Smiling Faces

Thobela (Hello - Good Day ) from Masealama!

I am filled with so much as I write this blog post to you! -   Avocados, mountains, dirty feet, pap (South African food), smiles and most importantly a heart filled with JOY!  I absolutely cannot believe that I have been here only two weeks. While much of this new experience has had its challenges, there is quite a bit that feels so natural and like it is home. I just want to give you a picture of what my day to day has looked like for the past couple of weeks.

Post may seem lengthy... Brief summary in the last paragraph!   :)

                  Masealama Countryside

                                      Entrance to the creche

Let’s start with my daily routine. Each morning I wake and feel the dirt below my feet as I start my short walk to the crèche.  Along the way, I see people walking with wheelbarrows to go get water or wood, which is quite a distance away.    
While I walk this dirt path I am greeted by so many friendly faces!   I hear kids yelling “legoa legoa” (Pronounced Lahora.  Not going to lie, I first was offended thinking they were calling me an insulting name - I’m sure you can figure that one out -  and then I thought they were calling me Laura but I soon learned that “legoa”  means white person)

As I arrive at the crèche the giggles and cries consume me. There are children everywhere and to corral them is quite the challenge. Some know my name, but others call me Alex (the last YAGM volunteer…who was a guy!).  Daily I am amazed at how hard working all the women are here at the crèche.   Whether it is cooking, changing the children, teaching or disciplining; these women do it all.  I don’t have a specific job, but try to help out in any way that I can. I have mastered pouring porridge, carrying babies on my back and teaching ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’!  No one day is the same and I find myself learning more and more about myself, this culture and the people who surround me.

                         The Smiling faces -  as the kids get dropped at the creche

 I leave the crèche in the early afternoon and walk home to find the kids at the grade school waiting to kick a football around with me. I score a few goals and they teach me Sepedi  (the local language).   I am so thankful for their ability to put a smile on my face daily.  I leave them and sometimes head up to the youth center where I hang out with teenagers and am entertained by their gifts of creative arts. So much dancing and marimba playing I can’t handle it!!

My nights are quite a contrast to my busied days - surrounded by many others.  I live alone, with no cell phone service or Internet, which at times can get very lonely. Some nights are harder than others, but I have found myself enjoying this alone time as a way for me to reflect on all that I have been learning and seeing throughout the day.

I need to give a little “shout out” to my wonderful mother who organized daily letters for me to open throughout the year.  You all need to know that those letters have gotten me through the good and the bad days. It is so hard to only read about one a day, if it was up to me I would be through them all already! :)  So I thank everyone back home who wrote a letter and has kept me in their prayers these past few weeks. I cannot even express the depth of my gratitude towards it all!

I could go on and on about my days here,  but I will save for next blog entry.  Here is my quick summary of my experience so far.

Masealama is beautiful.
The people of Masealama are wonderful.
Feeling at home.
Life is good.
God is good!

 Tšhegofatšo (Blessings), 

                 Kelly

Whirlwind

These past few weeks I have felt as though I have been in a constant state of saying goodbye. Two and a half weeks ago I said goodbye to my closest friends and family at home, a week later I left an amazing group of 60 new friends, and tonight I will be saying goodbye to 13 other amazing individuals that I have bonded with during orientation both in Chicago and throughout orientation in South Africa. It will be hard to leave this amazing support group, but it is comforting to know that we will be seeing each other in just a few short months. 

        

As I am getting packed up for the last time, my head is spinning and I am feeling a whirlwind of emotions. Here are just a few things that I have learned, seen and felt this past week in South Africa.

Last Friday, the 10 of us began our long journey across the world and landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. I arrived feeling jet lagged, adventurous and to be honest really cold. I mean I was told that it gets cold in SA, but it really can get cold! I was fortunate enough to be running on pure adrenaline that the brisk air was masked by my excitement. While in Johannesburg our schedule was pretty packed with sessions about what this year may entail and some important ways to deal with that. The most memorable part of my time in Johannesburg was going to a local ELCSA church in a township called Wattville. It was not until I arrived in that church that I really felt as though I was in South Africa. The service was in three languages, English, Zulu and Sotho and the energy inside of that church was energy I had never experienced before. Singing. Clapping. And more singing.

On Tuesday we made a 6 hour transport to another large city in South Africa called Pietermaritzburg. Our time spent here was a lot of learning about the culture of South Africa. We learned how to spend South African money (Rands), how to shop on a stipend, and how to use a common form of transportation called a kombi. Those bus/taxis are quite the experience! There is no doubt that I am going to stumble in some ways, but spending a good portion of this week practicing with everyone here I at least feel a little bit more confident about being on my own. Oh my goodness, so soon!

