Jikisobane or Jiko for short is an incredible young woman. Meeting her today was a humbling experience and one that I do not believe I will forget for some time to come.

Jiko single handedly cares for seven brothers and sisters, the youngest being the twins, Buhlebuyeza and Muziwokuthula, who attend the local Mkathini Primary School. Jiko works for the local public works department on a road project which pays a monthly stipend of only R370 per month.

The Mchunu childrenÂ’s father passed away in 1993 and their mother in 1998 leaving Jiko to take on the role as parent to her siblings including Sabeni, Ficwayinin, Nhlanhla, Hlangangani and Buyani.

The house the children live in is one of the worst I have seen. The walls are falling down, the floors are crumbling and there is not a stick of furniture to be seen. Jiko hangs the families clothing from the wattle walls and her few blankets are folded neatly behind a crumbling inner wall.

Jiko has no access to clean water and daily has to make the long trip down to the river to collect the water to wash and feed the children. I can see the river in the distance and it does not bare thinking about!

I asked Jiko what hope has for her future? Jiko replied, “My hope is in God. I pray daily that he will help me feed the children and that I may be able to buy them new school uniforms and shoes for their feet, because we have to be given second hand things from our neighbors. I pray for a house that will not fall down in the rain and for warm clothes for the winter”.

What did Dale Novak of Phoenix, Arizona. call the castle carved out of Spam that he entered in a special 1997 Spam competition?

Stevie Wonder wrote the lyrics for "Ebony and Ivory".

His name is Scott. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Scott decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Scott starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable,
but no one says anything. Scott gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Scott. A godly man,
very elegant, very dignified, and very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of
his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The minister can't even preach the
sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he lowers
himself and sits down next to Scott and worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control, he says,
"What I'm about to preach, you will never remember.
What you have just seen, you will never forget."

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating,
somewhere in the mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"

And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"

Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."

Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but
really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you
say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.

If you want more love in the world, create more love
in your heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it.

YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE.

IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!

I AM A CHRISTIAN
Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean living."
I'm whispering "I was lost,"
Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
who received God's good grace, somehow.

He ran the London marathon and is going to run in New York, some sponsorship from members would be so much appreciated...


http://www.justgiving.com/dlny






We are so proud of him doing some leg work for a worthwhile charity... I am sure that Icecub would be one of the first to agree with me

Hi does anyone know where it is possible to pick this up, please?

I see SA are leading at present

quack

:woof:

Great little thing I was introduced to just recently through the vet here at work.

On Monday we are taking on two kittens through a local animal fostering home. We keep them as our own, feed them, etc, but the vet bills are covered by the agency, and if for whatever reason we cannot keep them at some point in the future, they go back to the home.

We have been thoroughly vetted by the home and provided with info sheets on every aspect of caring for the cats, right down to dietary requirements, etc.

I am quite excited about this - it is great to have cats again, and, if our circumstances ever change, we know that they will always have a good home to go back to.

Possibly another fringe benefit of global warming? I know that flying fish have been caught further north in the English Channel as well - also as a result of the increase in sea temperatures...

Dolphin spectacle baffles experts

A group of up to 2,000 common dolphins has been spotted off the coast of west Wales.

Marine experts said it was "massively unusual" to see so many off the Pembrokeshire coast, and the reason remained a mystery.

Cliff Benson, who runs Sea Trust, the marine branch of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said it had been an incredible sight.

"It's fairly normal to see a hundred or so, but not thousands."

Mr Benson, who carries out regular survey work on cetaceans - dolphins, whales, and porpoises - was on his boat when he saw the dolphins approaching.

"It was like a volcanic eruption," he said. "There were dolphins of all ages - adults and mothers with their babies - and they were leaping out of the water.


"It's a mystery as to why there were so many. It could be because the waters are so rich in food, and that there aren't many predators.

"They could be coming here specifically to breed because the conditions are so right."

Mr Benson, who lives in Llanwnda, near Fishguard, is keen to get the Pembrokeshire coast marketed to tourists who enjoy seeing marine life.

"People think they have to go to Florida to see dolphins leaping out of the water, but it's all right here," he said.

"We should be marketing this area as 'The Dolphin Coast', and encouraging tourists to come here and spend their money to boost the local economy.

"There's a small coastal village in Ireland that has a particularly friendly dolphin, and people travel hundreds of miles to see him. He's worth £5m a year to that village."