'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together' - African Proverb

Those of you who know me will know that I am that girl who hates being late and loves organisation. I'm the girl who always gets to places five minutes early. Who sets multiple alarms, writes endless lists so I don't forget things and whose days consist of knowing exactly where I am supposed to be at what time. I am always the one with a plan - that girl who has had a plan for where I want to get in life and how I am going to get there since I was ten. 

While being organised is good to some extent, I can hold my hands up and admit that I lack patience. If I'm completely honest I get crazy frustrated by those people who hold up the airport queues because they don't have their passport ready and the procrastinators of this world who take two hours to do something that could be done in less than half that time. 

I have been challenged to the max in this area while we have been out here. Everyone has heard of the concept of 'African Time'. Coming to Africa I have found it extremely hard to adjust to this. God has given me a massive dollop of grace in this area and has been changing my heart. I am the girl who can find revelations in every day moments, in watching the waves crash onto the beach or seeing a child's genuine smile, and in learning to wait an hour for people to show up. The old me would have freaked out if we turned up in Sweet-waters for house visits to pick up the interpreter at the time arranged only to have to go to her house to wake her up and have her join us in her PJ's - but that sort of thing is normal here. 

I don't think that I will ever become the one who is late to everything (although I seem to have adopted some of the African time with how late this blog is - apologies on the couple of weeks I missed). But I am able to take a deep breath now and remind myself 'There is no rush. Just smile and enjoy this moment. Things will eventually get done.' Learning to live in this culture has changed my view on a lot of things...

I am a people person. I love people. I never considered that I might put accomplishments above people. But I am from an individualistic, achievement-driven culture where if you have a list of things to do you will be so focussed on getting them done that any interaction that distracts you will be avoided. 

'Relationships can be built only if you invest time in people.' Am I building real relationships if I am not investing my whole self; my time, actually sacrificing things, not just reaching the surface?

In South Africa that is turned on its head - everything is about community. If you are in the middle of something and someone comes in you are expected to drop everything to have a chat or help them. When someone asks how you are it's not just a polite courtesy, it is with genuine interest. Everything here is based around relationships and I am growing a much deeper love for making my priority investing in people. Deadlines become so much less important when the importance of spending time with those who need you is increased. Maybe if we start to adopt this attitude in our westernised countries we can become less self centred and more servant hearted. 

'There's no greater investment in life than being a people builder. Relationships are more important than our accomplishments.'

African time has also taught me that if you're always racing to the next moment then you never fully appreciate the one you're in. There is a beauty and calmness in just being content with where you are right then. Especially because now life here has become normal, time can just fly by and before you know it it's gone. 

Highlights of the last couple of weeks at Tabitha include: having the kids give us flowers and letters thanking us for being 'mother figures' to them on Mothers Day, watching the boys having a splashing (ha ha) time washing the cars, riding bikes with the older children and seeing them so happy as the wind blew their faces when they raced & teaching Laura to ride a bike (yes she really couldn't ride a bike), watching the rugby where a generous spectator bought all the children a hot dog for lunch, being able to give all the girls new princess duvets for their beds, getting the opportunity to help coach the grade 5-7 boys in a football tournament, seeing the kids improve so much in their swimming lessons (with their new swimming caps), relaxing on the beach on our midterm break day, having a movie night where we all snuggled up and watched Frozen on the projector (complete with popcorn), getting a new oven in the interns kitchen (no more burnt pizzas on Saturday nights - fingers crossed) and the launch of a new Monday night bible study on the sanctity of life. 

Please pray for: the teams health (we have not had the best few weeks with abscesses, rashes, bites and sickness), that the sickness bug going round the children will pass and for the supply of HIV medicine and kids as they change medication.

