Why do all my titles end in a :)? LOL

Hey lovely people!
Since it looks like I’m only getting around to updating once a month nowadays… here’s the February update! Hope you all have been well

February started out busy, as a major initiative for 2011 is two pilot programs, one of them in Bushbuckridge. The pilot program is a set of new services that will be instituted in one of our villages, to serve as a kind of “best practice” model for the rest of Hands in South Africa. By pouring into one community-based organization (CBO), we hope to produce a successful model that we can then replicate with the other CBOs and also use to motivate and encourage them. For the pilot program, we’ve chosen the village of Belfast, which was the very first village I was introduced to, and where I did my homestay experience in September as part of orientation. So I’m very excited that I’ll be spending more time in Belfast for the last couple months of my service here!

Superbowl Sunday in South Africa was quite an adventure. I didn’t think I’d be able to watch the game, so I thought, at least let me go to SOME kind of sporting event! So I went with a bunch of coworkers to watch the Orlando Pirates (a really popular South African soccer/“football” team) play Mpumalanga Black Aces, and it was so much fun! The game was sold out so it was PACKED and all you could hear were vuvuzelas humming the whole time! It was awesome. Oh, except for the guy who, granted, did help me buy a coke at half-time by fighting through the crowd for me (yeah… nice, orderly lines weren’t really happening)… but he thought that because he helped me, he could follow me back to my seat and chat me up the whole rest of the game! It was actually hilarious though; he was sitting between me and a really sweet new volunteer (I felt SO bad for her) and the amount of times he asked me for my number was actually appalling. He was so determined that at one point he gave me his phone and said, “Fine! Just give me any number, a wrong one, it’s fine!” But then of course, he proceeded to call the wrong number and was surprised when it went straight to voicemail. Anyway, just another hilarious story of dudes trynna holla at the mlungu (white person) in South Africa. And it made the game, which became 1-0 right at the end, a bit more interesting! THEN, we finally got home and… I stayed up the whole night watching the superbowl!! Hands’ founder has satellite TV at his house so I watched it on ESPN Africa… and although I couldn’t “whoop whoop” like I wanted to, as it was from 1:30am-5am and everyone in the house was asleep, it was SUCH a joy to watch the Packers win!!! So worth the sleep deprivation the following day at work – LOL!

That following week, we went out to Belfast twice for meetings about the pilot program. The second meeting was particularly interesting, number one because much of it was in English so I could actually understand, and number two, because one of the ladies on the CBO’s board of directors was so passionate about combating teenage pregnancy and starting a prevention program, and it was just nice to see the fire and passion inside of her to help these girls stay on the right path. It truly reminded me of why I am here, doing this work. In addition to the teen moms/pregnancy prevention program, we’ll be helping Belfast CBO to start a formalized after-school program focused on making “better choices,” as well as a preschool for the youngest orphaned and vulnerable children. We’ll also be training the grannies and other family members who look after the orphans in how they can best respond to the unique needs of the children under their care, including dealing with the trauma and grief that these children carry with them. The last element of the pilot program is an income-generating activity, in which Hands provides a bit of start-up money for the careworkers, who are volunteering their time to cook for and visit the orphans, to start their own small businesses as some kind of compensation for their time. I’m really looking forward to seeing how all of this develops over the next couple of months!

In the second week of February, I also finished with the youth camp curriculum/manual that I had been compiling for those past few weeks. I was able to sit down with the lovely lady who is in charge of the youth camps, and really come to a deep understanding of how she runs each session, and what strategies work most effectively in reaching out to orphaned and vulnerable children who feel as though they have no opportunities in life, and no way out. It was truly inspiring to hear about the success stories of children whose lives have been turned around as a result of the camp’s focus on making good decisions and planning for a bright future.

That same week, we had a wedding shower for one of my coworkers, who’s marrying another Hands volunteer in April. How exciting!! It was so much fun to laugh and joke with all the Hands ladies, and we even went out and watched the Notebook on the big screen at a cute private theatre in town. It was a lovely day, and so refreshing in the midst of so much going on at work. That weekend, we also took another coworker out for her birthday at my favourite restaurant – Spur! It’s always nice to go out and bond with the Hands family, so it was a great time.

Last week, I took a bit of a break from work and went to visit some friends in Johannesburg! But first, we had a big meeting on Monday to plan a conference/”family gathering” for all the CBOs in South Africa for next month. Once that was done, I rushed out to get to Joburg! (What I am leaving out is that at 4 am on Monday – yes, Valentine’s Day – we got broken into!) To cut a long story short, the whole bag I had packed for Joburg with all my cutest clothes in it was GONE, along with my handbag with all my debit cards, my ID, etc. But PRAISE GOD my laptop and passport were salvaged, probably the most important couple of things in my room. And the REAL most important things – me and my roommate – were completely safe. So things are fine. And God really showed me that He is still in charge, because in a matter of hours, my coworkers pulled together so much money for me to still be able to go on my trip, and to buy new clothes to replace what was stolen. So God is great and I am still smiling!! And Joburg was wonderful – I got to celebrate the birthday of one of my best friends, and there was another great surprise in store that you will have to email me to find out about! So all in all it was an awesome visit.

This week, I’m not out in Bushbuckridge, but rather at the Hands at Work Hub helping to plan for the conference/”family gathering” and having some other meetings. But starting from now, I’ll be spending a lot more time in Belfast particularly, helping with the pilot project and specifically supporting them with the after-school program. This was really an answer to prayer, as I was struggling earlier in the month with my purpose here at Hands, and what impact I am actually making. Several friends came around me and reassured me that the relationships I am building are indeed having an impact, and then the very next day I was approached to play a major role in starting up the after-school program, which is such a great fit for me and something I’m excited to help out with! So things are looking up on all fronts. And the weather is gorgeous, which is always nice! (Hope y’all back in the U.S. aren’t suffering too badly in the snow!)

Love you all, and talk to you again soon!

An inspiring start to 2011 :)

Hello beautiful people!
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve updated. I hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful Christmas and New Year’s! Mine was a whirlwind tour of the U.S., but SUCH a blessing to be home and to see so many people I’d been missing. I was in DC for a few days to catch up with the Georgetown fam, and then headed to Detroit for a week to spend lots of time with family and old friends. Then my sister and I flew out to LA for a week to see my Mom & Mark, and I got to see a couple great Gtown friends too, Princess and Maleia! I even met up with one of my Hands at Work coworkers and his girlfriend (he’s South African but she’s American, from LA!) My last stop was Atlanta, to see my dear friend Gabrielle and her son Lawrence Prince who is my Godson! It was so beautiful to spend new years at church with them, and a great send-off back to South Africa. I even got to see my uncle and aunts who live in Atlanta!! So it was an all-around amazing 3 weeks in the U.S.!

I arrived back in South Africa on January 3, and I was basically out for the count for the first few days – jetlag got me good this time! But by the end of the week I was back up and running, and we had a couple meetings in the various villages in Bushbuckridge to plan for 2011. It’s the beginning of the academic year here, so all of the services for the orphans and vulnerable children are starting back up, like feeding programs and after-school help. So for the past few weeks we’ve been meeting with the community-based organizations in the different villages to see what their hopes and dreams are for 2011 and to help them set goals and create budgets for the new year.

Then, on the 12th, one of my best friends in the world came to visit me from Cape Town!! My first visitor!! It was such a blessing to show her around and to introduce her to all the people that have become so dear to me here in Mpumalanga. It was especially nice to expose her to the work that we’re doing in these villages, because sometimes I feel like my “worlds” are so disconnected, so to have someone from a different part of my life come and see the work that I do and the places that I go every day just felt so nice. And we also got to do a bit of touristy stuff which was great! We went to a soccer game at the World Cup stadium in Nelspruit, as well as the Botanical Gardens (SO gorgeous!!) and this place called Bourke’s Luck Potholes. I know it’s a really weird name, but it was literally the most beautiful place I have ever seen. When we walked up to it I turned to Brittanie and said, “This must be what heaven looks like!” Blue skies, rolling green hills, waterfalls all around… it was paradise! So all in all, it was a lovely visit.

During that week, we had our Watchword meeting, which is when Hands at Work comes together at the beginning of the year and George, our founder, shares a message about where He feels God is leading the organization this year. It was such a powerful word! It was based in Ephesians 1:11 (Message version) which says “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” He emphasized that “we are before we do,” and the importance of Christ continually transforming our lives so that we are equipped to minister to others and do the work that He has called us to. Then, another volunteer spoke about “going deeper,” in relationships with people in the communities we serve but also with one another within the organization. He talked about deep relationships as being God’s primary tool in shaping us, and the meaning of true compassion as choosing to suffer with people. It was such a stirring message, and one that definitely resonated with some of my personal resolutions for 2011.

That following weekend, one of my co-workers brought one of the little boys from Bushbuckridge to Hands at Work, so that he could go to ACTS Clinic, a free HIV/AIDS clinic next door that was founded by an amazing woman of God. Spending just a little bit of time with him really touched my heart and reminded me of why I am here. He and his two siblings don’t have any family; they are completely alone. But thanks to one of the careworkers from a community-based organization we work with, he at least has someone visiting him and caring for him. He’s very, very sick though, and he’s only 11 years old. Even though we can’t communicate beyond “hi, how are you?” it was so sweet sharing smiles with him and playing with him a bit. He seemed like such a fun and goofy boy, despite his circumstances, and he just tugged on my heartstrings and reminded me how important this work is. If it hadn’t been for the work of the community-based organization and Hands at Work, he never would have gotten to this clinic, and his condition would have simply gotten worse and worse with no hope. But now his illness is being treated, and there is a glimmer of hope in his life. Praise be to God!! What an encouraging way to start the new year.

Last week was my first week staying out in Bushbuckridge since last year. It was so wonderful to see my dear host family again!! I had a particularly exciting evening on Wednesday when I cooked mopane worms for the family! I had never eaten them before, let alone cooked them, but people, they were actually DELICIOUS!! You buy them from the markets on the side of the road already cooked and dried and salted. Then you fry them up with veggies until they get a bit soft but they still have a nice little crunch – I’m telling you, I really enjoyed them!! : ) Other than that, we had several meetings out in the different villages during the day setting things up for 2011. It was so nice to be back in Bushbuckridge driving around – it made me realize how much I missed my new rural surroundings after being back in the States for a while! Driving on the dirt roads, dodging cows that think they own the road, picking up different pedestrians in the back of the bakkie (pick-up truck) on the way, waving to all the little kids excited to see a mlungu (white person) riding through their village, and eating grilled mealies (corn) and mangos from the markets on the side of the road… it’s the small things in life that really put a smile on my face! : ) And I got to try something new this week – something like a sugarcane that the coordinator of one of our community-based organizations grows in his backyard. It was so delicious! My co-worker says when he was growing up and had to be out taking care of the cows all day, he would bring a few sticks of that stuff and it would keep him energized the whole day! I don’t know if it would be enough to sustain me, but it was definitely yummy!

