Childhood

Last night, when it was already dark, two children from the area appeared at the Mission. It seemed that their uncle who had come to with their family since another uncle's funeral, had chased all the children from their home. The children -- 7 of them -- just ran with fright into all directions. One boy and a girl (both about 12) ran to the Mission, the boy still in his school uniform and the girl having only a thin dress and tattered jersey on. Sadly we don't know where the other kids went, and we found out that two of them, a 7 year old  and a toddler with him, disappeared into the indigeneous forest nearby their home--a very dangerous place at night.

This is just a small glimpse of what many of the children in this area face during the festive season and throughout the year) as family members become drunk, use drugs, and make life at home miserable for the children.

Mind Fog

I don't know whether it is because I am over 45 or whether it is all the zillion things that I have to deal with each day, but it seems like mind fog has come to stay for a while. Mind fog is my unwanted companion and it sticks to me like a big, fat, grey tick on one of my dogs. It  clutters all the space available in the drawers of my mind and makes me feel as if I am boxed in with no space for clarity of vision and creativity.

One thing helped to clear the fog for a while. We were in the middle of the church service when we were sent out into the community two by two. Each pair was sent out with a packet of salt as a gift for the home they would visit.  A bunch of young girls went with me and they giggled at my pronuciation of the one little boy's name (Ntshonthsho) who tagged along with us. I was surprized at the willingness of the people in the community to receive us, as well as the readiness of our congregation's members to go out and follow the example of the disciples of Jesus when we went out two by two.

It seems that following Jesus' commands and having fun while being obedient is a very effective antidote for getting rid of  unwanted companions.