South Africa Clowning

[Fiddlestix H. McWhiskers]

Hey folks!

I hope this is the appropriate place to post this.

I have really enjoyed the super warm welcome you all have given me here and look forward to becoming more of a part of this beautiful community.

The reason I haven't been posting lately or been able to attend the clown chats is because I've been getting ready to go on a medical mission trip to eSikhawini, South Africa. Our departure date has arrived and we're leaving Friday morning and we'll be gone until the 27th of April. So if you're wondering about my upcoming silence, it's because I'm out of the country. I still can't believe God has given me the privilege of sharing the love of His Son with others so much in need.

I have been given the opportunity to entertain the children while they wait in line to see the doctors, so I'll be giving some of Fiddlestix McWhiskers' material some trial runs (out of makeup, of course). A huge number of them are HIV/AIDS orphans and may of them have HIV/AIDS themselves, so I look forward to hopefully give them a huge case of the giggles!

Please keep those we're helping in your prayers that they may feel some relief from their illness, or better yet, that God might heal them completely and that we might be able to share His love with them in a way that will bring them closer to Him.

There is a blog for the mission if you're interested in more information. Some of it is from last year and some is from this year.
It's Live From South Africa

I look forward to re-joining the fun here when I get back.

[in Harmony with Jesus]

Oh Fiddlestix, what an awesome opportunity! My prayers go with you & the team you will minister with. Look forward to reading about the great things God does through y'all!

[Sassy Frass]

Thank You for Going...
That is what life is all about Fiddlestix...Helping with the talents God has given us (Physcian's), giving of the finiancial blessings he has bestowed, sharing to Gospel of Jesus and bringing smiles and giggles to those in need of uplifting.
You God go with our prayers surrounding you...
Sassy Frass, Funny Bonz and the rest of us coneheads!

[Fiddlestix H. McWhiskers]

Hello all,

I'm back from South Africa. I think that if I had to pick one word to describe the trip, it would be joy. The people in the areas I was in have absolutely nothing and they are so full of joy it's amazing! Children as well as adults with HIV/AIDS, worms, malaria, cataracts so cloudy that you can't tell what colour their eyes are and they're so joyful.

I have pictures of the trip in my photos section on my myspace page. You can see them if you have a myspace account.

I was able to do a little bit of clowning with the children and adults and they really seemed to enjoy it. One of the things I did is a little thing called "Cause and Effect" my friend steve and I do for fun. You start off by making a raspberry sound and then the next person has to go "OOOH!" then raspberry, then "OOOH" or you can switch it up into different combinations. You keep going to see how far you can get without anyone making the wrong sound when their turn comes.

I was also given two nicknames. "Ntshebe" (pronounced chebbay) it means "beard." The men don't grow their beards there because only Shembites (a cult that mixes ancestor worship with Christianity and a few other tribal beliefs) wear beards. But even the Shembites don't have beards as thick as mine, so when I would pass by, they would say, "Ntshebe! Ntshebe!" and laugh. The children would giggle and dare each other to pull on my beard.

Then an 85 year old woman named Mama Nkosi gave me the nickname "Mahlekehlethini" (pronounced kind of like Mashay Keshay Teeny). She was laughing so hard when she said it she could hardly speak. She finally told me that it means "The laughing forest." The kids heard her and when they would see me coming, they sould say "uMahlekehlethini uyeza!" "The laughing forest is coming!" Then I could chase them and say, "Mahlekehlethini uzokutola!" "The laughing forest is going to get you!" and they would scream and laugh while I chased them.

Even Susan (one of our team members) got laughed at because of her name. Apparently, the Zulu word "sousa" is the word for passing gas. So when Susan would introduse herself and say, "My name is Susan," the whole room would giggle and laugh.

At one point, I was asked to tell my story of how I came to Christ. So I told them about the trouble I used to get into, my drug & alcohol addictions, the period of time I used to sell drugs and things like that. At one point while we were portioning out medications for this trip, I was using a tongue depressor to count pills and portion out powdered meds when It reminded me of my drug dealing days when I would spend hours at a table portioning out speed or cocaine or pot or whatever I was selling at the time. I started to cry when I realized the God had taken something ugly and hurtful that I used to do and used my old "skill" to do the same thing, but in a positive, beautiful way to help people.

So after hearning this, the founders of the ministry we were working with asked me to come back on my own to travel to the townships with them to speak and share my story and how God has changed my life. Drugs and Alcohol are a huge problem with the men there. So, in a little while, I'll be going back for a month, then 3 months, then 6 months and will probably be moving there at least for a few years. But until then, I'll be doing my thing here.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm just really exited about everything. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, jump at the chance. It will change you forever.

[Fitzwilly]

It is so fantastic that the Lord has been used you in this way, as well as you opening yourself up to God's leading. Congratulations, and we look forward to hearing more about you ongoing mission trips.

[The_Princess_of_Bozonia]

Good work Fiddlestix!

[clowning_around]

I know what its like fiddlestix, I do it almost ever weekend and will never get bored of the smiles... I live in South Africa... next time you are in the area give us a shout, we have one of the most fantastic clown-ministry organisations here so we would love to accommodate your talent

[Vii]

wow! this must've been a WONDERFUL experience...and by the same time scary to see how mankind can let those diseases happen like this...

[Pickles]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. All I can say is "wow." (and I'm still in utter disbelief that your beard is REAL! )