April 3, 2012
Dumalang, my precious friends! Wow, March is finished! I can't believe that I’ll be half way through my 6 months abroad as of Wednesday, next week! It’s also my birthday, which makes it an odd way to celebrate – I’m already realizing how much I am going to miss Botswana and everyone here. This feels like home to me.
How can I even begin to explain this last week, and all that has happened in a 2-3 page blog?! Well I’ll make an attempt to do so.
This week has been filled with bitter-sweet, special moments. The children celebrated their last week of school before their two-week Easter break. On Friday, they performed the passion play in the chapel. They were fantastic! They all knew what to do, and each of them really put their heart into the character they were portraying! I was very proud of every one of them, as well as the teachers, because they all really put a lot of hard work into this whole project. Many of the parents and other relatives came to watch the show and were surprised and delighted to see how well their children could tell the Easter story. After the production Mma Mudereri asked me to say something to the guests about the play. I told them why we did it, that we wanted the children to see how much God loved the world that he sent Jesus, who died and was raised from the dead to make us new. I told them how important it was for them to bring the kids here to the daycare center to learn about God, and how much he loves them. I told them how much the children loved hearing us tell stories about Jesus: how he took care of the poor, sick, oppressed, and needy, how he loved the little children. And I encouraged the parents to read the Bible, if they had them at home to the kids so that they can help the children grow in their belief and trust and reliance on God. Many of the parents told us that they do have bibles that they read with the kids on occasion, which pleased us all greatly. This was also Boniswa’s last time to be with the children at the daycare, and the children presented her with a banner that they made with a few other small gifts. Boniswa cried a lot but she did promise to come back to see them sometime next year, and the children kept running up to her and giving her hugs and kisses. I know for a fact that I will be in tears when the time comes for me to ay good-bye to them when the 2nd semester ends in June. The school day ended right after 11 o’clock. I brought the kids chocolate Easter candies to go with the rest of their Easter goodies and of course this excited them greatly! Once the sweets were passed out all the children scurried away, thrilled for the two week holiday. It’s Tuesday night and I’m missing them already. I have plenty to do during these two weeks, and I need the time to read and write papers, but still….
I may have mentioned this before, but I have also become part of the Young Adult Anglican Fellowship also called the T.A.S.K Team. During the last month or so we have been putting together a sponsored walk to benefit those suffering with HIV/AIDS. We want to continue to raise awareness among the churches about the continued tragedy of AIDS so that they can prevent it from spreading it to even more people. We want all the churches to become more involved with helping people understand the dangers of having unprotected sex. We got a lot of support from various corporations as well as individuals, and we had our 10 mile walk on the 31st of March beginning at 6 am. We congregated on in the parking area at the Holy Cross Cathedral. This was where the walk was to start, and where we all would meet again at the end of the walk.
The walk actually started at 7, because the police escort arrived rather late which is no particular surprise. The weather for the walk was perfect, a nice sunny blue sky day. We had over 300 people who participated in the walk, including the Anglican Bishop of Botswana, Trevor Mwamba, as well as the English and American Ambassadors and plenty of media attention! Sandy was too busy practicing the organ for the opera and couldn’t participate in the walk, but Boniswa really wanted to join, so she volunteered to help push me along with another lady whose name is Klatso. Klatso works with the Botswana government, and has a real passion for awakening the world to the needs of the AIDS victims and the disabled. As the three of us walked we talked like crazy, and enjoyed each other’s company immensely.
It was really interesting because Klatso used to be a fashion designer in Portugal before she returned to Botswana. I was excited about this, because I would really like to have some of the traditional clothes made for me while I’m still here, but I’ve been having a hard time finding a material shop. Klatso said that she knew plenty of shops located in the main malls that sold material, and she said she’d be able to help me find some. Then I need a good tailor, since my body is not quite simple to sew for! She was really interested in both Boniswa and me, and what each of us was doing in Botswana. Boniswa and I have slowly discovered that we have a lot in common, but particularly our love for Botswana. We both have a desire to come back here within a year or so. Once we got back to the cathedral we all enjoyed some good music, lovely refreshments (donated to us by the local grocery stores,) and great fellowship. There were speeches, but you really could not hear them, because the sound system was not coping against the wind that was picking up. This was certainly a walk to remember!
