Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Aunt Suzie: A Walking, Preaching, Singing, Dancing Dynamo


Rolling through the gate of Aunt Suzie’s daycare center at 9:00 this morning, we were met with her vibrant garden and the smiling faces of more than twenty of her “elderlies” who spend their days in her capable hands.  At 77 years of age, Aunt Suzie is a walking, preaching, singing, dancing dynamo.   The ladies (and 2 gentlemen) greeted us with smiles and hugs.  They range in ages and physical abilities, but most impressive was 98 year old Agnes, who joined Aunt Suzie for a rousing round of song and dance.

We presented Aunt Suzie with 30 audio bibles in Tswana for the elderlies.  Excitement registered in their eyes as they listened to the bible in their native language.  Several of the women are blind, making this an extra special gift.  In addition to the bibles, we presented them with prayer squares and…Chocolate! 

Aunt Suzie and her staff hosted us with coffee and cake and brought us up to date on her plans to build a hospice.  We had the opportunity to view the prospective site on the way to the center and were impressed by the size and condition of the property under consideration.  It is a large, well-built facility with 25 rooms and multiple bathrooms.  Jordan has worked diligently petitioning the government for purchase of the property.  Progress in South Africa is slow, but Jordan and Aunt Suzie speak almost daily as they map out the strategy for moving forward with this project that is so close to their hearts.


Our visit with Aunt Suzie concluded with a tour of her home and the introduction of her husband, Louie.  Aunt Suzie never ceases to amaze us.  She described to us the original two room tin shack that stood on the property, complete with outhouse.  She has, over time, collected and reused building materials that have resulted in the construction of a truly beautiful and spacious home, complete with two bathrooms and indoor plumbing.  The former outhouse has been converted into laundry room.  Is there nothing this woman cannot accomplish?


After communion with the elderlies, we rushed to the building site, polished off a quick lunch and got back to work on the house. It was another day of record winds in Ikageng, but with the help of Mosaic’s contracted workforce, we were able to finish the stucco on the walls, polish off the outside corners of the house, paint doorframes and roof beams and do some major clean-up work around the site, including the moving of 3 LARGE stacks of bricks.  Most impressive, we pulled out of the building site before dusk – the first time all week.
 
Although it was short day on the worksite, we are all feeling tired and sore tonight. We are hoping to turn in early and rise refreshed for tomorrow morning’s visit to Made by Mosaic and an afternoon filled with…you guessed it – more building.

 
Thank you all for your prayers, cards and comments.  Your encouragement means a lot to us!


--Donna McFadden
  

4 comments:

  1. keep up the great work, team! we are praying for you and are so excited to hear about your experiences! thank you for representing God and hopewell in south africa.
    jen lisowski

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  2. Love the blog posts, they take me right back to SA. So much has come to be since I was part of the work team that worked on Aunt Suzie's daycare four years ago. Thank you all for helping Meyer's amazing vision become reality. Hope I can help build a Mosaic house some day! Blessings... Lynn Sommar

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  3. The energy that you all have is amazing! God bless you for all the good work you are doing. I look forward to each post and the pictures! My prayers are with you every day. Love and miss you Natalie! Nancy Bezgin

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  4. Thank you for sharing your mission trip with us...it is a real blessing hearing about your days with our friends in South Africa. I feel like I'm with you each step of the way. I remember how hard it was to plaster the walls...I never mastered that skill........
    You all continue to all be in our prayers.

    Annie and Gordy Brantzeg

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