Morning Star

We got to go to Morning Star Daycare Center this morning and it was such a cool experience. It's a Christian daycare facility for HIV positive children. In order to attend, they must each test positive for the disease.

The children are fetched each morning and brought to the center. They are so happy when they arrive that they literally come bursting through the doors! We saw it first hand, it's true. Once they arrive, the children are washed up and provided with clean clothing. They are then fed a healthy breakfast of porridge and african tea. After breakfast they brush their teeth and then have devotional and prayer time. The children are so well behaved, you wouldn't believe it! They all (including the babies in high chairs) bow their head to pray before they take a single bite of food. During devotional time they sing their little hearts out. (Check out the top photo.) It's so cute! We have some video of them singing we'll try to get it posted for you. It will melt your heart!!

It's so hard to believe that these children are sick. We saw at least 75 children this morning and only one of them was visibly ill. They all seem to be thriving, which is such a blessing! And a true testimony to the power of God who is at work in their lives and in the lives of the women who care for them at Morning Star. Unfortunately not all of the children who attend make it and they have a wall in the facility dedicated to remembering the ones who have died. (The middle photo is the Memory Wall. We also have a photo of the picture collage.) That was kind of difficult for us to swallow. How could these tiny, little innocent children be so sick and dying? It just doesn't seem fair. It was not their fault that were born with this disease and yet they're carrying on the legacy of their parents' problems.

Thank goodness for the wonderful people who started and sustain this program at Morning Star. Thanks to them a lot of children who may be starving and dying at home in their villages have the opportunity to be cared for and thrive. It was so much fun to be there with the children and see how joyful they are. They are just like any other child around the world. They want to be healthy and play and have fun and be loved. That's it. Not much to ask. They have really inspired us today to do all that we can to help the next generation here in South Africa be the best they can be under the circumstances they've been given.

Another part of Morning Star is a work program for some of the mothers and grandmothers called Tshedisanang - Women's Project. They have been taught to sew and do embroidery and they create the most beautiful works of art. (The bottom photo is a wall covering of the creation story.) We all had the opportunity to purchase bags, aprons, pillow covers, napkins, jewelry, wall coverings, and more. The profits from the program are divided 70/30. The woman who created the piece gets to keep 70% of the sale and 30% goes back to the program to purchase more supplies and keep the program going. We bought quite a bit this morning, so I'd say that Team 8 did a pretty good job in supporting the program:)

We'll be going to the hospital in just a bit to visit the children there. We'll write more later and let you all know what we experience.

Happiness and Hugs from Team 8!