The walk ended at around 10:30 that morning, and when we got back to the flat Boniswa and I took long naps. We were pretty wiped out considering the fact that we had to get up at 5 o’clock in order to be ready for our ride at 6. Neither one of us are morning people!
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, and I went with my good and dear friend Tshegofatso to St. Michael’s in Broadhurst. She picked me up from the flat at 8:30. When we got there we all gathered in a large circle while the pastor said a long prayer in Setswana. When the 25 minute prayer was finished, he passed out the palms shaped in the form of a cross and handed the acolytes and others leading the procession large palms to wave. We processed at least a mile! It was a lot of fun to sing the Palm Sunday hymns in Setswana, and to dance around as we paraded the streets! I think one of my favorite hymns goes like this “Jesu Wena Sena Calvary! Wiena Lena Sona! Eloi! Eloi Calvary! This was certainly another walk to remember!
Well my dear friends it’s 4 in the morning, and I’m off to bed!
Modimo O Teng! God is HERE!
Minda
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
A God Moment
March 23, 2012
Dumalang, my wonderful friends! I apologize for my absence from cyberspace, but I had a fantastic week!
Oh, my, where do I even begin! Okay, well, I have wanted to get a head start on my ethnography for quite some time now. The people group that my supervisor, Father James Amanze chose for me is the Batlokwa, the largest tribe in Botswana, whose center is located in the town, Tolkweng, close to the South African border. The town is just about a few kilometres from Gaborone, where I live. Father Amanze pointed out that doing research on this localized group would be easier than trying to find an equivalent group in Gaborone, due to the fact that most people are mixtures of several tribes. I was glad about this, but even more when 3 weeks ago I actually met a 22 year old girl named Rorisang, who happens to be from the Batlokwa Tribe and lives in Tolkweng! I told her I needed to research the Batlokwa, as part of my academic studies. She was eager to help, and told me that she would be happy to set up an appointment with one of the chiefs as soon as possible. If you know Africa time, you know that it can be a LONG time before “as soon as possible” happens!
I got my first appointment on Friday the 16th- well, that is, I did have an appointment, but unfortunately it rained the entire night before and a good deal the morning of the 16th. At about 9 am, as Monica and I were preparing to leave, Rorisang called to say that the chief doesn’t handle this wet weather very well, and as a result he had to be taken to the hospital after suffering from an asthma attack. After hearing this Monica and I went on to St. Peter’s. The teachers and children were a little surprised to see us, since I had told them that I wasn’t going to be there that day, but since my other appointment was cancelled, they were pleased to have us there. I was greeted with the usual “Dumela, Auntie Minda,” as all the ch
ildren come up to me, and start fighting for who will get to kiss me on the cheek first. This is especially true when it came to the little boys. The helpers have told me that some of them have little crushes on me. Cute! Since it was a rainy day, the children played in the courtyard rather than on the muddy playground. Goodness, did we have fun though! The kids introduced me to a lot of new children’s songs in Setswana and some new dances. Monica took lots of pictures while the kids grabbed my wheelchair to get me to join in the fun! A wonderful way to celebrate a rainy day I must say!
As for the Passion play I’m helping direct, the kids seem really to understand their parts and the whole thing is coming together rather well. I think it will be wonderful to see the children acting out the events of Holy Week and Easter since I am so far from home in this important season. Of course, the Easter services at the Cathedral will be excellent, but I love sharing all this with the children, since my nieces and nephews are near the same ages!
All in all it ended up a good day, even though it started out a disappointment. Amazing how God works!
