Last month, for the first time ever, God gave me a tiny glimpse of the mother’s joy.
My team and I were serving in Masiphumelele—Masi for short. And I fell in love with two little boys there.
Kholisani and Joshua go to Rainbow Preschool, a daycare/school started and run by a member of The People’s Church (TPC). Most days, we helped herd a squad 3 to 5 year olds from Rainbow to a local park.
We slid down slides, climbed monkey bars, seesawed, sang songs, danced dances, and spun around on that wheel thing that makes you feel like you’re spinning in circles at 80 mph… like if you let go of the handle bars, you’ll be throttled into the sky. When you’re off the wheel, however, you realize its actual pace is something closer to one mph. And if you’re 22 years older than all of the other riders, that realization has the potential to make you feel… well, stupid.
So that’s where Kholisani was—on the 80 mph death machine. When he de-boarded the wheel, he saw me, about 50 feet away, squatting on the sidewalk and watching him play. A bright smile spread across that three year-old boy’s face, and he took off running toward me, arms open wide. I laughed and opened my arms too.
Without hesitation, he leaped toward me and threw his arms around my neck as I simultaneously wrapped my arms around his little body, stood up, and spun around in a few circles… not at 80 mph.
I’ll never forget those 10 seconds. I’ll never forget the joy and laughter given to me.
My heart landed at Rainbow. I love those children, and I love Cornelia, the woman behind the program.
I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with her on our last Tuesday in Cape Town. And like I said in my blog about Chase—I’m excited to share a bit of her story with you.
Cornelia met Pastor Jeff when she decided, as a grown woman, to start going back to church. Jeff is the lead pastor at TPC, where my team and I met Cornelia for the first time. And Jeff is the person who encouraged Cornelia to attend an 18-month training program for teachers in Johannesburg.
In 2008, that’s what she did.
Cornelia lives in Masi. It's a township on the south side of Cape Town.
“Township” refers to an urban living area that from the early 19th century to the end of Apartheid was reserved for non-whites. Under the Apartheid regime, black, colored and Indian populations were evicted from areas designated as “white only” and forced to move into segregated communities.
In an article about Nelson Mandela’s impact on Alexandra, a township near Johannesburg, Euronews reported that these areas, which reflect South Africa’s rich-poor divide, are still very underprivileged. Unemployment and poverty rates are high. Basic infrastructure and services are lacking. Gangs often control the streets. Crime and abuse are common.
Cornelia told me that most of the children are physically or sexually abused. Many of them are born with fetal alcohol syndrome. And most of them are raised in a one-room home. Any and everything that happens in their house—they see.
Parents receive a payment from the government for each child they have. So, they have babies. Many of them spend the money on drugs and alcohol, even though their children may be undernourished and undereducated.
Cornelia wants the children to receive proper nutrition. She wants them to be educated. She wants them to learn how to interact with others. And she wants them to be in a safe environment.
In 2008, Cornelia started Rainbow Preschool with three children. After a year, 28 boys and girls were enrolled in the program. And today—54.
As the school grew, so did her home. The members of TPC helped. A new house was built on top of her old house, and the old building was converted into two classrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. She also has a classroom and a small playground outside.
Some parents pay a small fee for their children to attend the program. Some parents don’t pay at all. A missions organization donates rice for the children’s breakfast and lunch. Other than that, Cornelia receives no regular funding or volunteers. She works Monday thru Friday. The first child arrives at 6 am, and the last leaves at 6 pm. On Sundays, she serves on TPC’s worship team.
In the three weeks we worked with Cornelia, I never once heard her complain. I never once heard her ask for help. I never once heard her say she was tired.
This woman has had an abundance of strength poured out on her. She is, without a doubt, what Adventures would classify as an “unsung hero.”
I experienced so much of the Father’s love and joy at Rainbow and am so thankful for the time He gave me there. I'm thankful for Cornelia and for her sacrificial heart. And I'm thankful for Joshua and Kholisani and the rest of the beautiful kids in Masi.
I’m praying the Lord will take me back to Rainbow some day. But for now, He's brought me to Kedesh, an orphanage for boys in Chamba, Mozambique. And for now… that's where I'll be. #beinyourlife
Heart full,
Julie
