| It was very slow going initially,
and she suffered discrimination and criticism on every side, even
within her own church. But she also found loving and supportive
friends who encouraged her along the way—and another church.
Her loss to us is great, but her memory lives in the many support
groups springing up around the city, giving those sidelined dignity,
value, and encouragement to live productive lives as long as they
are able.
Unfortunately Sibongile’s life did not end as anticipated,
her weakened body finally succumbing to an AIDS related disease.
Rather, it was the trauma of a rape, of being abandoned in a cane
grove overnight, and the infections of another sick man forced
upon her from which she was unable to recover. So S’bo’s
death is even sadder and made even more difficult to accept when
placed in this context of abuse and violence, a growing problem
getting a lot of attention with limited response.
Local community involvement
Recently I’ve been doing some work in a farming community,
where I interview people from various sectors of the community—pastors,
nurses in the local clinic, school principals and teachers, farmers,
police. The purpose is to understand their issues and concerns,
including their views on HIV/AIDS. What I’m hearing is not
unexpected: high unemployment; people without food; children dropping
out of school to care for sick parents; children without shoes
or sweaters as winter presses in; domestic violence and alcohol;
physical and sexual abuse.
In one meeting with concerned African pastors (who were uncertain
how to approach issues of sexual abuse and HIV/AIDS because of
the “boundaries” of their strong cultural traditions)
they said they’d like to attend trainings to better understand
how to address these issues with their people. They discussed
how might support each other, such as initially addressing each
other’s congregations, or calling all their people together
and taking turns teaching on different aspects. Very encouraging!
Our Hope
So is there hope in the midst of our problems? Yebo!
(which means “yes” in Zulu). Especially when the church
begins to take on its role of responsibly teaching, encouraging,
and putting into practice the life Jesus so exemplified in his
life and in his Word. Then we can forget glass ceilings and idling
cars! We have a Hope that reaches to the heavens and a Spirit
that has its own power source! In the midst of it all God is with
us—of that we are assured.
South African Christian Leadership Assembly 2003
From July 7 to 12 a gathering of some seven to nine thousand
Christian leaders in South Africa will be meeting in Pretoria
to look at Christian responses to key issues in the country. There
will be clergy and laity, people civic, business, and political
circles, and university and high school students. African Enterprise
has been involved in the development, planning, and implementation
of the conference, the first of which was held in 1979 to address
the apartheid issue. Your prayers from now and throughout are
appreciated for this endeavour, which we hope will be a catalyst
for activating practical responses from Christians throughout
South Africa in the country’s greatest areas of concern.
Please do pray with us in this important and timely event.
Until later, Nkulunkulu anibusise (May God bless you),
Cindy
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
51 |
