Sam and Khule (English only)

Samuel and Khulekani are best friends and I used to teach their class.

One day I was on my way from the centre of Verulam, that Waterloo belongs to (police station, post office, social office, etc.) and it was during school hours. There along the road I saw Samuel and Khulekani..., so I stopped to pick them up. They were embarassed, but got in. "We had to take my brother to the clinic, mam.." Yeah, right!

We started talking and continued as we got back to the school, and they told me how they struggled at school... "Mam, we can't read..." WHAT???? "You're in grade 9, and you can't read???!!!" "No, mam..."

A good few months later I got some friends help me transport 16 of my kids to the church I attend on Sunday evenings, Grace, where the youth had invited to an evening with Nick Vujicic at our church. (Check out the web page www.lifewithoutlimbs.org) One of those friends that helped out taking the kids to and from church that night, was my friend Kath. She is a speech therapist. I pointed to Khulekani, telling her that he couldn't read. Kath was really surprised, since Khule is in grade 9. But she said she'd meet up with him and see if there was anything she could do for him.

Two times we met up with her and she gave homework that I would help Khule with. But every time we practised Sam came and looked and listened when we practiced, and one day he said: "Mam, I can't read either..." I had only thought of Khule, 'cause he was eager for me to teach him how to drive a car... :)

Next time Sam came along. Sam had told me: "When I started school, I didn't earn how to read. So my parents took me to the sangoma (witch doctor). She did her thing, but couldn't heal me. She just told my parents that I would never read in my life.., so I don't know if it's going to work.."
I told him that we would pray, that nothing is impossible for God! God is more powerful than anything and capable of more than we will ever dream of!

The first time Sam came to reading class with Kath, he started reading. Yes, it was only words like hat, mat, rat, cat, fat but HE WAS READING!!!
I had tears in my eyes!
That minute it dawned on Sam that what he and his family had believed for so many years, what the sangoma had told them, was all lies...

We're meeting Kath now once a week. Sam is learning so fast now, and Khulekani as well. Now they are reading little stories!!!
Kath has been SO, SO good with them! And God has been faithful and good!

I asked Sam after one of the sessions, when I was dropping them back at Waterloo, if no-one had tried to help him learn how to read all these nine years, like giving him some special attention when they saw that he wasn't reading or writing. He said: "No, mam, you're the first one.."
I'm wondering how that can be???!!! How come, he's been schooling for at least 9 years, and NO-ONE HAS HELPED HIM BEFORE????

Now we are helping him them. They know that there are people that care, and that God cares. God wants to give them a hope and a future!

I absolutely LOVE these sessions with Kath and the boys, 'cause I can see it on their faces that they really have new hope! And the time between school and the session with Kath, we hang out, either at my place or at the beach or somewhere like that. It's good time to talk about life, what has been and what will be, about challenges in life, about the Bible and so on. Good times! :)

Sam and Khule are both part of our Bible group and come to our church most or every Sunday! :) Soon they will be able to read what is on the power point slides, the text of the worship songs, and most importantly the Bible!!!

(And can anyone tell me how I can get rid of the underline here..??? I seriously don't get it...)