Tumelo

Early in February, while Hope Community Church team was here, we visited the Hospice Daycare again. The ladies from the team brought with them some great crafts to do with the kids. As usual we also played games with balloons, sang lots of songs and shared a Bible story.

(craft time)

(The first day I met Tumelo at Hospice Daycare)

While we were there, the head sister (nurse) talked to me about a little boy named Tumelo. His mother had passed away a while back and he has been living with an uncle since. His uncle is now ill & often in the hospital, has no income & is struggling to care for Tumelo. The sister was asking us to help them get a place for him at Restoring Hope Village. She had already been phoning the social worker & leaving messages but was receiving no response. I told her I would follow-up with the social worker & see what I could do. I could tell from being with Tumelo for just a couple of hours that he was suffering. He looked healthy and his clothes we decent but he had very bad behavioral outbursts. He didn't know how to interact with the other children, when he didn't get his way he would get into a rage & he wanted to be held all the time.

(each child received a beanie baby)

In the mean time for about the next 2 weeks, I also tried to reach the social worker but received no response. After being back to Hospice two more times & hearing from the workers that his uncle was deteriorating quickly, Brian and I decided to find the social worker in person. After a bit of work, we found the social worker and she even admitted she had messages from the worker at Hospice. She said she was going to get to his situation sometime but didn't know when. Brian asked if we could take her in our car to the boy's house but she said no. We then offered to bring the boy and his uncle to her office and she agreed. Our first attempt to fetch the uncle we found him gone and the neighbor said he went to the clinic. We checked back the next week and located him. Brian & our houseparents went to fetch the uncle and Tumelo and took them to the social worker. The entire story is way to cumbersome but it took about 6 hours to get this all accomplished.

In the end, the uncle & another uncle that came on the scene, wanted one more week with Tumelo. The social worker said that would be fine. The following Monday, Brian and I went back to the uncle's house in Thabong & fetched Tumelo.

Tumelo has been living here since April 2nd and is living with Papa Revival & Mama Phelisa with Kamohelo, Tumi, Paulina & Modiehi. Tumelo is adjusting to living here but he needs lots of patients and love from all of us. He has never been expected to obey anyone before so life here is a big adjustment. He is learning to live with a family & to behave like a little 3 year old boy should. This past Saturday night he camped out in our tent with Papa Revival and Kamohelo and he thought that was pretty cool.

(Dieketseng and Tumelo)

He has become good playmates with Liam and Lindie. We are thankful to have Tumelo here and we pray that he will come to understand about God's love at a young age.

(Uncle Brian loves giving rides on the dirt bike)