Udondolo

“All of us pass a bit of ourselves onto others. You better like who you are and make what you give to others from yourself a gift and not a curse.” Erwin McManus , Chasing daylight

"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back is drawing near." Hebrews 10: 23-25

Sawubona!!!

I have been a Very Busy African Bee. Here is a recap of the last couple weeks-

Tuesday the 12^th My fellow nursing students and I went to a high school in Mpopomheni, a nearby township, and we taught on a variety of health related topics to the 8^th grade students in two different class periods. My partner and I taught on smoking, and it went great!

The following night, at around 11:00pm, we were having a huge thunder and lightning storm so we stopped doing homework and had a Slip n' Slide, of course!

For clinical Thursday, I rode in the back of a buggie (truck) up into the hills outside of Mpopomheni to a very poor rural community called KwaHaza with a fellow nursing student, Christina, the director of Ethembeni, Grant, and a church volunteer, Pendile. We visited 4 homes, with no electricity or running water. We brought them food, listened to their sruggles, and prayed for them. Pendile shared with them Psalm 121:

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going."

One of the women we visited happens to be the only woman Ethembeni serves that does not have HIV. All her daughters died of AIDS and now she takes care of her many grandchildren. I saw her a couple weeks prior in the eye clinic in which she came in because of cataracts that have left her almost blind. She is an amazing old woman who gave us her only seats to sit on when we visited, huddled close to us (touching and closeness is big in Zulu culture and I LOVE it!) and then she proceeded to encourage us! So precious. She refers to things like bits of scripture as "udondolo" which is Zulu for "walking stick" since it helps to keep us walking on the narrow path. She told us to lean on the Lord and walk with Him everyday. Once again, she is an example of how the people here who have nothing, have so much! I keep on coming into these communities thinking that I will be sad for the people, but the truth is that I'm not. I keep on leaving these communities sad for the rich people at home who don't have the joy, hope, and faith that these lovely Zulu people have.

Its difficult to leave areas like this without having a desire to live more simply, or without struggling through thinking about all the money and stuff we have, and the way we use it. One house we went to was the home of the poorest family in Haza. Grant said that a group of 7 people from Texas are coming soon and he is hoping that they will build her a new house. He predicted it would cost about $1, 500. Each of those people are probably spending more than that just for the plane ticket to come here. I think there are so many great aspects of short term missions, but I am also realizing some of the negative aspects of them too.

This was my last clinical day at Ethembeni and I must say that makes me really sad. I have learned a lot in this community and have seen how powerful touch, encouragement, prayer, listening, and love from another human being is. The interdependence here has shown me how important family and community is. I love working with Ethembeni and would be there every day if I could- I much prefer it over working in the clinics.

Last Saturday we went to Durban! We spent a couple hours at a market and then went to a rugby Semi-Finals game. We all QUICKLY became HUGE sharks fans. And GUESS WHAT?!?!?! THEY WON!!!! It was an Awesome game! I was literally on the edge of my seat at the end of the second half. I was freaking out- the game was so close. Rugby is incredible and violent and I love it. Football is so boring and wimpy compared to it.

The next day we had this thing called “Talking Drums” in which these people came with drums for everyone, along with other instruments, and they directed us through an hour playing session. It was a lot of fun! A video clip of a little bit of the session is on youtube-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smfpxnoNIso

Then later that night, about half of us went out for Thai food ( I had one of my favorites- veggie red curry-oh wonderfulness : )

This past week was Homecoming Week!!!! Monday was Pajama day, Tuesday was Twin day, Wednesday was White V-neck T-shirt day, Thursday was Wackey Tacky day, and then Friday was AE blue collar t-shirt day. (Below we attempted to spell out the word twin).

Tuesday and Thursday this week, I was at a NGO AIDS clinic, mostly funded by the United States, called Caprisa. Tuesday I worked with a lovely Sister named PK. I did lots of Depot injections that day. My favorite part of the day was organizing her computer records and teaching her how to copy and paste. She was thrilled- it is going to make her job go by a lot quicker now. Thursday, I was in the blood trailer. I drew a few bloods, but mostly I labeled blood tubes and sorted them. I thoroughly enjoy little tasks like that, but my favorite aspect of working at the clinic is that every time I look out a window I see gorgeous deep green rolling hills and cows, lots and lots of cows. It is wonderful!