I came back to Hands at Work on Thursday, because I’ve also started working with the team who runs the Youth Camps (where orphans from the villages come to Hands for a weekend) to help them develop a curriculum. On Fridays, I’m going to be in their office helping to put a manual together which will compile all the different lessons they teach the children, about making good decisions, relationships, HIV/AIDS, career guidance, manners and respect, etc. I’m happy to be helping with it because the kids are my passion, so it’s nice to be helping directly and having an influence on something that benefits them so much.

This weekend was pretty relaxed – had a girls’ night on Friday to celebrate my co-worker’s recent engagement, and a birthday tea for another co-worker yesterday. Also went to a braai and had some awesome steak (I am really gonna miss the meat in SA!) Today, went to church and had our first Youth Service of the year. It was really nice! Oh, I have to tell you a funny story from church last week though. So, obviously my church does not have air conditioning, and it’s very hot, especially with all those people in there, dancing around and stuff! So I was getting in the minibus taxi and I was literally praying that someone would have bought my church some fans to keep us cool. And sure enough, miracle of miracles, I got to church and there were not one but two fans! But then – can you believe it – they were only pointed at the men’s section! (Yes, we sit according to gender at my church… it’s old-school!) It was African patriarchy at its finest y’all, and I can’t even act like I wasn’t upset!! I had to just laugh though, because it was just too ridiculous to be true, and yet it was!

So that’s been the past few weeks… Looking forward to a fun and productive February! I’ll try to update you all again soon. God bless!

Pap & Beans and Lions for Thanksgiving :)

Hello beautiful family!

I am SO sorry for not updating in an entire month… I’ve been traveling and have also been sick… so those are my excuses this time around : )

So let’s see… the first week of November was pretty interesting, as I started really getting into my role of helping the community-based organizations in the villages with their administrative work. On Monday the 1st, I was part of a training which introduced us to the new database system where all the information about each orphan and vulnerable child is kept. Then I went out to Bushbuckridge and, for most of the rest of the week, helped out in one of the community-based organizations with inputting their data. It’s really tedious work, for many reasons. For one, people don’t seem to care that much how they spell people’s name here, making it nearly impossible to find a kid in the database. So there may be two or three entries for one kid, because the name is spelled Salvation, Salvashin, and Salvashun. It’s funny to me because it seems in the States we are very particular and get upset if someone spells our name wrong – if someone writes to me calling me “Elly,” etc. But that is clearly not the case here!

So that was my week… the weekend was pretty nice too! There was a HUGE storm (Mpumalanga has the most beautiful thunderstorms at night) and so the power was out… so we had a fun game night on Friday, then a braai on Saturday, then a couple from Hands had me over for dinner on Sunday. So it was a great weekend!

The following week… was… CAPE TOWN!!!!! I can’t even describe how amazing it was. I got to see soooo many friends, catch up and have some deep meaningful conversations… and best of all, I got to baptize my friend Brittanie!! It was such a special, profound moment that I will never forget. Another highlight was definitely returning to my cell group and sharing about the scriptures that brought us through 2010. It made me realize what a life-changing year this was, and how much God has really seen me through!! It’s been such an incredible journey and I know He is taking me from glory to glory. Another highlight was my friend Sara’s 25th birthday party with the theme of “Swagga Like Us” – we had to dress as divas or ballers so of course I chose the latter! I rocked a Georgetown basketball jersey and had so much fun with my friends. The week was over way too quickly, but it was such a blessing and really revived me for the weeks ahead.

When I got back from Cape Town, my week was pretty relaxed. I went back out to Bushbuckridge but there wasn’t too much going on at the office for me to do so it was mostly just nice to catch up with everyone at the office. I absolutely love the family I stay with – one night we had a little dance party watching some music videos and it was so much fun!! I’m really enjoying myself with them, they are such a blessing.

Then, last week, I got very very very sick. Ok let me stop being dramatic… I’m completely fine, but I was feeling horrible, I can’t even lie!! So most of the week was spent in bed. On Thursday, I thought I had recovered enough to go back out to Bushbuckridge, but I was very wrong… so now I am back on my sickbed so that I can fully recover this time. Thursday was Thanksgiving, by the way!! LOL! It was a very memorable Thanksgiving, eating pap and beans and watching the Lions lose (as usual). But it was awesome I actually got to watch the game! They were broadcasting it on ESPN Africa – how cool is that? Friday is when things went downhill health-wise though, so I headed back to the Hands Hub to recover. But I still managed to have a nice weekend – church was so lovely, and it was great to see everyone again as I’d been missing the past couple Sundays, traveling and being sick. And one of my friends preached so that was awesome! This week, I’ve just been relaxing and recovering, but I’ll probably head back out to Bushbuckridge this Thursday if I’m feeling okay.

Sorry this was such a basic catching-up… I will write another post soon dealing with some of the things that have been going on mentally and spiritually in the past month. But I wanted to let everyone know that I’m still doing well! Looking forward to seeing many of you in the USA in a few weeks!! : )

Great times in October :)

Hello beautiful people! My sincerest apologies for another 2-week gap! So much has happened during the second half of October.

The weekend of the 16th was lovely and relaxing. On Saturday, we went out for lunch for the birthday of one of my coworkers at the Botanical Gardens. It was gorgeous! It was hilarious though, because it was my first time eating “white people food” (basically anything that doesn’t involve pap lol) in a week and I definitely felt sick to my stomach afterwards! My friend says I’m becoming truly African… I can’t go a day without pap! That night I watched the BET Hip-Hip awards for a taste of home (lol!) and seeing the rappers from Detroit perform made me miss home a little bit, I’m not gonna lie… but God’s timing is perfect and I know that when I come back it will be exactly right.

On Sunday, church was so wonderful! The message was great, and at the end the pastor shouted me out, saying how impressed he was that I dance like an African, like I belong. He even invited me up to do the closing prayer! I think they really love having an American at their church – after last week’s sermon the pastor jokingly (or so I thought) announced that now, with my presence, Eph’phatha “Stress-Free Church” (as it’s nicknamed) would now be called Eph’phatha Stress-Free Church International! Then, when I walked in this week, the chalkboard on the wall that usually has a big welcome message said “Welcome to Eph’phatha Stress-Free Church INTERNATIONAL” in huge block letters! It was the funniest thing! It’s a blessing to be a part of their community.

After church I went to Spur (my favorite restaurant!) with a friend and we pretended it was my birthday so I got free ice cream – yay! (Only a month late!) Then I went to the office with the intention of working on my master’s applications and ended up calling Marta, my beautiful roomie from Georgetown, and Jack. It was such a blessing to catch up!

The week of the 18th was a bit all over the place, because they were thinking of moving me from Bushbuckridge, which was going to be really, really sad. Luckily, it all worked out! So because they weren’t sure where they were going to place me, I did lots of different things: on Tuesday I was in at Bushbuckridge service center with the bookkeeper, helping her organize some files and just chatting, and Wednesday I was in the office here at Hands hub, helping collect stories about successes from the kids’ camps, primary caregiver trainings, and other projects that Hands does. It was great to hear about the work that others are doing, because Hands does so much and oftentimes I only see a sliver of it, the part in which I’m involved. That evening, a pair of British ladies who have been visiting cooked us an amazing dinner of their traditional shepherd’s pie – what a treat! On Thursday, I was at the Hlau-Hlau service center (the other group of villages we serve in South Africa). It was a fun and relaxing day, the highlight of which was walking for what seemed like forever just to find a small snack shop where I could get something to munch on for lunch. I was proposed marriage, which is always fun, and definitely made the shopkeeper’s day to have met an American. It’s so funny, walking around these communities as a mlungu (white person) – there’s always an adventure. : ) That night, we celebrated one of my fellow volunteer’s birthdays with a home-made pizza dinner. It reminded me of being little, buying crusts and decorating our pizza just how we wanted it. It was so much fun! Then on Friday, I went to Home Affairs with another fellow volunteer to sort out some visa stuff, which didn’t get sorted until Monday, but it was a nice excuse to see the city of Nelspruit.

Then, on the 23rd (Saturday), we had our Youth Conference at church! 15-25(ish) year-olds from various different churches in the area came together to praise and worship and to hear from a pastor from Swaziland. It was such a great day! I was signed up to be an usher, so it was a lot of fun ushering with my new girlfriends at church. What I didn’t know was that as ushers we would lead the way to the front to dance during praise and worship! But I think I did alright ; ) Those girls LOVE to see me dance in the African way, it’s so funny… and really exciting to think of the bridges that are being crossed by me becoming friends with them. Racial and national boundaries being crossed… it’s a great feeling. Then, in the afternoon, a friend and I went to the home of one of my co-workers, who lives in Masoyi, the community in which Hands started. He’s my parents’ age, and has been with Hands since its humble beginnings. He walked us around the community, showing us where they used to visit AIDS patients who were dying, and explaining the roots of the organization to us. It was such a moving experience. Then we had a braai at his house and got to meet his wife, kids, and even a granddaughter! It was such a great family day, and it warmed my heart to see how he welcomed us into his home and his family. It really made me realize how blessed I am to be a part of such a loving community. On Sunday, I went to church and then worked on my master’s application a bit. Then, a bunch of us went out to dinner spontaneously (to Spur again, YAY!) and it was so much fun! A great way to close the weekend.

The week of the 25th was great, because I was told I would still be able to work in Bushbuckridge! On Monday, though, I had to go back to Home Affairs, but I finally got everything sorted out for my visa! The problem was that it’s waiting for me to pick it up in Cape Town, but I’m technically “illegal” right now, so they were going to give me trouble at the airport when I fly to Cape Town next week for my visit. But God led me to the right person to speak to, because I just asked a random guy in the Home Affairs uniform if he could help me, and he sat me down in his air-conditioned office and chatted me up about all the great tourist spots I have to check out in Mpumalanga, about what life is like in America – and, oh yeah, he also gave me the documentation I need to say that I’m not actually illegal because my visa’s waiting for me in Cape Town. So that was great, and very successful! Then, on Tuesday, I helped out in the office with some random tasks since I wasn’t heading back out to Bushbuckridge until Wednesday. But the evening was so much fun – I cooked fried chicken and macaroni and cheese for 24 people!! Nearly everyone who lives at Hands came, and it was so great to share some American culture with them. The best part was that an American couple was coming to visit Hands for the week, so they got to share in the meal too! The husband is from South Carolina originally and he even helped me fry the chicken – how sweet is that? Afterwards, we had ladies’ group, where about 6 of us get together and study the Word. This time, though, we just talked and prayed for each other, because everyone was carrying burdens of some kind. It felt so wonderful to support one another in prayer and just by listening, and God really sent comfort and encouragement to each of us. So it was a great night!

