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Coming back from the pony ride

4 min read
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As we rode in and out of villages, all the kids called out for sweets. I asked our tour guide if we could stop in one of the village markets. I was able to get lots of sweets so I could spread some joy to all the children.

I was again taken aback when we saw some of the kids filling their water bottle up to drink from dirty water. We stopped to give the horses rest and they all drink from that water… ugh… sorry.

After our long scenic dangerous pony ride we made it back to the village of Lesotho. They were having a festival. The entire village was expected to attend, and I felt this was a great time to pass out more gifts.

They began the event with a very long prayer. There was complete silence and respect from the people. After the prayer, they passed out free food to everyone. It consisted of lamb (they call sheep), pap (is like our grits), and beans. They also had a warm drink that tasted like ginger.

I really wanted to get the feel of the village so we rented (we call hire) a townsperson to take us around and tell us about what life is like living in the village. I was really amazed that he said he felt that South Africa was rich compared to his people. We gave him R50 which is $5.00 to us… he was extremely pleased.

I saw the pumps to get running water that one of the Christian groups put in like we’ve seen on TV. None of the homes have electricity. Even the lodge Malealea we stayed in did not turn their lights on until about 630pm. Then all the lights went out at 10pm. They only eat the many cows we saw for special occasions like funerals.

We are beyond spoiled in terms of what we take for granted. For instance, Internet – it is just not happening. I had purchased a personal hot spot before I left the States. Running water, electric, gas, TV, ohhh so many everyday things we take for granted. This is why I continued to Praise and thank God daily for all that we have and can do in the USA.

While at the festival and walking thru the village I was happy to give out more gifts. I gave this little boy an Afterschool Buddies Rainbow Kids T-shirt. I also purchased more sweets for the kids. The adults who were too eager to get one of the lollipops or sweets mobbed me, they called them pompole. The next gift I gave was a Warhol T-shirt and one from Teen Outreach, Mary Jo’s program. It became more difficult to move around because they were quick in picking up that they could possibly get something free.

I wanted to give gifts to the elders of the village. To one I gave an Audia Caring bookmark, she was sooooo happy to receive this because of the Christian meaning. To another I gave a Sister & Friends card that says, “True beauty is inside out”, the mirror says” Think Beautiful”. Again this was happily received.

I saw 3 girls who I thought looked adorable. One had on lipstick and she was walking like a Queen. I only had one T-shirt left in the PNC bag, so I took a photo with all three holding the Josh Gibson Baseball Academy T-shirt. I thought it would be interesting to give it to the girls because Sean Gibson has this program for boys and girls at the Ammon Center located in Pittsburgh.

Back at the lodge, we were entertained by the village singers. Imagine my surprise to see the Warhol shirt on one of the singers. During dinner, one of the guests from Miami made a comment about how a Warhol shirt get here. I told them about bringing the gifts. After talking we found out that the three of them were Foreign Service Officers. They were Jenny, Diana, and Rami. They were about my niece’s age, and I found them to be greatly determined, focused, and inspired to do well for the world. So I gave each of them a Warhol T-shirt.

This was our last day in the lodge and this country. Now onto where my niece lives which is in Rustenburg.

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