“Im sorry. Goodbye.” Defining Family for Lesedi

We first met Lesedi on a Sunday afternoon in a cramped, humid van. We were riding with other youth from the St. Martin parish to a local Mass for the youth of Soweto and found ourselves sitting next to Lesedi. During this van ride, we learned that Lesedi loves to sing and that she is a member of the church choir at St. Martin.

Michael and Lesedi (front right) performing “Happy” by Pharrell Williams

Throughout our first few weeks in Soweto, we would often run into Lesedi around the parish grounds. To her, St. Martin was a second home. We always found her singing and laughing with her friends, and whenever she saw us, she would run up to us and greet us with a loud “sawubona” and a warm hug. One day, she decided to sing for us in the church’s music room. After leaving us in awe of the beauty of her voice, Michael decided to play the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams on piano while Lesedi sang along. Upon finishing the song, we asked Lesedi, “Are you happy?” Without any hesitation, she responded, “Yes, I’m always happy!” This proved to be true, for every time we met Lesedi, she was always smiling and singing her favorite Gospel songs.

The next week, we saw Lesedi walking to St. Martin to attend the weekly morning Mass. She did not look happy. Tears were running down her face, she walked with her hood up, and she couldn’t gather any words to greet us. Upon asking how she was doing, she cried even louder, as she covered her face with her hands. Eventually, the tears stopped and she wrapped her arms around us in a supportive hug. We asked her what was causing her pain, and she told us this . . .