A Week in KwaMhlanga ("Kwa Ma Shlanga")

Greetings again!
I spent this week in KwaMhlanga (see phonetics above) which is a region about 45 minutes from Pretoria, where my family is involved. I stayed at MCDC (Mukhanyo Community Development Center) with Harry and Joke ("Yo Ke") Lukens. MCDC is also connected to the Mukhanyo Theological school. My parents are involved in MCA- Mukhanyo Christian Academy which is a pre/ primary school for children in preschool, grade 1, and grade 2. Harry and Joke are missionaries from the Netherlands and do a variety of things around the region. Joke is a nurse and often works with the children at the day care centers and checks up on them to see how they are. Harry does a number of things and is on the MCDC board. I had the opportunity of going around to different people's houses with him to check up on them. Most of the people we visit are HIV/AIDS and/ or TB patients and they check to see that they are taking their medicine and how they are improving or declining in health. On Tuesday I helped Joke at one of the daycare centers. There were about 20 or so children that she did not have on file. Joke is working on creating healthcare files for each of the children. She checks their weight and height and she also asks them about their family history. I helped weigh and measure the children and keep two youngsters entertained as they got a hold of my camera!

Luka and Felicia

On Wednesday (20th) I went with two FDP (Family Development Program) workers around the community in Thembalethu. We walked to 10 or so patient's houses to check in on them. Another place we visited was Nakakela. This place is a hospice for HIV/AIDS patients. On Monday night, Harry and I visited a young lady who had AIDS. She was taking some medication but she was weak, skinny, and she couldn't walk much. We told her that if she though that she could survive and that she really tried that she would gain her strength back. A day or so later she was at Nakakela getting good care and she told Harry that she wanted to live! What a gift from God. However, she need something way more important than medicine still. She needs the gospel. She did not know what the Bible was and so I hope that in the future she will be able to receive one or that the nurses will tell her the gospel. Please pray that she regains her strength physically and begins to grow spiritually.

It was very interesting to learn about everything that MCDC as well as other organizations/ community care centers are doing for their community and how they are all coming together to share the love of Christ and to spread the gospel through their relationships.
Fly with Christ,
Helen