Embracing Simplicity

Once again I am amazed at the little moments and the truth is that it’s the children that are becoming my teachers in what it means to be fully present in a moment. Children have a way of truly “being”, of enjoying the simplicities and not concerning themselves with a million thoughts that could cause them to be distracted or pulled away.

The children that I have met within the community have blessed my soul simply by their presence and their beauty. This isn’t to say that they haven’t felt pain or known suffering. The truth is they have experienced deep pain and as far as the world is concerned they live in a constant state of “less than.” They only have a couple changes of clothes, they might not get three meals a day, some have been raped before the age of ten, others have already lost parents to AIDS and other illnesses, and some are abused daily by their brothers, sisters, and parents. I share all of this not to cause sadness or add to a sob story, but to reiterate that these children know pain and yet I have watched them in the midst of their struggles truly have joy. I have watched them take in and truly be present in a moment. They still embrace life, experience joy, and in doing this they are in essence embracing who they are, beautiful children.

Alive

I have been on countless mission trips and there’s always a part of me that wants to know that I’m making a difference, there’s a part of me that wants something to show for my efforts, something that I can measure and say, “see – this is what I’ve been DOING!! (with a smile on my face of course).” I have found that I tend to struggle with wanting to “do” something instead of simply being present, with myself, with others, and with time. I believe this season of my life is truly about me learning to BE in the moment. Although there’s a part of me that will always want to know that what I’m doing is helping someone, I’m learning that it’s not about what I can see, do, or achieve, but about being present with another being. Life is truly made up of moments, and the sense of aliveness that can be felt when two people are truly experiencing a moment together without any concern of the past or the future is a moment that brings forth the essence of life.

I have had so many moments over the past couple of weeks here in the community of Capricorn, South Africa, where I have felt the essence of God and they haven’t come from times of formal worship or prayer, from straining or is it striving to hear His voice, bur rather I have experienced His essence in shacks, in hospital waiting rooms, in tears, in painting, and even in car rides. I have seen aliveness in these moments and at times I’ve even had the privilege of capturing these encounters of life with my camera. These are the moments of aliveness, these are the moments of connection, and these are the moments that remind me of what it means to truly be alive.

The Gift of Relationship

It was 9am Friday morning, the first Friday morning of the support group.  Five of us girls pulled up towards Prudence’s (she runs the support group) home curious and eager to meet the women and hear their struggles. A couple of days previous Prudence had met with all of us and shared her story, how she formed the support group, and the need for people within the community to come together to talk about their struggles which include everything from being HIV Positive, having TB, not being able to work or receive grant money for their sickness, as well as problems within the home. It was evident that Prudence was the “go to” woman and that her strength, perseverance, and belief to not be pitied but to serve others was greatly respected within her own community.

She welcomed us in her home and let us know that everyone else was late this morning. I laughed thinking, "I wonder if we’ve scared them off since they knew we would be attending their support group."  We waited about fifteen minutes and then Prudence said “well - they not come here - so we must go get them!” We made the rounds and when we returned to her home we had eight others joining us. Introductions were made by all and soon after one by one they each shared of their struggles.

At the end of the time one of the women asked if she could have some personal counseling time so me and another girl stepped outside into our temporary office – 'the car'. She shared her story and although we have had training now in the therapy realm, we both realized rather quickly that everything we have learned is pretty much thrown completely out the window. Empathy I think is all we were left with and even then every response seems trite and too little to capture the depth of emotion that is felt as each word is shared. As the time drew to a close we offered all that we could in listening as well as a “Can we come visit you during the week?”

I left feeling as though there was so much I wanted to be able to say, so much that I wanted to do and yet sitting with her in silence with sadness in my eyes seemed at times all I could offer. The questions of… is this enough???? what more can be done??? What can I do??? - there has to be something more??!! And then it occurred to me I was wanting to fix her problems just as much as she was wanting them fixed, but I can’t fix them any more than she can. I can’t take away her pain or her sickness, but what I can give her is my time, my ear, my concern, and my love. Although on the surface it might not appear much, it is the greatest gift that I believe we as people can offer one another – the gift of relationship.

Orphanage

I had the priveledge of going to visit two orphanages for children that are physically and emotionally handicapped with Marco Spalke, who I was able to meet through a mutual friend. Although the visit was short it didn’t stop me from feeling a deep sadness for these children that have been abandoned by their family simply because they are developmentally challenged. Marco explained that the belief within these communities is that if a child is born with a handicap that it is because an evil spirit is punishing the family. Many of the parents will throw the child out because they don’t want other members in the community to stop associating with them and they fear to keep the child would be a continued curse upon them.

Mixed in with the sadness was an overwhelming sense of compassion and respect for Marco and those that serve and take care of these children often without any pay for their services. Marco told me “that many of the women that help out day and night do it because of the love they have for the children." 

Of course there are a few that instantly captured my heart and of these were Lucky, who is a five year old that has greatly suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, has cerebral paulsy, and weighs that of a six month old. Then there was Morgan and phili that would copy everything that they were told and would clap with laughter and excitement as you laughed with them.

I pray that more will come to visit these children, that the workers will be encouraged and rewarded for their service, and that this ministry will be added onto through support and others feeling called to serve in any and every way possible.

Townships

The city that I am living in is absolutely beautiful and is better known as a surfers paradise. Although don't be deceived by the beautiful scenery of the beach and the mountain range or by the Township names surrounding the city. In South Africa, the term township usually refers to the underdeveloped urban living areas that, under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloreds. The Government has 'upliftingly' given the townships quite the beautiful names such as lavender hill - can't you just see the rolling green hills and the flowers blooming with smell of spring in the air, and then there's ocean view - although I think the members of the community are still wondering when they will get to see the ocean from their residence, and lastly who could forget the community better known as "free ground" - I wonder if anyone in that community would say they feel free??!!! In my opinion the only beautiful thing about these townships are the people that reside within them.

The township that I will mainly be working in is called Capricorn (free ground), and within this community I will be doing therapy in a support group, individual counseling, and simply forming relationship with the people of this community. I want to learn what it’s like to live as they live, think and feel as they do and see life through their eyes.

As a Voice for the Voiceless team we are also going to be doing various photography projects in the community. The vision for these projects is that we will be able to learn from members of the community, allow them to process their story, and at the same time empower them giving a purpose and identity through their expression. Allowing them to take pictures and tell their story gives each person a voice as well as shows that their story is valuable and worth being heard. Ultimately the hope is that this will be the beginning of healing and restoration for many of the people in this township that have been oppressed with sickness, abuse and neglect, and by the color of their skin that has told them they are third class citizens. Their voices have been hidden, muted, and at times stolen by the government, society, the community, and even from each other.

My role has felt slow at times when I want to simply jump in and help in any way possible; however, I have learned in the past that it is better to first learn from the people and understand the way their culture works for them. It’s easy to make assumptions and assume that I know the solution although my role here isn’t to be a quick fix, but rather to empower those that have faced oppression and are even struggling with painful truth that they have tested positive for HIV.

Muizenberg, South Africa

I have been here in Muizenberg, South Africa for two weeks now and in this time I have settled into my new home for the next couple of months, met the other 10 members of the Voice for the Voiceless team, visited two orphanages, have met a number of people in the HIV/AIDS support group, and have begun building relationships within the township community.