Sick

I have 4 days left in Africa and and the past two days I have spent in my room sleeping. Went to the clinic today and the nurse said I have a slight case of pneumonia. I'm not sure how accurate that is but I definitely have a chest infection. I'm on antibiotics and Vitamin C. Pray for me! I will need strength to get through my journey home- and the craziness of Joburg Airport!

Change

Change.

 

I have one week left before I board a plane in Johannesburg airport and set off for life back in America. As I begin to process and prepare for what awaits me I think about all of my experiences and how I will allow them to change me. I know many of you care, but don’t have five hours to sit down and hear the stories and see the pictures. So in bracing myself for the burning question: how was it, what was the best thing about your time in Africa? I won’t tell you: caring for orphans, living with a family in a rural community for a week, teaching God’s word in the public schools, visiting AIDS patients, washing an old gogo’s feet, living in community with volunteers that share my passion, forming eternal relationships with the Swazis, or being attacked by children desperately seeking my love. Although all of these experiences were life changing and ones I will cherish forever, my answer would simply be growing closer in my walk with God.

What a journey it has been. In Swaziland God convicted me of spending more time with Him in his word. Since being at Hands I have found joy in spending every evening with God. Searching his heart and will for my life, seeking wisdom from his Word, journaling my prayers, thoughts, struggles, and experiences to him, and being challenged to each day live in the spirit rather than the flesh.

I am in the process of renewal, of allowing God to form, mold, and change me through my experience in Africa and the time spent with Him. To some this conclusion and answer may seem less exciting than the others but it is one that is eternal and will truly affect how I live every moment for the rest of my life. God brought me five thousand miles away and four thousand dollars spent to teach and change me, and oh yeah to serve the African people while I’m at it! Why does it seem to take the most extreme situation to see how much we need God? I have been confronted with utter poverty, met individuals that have nothing but are truly joyful and happy, seen the effects of what a simple gift of used clothes mean to a young girl, and heard the rich passion and love in the singing voices of the African church. It would be ridiculous to walk away from these amazing experiences and go back to my comfortable life in America unaffected. Because I can’t deny that I have been more than affected. I have been moved by their simplicity and joy in life. When I return I know it will be rough living in a culture driven by time and materialism but I am excited to hold fast to the principles and habits I have learned from Africa. 

Chicken Feet.

Chicken Feet.

That was dinner on the first night of my 7 day community stay in the extremely rural village of Gottenburg South Africa. No running water, no toilet, and lots of cock roaches. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I truly saw the African lifestyle. I lived with a very nontraditional African family: a married couple with two children! Felix and Florence live in a 2 bedroom home and share a property with Felix’s mother, or “gogo”- (grandmother) and his niece and nephews- Ntombi who is 19 and in grade 12, Ralph 17, and Rich 14. Felix and Florence have a 3 year old adorable boy Reveal, who looked at me the first few days like who are you and why are living in my house?! And a 6 month baby girl Reality. To my surprise I had my own room and own bed. My family was absolutely wonderful, I experienced hospitality to a whole new level. They treated me like a royal guest and I had to fight to help them around the house. While I was worried that a full week- Friday to Friday would be too long when plans changed and I came home a day early I wasn’t ready to say goodbye! Another short-termer at Hands, Michelle came with me and stayed with a more traditional African household: her host Doris has two children and lives with her parents, 17 year old sister that has a month old baby, brother, and nephew.
During my stay I experienced a 3 hour long African church service all in Tsonga language. Thankfully a woman translated for me. To say they sang and danced would be an understatement. They joyfully gave all of themselves in praising the Lord. I also got a taste of the role of women in Africa, they work so hard, doing everything! Felix is the coordinator of the home based care organization so he works very hard, but I met many families in which the men don’t work and the woman is responsible for everything. I have never met stronger more resilient women than I have here in Africa. I also experienced how routine and simple their lives are. Church, school, and chores make up most of their time and when they aren’t doing that then they sit and talk. Felix and I went to register orphans for USAID one day and it took 3 hours to visit 3 houses because there is no such thing as being in a hurry when you know the whole village and enjoy talking to each person! He tells me “I am a man of the people!” Another reminder of what the African people do best: live simply and relationally.
I really enjoyed my time in Gottenburg with Felix and Florence’s family. I now have a second home here in Africa. They truly cared about my well-being and went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable. One night Florence tested me to see if I preferred rice or mealie meal. I took rice and for the rest of the week she made a special thing of rice just for me.
Two of my highlights from my time in Gottenburg- on Wednesday evening after dinner Florence put on some music and I heard a familiar strum of the guitar and thought hmm that’s not the usual African music. It was a worship CD she had been given from America! We both knew all the songs and sang together, it warmed my soul and was just what I needed. Then the ever energetic and enthusiastic Ntombi came in and I taught them the actions to Lord I Lift Your Name on High. They did it over and over. I loved every moment of it.
The second happened the day we arrived during our Home Based Care visits. The second patient we saw that day was an old gogo. She walked very slowly to us using a big stick and I wondered if she would make it, each step seemed more painful. She told us that her feet, legs, and back have been in serious pain for several years now and medicine does nothing. From the moment she sat down I couldn’t take my eyes off her dirty, tired feet. While someone read some scripture I felt the Spirit telling me to wash her feet and I tried shrugging it off thinking how uncomfortable that would be and possibly culturally inappropriate. When I couldn’t shake it I asked her if it would be okay for me to wash her feet. They brought me a basin and soap and before I knelt down to wash them I said (with an interpreter) because you have served your family all your life and are now in pain I would like to serve you. She was so worried that I was getting dirty and that they would need to bathe me afterwards! I don’t know if what I did meant anything to her but I will never forget that moment.

