Donna recently visited the Seed of Hope South Africa and had the opportunity to accompany Sylvia on a trip to the local market. She was humbled by the faith of this mother.
Her cart has four loaves of bread and a tube of polony, a relative of our bologna, but made with ‘chicken scraps’. This will feed her family of four one meal a day for the weekend.
She calculates the total of her purchases, remembering that she also desires a bag of oranges and is hopeful she will have enough money for a jar of peanut butter this week.
Soon I see her smile fade. The price of the peanut butter, plus the oranges, will put her over her budget. She gently places the peanut butter jar back on the shelf and chooses a less-expensive jam.
Our final stop is in produce where the oranges are ‘on special’ this week!! Eyes bright and smile wide, she declares – “I save on the oranges, so I can buy the peanut butter!”
A high-five is in order, and we wheel our precious cargo back to the peanut butter aisle where the jam is replaced with a jar of ‘welike- the-smooth-kind’ peanut butter. She is ever so quietly humming a hymn of praise as we present each item at the checkout. Being employed full-time, she is one of the fortunate mothers in Bhekulwandle township who can serve bread – the ‘main course’ for their one daily meal – with something more than a quick
spread of mayonnaise. These few items will only sustain her family until Monday. Back home in Canada, I would be stressed and fearful of what Tuesday would bring. But this is South Africa and she leaves the store knowing that God is faithful, and she will leave the provision of Tuesday’s one meal up to Him.
