11 Moments in South Africa
1-Hiking in the Drakensburg Park: Walking through the valleys between Champagne Castle and Monks Cowl, and hiking to the falls within the park.
2-Fetching firewood and carrying the wood on my head as we walked back to the hut. The ladies were so excited that we could carry it out of the woods, but the teenagers weren’t impressed—and we saw why later, the women carry double the weight when they collect firewood.
3-Learning to sew magnets and birds with the ladies. They were patient and caring as I attempted to sew beads on the felt, and also learn how to create the right stitch that meets the requirements of the quality standards.
4-Making bracelets with the children. They were persistent with trying to create the design in the patterns of colors. They were so excited when they reached the end and were able to put the bracelet on their wrists!
5-Creating mud bricks to supply an orphaned family with a home.
6-Picnic on the mountainside with the ladies. I loved seeing the ladies present us with the lunch, and talk with the ladies about their crafts and then also talking with the teammates about the month and the future.
7-Learning Zulu dance with the Maswazi Mamas—they slowly got us up from around the fire and showed us how to stomp our foot to the beat of the music. Then following up the Zulu dancing with showing them some of our favorite dance moves—and seeing them copy everything we did, even attempting the worm.
8-Our last day with the ladies, we were given gifts that the ladies made each of us. Eunice and Thandiwe presented birds to me. I was blown away with their generous hearts, knowing that all month, they had been working so diligently to finish their order for the company, but then also working overtime to complete our orders and going even further with creating each of us a gift!
9-Serving at an orphan house to help clean and serve the grandmother of six children. The team washed laundry, fetched water, swept, organized the clothes, changed the bedding. It was beautiful to see the team serve with persistence and excitement to bless this family.
10-Last Day in the village: Started with dancing with the mamas of the group, then playing with the little girls (swinging, chasing). Then we headed to the Nelson Mandela capture site, and ended at Howick Falls.
11-Zulu Cooking with the ladies: The mamas bought a live chicken, showed us how they kill it and asked us to help clean the chicken and cook it. Then Mercy helped prepare the bap (crush corn meal that cooks up to a mashed potatoes consistency). As we cooked, we played games with the mamas and the children. They taught us a fishy game were we tried to pull each other over the “river” to have everyone on our riverbank. We also danced to the “step, step, step” song that is like a freeze game so if you keep dancing, you are out.