I am sitting here trying to think of more to tell you all, but I am so distracted by God’s beauty in this country through this amazing sunset and the wonderful people I am surrounded by as we begin to eat our “family dinner” together.

While this moment is quite bittersweet, I am feeling blessed and ready to go!

Patience

Hello everyone! 

Well guess what? I have successfully arrived in my new home country of South Africa. It all feels like a dream to me. Please bear with me on what is bound to be a long post. I just have so much to share with everyone. 

When thinking about what to name this post, I thought that the title patience would be appropriate for  a few reasons. The first one being me wanting to thank you guys for your patience with me. I know that many of you have been waiting for this blog, but surprisingly even after graduation, the procrastination continues!

So for those of you who have been waiting, here is my blog!   Before I left, many  had quite a few questions about what I was doing, where I was going... Hopefully I am going to answer some of your questions here. 

1.) Where are you going? (or where are you?)

I am currently in Johannesburg, South Africa at my in country orientation. On Tuesday we will be relocating to Pietermaritzburg until the following Monday. That Monday will be an exciting day as I move to my year long home in rural Masealama, Limpopo, South Africa. I will be hosted by the Dean (lutheran pastor), but will be living on my own in her house. 

2.) Who are you going with? 

I am blessed to be able to be working as a volunteer for the next year with the ELCA's young adult group missions program called YAGM. This year they have sent 65 young adults all over the world accompanying those they meet. 

I have started this journey with 9 awesome individuals from all of the United States. (Even Alaska). We have spent the past week and a half together for orientation, and will continue to stay together for about another week. At the end of this week we will be starting out for something new. Each and everyone of us has our own placement site. In fact, some of us are quite a good distance from each other. The next time the all of us will be together will be in November! Although I am so very excited to get to my new home, it is going to be quite sad to leave these amazing people! 

3.) What are you doing? 

As a volunteer this year, I have the responsibility of working 35-40 hours a week at my placement sites. My placements are more than perfect for me. I first will be working at a creche, which is a daycare/preschool and also at the local church. Over the summer I have been asked quite a few times how are you serving in this community? The answer is through accompaniment. 

Now what is accompaniment? 

Accompaniment is: walking together in solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. In this walk, gifts, resources and experiences are shared with mutual advice and admonition to deepen and expand our work within God's mission. 

When reading this definition the first thought that pops into my mind is relationship. Building a relationship in hopes to learn others stories and developing the opportunity to share mine. To be honest this idea of just growing in relationship use to be a challenge for me. Years back I use to believe that the  only way to help another person was through giving them something. Whether it be a meal, a roof or a new bathroom floor, whatever I could provide had to be tangible. It wasn't until working for the Appalachia Service Project that I realized the importance of just a simple conversation. Building a roof or a floor may only last a number of years, but building in a  relationship can last a lifetime. A few years ago, while working for ASP,  I found this quote and it became something that I referred to  every once in a while to remind myself to slow down and love the people around me. 

"More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories, and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but you truly love them." ~Henri Nouwen

Our God is a God of relationships, and it is my goal to love the people and build relationships with the Masealama community, just as He taught us.

This past week, at our orientation in Chicago, I learned so much about being in relationship and ministry with others. Before leaving for  I questioned what we could possibly be doing for a week? It wasn't until I got there that I realized it's importance. What an amazing feeling it is to be surrounded by 65 young people fired up for The Lord and ready to explore the world. I told my mom the other day "these are my people!" Spending time in sessions, worship and relaxation put me in the most unbelievable place of peace. I had never felt anything like it. From the second I stepped into orientation, the peace was there. Guess what, it is still there! Hallelujah...I have found my place! For those who may not know,  I have struggled a good portion of my life being content where I am.  I am grateful to be able to say that I am more than content, I am HAPPY. While there is no doubt that I miss my family and friends already, I know that The Lord called me to this place and this is where I belong. This is where my second point of patience comes in. I have spent years trying to find the right fit for me. It feels so great to have found it! 

I am realizing that this post is getting pretty lengthy and to be honest I need to go to bed (jet lag is still killing me! ). I will be writing another post soon about the amazing things I am experiencing just at orientation. 

Thank you for listening to the beginning or my journey, and thank you so much to those who have supported me financially, spiritually and emotionally! 

Hamba kahle (goodbye in Zulu- see I've learned things already! :) )

    Kelly

Go Boldly. Shine brightly. And do all things for the Glory of God! 
Jeremiah 29:11

Just a giraffe that I saw last night. ;)