July 1 - Madudula, the old stomping grounds

[For those confused by the dates, see my post on time-shifted blogging.]

On July 1st our team traveled to Madudula.  For those who don't recall (or don't remember the Swazi place names), Madudula was the original site of "the tent" from our first mission in 2007.  The community is vastly different seven years later.

Setting up the tent in June of 2007.

Where there was once only an open field, there is now an enclosed compound free of cow traffic (and cow pie), where a large common building houses a classroom and three additional classrooms are in operation.  Three more classrooms are nearing completion.

One of the unfinished classrooms.  This classroom was having a concrete floor installed when we were there

In Madudula, we held a clinic and visited the classrooms.  Some of our team held a hygiene session emphasizing hand-washing.  For this purpose, they had kids look into a microscope to view the germs that were on someone's hands.  Others did a puppet show presentation of the story of Zacchaeus.  We also played with the children in the field and visited with people in Madudula, some of whom we have known since 2007.  It is always nice to return to Madudula to visit the "family" there.

This day was the first one in which I had to make some "field director" decisions.  I had to secure locations for our hygiene and puppetry sessions, plus a room for a prayer chapel for our pastors.  I also had to make sure everyone who needed an interpreter had one.  Also, I knew that my friend Eric desperately wanted to visit a woman named Bhelina with whom he and his wife had developed a relationship with over several years.  Eric's wife, a physical therapist, had helped Bhelina regain some of the mobility that she had lost to age and arthritis.  So upon arrival I spoke to one of the church leaders in Madudula, Joseph, and asked him to arrange a visit to her home.  Eric and his on left soon after and had a wonderful visit and reunion.  

One additional "executive decision" I made concerned our time of leaving Madudula.  Usually we try to leave while there is still some daylight.  This is not only for our safety but for the safety of the people in Madudula.  Walking home in the dark can be dangerous.  However, the sunset in Madudula is breathtaking, and for those members of the team who had never seen it, I decided we should stay until the sun had gone down.  We left immediately after sunset, so that we (and the people of Madudula) could travel home in the evening twilight.

As you can see from the picture below, the view was worth it.

-Mdu