It never ends...

I admit it; I have a serious problem.  Confession time - I love watching HGTV.  Yes, I waste too much of my life watching the Home & Garden Show.  Being a missionary in Ntshongweni, South Africa may cure me of this habit.  I will forever be grateful for any type house the Lord provides for me.

I was telling my twin sister, Joyce about the orphan boys and their living conditions. She said she must show me the house of two orphan girls whom she has been helping.

Off we go to find this house - held together with tin roofing sheets, wood, cinder blocks that they have made with the donation of cement from Joyce. 

Holes in the ceiling

Holes in the walls where the walls don't match up.

This curtain is the bedroom door.

This room holds spare items.

I don't know if this woman lives in this house, Joyce didn't introduce me.  Eight people live here - the two orphan girls who happen to be 28 & 35 years old and their 6 children.

More light beams in; which means that the rain and cold and everything else also beams in.

This house isn't the 'worst' I've seen.  They have electricity and as we were there they had food cooking on the two hot plates. Electricity and food - two luxuries.

My twin sister Joyce stands next to the cinder blocks they have made - big problem they have been poured incorrectly.  Pretty sad when I know more about cinder blocks that the average Zulu although I have build my fair share of houses over the past 17 months here in Ntshongweni.

The furniture was given to this family by Joyce a long time ago.

No glass in the windows

Basic tin roof.

Window from the outside

House crumbling away.

Blocks, roofing tin and rubbish.

The two square metal pieces are placed in the windows to keep the cold out.

That's one way to make the clothes line higher - just stick a log in the pole.

House as we left - again no glass in the window

Everyone gets this latrine from the government.  Most folks remove the door and use it elsewhere.

The poverty never ends.  Of course Joyce wanted me, the Lutheran Church, someone, anyone to help this family with a new home.  The reality is that as awful or as wonderful as it may sound - we only help the children.  Adult women can work to better the household.  Alas my heart breaks each and every time I am introduced to any family that is struggling. I remember the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ

The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. Matthew 26:11