News update from Joan Adams - September2009
09 – 09 – 09Dearest Friends
This letter is mainly to tell you all to STOP PRAYING for the long-promised, long-awaited letter from government re: securing our premises here at our Welkom Centre. We heard this past Monday that the Morning Star buildings, along with the rest of Kopano Complex (ex provincial hospital block) have been sold, lock, stock and barrel and that EVERYTHING is to be demolished to make room for a brand new shopping mall!
Just after 9.00 am on Monday 7th, in the midst of watching our school children eagerly watering their home-grown vegetables, I was shown a copy of an article that appeared in our Free State newspaper, the Volksblad, that morning. With a supporting map and artist’s impression of the proposed development, I read with mounting horror that the entire block of ex-hospital buildings here had been bought by a local businessman, in partnership with one of the biggest developers in Africa. The article stated that the various health services housed here were to be moved across town to our Bongani Hospital and that a big office block would be built to accommodate the government offices presently occupying premises within the Kopano Complex. The article went on to describe our government’s total inability to fund the restoration/maintenance of the old hospital block and their excitement that the deal between them and the buyer(s) had been finalized at last.
WHAT ABOUT MORNING STAR? Once I’d recovered from my initial shock, I telephoned the newspaper reporter responsible for the article to check whether her write-up was an April Fool’s Day joke and, if not, how this new development would affect us. She was very comforting and assured me that our Organisation had already come under discussion and that the buyer had committed himself to personally identifying a new site for us and ensuring that we not suffer in any way? She went on to tell me that she’d be bringing him to our premises shortly so that he could publicly verify the above statements and, at the same time, reassure the community that he had their best interests at heart and that his massive business venture wasn’t just to make ‘big money’ at any cost.
All I can say at this stage is that the long-awaited letter – with the signature of a high-ranking government official on it – wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written on now. How silly of me to even think that it would provide long-term security for Morning Star! What a reminder that nothing in life is secure and permanent. Everything is transient and subject to change. Only God is immovable, constant, trustworthy and dependable. And, at a time like this, I can but look to Him for direction, wisdom and a calmness of spirit. I know with all my heart that His plan for Morning Star is being worked out before our very eyes.
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11). And His ultimate plan for Morning Star will prove far superior than any a signed scrap of paper from the Free State Government could ensure. And, I rest in that!All our other Morning Star news fades into insignificance in light of the above but other noteworthy stories still need to be shared.
One of our older children, 15 year-old Sibongile Mayo, has long suffered with severe hearing loss. Several years ago she was fitted with a hearing aid which was supposed to help her hear better. However, repeated ear infections not adequately treated resulted in added damage to her already impaired eardrums. The present bankruptcy dilemma in our Free State Government, with hardly any funds available for medication and tests, contributed as well. So, as a last resort, we decided to seek private medical intervention for her and, happily, an ENT Specialist (and good friend) up in Johannesburg agreed to examine her free of charge for us and advise us re: her prognosis and suggested treatment. Thus it was that Sibongile travelled up to Johannesburg with my husband, Ron, this past Tuesday and was dropped off at Dr. Mol’s private clinic in Alberton. What he found was that her eardrums are non-existent, the chronic infections having destroyed them almost completely, so grommets are not going to be able to be inserted and she will never be able to hear. A cochlea implant would be very costly, may not work and the added risk of infection, even meningitis, due to her depressed immune system, would always be a threat. Disappointing though the final diagnosis is, at least we know she’s been seen by a specialist at last, some-thing we were never able to get done here through the hospital. We tried and tried to get her attended to, but in the end, the system failed her.
What now? One option is to send her to the deaf school in Phuthadijaba where she will lose her speech (as she will be taught sign language) and her ability to lip-read (which she does very well). The other option is for her ears simply to be kept clean and dry and for her to carry on as is. The latter option will probably be the simplest route but her grand-parents will have to make the final decision
Sibongile is staying with Christian friends up in Johannesburg until Friday (and Ron’s return to Welkom) who have a live-in domestic worker from Kutlwanong – the same township that she comes from – so they are getting on famously. Her host, though reluctant at first to have someone with HIV/AIDS stay in her home, says the family has been profoundly moved by Sibongile’s sense of fun and zest for life, despite her hearing disability. What touched me most was our friend’s testimony regarding her change of heart re: accommodating Sibongile for a couple of days. When I originally rang to ask for help, she was busy with her Bible Study from the Book of Esther. She’d just read Mordecai’s words to Queen Esther “And who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” And, as she thought about my request and searched her heart, she said to herself “And who knows that you have come to Johannesburg for such a time as this?” And, her heart was moved to act and immediately offer generous hospitality. Isn’t that such a wonderful story!Sadly, we’ve had a couple of tragic deaths of late. The first is that of 10-year-old Mawande Ngalo. Mawande came to us mid-2007 in a dreadful state and we patiently nursed him back to health and even placed him in our own little school to keep an ongoing eye on him. By the end of last year he was totally rehabilitated. He was even one of 20 of our children who won a colouring-in competition and travelled down to Durban by train last November! Mawande never returned to Morning Star at the beginning of 2009. Because his health had improved so much, his family decided he should remain in the Eastern Cape with his mother and not come back to live with his aunty in Welkom. No news of him filtered down to us in the intervening months so imagine our shock and sadness on the learning last week that he’d recently died. We can’t know for sure, but are pretty certain that the decline in his health can be attributed to gross neglect on his mother’s part and to her not seeking medical intervention for him timeously. On the up side, (if there’s such a thing in the passing of a child) Mawande’s death has reassured me that Morning Star still has a vital role to play in the lives of little children born and living with HIV/AIDS. Because our little ones have kept so well over the past winter months, I began to think our services weren’t really needed here anymore. Mawande’s death has shown me that an absence of ongoing care, good nutrition and prompt medical intervention when an illness begins will certainly result in the rapid deterioration of health and wellbeing.
