I didn't get to tell you about dinner with a young man from Orange Farm who has been staying with us for the past two days. His name is Musa. He grew up in Orange Farm and has been around the MaAfrika Tikkun center there longer than just about anyone else. Amanda and Marc (in the Joburg office) thought we should have an opportunity to get to know someone directly - to talk to him alone, to see how this really are and how he is.
Musa reminds me very much of Thomas / Taboho / Mduduzi / Tshiamo - so quick to smile. So warm hearted and happy. The first time we really got to sit down and talk was at dinner last night. In talking with him we learned that he first lost his father to AIDS when he was 7 and then lost his mother to AIDS in 2007. He is now 28 years old and is caring for his younger half brother who is just 11 years old.
I honestly had a hard time keeping myself together at dinner sitting next to him. My own personal struggles (which we all carry) are so far "mute" to what this young man has seen. I'm not sure I could be the young man he is had I walked in his shoes.
Musa dreams to be a photographer and videographer. He got to demonstrate some of his ability today as he acted as our team photographer as we volunteered in Diepsloot. I'll show you some of his work coming up.
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