Anyway, we had rescheduled for the following Monday, so I prepared myself with my notebook containing some questions I had for him. Just as the taxi was pulling up, Rorisang called and said that she had just found out that the chief wanted me to write out exactly what I wanted to do. He also required a letter making me promise not to exploit the Batlokwa people in any way. He wanted me to put it in writing that this was just an ethnography project for my school. Of course I didn't know this beforehand, and I did not have it ready! So it was discouraging, and the fact that the taxi was waiting outside did not make things easier, either! We rescheduled for the next day. Meanwhile, I had the taxi driver take us to Riverwalk, because I was low on some groceries anyway, and even though I knew that I needed to do that shopping, I couldn’t help feel disappointment. However, little did I know that something really wonderful was about to happen - something that I couldn’t have expected!
As I was going down one of the aisles, a met a woman named Lerato, also from Tolkweng. She knew about me from a trip Sandy and I had made to visit the Dream Center, a school for the disabled, where she works. She had been wanting to talk to me anyway, since she had heard about the ethnography paper, so she asked if I could talk that very afternoon! I WAS ECSTATIC Of course I was delighted, so we got together and talked almost 2 hours - just about the importance of family in the Batlokwa tribe. It was all amazing! As it happens she used to
date one of the Batlokwa chiefs that I’m interviewing! TOTALLY GOD, NO?! She said that she would drive me over to visit the chief the next day, saving us another taxi ride. She also knows Rorisang, because she (Lerato) used to attend the same church as Rorisang!
So on Tuesday I gathered up my things once again, along with my reassurance letter for the chief. The day looked very promising, and indeed it was! Lerato came to the flat to collect me and Monica at half past 8, and headed to Tlokweng for our 10 appointment with the chief; we picked up Rorisang on the way. By the time we got there, the chief was still in a meeting in the Kgotla (the meeting house) with some people. Rorisang, Monica, Lerato, and I sat under the shade and waited and spoke mostly Setswana, which is also the tribal language of the Batlokwa. It is now the national language. As we were sitting there talking I couldn’t help noticing the large golden-brown statue of their great chief, Gaborone, for which the capitol city of Botswana is named. He was a strong man, and apparently a strong leader, too. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the statue or anything else for that matter. It was fun nonetheless to look at everything.
Finally at about 11 the chief was ready to talk with us, but instead of taking us to the Kgotla where there were no tables for me to write on, the chief brought us into his very nice air-conditioned office. I gave him my reassurance letter, and signed it in his presence. He complimented me on my handwriting and seemed surprised that I could hold the pen between my chin and arm. Once this was done we went straight to the interview. He told me the fascinating story of how the Batlokwa came out of South Africa along with many other people groups because of the tribal wars that were taking place in the early 1800’s. Our long conversation went really well, and the history of the tribe, especially fascinated me.
There is one brief story that I thought was interesting that I will share here. All of the Botswana tribes’ people have a totem. The Batlokwa totem is the Antbear. It once was the leopard, but during the migration from South Africa to Bechuanaland, they became extremely thirsty and as they pressed on f
urther and further the more their thirst increased. Then they saw a dog coated with mud and the people became hopeful because they knew that they were somewhere close to water. They followed the dog which led them to a hole full of water, which turned out to be the home of an Antbear. They believed that this Antbear had saved their lives and for that reason, the Batlokwa changed their totem from the leopard to the Antbear. Pretty cool story!
There is so much to learn about these incredible people. Lerato and Rorisang are going to help me set up more interviews with various older Batlokwa who really remember the “was it was” before independence. I also want to talk to younger ones to see how important the tribal affiliation is to them now. It’s all good. I am very happy to be here -
Okay, that is all for now!
Ke o Rata (I love you)! Minda
Dumalang, my wonderful friends! I apologize for my absence from cyberspace, but I had a fantastic week!