Then on Wednesday, I went back out to Bushbuckridge, to stay with my other co-worker, who’s the field coordinator. She has a husband and three lovely kids, two teenage girls and a 9-year-old boy. What a blessing it was to meet her family! I was out there to support here during the last of the careworkers’ trainings, but the best part was just spending time in her community. On the first evening, we visited one of the careworkers that works at one of our community-based organizations and who also attends church with my coworker. It was so sweet, sitting outside in the dusty village, drinking from her finest teacups, chatting as the sun set. She spoke a lot about her son, who’s attending University of Cape Town (she was convinced I would know him, as he was doing his first year while I was studying abroad there, but the school’s too big!) To hear the pride and joy in her voice that her son was studying there put a smile in my heart. The next night, I went back to visit because she told me that her second son, who’s about to graduate from high school, wants to study social work next year! So I came over to chat with him about social work but we ended up talking about EVERYTHING – I have never met such a funny and charismatic young man! Among other things, he told me that Americans speak the poorest English in the world, and that we are the dumbest country because we only speak one language “while I, as I sit in front of you,” he told me, “can speak 11.” He then proceeded to say “I can speak [insert language here]” in each of the official languages of South Africa. It was all in fun, of course, so we had a great time just laughing about it. He was even asking me about the Vietnam War (trying to understand why we would never admit that we “lost”), and I promise you he knew more about it then I did! I’m so confident that he has a bright future ahead of him, and it was so inspiring to see that he is going to get an education and then sow into the lives of people in his village who so desperately need his help.

It was also amazing talking to his mom, the careworker, about why she volunteers with the community-based organization. She shared with me that working with the orphans is therapeutic for her, as both of her parents and her husband have all passed away. She said that she understands the hole that has been left in their hearts, and she wants to fill it, to be their parent because they have none. To see her passion and the sincerity in her eyes made me want to cry! And it was obvious from the fact that at least 5 of the orphans she works with had come to visit her in the couple of hours that I’d been at her home, that this woman is having a huge impact on the lives of the vulnerable children in her community. My conversation with her assured me that Hands is indeed doing incredible work.

Friday was the last day of the careworkers’ training, and it was so sad that it was over, because out of all the villages we work in, the ladies from Belfast are truly one-of-a-kind! They are so happy and loving and have been so accepting of me from the beginning, when I first went to stay in their village for the weekend with my host sister in September. I can’t wait to see them again soon! That evening, I had a movie night with some coworkers (if you couldn’t tell, movie nights are pretty much the main form of entertainment around here, lol!) Then on Saturday, I spent the whole day working on my master’s application to University of Michigan, and I FINISHED it!! I could not be happier! That’s a major weight off of my shoulders. That evening was the birthday of one of my co-worker’s daughters, who’s turning 15. We had an AWESOME girls’ night and sleepover, painting each other’s nails, eating candy, and watching chick flicks. It reminded me of all my sleepovers back in the day! It was a really fun night. Then yesterday (Sunday) we went to two beautiful waterfalls, which Mpumalanga is known for. I’ll post pictures soon! It was absolutely gorgeous, and so nice just to spend time with friends, laughing and basking in God’s beautiful creation. We had a lovely picnic, walked around a little craft marker, and just enjoyed one another’s company. Then there was a huge thunderstorm, so we curled up and (yes) watched movies for the rest of the evening! It was such a fun weekend.

So now you’re up to date! This week I’ll be back in Bushbuckridge… and then a week from today, I fly out to Cape Town to visit for the week!! I’m going mostly because one of my best friends is getting baptized, and her drama students are doing their final performance. It’s also my other friend’s birthday party, which will be so fun, and other than that I’ll just be visiting friends and family and enjoying a week-long vacation! I’ll update you all again as soon as I can. Love you lots!

“Beautiful Feet” and Community Living! The 2-week update :)

Hello family!

First of all, my deepest apologies! After saying I would update more often, another two-week gap. Please forgive me! The past two weeks have been busy ones. Oct. 4-8 was the Field Coordinators’ Workshop. The week-long workshop was, among other things, a chance for people working in the Service Centers (which is what I’ll be doing) to discuss the various tasks and challenges associated with their positions. On the first day, we did an activity called “Who are you?” during which we discussed who we are as a follower of Christ, as part of the Hands global family, as part of a Service Center team, and as volunteers/field coordinators/whatever our position is. Hands loves to use the verse from the bible, “Beautiful are the feet of the one who brings good news” to describe what we are called to be, above everything else – Beautiful Feet. So we spent a long time discussing how we can be beautiful feet in each of the roles that we play.

At the end of the first day and into the second, we discussed the six CBO Steps, which is the framework that Hands uses when they enter a new community to begin working. These consist of identifying the right community (“poorest of the poor”), getting to know the community, getting the local church involved, forming a team of care workers, and implementing the three essential services for children (food, education, health). We had learned these on a theoretical level during orientation, but now I had the chance to hear, practically speaking, how each of these steps actually play out in the communities, from my coworkers who have years of experience in the field.

An interesting discussion that came up during this process was the issue of providing high-quality services versus saving lives. Something one of my coworkers often mentions is that “the house is on fire,” and the goal of Hands is to save the children from the burning building, and then move on to save other lives, because as soon as the community is mobilized to address the needs of the children, other resources will come their way, and Hands can move on to the next burning house. While it is obviously a difficult decision to make, Hands’ commitment to the poorest of the poor necessitates this.

On Wednesday, we discussed ways in which we can mentor and encourage community-based organizations and their care workers after the week-long training (which I had just experienced an example of last week.) It was a very important and relevant conversation to have, as these trainings are being done for the first time in many of the communities I’ll be working in. Follow-up and mentoring is essential so that the message of the training is not lost on the care workers, yet Service Center staff alone are not able to mentor care workers from so many villages, spread out across the two major areas in which Hands works in South Africa. We discussed the importance of the Service Center influencing and facilitating the community-based organizations, without forcing ideas but also without allowing a free-for-all with no guidance. We also discussed a number of situations that have happened, or are currently happening, in some of the communities we work with, which was another great way for me to learn about the practical application of our principles.

On Thursday, we discussed project management, how to walk with a community-based organization to plan, implement, and report on a “project” such as a feeding point, borehole (from which to get fresh water), care center, etc. It was actually quite a fun day, as some of my coworkers acted out some entertaining skits about how many things can go wrong at each step of the process. Then, in the afternoon, George (the founder of Hands) came to share a powerful word with us. He and others have been prophesying difficult times ahead, and he was basically encouraging us to search our souls and, to put it biblically, to make our calling and election sure. Challenges are coming and we must be sure that we are truly committed to this cause of caring for the orphaned and vulnerable children, no matter what it takes, or else we won’t make it through. As George said, “we can’t say we want to walk with Jesus if we won’t go the way He went.” His path was one of suffering, persecution, and loneliness. We must be willing to endure pain and trials if we really want to follow Him, and it was definitely a wake-up call to all of us. He spoke against being lukewarm, and encouraged us to continue to pour our whole selves into what we do, to sacrifice my own time, energy, and resources, and to not just move on when my 9-5 day is done. It was a profound word, and one that I will definitely carry with me.

On Friday, we finished up the training, but first there was a huge, 3-hour session in which we said goodbye to two Peace Corps volunteers who have been with Hands for 3 years. They also have the distinction of being the ONLY other Americans, so now that they’re gone I have to hold down the fort for my entire country!! It was so sad to see them go, but in an interesting way, the morning was actually such a beautiful example of love and true family in this Hands community. I have never seen so many grown men cry in one room!! Everyone spoke such beautiful words over their lives, and shared many funny and intimate memories. The whole morning just made me feel so blessed to be a part of this community, where the concept of being brothers and sisters in Christ is not just in name. After training, I had dinner with the man in charge of the Hands service center in Zimbabwe, who was visiting for the workshop. He is such a funny, charismatic, wise, and caring man of God, and it was such an incredible opportunity to get to know him. I will definitely be visiting his service center in Mutare when I go to Zim in January! It sounds like they are doing really incredible things there.

The weekend was absolutely lovely, too! Saturday was Canadian Thanksgiving, which (luckily) is very similar to American Thanksgiving in terms of the food. It was a blessing since I’ll obviously miss REAL Thanksgiving this year! Eating turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. surrounded by my beautiful Hands family was amazing, but it made me miss home at the same time! Even still, it was a perfect evening. I was being forced to hold my tongue, as I had been talking junk the whole week leading up to it, about how Canada stole Thanksgiving from us and that’s why when people ask where it came from they can’t really answer… but to my surprise and delight, the American guy who was leaving the next morning stuck an American flag on the wall for the occasion! He then passed it on to me, saying that I must keep the flag waving in their absence. In a sea of South Africans and Canadians, I have never felt more patriotic! Church on Sunday was also great, as usual, and I’m bonding even more with some of the guys my age at the church. They even invited me to be a part of the choir!! I won’t be able to practice with them for next Sunday, but I definitely plan on getting involved, as right now their main praise team is all guys and they want to bring up some female singers by starting this choir to sing a song or two every service. It will definitely be a challenge to learn some of the songs in SiSwati well enough to minister, but I’m really excited for the opportunity!! So that was my weekend – a great one!

This past week was my first week living in the community of Bushbuckridge, where I’ll be working for, most likely, the rest of my time here. As I may have mentioned before, Bushbuckridge is a huge municipality (I think the equivalent of a county in the U.S.) which consists of many different villages and small towns. Hands has a Service Center in Bushbuckridge which helps five community-based organizations serve about 15 different villages. The staff consists of a Service Center coordinator, who’s basically in charge, a Field Coordinator, who is assigned specifically to reach out to the various community-based organizations and see how they’re doing, a bookkeeper, who takes care of the finances between Hands, other donors, and the community-based organization, and me! My role is to help the community-based organizations handle administrative and organizational tasks, to basically be an ally walking beside them to help with whatever they may need. As of right now, obviously, I’m doing a lot more learning then teaching, but in a few weeks, after becoming more immersed in the community and getting to know the coordinators and care workers at each of the community-based organizations better, I’ll be taking on more responsibilities.

