Granny groups...Gogo Olympics

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this; to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

The Zulu word for grandmother is "gogo." Gogos have been left to raise their grandchildren after their own children have died from HIV/AIDS. In addition to the struggles of raising their grandchildren, they are burdened with financial issues, abuse, violence, chronic illnesses and the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS.

In an effort to help the gogos deal with these burdens, Cwengi Myeni, a gogo herself, along with a few other amazing women, started Granny Support groups. These groups help the gogos to feel alive again, to pull them out of depression, to get them off the couch. They also help the gogos with finances, promote healthy living, give them a sense of dignity and to develop spiritually.

In their meetings they pray together and share scripture helping the gogos to build personal relationships with God. They learn that no matter how hard life has been, that God loves them. The gogos share their hardships with each other, inturn learning from each other, encouraging each other and they learn valuable skills to help them deal with life. Many of the gogos are unemployed and the only source of income is from government grants which are stretched to help them take care of large families. The granny support groups teach them gardening skills to help them fed their families and to generate income. They also learn sewing, beading and knitting. To promote physical health, they are encouraged to walk and do simple exercises. During the meetings they sing and dance.

The granny groups are scattered throughout the Valley of 1000 Hills. In 2008 there were 4 groups and in 2011, 28 groups with over 1000 gogos. Today the groups include grandfathers and younger women.

This leads me to today. I had the most amazing day at the Gogo Olympics. I am at a loss for words at how awesome this event was. I came away with feeling inspired and encouraged. The granny groups come together once a year for the Gogo Olympics, which was organized by Cwengi Myeni from South Africa and Caroline Nixon from Canada. This is the second year and I am so blessed to be able to attend today. The groups gather together and participate in soccer, netball, jump rope and a few other activities. In the March 2011 Gogo Olympics there were 22 groups with 300 gogos that participated. Today, there were 27 groups with about 1000 gogos. The gogos range in age from 35 - 84. WOW!!!! It was amazing looking at the gogos, so full of life, playing soccer and netball, singing and dancing like they were still teenagers.

It appears that there are no limits to what these gogos can do. What a blessing it was to be there and to just be a part of something so wonderful. My colleagues Ginger and Zeal were there as well. We had a group of 15 gogos from Ntshongweni who came to observe. Ginger will be working with them to get them ready for Gogo Olympics 2013.

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Gogo Cwengi leading the gogos at the opening of the Gogo Olympics

The gogos playing soccer

Jumping rope was no big deal for these gogos

The gogos in a heated game of netball

These amazing gogos watching from the sidelines

Me and Gogo Cwengi

Out of the Mouths of Babes....

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them." Mark 10:15-16

It is amazing the simple ways that God works in our lives to show us how awesome he is. I had another "Jesus Moment" today. The kids at the creche (preschool) have been learning Bible songs during chapel service. It is a good way for them to learn about Jesus and to learn English. My new colleague Ginger has been teaching them songs like "Jesus Love Me This I know" and "The B.I.B.L.E". The children usually sing songs before breakfast. This morning I suggested that they sing a song that they have been learning during chapel. So the principal gathered them together and much to my surprise they belted out....."Halleu! Halleu! Halleu! Halleuia, Praise Ye the Lord... and sang it beautifully. The smiles on their faces as they sang and their beautiful voices lifted up in praise to our God gave me goosebumps.

It was so good I asked if they could sing another song. They sang "Jesus Love Me This I know, for the Bible tells me so" and used hand gestures. It was the perfect start to my day. So I ran to get my camera to try and capture just a glimpse of this "Jesus Moment." Man do I love serving the Lord.

The kids singing....aren't they cute

Ginger and principal Mzobe lead the children in singing "Jesus Loves Me This I Know"

A Jesus Moment.....

" For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38

It has been a few months since I have written anything and I must apologize for that. So much has happened and I have been very busy. Something awesome happened today and felt compelled to share this. It is what I like to call a "Jesus Moment." To me there are things that happen or people who come into your life and you just can't explain it. I say that it is the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So let's see if I can do a fairly decent job of sharing with you what happened today. My colleagues Ginger, Zeal and I went to Pinetown (it's the next town about 1/2 hour away from where I live in Hillcrest) to visit the sewing instructor, Gori. Since I will be ending my service in South Africa soon, I needed to get caught up on some invoices and finish up a project that Gori is helping me with. As we sat with her, a lady came in. She seemed slightly out of sorts and briefly said that she had problems finding the shop. She was there to take lessons on how to use an overlocker (a machine that is used to finish the edges of a garment). She was explaining to Gori as we listened that she had it for a long time and wanted to get back to sewing. So she got started with her lesson.

We were finishing up and Zeal was measuring some binding. She started talking to the lady and told her that we are missionaries working in Shongweni and shared about some of the work that we are doing. She was a bit overwhelmed and said that she felt like crying. She shared with us that as she was traveling to Gori's shop that there were many obstacles in her way. She had gotten lost, she has car problems and she even called her husband to say that she was going to give up and go home. She said that she felt overcome by Jesus Christ and that he gave her the hug that she needed as she heard our story. She then told us that she wanted to get back to sewing to be able to help others and that meeting us was confirmation that she needed to go forward with her sewing lessons. Zeal passed on her contact information and the lady plans on getting together with her and Ginger to hopefully visit Shongweni. At this point I am so full of joy, standing in awe at how awesome our God is. He allows things to happen to remind us of His power over the devil. The lady expressed that she felt that the devil was trying to stop her from coming to the shop. Just like Jesus won victory over sin, death and the devil by being resurrected from the dead, He allowed this wonderful lady to feel His presence and guidance this morning.

As this awesome "Jesus Moment" continued, she asked can we talk about Christianity here? She explained that she and her husband live in Dubai and can not talk openly about their faith. Gori the sewing teacher said, "I am a Muslim but feel free to talk openly about your faith here." It is amazing how at just the right time God blesses us with opportunities to share the truth about Jesus with others. Praise be to God for the "Jesus Moments."

Pray that the wonderful lady will be blessed with opportunities to continue sharing her faith and being able to help others.

Pray that seeds have been planted in Gori's heart about the truth of Jesus Christ.

So there it is ..... my "Jesus Moment" for today. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.