African Adventure (Day 9) - Related Image.
The older boys of Block A - posing for the camera while waiting their turn at the feeding program.
Clark Kim
The sixth in a series of journal entries while written in South Africa.
Today, we were in for some hard manual labour.
We started the day early, waking up at 7 a.m. We were on the road a half-hour later to drive to Block A -- a small and even less-privileged community than where we were staying for the past week.
By 9 a.m., we had arrived at the construction site for a future church building. First thing I noticed: there were no power tools or heavy duty equipment in sight.
We soon learned that most things here are done by hand.
That includes the cement blocks we helped make from scratch. The foundations had to be dug up with nothing but a pick and shovel.
Needless to say, the work was hard. But the regular South African labourers worked even harder. Their work ethic is truly commendable.
Shortly after 1 p.m., we punched out and then traveled to a feeding program set up nearby.
The kids we met there were awesome. They showed us how to play their games, sing their songs, and dance their dances.
When it came time for the food to be served, it was amazing to see the youth organize themselves, allowing the youngest and smallest to go first. The older boys would just wait by the wall patiently until everyone else had their share.
That kind of selfless gesture is something I won't ever forget.