So, this week was essentially my unofficial “orientation” into the Bushbuckridge communities. I arrived on Monday night to stay at the bookkeeper’s house, a lovely 23-year-old woman with a baby girl and 3 sisters: one 20-year-old and two 10-year-old twins. They are the sweetest family ever!! I am really enjoying staying with them. The twins absolutely love practicing their English on me, telling me stories about every detail of their day. And every night they have a time of prayer where one of the sisters chooses a scripture and reads it aloud, then we go around and take turns saying what the scripture means to us, and then we decide a topic to pray on that relates to the scripture, and then we all pray. It’s been so amazing to be a part of their family routine! I wake up around six, take a bucket bath (my favorite! LOL in case you didn’t know that’s sarcastic), have some breakfast, and then head to the Service Center, which is about an hour away from where we live.

On Tuesday, I spent the day out in the villages with the Service Center coordinator, a guy in his late 20’s from Masoyi, the community in which Hands started, which is right across the street from the Hands hub. He is so interesting because he is one of the most laid-back, easy-going people I have ever met, yet he has a strong work ethic and is clearly passionate about serving these communities. It’s been great to get to know him more this week. Tuesday was so much fun because we spent the whole day driving to all 5 community-based organizations, some of which are up to an hour’s drive away from one another! The Service Center coordinator doesn’t believe in taking main (tar) roads, so we took back (dirt) roads the entire day, in this white pick-up truck (bakkie, in South African-ese)! Needless to say, it was an adventure. Riding around snacking on apples and carrots, meeting the community-based organization coordinators and care workers and the children they look after, dodging what seemed like hundreds of cows, goats, and chickens on the dirt roads… it was definitely a memorable day!

One of the best parts of the day was stopping in Belfast, where I did my community stay a few weeks ago. A family who’s visiting Hands from Cape Town for the week wanted to go on some home visits with the care workers, so I joined them to tell them a little bit more about Hands as they saw the community for the first time. We just so happened to be walking around the same area where my host sister lives, and while I didn’t get to see her since she was still at school, SO many people from the community remembered me and came up to greet me, give me a hug, and say how happy they were to see me again! I even ran into my host sister’s aunt, the pastor of the church I spoke at! It was such a blessing to see everyone again and to be received so well. And there was something about walking around with these visitors from Cape Town and juxtaposing myself with them that made me realize that in these past few weeks, I have taken the first step from being an outsider, to beginning to be known and trusted in the community. Of course, it takes many months to build true relationship in any community, but I felt a definite shift from the first time I walked into Belfast, and it made me so happy to realize that I am growing in this way. Even my Shangaan is improving, as a couple people commented! So all in all, it was a beautiful day.

I spent Wednesday in the office with the bookkeeper and field coordinator (who is a lovely woman, the “mama” of the service center, who’s married with 3 kids and is the most loving, friendly person you could ever meet!) I basically just helped out with whatever they needed, and we spent a lot of time just chatting about God, and giving, and being “beautiful feet”… it was a great day! Then, Thursday was spent running around with the Service Center coordinator again, to get some things organized for the Care Workers’ Appreciation, which was yesterday (Friday). The Appreciation went so well! It was a time for all the careworkers in Bushbuckridge, from all five community-based organizations, to be celebrated. A pastor gave the keynote speech, and a couple Hands people spoke as well, thanking and encouraging them for all that they do. I mean, these women are struggling themselves; they are busy trying to put food on the table for their own children, yet they have answered God’s call to look after the orphaned and vulnerable children, sacrificing their own time and energy. It’s really incredible to see what they do, and it was so wonderful to honour them yesterday. Each of the community-based organizations was called on to perform, so most of them went up and sang traditional church songs, dancing and ululating and having a wonderful time!! It was a celebration in every sense, and it felt great to see people from so many different villages and churches coming together with a common purpose. After the appreciation, I said goodbye to my Bushbuckridge family and embarked on the 2-hour drive back to Hands for the weekend. So that’s where I’m at! Enjoying my shower, toilet, and running water, but missing everyone already. Living out in the community will definitely be a challenge, but I think it is definitely where I’m supposed to be during my time here at Hands.

I hope everyone at home is doing well! As an important side note, I think all this pap has been making me gain weight! Yes, even more weight than last time I came to Africa, LOL. I really need to get on a work-out plan! (A diet will be pretty much impossible at this point, as I’m living out in the community now.) Although there’s the complication of not knowing the area at all, and being a Mlungu… going running seems out of the question… but I can at least run on the weekends when I’m back at Hands! Let’s see how this plan works out. Maybe I’ll just come back from Africa fat ‘n happy… nothing wrong with that, right? Love you all!

Apartheid discussions at youth camp, careworkers training in Bushbuckridge, and a great weekend!

Hello everyone!
So, I got a phone call from one of my avid blog-readers (shout-out to the one and only Ms. Brittney Marie!) and I have decided to commit myself to updating much more regularly.

So what has been going on this week? Well, we finished off the children’s camp last Sunday. It was so sad to see the kids leave! One of them has been calling me almost every day – what a sweetheart! They are so sweet and need so much love. It feels so great to know that we as an organization are doing what we can to restore their hope and to give them guidance in their futures. The session on Sunday was great – it was all about their dreams and what they will have to do to get there, so they were able to ask questions of each of us, about our career choices and why we decided to pursue them. It was so interesting and really helpful for them, I think. Then, at lunchtime, I sat with a group of kids and had some really deep conversations with them! One of the more outspoken girls at the camp began asking me a lot of questions about race, because obviously they do not get to talk to a white person that often, if at all. In fact, it was probably the first time she was able to have a candid conversation with a white person and ask whatever she wanted. I had told them that I studied sociology and defined what it is, explaining that my focus was on how people from different racial and socioeconomic groups interact.

One of the first questions she asked me was, “Why do black people rush?” I didn’t understand what she meant, and then she explained herself: she was wondering why, in her observations, do black people have kids so early and do things like have sex and use drugs and alcohol at such an early age? The question was interesting because the black-white dynamic here is so different, yet so similar. Obviously, black people are the VAST majority (we’re in Africa lol!) but due to colonization and apartheid particularly in South Africa, many of the same socioeconomic problems we have in the U.S. in terms of black communities exist here in South Africa. I explained to her that because such a great number of black people live in poverty here, people have less hope for a bright future. Whereas most white kids have the comfort of expecting to go to good schools, to graduate, and to head on to higher education, black kids living in poverty do not have this luxury. Because they can’t foresee a positive future for themselves, they are less likely to consider the negative consequences of “rushing” into things they shouldn’t be doing yet (or at all), because why would it matter if you have a baby, if you didn’t think it was possible to finish school or pursue higher education anyway?

Then, because we had opened up the conversation about racial disparity and poverty, she asked, “Why is it like that?” So then we got into a huge discussion about discrimination and apartheid, how black people had been held down for so long, and freedom only happened 16 years ago, so even though more opportunities are available now than before, most people are still stuck in the rut of poverty that they were placed in under apartheid. Thus, her next question was: “Do you feel sorry for what the white people did?” I explained that “feeling sorry” was a difficult way for me to put it, because the connotation is that I feel pity, like I am looking down from a higher place. I explained instead that I feel a righteous indignation (I used simpler words than that, of course), that it angers and upsets me that anyone would treat another one of God’s creations differently because of the color of their skin, and that the atrocities which happened during apartheid, in pre-Civil Rights America, and other countries, are horrible and sickening. I explained to her that that’s why I do the work that I do, to work to restore what was so horribly broken during that time.

That statement led to her next question: “Are there no poor people in America for you to help?” This question absolutely hit me to the core, because as I mentioned in my last post, I have been feeling this fierce tug inside of me between serving here, and going back home to serve in my own community. It’s felt very strange for me to be here in a sense, because most of the “international volunteers” from Canada, UK, etc, come from more privileged communities where there is not nearly as much of a need as there is here. I, on the other hand, was born and raised in the most economically depressed metropolitan area and state in the country… why, then, am I spending a year serving here in South Africa instead of there? As much as this question bothers me, I remember that God called me here to South Africa for a purpose, and I know that this is where He wants me to be at this time. I suspect that He is going to use what I learn here to equip me for His plans for me back in Detroit/Southfield. So I explained this whole messy situation to her. I explained that America is not full of rich people, as the South African kids I work with usually perceive, and we are not all living like they see on TV. Although the poverty in the U.S. is not nearly as dire as the poverty here, it is still very real, very painful, and very destructive. I told her that my heart is torn in two, not knowing where I can best use what God has given me to serve the human family, that maybe I will never be fully settled in one place. It’s something I’m struggling with, and her question put me at a standstill!

After I explained to her that, while I grew up blessed in many ways, I in no way come from the riches which she perceives all Americans have, she asked me what she could do, even as one of the “poor helping the poor.” What a profound question, which made my heart smile! I gave her some examples of things which don’t cost money, which people can do to serve their communities. I told her about how one of my favorite things is to tutor and mentor young people from my community, and that she could do this spending only time, not money. She was so encouraged to know that it’s not about people with privilege coming to help those without, but that we can all use what we have to serve. And it was so beautiful, because this is the central message of Hands at Work, and this is the biggest message which I plan to take home with me. We can use what’s in our hands, what God has given us, no matter how “poor” we perceive ourselves to be.

So that was Sunday. What a deep and profound day! Then, from Monday to Thursday of this past week, I have been observing foundational training for the careworkers who look after the orphans under the care of Hands’ partner organizations. It has been such an eye-opening experience! This training is so important, because oftentimes the careworkers are struggling themselves to make ends meet; they may be widows, or young mothers, or taking care of parents. But despite all this, they have decided to give of their time to serve the most vulnerable children in their community, so this training is very important to help them understand even their own hurts and pains, as they prepare to minister to children who are dealing with a lot of pain as well. A deep moment came on the first day, in the morning, when we did an activity to get to know each other. We had to ask a partner several questions about themselves, and then introduce them to the group. One woman, when asked what makes her happy, answered “nothing.” She was a widow working hard to take care of her children, and her mother had recently died. She felt like she had no one, and nothing to bring her joy. My coworker who was leading the training pointed out that many people who know this woman may never have known that she felt this way, because we oftentimes do not take the time to really get to know the people we encounter each day. She challenged us to sit down with those people we are constantly interacting with, and to really get to know them and understand where they are coming from.