Little Refiloe Moroeng (11 months) was the next to die. She arrived at Morning Star in a dreadful state at the beginning of August but we were confident that her health would improve once she got regular nourishing meals. After only two weeks at our Centre, though, she came down with a severe chest infection. Our doctor saw her and immediately referred her to the hospital for oxygen. Sadly, Refiloe’s mum failed to carry out his instructions and took her home instead. Later that evening, when she saw her little girl in extreme distress, she then rushed her to Bongani Hospital but it was too late. Poor mum – just 22-years-old herself, is all on her own now; penniless and with very little hope of anything in her life ever changing. Her parents are dead, the child’s father has long disappeared, she doesn’t have a job, has no identity document and is illegally in our country. The best we can do is help her to get back to Lesotho, assist her in acquiring a valid passport and then just pray that she’ll be able to find work in Welkom upon her return to South Africa.
8-year-old Nozipho Hlahane died in hospital this past Monday, 7th September. Her guardian carried her into Morning Star earlier that day and one look told us she’d contracted meningitis and that she’d not been brought to us in its early stages. Aunty told us Nozipho had started complaining of a severe head-ache the previous Tuesday already and that she’d taken it lightly and just treated it with panado syrup. Over the weekend, though, she began to complain about a stiff neck and by Monday, when we saw her, she was already only semi-conscious and much of her body was stiff. We rushed her to our Dr Mike who immediately referred her to hospital but she was dead by 6.30 that evening.
Nozipho’s death was shattering, especially as just 3 weeks ago I’d sent our auxiliary social worker, Shiwe, to check on her home situation as we’d received a ‘tip-off’ that she was being neglected. No evidence, however, could be ascertained. Shiwe even visited her school and spoke to her teacher who assured her that Nozipho was always clean, always had a lunchbox and was coping well in class. Now I could kick myself for not pursuing the matter a little deeper and for not following up on the initial report received.
Meningitis is such a terrible disease for an immuno-compromised child to contract. Our little ones are always at increased risk because their immune systems can’t fight off routine infections. More and more of our children are left with neurological problems such as hearing loss, impaired vision, impaired speech, seizures, paralysis and even brain damage.But, to end on a light-hearted note, spring has definitely sprung here and we’re enjoying incredibly lovely weather at the moment. Morning Star celebrated the ushering in of spring last Friday, 4th September, in great style. In addition to allowing our staff to don casual clothes and not wear uniforms, and our children to come dressed in their Sunday best, we turned the day into a day of celebration and relaxation for all. No formal activities or lessons took place and instead, the children sang and danced to their hearts’ content, had their first ‘swim’ of the season and attended their very first Morning Star Fashion Show. On the spur of the moment, we decided to have our women staff ‘model’ their stunning outfits and to reward the most glamorous with a lovely prize. We seated our Welkom children (all 94 of them) down the entire length of our passageway and then had the staff parade up and down past them, amidst wild clapping and cheering, to show off their lovely clothes. It was such fun – the nicest fashion show I’ve ever attended – and a perfect culmination to a fabulous day! (Oh yes, the winners: Gladys, one of our cleaners, won 1st prize, Shiwe, our social worker, 2nd and Sr. Patricia, our professional nurse, 3rd).
By the way, the Kutlwanong children celebrated spring too. They planted vegetable seeds themselves and are looking forward to eating from their very own garden soon!
Yours in Him
JoanPS: PLEASE remember to get your Christmas shoe boxes sent off A.S.A.P.
Take Note: An illegal postal strike up in Johannesburg/Pretoria has meant that very few children’s parcels have reached us over the past month or more.
Please note – Morning Star will be closed from 16th December 2009 – 13th January 2010
PRAYER REQUESTS;
- Praise & thanks for the good health of the majority of our Morning Star children.
- Praise & thanks for the unity that exists between our staff members and for their deep love for the children we serve.
- Praise & thanks for the safe arrival of our current volunteers, John & Wendy Harris from Mirfield, and for the immense blessing that they are to us all.
- Please pray for the families of our 3 deceased children – and also for our 6-year-old Goitsemang Mogwera & 7-year-old Tsolo Radebe who’ve recently buried their primary carers (mum & grandmother, respectively).
- Pray, too, for Bokang Mayoba’s grandmother who’s just had her foot amputated and has a long road to recovery ahead of her.
- For our ill children – especially Katleho Kgosing in hospital with pneumonia, and for our sickly toddlers, Karabo Mokoena & Karabo Mtsididi.
- For suitable land/premises in Thabong Township so that a 2nd Morning Star satellite centre can be started soon. Also for sufficient funding to see this massive Project through to completion.
- For God’s peace to descend upon us as we wait upon Him regarding our future now that the Kopano Complex (old Provincial Hospital block) has been sold.
KE A LEBOHA
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and has put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
(2 Corinthians 1: 21-22)
- back to News -
