The Drop-In Center

June 14, 2011

Today we also visited what is called a drop-in or feeding center.  There are several of these in various villages in South Africa.  The ministry we are working with is even building one of their own. After school, children who have lost one or both of their parents come to the drop-in center for a big meal and Bible stories.

While I was there I met four little girls around the age of seven years old. Two of the girls shared the name Dimingasto, and the other two were named TeBorgo and Mapaseka.  When I first saw these girls, another lady Shauna from our group was talking with them.  Well, I suppose "talking" isn't the best word to use.  She would ask them a question, and then they would look at each other with "ornery" written all over their faces and break into a fit of little-girl-giggling.  After awhile Shauna must have assumed they simply didn't speak English and as she left, I took her spot at their table with Brad. 

These girls were just constant giggles, and their laughter was infectious!  I giggled at their giggles which seemed to surprise them.  After several tries at conversation on my part and excessive amounts of laughter on theirs, I finally did get them to talk to me.  I learned their names and made them laugh as I tried unsuccessfully to pronounce them correctly, and of course they frowned at how I said my own name.

When they came back to the table with their food, they seemed to have settled down.  I asked about what they were eating and what they usually had and their favorites, but they only responded with one or two word answers.  They seemed almost embarrassed that they needed to come to the drop-in center to get a decent meal.  Maybe they were just focused on eating, I don't know.

After their dishes were put away and the Bible lessons began, they were back to their giggling selves, but they were excited to learn.  The lesson that day was on Peter the night Jesus was betrayed.  They followed along in their little lesson books and soaked in every detail.  They told me about every person they had studied in the Bible and retold the stories with overwhelming passion in their eyes and voices.

When I went to leave, I took one last look around the building.  There was so much joy in this tiny space.  It was easy to forget that these were all "at risk" children.  All of them had lost one or both of their parents and experienced hardships in their lives that I couldn't imagine.  Nothing in all my life could compare to the horrors they had experienced at such a young age, yet they were smiling. They were smiling and laughing unhindered by everything life had thrown at them.

Whenever I think of these four girls, my entire outlook on life is changed.  They taught me life can be full of joy no matter the obstacles you must overcome. Nothing can deter God's love and joy.  Over mountain and rivers, death and pain, God's love reaches every person.  They just have to open their hearts and lives to the love and joy that changes everything.