Picture This...

Since I've been in South Africa for 5.5 weeks now, I figured it may be time for a picture update :) Orientation is officially over. To say the very least, it's been a wonderful time of growth, friendship, and learning. I've had many firsts, and some incredible experiences. One of the best things - I don't have to wear shoes! I can go to the grocery store in bare feet. It's pretty awesome. But the heat was pretty difficult to adjust to - there was a 60 degree temperature change, and I don't do well with heat - but I did bring it on myself. Good thing for bare feet.

 

The first "first" was flying across the world by myself. I realized that travelling by yourself and sleeping in an airplane for two nights can be pretty lonely, so making friends with people along the way is a better alternative. Also having your favourite pair of shoes and a backpack makes you feel an experienced traveller, even though this is the first time I've been overseas. I kinda like that feeling.

 

 

 

 

After spending a few days in busy airports on three different continents and riding in several modes of transportation, feeling a tangible kind of peace upon arrival at Hands was the most welcoming thing I've ever experienced. That perfect kind of peace is unbeatable. Bonus: this is where I live! 

 

 

Like really, I've never been somewhere more beautiful.

 

 

 And, I get to drink my morning coffee overlooking this mountain.

 

 

And eat my breakfast here. I'm still pinching myself.

 

 

So much better than this... :)

 

 

~~~

 

Most of our days during orientation were filled with sessions on getting to know Hands at Work at a deeper level and going out into communities around the country, but on the weekends we were able to do the "touristy" kind of things like going into the mountains, visiting little markets, and sightseeing. Everywhere we drove was absolutely stunning.

 

 

The Pinnacle - breathtaking.

 

 

Meet some of my new family:

 

 

 

Lisbon Falls - so pretty. Can I, as a Canadian, say it puts Niagara Falls to shame?

 

 

 

 

I think God intentionally placed most beautiful creations in the most broken countries.

 

 

 

It's back to reality though, when we dig trenches. But I guess trenches need to be dug and filled if we want electricity and running water at the Hub. Fair enough. And it was only for one day.

 

 

Long drives can be awesome. There are a lot of them, as communities are widespread. The advantage - we catch up on sleep. It is exhausting being in the hot sun in a community all day. I've never appreciated long drives so much. And I'm thankful I don't need to drive anywhere.

 

How cute is this little guy?! He's our adorably little Australian brother, Riley, who proudly declares that he weighs 20 kilos. He also declares that he's never tired when we drive anywhere.

 

 

 

A few Sundays ago, I attended church in a tent beside this lovely river. Definitely don't get that back in Canada in the middle of March.

 

 

The following week, Grace (on the left) and I had the amazing opportunity to stay with a family in a community that Hands serves in. Here are a few pictures of the family members. My previous blog post was written about them.

 

 

 

Another first: Grace and I preached a sermon on our Sunday in community stay with this family. We didn't realize that what we had said to the congregation was the sermon until later when the actual pastor complimented us on our message... Hmm. Cultural differences - embrace them for all they're worth. :)

 

 

 

Best group selfie.

 

 

I certainly left a part of my heart with this family. They are the most generous, hospitable people I've ever met. I was so privileged to spend time with them.

 

 

Ahhhhh! She makes me smile. Isn't she the most darling little thing?!

 

 

This is one of the Care Points where some of the most vulnerable children come each day to receive a nutritious meal and spend time being kids. Here they are singing songs, and reading and praying before their meal.

 

 

~~~

 

Another touristy thing that every person must do during their time in South Africa is visit Kruger National Park. Where in Canada, or anywhere for that matter, are you going to have rhinos cross the road right in front of you?

 

 

 

Oh the lovely warthogs. They're so ugly that they're adorable. Besides elephants, they were my favourite.

 

 

 

It's hard to see here, but there were hippos in the river :)

 

 

 

Another dream of mine came true - seeing not just one, but TONS of elephants in their natural habitat. There's something about these guys that is so amazing. My favourite animal by a long shot.

 

 

We counted ten different kinds of animals at this watering hole alone!

 

 

 

 

It was a good day.

 

 

~~~

 

One joy... or not so much... of living in Africa is spotting the strangest looking bugs. So far, I've stepped on two frogs and countless bugs about this size have decided to fly into me. It's lovely... I'm thankful for a fly swatter/zapper in my room.

 

 

But to make up for bugs and frogs, I get to see the most beautiful skies here. Places like South Africa make you appreciate the natural beauty of God's creation.

 

 

~~~

 

Oh my. The African food here - absolutely incredible.

1) Chicken dust - the BEST form of chicken. It's chicken that is grilled on the side of the road, with the most incredible spices and peri-peri sauce. Mouth-watering.

2) Chakalaka - cabbage, carrots, onions, and other vegetables shredded into the most delicious concoction eaten with pap. Delicious.

3) Pap - maize meal. Its texture is like stiff mashed potatoes, but you roll it and use it as a scoop to eat chakalaka with your hands. Absolutely yummy.

4) Slapchips - basically soggy fries with lots of grease and peri-peri, put between of slice of bread. Sounds terrible but my standard of fries have increased dramatically.

