by Liz Lemon Swindle

July 21, 2008

I have been here for about an hour. They are having a company meeting downstairs – I usually don’t go to those, but rather get an update after the fact. Anyway, BJ just came up to my studio before she left to open the Bountiful store this morning.

B. J. Warnich is a dear friend and is responsible for my going to Africa. She has been going for a few years now with ‘Mothers without Borders’ as a team leader. She wanted to share a couple of experiences she had on her last trip to Africa which was a couple of weeks ago.

Their team’s focus this time was literacy and they had taken about 500 lbs of books. They were working mostly in the ‘street boys’ communities. Street boys are homeless boys anywhere from 4 to 20 years and they survive with a bit of a gang mentality and certainly survival driven. Many end up starving if aids doesn’t get them.

So they came to this one community of ‘Street Boys’ and as she walked in their shelter, there on their wall was a picture of ‘Worth of a Soul.’ I don’t even know how to process that. I have been sitting here in my studio crying since B. J. left.

In such a small way it represents hope and yet if feels so desperately hopeless. My Goodness – this hurts!

She said the majority of these boys, young men, have never held a book in their lives.

What are we doing here? Why aren’t we helping these people more?

Secondly, when I was there last year, I met a little girl, 13 years old, named Carol Zulu. She has AIDS, and while we were there, she was doing pretty good. The day she met Phillip, dressed as Jesus, she was very emotional and she sang to him with such a painful heart. Since then, Phillip has been back to Africa several times working with Mother’s Without Borders.

So, this time there Carol was very ill. B. J. said one day in particular everyone was very worried about Carol as they worked on the farm in Zambia. That night as they met for their team meetings, Phillip came walking in carrying Carol. She said she will never forget that image. I wish I could have been there – however, this man Phillip, whom I used to portray as Christ, I don’t have to see literally carrying Carol – I know what the image would be. A person, who tries very hard to live a Christ like life, caring for another. Oh that we all would do such simple acts.

I worked on the sea and background again. I am trying to balance and weight the color. It’s going well and as I step away tonight, it’s feeling good and I’m relieved. This is an anxious step in the process and every night when I go home, I am relieved if the step was successful.

It’s nice to have the mountains in now. I also began painting Thomas, the apostle to Jesus’ right. I hope to finish him tomorrow.

It was a very good day and I am thankful.



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