Up in the hills and on the border

So coming to the end of our 4 week orientation we had another opportunity to have a community stay. We traveled 3-4hours to a breath-taking community right on the Swaziland border.

And as strange as it sounds it was cold, we arrived with scarves and jackets and beanie, I was rugged up in Africa who had thought.

As soon as we arrived we were greeted by a group of care workers, that just from the moment I met them seemed to be special and there was really great feel.

The morning we had an opportunity to sit in a meeting called about a care plan it was great hearing the dreams these care workers have for their community.

But my highlight was really getting to know the care-workers, I spent 15 mins sitting with a care worker on the grass and she is one of the most incredible women I have ever met, 

In our conversation she told me about her family; she has her own family to look after, her own children and children who she has accepted as her own from relatives who have died. And as we talked she painted a picture of what her day can look like, the day I spoke to her, she had left the house at 6:30am without eating, she went to the local clinic and to educate new mothers the importance of breast feeding and not switching between breast feeding and formula, to choose one or the other because you mix it harms the children’s gastric tube. After this she continued walking where we held our meeting and spent the whole day there doing training and the first time she had eaten all day was at 2:30 in the afternoon. Her faith is an example she said, “She does this work and exclaimed that it was hard and doesn’t complain and finds her strength in God.  But she knew she has been called to do this work to care for children and poor in the community because she sees the need, and someone needs to do it. She said is so hard and it is easy to get discouraged because the great needs but she said God gives her hope and he is her strength there is no way she would be able to do the work she is doing without God. She has such faith and is such an example of a servant-hearted disciple of God.

There are at least 25 carers other carers like this woman that know the need is huge but know that they can care through Gods strength, they truly are heroes and Gods angels.

The care workers in this community are really special, self - sacrificing and are perfect example of Jesus hands and feet. They work hours a day to brighten people’s days and love them and care those who society seems to forget or turn a blind eye to. In a meeting one of the workers explained; that they need to love the children like they are their own. And just love them and care for them and be a parent to them. And I had the pleasure of meeting these inspirational women.

The biggest impact that this community stay had on me though was a community visit we had;

We met an amazing man around my age or older, who really was living in a world of rejection, and pain. He was born with what seemed to be epilepsy and a mental delays and his mum rejected him and left him with his father, and his father cared for him until he died, then he was left with his extended family, and they treat him like a burden.

He sleeps in a crammed corner away from the rest of the family and they don’t allow him to sit on any of the furniture and he is really is given the last of everything. We went to visit him and he was sitting outside in the sun, he had seemed to be a little overwhelmed to have some many people come and visit him. We just sat and chatted to him, asked how he was, he was honest in that he wasn’t good or happy. And when we asked him what to pray for, he said that we would be able to sit on the chairs and couch like everyone else.

He was also in a lot of pain in his feet so he asked for us to pray for them. We found out later that the people he stays with refuse to take him to the clinic so he has to suffer in pain.

The most precious I experienced while sitting with him; happened when he connected with a hands at work volunteer, he really hadn’t had any one on one connection with us, he shook all of our hands but because we initiated it and he didn’t really give us any eye contact. But one of the hands at work people put his hand on his knee and he said to him, “the next time I come to Osheok I will come and pick you up in my car and you can ride in my car and go to one of the carers houses and you will be able to sit on the couch and watch some football with me.”

 After it was translated asked, “Do you understand?”

He reached out and put his hand on the volunteers then looked at him and said in Siswati, “Yes I look forward to it.”

It really made me realize how much these people need carers to come visit them and tell them they are worth something and that they are precious and that someone cares and just to offer to do something special for them, gives them hope to keep on living no matter how hard it is. This is God at work.

This community has really had an impact on my there is such a great need, but that’s what makes it so beautiful because it is in this brokenness that God can be seen. In our brokenness, God can use his strength and God can take brokenness and turn it into something beautiful.