I sent this email out to my email list a week or so ago. Thought you’d like to read it too:
Hope everyone’s doing great in their corner of the world. It is headed into winter here in South Africa and it is getting cold. I didn’t think it got cold in Africa. Yes, the heaters and warm blankets are coming out and apparently I have neither. Time to rummage around the property. Things have been going pretty good here. I was sick all last week, which wasn’t too much fun. I wash my hands, I sanitize, I drink bottled water. I’m trying mom! So finally back to normal health, but will probably be sick soon enough.
I’m still teaching my class and discipline is still the issue. It doesn’t seem to stress me out so much, so I guess I’m getting used to it. Slow and steady wins the race…at least that’s what I’ve heard. We just got 5 new kids in the Babies Home, 1 baby and 4 toddlers…ALL BOYS! This now makes our total to 15. I got to do bath time last night. It was only for an hour and a half, but I was ready to be out of there. Plus, the TV is broken, so you can’t easily entertainment them. I am whining and complaining and I only work in the Babies Home like 4 times this month. I am on shift this Sunday morning. Should be fun.
These kids have really been on my heart these last few days though. I was talking to one of the girls on staff here with Botshabelo and we were talking about some of the kids. A good portion of them have HIV. You can’t tell who has it, because they all seem like normal healthy kids. I only know, because I help give them their ARV medication when I am volunteering in the home. In the 2.5 months I’ve been here there have been 2 kids adopted to families in Europe, yet there are many who remain. There have been many kids fostered or adopted out of this home over the years, but hardly any of the kids have had HIV. So many people are afraid of having a kid with HIV, but yet these kids remain. The kids are very happy in the Babies Home, but it’s no place to grow up. These kids need a family.
I am so proud of my neighbor Bee Jay, who came to volunteer a few years ago from the Netherlands, but now lives here. She is a 25 year old single foster mom, who is fostering a 5 year old girl named Lerato, who has recently left the Babies Home. It is so awesome to play with Lerato and get to babysit her from time to time. It’s crazy to think that Bee Jay is only a year older than me and already has a 5 year old. She is definitely an inspiration and has got me set on adopting kids with HIV in the future. I don’t think I could be a single foster dad, like Bee Jay, so I am praying that I will be able to do this when I get married.
I have worked with kids for a few years now in church and non-church settings. I have gone over so many rules and guidlines of what to do with working with kids. Rules like not letting kids sit on your lap, no piggy-back rides, and side hugs only are great rules both for the safety of the child and for keeping the worker free of any accusation. I obviously am definitely always looking to keep these children safe, but they still need to be loved. One of the girls last night was complaining that her head hurt and that she was tired. At that moment I felt like I needed to be a daddy to her and just held her as I sat with the rest of the kids. This really broke my heart that she didn’t have a daddy who cold just hold her when she didn’t feel good.
I am experiencing God in a mighty way over here. Wish you were here 🙂
Please pray for these kids and especially those who have HIV. Pray for families for these kids and that they would be healed of their HIV.
God bless,
Taylor
Taylor Lyall 