Service sites:
Each of the four service sites APU serves alongside are a half an hour from the AE campus in all directions in Pietermaritzburg. The first 20 minutes of the drive you forget you’re in South Africa because it’s so industrialized and nice, then you turn a corner and feel like you’ve entered a new country because you see poverty stricken hills glazed in mud and tin houses and streets and buildings that are in complete shambles. But the poverty here is different from Mexico’s; it’s hard for me to see them as ‘abjectly poor’ when they live in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and when they live in close-knit communities who sing and dance and cuddle all throughout the day (literally, the kids and adults here are constantly hugging each other and cuddling, it’s so cute). SA is prettier than Mexico, and when you’re in the slums, it sometimes escapes your mind these people sometimes don’t even have food in their home to give each child a meal thrice a day. Townships like these don’t have a good, established school system and are in the Kuazulu-Natal Province which has the largest AIDS epidemic in the world, leaving behind millions of orphans and broken families. The black people are so lively here, and as you drive by you see Grannies sitting on their mini porches in plastic chairs gossiping about the neighborhood and watching their grandkids kids play in the grass or play soccer with rocks. It is something you truly have to experience for yourself. I haven’t done a home visits to homes of dying AIDS victims yet, but my friends who have said they will never be the same. I’ve only seen the really good part of the townships and I know inside some of these dark homes are bodies withering away rapidly who are being eaten by flies and deprived of medicine that could help them.
Each of the four service sites APU serves alongside are a half an hour from the AE campus in all directions in Pietermaritzburg. The first 20 minutes of the drive you forget you’re in South Africa because it’s so industrialized and nice, then you turn a corner and feel like you’ve entered a new country because you see poverty stricken hills glazed in mud and tin houses and streets and buildings that are in complete shambles. But the poverty here is different from Mexico’s; it’s hard for me to see them as ‘abjectly poor’ when they live in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and when they live in close-knit communities who sing and dance and cuddle all throughout the day (literally, the kids and adults here are constantly hugging each other and cuddling, it’s so cute). SA is prettier than Mexico, and when you’re in the slums, it sometimes escapes your mind these people sometimes don’t even have food in their home to give each child a meal thrice a day. Townships like these don’t have a good, established school system and are in the Kuazulu-Natal Province which has the largest AIDS epidemic in the world, leaving behind millions of orphans and broken families. The black people are so lively here, and as you drive by you see Grannies sitting on their mini porches in plastic chairs gossiping about the neighborhood and watching their grandkids kids play in the grass or play soccer with rocks. It is something you truly have to experience for yourself. I haven’t done a home visits to homes of dying AIDS victims yet, but my friends who have said they will never be the same. I’ve only seen the really good part of the townships and I know inside some of these dark homes are bodies withering away rapidly who are being eaten by flies and deprived of medicine that could help them.
First service site we visited was Etembeni, and it was
situated in the country side, across from a gorgeous lake and a field blooming
with sunflowers (like the ones Mom and I saw in the trains in Italy). One would
think they were on their way to a top-notch resort. The township was incredibly
impoverished though, and over 60 kids went to Etembeni after school because
they didn’t have parents to come home to. Etembeni would help with homework,
feeding the children and young adults, teaching computer skills, and I think
loving them to the best of their ability. It seemed to function like an
orphanage, except the kids sleep at home to keep the property in their family’s
name. I loved being there because I saw true servants at work. The only white
worker there was from England, she said once she visited she couldn’t get it
out of her mind so she just moved there and has loved it ever since. While
waiting for rides to pick us up, I helped chop strange vegetables in the
kitchen with some Zulu women. I kept trying to learn Zulu words, and I was
incredibly goofy (I think they may have been frightened I was laughing with a
knife in my hand) so that made things worse, because when I get in those goofy
moods my body goes limp. But the Zulu women are just FUN to be around! Man,
they know how to laugh! I actually saw a lot of sadness in their eyes, but I
also saw determination and hope. People say you can see ones soul through the
eyes, and I think that has a lot of truth in it. What I see in the Zulu women’s
eyes, I’ve never seen in anyone else’s. These women have been through so much, so
much death and abuse and all sorts of things, yet they are so strong. I admired
these women I was cooking with, and I could tell they loved it I was trying to
learn their language even though I was totally butchering the strange clicks
they use. Their sanitary precautions are definitely lower here, dishes more
just get rinsed than cleaned. Is it bad that I kinda like that?
