What a week!

This is my friend (in front of her house) that I stayed with when I lived in the community. She still doesn't have her electricity hooked up in her home for fear it will just be cut again.



Her precious, sweet daughter and me. She's the wiggle worm that I shared the bed with when I stayed with them:)



Walking home! This captures life here.


I am not sure how to start this message. This week has been a challenge...We have spent a lot of time just reading the Scriptures and reflecting on why we are here; why we are called to be here. It all seems so clear, and simple, when I hear the eloquent words of George, the founder of Hands at Work. I have had many Scriptures revealed to me regarding things in my life that I need to change- areas I fall short. There are many ways my Western thinking has drifted from the Scriptures and God’s heart. Our culture teaches us things and as a result we form attitudes that aren’t how God desires us to think, live and exist.
Ezekiel 16:49 says, "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, over fed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Oh, the similarities between Sodom and North America/the Western world. When you start asking God to reveal Scripture to you regarding the poor and oppressed it is everywhere. Even so, it is so easy to want to ignore this area of God’s heart. It makes us uncomfortable and may require us to be sacrificial or give up something. Psalm 9:18 says, “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Seems pretty clear, huh? But how do we do it? We love and we serve! “For God so loved the world that he GAVE his one and only Son… (John 3:16)”. Love may not be easy; it is a decision- “Love is patient, love is kind….(1 Cor. 13)”. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3:16,17)”
The heart of God is to love and serve! I am convinced the world could be a different place if we each gave of our hearts and lovingly served others. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).”
Oh, what an exciting journey we are on...hope to hear from you soon! Love you!

Kruger National Park

I love ZEBRAS!!



I love ELEPHANTS!



I love GIRAFFES!





Last weekend we spent a great day at Kruger National Park. I LOVED it! I loved driving around and searching for these magnificent animals. After gazing at the zebra for a while I eagerly shared that "I LOVE zebras." Later when we saw the elephant I shouted, "I LOVE elephants!" Not long after we saw the giraffe and, again, I responded, "I just LOVE giraffes!" We all had a good laugh as my enthusiasm switched from one creation to the next depending upon what we were gazing at the moment! It was fantastic. What majestic animals they are. We also saw hippos, wildabeasts, impala, wart hog, sable, monkeys. What a creative, beautiful God!

I hope to have sometime later this week to sit down and gather my thoughts and share a bit of what I have been learning recently. It is heavy on my heart. It is deep- it is the truth! I need to share it. We had a wonderful day today just learning and hearing stories from the founder of Hands at Work. I am slowly learning what it means to have a servants heart but also learning how far I have to go. What a great place to be- being molded by the potter's hands! Talk to you soon....

Happy Easter!

The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing joyfully to your name! Psalm 18:46-49

Happy Easter! I have been thinking of all of you today. Missing you but I also have the blessed assurance that, many of you right along with me, will soon be worshiping the Lord and praising in reverence of this special day! It is such a special thing to know that Christians all across the world gather together on this day to remember the foundation of our faith!
We woke this morning to a nice rain fall. It has since cleared and we will join some young couples this evening for dinner. It has been a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Yesterday we went to Kruger National Park where we saw lots of wonderful African animals. I will try to post those pictures tomorrow. God’s creation continues to stun me- I had a GREAT day!
That’s all for now! Have a blessed Easter and keep seeking Him. He IS alive and doing miraculous things, everywhere!

Never Give Up

On Monday we went out again to make home visit in a nearby village. Again, I was awe struck by what I saw. Each time we go out on home visits I am learning, understanding and appreciating the effectiveness of this ministry more and more. We saw a couple of the same patients that I had seen last week. A couple were feeling much better and it was a delight to see their spirits lifted and a renewed twinkle in their eye.
One of the patients, a young woman with AIDS was no better. She continues to decline- emaciated and appearing to lack any desire to keep living. My heart broke as I realized at this stage we pray for her heart. Lifting her up to the Lord for mercy that she doesn’t have to keep on in pain and suffering- trusting the Lord that she knows Him or if not that He will grab a hold of her heart and that she may soon joyfully join Him in heaven- dancing, free from pain and any further heartache. Walking away from a visit like this I leave feeling quite solemn. But, that lasts only a moment. As we return to the “care center” and all the volunteers gather together to sing and pray hope is renewed. Today we join in singing one of my favorite songs here in South Africa. It’s a beautiful display of life here; the hearts, strength and mind-frame of these strong people. The words are simple but a testimony of life:
Never give up (never sounding more like ne-vah- with their gorgeous voices)
Never give up
Never, never, never, never, never...
Never give up
I say never, never give up
The words are few but the depth is to the core of what they believe and how they survive.
So, whatever you are facing today. Know that I am here in South Africa singing, "Nev-vah give up" and faithfully praying for you.

