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Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Let It Be...
Hi world…so I know many of you have been waiting for an update about the amazing time I had with my sister here for 3 ½ weeks for the Holidays, and that is coming soon, but first there is some bad news that I have been going back and forth about sharing on the blog but after today have decided to go ahead and let you guys know.
The week after Christmas I received a message from one of my staff members informing me that a young boy from our club, Anndile had died. He drowned in the dam behind the Living Hope offices. Some of the kids from Masi jump the fences and walls surrounding the dam during the summer time to go swim there instead of walking the 5+ kilometers to the beach.
Of course immediately I was devastated. I’ve never known a child that has died. And while I wasn’t extremely close with Anndile it broke my heart even more because I had gotten to know him better over the past month or so.
Anndile was around 11 and has a twin sister Andiswa and an older sister who is around 14 both also come to our club. He was a very energetic, incredibly funny little boy. For the longest time I didn’t believe he was Andiswa’s twin because she is like a foot taller than him! Unfortunately I have no photos of him but I am so grateful to have captured a video of him during a dance competition the boys put on during the Christmas party mid-December. He was an amazing little dancer!
We returned to work this week and kids club resumed as well. At first I wasn’t even sure if anyone was going to mention him or his passing, because it seemed like so long ago that we had heard and then we found out it was actually even longer ago that it had happened. It was the week before Christmas. Throughout the day we also learned more of the horrific details. I use the word horrific because to me that it exactly how I imagine it but I was so shocked to see how calm everyone was and how normal it seemed to be.
I asked multiple times to my colleagues if this was common for children to die under such tragic freak accidents and they said no, but I can’t help but wonder if their reaction to his death, or lack their of, is because of the amount of death they have already seen in their own lives. This brings me to the saddest part of all… Apparently the area the boys were swimming in was really muddy and Anndile got stuck in the mud but the water was over his head. There were numerous boys of all ages from our club there with him. Some tried to pull him out and eventually they went to get help. I don’t know for sure how everything happened or who saw what but I can’t get the terrifying image out of my head that these young boys saw their friend drowning and then his body pulled from the water. I pray they didn’t see his body. But nonetheless they were there when their friend died.
At club today when we found out which kids were there I just wanted to burst into tears and hold these boys, comfort them, counsel them. One boy that was there and saw the whole thing, little Vuyo, is only 6! Six years old! I cannot even imagine what he must be thinking! But then again I can’t help but wonder if this is just the beginning of the horror they will continue to see for the rest of their lives. The type of horror that leaves them cold when faced with the news that a child was killed or murdered or kidnapped. (A lot of that has happened in Masi over the years as well.)
I know this isn’t really the type of thing you guys want to be updated about but to be honest it’s the type of thing that is faced here pretty regularly.
Anndile was an amazing kid with a huge heart and bright smile who left behind lots of friends and family who love him and miss him tons. So please pray for those friends and family! For his mom and his sisters, they always say the hardest thing is losing a child and I would guess the next hardest is losing a sibling, please pray that their family would be strengthened during this tragedy, and pray for peace and salvation for lost souls in the home! And pray for his friends, the little boys especially who were there with him during that horrible accident, pray that they will find peace and understanding and that they will open up and be comforted and that they will always remember their friend for the good funny boy that he was.
The week after Christmas I received a message from one of my staff members informing me that a young boy from our club, Anndile had died. He drowned in the dam behind the Living Hope offices. Some of the kids from Masi jump the fences and walls surrounding the dam during the summer time to go swim there instead of walking the 5+ kilometers to the beach.
Of course immediately I was devastated. I’ve never known a child that has died. And while I wasn’t extremely close with Anndile it broke my heart even more because I had gotten to know him better over the past month or so.
Anndile was around 11 and has a twin sister Andiswa and an older sister who is around 14 both also come to our club. He was a very energetic, incredibly funny little boy. For the longest time I didn’t believe he was Andiswa’s twin because she is like a foot taller than him! Unfortunately I have no photos of him but I am so grateful to have captured a video of him during a dance competition the boys put on during the Christmas party mid-December. He was an amazing little dancer!
We returned to work this week and kids club resumed as well. At first I wasn’t even sure if anyone was going to mention him or his passing, because it seemed like so long ago that we had heard and then we found out it was actually even longer ago that it had happened. It was the week before Christmas. Throughout the day we also learned more of the horrific details. I use the word horrific because to me that it exactly how I imagine it but I was so shocked to see how calm everyone was and how normal it seemed to be.
I asked multiple times to my colleagues if this was common for children to die under such tragic freak accidents and they said no, but I can’t help but wonder if their reaction to his death, or lack their of, is because of the amount of death they have already seen in their own lives. This brings me to the saddest part of all… Apparently the area the boys were swimming in was really muddy and Anndile got stuck in the mud but the water was over his head. There were numerous boys of all ages from our club there with him. Some tried to pull him out and eventually they went to get help. I don’t know for sure how everything happened or who saw what but I can’t get the terrifying image out of my head that these young boys saw their friend drowning and then his body pulled from the water. I pray they didn’t see his body. But nonetheless they were there when their friend died.
At club today when we found out which kids were there I just wanted to burst into tears and hold these boys, comfort them, counsel them. One boy that was there and saw the whole thing, little Vuyo, is only 6! Six years old! I cannot even imagine what he must be thinking! But then again I can’t help but wonder if this is just the beginning of the horror they will continue to see for the rest of their lives. The type of horror that leaves them cold when faced with the news that a child was killed or murdered or kidnapped. (A lot of that has happened in Masi over the years as well.)
I know this isn’t really the type of thing you guys want to be updated about but to be honest it’s the type of thing that is faced here pretty regularly.
Anndile was an amazing kid with a huge heart and bright smile who left behind lots of friends and family who love him and miss him tons. So please pray for those friends and family! For his mom and his sisters, they always say the hardest thing is losing a child and I would guess the next hardest is losing a sibling, please pray that their family would be strengthened during this tragedy, and pray for peace and salvation for lost souls in the home! And pray for his friends, the little boys especially who were there with him during that horrible accident, pray that they will find peace and understanding and that they will open up and be comforted and that they will always remember their friend for the good funny boy that he was.
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