“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow”
When you plan to go to live in an orphanage for six months I guess the image in your head involves the kids embracing you with open arms and loving you and all the attention you give them. I’d love to say that is the reality – and sometimes it really is like the dream. However I have found the last week extremely challenging. I didn’t think about the fact that the children haven’t been taught know how to give and receive love properly. That they have learnt to play up in order to get attention. That they will push the boundaries with us as they get to know us to see how much they can get away with. And that we aren’t always here to be their friend but we have to be able to discipline them too otherwise they will walk over us. These are totally dysfunctional kids who I am already starting to love to pieces.
“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations”
I am learning to remind myself every day that these kids need unconditional love and patience more than anything. Whether they are cuddling you, or pinning you against the wall, drawing you pictures or saying the meanest things they can think of. I guess we are all sinners in the eyes of God but he still thinks we all deserve to be loved. Going back and remembering the individual kids stories puts things back into perspective when they are really making you angry.
Another challenge which I wasn’t expecting is having a language barrier. The majority of people in South Africa do speak English and coming to an orphanage where the kids are brought up speaking English it wasn’t even something I considered which would be hard. Zulu is the most common language in this area – most of the staff are from nearby communities and don’t speak much English at all, some Zulu kids come to the school here and struggle to learn in English too. Not to mention the fact the Tabitha kids like to use Zulu (or even pretend Zulu if they don’t actually know any) to try and intimidate us.
I think the language is lovely to listen to though. There are five clicks – two of the kids names here have clicks in them and I am trying to master them. One of the most amazing things is every morning we have prayers with the Zulu caregivers which involves them all singing. It’s emotional how passionate they all are in worship and how incredible it sounds with just their voices! It really is so eye opening how music can bring people together even in a language which is completely foreign to me.
I think we are all starting to settle into African life; going barefoot around the orphanage has become normal, we have learnt that time keeping is much more laid back here and are doing our best with the heat and humidity. However the bugs are something else. At night there are cockroaches everywhere. The other day there was a huge, gigantic, massive one on the toilet seat. I’m not exaggerating. We managed to catch it in a glass but now I’m always scared to go to the toilet in the night…
So yesterday we got to celebrate Valentines day with 41 wonderful kids. And despite the sticky lollipop hands, cake getting in our hair, being hit with balloons, having to make lots of cards and trying to make sure nobody got knocked over during the enthusiastic dancing I’m pretty sure we had the best time ever.
We have also been able to appreciate a bit of this beautiful country and it’s history (as well as being able to have a little break from the chaos here). We visited the Nelson Mandela monument, and even though it was drizzling, it really was a sight. You have to stand in exactly the right place and then all the poles line up and you can see Mandela’s face – artwork at it’s finest. I find it so interesting how this country has had such a big change so recently. However you can see there is still so many things which haven’t been resolved. I don’t think the future of South Africa is going to be easy.
It never fails to amaze me how we can be in town one minute and then see breathtaking nature within a short drive. We saw monkeys, springbok and zebras in a park, and could even get out of the car and get real close to them. We tried feeding them shortbread but I’m not sure that is in their regular diet… There is also an awesome waterfall close by which we visited. In the words of Molly it’s “almost Niagara Falls but just smaller”.
I am so thankful for the company I have on this trip. When you are totally emotional and missing home, fed up from a long day or just enjoying the new culture it’s the girls I am with that make everything so much better. Memories are always best when you have someone to share them with – especially if you are me and have to have someone to tell literally any and everything you see and do to. We have so much fun. Today we spent the car journey in the truck improvising our own instruments and just going crazy to the music. We had a bucket as a drum, air guitars and umbrellas as microphones, although we couldn’t sing most of the time we were laughing too much. Having a sore belly is the sign of a good day!
‘Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.’ Esther 4:14
