During the course of a stifling 42-45° C day : singing, preaching and worship continue amongst an approximate 1350 people inside and out. Many hanging through the windows. Chiefs, counsellors, a bishop and pastors from distant communities are present. Orphans dance and sing. Long lines of well-behaved poorly clad and hungry children – tin plate in hand – snake outside the church building. Huge cast iron cooking pots over hot coals, brimming corn meal (sudza), are paddled each by two burley men. They labour in rhythmic double armed circular strokes as expectant children await their single meal of the day. Later, I preach my final message relating the opening of the church doors (done from inside the church) to the essential opening of the door of the heart from the inside as we receive the forgiveness, grace and the love of God our Father. These orphaned children – true diamonds in the dust – are being nurtured by wonderful caregiver grandmothers (gogos), all identifiable on the occasion by their dress colour.
