Mmmmm Riv’ Life today..
We started our service sites I am at River of Life. Here is
a quick summary.. Riv’ Life International is a community center that focuses on
holistic community development by addressing spiritual, social, economic,
emotional, and physical needs within their neighborhood. They seek to alleviate
poverty and decrease risk factors in their community by working with health,
economic, youth, nutritional, social, and gender issues. Specific service opportunities
include volunteering at the drop in center, helping with economic projects,
raising AIDs awareness, and assisting unemployed person.
Proverbs 16:19 It is better to live humbly with the poor than to share
plunder with the proud.
This morning I woke up early, because are team had to leave
early. I did not get much sleep the night before. It was do to a lot of things
being on my mind and heart, and I was restless. And the past 3 days we have had
class each day for 8 hours.// We are taking Community Engagement with a wise
man named Francis… It has been a great 3 days filled with learning, listening,
and fun as we were preparing for serving the community. I have learned so much
no words can even say. Francis is a great man of God a true servant and has
worked for World Vision in the past and seen communities dream the dream and
have faith to transform their communities for the better.//
Anyways back to today. A group of 16 of are at Riv’ Life for
the next couple weeks and we are spilt into 4 groups and each goes through a
different rotation of working at the organization. Riv’ Life is set up right in
a township area. The leadership behind this organization is amazing. I am so
blessed to be here.
My group of four had the opportunity to go on home visits
today. I was really excited because we got to work with Social Workers today.
My heart kind of skipped a beat because, well I can’t help but smile, ~this is
kinda my passion~ ….for now at this time at least in my life…. It was an
absolutely incredible experience to follow around a SW today around the
township of “Cinderella” and just sees
how she assesses the situation and we got to interact and do the same. Language
was a slight issue, but we translated as well. We went to 7 homes today.
My heart just breaks for some of the predicaments that these
beautiful people are in. The first man we visited was 29 years old. He has been
restricted to his wheel chair for the past 3 years or so. He believes that the
ancestors caused him to have a stroke and be in a wheel chair. We sat and
talked to him for about 30 minutes just hearing about his story. He is alone a
lot, because he can’t get out of the house very easily and is afraid of the
outside and what may be done to him. I could not help but just pray that this
man would find the truth and the true healer, this is something that a witch
doctor could never do. His mother provides the main source of income, even
though he lived in a small home; it was one of the nicest we saw. His named
sounded like “Innocent”, but I am not sure how to spell that. He wanted us to
come back and just talk to him, because he is so lonely.
~ The next home we went to was a shack. The man was sitting
outside in the dirt and his grandson was playing in the dirt with an old
electrical part. The young boy kept scratching his head and his eyes looked
dejected. I smiled at the little boy and no expression came from him. The man
spoke very well in English, he invited us into the shack and he told us that
for a job he use to repair shoes, but he was been sick with Tuberculosis //The
Social Worker told us that him and his wife have HIV Aids// and him and his
wife are left to take care of their children’s 6 month year old daughter and 4
year old son. The old man had lost his ID so had no way of getting government
money since money is scarce. He asked that we might help him apply for an ID.
~The next home we went to was the home of a little old
woman. She just glowed. And was all smiles as she came out of her home. She did
not really speak any English. For a job she takes care of a child to pay for
her living and food. The child was adorable and he drank all of my water. The
old woman asked if I would marry her son, she told me I would make a great
daughter in law.. I just smiled and laughed as I squeezed her hand.. I told her
she was beautiful.. Every time we visited the homes we would ask them if there
was anything we could do for them, we were willing to clean, cook, and whatever
they needed, but many of them are self sufficient and did not want are help,
but they just wanted to talk and be loved, and heard, feel like they are
important and matter…As I walked in I just blessed them and prayed over their
homes that the light and love of Jesus was cover over and wash away the
reckless slow death of HIV Aids that most of the people had that we saw..//This
is the Heart of the Father//
~Another side note along our journey through the township of
Cinderella.. we ran into many kids, but they did not speak English so we just
did a dance, I would do a move and then they would follow so much joy and
laughter and love… SO Blessed, the Heart of A Child.
