in the end it was a good thing because it did not allow for dragged out good-bye’s.

The general consensus is that the flight home was better than the one going. Perhaps the first flight helped us prepare mentally; perhaps it is because our perspective about comfort has changed.

We are glad to be home, but we truly left a part of ourselves in South Africa. The picture includes all the kids except Boetie Boet. I have one of just him from the morning we left. I did get him to smile, and he said “yes” when I told him he would be bigger when we next saw him. Made my trip.

6-5

2008-06-06T04:20:00.001-04:00

The day started at 18 degrees. No, that’s not Celsius. So it is only fitting that we had ice cream with the kids when they came home from school.

In the afternoon, a few of us went to “Number 7”, a squatters’ village about a mile away, to deliver some toys and clothes, including the shirt literally off of Joe’s back.

I have heard many times that we in America do not know poverty. Now I know what they meant. I was thinking as we were driving away, that the amount of money I spent on the camera so I could take these pictures could likely feed the whole village for months, maybe a whole year.

Not that I think we should all stop buying things and send all our money to people such as these. What I would hope would change is our thinking when we are tempted to be dissatisfied with what we have. When we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we should stop and consider why we were born into such relative affluence and others into abject poverty. It is not a question we can readily answer beyond God’s sovereignty.

Let me be clear; wanting things is not a sin. Having things is not a sin. Obsessing about things is. Placing the acquisition of things as our top priority is. And thinking that somehow our worth is linked to the things we have is.

Afterwards, a few of us were dropped off at House of Hope, a temporary orphanage from which kids may be adopted. One of the babies is the sister of one of the girls here and is from Number 7. They loved the attention and we were all sorry to have to leave. They cried.

It seems everywhere we turn, there is more to do, more that need help. Debbie even said today that aside from the space issue (they can’t accommodate more that 3 or 4), one of the main reasons she didn’t go to House of Hope was because she wasn’t sure how much more heartache she could take. I think she speaks for more than just herself.

We just have to keep focusing on our drop and let God worry about the bucket.

6-4

2008-06-06T04:11:00.001-04:00

Today was fencing. OK, not exactly. We finished putting up a fence for the school at Reohola, a housing complex where we have been going to church. Quite a few of the kids from the neighborhood have been coming regularly, so it was good to be able to do something for them.

We began with rubbish patrol! In just a small area where the kids already play, we picked up several garbage cans full of trash, broken glass, rusty metal.

We also cleaned the area where we usually park for church. It is hard to see, but there is a ton of garbage and especially broken glass. Many of the residents drown their problems in alcohol. Not so unlike at home. And the result is the same – it is the kids that suffer.

The entrance to church – it doubles as a school/daycare during the week.

A true union job.

When we were done, it didn’t seem all that big, but the teacher was thrilled because she could let the kids out and not have to worry so much about them wandering off.

Even Pastor George joined us to finish the job. Pastor George has a huge heart. He is from Christ Church and volunteers to preach every Sunday in Reohola so they don’t have to travel for church. Transportation would be a huge barrier and he wants to remove that for them. We don’t get too many adults. In fact often the service is interrupted by loud music from those who would rather we not be there. But there are a number of the kids and in that we hope.

6-3

2008-06-06T04:07:00.000-04:00

Today was another hard day. We took a side trip to the pediatric ward at the hospital. It is probably a good thing that we could not take pictures. The hardest one to see was born November 29, 2007 and looked to be maybe 4 pounds. Without describing details, he is clearly not well. It is an image I will not soon forget.

What made it so hard was not simply to see such a little one struggle, or to see the conditions in which he lives, or even to wonder how much better he might be doing if he were to receive care in the US. The hardest part for us is to consider that, but for the grace of God, that could have been Colin. Some times God’s sovereignty seems unfair.

6-2

2008-06-06T03:55:00.001-04:00

Today we had fires, but not the ones we expected to be setting around the stumps. Unfortunately, it looks like due to the unseasonable rain we have had, we will not be able to burn the stumps. Today’s fires appear to have been set and were in the grass all around The Pines. Praise God the winds were such that it never jumped the road.

At sunset we took a trip to the mine dump. It is a huge pile of waste from the process of extracting gold. I would bet it is a mile across.

We made it to the top just in time to miss the sunset, but it was still worth the trip.

It was a bit dark getting down…

After dinner, Meredith entertained the troops.

6-1

2008-06-03T14:27:00.001-04:00

If there was ever any doubt of the tenet of the universal church of Christ, it was swept away today. Thousands of miles away, in a country and culture very much foreign, and in a building little more than a concrete garage, here we sat taking communion with our brothers and sisters. When the message is preached from the Word, it applies to us all.