Second one we visited is called Ithemba, “A place of hope,”
and that’s the one I was placed in for service cites (it was my first choice).
This cite was very westernized and located in the nicer part of town. This
non-profit organization is run by a western white couple and the difference
between Ithemba and the other ministries is night and day. I think it’s similar
to Door of Faith and all the other orphanages; this one just seems extremely
successful and efficient. At first I was like, “uuhhh this doesn’t look like a
service site” but it was; they do their business here, but their main time is
spent in the township called “Sweet Waters.” The staff gave an impressive
slideshow presentation on what they are all about, the white girl leading it
was an ex-American college graduate (surprise surprise) and the others helping
out were native Zulus. Their system was organized and had a clear mission
statement: “To be a place of Hope for shaping future leaders by striving for
continuous improvement in education, excellence in parenting, lifting the
awareness of high risk behaviors and through dedicated team work always putting
the needs of the children first.” They seek to improve the education system in
SA because it really SUCKS, in a sustainable way. So unlike the other
organizations, they don’t want to do all the work for the community because
that won’t do much and it won’t last. Their whole drive is the raise up leaders
from the community who can then teach others, and support the teachers by
providing them with some supplies, listening to their dreams and supporting the
teachers in that instead of just saying ‘this is what you need.’ Just recently
they started a community garden where they grow the starter plants and the
community can buy the starters and they will teach the people how to garden for
themselves. It’s really cool and I think it’s a perfect model for development. They
even do advertising in the US.
I was drawn to this site because they raise up mentors and
teachers to help lift the children out of the poverty cycle, which is totally
up my alley, but I thought, “nah I shouldn’t go to this one, it’s obviously too
perfect”. How silly I can be. I loved their power point and the leadership
seemed solid (you know when you go to places and they do things in the name of
God, but you get a little check in your spirit, like something is not right? I
didn’t get that feeling here). Then we hopped in the cars and drove to the
township because it was drizzling, and walked down and up the dirt streets.
This was the first time I’d walked extensively around one instead of seeing
them from the freeways. I saw poverty like I’ve never seen it before. So anyways,
as I was walking around there and an Itemba leader was describing the Bible studies
that go on every day there (each Ithemba leader leads a house group once a day
in different parts of the community, and each sees about 30 to 60 kids!!) (oh
and it was so cute because the kids would see him walking down the road and
would just follow him. He’s probably their only good male role model) I was
silently praying, “Lord, if you have anything to teach me through what I’m
seeing here, please teach me. My ears are open, I want to learn. Show me what
you will.” I felt a sense to pray like this, to stop and take a step back and
learn from them, rather than walking around and thinking of ways I could get
proper roofing on these homes. I didn’t feel an urgency to fix things, even
though everything needed to be, but I felt an urgency to learn. So we walked to
the local kindergarten Ithemba kinda supports. The whole school was one large
room. I was in the back, and so the group was trickling in and out to make room
for others. I was among the last to enter, and I started talking to one of the
teachers there. She was a large Zulu lady and had a child on her hip. I could
see deep sadness and grief in her eyes, but when I talked to her I saw joy in
them (again, the strength of these women). So I engaged with her and told her
how I am planning on becoming a teacher, and how I think she is spending her
life so well teaching these kids, and how I want to spend my time here on earth
well, etc. And I asked her what the hardest thing about teaching was, and she
said she doesn’t get paid very much anymore because the parents don’t have
money, they can’t even afford to send the kids with sack lunches to school. So
she said she doesn’t want to sit at home and do nothing, so she serves here and
teaches them, but it’s stressful because she doesn’t know how to make a living.