On Tuesday, one of my coworkers was leading the devotional time, and spoke about when God called Moses to lead His people. God told Moses to “use what was in his hand,” and my coworker used this to motivate the careworkers to give out of what God had blessed them with, even if they think they may have little. The message really spoke to my heart as well! For the rest of the day, we talked about Hands’ core values, which I listed in one of my earlier posts. It was so interesting hearing about them from the perspectives of the careworkers instead of the staff, though. So eye-opening, just to hear what it means for them to love their neighbor as themselves, to embrace local community ownership, to serve the poorest of the poor. For many of them, they had to realign their ideas of what kids they should be serving, because naturally they want to serve all of them! However, because of limited resources, they have to look closely and determine which children are the most vulnerable. On Wednesday, we talked more about how to do this, and I think it really began to break through to them. Thursday was our last day, so it was a bit more relaxed, and that evening a bunch of us from Hands went out for a lovely dinner. What a great way to end a week of training in which we were waking up at 5 am every morning to drive the two hours to Bushbuckridge!

On Friday, we had All Hands on Deck, which is a monthly meeting where everyone comes together and shares what is going on in the different areas of Hands. A pastor from Australia who is here with a visiting team of missionaries shared a deep word, and then I went for my one-on-one with my volunteer coordinator. It was a chance to check in, as the month of orientation is officially over and now I am really settling in to my role here at Hands! Then, I had to go to the dentist (I’m having this jaw problem) and although the issue didn’t really get solved, I didn’t have to pay – praise the LORD! In the evening, we had a really fun game night with two fellow volunteers, one of my coworkers, and her two children. I really love the sense of family and community here at Hands, and I know that this is a place where I can really thrive.

This weekend was great too! On Saturday, I went out for milkshakes with one of my coworkers in Hazyview, a city about 30 minutes from the Hands Village. It was just month-end, when everyone gets paid, so the mall was PACKED and it was so fun to people-watch! Then we had a braai, which was really nice and relaxing, and then I went with my roomie and another co-worker to go to the movies to see Salt. (Yes, we do go to the movies in the country… we just have to travel almost an hour to Nelspruit LOL!) It was a really exciting Saturday because usually I just spend all day at the Village… I felt like I had a real social life this weekend! Then, today was church, back at Eph’phatha, which I really loved last time I went because of their thriving youth ministry (“youth” being my age.) It was great again today!! Such a deep time of praise and worship (and they looove to praise and worship at this church – for over an hour, I think!) Youth was great… everyone is so welcoming and friendly. Even though there’s a language barrier and someone has to interpret for me and my coworkers, one who’s Shona-speaking and one who’s Tswana-speaking, it’s definitely worth it, and I think it may become my home church!! : ) This evening, I just plan to chill and watch a movie… then back to work tomorrow!

Church… Birthday… Homestay… the big 3-week update!!

Hey guys! SO sorry I haven’t updated in forever, I write all the time so I can remember my days, but posting has been a challenge. Nevertheless, here it is! The big update. Enjoy!

September 11, 2010

So… why did I wake up at 8 am today? Completely unnecessary. This whole going to bed early, waking up early thing is definitely going to take some getting used to. Despite rising so early, I still didn’t do much today, which was actually fine! Quite a relaxing Saturday. All we really did was laundry and a grocery run into town. But then the evening was amazing! My British roomie went ALL out and cooked a traditional British meal, with roast chicken, potatoes, 3 kinds of veggies, and Yorkshire pudding, which is like a dumpling type thing with gravy… all I know is that it was delicious and I ate way too many! Then two of the other ladies made apple crisp for dessert. It was so lovely! Such a great time of bonding as volunteers. Then we stayed up late (like 10-something, lol!) playing cards. A very relaxing day!

September 12, 2010

Wow… what a day! This morning I went to church at Eph’phata, the church which two of my dearest co-workers attend. I knew it was a “community” church, meaning they primarily speak SiSwati, but I was assured that the pastor preaches in English, so I figured I would be ok. So my coworker and I took a minibus taxi about twenty minutes down the road to the church. She leads children’s church, so I got to spend 9-10 am with the most adorable kids ever! We played an icebreaker game and then my coworker taught a memory verse, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” They danced and then rapped it – I even memorized it in the process! Anyway, then at 10 the service began. And while it was true that the pastor was fluent in English and preached about 50% English, 50% SiSwati, the rest of the congregation stuck to SiSwati. So for the announcements and testimonies, it was a bit difficult to understand, but the lady next to me was so helpful in explaining what was going on and translating what she could.

Praise and worship was amazing! It’s so interesting to me that a culture, language, and style of music which is so different on the surface can embody such a similar spirit as what I would experience back home in the states. The freedom in the Spirit and the pure joy and celebration of being in His presence was so beautiful, and very reminiscent of what I’d feel in a typical service at home. It’s so amazing to remember that God is GOD, that He is no respecter of person, that He speaks all languages, receives all worship, imparts His same Spirit to all of us, and thus it makes perfect sense that the manifestation of the Spirit at church this morning would give me the same feeling as it would at home, despite me hardly understanding a word of what we sang. The dancing and jubilation to be in the presence of the Lord is more than enough. I enjoyed it so much!

Now the funny thing about going to an African “community” church is that, without fail, when a white person comes, they invite you up and expect you to speak, even preach, for a minute or two. This has happened to me on multiple occasions visiting churches in Cape Town. So I was quite relieved when the pastor simply asked all the visitors to raise their hands so the congregation could clap for us and welcome us. But then, of course… “And we have a very, very, very special visitor, coming all the way from the USA. Please welcome Ellie as she comes to share a few words with us.” Of course, I couldn’t escape it!! Obviously I hadn’t prepared a sermon (maybe I should have!) so I just thanked them for having me (with a translator at my side) and told them how beautiful Mpumalanga is, and how blessed I am to be here.

The rest of the church service was lovely, and afterwards I found out that they have small group-style meetings after the Sunday service, split up by age group. So my coworker went to the young adult (30-somethings) meeting and left me in the care of one of the leaders of the youth (20-somethings) group, whose name happened to be Terrance! He ended up being one of the most open and friendly people you will ever meet, and after the youth meeting we chatted for a good long while. I really hope he becomes a pastor because every sentence he said could have been a sermon! He was even encouraging me about the heat in Mpumalanga, giving my scriptural references that God does not put more on us than what we can bear, and that God crafted me in the womb knowing that one day I would experience summer in Mpumalanga, and that I will even be supernaturally resistant to the heat, feeling cool while everyone else is sweating! He really spiritualized it and he was so sincere with it! It made me smile. He spoke to me about his desire to come to the USA for no other reason than to experience our churches. He was telling me how much our preachers inspire him – he wants to go to Texas and attend the churches of T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen, for example. It was so interesting to get his perspective on the US, and just lovely getting to know him in general. He spoke about how God delights in seeing unity in His church, even across nations and continents, and how we learn how to love the way God loves when we develop relationships with people from other cultures. It was really a lovely chat!

The youth meeting was also really great because their main youth pastor was turning 23. (Yup, his birthday was the day before mine!) So everyone went around in a circle giving short speeches of appreciation, as is the tradition here. Then he got in the middle of the circle, and we all danced and people gave him money, a tradition I’d heard of but had never seen til now. It was so much fun! Then one of the guys who’d been leading worship during the service preached a brief word. It was a really lovely meeting, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. They asked me to prepare a word to share the next time I come, so I’m excited for that! (And I’m happy I got some advance notice!) I really can see this becoming my church home, although the language barrier is real. Nearly all of the people my age speak fluent English, but many of the older people don’t, which makes things a bit difficult. But I promised myself I would learn a local language in my 9 months here, so it looks like I’ll have to kick the SiSwati lessons up a notch, because I really felt so comfortable at that church.

When we got back, it was about time for a late afternoon potluck. I made macaroni and cheese, of course, to bring some American culture to the mix. It was a really great time, hanging out with the Hands family over a meal. Then I went with my South African roomie to a braai at her friend’s place, and it ended up being so much fun! I’ve never spent so much time with a group of Afrikaans young people – even though my circle of friends in Cape Town is pretty diverse, this is new for me. But it made me realize that what unites us is so much deeper – that we are all Christians who care about social issues, and who are just genuinely lovely people! So it was a really great experience. God never fails to surprise me with the people He brings into my life.

September 13, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! The big 2-2!! I honestly thought my birthday was going to be pretty nondescript, but it ended up being such a lovely day, thanks to all the amazing beautiful people in my life! When I woke up first thing in the morning, I came back from the shower and found a Happy Birthday teddy bear on my bed, from my roomie! Then we had a quick breakfast and began Monday morning prayer. They called me and two of my co-workers who had birthdays Thursday and Friday into the middle of the circle, and they all prayed for us and then came and gave us birthday hugs! Imagine a whole room full of people, at least 50 or 60, all coming to hug the three of us. It was so funny and sweet! It truly made my morning.

Then, for our morning session, we went to “the farm,” which is a part of Hands’ land on which they have childrens’ camps and where some of the volunteers live. On the short drive there, we drove right past a ton of zebras, wildebeests, and bok! I felt like I was on a safari, but it was just on the side of the road! A very exciting birthday treat. : ) At the farm, we had a talk on HIV/AIDS, with some personal stories from one of the staff here, so it was very profound. I definitely left with a deeper understanding of the personal effects of the virus on children and families, and it was very helpful for my development as a future social worker.

Then… somehow, we got the afternoon off! Another birthday treat!! So I sat in the sun and had some quiet time, read and just enjoyed the beautiful view. Then I went on our weekly grocery run and, while I was there, picked up the perfect birthday meal – Nando’s! I went all out and got the chocolate pudding with it. ; ) As I was returning, I got a call from my son all the way at Georgetown – Adam! We chatted for a good long while which was such a blessing, and then when I got off the phone my roomie informed me that we had a meeting outside. I walked out, and awaiting me were my co-volunteers with 22 cupcakes with 22 candles and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE sign! It was the sweetest thing ever! They even got me a birthday card and a picture frame as a gift (they must have known I love pictures, since I had just gone to print a ton while out on the grocery run.) It was the sweetest thing in the whole world! So I devoured a couple cupcakes, ate my Nando’s, and then one of my co-workers suggested we have a movie night on this big projector screen. So we watched Free Willy! It was so much fun!

It was such a lovely day, as I got calls from Adam, Yassi, my mom, and my sister in the States, as well as TONS of my friends in Cape Town! I was really and truly feeling the love. You know, ever since 2008, birthdays have really taken on a different meaning for me. I mean, I still love making a big fuss and having a fun-filled day, but recently it has been more and more about simply celebrating the fact that I am alive, and that God has blessed me with such ABUNDANT life. So it was nice to have time to sit and reflect, soaking in His creation, as well as time with my new family here. All in all, it was a beautiful day!

