Heavy Hearts

It's a Monday night and I'm already tired, although this is mostly due to an exhausting previous week, emotionally and physically.  Sometimes it seems there aren't enough hours in a weekend to recover.  Thankfully we serve a God who is able to do far more than we could ever hope for or imagine, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.  Last week was one of the most emotionally taxing weeks we've had since we've been here and one of the most eye-opening.  But it was also one of the most affirming weeks we've had, knowing without a doubt that this is the place where we're supposed to be.

                                                     

Sive & Liyema 

 About a month after we arrived here in October, we met two kids who were new to Red Hill, Sive and Liyema, 6 and 5 years respectively.  They went away for holiday in December and we didn't see them until just before we left to come back to the States in May.  When we got back July 1st, in the middle of Holiday Club, we started  noticed Sive had peed in his pants one day at club and continued wearing the same outfit for the next week.  We saw he wore the same soiled clothes for a week. Starting on Monday the 17th, all our Red Hill kids returned to school.  All except for Sive and Liyema.  By this time, the weather was getting significantly cooler and rainier so anytime we saw these two running around, we brought them inside so they could warm up by our heater.  We told Lumka our worries and she made it a point to find out who was taking care of these kids and see if there was a reason for them wearing the same clothes for weeks on end.  It turns out these two kids have been sent by their mother from another township, Masiphumelele, to "take care" of her friend living in Red Hill who lives real close to the Living Hope Office. 

Tuesday, Sive came into teens club and cuddled up next to Claudia and told her his feet were cold and he was hungry.  It was the equivalent of 45 degrees Fahrenheit and raining, and Sive was wearing the same socks and sandals he's been wearing the last 2 weeks.  Lumka went to where they are staying and talked with their "caregiver" and gave them each some clothes that we had sorted from a donation from Living Hope.  The next day was another chilly, rainy day and we saw the brother and sister walking outside, again, not in school or cresh (daycare), but wearing a new outfit.  We brought them inside again and warmed them up, gave them some leftover bread and juice from our communion, and then found some leftovers from Phillis' kitchen and fed them a warm meal.  We also got them some boots and socks to help them keep warm this winter.

While we know this story isn't unique in the Cape Town area, or even Red Hill for that matter, we can't help but be heartbroken for these two precious kids.  One of the hardest parts of the day is leaving to come home, knowing we can cuddle up next to our heater, but not sure if these kids will have dinner on the table at night or breakfast in the morning.  There are people looking into this situation, trying to get these kids in a house where they can be given proper care - a bath, meals, blankets - but until that gets sorted out, we will continue to try and do what we can to take care of these kids.  We hope you will join us in praying that this situation will get resolved in a timely manner and these two can get into some sort of educational setting before they get set back another year in school.  Also, pray that we can discern what our role in helping is.  We wish we could just take them home where we know they'd have plenty of food and blankets and a bath, but unfortunately we can't because of liability reasons.  Maybe after we make contact with the mother, we could arrange something where we could keep them for a night a week or something, however at the moment, we will continue to pray and when an opportunity arises to meet any physical needs of theirs, we will do what we can to meet it.

In addition to this, we are starting to feel Satan start to attack some of our teens.  Following one of the best weeks we had in a bible study sense last week, this week we learned of many issues that our teens are facing.  We asked them to share some topics they struggle with and that we would see what the Bible says about these issues and some of their responses were hard to swallow.  From alcohol and drug abuse to rape to satanism, these teens have experienced far more than any 12-16 year old should even be exposed to.  But the fact they want to talk about these issues is encouraging.  "But when anything is exposed to light, it becomes visible." Ephesians 5:13.

We have gone to sleep the past week with very heavy hearts, but we also rest in the peace that we serve a God who is so BIG and loves the kids and teens of Red Hill more then we could ever imagine! We know that His perfect plan is going unravel in time. We all know the power of prayer, so thank you in advance for remembering these sweet faces and names. We are excited to watch our Father move in incredible ways!