There is definitely a difference between Caprisa and the other clinics I have worked at. Some things I have noticed are that it has a nicer outdoor waiting room, there is way more paperwork, less patients, the workers get a higher pay, and the biggest difference (which may be a result of some of these factors) is that the workers are all so kind and compassionate. They are smiling like all the time, and speak in a very caring tone with the patients. P.K. says she thinks that this is because they are less tired and burnt-out since they are not as overworked than those at the other clinics. I don't know why it really is, but I think it is absolutely wonderful and refreshing. I feel like these patients are going to be healthier and happier just because of these positive interactions. I think we often underestimate the influence we have on others, and how important and powerful a smile, or a kind word or tone of voice, or some encouragement can be. My Papa once told me that in every interaction we have, we either deposit in someone, or we withdraw from their personal account. We build them up or we bring them down.

For Friday chapel we had a woman who survived the Rwandan Genocide speak-AMAZING & INSPIRING story!!! God is always in control. He is so Faithful!

Friday afternoon we played an intense game of soccer and my team won in overtime!!! We decided the best thing to do after the sweaty game would be to have a soapy slip n' slide. (I have seriously gone down more slip n' slides during the last month than in my whole life combined). After that, the nursing majors slipped away to the grocery store to buy food to make for a semi-homemade Italian dinner and ingredients for a surprise for the other students that we baked while at Janet's, the girl's CLC's, house in town. At 10pm we put on a surprise "Midnight Breakfast" (an APU tradition usually put on the night before finals start) in which we brought our baked goodies and encouraging notes we nursing majors wrote for each of the 34 other students. They had their last final the next morning (nursing majors don't have our final until next week and then in a couple weeks we will have our huge papers and Senior Sem. presentations).

Sunday night we had our Homecoming Dance. This was my first and last APU dance, and it was by far the best dance I have ever been too! The room looked beautiful. We had a delicious dinner, a spelling scramble challenge, great music including a couple performances, a raffle, and a lip syncing improve contest. One of my favorite parts was when we all left the tent and danced by the waterfall under the stars to the song "Dancing in the moonlight."

The homecoming planning committee made a video slideshow of some of our journey up until this point and they played it at dinner, you can check it out on you tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvHNw7rU4J8

Upper left is me and some of my South African church friends (Laura, Kanengoki (K for short), and Carrie) in the dining room, and upper right is me and K in the photo booth.

Upper left are all the lovely ladies at my dinner table, and upper right is the whole group.

I miss and love you all!

Sala Kahle

Safari

Psalm 19:1-4 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

Romans 1:20 “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

<-Nursing Girls

Sawubona Everyone!!!

This weekend I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine-Safari in Africa! It was absolutely incredible; What an adventure!!!

It started off Saturday morning. After a 4-hour drive to the reserve and a picnic lunch, we got into jeeps and drove around until dinner time. It was cold and wet, but that just added to the adventure. That afternoon we came upon a herd of elephants that came up quite close. It was AMAZING!!! I LOVE elephants!!! They are possibly my new favorite animal. They are just such magnificent creatures. God is so creative and intelligent! Also that night, we saw wild dogs eating 2 impala (I would not necessarily call it a highlight for me, but it was for the rest of the group).

After dinner we were driven back to our tents. Whenever we got out of the jeeps the drivers would shine their torch (flashlight) in the bushes as we did the same while we walked to our tent. We had specific orders that we could not leave the tent until we heard the jeep again outside our tent in the morning. Last week a leopard attacked a man outside his tent there around dinner time. Luckily there were people near by who screamed and the leopard dropped the man’s head out from his jaws and ran away. The man had to be airlifted out, but I believe he survived. So- yes, we followed our strict orders. The tents were also an interesting situation or “adventure” in themselves. I am not exaggerating when I say our tent was covered and filled with 100+ beetles. We had bug nets, but I learned that bugs can still get in those nets…did you know beetles bite??? Well- they do. It’s all good though, even with the bugs, and ferocious winds, and intense heat, it was absolutely wonderful and I am very thankful for the experience.

Sunday, we left the camp at a little past 5am and drove around until breakfast time. For breakfast we went to the most amazing restaurant at the top of a mountain in the reserve. It was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Beautiful panoramic view. As we ate a delicious South African breakfast we watched a herd of elephants cross a road below us. The whole breakfast I could not stop thinking about my parents. I wish they could have been there- They would have LOVED it! It reminded me of a place we went to in Alaska a couple summers ago…minus the elephants and guava.

