Life in South Africa can be harsh. Even amid the incredible beauty and the seemingly abundant natural resources there are the elements of cruel reality. In Medekwa it can be the young male Lyons killing off the male cubs to force the female Lyons into season.
In a township it can be the abandonment of a baby left in a ditch or combi because the mother no longer can care for; or wants her child. The reasons are as varied as the mothers themselves.. Perhaps one feels she is at the end of her resources, no food, no housing no family. I have heard of cases where a new man comes into her life and he says get rid of the baby.
Whatever the reason the result is a precious child is left helpless and at the mercy of the elements or those who find her or him. Yesterday we were introduced to the reality of this harsh side of life. Elder Webb and I traveled, with our Area Office Security Specialist, Rob, to the far side of Johannesburg where we were introduced to an Orphanage he has been supporting for about five years. He had received a message that they were in desperate need of diapers. We tagged along to see first hand the inside of another world. Each township is a new county filled with it's own laws and enforcing council.
On the drive we heard about the Orphanage and the "Mama" that runs it. I will call her Mama Teressa. Mama Teressa was herself an Orphan and has had no formal education. Instead of acting out in anger and resentment and looking for someone to blame for her life situation and lack of opportunity she decided to help as many little people as she could to have a better life than she has. She wants to help them over come the disadvantage of being alone and without resources.
After years of struggle and hardship she now has the reputation, in her township and surrounding area, of the mother of all lost and unfortunate. Her heart is as big as the floor space in her 4 bedroom home. She has the respect of all her know her. Some how she manages to feed all who enter her home. She did this for years by begging on the street corner. Since Rob has been visiting her she has not had to do that as much. He has been supplying her diapers and wholemeal as well as some fresh fruits and veggies and a little meat.
Yesterday when we showed up we learned that a new baby had arrived the days previous. This precious little girl had been left in a Combi. The Combi driver brought her to Teressa.
"Mama" was not there when we arrived and all the children were in school or at a Creche. Mama had farmed out the little ones so she could clean the house and run some errands. The new baby was the only young child there. She was being cared for by her new big sister. A young woman who has been at this home for 5 years. She was probably 18. This darling care giver told us that her new little sister was having a very hard time and had cried all night long.
We were taken to a small room that was wall to wall cribs. I think there were 5 cribs in the room. I looked down at this sweet little person. Rob picked her up and handed her to me. She is a perfectly beautiful little girl with no evidence of neglect or the residual effects from lack of nutrition. When they said she was a difficult little one because she cried too much, the thought came to me and out of my mouth. "She is sad" I would be crying too if my mother left me in a Combi". The reader may remember that a Combi is a 15 passenger van which transports locals around town.
I held this darling little person as long as I was allowed, while Elder Webb and Rob visit with Mama Teressa; (that was until Rob said we needed to go). I spoke to her and told her what a good little girl she is and that I would be crying to. At first she did not look at me. She looked all around the room at other people and things. Then slowly she began to focus on my face and seemed interested in what I was saying. At times it seemed as if she was actually trying to tell me of her heartache. Little sounds came from her mouth and throat, mournful coos if that is possible. We were told that she is 2 month old, but I think she is closer to 3 months. She is strong, prefers to sit up and pulls herself to a sitting position if I lean her back.
Here we are with one of the other children from the home. This young lady speaks very little English and is very shy. She wanted to be close but but not touch too much. She seemed to have a few issues that are part of her life. I think she is much slower or behind for her age (perhaps autistic) , but she already loves this little angel that has come to share her home.
The woman with the long hair ( a wig that Rob did not like) is Mama Teressa. She had just come from the school her children attend; a parents meeting of sorts. The lovely girl at the left is the young woman that has been there for the past 5 years. She told me she has graduated from high school and has taken one year of accounting. She works for Mama during the day for room and board and works doing cleaning at night to earn money to continue her schooling.
Mama is a persistent woman who speaks with passion. She is very good at communicating her needs and the needs of the Orphanage. She has had to be in order to survive. Her business runs on the sympathy and charity of others. She is a good organizer and her home is a clean and tidy place in spite of the fact that she cares for about 35 children of varying ages. She has chosen to be a warm and caring person in spite of harsh hand life dealt her as a young child. She is happy and trusts that Jesus will send good people her way to help her as he has in the past.
She believes she has been saved from a life of misery by following in the footsteps of the Saviour.
Jesus Christ taught: To find true joy and happiness we must "lose our selves in order to find ourselves". Mama, once in pain, has chosen to serve other and make their lives better. In doing so her own life has purpose and meaning and she has the angels attending her. With no education, no visible resources, and with all odds against her she had come to be admired by her neighbors and loved by all the children whose lives she has blessed.
It was time to leave far too soon for me. I did not want to hand this little girl back. I wanted to to take her home, to do something to make her life better. I wanted her to know that she was loved. I have since spent hours thinking of her plight and wondering what her life will be like. It kept me awake last night and I awoke thinking of her still. Elder Webb felt the same way when we left. He offered to help Rob in his efforts. We have never felt more the need to share the rich blessings we have in our lives. We are presented daily with opportunities to lift and encourage others.
This is the nicer section of the township. This is the way we drove out. There are sections in this township that Rob said he would not go into. He mentioned that babies are occasionally found here in plastic bags, in dumpsters and along the side of the road. He said one was found two weeks ago on the side of a dirt road in between two dumpster. That little person did not survive.
For some there is no sanctity of life. Immediate gratification and self preservation are the thoughts which motivate a few. Most are good honorable people working hard to raise their children up out of the poverty they have known all their lives; with advantages they did not have themselves like education, and religion, music and art. It is making a difference for their children.
So Elder Webb and I were driving home one day when we came upon a neighborhood hamburger stand. Our office associate had ordered lunch for us one day and we heard her ordering what we thought was a hambegger. When we drove by this stand we had to take a picture because it help us to understand where Tirhani had picked up the name. It wasn't hambegger, it was hambaka. 
I'm not totally sure, but I think we are probably the only white people to have ever stopped in this neighborhood let alone the burger stand. Just as we pulled up to the stand another car drove in and out hopped two gentlemen. We started taking pictures from our car and they encouraged, almost insisted we get out, look around and order something. They said it was very safe because they were there. The man standing at the stand window pulled out his ID which showed he is a Johannesburg Police Officer. 
So we got out and Elder Webb ordered some fries. 
Our new friend showed us his official police badge and assured us we were welcome to walk around and check everything out. He even encouraged us to walk into the kitchen of this little establishment. We declined the offer but Norriss did walk around back and took a picture of the inner workings of our lunch stop.
The officer order a Russian and Chips which actually was two rather large sausage looking things served sandwich style only the bread was cut extra think. He poured a special sauce on it and said it was great.
This is actually a very lovely clean neighborhood as you can see from the pictures. This little stand is something George just built in from of his house and when he has time he opens up the stand and sells his very special brand of fast food. It's a bit of a tight squeeze but as you can see he has everything he needs to make fries, burgers, bakas and shakes.
We found the fries quite tastey but the catsup is really just tomato sauce. These people were very kind and we enjoyed a totally new kind of dining experience because of their kind welcome.
As you can see this burger stand is quite unique and stands alone in it's dining pleasure even in this neighborhood. Capitalism is alive and well in Johannesburg South Africa.