We all struggle with the same sins. God has just seen fit to spare us in America from many of the consequences. Why, I cannot say. But if we ever look to Africa and think that in some way we are better because of it, let us run to God for forgiveness. Let us instead look to Africa as a warning to us from God that He will not always be so patient with us. Africa struggles, not because black people live here; Africa struggles because of sin. And if we think we are innocent of the same, not only do we deceive ourselves, but we succumb to the additional sin of hubris.

My little buddy Tumi

Especially on a Sunday, this made me wonder if the crown of thorns was not unlike these.

Stirred up a grasshopper today - about 4 inches long. Not sure how to spell it, but it sounds a bit like hoopie (kind of a hard "h"). Tankiso said that they bite, but you really have to watch out for the jagged hind legs. Not surprising, I have another one of Joe that will have to wait until we come back.

5-31

2008-06-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

Today included a trip through town, to the shack village, the cemetery and the dump. We are reminded once again of the tremendous dichotomy of this place.

5-30

2008-06-03T14:16:00.000-04:00

Mostly working today. Some of the team led a Bible Club at Christ Church. Several of the kids even were able to get autographs of Joe aka “White Trash” the famous rapper – don’t ask… The day was capped off by an adventure with a snake.

5-29

2008-06-03T13:59:00.000-04:00

Only a few words today. Today is when we visited Morningstar Christian Care Center and School. You will understand why one picture was a little hard to take.

5-28

2008-06-03T13:52:00.000-04:00

I must admit, we are all enjoying Joe being on the trip.

Stalking the elusive ostrich...or something.

5-27

2008-06-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

The kids get home from school and get a little candy from Grandpa Bill. Motshidisi (mote-sih-dee-see), Lehlohonolo & Nxobisa (no-bee-say - the gardener’s daughter)

Opening some letters from America

Nontembiso (nohn-tem-bee-so)

Puseletso “Maria”

Okuhle (oo-koo-thlay) & Refiloe (ruh-feel-away). How can you not love these kids?

Lehlohonolo trying to pick me up, Tonkiso, Refiloe & Okuhle

The Southern Cross. Ok, it’s not centered, but I took it with my camera steadied on a tree stump, so give me a break…

2008-05-29T17:18:00.001-04:00

We continue to have access issues (right now I can't upload pictures, but I can seem to get text out, so for that I am grateful. I have put together the summaries of the last few days, but you really need to see pictures for it to be meaningful, so I thought I would take the space today to tell you a little about The Pines and why we came. Guess I never did that, so now is as good a time as any! For many of you, this is familiar ground, but I know not for all.

The Pines is an orphanage built to house children who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. A few are HIV positive themselves but the real hope of this place is that many are not. By providing housing, clothing, food, education and most importantly the Gospel, what we hope to accomplish (yes, I said "we" - this place really draws you in!), is to break the cycle of the AIDS pandemic by starting with just a few. At just 18 kids now it seems like a small drop in the bucket, but the bucket is filled one drop at a time.

The Pines is a ministry of Ambassadors International Ministries, Inc. and was built truly as a labor of love of dear friends of ours, David and Sally Seefried. Unfortunately for us (but not for David!), God called David Seefried home March 29th. And I know that he would not want me to go on about how his stamp is all over this place. He would want me to tell you that when you look around here, you don't see David's hand, you see God's. And while I do not believe it will ever happen, I think he would be just fine if his name were forgotten so long as God's was always uplifted.

You can read more about The Pines on the website of one of our host missionaries' pages (the O'Tools). They also have a blog which includes some specifics about the kids who are here.

Now, about why we came. You know, I think it started because of David and Sally. When we first planned the trip, we were hoping that they might be able to join us. But as the time grew closer and ultimately God took David home before he could return here, it became more about really wanting to see the ministry that so consumed him.

Now that we are here, I offer an alternate reason - we have come for Puseletso "Gladys", Kesentseng, Puseletso "Maria", Nontembiso, Refiloe, Ntswaki, Motshidisi, Dieketseng, Okuhle, Cebisile, Itumeleng, Mpho, Mokhosi, Tankiso, Tshidiso, Pheello, Lehlohonolo and Boetie Boet (sorry - I misspelled his name earlier).

If I can get on tomorrow, I will try to get caught up with the daily stuff and you will be able to meet them a little more. I hope as well to be able to post some small videos that we have taken, especially the ones today at Morningstar. This is a day-care center dedicated totally to children who are HIV positive. It was uplifting to see them so happy, singing in line as they wait to brush their teeth, playing, mugging for the cameras. It was also heartbreaking to realize that when we are here next some of them will not be.