5) Ginger beer - not South African at all, but worth mention since I've never seen it back home. It's so much better than ginger ale... It really doesn't compare. You can't go to Pick-n-Pay (the very original name of the grocery store) without grabbing a ginger beer to go. Also as a sidenote, cream soda is green.

 

~~~

 

On a complete other note, I love getting Snapchats like this one :) It really does make me feel connected to home. These sisters are awesome.

 

 

This Dad is pretty awesome, too. I think he might have been a little too excited to see me. Or is that wishful thinking? Love you Dad :)

 

 

I am so in awe that God called me to be here, and that I can be a part of such a wonderful family. I am beyond privileged and blessed.

 

 

This is home.

 

 

And next week, this lovely lady, Charlotte, and I are headed off to Malawi for four weeks to be a part of the Hands team there. We are so excited to be given this incredible opportunity and privilege!

 

 

:) - heather

Community Stay

To give an update of what I’ve been up to the past few weeks is slightly impossible because it’s been so jam-packed! I’ve met more people, grown closer to my orientation group (13 of us in total – also breaking the record for the biggest intake group), visited more communities and homes, learned more about the ins and outs of Hands, laughed and cried, and had an experience of a lifetime – going on my first community stay.

The “community stay” was the biggest event of our orientation – and the most recent. This is an opportunity where we each stay with a family in one of the communities Hands serves in for 4 days. Some of us were nervous, some excited, most a bit of both. To say I was excited was a complete understatement. These were the 4 days I was looking forward to the most out of the five weeks of orientation. The purposes of community stays are to give us an opportunity to be involved in the daily life of a vulnerable family, to build special relationships with them, and listen to their stories.

My community stay wrecked me.

I stayed with a family who I fell completely in love with. I left a part of my heart there that I don’t want back. It’s difficult for me to share their stories, but I feel like I need to. Because this is real.

Grace (a lovely girl from the UK) and I were paired up and we stayed in a home of 8. Our wonderful family consisted of Ma Sarah*, four of her children aged 5 to 16, a niece and her daughter, and a nephew.

We shared many laughs. Grace and I quickly found out that there are no boundaries – taking bucket baths cured us quickly of the need for privacy. So did sharing a toilet with some neighbours. Same with sleeping in the same room as 4+ other people. It was lovely. There were many times when Grace and I would look at each other, laugh, and say “this WILL make a good story.” I wouldn’t have changed a second of it. It was fantastic bonding time!

It was truly beautiful spending time building relationships with each family member. Being able to participate in the daily activities of a South African family was so special – we felt so incredibly privileged! We played African tennis, danced a lot, sang some, walked for miles, cooked, laughed, talked, played games, shared testimonies and stories, fetched water, attempted at learning Siswati, and met the neighbours. And it was in each of these daily activities that we built trust, love, and friendship.

But it didn’t come without its challenges. The vulnerability of this family was heavy in the air. I did not sleep without my phone in my hand. There were several times when I felt extremely uneasy of the situations I was in. I hated the fact that Ma Sarah felt the need to protect me the entire weekend – because it broke my heart for what her daughters see daily. I felt so helpless seeing that even basic needs aren’t being fulfilled.

As I was reflecting, some things I witnessed this weekend were things that brought such incredible joy and taught me the most incredible lessons. Seeing how rich this family really was despite their physical poverty was a perfect example of how God promises to make the poor be rich in his kingdom. I learned so much from them about servanthood and generosity – they really put me to shame! Despite our Ma Sarah hardly being able to walk because of being so ill, she cheerfully walked for miles, praising God the entire time. Hearing the girls singing with their beautiful voices, listening to their laughter, seeing their compassion and care for their sick mother – these things made me smile over and over during the few days we spent with them.

But there were things that I witnessed that showed utter brokenness and sadness, and my heart was broken so many times. Almost every male I met was smoking, drinking, or completely drunk. I saw the girls I was living with cringe when they had to walk past a man. I heard stories that were unimaginable about their lives. The 14-year-old nephew who was living with my family was an orphan because his dad was dead and his mom was killed by a group of men three years ago.

Ma Sarah’s Story:

Ma Sarah was the third wife to the father of her first three children. Her firstborn daughter, at 5-years-old, was stolen by an aunt and has never been located since. This happened 13 years ago, and the pain is still so evident in her. Ma Sarah became sick with HIV in 2008 and has slowly been growing weaker and sicker since. She is at the point where half of her body doesn’t work properly and she has a difficult time sleeping because of the pain. Some days she can’t even stand up and walk. Yet despite these huge tragedies in her life, she finds every opportunity to praise God, play with her children, and enjoy her family. She taught me so much about praising God in every situation. She is an incredible woman.

Sesi Dance’s* Story:

