One of the interesting and exciting things about living in South Africa is we are Blessed with many resources and it feels first world at times! However, at any point, you never know when it will feel and turn 3rd world. South Africa is this amazing place that has some infrastructure especially in the cities and yet, you may encounter a very 3rd world feeling within the cities and often, the minute you go rural, it feels like you are in 3rd world Africa (like we imagine and see on the TV), lots of red dirt and many people living in tiny tiny house with or without roofs and people lacking food and sleeping on the ground.
I know many of you might wonder what my days look like, it is very difficult to say as everyday looks totally different, so I thought I would give you the play by play of one of my days here. Sunrise is about 5:30 in the morning, I often wake up between 5-6ish. I love to read my Bible, pray in the morning, sometimes listen to music, then make tea and eat breakfast. This particular day, I had some admin work to do on the business plan for the upcoming year. So, I went to the admin office to work on that. Then, a social worker showed up to do his monthly check in and review our files on the kids and make sure things are up to snuff. So, I got trained on what that looks like, he basically asks the same questions each month and makes sure he is up to date!
After he left, Teisa, my base director and I decided to head to a nice cafe to do our admin work while enjoying a smoothie, so that is what we did! We thought we would spend a couple hours there. However after an hour I got a message that a boy, let's call him, Peter, a 16 year old, who has been very sick at the hospital was released. I had visited him and prayed with him a couple times at the hospital. So, we agreed to pick Peter up, this was at 11 in the morning. No problem, so we leave right away and head to the hospital. When we get there, we find out that he is at the hospital pharmacy getting his medicine. He was in a line for who knows how long, it is a public hospital, so it is free, but that means that they can wait up to 6 hours to get their medicine. After he gets his medicine, he must go back to his hospital room to get discharge papers and more specifics on after care. Clearly, we didn't need to rush to the hospital, but we were thinking in our western mindset. So, I gave him my phone number and told him to call me when he was ready and that I would come and get him.
Teisa and I then headed to her house to relieve her babysitter for her daughter, we then went to town to do a few errands buying stuff for our base and to get a few things to welcome back a missionary that had been gone for a month! =) I also picked up some snacks and a requested favorite food for Peter. It was then that I got the call that he was ready to be picked up around 2 pm. Teisa dropped me off so I could get the truck to pick him up. It was then that my pain started as the whole appendix thing was still bothering me. At this moment, I haven't had pain for 2 days, but it has been quite a month of dealing with my appendix and pain! I was ready to lay down for a rest! So, we prayed for GRACE and I went on my way to pick him up.
Oh, I was supposed to start something new this afternoon called "Music and Movement" with our children, incorporating singing, dancing and just a fun time to move your body. However, this will now start next week since this important matter came up of picking up Peter at the hospital.
When I got there, it was about 3:15 pm, the nurse went through his medicine with me, he literally had 7 kinds of medicine, keep in mind he is very sick and looks incredibly skinny and really is in no place to be tracking all this stuff! He lives with his granny and 5 siblings, they sleep on the floor in their little place. The medicine was overwhelming, some twice a day, some once a day, some with food and another must be before food! So, I began to draw pictures on each of the medicines to help him keep track of it all. I was ready to take him home and he just sat in the hospital room (there are 4 other men in the hospital room as well), one guy was naked, I didn't mean to look as I didn't know he was naked!! Oops! Anyway, Peter just sat there. When I asked if we should go, he said, no, my granny is coming. I was confused as he knew I would take him home. I asked more questions and he said he doesn't have pants and has to wait for his granny to bring pants. I was sure that he could just wear his hospital scrubs and then I could bring them back. So, I went and asked the nurse if I could take him home and bring back the pants. She said, no, the security at the gate will not allow us to leave if he has the pants on.
Sooooo... we wait for his granny to bring him pants. While waiting, I am messaging our team that have been praying for him and visiting him in the hospital keeping them up to date on the discharge, the meds he has to take, etc... We are also arranging to bring mattresses to his house, so Peter and the children will not have to sleep on the floor. We don't know if there will be room for them or not though. We sit outside enjoying the fresh air, we chat a bit, I give him some snacks and the food I brought him. Peter's native tongue is South African Saswati, this language comes out of Swaziland, but also mixes Africaans (kinds of close to Dutch) words as well. He speaks some English, I have to speak slowly and very simple English. Over the next few hours, Peter calls her several times and she says she is looking for a car, so I wait with him at the hospital. His granny arrives around dusk, it is about 5:40 pm. She thanks me several times, so happy and thankful that I was with him, she hugs me at least 3 times as well. It was great to meet her, I confirm that I will visit them soon and then I drive home.
I was thankful to have grace for this extended adventure. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home, I ate a snack and greeted my roommate who just returned from a month away. Then at 7 pm we had worship night outside in the prayer hut! So, I headed down for an incredible evening of singing, dancing and laying down soaking in His presence. That concludes one of my days here, which was last Wednesday, September 30th.
