英语听力—环球英语 1047 God’s Golden Acre, Part 1

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　　Welcome to Spotlight 1. I’m Joshua Leo.
 
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　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
 
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　　In many ways, Heather Reynolds is just like other people. She is not rich or powerful 2. She has one son. But her family is much, much larger. It fills a whole valley, and several communities! This family came to her because of a promise she made in 1993. Today’s Spotlight is on Heather, and her promise.
 
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　　‘I found the young boy lying on the ground. He was very quiet. He had probably less than a day to live. Finally I broke the silence, “God, from this day on I will help every child in need, every child that needs a home, every child that crosses my path”’.
 
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　　Heather Reynolds made this promise to God on a trip to Uganda. It was here that she first met a child dying 3 of AIDS. He was alone. And he had no help. She knew that she would never forget the look in the child’s eyes.
 
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　　Heather decided 4 that she would give her life to work with children such as this. She lived in South Africa. When she returned home, she began to prepare her family to move to Uganda. But something happened that changed her plans.
 
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　　It was late in the day. Heather had been at a church service. She was just about to go home when a woman came to her. The woman told Heather about a family in great need. A baby was dying. The family needed help - immediately, that night. But this was during the years of apartheid in South Africa. The apartheid law divided people based on the colour of their skin. Heather is a white South African. The family were black South African. They lived in a black area. It would be dangerous for Heather to visit. But Heather remembered her promise to God.
 
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　　“God, from this day on I will help every child in need, every child that needs a home ...”
 
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　　She started to drive her car into the night. With a friend, she drove 5 for many kilometres down dirt roads. Then they came to a small shelter 6. A young girl came out to meet them. She ran towards Heather with a small baby in her arms. The baby was dying. His skin was infected and bleeding 7. The young girl and her brothers and sisters were alone. Their parents were dead. They had been victims 8 of AIDS. Heather acted quickly. She gathered all the children together and got them into the car. Then they drove as quickly as they could towards her home.
 
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　　Suddenly, a group of young men attacked Heather’s car. They were black. And they were angry at this white woman. Everyone in the car was very afraid. Heather prayed to God. She asked him to help. As she prayed she felt her fear turn to anger. She stopped the car.
 
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　　Heather had grown up on a farm. As a young girl, she spent time with Zulu people. She knew the Zulu language. So that night, she shouted at the young men in Zulu. She told them to have respect for her. She was an old woman. They should take care of her. Did they not know that she had a dying baby in the car?
 
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　　The young men listened to Heather. They were surprised to hear her speak to them in Zulu. Her race became less important. They could see that she was not the enemy. Instead, they treated her as a respected woman of their own community. They offered Heather help and protection 9. Heather remembers that night as a turning point in her life. She realized that caring for others was the main thing. Heather is white, but she could be a part of a black community.
 
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　　Heather also realized that she did not have to go to Uganda. There were children close to her dying of AIDS. In fact, she lived in an area with one of the highest rates of AIDS in the world - KwaZulu Natal 10, South Africa. Heather decided that she must help the children and families around them. Her husband Patrick agreed. They began to care for children without parents. Soon, more than thirty children were living with them.
 
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　　This was not easy. The children had serious physical and emotional 11 needs. Some were dying of AIDS-related diseases 12. Other children had seen their parents die. And Heather and Patrick did not have very much support. In South Africa, it was unusual for white people to live in a black community. Many people thought they were insane 13. But Heather and Patrick believed that they needed to do even more.
 
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　　In 1994, they started ‘God’s Golden 14 Acre 15’. They care for some children themselves. But they also support families in the community. These families are led by children, or grandparents. Because the parents have died, these families have very little money. Children do not get enough to eat. And they do not go to school.
 
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　　Heather and Patrick help these families. People in the community call Heather “Mawethu” or “Gogo”. This means 16 “Mother” or “Grandmother”. She is the care giver in many families. She brings food, advice and other support. God’s Golden Acre also helps children to go to school too.
 
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　　This work is very hard. But there is one memory that keeps Heather going. It is the memory of one young family - a mother and her children. Heather went to visit this family with food. But when she arrived she could see that the woman was dying. She was close to death and in a deep sleep. Her children were starving. They had no clothes, and they were very cold. It was a terrible thing. But Heather says that this memory stops her from giving up her work. So many people need help. In a book about her life, Heather says,
 
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　　‘It keeps me going because we were able to put the children into school. We were able to give those children hope. We brought them back into normal life. Now they can take their place in society’.
 
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　　Heather and her husband have had many difficult times. They have had to make huge sacrifices. But Heather and Patrick do not regret choosing this life. They believe that they are following God’s plan.
 
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　　In another Spotlight program, we will talk about the work of God’s Golden Acre. They are developing 17 new ways to care for children and the community.
 
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　　The writer of this program was Elizabeth Lickiss. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United 18 States and the United Kingdom. All quotes 19 were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called ‘God’s Golden Acre, Part 1.
 
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　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.