September 14, 2010

Today was such an inspirational day. In the morning, we went to a home-based care center in Hlau-Hlau, a community which Hands works in. It was such a fun experience! There were three of us Hands volunteers, and four community volunteers, and we walked to visit two patients. The volunteers were such fun and interesting ladies, so it was nice getting to know them as we walked to the patients’ homes. The first one was an old granny, and we got to chat to her, along with an old man who was either a friend or a relative, and his mother, who was 93! They were so spunky and lively, and luckily one of the community volunteers was able to translate for us. The home itself was heart-breaking, though: a few wooden logs as the basic pillars, and then just random bags and other odds and ends for the walls.

The second home was that of a middle-aged man living on his own. He pulled out some bricks for us to sit on as we chatted in front of his home. We found out that he gets his water from what looked like hardly more than a puddle in his backyard. Water is a huge problem in these communities, as the climate is quite dry and there are no boreholes.

After lunch, we visited ACTS clinic, which is an HIV/AIDS clinic right next to the Hands village, which was founded on Christian principles around the same time as Hands, about ten years ago. It was so inspiring to hear how so many were able to benefit from the free testing and ARVs at the clinic, and how many babies had been born healthy from HIV-positive mothers – a 99% chance when proper prenatal care is provided. It was such a hopeful place, and even hearing the testimonies from the founder of how the money had been provided was so encouraging. She told each of us that if we have a vision, God can and will help us achieve it. Her clinic, she told us, is just how she imagined it when God gave her the vision 15 years ago. What a testimony!

September 15, 2010

This morning started out with my small group meeting, during which we discussed the first chapter of James. It was so wonderful to just sit around a table for an hour and discuss a part of scripture. It’s something that we definitely don’t do enough, and it was so reminiscent of my cell group back in Cape Town, people just coming together and sharing their perspectives. It was really wonderful.

After that, we went to visit a Service Center, which is a Hands office strategically placed in a community where Hands is working. We learned that essentially, a Service Center exists so that the community-based organizations which Hands is supporting can come with any questions or concerns, and where meetings can take place between Hands staff, community organizations, churches, etc. I also got to learn more about the trainings which Hands does for primary caregivers of orphan children, oftentimes grannies. It was so interesting for me to hear and read more about the training, as it deals with a lot of the caregivers’ own baggages first so that they may serve the children more effectively. It was very interesting, especially coming from a social work perspective.

Then, in the afternoon, one of the staff led us in a workshop on capacity-building. It led to a lot of interesting conversations about immediate relief versus long-term community development, and why both are needed. We also talked about a lot of the buzzwords (like “development”) which are passed around but oftentimes people have very different definitions of what they actually mean. We discussed why it is so important to allow communities to make their own decisions and develop ideas on their own, and for us to be more of a support system. This is the only way change can be sustainable. The talk really got all of us thinking, especially about our own roles within the organization, because all of these concepts are essential for us to understand as we begin our work. So it was a very interesting afternoon!

In the evening, I met up with my small group leader because I was sifting through so many different ideas in my head, and I really felt conflicted. All the talk about development and the importance of community members spearheading the work themselves gave me such a strong desire to go home and do the direct work in my own community, instead of being doing the indirect, “capacity-building” with Hands. But after some time clearing my head, I realized that God has called me here for a purpose, even if it’s to train and equip me for what He’s called me to back in Detroit. So I’m excited for what He has in store!

September 16, 2010

Today was very relaxed. We got to sleep late (work started at 9 instead of 8!) and all we did in the morning was to go to the grocery store to shop for our community stays. This weekend, we will be staying in child-headed households to see what life is like for AIDS orphans who are forced to find a way to make ends meet. I think the four days, three nights will be very eye-opening in terms of what day-to-day life is like for children who have to be kids and parents simultaneously. I am very much looking forward to the experience. We shopped this morning for enough food for the weekend, so that we can bless the families with food and also not deplete their own resources as we stay with them, obviously. Then we had a break, and in the afternoon we had a session in which we prepared for the community stay, in terms of what we will most likely be doing, what to expect, and any concerns we might have. I am definitely going in with an open mind, just excited to meet my family and to spend quality time with them.

September 17-20, 2010

This morning, we left bright and early for our community stay! The day started out with a prayer meeting at Belfast Home Based Care, the community organization which Hands partners with to serve the orphans in that particular village. One of my fellow volunteers preached a short word, and then we prayed for one another. Most of the care workers’ prayer requests were for sons that drank too much, or husbands that wouldn’t come to church with them. After the prayer (and before… and during…) we sang some traditional songs, and danced, danced, danced! (There is nothing like praising the Lord in Africa!) Afterwards, we helped the care workers garden. Hands has a program called Income-Generating Activities, which serve as an incentive to care workers since they do not get paid for various reasons. The care workers at Belfast used these funds to create a huge community garden, which is so beautiful especially when you consider how dry and barren the soil seems! They use many of the vegetables for the orphans’ meals, sell some to generate income to maintain the garden, and take some home with them.

After that, the youngest kids began to file in as lunchtime was approaching, so my roommate and I played with them as we waited for the other kids to arrive. They were shy at first, because we are Mlungus (white people) and don’t speak much Shangaan, but once one trusted me enough for a piggy-back ride, they ALL started jumping on! They definitely gave me my work-out for the week. Then the older kids started coming, and one of the care workers taught me how to do basic greetings with them, so we chatted a bit.

When the food was nearly ready, all the kids sang some gospel songs for us, as well as the national anthem (it was ADORABLE hearing the Afrikaans part from these little Shangaan-speaking kids!) Then they recited Psalm 23 as their grace, and it was time to eat! They all lined up to wash their hands, grab a plate, get a scoop of pap (the starch which is eaten with every meal) and a soup with chicken feet.

After lunch was served, one of the care workers pointed out my host sister for the weekend, helped me grab my bags, and sent me on my way! We walked through tons of dry land, sand, and huts, and reality started sinking in through my spoiled little mind that I was going to be out here all weekend, with no electricity or running water. Finally, we approached the house – we were home! It was a one-room brick building with a corrugated metal roof and two tiny holes for windows. One straw mat and blanket were laid out along the far wall, a small suitcase with clothes sat in the corner alongside a small stack of folded blankets. In another corner was a small table with a few basic groceries stacked on it. Aside from that, the room was completely empty and gray. It would take all of two minutes to clear it out completely, and it would look like no one had ever lived there.

My host sister is 15 years old, in grade 7, the middle child of 5. Her two older brothers work in Pretoria or Johannesburg (I forget which), and I couldn’t gather where her two younger sisters were. (The language barrier made it very difficult to discuss anything other than basic information.) She lives with her friend, a 17-year-old girl with a baby, the father of whom, if I’m not mistaken, is my host sister’s brother. Sometimes staying with them is another girl with a baby, so nights were interesting! We slept in a row, with just a blanket or two separating us from the floor: my host sister and I on one blanket, and the two young mother to our left and right. As soon as it got dark, which was between 6 and 7 pm, everyone went into their houses for the night. (Well, except for a few boys who came knocking because they heard there was a Mlungu living here! They wouldn’t leave til I came out to greet them, lol!) They would light their candle, have their “bucket baths,” which consist of mixing boiled water with cold water to make a warm bath in a small basin, and washing one part of the body at a time. Then they would eat supper, and then get into bed. My host sister always insisted that we pray before we fall asleep, and even sometimes if we would wake up in the middle of the night we would pray again. She told me that she got this habit from her mother, who would wake her children up at midnight and gather them together to pray. She also recited Psalm 23 before every meal, a habit that my host sister kept up, even though it was in English so she probably understood only a few phrases.

Eating was an experience in itself. Generally, my host sister or her friend would prepare the food (I helped a few times too, though!) Food was cooked over a fire in a shack made of mud and sticks next to the house. Then we would wash our hands (in a bucket of water, no soap), pray, and eat. The first day I was quite embarrassed and humbled, because my host sister dished a plate for me and handed it to me, and then went to wash her hands. I told her I would wait to start eating until she dished for herself. Luckily, she probably didn’t understand my English, because I soon realized that this one plate of food was made for the both of us to share! It was actually a nice bonding experience, though – sitting next to each other on a wooden bench outside her house, picking up some pap with our fingers and scooping up the beans and pilchards (sardines) which we ate for nearly every meal. (We did have chicken one night – a luxury provided by Hands funding.) For breakfast, we would butter bread and then put the SLIGHTEST, thinnest layer of peanut butter you have ever seen. I’m sure they do it so it will last longer, but it’s funny because you literally can hardly taste it! This is what they have every morning for breakfast.

Because they go to bed so early, they wake up at 5 am!! Even on the weekends!! This was not a welcomed change for me, as it was difficult enough to sleep with crying babies on my left, not to mention the chickens/roosters squawking and cockadoodle-dooing all night, and the fact that I was sleeping on the hard ground. But after a few minutes of self-pity, the reality immediately hit me that my host sister sleeps in these conditions every night, and I stopped feeling sorry for myself very quickly. In just a couple days, I would go back home to curl up in my nice, comfortable bed, use a flushing toilet instead of an outhouse, and turn the light on and off whenever I pleased.

My days were mostly spent playing with the neighborhood kids, which my host sister seemed to love to do, and visiting friends and family. On the first night, we went to visit my host sister’s pastor, who was also her aunt by marriage. She was an absolutely lovely woman, and spoke fluent English, so needless to say we got along well! The following night, when we visited again, she recruited me to be the guest preacher at her church Sunday! That was quite an adventure. I actually ended up enjoying it lots, though! And at least she gave me fair warning to prepare a message. Usually, when a Mlungu goes to a traditional African church, the pastor invites you up to share a word simply because you’ve come from so far away, and all I usually manage to say is thank you for having me! The church service was lovely – a very small congregation, though, so I got lots of attention! First I was invited up to give a testimony. Then I was invited up to sing a song during praise and worship. Then I was invited up to deliver my sermon, which the pastor translated for me (and added her own flavor, from what I could gather). Then I was invited up to pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God for two ladies who had been healed from sickness. But it was a really lovely experience. The church was a small simple brick building with a few benches, with 1 Corinthians 13:13 painted on the back wall in Shangaan. It was an absolute blessing to share my Sunday with them.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to a big community soccer match that seemed to be the place to be! “Belfast United” was playing another team, and everyone came out to support. We met a couple guys who were very intrigued by this white girl walking around the village, and immediately began asking me for donations of uniforms and soccer balls. When I explained that I didn’t have anything to give them, they started with the marriage proposals. (This is generally the pattern for us Mlungus, lol!) But something they said to me really bothered me. The one guy said I mustn’t leave on Monday, I must stay in Belfast. But then, his friend said, “No, she doesn’t deserve to live in a place like this.” I was so hurt by that statement, because it summed up the low value of self that so many people from these villages have. They think that because they are poor, this must be what they deserve, and they take on a “less-than” mentality, which is heartbreaking. I quickly told him that I think this village is beautiful, that the people are so friendly and welcoming, that they have blessings of family and community that other, wealthier places lack to such a great extent. And I truly believe that. I think it is so important to remind people of the value of their own community, and even more than that, the value of their own selves.