~Some other home visits were not as filled with joy as
others. An interesting home we visited, was not even a home but a bedroom of a
white South African woman. She has quite the story and it was the first time
she had met with the Social Worker, we just asked her a lot of questions and
heard her gripping story, she also had symptoms of what could be HIV-aids, but
she was not wiling to open up. It was so interesting though to see a white
woman in an all black township.
~In addition, we saw women who were totally dejected and
being eaten away by the curse of HIV-Aids…there was not much that they could
do. One family was living on 100 ran a month.., which is around 11 dollars a
month, that is next to nothing. Many of these women husbands have left them,
and the future of their children lies in their hands. They often sacrifice
their treatments to feed the children. My eyes began to water when we were in
the last women’s home. She was skinny to the bone, she believed in the Lord,
but her faith she said has become so discouraged, because they are barely
surviving. I just prayed over her door and pleated with God about how and
why..and what am I suppose to do? But, there is so much that can be done and
yet so often so little happens. But it was essential that we were just there
listening and hearing the stories and the heart of the individual. We just
loved on them and showed them we cared. Mmmmm I have so much…it made we wonder
why I even brought 2 suitcases to South Africa…I do not need anything..// This
is where Riv’ life comes in after the assessments the organizations desires to
bridge the gaps of the poor by giving them opportunities to get their ID and
apply for the right government aid or raise money to provide the people with
food..
~Mmm for 4 hours we did this, going from home to home and
just being available to people. I walked back just thinking, maybe thinking to
hard and praying. This is a beautifully broken place. The Social Workers were
both tired, for they work hard and yet there are not many resources, the best
resources comes from donations and raised money from Churches and other
organization. The grants and aid are good, but often are out of reach and pay
minimal. The Social Workers are making small steps to help aid this community
and others in the surrounding of Riv’ Life. Going through home groups in
something I will never forget. It gave me a taste of case management and
something I may do in a couple years.
~Lunch Time: It was great to catch up with everyone in our
group of 16. All of us did a little different things, some went to an aid
support group, others worked at a preschool, some gardened, and some did home
visits like us.
~After lunch a woman came in and was waiting to talk to the
Social Worker, she did not speak much English, but she smiled and we shared my
packed lunch. She began to tear up. I do not know what she was saying but she
said something on the lines that she was overwhelmed. I just began to hold her
hand and rub her back; she was trying to hold her family together and carried
such a burden. She is a strong woman.
~Later some of us talked with the Social Workers about our
career and later we all joined together and hung out at the after school “Drop
in Center”, this is basically and after school hang out place for kids. Some of
the kids spoke English here. We danced, sang, read books, got hair braided,
chased each other, gave piggy back rides, raced, held them, hugged them, played
soccer, some net ball “basketball”.. It was full of joy and laughter. Many of
these kids come from the surrounding townships. This one 9 year old girl clang
to me.. she was on my back for most of the afternoon. She is a third grader and
very smart and knows a lot of English. She had me read her stories and David
and Goliath and would just smile. A beautiful young girl.. she has so much
ahead of her. She blessed me, I forgot how much I miss being with young kids
..it makes me feel like a little kid again. Her name is hard to pronounce if
she come to the after school program tomorrow she told me should would write it
down for me. Mmmmm // God’s Heart.. Let the little Children come..// Oh man I
could see myself working at a community center like this.. Mmm God I am praying
would open and close doors in my life…
~What an adventurous day it has been. I am tired, but a good
tired. What a blessing this is, I can’t even fathom. Thank you Abba, may I
learn, love, observe, seek you, trust, have a faith to move mountains ..and
just be presence in your ministry..
“Each one of them are Jesus in disguise..”
~Mother Teresa
Well that is all for now, I should really sleep now. Mmmm!
Miss yall
Shalom & Love
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