After breakfast we drove until our picnic lunch, then drove again until dinner. The highlights of the day were the rhinos. We saw a black rhino, which is very rare- One of the guides said it was only the third Black Rhino he has ever seen. We made rhino noises and it stood up and came up a little closer! Super fun. Truth be told, I think we enjoyed making Black Rhino noises more than we actually were excited about the rhino itself. Next was my favorite part of Sunday- We watched white rhinos rolling in the mud-SUPER CUTE!!! Then as we were driving looking for lions our car stopped working right next to a herd of white rhino. We had to get out of the jeep to push it and start it back up. White rhino are generally pretty passive compared to the black rhino, so they did not charge or anything- in fact they ended up running away; But, even though it was for just a short moment, it was still so cool to be standing so close to them!!! Later that afternoon as we were on a huge unsuccessful lion hunt we saw about 30 very endangered wild dogs running and we knew right away they were making a kill so we followed them to a standing viewpoint over a water bend. As we got there we realized that we could see 4 of the “Big 5” all at one time. In the mostly dried up riverbed there was a rhino, a herd of elephants, a lioness (who really looked more like a little white dot in the distance), and a Wildebeest. The only animal we were missing was a leopard, but those are super rare to see. It was so amazing!!!! And, the sunset was beautiful. It was just a wonderful moment and a precious end to a great day.

Monday we drove before and after breakfast, and then left for AE after a picnic lunch. The highlight of the day was the LIONS!!! The whole morning was a very serious lion hunt. We got word that a group saw a pride of lions walking up from the river bend following a buffalo so we drove into the thicket and found the buffalo and we sat and we watched and waited and watched and waited and drove back and forth and repeat…(you get the picture). We were just about to give up and were driving away as we spotted them walking through the thicket. We positioned ourselves and then watched them cross the road right in front of us!!! There were about twice as many lions as we expected (there was about 6). It was INCREDIBLE!!! I don’t have words to explain…It was just SO AMAZING!

Afterwards we searched for cheetah and were unsuccessful, but I did not really care. I was still on a high from everything else, and I had never expected to see any cheetah in the first place. During the search we saw some warthogs rolling in the mud and for some reason I just absolutely loved it! They reminded me of puppies. I don’t know what it is about watching things play in the mud, but I just think it is so cute! Absolutely Adorable!

White Rhino (with little birds) upper left and Warthogs upper right

Impala upper left and Buffalo upper right

Zebra upper left and a Baby Giraffe suckling it's mother upper right

This was such an incredible experience!!! I feel so blessed. Overall we saw several herds of Elephants, White Rhino, a Black Rhino, Impala, Nyala, Wildebeest, Kudu, Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Lions, Wild Dogs, Warthogs, a Mongoose, a variety of birds, Hyenas, Baboons, Monkeys, and then in the insect/reptile realm-Big Beetles, little beetles, Scorpions, Gigantic moths (like bird size-we get them here at AE also), little moths, millipedes and Geckos. However, even if we had not seen any animals at all, I would have loved every minute of this trip. It was just so beautiful- absolutely jaw dropping. I am so in Awe of the Lord.

May you see God in the world around you and delight in Him!

Sala Kahle

Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika

“The journey had begun. And now the fear back again, the fear of the unknown…Deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed, beyond any recall…The humble man reached in his pocket for his sacred book, and began to read. It was this world alone that was certain. “ Cry of the Beloved Country

“Sometimes in life every one of us finds himself out of control, caught in circumstances that he is helpless to change. When this happens, welcome such times! Often it is only then that we lesser spirits enter into the truth of Jesus’ statement from the fifteenth chapter of John: ‘Apart form Me ye can do nothing.” –Catherine Marshall

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Sawubona!!!

Last Sunday, after the Zulu immersion experience, we went to Durban! Durban is a big city a couple hours drive away. We went shopping at a few markets and then I swam in the Indian Ocean. Although it started raining, the water was rather warm, mid->high 60s, and we had so much fun! When we returned we put together an epic slip n' slide event in which the nursing students skills were called into action a couple times. Later that night we were reunited with the rest of our group as they returned from their Safari. I never realized 44 people could become so close. We had only been separated a couple days, but we all missed each other and were so excited to be together again. We had a wonderful time sharing our different weekend adventure stories with one another.

Last week I had clinical at Mason’s clinic. Tuesday I was in the ARV clinic and for the first couple hours I was working with the doctor. I charted and assessed the patients as he assessed, diagnosed, and prescribed. After the doctor left, I continued doing the same thing but with the nurse. In South Africa, it is legal for nurses to basically act as doctors when there are no doctors around. Thursday, I was in the main general practice/ family planning section and did the same type of charting and assessing as I did Tuesday plus lots and lots of injections. I did a lot of birth control injections, and a lot of Strep. injections for TB patients. They do almost all their injections in the buttocks, which is so rarely done in the U.S.A. that this was my first time doing so.