I know many of you might wonder what my days look like, it is very difficult to say as everyday looks totally different, so I thought I would give you the play by play of one of my days here. Sunrise is about 5:30 in the morning, I often wake up between 5-6ish. I love to read my Bible, pray in the morning, sometimes listen to music, then make tea and eat breakfast. This particular day, I had some admin work to do on the business plan for the upcoming year. So, I went to the admin office to work on that. Then, a social worker showed up to do his monthly check in and review our files on the kids and make sure things are up to snuff. So, I got trained on what that looks like, he basically asks the same questions each month and makes sure he is up to date!
After he left, Teisa, my base director and I decided to head to a nice cafe to do our admin work while enjoying a smoothie, so that is what we did! We thought we would spend a couple hours there. However after an hour I got a message that a boy, let's call him, Peter, a 16 year old, who has been very sick at the hospital was released. I had visited him and prayed with him a couple times at the hospital. So, we agreed to pick Peter up, this was at 11 in the morning. No problem, so we leave right away and head to the hospital. When we get there, we find out that he is at the hospital pharmacy getting his medicine. He was in a line for who knows how long, it is a public hospital, so it is free, but that means that they can wait up to 6 hours to get their medicine. After he gets his medicine, he must go back to his hospital room to get discharge papers and more specifics on after care. Clearly, we didn't need to rush to the hospital, but we were thinking in our western mindset. So, I gave him my phone number and told him to call me when he was ready and that I would come and get him.
Teisa and I then headed to her house to relieve her babysitter for her daughter, we then went to town to do a few errands buying stuff for our base and to get a few things to welcome back a missionary that had been gone for a month! =) I also picked up some snacks and a requested favorite food for Peter. It was then that I got the call that he was ready to be picked up around 2 pm. Teisa dropped me off so I could get the truck to pick him up. It was then that my pain started as the whole appendix thing was still bothering me. At this moment, I haven't had pain for 2 days, but it has been quite a month of dealing with my appendix and pain! I was ready to lay down for a rest! So, we prayed for GRACE and I went on my way to pick him up.
Oh, I was supposed to start something new this afternoon called "Music and Movement" with our children, incorporating singing, dancing and just a fun time to move your body. However, this will now start next week since this important matter came up of picking up Peter at the hospital.
When I got there, it was about 3:15 pm, the nurse went through his medicine with me, he literally had 7 kinds of medicine, keep in mind he is very sick and looks incredibly skinny and really is in no place to be tracking all this stuff! He lives with his granny and 5 siblings, they sleep on the floor in their little place. The medicine was overwhelming, some twice a day, some once a day, some with food and another must be before food! So, I began to draw pictures on each of the medicines to help him keep track of it all. I was ready to take him home and he just sat in the hospital room (there are 4 other men in the hospital room as well), one guy was naked, I didn't mean to look as I didn't know he was naked!! Oops! Anyway, Peter just sat there. When I asked if we should go, he said, no, my granny is coming. I was confused as he knew I would take him home. I asked more questions and he said he doesn't have pants and has to wait for his granny to bring pants. I was sure that he could just wear his hospital scrubs and then I could bring them back. So, I went and asked the nurse if I could take him home and bring back the pants. She said, no, the security at the gate will not allow us to leave if he has the pants on.
Sooooo... we wait for his granny to bring him pants. While waiting, I am messaging our team that have been praying for him and visiting him in the hospital keeping them up to date on the discharge, the meds he has to take, etc... We are also arranging to bring mattresses to his house, so Peter and the children will not have to sleep on the floor. We don't know if there will be room for them or not though. We sit outside enjoying the fresh air, we chat a bit, I give him some snacks and the food I brought him. Peter's native tongue is South African Saswati, this language comes out of Swaziland, but also mixes Africaans (kinds of close to Dutch) words as well. He speaks some English, I have to speak slowly and very simple English. Over the next few hours, Peter calls her several times and she says she is looking for a car, so I wait with him at the hospital. His granny arrives around dusk, it is about 5:40 pm. She thanks me several times, so happy and thankful that I was with him, she hugs me at least 3 times as well. It was great to meet her, I confirm that I will visit them soon and then I drive home.
I was thankful to have grace for this extended adventure. Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home, I ate a snack and greeted my roommate who just returned from a month away. Then at 7 pm we had worship night outside in the prayer hut! So, I headed down for an incredible evening of singing, dancing and laying down soaking in His presence. That concludes one of my days here, which was last Wednesday, September 30th.
Comella,
ReplyDeleteO Lord, I know YOU do such perfect works of beauty and perfection.... come Holy Spirit...do finish the healing in Comella with no remaining pain and no return of flair ups.
As I read of your day's journey I'm reminded a song you know so well..Rejoice!! for the steps of a righteous woman, they are ordered of God, they are ordered of God, Rejoice ! for the steps of a righteous woman, they are ordered of God
In the time of trouble God will uphold you, God will preserve you, God will sustain you, in the time of trouble God will lift you up, so rejoice your steps are ordered of God!!!
Comella, you are a joy and an inspiration! Lv John + Nancy