Day 5 - Food and Fellowship

Food distribution day is a sight to see!  Something as simple as food, and something we often take for granted, is a great luxury for many here.

Today at JL Zwane Church, we stacked and helped unpack and organize over 100 food parcels containing essential ingredients such as cooking oil, flour, sugar, rice, beans, samp (a local grain), and frozen chicken; these quarterly parcels will go to feed the neediest families in Guguletu who have been chosen by the community. They will also sustain families for up to two months allowing them to use their much needed resources on other necessities.

Just as meaningful as being involved in the food distribution was the fellowship that followed with the JL Zwane community. We held another “spa” session giving hand and shoulder massages, served tea, shared stories, and then had the pleasure of sharing a wonderful meal together. 

After the morning food distribution, we spent a couple hours reuniting with the sisters and residents of the Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity in the Khayelitsha Township. This is where some of the most vulnerable adults live whose families were unable or unwilling to care for them due to the severity of their physical and mental disabilities. Many are in wheelchairs or bed-bound, and the sisters lovingly care for them 24 hours a day. The residents faces light up when we bring them a new hat or scarf, but the most meaningful moments are giving hand massages, sharing conversation, listening to their incredible stories, and just showing up with love. During this trip, we discovered that the sisters are hoping to add solar panels to decrease their energy expenditure and are creating an area for fitness related activities with various types of old stationary bikes and other odds and ends.

Thank you for your love and support of AIAIA. We feel surrounded by all those delegates who have shared this experience in the past, all those that pray for and keep us in their thoughts, and we send love back to all of you as well. Happy Valentine’s Day from the 2025 delegation!