I found myself that week feeling slightly overwhelmed with the issues here. I’ve seen little girls in clinical who were raped and infected with HIV because of the myth that sleeping with a virgin will cure HIV. One of the CLCs told me that it is especially bad in cities like certain areas of Cape Town in which family members will actually arrange their daughters’ rape because they figure it is destined to happen anyways so it might as well be by the uncle or someone else close to the family so that they will be the ones “cured.” Other students shared that they have learned that it is really bad in the physically and mentally disabled population because men just assume they must be virgins, so despite them trying to tell otherwise, they are repeatedly raped due to this myth. You would think that people would start to realize it is false when they are still positive afterwards. How does a myth with no results to back it up last for so long?

A nurse told us at clinical the other day, and was later confirmed by my professors, that there used to be a big problem with people buying TB infected sputum to send to the government to get grants so they wouldn’t have to work, or patients trying to be sick with HIV for that same reason. She said it was because they were lazy and didn’t want to get a job. I would think it is maybe more out of desperation, and not being able to get a job…maybe it is a combination. This high rate of HIV has erased much of the middle-aged generation. Many households are run by grandmothers or are child run households. And then there also are the orphans who are taken in by foster families who do not take care of them but just use them for foster parent grant money.

At clinical the nurse also told us about how they would offer STI education, but patients would not come or they would receive education and still not change. We can give all the education in the world, but they have to want it otherwise nothing will change here. And it is also so much more complicated than just education, it is a battle with traditions and customs and lack of resources.

I have heard from several that a lot of pregnant women still get (and often die from) illegal abortions (which we see signs for everywhere) because they don’t want to do the mandatory counseling required, or by the time they get an appointment for counseling it is after 12 weeks and the sister (nurse) then won’t do the abortion so they take it into their own hands. Women are very strong here. In Zulu culture, women do the majority of the work because in the past the men would be away during the day in the army. Now, there is no Zulu army, but those gender roles have remained in many areas. Despite all the work they do, there are many women that still have little control in their lives or over their bodies. They are desperate to cling to any control they can which is where abortions and birth control injections come into the picture.

The issues here are not limited to health but continue onto things like police corruption and whatnot. It is odd and disturbing to see such rich houses right next door to squatter camps; the juxtaposition of the First World and Third World. The gap between the two is so wide here, yet so visible. When I was driving through a bad part of town after clinical Tuesday and starting to feel bogged down by all the need around me, I was reminded that I have the opportunity of just flying home and physically "escaping this," but the people here can’t. They can’t just snap their fingers and be free from this state of being. Although it is not impossible for someone here to break out of the situation they are born into, I believe it is much more difficult to do so here than it is to do so in the United States.

At home it is easier for people to live in a state of bliss and ignorance or in denial. We see commercials or news repots, but can then quickly just place it in the back of our minds and move on with life focusing on ourselves. But here, it is so in your face. I don’t understand how one could live here and not feel desperate to change the situation, to help their neighbors. However, I also understand how the nurses and many other people I have met here have become jaded and burnt out. It is too overwhelming to take on such huge problems alone, and frustrating when your efforts seem fruitless. We must remember why we are here and what our purpose is. Not changing the world does not make you a failure. You are loved and delighted in by the Lord-no matter what, and saving the whole world from all its problems is not what he has called us to do. He is the only one who can truly save us.

Matthew 22: 37-39 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

"We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed." ~Brother Lawrence

Making a difference in even just one life, as insignificant as it may seem compared to the big picture, is still a glorious thing. God values and cares about every individual; Matthew 18:12-14-“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish" All countries have their own set of issues and the United States is certainly far from perfect. There are people around you who need the Lord’s love, who need a smile, or a helping hand. Compassion. You may not be able to solve world hunger or cure AIDS, but you can make a world of a difference to someone in your community. We are easily consumed with ourselves and our selfish desires that bring fleeting happiness. We are called to open our eyes and love our neighbor, and that requires a degree of selflessness, but it is worth it. Our true joy and blessings come from the Lord, not from the time focused on ourselves or from material possessions.

As I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed and feeling like the situation here in SA is hopeless, the Lord reminded me that anything is possible with Him, and I am certain that He is here and working. I absolutely love South Africa. It is a beautiful country. I love the people here. For the most part, the people are kind and charismatic. There are aspects of South African culture that I personally prefer over American culture. This is a wonderful country and it is obvious that God has worked here in the past and was apart of the Apartheid ending among other things. God is here and as I go about my time I am reminded that God did not tell me to come and fix all the problems here. He told me to come and love, and that is what I will continue to do. Give the Lord your burdens and do not become tired of doing good. It is all in His hands; we are in His hands.

