Time at the TB hospital 8/16/2010

On Monday August 16, we spent the morning at Sonstraal, the TB hospital. Upon arrival, the guys and girls divided into separate groups to serve the men and women.

The women helped the volunteers, who already go their weekly, with a craft project for the women. The women made necklaces with beads and crosses. While they were making their jewelry, Jennifer (from our team) did a devotional. Marnelle (our host) took all the babies that were currently in the hospital outside for some fresh air and we took turns assisting her.

A portion of your financial donations assisted this facility directly. The nice new table that you will see in pictures being used by the women was purchased as a donation from Rotary in Paarl. However, the facility did not have transportation available to bring the tables to the hospital. From our donation, MCM donated the money to cover the fuel for transporting the tables.

For those of you who donated yarn & needles, some of those items will be given to the women in this facility so that they can knit. The rest of the yarn will be kept by MCM and rationed out among the various ministries.

I have been to Sonstraal before, but I don't remember ever seeing as many "frail" women as this year. A couple women appeared to be very weak but were luckily assisted with coming outside on the patio so that they could participate in the craft activity.

Below are some pictures of the women crafting and us with the women and children.




Dianne with Pam, one of the weekly volunteers

Fun in Cape Town

On Sunday after attending Harvester Church, we headed out to Cape Town. We began at Greenmarket Square for some lunch and souvenier shopping. We then took the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain (at that time, now being voted on to be one of the 7 wonders of the world). We finished the day off with dinner at Gold Restaurant (www.goldrestaurant.co.za). At Gold, you get to try a sample of several dishes. Afterward, you can order more of what you like.

Below are pictures of the dishes we tried and a description of food and the country from which it is known.


entertainment


South African malva pudding with custard (one of my favorite things to eat each year!)








cote d'ivoire fruit platter


Gharnaian groundnut chicken (Ghana)


South African rooibos nectarines: a mix of savory & sweet, sun-dried nectarines poached in a light syrup made with rooibos


Nigerian mixed salad


Cameroon morogo: morogo is the collective term given to a group of edible plants in Africa, including spinach and it is a distinguishing feature of rural African diets. In Cameroon, it is made with red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and a hint of chillies.


Algerian saffron couscous with fresh mint and raisins


Nigerian corn & beans


Bobotie--spiced, minced meat baked with savory custard topping. This restaurant used ostrich meat. *thumbs down on this dish*


Cameroon baked fish: fresh fish marinated in parsley, coriander, and limes then baked and served with a green herb mayonnaise.


Algerian briouats: phylo pastries filled with meat
Briouats mean "small letter" in Arabic


Algerian kefta kebabs: complimented by yogurt dahl


Cote D'Ivoire oven baked yams with edible gold crust and Eastern spices


South African spiced tomato soup (flavored with pounded green chillies, garlic & ginger) with Xhosa corn pot bread


the menu


street view of restaurant

Cleaning the sports field 8/14/10

One Saturday, we teamed up with the homeless ministry to clean the sports field. The MCM sports park is an avenue to reach the surrounding communities and provide an alternative to gangs, etc.

We picked up trash on the premises and then hung out with some of the children of various ages who were playing on teams that day.

At one break, we handed out the muffins provided by the MCM food center (see previous post regarding muffins--one muffin provides all the nutrients a child needs in one day).









we made the local newspaper


the kids thought Peter looked like Bruce Lee so why not have fun with it? He taught them some moves...




Me + Jacques, who is in charge of this ministry










with Cathy and Gary + Marnelle (MCM hosts)

Working at the food center 8/11/10

One afternoon, we went to the MCM food center to help bag and package rusks. Rusks are similar to our biscotti--hard, dry biscuits that are typically eaten after being dunked into tea or coffee.

The food center serves many purposes within the community. The food center makes and sells the soup that we usually serve while there, bread, rusks, and meals for schools.

We alternated "duties." Some of us put the rusks in a bag while others sat at a sealant machine and sealed the individual packages. Others packed the rusks in a box (100 packages per box) and the rest sealed the boxes for shipping. These particular orders of rusks were going to a hospital for the patients.

We all scored a bag of rusks for our work. We also got to try a muffin that was recently developed to help provide nutrition for the children in the community. Each muffin has all the nutrients a child needs in one day. If the child only gets that muffin to eat in a day, at least he/she has the needed nutrients to stay healthy/healthier.


at the coffee shop with Aletia, the manager of the food center


teamwork


packing boxes


rusks to be packaged


sealing the packages


empty cans of sardines


sardines cooking for a meal for the schools