1st September visit to Quazenzele

Hello everyone.

I have just got back from visiting Lorraine on the informal settlement, Quazenzele. I went with Di & Salvador to visit her on Thursday. She comes & works at Ebyown during the week with Patience & Victoria to help with house cleaning etc. She has not been very well. We feared it was pneumonia so we took her to the doctors on Thursday but she was told it was just a bad case of flu.

She is doing a lot better today & walked with us to see her gogo (grandma), cousin & children as they have been staying there while she has been sick.

Aaron came with me & Di & it was very special to share the experience with him. He has already been on the camp when he walked Lorraine’s gogo home from a prayer meeting she, Di & another gogo had here at Ebyown.

It is actually amazing how the Lord provides because poor Lorraine was in such pain & with having no car or money, she could not get to town to see the doctor or even to buy some painkiller. But that previous week my mum had sent me &Di lots of Ibuprofen & cold & flu drinks as we had all been sick too.......so we were able to give her some. & also drive her to the doctor.

I must tell you about the town......& that’s what it is really...it’s a proper little community. It’s AMAZING! My little sister was doing a geography project & asked me for some info on the settlement a few months back....I only wish she could have come with me these last few days & seen it for herself. You fall in love with the place immediately. I think it is because of the simplicity & yet beauty of the place. There is a main road with estates on both sides of it. Every house is made from pieces of metal hammered together. Half of the town has electricity & the other half does not. But everywhere has running water & communal toilets (when I say toilet....I mean a long drop) which are surprisingly well built & hygienic.

Lorraine lives quite far into the town, it’s about a 10minute walk. On the way everyone says hello & wave...of course its all in Zulu. I can say some basic words but I have no idea how to spell them yet (I am planning to join Di & Lorraine for Zulu lessons now!) The children are gorgeous!!!!!!! I also saw a supermarket which is in one of those HUGE metal cargo things you find on ships! How they got it there I do not know! We saw the shabene (illegal drinking house) with the music booming! & Di says they have two hair salons & a beauty parlour! I cannot tell you how amazing & cool it is there! All the houses have fences around them & some of the gardens are beautiful, with fruit trees & vegetable patches & flower gardens. They are so house proud!

Lorraine’s house does not have electricity. she & her neighbors live in temporary house because the land where they have built is too close to the railway& mining lands so the government has classed them as illegal. They have been given permission to move across the main road by us to another plot of land so Lorraine hopes to be moved & settled by the end of the year.

It will be an amazing process & I am actually looking forward to seeing it happen & help if I can.

Lorraine’s house is very small, with only one window & no electricity so when she was very sick last week we were all sitting in the dark! her living room/kitchen is one room & is about (I’m rubbish at measurements...but if I had to guess I would say....) 10ft by 20ft& then her bedroom is about 6ft by 15ft and she has one bed that she & all her children share. She has 3 children. Her youngest is three. We saw her today at her gogo's and she is so much like her mum!

I also met her cousin; she is very young & has a year old boy that has been across to Ebyown to play with our children.

The streets were so busy today because it is Saturday; it is usually so quiet during the week. But everyone was very friendly. After visiting her gogo, salvi met us in the combi & drove us home.

I cannot wait to return. It stirs up something in your heart & you just want to learn their language& get to know them more. I think what you feel is part of the love that Jesus has for them. They are beautiful people who live in a totally different world to us westerners but at heart they are just the same.......they are sinners & need Jesus.

I have been praying a lot lately that I would have more opportunity to witness more somehow....I know I always have the opportunity with our own children to speak about Jesus & his wonderful gift of salvation, but now I hope that with the grace of God my fearful tongue will be untied & I will step out in faith & tell these gorgeous people about our loving God, our Lord Jesus Christ who loves them & died that they might live with Him in eternity & know His love, joy, peace & grace in their hearts & lives.

I pray God gives you all a special blessing today.......I know he has blessed me tremendously through these people & I only hope & pray that today you feel the love & joy of the Lord in your hearts like I am feeling now

God bless & take care

All my love

Erin

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