"Slow down. Quiet. It's Advent."

Advent greetings from Mthatha. This is a season of expectant waiting, preparation, and one of my very favorite times of year. In Sewanee we used to have, “Slow down. Quiet. It’s Advent,” signs up around All Saint’s. As it was then with the busy nature of the end of the semester, these past few weeks have been full of preparations for the end of the year at Itipini...

We had a World AIDS Day program at the beginning of the month. The older kids designed and painted posters for the day, the choir sang, and Yoliswa, who has been my language tutor, was our guest speaker. We also had an AMM staff lunch outing last week. It was great to have everyone together outside of work to share a meal. Probably the biggest event of the month though has been preschool graduation. Last Friday, twenty-two very eager five and six year olds proudly received graduation certificates from Itipini Preschool. It was a pretty exciting day to say the least.

I’ve also tried to decorate my rondavel with a bit of festive cheer, and we’ve had two very successful braais (Afrikaans for barbeque) here at the hospital to take advantage of the warm weather this time of year brings to South Africa. The picture from the coast was taken in Chinsta where I travelled with three AMM volunteers for a weekend to relax. Not a bad view from our room, huh? This past weekend, it was also great to have a visit from Travis, a fellow YASCer, who came up for a visit from Grahamstown.

While it has been hard to be away from home at a time when that seems most familiar, I’m enjoying spending this season in a new context. I’ve been trying to slow down, find moments of quiet, and get ready for the joy of Christmas. I’m also excited for an upcoming trip to Cape Town next week, where I’ll get to see three of my fellow YASCers and celebrate some new-to-me Christmas traditions. Enjoy the pictures, and thanks for stopping by. Peace be with you.

"Walkin' the line between faith and fear"

These past two weeks have been two of the most challenging. There has been a combination of things that lead me say this, which include short bout with a stomach bug, tough cases at the clinic, and missing family and friends. Thankfully, I’m feeling much better and have a little more perspective with which I can look back at those situations. At the clinic, three cases in particular have stood out. Ones that have caused me ask a lot of “Why is this happening?” questions. One involved a three-year-old boy who was for all intents and purposes abandoned by his mother. For two weeks he passed between relations who live at Itipini. When we heard about his situation at the clinic, a social worker was contacted, he received a much-needed bath, some new clothes, and treatment for his ringworm. He’s now gone to stay with a grandmother out of town, but seeing this little boy toted around and talked about like an object rather than a child was difficult. When he left, more of his personality had started to come out and he was playing with the other kids, but I know his future is still very uncertain. I also realize he is one of many children like this at Itipini, in Mthatha, and the world.

Another case involved a woman in her late thirties who has AIDS. She was carried in one day on a stretcher, severely dehydrated and unable to stand. Ben, another volunteer, and I took her to another clinic to receive IV fluids. We brought her home at the end of the day, but the following morning as we drove into Itipini, we were stopped by people telling us she had suffered seizures in the night. We took her to the emergency room, along with her sister. Seeing her and how poorly she looked was scary. I don’t think there’s another word for it. Walking out of the emergency room, I honestly thought she might die. We have since received word that she has gone with another sister to a hospital closer to her homeland in another part of the country.

Finally, this Thursday a young girl, an older woman, and a tiny newborn baby came up to the clinic just as we were packing up to leave. After talking with Jenny and Sister Dorothy, we learned that the young girl of just thirteen had been raped and had just delivered the baby a few days before in the hospital. They all came back Friday to open a new file for the baby, talk about breastfeeding, and how they were all doing. All three of these lives have changed dramatically.

I still have no answer for the “why” questions for what is happening in the lives of all these people. I have been able to see some hope in all three situations though, in that there appear to be family members who are there to help--a grandmother, sisters, and a mother. These individuals have also showed me how important our work at Itipini is whether it’s getting people to the hospital, counseling new mothers, offering a hug to a little boy, or being present with people during times of great pain. We’re doing what we can as best we can, and that is something.

To help balance out these difficult experiences at work and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m thankful to hear updates from family and friends. Conversations, meals shared together, and listening to some good music here at Bedford have also been very welcome. Plus, as you’ll see in some of the pictures there have been many happy times at Itipini too-- including the futbol team posing with their new jerseys, checking out new books in the library, and lots of playing. These have been challenging weeks. Ones that have shown be moments of great pain and love.

Thank you for reading, and peace be with you.