Overall, the homestay taught me gratitude and humility in a way that I have never before experienced. I learned a lifetime’s worth of lessons in that one weekend. To see my host sister’s resilience, in the face of all obstacles, to continue to go to school, pray, and have a positive attitude, inspired me immeasurably. I can’t wait to go back and visit her, and to learn more about this community and what Hands is doing to ensure that these orphan children have the hope and future that God has promised them.

September 21, 2010

Today was pretty relaxed – we had women’s prayer in the morning and then a big debriefing session about the homestays. It was so interesting to hear about everyone else’s experiences! We were split into two different communities, so I really enjoyed hearing the insight of those in the other community. One of my fellow volunteers’ insights was especially profound, about all the skill, talent, and charisma that his host brother had, but the “glass ceiling” that seems to have cut him off from the future that God had intended for him. That’s why the work of Hands is so important – removing those barriers and bringing God’s kingdom right down here to earth.

September 22-24, 2010

Well, orientation has ended and I am officially becoming a working person! I have been assigned to the Service Center in the community of Bushbuck Ridge, which is made up of several spread-out villages, where Hands has partnered with several community-based organizations. On Wednesday, we mostly just drove around the various communities to see what they’re like, and then I spent the evening with the bookkeeper, a young woman my age from that community who Hands hired to work in the Service Center. She has a beautiful little baby girl, and lovely younger sisters, and it was so much fun staying at her house! The next morning, I joined her at work, and I helped her and the other lady who works in the Service Center with basic computer tasks and whatever else they needed to get done. That’s basically what I will be doing for now, until I learn more about the community and the Service center, and figure out where I fit in, in terms of an actual “job description” (which no one at Hands actually has!) I’m really excited though. Real life is happening! I am working! As a missionary, so a bit non-traditional, but I still feel like adulthood has officially begun. Exciting times!! : )

September 25, 2010

Today was so interesting! I got to volunteer at the Kids’ Camp, which Hands puts on about once or twice a month. Youth from the villages we serve come for a weekend, and this time the ages were about 15-17. They spoke much less English than what I would have guessed, which made it a bit difficult to bond with them, so I mostly just listened and observed what was being taught. I went in not knowing what to expect at all, and then we got to talking about puberty – whoa, that threw me for a loop! But let me backtrack. The morning started with devotionals, and my co-worker who was leading the weekend asked the children, what do you think of when you think of God? They mostly answered things like healer, provider, creator, Savior, etc. Then she spoke to them about God as our creator, His holiness, original sin, and salvation through Jesus Christ. We then transitioned into a couple of games for the kids, and then came back to talk about our thoughts and feelings, and how we have to control them, especially during adolescents. We then went into a deep talk about relationships, and that’s when the puberty discussion happened. I thought after elementary/middle school health class I’d never have to sit through one of those again! Anyway, so that was fun and entertaining in its own little way. The relationship discussion was deep, as we touched on a lot of topics dealing with pressures to have sex, and risks like STI’s and teenaged pregnancy from an African perspective. One thing this grade 10 student said was profound: “Boys promise love to get sex, and girls give sex trying to find love.”

After that was lunch, and then there were a couple sessions about self-respect and safety. All in all, it seems like a wonderful camp, from what I’ve seen so far – Christian teachings interwoven into very practical topics of discussion. I’m looking forward to attending more of them!

End of week 1… Life changes already!

September 8, 2010

Today was life-changing. And I mean that without any kind of exaggeration whatsoever. Today, God showed me a large part of what He wants me to do on this earth, what message He wants me to bring back to the U.S. from my time in South Africa.

This morning, we had a meeting with George as he delivered a message called “Righteousness and Justice.” His purpose was, in essence, to show us the heart of God through various scriptures which illustrated God’s heart for the poor and vulnerable. An illustration that rang so true for me was that 1 John states that if we say that we love God, but we do not love our neighbor, we’re liars. The vertical relationship we have with God through Christ and the horizontal relationship we have with our neighbors are interdependent. We as Protestants understand that vertical relationship, and Catholics understand that horizontal relationship, but very few can seem to get them working in unison. While most of the volunteers spoke of their frustrations that privileged Christians can so easily turn a blind eye to the less fortunate, my frustration came from a different perspective. At home, it seems as though our churches don’t do enough to serve the poor and vulnerable because we feel as though we are the poor ones, and therefore it’s up to someone else to help others. We are too caught up in our own concerns, in trying to make our own ends meet, that we ignore the teachings of Christ, which command that we love our neighbors self-sacrificially. The verse at the end of the parable of the talents describes it best: “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” The staff member who was speaking to us explained that when you look at this verse in terms of our mentalities, it makes perfect sense. When we look at what we have and see our blessings, God gives us even more blessings. But when we look at what He’s given us, even if it seems little in our eyes, and say He’s given us nothing, why would He continue to bless us? We are so ungrateful! In the same way, when we give out of the “little” that we have, He will bless us beyond our comprehension. Our mentalities, therefore, must shift. We can no longer leave it to someone else to serve our communities. We must give out of what we have, and it will be added unto us. You will be hearing a lot more from me on this concept, because it is something that God has placed on my heart for the long run. But this is just to share briefly with you what God has been speaking to me about.

After that meeting, we had lunch and then a bit of a culture/language lesson from a couple staff members. It was really interesting and informative, because even though I knew some basic cultural do’s and don’ts from living in the country for a year, there were some things I had never thought of before, and others which were particular to working in a Christian organization. We also learned some basic greetings in SeSwati and Shangaan, the two local languages most prevalent in the work Hands does here in South Africa. That was fun, especially because my friend Sabatha has already prophesied over my life that I’m going to find me a Swati man here in Mpumalanga! LOL =P

This evening, we decided to go out for dinner in White River (WOOOO night out on the town!) I really think I know how people in the country feel now, where the big event of the week is going out to McDonald’s or something… LOL! Just kidding… it wasn’t McDonald’s… it was actually a really cute restaurant and we got to meet my roomie’s friends from the church we attended on Sunday. One of the girls had lived in Maryland for a year so we were exchanging stories about cultural misunderstandings and her times hanging out in Georgetown. It was a lovely evening! Since then, we’ve just been chatting about Hands at Work and what an amazing family it is. It’s truly a blessing to be here, to have this kind of support system around us. Definitely one-of-a-kind.

September 9, 2010

Today… was… deep! I feel like the days keep getting deeper and deeper. This morning, one of the staff members who is also in our small group led us in a discussion about what our expectations were/are in coming here, and what Hands actually does. It was really informative, number one, because we all came with only a partial picture of what the organization does. It was also really interesting because many of us hands-on, do-er types really have to come to grips with the fact that in order to empower communities to provide their own services which will be sustainable, we cannot “do” for them. So for example, we have a group member who’s a teacher and one who’s a nurse, and yet their roles will not be to teach or nurse but to help local community members provide those services for the widows, sick, and orphans in those communities.

To explain it more concretely, so you will know what I’m actually working towards here at Hands, I’ll explain a bit more. The vision of Hands at Work is to see the local church caring for widows, orphans, and the dying. Their model is to target the poorest of the poor, so they find communities in which no services are currently being provided; essentially, where capacity is lowest. They then identify the poorest groups of people within that community and target them for the initial services. Central to the Hands model is RELATIONSHIPS. Even the Hands staff, who do not directly provide any services, MUST know the names and faces of the people in the community, the careworkers, the pastors, etc. Personal connection is of the utmost importance because it was of the utmost importance to Jesus Christ. In discussing why relationships are so important, one of my fellow volunteers noted, “It’s the only way God works.” That statement blew me away because it is so simple and so true. It’s the only way God works. WOW.

Local community ownership is the other central part of the Hands model. Hands believes that God has placed people within each of these communities to rise up as leaders (“diamonds in the dust,” they call them.) While it would be much easier to control and dictate all that goes on, the services must be home-grown in order to insure that they truly fit the needs of the community, and that they will be sustainable.

The conversation then shifted to what our role is as volunteers, and to tell you the truth, my “job description” did not get any less ambiguous than it was before. (Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who doesn’t know exactly what I’m doing – I don’t, either!) The attitude of Hands is that we shouldn’t be able to describe exactly what we do, because we do whatever needs to be done to support the local community based organizations, in a variety of ways. Some people mostly work behind a desk, others spend more time in the communities, but ALL value strongly the need for relationships with those we are serving. Even those behind a desk 9-5, Monday-Friday, find time to spend in the community, getting to know people. Knowing those we serve is what makes us relevant. He encouraged us that our role may not be glorious, and we won’t be on the front lines, but if we pour ourselves into each relationship we will make an impact.

After that talk, we had lunch and then did our first community visit. We drove an hour north to the village of Belfast, where Hands at Work supports a community organization which does home-based care as well as a feeding program for orphans. We went on home visits with volunteers from the local church to visit sick gogos (grandmothers). There was a language barrier, as the church volunteers only spoke Shangaan, but a boy in grade 8 tagged along with us and translated into very basic English what they were saying. (He mostly just explained to us exactly what type of sickness the gogo was dealing with.) After the gogo chatted with the volunteers for a while, they asked us to pray for the gogo. It was a really powerful experience, praying for these ladies who so desperately need that feeling of being valued and cared for. In fact, that is the point of the home visits – to check on their health, definitely, but mostly to be a source of support and love. The community organizations which Hands supports does similar visits to child-headed households, where children who have been left orphaned are left in charge of their younger siblings. These visits have a major impact on the gogos and orphans benefitting from them, and it was an honor to go alongside the volunteers and be a part of what was happening.

After that, we came back and went to a baby shower for two staff members who are both due in mid-December! How exciting! Then we had supper and planned our “performance” for tomorrow, which apparently all new volunteers must do. So we planned a cute remix to “This Little Light of Mine” to perform for the rest of the staff tomorrow. Then I sat around with some of my favorite ladies on the staff, just joking around, and I realized that the four of us are from USA, Nigeria, Kenya, and Lesotho, and here we are all sitting there sharing stories and laughs. What a beautiful thing! I got to chatting to one of them in the bathroom, and it was so sweet. She was asking me about my acne, because it’s gotten quite bad in the past month or two, and I was telling her that it made me quite self-conscious. “But you’re still so beautiful,” she said. “Some people are just naturally beautiful!” And then I was singing as I was getting ready for bed, and she told me, “Even the angels are not singing better than you. I even stopped brushing my teeth to hear you!” It was so sweet and I was just thinking wow, I live with such beautiful people.

