Oceans of Mercy

After 4 months of new faces it was great to finally get to Port Elizabeth and see Ronnie and Sybil Colin again. Ronnie and Sybil are family friends from Kansas City, where Ronnie used to run the local coffee shop setup by his son Shaun. Times have slightly changed and Ronnie and Sybil are now in charge of Oceans of Mercy, an orphanage set up to help young children orphaned by the horrors of AIDS. Oceans of Mercy is a property outside Port Elizabeth where children with horrific backgrounds come to get support, schooling and most important a bit of self confidence back. The children there are incredible and really show the resilience of the human spirit. Leighanne and I only visited for 2 days, but were really taken by the children there, and still talk about Apple, the most adorable little boy you've ever seen. The work Ronnie and Sybil along with Mother and Sister do there is fantastic and definitely changes the childrens lives for the better.
The first day we visited was special as the oldest boy of 18 was having a birthday. It involved a full bbq (braai) and cake fully laden with candles. Unfortunately for the kids, but to much humour for the westerners the candles where the 'cannot be blown out variety'. The children had never heard of candles like these, let alone seen them, and this caused much hilarity when they attempted to blow them out.
It was wonderful talking with Ronnie and Sybil, relating our travels so far and hearing all the great times they have had traveling the globe in years passed. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and wish them all the best at the orphanage.