I am sitting in church on this cloudy Sunday morning. I watch as a teenage girl drops and shakes her head in sorrow because the girl, her "friend," that she was sitting by moved to sit by someone else leaving the young girl alone in the row.
I sit behind a girl of maybe 12 years old who is reading a health tract called "AIDS and Life," a pamphlet about coping with AIDS. I dont know that she has AIDS, but what I do know is that at such a young age, its not fair to her that she even has to see a pamphlet like that and assume it applies to her life.
People here dont smile. Some of the children do. Some reciprocate a smile, but no one just smiles. We have asked a few of the Gogos (community grandmothers we visit through the week) what brings them joy; usually the dont have an answer. If they do its is usually "I'm just thankful to get out of bed in the mornings." While, yes, they should be thankful for that, many of them cannot think of one thing that brings them joy! Many Gogos are the last living of their families, or are parents for the second or even third times in their lives. This is due to many deaths in the family. Many times the parents of these children will just leave the children and never return.
Swazi is very oppressive. That is why we are here. We visit "Care Points" each morning to play with and share the Gospel with the children before they have their lunch each day. During the afternoon we visit the Gogos or sick. It is a way we are able to remind them that they are not forgotten. Many times we have the opportunity to go to the store and purchase food for them. It is a joy to hear their stories; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
