Wednesday - Msengeni B - Faith

Morning!  Small groups to get the day started. Across Africa the Hands team, no matter where they are, join together every Wednesday and studythe same scripture. They break down this scripture throughout the year focusing on different aspects of it each week. We focused on “humility” and the scripture alligned reads:

Luke, 9:48

Jesus said ‘If someone accepts this child because of me, then he is accepting me also. And anyone who accepts me also accepts my Father God, who sent me. The person who makes himself the least important among you is really the greatest.’

We discussed humility at length between ourselves and what it truly means to be humble? The catch 22 of acknowledging oneself as humble, meaning you are not humble. As you read this blog,we emplore you to challenge yourself as we did on this point. An act completed by oneself, was that you? Or was that god working through you?

Shoka house, where we were staying, was guarded by the thickest of vines and thorns and needed trimming. Queue the machetes and elbow grease! Now we have a surplus of firewood and smores are sure to be consumed in the foreseeable future.

We visited Msengeni B, this was created on theback of the need of children in the area and managing that between both carepoint A and B. B was created in 2017 and is still a working progress however you wouldn’t have thought that basedon what we saw. From early morning we slotted into life at the carepoint alongside the careworkers by distinguishing with washing and the preparation of food. Cutting cabbage finely with a bluntknife was quite a skill, unfortunately Maggie and Claire found out the hard way! Flintstone tactics via sharpening the knife on a rock helped, a little. 

Whilst the food was being prepared, some of the team went to visit the home of one of the careworkers, Zodwa & her husband ,Boy, and their and children, Ncebo, Nnceda and Vusi (oldest to youngest). Unfortunately the children were born with severe disabilities, yet Zodwa and Boy continue to work and serve the community whilst pressing through their own hardships. Zodwa talked to us through her faith in god and that she is grateful to Hands coming to her at the time they did, as the carepoint does so much for her and the kids. It was something we noticed as well as they were solemn at home, but once we walked to the carepoint they were singing and dancing! Thetransformation is astonishing and the work done here was showing us time and time again that it’s incredibly needed.

Before each meal the children sing songs and say their prayers together before washing their hands and lining up to receive food. On the menu today was samp and beans with cabbage, carrot and onions. Stella and Wesley helped sort through the peanuts and ground them down with a pestle and mortar which was added to the pap in the samp. Delicious. 

Until tomorrow!