I never expected to be walking along the busy streets of Orange County with 9 youth dressed in rags lugging gallons of river water, but that’s how my Thanksgiving weekend 2012 went down. Drivers slowed to stare as we awkwardly trekked through suburbia. As the students struggled with their oppressive loads, my mind wandered back to the beginning….
It is rainy and brutally cold, winter here in Swaziland. At the moment the Mbutu Care Point is an abandoned, partially enclosed brick structure on the side of the main highway. The kids, many of whom are orphans, walk miles by themselves to get here every morning. They are sometimes rewarded with a bowl of milly-meal, a thick cornmeal porridge. For many it’s their only meal of the day.
We lead songs for the kids and observe a few 5 year olds struggling to do the motions with their baby brother or sister asleep on their back. A 3 year old tries to hold her baby brother who won’t stop crying. It is pitiful to watch her use all her strength to hold him 6 inches off the ground and comfort him.
The first Orphan for a Day was amazing! Breakfast was a fortified rice, similar to what kids in Swaziland eat daily. After eating, it was time to share stories and facts about Swaziland. Next was an experiential learning game designed to help the students understand why it’s important to share resources with those who are hungry.
Then we embarked on what we thought would be a quick water hike, to simulate what orphan children in Swaziland must do each day. Each “orphan” was given a container to fill with water and clothing to wash. The hike down to the river was simple enough, but the walk back with wet clothing and full water jugs was rough. The struggle left an indelible mark on the participants; at the end of the day they decided to raise funds to dig wells in Swaziland.
Orphan for a Day students were given an opportunity to, “earn their education.” All the funds they made by selling collaborative art projects was donated to help pay school fees for kids in Swaziland.
By this point we were hungry. Many kids in Swaziland only get one meal every day. On this day the students had a second meal of flat bread and beans. As I held the bread over the open fire my mind drifted back to Swaziland.
It’s hard to be at Mbutu right now; the needs are overwhelming. But it’s also a place with amazing hopes and dreams. God is using us in this place for bigger purposes then we realize in the day to day. He hasn’t asked us to do everything, or to meet every need, but he has asked us to do our part. Our group is a little piece in a huge puzzle, doing our part to help, however small that part may be.
I was amazed at the impact Orphan for a Day had on each student. Each participant decided that day to do whatever they could to love and serve orphans!