Also, thanks so much for your faithful prayers, letters and emails! You keep me encouraged. Thanks! Bless you!

Driving!

I have successfully and safely driven a standard VW minibus on the left-hand side of the road (that is where I was suppose to drive:). Yes, I was a bit nervous but it was time to gain a bit more independence. So far so good! The driving is a bit different here but, like many things, I am learning to adapt!
I hope you are having a blessed weekend!

Just a glimpse

I love seeing things become clear in my life. This week I have, again, had reassurance. The last 3 years of my life have come full circle. I have worked as a hospice nurse for such a time as this...
I got a glimpse this week of what exactly I will be doing as a nurse when I go to Mozambique in May. We shadowed some home-based care visits this week. While I enjoyed the visits and got eager to be ready to be more actively involved in caring for patients I also felt challenged. The first patient we saw was a granny who was sitting on her mat outside eating her lunch. She had had a stroke and as a result has left-sided weakness. As the local nurse spoke with her and the family I sat there thinking what we could do for her. What would I do for a similar patient in the States? Unfortunately there isn’t much to do no matter where you may be. But here it seemed more unfair. She had no pain medicine for her aching shoulder, no option of physical therapy to try to regain any strength. I felt helpless. Then the local nurse looked to us and asked if I had any words of encouragement for her. After about 30 seconds of silence Laura says, “Sure. Ya, Dara do you want to do that?” (Thanks Laura!) My initial thought was this, “No, I have nothing to encourage her with. This seems hopeless and besides, who am I to encourage her? I am a white person who met her 3 mintues ago. I have the world at my finger tips and I have never walked a day in her shoes with a hungry stomach and a family to care for.” I had nothing to say. I was praying, I was begging God to give me words. I am sure I didn’t say anything profound but I did realize one thing. I need to know my God better. I need to be able to be encouraging in what my Western eyes see as a hopeless situation. I need to shed my Western standards and see the world through the eyes of an African and more importantly through God’s eyes. I need to be ready, strengthened and willing to do what may seem simple and insignificant to me- it could be huge in the Lord’s eyes. Jesus sat with widows, Jesus listened to children and Jesus was just present with the suffering. I often won’t be able to “do” enough, but I can love. I can let my light shine because I do know there is hope. I do have good news to share.
I pray that over the next 8 weeks as I prepare to go to Mozambique that I will grow and be better prepared for times like this. I need to be ready to answer hard questions, to pray bold prayers and to be Jesus to these people with such great needs. I need to expect the Lord to meet me here and do great things.
This is one story. There have been and will be many more. We also saw a young girl dying of hiv/aids- giving up on life and refusing to take antibiotics to treat her opportunistic infection. We saw orphans living alone with no food, granny’s with no clean water. In the midst of this God is showing me hope in His word…
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone how searches for you. For the needy will not be forgotten forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. Psalm 9:9, 18
I am doing great. In the midst of the heartache lives are being changed, God is present and working. I am learning a lot about the culture and growing along with the others who are all eager to do our part and make the most of this next year.
We do also have lot of fun. Cooking meals together and spending the evenings playing Uno and Taboo is my new social life. I am happy- right where I want to be!

God's Window

Today we went to do some sightseeing near White River. South Africa is so beautiful. I don’t know what I expected it to look like but it is much more magnificent than I imagined! I find no better way to see God than to adore His creation.
The first picture is at God’s Window and a wild lily- ah, thanks God for giving us wildflowers!
The second is our group- from left to right: Lacy from Canada, Dustin also from Canada (he’s just here for 3 mos), Laura- Canada, Callan from South Africa and me!
The third is Laura and me- she’ll be the other pea in my pod for the next 12 months. We continue to be so grateful that God called us here together. What a bonus and blessing it has and will continue to be to share this experience together.
The last picture- me enjoying the view!