So in conclusion… God is GOOD! More updates soon. Love you guys!

The valley of the unknown… :)

September 6, 2010
The first day of orientation!

The quote in my prayer journal for today’s date says:
“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.”

What a perfect quote for this day. Coming to volunteer with Hands at Work is such an interesting step, because they purposely don’t tell you exactly what you’ll be doing until they get to know you and see where you might fit. So this is definitely the valley of the unknown! That being said, every step of the way I can feel that God has prepared the way for me, and that He is walking beside me constantly. There is no better feeling.

The day started with a worship and prayer session that happens every Monday. It was so beautiful and Spirit-filled! After one of the staff shared a word, we began to praise and worship, and different people came in and led their own songs… it was so beautiful and moving. Definitely the perfect way to start off my time at Hands at Work!

After that session, orientation began. We (the seven new volunteers) went to the volunteer coordiators’ house to learn a bit more about one other by playing a really cool icebreaker. We basically had to “sell” our hometown to the rest of the group. Then, we voted to see who would want to visit which place. Surprisingly, Southfield/Detroit got 2 votes from the crowd… which is even more surprising since my roommate is from Cape Town, and you can’t get much better than that! Anyway, after that we went through a lot of the “rules” and things like that, and went on a bit of a tour of the grounds.

In the afternoon, we heard from two staff members about the eight “core values” of Hands at Work. They talked a bit about each one:

Priorities: 1. God, 2. Family, 3. Ministry
Living Servant-hood
Reaching the poorest of the poor
Giving Freely
Loving God and your neighbor
Valuing Relationships
Supporting local community ownership
Being accountable

It was a really interesting talk, and I think it gave each of us volunteers more insight into the soul of the organization, and the foundation of that which they (we) believe.

After that, we did a grocery run into town. (The “Hands Village,” which is what they call the grounds we live on, is about a 20 minute drive from the nearest city, White River.) When I got back, I was going to just cook and then relax, but of the ladies invited me to the women’s book club/Bible study that takes place at one of their houses on Monday nights. They are already halfway through their book, so I wasn’t going to go, but she convinced me, and I’m so glad I did! I had the opportunity to bond with some of the ladies who work at Hands, and get to know them on a deeper level. We had some interesting debates and discussions about points the author made, and I grew in my understanding in the process. Everyone was just so friendly and welcoming… one even said she wanted me to just keep talking because she loved my voice/accent so much! How sweet!

All in all, it was amazing first day, and through it all I kept remembering how great and faithful God is… I mean, I could never even see this day coming to pass… it was SO far off into the impossible. But somehow, some way, God made me able to come work with this organization, and now I am here! In real life! I really do have to pinch myself. But I’m actually glad it was a struggle to sort everything out, because it makes me that much more grateful to be here. I can only imagine what an incredible 9 months it will be.

September 7, 2010
Wow… what a powerful day it was.

Today we had women’s prayer in the morning, which was a really nice time to present our prayer requests and pray for one another. One of the ladies also shared a short word with us. It was a lovely way to start the morning! Then, we met with George for the rest of the morning. George is the founder of Hands at Work, and he is an incredible man of God. We first spent time telling our stories of the journeys which led us each to Hands, and after each person spoke we prayed for that person. It ended up being a really deep time of sharing, because most were testimonies of God’s faithfulness, His ever-present involvement in our lives, and the beauty of our very diverse stories all leading us to the same place. It was truly awe-inspiring.

Next, George spoke about the heart of Hands at Work, and so many things he said truly brought tears to my eyes. He told us the history of the organization and the principles on which it was founded, and something he said really hit me. He said that the purpose of Hands is to disarm us, because we must realize that it was not our skills which brought us here, but rather, it was God’s fingerprints on our hearts. We are nothing without God, and no qualifications or talents can ever replace what it means to serve God, to channel His love through us, and to follow His direction in being His hands and feet on this earth.

And then the next thing he said hit me to the core: “The most powerful thing in the world is the human touch.” Anyone can provide services for the needy, he said, but what is most important is the WAY in which we serve. To touch people, to ask how they’re doing and mean it, to develop personal relationships, to lay hands at pray, this is what sets Hands at Work apart. And it’s amazing, because I have always known that God has given me a very loving personality, in both an emotional and physical sense. I love to love on people! And it’s incredible to know that this organization places THAT as paramount. And it’s even more incredible to remember all the prophetic words that have been spoken over my life in the past few weeks about my hands, and God using my hands to touch and show compassion and pray for people… and this is at the center of what the organization does. In fact, it is called “Hands” for short! God is really incredible… a God of such detail and wisdom beyond what we can ever comprehend. I stand in awe!

*Exhale*

So after that was lunch… me and one of my roomies went on a short walk and took a few pictures (which I put on facebook so you can see my new surroundings!) and then we watched a documentary which focused on Hands’ work in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. To see footage of their work and of people who had been impacted by it was heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time. It also made me so proud to work for this organization.

After that, we had a Welcome Tea where all the staff came down to mix and mingle with us new volunteers. It was so much fun! We played one of those getting-to-know-you games and it really helped me to meet the few staff members that I hadn’t yet been properly introduced to. Everyone is so friendly and fun and laid-back, and I already feel at home!! The young woman who picked me up on Saturday, my first day, commented on how comfortable and relaxed I seem around everyone. And I guess I am! It’s so different, though, a much different environment than I’ve ever experienced. The Hands staff is literally from EVERYWHERE: the founder is a white Afrikaans-speaking South African, there are tons of South Africans both black and white, lots and lots of Canadians, a few Americans and British, and then many from various African countries: Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Nigeria… I can never underestimate the gift that God gave me in raising me in an environment where I was surrounded by people who did not look like me, because the versatility and comfort I feel in all kinds of settings really is such an asset. The group of incoming volunteers I’m with, however, is all white, which is an interesting situation for me. There’s me, a British girl, a South African girl, and then two guys and two girls all from Canada. Obviously we come from a wide range of experiences, so God is really teaching me about looking at people for who they are, and loving and appreciating them for being first and foremost brothers and sisters in Christ. And we are all bonding quite closely while at the same time meeting all of the amazing Hands staff. Of course, I get a lot of questions about the way I speak and where I’m from, but it’s actually fine because everyone is from somewhere different, so we are all learning from one another. I can really tell that God is beginning to grow me, to break down even more barriers and shape me into the woman He wants me to be.

Mpumalanga: Day 1 & 2!

Sept 4, 2010

This morning, I boarded a plane to Joburg, then hopped on a minibus to White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa! The journey went pretty much without a hitch… oh yeah, except for I flushed my bus ticket down the toilet!! (Don’t ask… LOL!) They still let me on though, praise the Lord!! They were playing Afrikaans music the whole time and everyone on the minibus was speaking Afrikaans and so that was my first hint that I was kind of traveling outside of my comfort zone. The ride went quickly, and a lovely Hands employee picked me up and took me to Pick n Pay to get a few groceries for the weekend. The Hands Village, which is what they call the grounds on which we live, is a 15 minute drive outside of White River. The drive was absolutely gorgeous! Rolling hills and beautiful trees and rock structures and just… nature! It really looks like the Lion King or something out here. So then we turned down a dirt road, passed the African School of Missions, and entered the Hands Village. In a nutshell guys, I feel like I am about to be on a 9-month camping trip. Sitting in my room right now, I hear a million chirpy thingies outside, and I think there is a bat or something trapped somewhere cuz I keep hearing all this flopping around. And get this – on the list of emergency contact numbers, there is a resident snake catcher!! That’s deep. So yeah, all those things God was speaking to me about being challenged this year and moving out of my comfort zone… He was right!

So, the grounds looks like a campsite, as you may have gathered from earlier… there’s one main building which has a living room and a big kitchen which everyone shares. Then there’s a separate building with communal toilets and showers. Next you come to our rooms. There are three of us in a room, with three beds and three wardrobes. I live with a Cape Townian girl, believe it or not, and a British girl. I can already tell there is such a mix of cultures going on in this organization. I love it! It’s going to be very interesting, though… I’m used to being around diverse groups of people but I feel like this is a whole new level. But everyone is so friendly and open, so I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better.

Tonight I just had a movie night with one of my roommates because most of the staff went to a Bafana game at the stadium in Nelspruit. I must be honest, when I first started unpacking I had such a sense of homesickness for Cape Town… I think reality set in that I won’t be seeing all my lovely amazing friends for quite some time, and some loneliness set in. But I can remember feeling that way at various other junctures in my life, like my first night at Georgetown, for example, and clearly God comes through each time and provides. So I am trusting Him and fighting off that feeling. Plus it feels good to feel the love from CT in all the calls and SMS’s. : ) Now I’m heading to bed to catch up on the sleep I missed during my last night in Cape Town!

September 5, 2010
Today was a gorgeous day, and I had one of these moments that my friend Brittanie has all the time where I stop and say, “Wow, this is my life!” This morning I woke up just past 7 am (that’s what happens when you go to bed early I guess?) and then we went to church in White River, which is about a 20 minute drive away. The church was fairly small, mostly white, and the sermon was pretty short… but it was a good message, about being servants of Christ. And God is great because during praise and worship I didn’t know any of the songs because it was a different style than anywhere else I’d visited before, and so I just prayed, ok at least they can do some Hillsong or SOMETHING, and tell me why the next song was Mighty to Save! We serve a God who really does love us : )

When we got back, we all cooked lunch and I realized that I am living among lots of healthy people – they were ALL fixing salad, for Sunday lunch! But you know what, I told myself I would get in shape and start being healthy while in Mpumalanga, so maybe they will help me on my path! Once I get familiar with the grounds I’m going to start running every day, and I can see myself eating healthier too, especially since fast food is inaccessible. (Oh, but I made a very important discovery on the way to church this morning – White River has a Nando’s AND a Spur!!! Seeing that as we arrived at church just put a praise in my spirit!! LOL!!)

After lunch, I decided to grab a blanket and sit out on the grass and read. That’s when I had my “this is my life!” moment. I’m sitting out on this blanket, with the hot sun beaming down on me, a slight breeze blowing, in full view of these gorgeous mountains and trees and hills and just… nature! And I just began thanking God for bringing me here, for surrounding me with all this beauty, and for allowing me to do His work and be His servant. What an honor and privilege!! I’m so excited to start training tomorrow, and to see where my work will take me.