	

				
												
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
																			
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
																			
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
																			
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
																			
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
																			
						
													

								

										
																																	
																						
											
										
								
																	

										
											
											
											
										
										
									
															
											
					
										
		

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The Queens are an amazing family who have made us feel at home since we have been in South Africa. Paige and Thomas have two kids; Elizabeth (18) and Jacob (13).  They way they live is inspirational; continually being selfless and sacrificial. I have never met people who are so committed to the cause of Christ – they dedicate so much time, energy and love not only to the kids here but to looking after us. When they have time off they take us on trips, they allow us into their home when we need time away from Tabitha and they are always there for a chat if we need support with anything. Seeing as they are such a big part of our lives here I wanted to share a bit about them through an interview with Paige…

1. How did you first become missionaries and what made you decide to come to Tabitha? 

We were living in Tennessee where me and Thomas both grew up. Thomas was a high school teacher and football coach and I was a very well paid radiologist – I was earning a lot of money and I didn’t know what to do with it. I tithed 10% and we still had enough to go on crazy vacations and live in a massive house with a pool and jacuzzi and three cars. In 2012 I heard a talk at a conference which impacted me – it talked about how God blesses us with overflow but we don’t usually share it with those who need it. I went away feeling convicted and read two books (Radical by David Platt and Crazy Love by Francis Chan) and the parables of the rich young ruler and the rich young fool which I identified with. God was talking to me about what I was doing with my life, he was challenging me. “Would you give up everything and follow me?” As a family we started to increase the percentage we gave and then started to give our time to go on mission trips. We went to Honduras and Zimbabwe as a family and although it opened our eyes we never felt like either of those were places we were called to long term; the kids would have been socially isolated, we would all have to learn a new language and  they were very dangerous countries. While we were in Zimbabwe someone from Baptist Global Response told us about Tabitha. We arranged to come here for four weeks, and knew straight away it was the place, we had a peace about it and knew this was where we were supposed to be. However we needed to be 100% sure before we left everything so we prayed. ‘If you want us to go Lord, you will have to sell our house.’ Two weeks later, we hadn’t even put the house on the market and it was sold…for asking price! So we went on a missionary training course and now here we are!

2. What kind of work are you involved in on a day to day basis at the orphanage? 

I would say my job title is ‘Volunteer Coordinator’. Mostly I look after you guys (and all the interns/volunteers we have here). I guess we are like your South African parents – making sure everything is a good as possible for you and you have everything you need, and look after you when you get sick (or have appendicitis!) When we first got here I was very focussed on getting more funding and doing a lot of media and publicity. I still do some of that but not as much. I also run devotional and baking classes for the girls, help out in the school, organise donations and do ‘house visits’ in Sweetwaters (going into home of the sick and medically examining them and offering scripture, prayer, medicine and food.) Thomas mostly did construction work for the first six months of us being here. Now he is the principal of the school at Tabitha and so is in charge of all the schooling and educational side of things. We also spend a lot of time taking the kids off campus; swim lessons, to see Jacob’s rugby etc.

3. What is the best thing or most rewarding thing for you at Tabitha? 

Definitely seeing people coming to Christ on house visits in Sweetwaters. I can be discouraged by ‘kissing all the frogs’ on house visits until I find the one that really needs me. But when that happens it is really rewarding. It is also great to see the kids I work with improve spiritually. When one of the girls in my small group learnt her books of the Bible I was so proud. When we first got here the kids couldn’t read at all, so seeing them read now, however slowly, is very encouraging too.

4. What are your plans for the future? 

Thomas and I stopped planning our future out far in advance 3 years ago when God called us to the mission field. Our family walks by faith now moment to moment and at this moment God has called us here. Our plan is just to carry on being guided by Him and go where He leads us.

5. Are there any specific prayer requests you have for Tabitha and the work you are doing? 

– Guidance with discipline in Tabitha children

– Wisdom and follow through in Tabitha Staff meetings

– Salvation for the Tabitha kids and Sweetwaters patients

– Growth in Sweetwaters Bible studies; in the young adults lives and increased attendance.