Matthew 11: 28-30 " Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Galatians 6: 8-10: Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Ecabazini

Sawubona!

So far I am having possibly the BEST weekend of my life!!! The past couple days I was living at Ecabazini, a Zulu homestead, and it was amazing. The people are beautiful, the culture is rich and refreshing, and the landscape is absolutely breath-taking. I love being in rural areas- I have a country girl's heart. I love the simplicity of life, and the focus on family and quality relationships. I love all the animals and nature. God's creation astounds me. I wish we could have spent more time there.

The adventure started out Friday when we drove past zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, ostrich, monkeys, and warthogs to a rural Zulu area. After arriving, we got a tour of the homestead we would be staying at and the homestead "next door." We learned about the traditional clothing of the Zulu, the plant life and its uses, how one becomes a medicine man or is called to become a speaker to the ancestors, how the homestead is designed and who lives in each hut. We learned how to make ropes from grass, and mats from reed picked by the lake. The thing that impressed me the most though was learning about how they use cow dung. They have a fancy pit in the ground that they put the cow manure into everyday with a little water, and it allows them to utilize the methane gas for things like mini gas stoves. This gives them free energy, limits the amount of trees they have to chop for firewood which equals less destroying of oxygen production and less work for the people, and by burning off the methane gas they are also protecting the ozone. This is not a traditional Zulu custom, but something they brought over recently, from India I believe. Super cool!

Above on the left is a photo of the hut I spent the night in, and above on the right is the center of the homestead which is where the cows are kept at night. I love cows- so cute.

After our initial tour, we had an hour of free time so we walked down past the orange groves (whose perfume was sweet and lovely and filled the country's air) to the lake, and a few of us enjoyed a swim while the others kept a look out for crocodiles. It was wonderful. I LOVE lakes! The water was refreshingl, and I love the feeling of squishy lake mud in between my toes.

Then we came back and had a traditional Zulu feast. Red meat is only served for special occasions because it is expensive and also because if they are going to kill a big animal there needs to be enough people to eat all that is killed so they don't waste. When they do have meat it is served first before the rest of the meal so that the people can really savor it and enjoy it for what it is. For that portion of the meal the men sit on one side of the fire in a circle, the leaders sit together in the middle, and the women sit on the other side of the fire in a circle. They cut the meat and serve it with Zulu Bread (YUM!) with piles of salt. First the server takes a bite of the food to show you it is not poisoned and then you start eating by taking the meat and dipping it in the salt. Then, after that, we got into one big circle around the fire and were served individual plates with chicken, a white cous-cous like substance, a type of bean mixed with a grain, a cabbage dish, and a stewed tomato dish (sorry for the lack of appropriate dish names).

I thouroughly enjoyed the hours around the fireplace-Good food, Great conversation, and beautiful stars (we could even see the Milky Way really clearly).

After dinner, we went into one of the huts and started off the evening with some Zulu Beer (non-alcoholic). Like the meat, the hosts drink first to show that it is not poison.

Then we got to watch some traditional Zulu dancing and singing, and afterwards I even got a chance to dance with them. I love the passion in their dancing. They were all having such a good time, and they have some very impressive moves, like their high kicks that I attempted.

This morning, after a frog catching and a lovely breakfast of malta bella (a porridge made from the same grain the beer was made of), toast, eggs and Roobios tea; they taught us how to make pottery. It is so much harder than it looks, but still- lots of fun!

Next we played with the baby goats...It is official-I want a goat!!! They are absolutely adorable (even when they try to eat my braids).

Then they taught us to how to bead. Below is the bracelet I made.

After bracelet making I got to learn how to stick fight like a Zulu Warrior. Thank you Trevor for the sword fighting lessons this summer, never knew it would come in handy here in Africa. (Below is a video of a tiny bit of it)

One of the highlights of the day was when I was taught how to clean the hut floors with cow dung...Yes- that is right, I was not cleaning up cow dung, but using cow dung as cleaner. (Picture below on left)

Below on the right is me and a couple of the Zulu women. They put red clay on their faces as sun block. For part of the time we were there they wore traditional clothing and the other part they wore more western contemporary clothing. Traditionally, the married women wear shirts, and the single women go topless.

I loved being immersed into the Zulu culture.

I am so thankful for this experience. God is so Good!!!

Sala Kahle!!!