I’m just remembering home. Listening to Mae’s the Everglow; all I can think about is sitting on a beach in California with Dustin or in the Marquee with Carly, Katie, and Eric. There have been times when people start remembering I’m gone and leaving me messages on my Facebook wall or sending me emails. When I get a taste of home; that life has continued on and when I return my friends will have new friends, they will have new memories to laugh about and new challenges they have overcome. When I hear that stuff I get home sick. I’m sure it is that time in the semester. I am here for 2 more months although the way we talk it seems like in a few weeks I’ll be on my way home. I have had an amazing experience, I will be writing about this at the end of my trip as well but for now, this semester has challenged me in my beliefs, my complacency, my organization skills, my ability to make new friends, my ability to hold old ones, my relationship, and my drive, my faith, and my compassion.
I can’t come home without a piece of Africa with me. The women I serve every day and the boys who play with my phone and call me “Howlie”; they will be in my heart. I was told by Michelle that once seeing this place, once understanding the poverty and the need, there is no way to go back home and life the life I was leading before SA. I know that after May’s trip to SA I went home challenged to bring support and funding the Helping Hands. But I didn’t. Instead I decided to come to South Africa on my own. The first taste wasn’t enough. So now my heart is on fire…I have begun to think what I can do to support Sinethemba. Lindsey and Ryan, a couple who are here long term and from ASU, were given 12lbs of chocolate chips as a wedding gift (they were married in Feb here in SA). What is amazing about this and the reason for them receiving so many chips, is that there are no chocolate chips for sale here. I have seen them in cake mixes, on cakes, in muffins, on ice cream but none on sale in the stores. So for the last few weeks when I see them I have gotten a little taste of home with chocolate chip cookies and pizzookie (I love those so much and yet I don’t know how to spell it J) But as it turns out most South Africans haven’t thought to add these chips of gold to cookies and when Lindey and Ryan brought 100 cookies to church to sell, the church went crazy over them. The money they got they gave to Sinethemba.
I was there when they gave Nolitha the check, after they left I spoke with her. She had tears in her eyes and began reassuring me that the women and children wouldn’t go hungry this month. It has been a hard month for Sinethemba. I began four weeks ago I think and since that time the food supplies have dwindled. Each consecutive day I would serve less and less nutritious food. On Wednesday it was lintels, onion, and potato, no soup just salt in the water, not very tasty. On Friday it was cabbage, onion, and water. I was embarrassed to serve them the cabbage water. Since when has anyone enjoyed such a meal but as Nicole reminds me daily while driving to and from Khayelitsha, a half a loaf of bread is better than no bread. That Xhosa saying embodies the way these people appreciate even the paltry soup I serve them. I see it most in the children. Some will take the left-overs of the others and even lick the plate clean.
So what do I do about this? Now we have the rest of April covered but what happens when May comes? That has been the question of the hour. Will you pray with me that Sinethemba finds stable support? Pray for the well being of the Ndalasi family, that Nolitha’s job will continue to support her children as she gives more and more to Sinethemba. And pray that both you and I will fulfill the challenge to give back to the Lord what is His.