Dance is a compassionate, beautiful 16-year-old girl in grade 10. Behind her bright smile and cheerfulness, though, are pain-filled eyes. She told us of times when she was beat by a group of boys, one of them being her own brother from her father. She alluded to being sexually abused, yet she was so afraid to tell anyone because she didn’t want the police involved. She struggles with sleep, has terrible nightmares, and can’t concentrate in school because of this. Since she is the oldest daughter of Ma Sarah, she takes on much of the responsibility – caring for her mother, cooking, bathing the younger children, fetching water – she doesn’t have much time to simply be a child. She is ridiculed and looked down on in her community because she doesn’t want to date anyone. Yet with so much willingness and cheerfulness, she welcomed us into her home and cared for us. She shared her testimony with us and her dream of becoming a social worker. She wants to be a light in her community, and be an advocate for children who are forced to live a life like hers. She doesn’t want to be the disappointment that she already feels she is to those around her. I look up to her immensely – it floors me how much I can learn from someone who is so much younger than me. She chose to forgive the boys who assaulted her, even though it continually haunts her. She is so strong – she is determined to hold her ground and make Godly decisions, as difficult as that is in a community like hers where those decisions are shot down. Grace and I built a beautiful friendship with her, and I and honoured to say I love her like a sister.

Ma Sarah and Sesi Dance aren’t just stories. They are lives. Lives of people I know by name and love like family. I wish I could find the words to describe the impact this family had on me, but because I can’t, I can only pray that hearts around the world will be broken for them.

It’s when I feel my heart breaking for each individual that I think of God’s heartbreak over us as sinners. My heart can’t even handle one story, yet Jesus carries each and every one of our stories.

It’s when I feel like complaining that I am reminded that Jesus didn’t utter one complaint during his entire tortured life on earth. Rather, like Ma Sarah, he praised his Father.

It’s when I feel my heart filled with love when a little 4-year-old girl runs up to me that I am reassured of that endless love that Jesus has towards us when we run to him.

You never realize how perfectly God places each person in your path, and the impact they will have one you. We serve an amazing God!

-heather 
 

*Names have been changed.

Reflections

Hands at Work is about stories. Stories of orphans, gogos, aunties. Stories of orphans who live with their uncle and are abused and raped by neighbours. Stories of gogos who care for countless children because the mothers ran off and the fathers are nowhere to be found. Stories of aunts who become mothers to children whose own mothers are dying or have died of AIDS.


The beautiful part in all of these stories is that it's all one big story - God's story - and he allows and enables - even commands - us to be a part of it.


In the past two weeks...


It's been beautiful - I had the opportunity to meet awesome people, see some more of God's incredible creation, play with gorgeous little children, talk with special care workers, and wake up each morning and be amazed by the warm summer weather (which has taken some time to get used to - but definitely not complaining!!) Also, South Africa has some of the most beautiful places on earth!


It's been tough - learning how to be more open about my feelings and trusting people with them is harder than I thought, yet more precious than I could've imagined. Sharing such things allows us as an intake group to bond more and more each day. I naturally want to be a strong person, be there for others and help them, so it's a struggle for me to be vulnerable and ask for prayer and need to be comforted. I know I'm in the "Yay I'm actually here, this is crazy!" phase, so I will face tough times where I'll want to give up, where I'll wonder why I'm here, and when I'll miss my family in Canada, but it's in these tough times where God is closer than ever, and his grace is sufficient.


It's been joyous - I had the lovely opportunity of being one of the first ones to arrive at the Hub, which allowed me to meet each new member of my intake as they came in throughout the next week. Playing games and laughing with the kids at the care points brings an indescribable joy. Living in a community where you're surrounded by 'family' has filled my heart with a special happiness and I'm so blessed to be a part of this family. Through cooking, laughing, praying, trusting each other, our intake really is my family - it's a joy that God has brought us together for this time in our lives, and there's a reason for that.


It's been heart breaking - hearing stories about 'kids in Africa' brings on a whole new heartbreak when you actually meet these kids and interact with them. Seeing a little girl off in the corner by herself looking dejected, and you know it's because she's being severely abused at home. Visiting a mother in her home, listening to her tell you about her daughter that she's been searching for for 13 years to no avail. A 14 year old girl struggling to deal with her mother's death and not knowing how to cope with it. Knowing that the children we visit at the care points come there to be a child - because their home situation is a level of pain and sorrow that we can't even fathom. They laugh with other children - but their hearts are filled with hurt. They run and play - yet they are constantly aware that they are sick, infected with HIV. They run up to me, hug me, hold my hand - but for the reason that they can't remember the last time they were hugged or felt loved. A happy, spirited boy running down a dirt path holding my hand, later stepping on a thorn and having it break off in his foot - such a simple fix, but in a community where nothing is sterile, and infection is likely, it could be a tragedy.


It's been filled with opportunity - opportunities to greet care workers, hug children, visit homes, get to know new people, sit on the veranda and look at the spectacular view while drinking my morning coffee, ask someone how they are doing and mean it, making someone a cup of tea, debriefing at the end of a day when we're overwhelmed, visit some incredible places on the weekend. Also, who knew there were so many dialects and accents in English?! That's what happens when your intake is from the States, England, Australia, Germany, and Canada, and you all meet in South Africa.


I'm still pinching myself trying to believe that I'm actually here - in Africa! After all these years of me dreaming about Africa, I'm really here!


My computer is down, but hopefully that can get up and working so I can post some pictures ;)


-heather