Kalahari: Here comes True Love Waits!

Whenever you hear the name Kalahari, you imagine a scene of red sand dunes and dessert-like emptiness. But it was the privilege of True Love Waits to visit even this remote part of our country in the far Northern Cape from 10 – 15 June 2001.

Departing from Lichtenburg with a Landrover early Sunday morning, Carel, Musa, Lillian and Rentia prepared themselves for a week of sand dunes and an experience of a lifetime. We were welcomed with warm Kalahari greetings that evening by Oom Piet and Tannie Ria Snyman with potjiekos waiting on the fireplace.

As we were introduced to the culture of the people of the Kalahari, it seemed like an impossible task to bring across the message of True Love Waits. Teenage pregnancies are rampant and it almost seems part of the culture, and young girls who don’t participate in the “culture” are pushed aside branded as old fashioned.

But as the week progressed we were amazed how well the young people understood the message of keeping yourself sexually pure until marriage, despite peer pressure dictating otherwise. The condom solution has been presented to these people, but they were not made aware of the dangers and risks involved. But we stuck to our solution of abstinence. Many of the young people signed the pledge card, and we encouraged them to make a new start, even if they made mistakes and many have children already. Some have more than one child, each with a different father. Unfaithfulness within marriage also reared its ugly head, even in that remote small communities. But more often, the young people never get married, they just carry on with their immoral living, suffering the consequences. Extreme poverty is one of the biggest problems as these people don’t have many job opportunities. Some can’t attend school, because their families just can’t pay the school fees of a mere R25 per year.

We visited small villages with interesting names like Groot Mier, Klein Mier, Loubos Askham, Welkom and Andriesvale. We also had a meeting within the Kalahari Gemsbok Park (or as it is now known The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) with the staff of the Park and their families, including the new police inspector and his wife. Wherever we had meetings, the whole community was invited and even the elderly people present welcomed the message of purity, realising that it is the right way to bring up the young people. At the last school in Rietfontein, just about 3 kilometers from the Namibian border post, one of the students who thanked on behalf of the school, said that she read about True Love Waits in the You magazine some time ago, and she has been waiting all this time to be able to sign this pledge card.

The message remains powerful even when it seems powerless in the face of circumstances. The young people experience the same problems everywhere: peer pressure, STD’s and teenage pregnancies. When presented with the True Love Waits decision, many realised its worth and that their futures are at stake, and they signed the card.

It was a privilege to encourage the young people from the Kalahari; to be amongst them and bring them new hope for their seemingly dimmed future. And the red and white sand dunes found a place within our hearts, just as the friendly people of the Kalahari did. Let us remember our great family of True Love Waits even in the remote parts. And if the transport wheels roll in that direction again, be sure to book your seat for the experience of a lifetime.