Metsimotlable Ceremony

Bit of background

Nicole and I decided to attend the opening of the Lesang Bana Care Center (which means Let the children come to me). Nicole has been with FM for a short term. She works with the homebased care ladies who conduct patient visits. I have worked with the homebased care ladies for over a year teaching communications; how to listen, conduct counselling and the dos and don'ts of approaching people. In the past some FM nurses taught the hombased care ladies practical care for patients such as bathing, treating bed sores and mobilizing. All of this has helped the volunteers in Mogoditsane and the ones in Metsimotlabe. During my work I got to know Father Gabriel (Priest in Metsimotlabe), and sometimes me and Father Gaby, and Sister Angela (who heads the Catholic Church's AIDS department and whom I've know for over 5 years) would sit together and lament about all the tradegies and challenges that the weeks or months had brought. { A mother of 7 dying of AIDS with no relatives to care for the children} { A grandmother who is looking after 5 or 7 grandchildren while grieving for the loss of her own children and trying to muster the energy and money to care for them}


















{Michele & homebased care}




















{Future Moruti}

I was so blessed to hear that Father Gabriel and the congregation had started a preschool for orphaned children in Metsimotlabe and that the children where accepted regardless of whether they where Catholic or not. From our conversations I know that Father Gabriel wants to share the love of Jesus and it's not about looking good or boosting numbers in the church. They now have 44 preschoolers for this year and as the number and demand swells the need for more space and better suited facilities became evident

Father Gabriel explained that it was actually the youth at the church that first approached him about building a center for the children. He stood behind them, he also went to all the appropriate community groups like the chief, the village development committee, certain government committees and other community groups and told them the idea and they got on board. This good work did not happen overnight. It was a two year process.

Knowing how great the needs were, the work entailed, the jumping through hoops and all that had to be done in order to pull off such a project, we all knew it was the Lord and by His grace alone. There are just so many things that can and do derail you along the way. So to see the building up and running is just a testimony to God's unmerited favor.

{Father Gaby}

The actual ceremony

Nicole and I were mainly going because this was a very big event for the ladies that we have been working with in the homebased care as well as for our friend Father Gabriel. They have all worked so hard and long to see this thing become a reality. We were also very encouraged to see the center finished. Connie, one of the HBC volunteers who is very dedicated, expressed that she was really glad we came. In Botswana culture, attending events and functions together is a big way of saying "I love you." Nicole and I pulled in and one of the youths escorted us with an umbrella (it was very sunny) to the large tent that was errected just in front of the center for the occasion. They had a red carpet down the middle, rows of chairs, two tables at the front for the "big wigs" like the Bishop, the Minister of Heatlh (a government official), different city council members from Metsimotlbe and Gaborone, and so on. The pre-schoolers sitting up in front of them on children sized chairs. They had many potted plants positioned here and there for decoration. Between the center building and the large tent there stood a large stage that was about two feet high where young men were busy errecting another shade between the building and the large tent. The boys worked diligently even up to half way through the ceremony to get this thing up and secured. There was a podium at the front of the large tent. They had microphones and big speakers that worked most of the time.

{The Stage}















{The Big Tent}


















{Grad sporting the "cool" shades}















{Decor}

You have to understand something about gatherings in Botswana: there is always someone appointed as the Master of Ceremonies and he or she (a woman is this case) makes sure everything flows nicely. Our M.C. lovingly explained where people should stand, when they should come up, and she sang along in the microphone with some of the hymns we sang between speeches. You see, the program is a very fluid situation so there is a lot of work for the M.C. She had to interject sometimes and say extra thank yous that were missed and stay on top of all the changes that are bound to happen with such an event.




















{Regina Smiling}















{Dream Song}

You also have to imagine that everyone likes to be helpful with the microphones and the microphone stands so there were several adjustments being made by several folks while people were giving speeches, some of those adjustments where helpful and some not so helpful. But all in all I think things ran very smoothly and we could see that heaps of effort had went into this event.

First there was lots of welcoming of all the different people and then the Bishop came in. Then there was a time of thank yous. As soon as I saw there were two tables for the "big wigs", I thought to myself, this is going to be a long ceremony. I figured they would all get a chance to give a speech, but luckily it was just the Bishop and the Minister of Health that gave speeches and Father Gabriel gave one at the end. After the welcomes and thank yous the preschoolers came up and they were adorable. They each took turns going up to the microphone and doing something like counting to ten or naming the seasons (sounding like sprrring, summa, aautom, and winta) and then they would say what they wanted to be when they grew up. One boy got stuck while counting to 10 but at the end did manage to recover. He said he wanted to be a policeman and everyone roared with laughter because of how the current police force is, but I'm sure the kid took no notice. Another little girl recited the seasons and then said she was going to take over Father Gabriel's job. That was a hoot coming from this little 4 year old. After the MoH, the Bishop gave a speech, but we couldn't hear the whole first half because his microphone wasn't working. Plus he was standing on the stage which put him up too high and all you could see was from our vantage point was his mouth and down because the large tent was in the way. Another hilarious thing was that the guys taking video didn't use the zoom lens. They would just walk right up in front of who ever was speaking or who ever they wanted to record and stick the camera in their face. They got right in the way of any of the audience being able to see as well, but they took no notice. Then they would walk up and down the middle aisle getting video of "us" the audience and again would just come right up to you. They also was a time when the contractor came up and handed over the keys to the center, the amazing thing was that we found out there were three guys that worked nearly full time on the building project (community members) who were not payed but just volunteering.

They presented the opening plaque which was mounted on the outside wall of the center. As they opened the curtain they let two doves go but instead of flying majectically they just dropped to the ground. With the shade cloth up where were they supposed to go? The doves eventually made there way to the top of one of the speakers and remained there for the rest of the ceremony.

There was a person, (I can't remember if it was the city council member or what) who got up with a bottle of champagne and proposed a toast. Then they filled all the big wigs glasses and they drank to it. Nicole and I just smiled at one another. I mean, what next?

The Bishop went through each room and blessed it with holy water, I had to laugh at myself because I thought his assistant was bringing him his eyedrops but it was the holy water. (not that I really agree with the holy water thing but I appreciated the fact that he wanted to commend each room to God)

{Doves}












{Grads}















{Preschoolers}

Afterwards people were welcome to go and see the center and while they were waiting to go through, Father Gabriel and the Lesang Bana children, had organized entertainment. There was a drama. The children (including the older ones that attend the kids club on Saturdays) sang special songs. There were two traditional dancing groups, even Father Gabriel and a group sang a broadway musical song from Joseph King of Dreams (or is it Coat of Many Colors, can't quite remember) and then the the kids gave out paper flowers to lots of people in the audience.

Nicole and I decided to leave at about 12:30. We knew lunch would be served at some point but we were both tired and had another function to go to at our church. We did observe the bulk of the ceremony and it's was good for us to attend something that was so important to the ladies that we work with. It really means a lot and we were also encouraged to see the community support and to see that the center open and running.

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{Traditional Dancers}

Hope you enjoyed reading about this little ceremony.

Jeff and Michele Royce
c/o Flying Mission
P.O. Box 1022
Gaborone,
Botswana
Africa

royces@flyingmission.org.bw
http://www.flyingmission.botsnet.co.bw/news.htm
http://jeffandmichele.blogspot.com