I left my heart in Swaziland...

Thank you to all of you who supported me through prayer and other means in my mission trip to Swaziland. It was truly a divine and purposed trip. My team of ten from IWU became my second family. We worked so well together; God had a plan and role for each team member to shine. I formed eternal relationships with the beautiful students, children, and faculty at Emmanuel Wesleyan Bible College, was broken by God’s precious orphaned children at the Fortress orphanage, and was challenged and moved by the students at Hillside High School where we taught Reach4Life HIV/AIDS prevention. I witnessed God’s hand at work in my own life as I was challenged by an 11 year old girl, Zinhle Malaza to go deeper in God’s word. I found healing in my time spent visiting with two young AIDS patients at the Hope House. While I experienced, saw, and heard many heart wrenching and harsh stories of the lives of the people of Swaziland, God protected and shielded my heart. Needless to say, I did not want to leave. The African way of life is a breath of fresh air from the fast-paced western culture in America. God showed me a different side of his character through the African people. Living simply and relationally are two key things the Africans do well, and I feel challenged to hold fast to these principles. I will never forget the amazing men and women of God, and beautiful children that I met in Swaziland and I will cherish the precious moments I shared with them.

My trip to Swaziland planted seeds that I believe God will water through the relationships we formed with the students and children. The time spent holding and playing with children filled holes in their hearts and lives left by a culture that places little emphasis and attention on its most vulnerable little ones. The lessons taught and testimonies spoken in the classrooms at Hillside High School challenged a new generation of Swazis to change their nation. And the teams presence on the Bible college encouraged and supported students and faculty to press on to advance the Gospel in Africa.

After 14 days of joy and laughter, sadness and tears, love and encouragement and doing life with the people of Swaziland I said goodbye not only to my new friends in Swaziland but also to my family from IWU and came to South Africa.

I arrived on Thursday May 28 to White River, South Africa to do my International Community Development internship with a community based organization, Hands at Work. Hands at Work is working toward a goal of caring for 100,000 orphaned and vulnerable children by 2010. In caring for children, “Hands” seeks to provide three basic services: food security (one meal a day), education, and health and shelter security. These services are provided through orphan care centers that offer pre-school during the day and after school care and feeding, schools and after-school programs, and home visits to clean, bathe, and feed them.

I am living in community with about ten other short-term volunteers at what is called the Hands Village. We cook, clean, and do life together. It is hard for build relationships because people are constantly leaving and arriving, but it is nice to have people to talk to that speak your language! 

So far I have had the opportunity to work at the Orphan Care Centers- playing with kids, holding babies, helping in the kitchen, and assisting in homework help. Today was a very rough day. I went to a community called Belfast to do home-care visits. When we arrived to the first home we went into the room and there was a mattress on the floor with a man laying there covered in blankets. The ladies said we will sing some songs and pray for him, then leave. As soon as we got in the room it was apparent- his eyes were wide open and not moving, the grandmother shook his head and put her hand on his chest and then we were ushered out of the room because he had died. The mother was told and the sisters and they were all wailing. It was awful. He was only 32 years old and we do not know what he was sick with but I would guess AIDS. It was a horrifying experience, yet in a way it was somewhat normal and calm for them. 

Please pray for me as I process and attempt to respond to these experiences.