Derek and Shea in SA

how are you…i’m fine

The other day I had an awesome opportunity to speak at a school in Stellenburg. This was a different experience than I thought I would have in South Africa. It was a privileged school. These kids grow up in a culture that isn't much different than what we would see in America. The main difference is that they wear little Harry Potter looking outfits every day.

Before we went to the school, Gerhard (leader of Jubilani Africa Ministries) told us that these kids live in a bubble. He went on to explain that they don't know much, if anything, about the poverty that has stricken South Africa. They don't know about the kids who go to bed with empty bellies every night living in their own country.  They didn't know that more than 2/3 of the continent of Africa lives on less than a dollar per day. They didn't know that the average age of Africa is 17.

This blew my mind!

I had never really thought about those kids and the impact that they can and could have on their country.

It was a really weird place to be, because when I spoke with them about what was going on in their own country, I spoke about the same types of things that I would in America. I shared a story that Gerhard told me about a girl he met in the Transkei. A 14 year old girl who was the leader of her family because her parents had died of HIV/AIDS. A 14 year old girl who took care of her brothers and sisters because no one else would. A girl who had no money for food. Every night she would put a pot on the stove with water in it and bring the water to a boil. She would boil it until her siblings fell asleep tricking them into thinking that they were going to get dinner. Horribly sad story, but a reality in many homes in the Transkei.

We showed them a really cool video of a boy receiving his FIRST pair of shoes. I would urge you to watch this video. It touched my heart and I had a very hard time speaking after seeing it. The boy didn't know any other words of English, except for the words "How are you? I'm fine!" He had no other way to express his thankfulness except for repeating this over and over. Gerhard said after they gave him the shoes, his excitement of just standing and looking down in amazement at this pair of shoes was priceless. He said the excitement was just bubbling out of him. Please watch this video...it will make your day.