Awareness

Sawubona! Hello in Siswati.
While I was staying in the "community" I had a conversation with a junior high aged young man. I asked him what he knew or had learned about America in school. This was his response: "The Eiffel Tower is there isn't it?" "Mexico and Australia?" He did know that New York City was in America and also commented on Celine Dion (she's from Canada isn't she?) and 50Cent. After talking to him I felt sad. I felt bad that 50Cent is who this young African man knows about. But then, after more thinking, I started to thing what we in the USA know about Africa. How informed are we? How small each of our world views can be whether we live in the US or in South Africa. How about this? Did you know that 6,000 children are orphaned each day (I believe that is in South Africa)? And that 30,000 children die each day? How about this? 94% of the evangelical church is not doing anything about orphans or widows- a biblical mandate to be caring for them. Or this...23% of children in Zambia are orphaned and by 2020 there will be an estimated 40 million orphans- the number of school children in the States. Aids/Hiv is a global crisis. I challenge you to pray about what God may want you to do about this. Also, if you haven't, take a few minutes to look at the Hands at Work website. www.handsatwork.org I am daily impressed and honored to be working with such an organization.
On a lighter note:
I just left my "house" because I was laying on my bed reading when I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. That is never good. So I look to catch a 6-8 inch lizard/gecko type thing scurrying across our bedroom floor. Ish. I screamed for Laura and she came and we tried to chase it out the window but he didn't seem to know how to go up the wall. So, after he ran through Laura's drawer and disappeared we built him a ramp with shoes and a suitcase to try to assist him out the window:) Icky!!! I wish I knew he was out before I go to bed tonight:)

A different world

Imagine, if you will, a different place. A different life. A place like nothing you have seen in the States. A life you may have only imagined in a movie.
Imagine being a 21 year woman living with your 3 year old daughter. You live in a small house that you now own after your mother died. You don't get along with your stepfather because he was drunk and didn't even go to your mothers funeral. You are trying to get through high school and you dream of being a nurse but with no one available to assist and advocate for you it is unlikely that you will be able to get any kind of further education. You currently don't have any electricity in your home because the man than has attempted to rape you in the past recently came to your home and cut your electricity line to sell the copper to get some money. You live off of 200 rand (approximately $25) a month- grant money from the goverment because of having a child. You live a life of fear and survivial. You go to church and you feel good while there but when you leave you don't feel the Lord's presense you often wonder where God is in your life.
This is a brief summary of my last 5 days. I ate, slept, and lived this life. It was wonderful, hopeless, frustrating, lonely and scary. BUT, it's reality! It is a life that most in Africa live. Living hand to mouth, not seeing past tomorrow. Greeting each other with a response to "how are you?" meaning in English- "I am here (I made it through another day)".
As part of my training here so far we are attempting to understand the culture. It has been humbling not "doing" what I think I can do (using my nursing skills) but I also understand that in order to be at all effective these cultural experiences are essential. So, Tuesday afternoon the 5 of us "Footprinters" (the Hands at Work program I am part of) were reunited and are now back at ASM (Africa School for Missions). It is pretty incredible that after knowing these other 4 for only a week it felt SO great to be back together and at our little West Mount Cottage together. We all had stories to tell and experiences to share. We all called dibs on the shower- after taking a bucket bath in about 2 inches of water for 5 days and sweating A LOT we were pretty pumped to feel human again! It was wonderful to sleep well last night. It was a curse for me to have a thermometer on my alarm clock (while in the community) and knowing that it was 88 degrees when I layed down at night and then feeling like it had really cooled off by morning, down to 80 degrees (with high humidity)! Which by the way we went to bed at about 730pm and got about 530-600am each day. Those of you who know me know that the 800pm to bed is okay but the early morning- not really me!
Well, I apologize if this message is a bit scattered. I am at an internet cafe and feel a bit pressured for time....Thank you all for your messages. It is such a great feeling to hear from you after no comminication- even for a week. I am loving where I am and have 100% peace of being here but do know there is a long road ahead. I am finding it pure priveledge to be able to pray for you. I may not know exactly what is going on in your lives but when you are on my heart I am praying! I love and miss you all. I am sorry I don't have more time to write more personal messages. I will do my best as time allows. Take care- love you.
One last thing...I woke this morning to hear from Lacy, as I was staggering to the bathroom in our house, that there is a frog in our toilet. She had tried to flush him but he didn't go down! So I had to stick my hand in the toilet (with a plastic bag) and grab him out. With the little guy in hand I RAN outside and threw the whole bag out the door. I did this all as Callan (the 18 year old guy from South Africa) supportively watched!