I was shocked, and I sensed the Holy Spirit totally enter our conversation. So
after talking for a bit, I asked if we could pray and she said yes please. So I
just laid hands on her and prayed a nice prayer for finances and grace, then
afterwards I just looked at her and out of NOWHERE completely burst into tears.
My eyes flooded my vision. And the next thing I know I’m standing in the corner
of the room, shoulders shaking, head bowed, crying for no apparent reason in
front of a stranger. She immediately placed the child on a table and hugged me,
my head in her bosom. She was stroking my hair, whispering ‘everything is going
to be just fine.’ And so I just relaxed in her arms and she swayed me back and
forth, and it was sublime. After I composed myself I mumbled through gasps of
air something like “I’m so impressed with you, you are such a servant. Good job,
I want to learn from you, etc etc .” And she asked for my phone number but I
obviously don’t have one. And since I was in the corner of the room, the group
left me behind, so I thought, “huh, I’m stranded here.” But then Baba Philip,
our driver, came in the room with a big stick in his hand, pointed at me and
said, “Naughty naughty.” He speaks broken English, but everyone completely
ADORES him. He calls anyone naughty for being late for the bus, putting on a
bad song, etc. So I left with him, said my goodbyes, and walked out of that
place way more encouraged than I gave encouragement. It was quite an experience!
Here this woman, who lives in extreme poverty and doesn’t know how to make ends
meet but still wants to help these children out, is comforting a stupid white
American student who doesn’t even have a grid for suffering. Interesting moment
huh? I don’t know what fell over me, I just feel like I want to live my life
differently than what is expected for an average Californian. There is so much
more to life than I’ve seen for the past 19 years. I don’t want to spend my
life sipping coffee and reading books all day and doing nice pleasant things,
well actually I do, but I want those to be rest days from gruesome, headachey,
frustrating days of hard work. I want to go to bed exhausted, dying to be alone
to pray for strength. I want to be broken, and demolished emotionally, and I
want to learn more. These are just some new thoughts, we will see what comes to
fruition. I just feel so aware that there is more to life than what I’ve been
planning for myself.
After this day new thoughts have been percolating my mind. I
started thinking, what if I go to college, get my degree in education, do Teach
for America for two years, get credentials and experience and an pinch of
money, then start a school somewhere? This leaves me ripe for marriage around
27 years old! That’s weird.
Third service site we visited is called Rev Life. I was
there for the shortest amount of time. It was like an after school house, and
they served the community and did home visits to AIDS patients. The children
there were FREAKING ADORABLE. They did a dance for us, and it was by far the
cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I remember really liking the leadership there too.
Two guys ran it, and seemed to have great wives. One of them is expecting twins
any time. One guy was Indian, and the other from Zimbabwe (note: the two
leaders are not from SA). This is the one that Sarah is serving at. She says
the poverty in that township is so bad and basically every house has people
dying from AIDS. I heard a horrible statistic the other day: one in every three
children in these townships is infected with HIV. They all have coughs! I
wonder if that has to do with anything…
Fourth: We went to Walk in the Light Service site and saw
how this organization is really impacting the community. The numbers they gave
us of the impact, such as driving AIDS victims to the doctors, helping people
receive money from the government, planting gardens, etc. were really minuscule in the grand scheme of things, but they are still making such a difference.
What was so different about this organization from the other ones is that the
man who founded it is an Afrikaner who was convicted by the LORD to start doing
something. He couldn't reconcile the fact he was so wealthy while others were
suffering so near to him, he even moved his home to be closer to the townships.
This man reminded me a lot of my dad. I was encouraged that a South African had
it on his heart to start something like this, and it makes me wonder why more
don’t follow suit. {Lord, bring more to follow suit. Convict my heart on areas
where I’m neglecting the poor}.
