When we first met Aphiwe (pronounced appE-wA) we were immediately impressed. When we (Kristin Pfund, Amanda Brucki, Peter Dinh, Francis Frizzelle, and Jenn Watson) met Malcolm we were overcome by how humble and full of joy he is. He introduced us to Janet (pronounced yah-net) and we all piled into her car (literally piled, squished, and squeezed) and headed out to our ministry. We first arrived at a community center that has a big gymnasium for local children to spend time at after school so they spend less time on the streets of the townships. The kids would come running out to greet us and love on us. I thought I was there to love on them. There were lots of hugs, “hold me!”, “pick me up!”, “spin me!” and we loved every second of it. From there we went to a different community center inside the township. This one was a small cinder block house that has one great room, two bathrooms and a big kitchen. It also has a large yard around it with a fence surrounding it. This is a safe place for kids. We played games, lead worship, and lead Bible study for the young women. This is where we first met Aphiwe. Only in her early teens and already a leader in her community, she radiates God’s strength and love to those around her. We got to participate in these ministries every Wednesday and Friday, and we always hated to go home. Aphiwe’s family invited us all to come to their house to celebrate her older sister’s birthday.
We were all excited for it and bought fish, cake, cookies and donuts with us. Walking up we were greeted by her Mom, known simply and beautifully as “Momma”. She is a strong woman who holds herself with authority that can only be given from Heaven. We are told later that she is one of the most respected women in the whole township (and that’s saying something). We cooked, ate, danced, sang and laughed, a lot. They served us so selflessly and generously. I was overwhelmed by the Godliness of the evening. God’s joy and inclusive love, overflowing love, just washed over us that night. Aphiwe read me one of her poems, as a fellow poet I basked in the honor of this gift. I got permission to share it with you:
You Are Special
Don’t say you’re not important
It’s simply not true.
The fact that you were born
Is proof God has a plan for you.
The path may seem unclear right now
But one day you will see.
That all that came before
Was truly meant to be.
God wrote the book that is
All you need to know.
Each day that you are living
Was written long ago
God only writes bestsellers
God wrote long ago
Your character is important
In this book you are the “star”
Enjoy the novel as it reads
It will stand throughout the ages
Savor each chapter as you go
Taking time to turn the pages.
When it came time to say goodbye, I part of me knew that I would see them again, and I have, every time I think about them. God shines through Aphiwe and her family in the township. I take joy in knowing that Malcolm and Janet will keep going into these ministries and that more volunteers will come. It was such an honor and a joy to get to meet all those beautiful children and young ladies. They have such an enthusiasm for worship. It’s amazing how I went in thinking I would be doing the teaching and end up being taught. What a gift. Thank you God for all of the great experiences we had this month.
