Pathos. I wrote a while back about the challenges of a couple of the girls that the Mustard Seed is supporting, Ausi Mapulane whose grandmother died, and Ausi Moselentja who has no home. Here is a short update on those two stories.
Last Saturday, May 15, Mapulane's grandmother was finally buried, six and a half weeks after her death. No extended family ever came forward to assist with even the planning for the burial. I have mentioned before that funerals are a huge financial burden. I do not know if there was no extended family, or whether they laid low to avoid any possible financial commitment. Nonetheless, Mapulane and her older brother finally got all the paperwork completed to bury the body. The plan was no service, just dig the grave and deliver the body directly to the graveyard to be buried. But bless the community, and the angels who were there the night the grandmother died, the indignity of her death would not be repeated in her burial.
The angels are two Basotho women, sisters, who happened to be at the hospital the night the grandmother died. These two women observed a grieving Masotho girl with an older white guy, not a usual situation. They politely inquired about what had happened and when they found out they went into action. They knew how to hug and comfort a young girl, and like the good Samaritan, they also reached into their purses and gave what they could. They then assured me they wanted to help further and phone numbers were exchanged.
The angels have kept in touch. They also contacted community members who also wanted to support the family. They were the feet on the ground bringing direction to the community concern. They dipped deeper into their own resources and with contributions from the community, the Mustard Seed, and others, a proper funeral was finally able to be organized. So on Saturday (May 15) the grandmother was finally laid to rest. Her three grandchildren the only family to attend, amidst a good representation from the community.
And the angels continue to work. They are keeping in touch, with us and with the community, and together we continue to look at how we will support this family into the future.
Community members are also working with us in Ausi Moselentja's situation. They have located a place the family can call home. It is not much - an old, old mud and cow dung lined one roomed cell, but it is dry and it is warm, and will provide an interim place for Moselentja and her siblings to be together.
The positive news is that a school in Australia is raising funds to build a little house on the land that was owned by Moselentja's parents. We (the Mustard Seed) are currently working with the immediate neighbors and the chief to resolve some hurdles and if we can get them behind us we think we can have a little house build for her by the end of July; a home where she will be able to remain in her community and continue to be supported by her neighbors.
Also encouraging for Ausi Moselentja was that her older brother who had been in South Africa trying to find work has returned for a visit. He appears not to have found much work, but he did bring home some funds, and seems to genuinely care for his younger siblings.
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Two quick updates. Two situations where I like the way in which the Mustard Seed have been involved. John McKnight is a community developer whose work has influenced me, and in many ways the involvement with these two family situations fits his model - the role of the helping individual or organization is foremost to support the existing community networks to do what they can and are willing to do.
And for me, the other part of this community network is the outstanding work of one of the Basotho volunteers with the Mustard Seed. She has been indispensable to our role helping these families, even as she continues to work full time.
~ Benno ~
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