It was also great to see a room full of women who at one point had nothing and no hope and are now making and selling crafts and in the process hearing the gospel message. I can only speak for myself, but I have never been happier to empty my wallet. These will not be souvenirs, they will truly be memories. I write this now, because when I do post the pictures from today, I won't want to clutter it up with words. I don't expect I will have any anyway.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers - our sore backs are appreciative!

5-26 (also a couple days late)

2008-05-28T14:23:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the double-blog in one day, but you recall that our internet connectivity is sketchy. Today was quite a workout. We cleaned out several rooms that will be used either as common rooms for the kids, or as part of the next flat. There is quite a bit left to do, but we made a good dent in it today. Bed will be welcome tonight.

Some of us then turned our attention to some stumps. We called this “Stumphenge”

Even the kids got in on it! Here Pheello (Pee-ay-lo) and Tankiso (ton-kees-oh) actually took their own out themselves.

Lehlohonolo (Leh-cleh-no-lo) preferred swinging the sledge at a much larger target.

We burn them tomorrow, so look for those pictures!

The three of them then took three of us on at a game of soccer. Let’s just say that one lesson we learned today was not to play soccer against kids half our size, especially after stumping trees all afternoon.

The kids are beginning to open up to us and especially enjoy making fun of our attempts to pronounce their names. In all fairness, they don’t do so well at ours either.

You just can’t help but love them. They certainly can be sneaky, especially when it comes to doing their jobs (chores) and homework. It is great to hear them laugh and play and they all love to smile. When you think of where they have come from, it is truly a miracle.

It is not unlike the dung heap of our sin out of which God saves us. We have no idea what pleasure we can have until we find it in Him.

5-25 (a few days late)

2008-05-28T14:21:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Do you remember when you first saw pictures of it and someone said “The pictures just don’t do it justice. You have to be there to really get the impact.” It really is true – if you have ever been there, you know.

Before this trip, we had seen pictures and read many updates. But meeting the kids in person is just not something you can explain. I am happy to have work to do so we can help increase capacity so more kids can come. But when you meet them, you just want to spend all your time with them. For now we have to be patient.

Pray tonight for Bhuto Bhuto (his name means “brother brother” - I love it!). He is new and pretty shy. If it takes me all two weeks, I am determined to get him to talk to me. Stay tuned.

We appreciate the comments back. It is nice to hear that folks back home have noticed we were gone.

I took probably a hundred pictures today, but I am only posting one tonight. This is my Grand Canyon.

We Made It!

2008-05-25T01:31:00.000-04:00

It's probably a good thing that we were told 18 hrs, because that was about the actual flying time. Start to finish, from arriving at the Rochester airport at 9:00 through the van ride to The Pines, we were going for over 30 hours, give or take (some of us were earlier to the airport than others...)

If you know the Wemetts, you will understand why I say that we were happy for an uneventful trip. No weird people getting pulled off the plane, we never went sideways, all-in-all not bad.

As we were driving the 3+ hours from the Johannesburg airport to The Pines, we noted that Africa is a place of dichotomy. We saw billboards for luxury items right next to dwellings we would not even think fit to be called "low income" housing. We were passed at by expensive vehicles going 150-160 kph (OK, kids, do the math!) and had to maneuver around cars that looked like they were barely holding together.

As we settle into our less than Hilton accommodations, I am reminded that to the kids living here, this IS the Hilton. Thus I am grateful for running water, even if the pressure and hot water are a little unpredictable. And I am grateful for those that would sacrifice more than just a couple of weeks out of their lives to make this possible.

Here's a few pictures for your enjoyment.

No - this was not in Africa - this is the high-tech Rochester International Airport

Half Way!

Met by a friendly face!

A little re-fueling

A few were up, but a little shy...

I think this one speaks for itself

And We're Off!

2008-05-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

After getting mainly ignored at the Delta counter in Rochester, we did finally get through and are now sitting in JFK awaiting our 5:00 departure. It is still a little hard to believe that we are on our way to Africa. I have posted a few pictures for your enjoyment!

The team

Proof that we actually are on a plane...in case anyone needed it for work

We really are pretty small, even from only 10,000 feet

Almost Ready

2008-05-22T23:44:00.000-04:00

Well, it's less than 12 hours before we leave. The good news is that there is not enough time to worry about what we haven't done. I could talk about the great opportunity, or all the things we hope to do, but I just thought I would start by posting a picture of why we are going. Hope to talk again soon.