It is now 1:45 am on Thursday “morning” and I am sitting here typing because I am unable to sleep even after taking a sleeping pill, drinking some rooibos tea and having a snack, hoping that one or more of these will assist me in getting back to sleep for a couple more hours. The jet lag is always hard on me as in recent years I have become a bit of a fitful sleeper. Thankfully the weather has cooled considerably from recent weeks. Although still quite sticky, there are some cooler ocean breezes and gentle rains that are refreshing. With the low dark clouds and drizzle it does feel a bit like we brought Seattle weather with us as many here had asked us to do.
But as I said in the previous post this trip is not about the hard travel, the jet lag or the weather. We have much to accomplish and so we jumped right in with a busy day yesterday (Wednesday 3March). Most of the day was filled with things we needed to do to get settled here for the next 3 weeks. Buying groceries, water and other supplies, getting our old car back, sorting through stuff in our storage room at the old house to find what we need for this trip. Then it was off to the Two Tunics office in Port Shepstone to hook up to the internet, catch up on emails from the last 2 days and to meet with our staff to go over the continually evolving schedule for the next 3 weeks.
When we arrived at the office, there was our staff, Onnie and Debbie greeting us with smiling faces and warm hugs. It was hard to believe we were back with them so soon and it felt a little like we had only been away a few days. They both look well and despite the additional stresses they have had to deal with since our departure last November it quickly became obvious that their attitudes remain positive.
Onnie and Debbie
As we talked through our plans and schedule – receiving the Food4Africa and Feed the Babies porridge deliveries at the office, setting up the deliveries and visits to all the projects, arranging Pastor Amos and his vehicle to help with them, preparing for the building dedication event in Eastern Cape, arranging meetings with the management committees of our 8 key community partners, meeting with Give A Child A Family about the orphan issues we are struggling with, and more – I was struck by the tremendous volume of work these two women and this small office are doing and what a huge service and ministry they are providing.
They continue to have a great commitment to the work Two Tunics is doing in the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty in the Ugu district. Onnie is the incredibly competent and detail oriented Programs Manager that we depend on to run the operations. Onnie accurately tracks and documents a large amount of information about donations received and distributed, progress of training and other activities for each project supported, as well as the needs and support of the orphans in the communities. And Debbie is the right hand Office Assistant that Onnie depends on. Even as the four of us met together, Debbie popped up several times to answer the phone or the door, to sign for a package or to print a few copies of a document.
Please continue to pray for Onnie and Debbie. Some of the changes we are asking them to implement will not be easy. Dealing with people and getting them to change their thinking never is. Pray that God would protect them and strengthen them. Pray for their health and for their families, especially Onnie’s son and Debbie’s two daughters. Pray that God would use them in a way that allows others to see Jesus in them. It is a privilege to be here with them doing this work. Our community partners and the children they serve are depending on them. They are depending on us and we are depending on God’s people.
Glad you made it there in such good condition! Praying that this will be an amazing time for the 2 of you and Two Tunics!
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