Hi! I am Mark Simone and here I am hanging out with my friend Patience at Sparrow Village in Roodepoort (near JoBurg), South Africa.
Sparrow is the world's first and only village designed and built for HIV positive children. Patience is one of the courageous women who live their lives with the 300 children, ages birth to high school, and shepherd them through the challenges of their compromised immune systems.
During a visit to Sparrow Village, a young man named Sabelo, which is the Xhosa word for the inheritance, traded names. Actually, I hijacked his name. All that week we called him Mark and the kids called me Sabelo. So I now often introduce myself as Sabelo, to great mocking. It is fun, however, that when I return to Sparrow Village, or see youth I have worked with during previous trips, they know me primarily as Sabelo.
I am married to Kathy, an artist and art teacher, and we have four adult children and six grand kids; all of us living in northeast Ohio. Professionally I am a longtime youth pastor, author, professor, and counselor. I have been with the Federated Church, United Church of Christ in Chagrin Falls, Ohio for over 20 years.
Sparrow is the world's first and only village designed and built for HIV positive children. Patience is one of the courageous women who live their lives with the 300 children, ages birth to high school, and shepherd them through the challenges of their compromised immune systems.
During a visit to Sparrow Village, a young man named Sabelo, which is the Xhosa word for the inheritance, traded names. Actually, I hijacked his name. All that week we called him Mark and the kids called me Sabelo. So I now often introduce myself as Sabelo, to great mocking. It is fun, however, that when I return to Sparrow Village, or see youth I have worked with during previous trips, they know me primarily as Sabelo.
I am married to Kathy, an artist and art teacher, and we have four adult children and six grand kids; all of us living in northeast Ohio. Professionally I am a longtime youth pastor, author, professor, and counselor. I have been with the Federated Church, United Church of Christ in Chagrin Falls, Ohio for over 20 years.
Here I am hanging out with one of the little Sparrows at Sparrow Village as we play hideout under a crib. You can learn about the work of Sparrow Village at www.sparrowvillage.co.za.