Will you remember me? By Alair Conner

Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Date: Summer 2006
Contact: alair@thesenumbers.com

This seemed to be a favorite question of the young children I met while on a mission trip in Cape Town, South Africa. My first encounter with these adorable kids was a street outreach we held in one of the poorer villages. As our white vans drove through the dusty streets and shambled neighborhoods, children came darting out from every ally and doorway. We had no problem gathering a crowd and soon, we were playing chase, giving piggy-back rides and singing African songs. Two young girls approached me and started asking about what life is like in California since they assumed that I lived in Hollywood and was personal friends with all kinds of movie stars. One of the young girls, Yolanda, struck me instantly with her sweet beauty and innocence. I wanted to hear their stories, so we spent time talking about school, friends, family and just life in general in South Africa. When it was time to leave, Yolanda gave me about 5 hugs before I could finally get in the van. She kept asking, “Will you remember me? Please don’t forget me!” I told her that I could never forget her and hopefully I would see her again soon.

On the last day of my trip, my team and I had the opportunity to go into a local elementary school and teach a “Life Skills” class. Basically, Life Skills class gives students the chance to learn about self-respect, self-esteem, AIDS awareness and drug/alcohol abuse prevention. I knew that Yolanda was a student at this school, yet I had no idea whether I would have the chance to see her. During morning recess, I happened to glance across the playground and I spotted her. When she saw me, her face lit up with just pure joy! When my team and I got to teach her Life Skills class, Yolanda and her classmates wanted to sing and dance for us. This cold, concrete room was soon filled with a mix of black and white singing, dancing, jumping; it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. When it was time to say goodbye, needless to say we got plenty more hugs and I had such a hard time actually leaving Yolanda. She had also made me a card to say goodbye, and in it she wrote, "I just want to say that you are very, very special and I love you so much. It just seems that I've known you for a very, very long time...." Even so, she still asked, "Will you remember me?"

After I left, I kept wondering why these children would be so concerned that we would forget them. How could I forget moments like these? Then I realized how these children would feel neglected when their parents die of AIDS, their schools only do so much, and they are left to fend for themselves. There may be no on in their lives to treat them with the care and concern that they deserve. The amazing thing is that, when I met Yolanda, I knew without a doubt that I could not forget her; like she wrote, it seemed that we had known each other for years. When you meet that one child, have that one face in your mind, it never goes away. There is no choice but to respond with compassion.

You have to remember…

Montechristo Ministries (the ministry I worked with in Cape Town)

Compassion International (non-profit organization committed to sponsoring children)