Oh, my, where do I even begin! Okay, well, I have wanted to get a head start on my ethnography for quite some time now. The people group that my supervisor, Father James Amanze chose for me is the Batlokwa, the largest tribe in Botswana, whose center is located in the town, Tolkweng, close to the South African border. The town is just about a few kilometres from Gaborone, where I live. Father Amanze pointed out that doing research on this localized group would be easier than trying to find an equivalent group in Gaborone, due to the fact that most people are mixtures of several tribes. I was glad about this, but even more when 3 weeks ago I actually met a 22 year old girl named Rorisang, who happens to be from the Batlokwa Tribe and lives in Tolkweng! I told her I needed to research the Batlokwa, as part of my academic studies. She was eager to help, and told me that she would be happy to set up an appointment with one of the chiefs as soon as possible. If you know Africa time, you know that it can be a LONG time before “as soon as possible” happens!
I got my first appointment on Friday the 16th- well, that is, I did have an appointment, but unfortunately it rained the entire night before and a good deal the morning of the 16th. At about 9 am, as Monica and I were preparing to leave, Rorisang called to say that the chief doesn’t handle this wet weather very well, and as a result he had to be taken to the hospital after suffering from an asthma attack. After hearing this Monica and I went on to St. Peter’s. The teachers and children were a little surprised to see us, since I had told them that I wasn’t going to be there that day, but since my other appointment was cancelled, they were pleased to have us there. I was greeted with the usual “Dumela, Auntie Minda,” as all the ch
ildren come up to me, and start fighting for who will get to kiss me on the cheek first. This is especially true when it came to the little boys. The helpers have told me that some of them have little crushes on me. Cute! Since it was a rainy day, the children played in the courtyard rather than on the muddy playground. Goodness, did we have fun though! The kids introduced me to a lot of new children’s songs in Setswana and some new dances. Monica took lots of pictures while the kids grabbed my wheelchair to get me to join in the fun! A wonderful way to celebrate a rainy day I must say!As for the Passion play I’m helping direct, the kids seem really to understand their parts and the whole thing is coming together rather well. I think it will be wonderful to see the children acting out the events of Holy Week and Easter since I am so far from home in this important season. Of course, the Easter services at the Cathedral will be excellent, but I love sharing all this with the children, since my nieces and nephews are near the same ages!
All in all it ended up a good day, even though it started out a disappointment. Amazing how God works!
Anyway, we had rescheduled for the following Monday, so I prepared myself with my notebook containing some questions I had for him. Just as the taxi was pulling up, Rorisang called and said that she had just found out that the chief wanted me to write out exactly what I wanted to do. He also required a letter making me promise not to exploit the Batlokwa people in any way. He wanted me to put it in writing that this was just an ethnography project for my school. Of course I didn't know this beforehand, and I did not have it ready! So it was discouraging, and the fact that the taxi was waiting outside did not make things easier, either! We rescheduled for the next day. Meanwhile, I had the taxi driver take us to Riverwalk, because I was low on some groceries anyway, and even though I knew that I needed to do that shopping, I couldn’t help feel disappointment. However, little did I know that something really wonderful was about to happen - something that I couldn’t have expected!
As I was going down one of the aisles, a met a woman named Lerato, also from Tolkweng. She knew about me from a trip Sandy and I had made to visit the Dream Center, a school for the disabled, where she works. She had been wanting to talk to me anyway, since she had heard about the ethnography paper, so she asked if I could talk that very afternoon! I WAS ECSTATIC Of course I was delighted, so we got together and talked almost 2 hours - just about the importance of family in the Batlokwa tribe. It was all amazing! As it happens she used to
date one of the Batlokwa chiefs that I’m interviewing! TOTALLY GOD, NO?! She said that she would drive me over to visit the chief the next day, saving us another taxi ride. She also knows Rorisang, because she (Lerato) used to attend the same church as Rorisang!So on Tuesday I gathered up my things once again, along with my reassurance letter for the chief. The day looked very promising, and indeed it was! Lerato came to the flat to collect me and Monica at half past 8, and headed to Tlokweng for our 10 appointment with the chief; we picked up Rorisang on the way. By the time we got there, the chief was still in a meeting in the Kgotla (the meeting house) with some people. Rorisang, Monica, Lerato, and I sat under the shade and waited and spoke mostly Setswana, which is also the tribal language of the Batlokwa. It is now the national language. As we were sitting there talking I couldn’t help noticing the large golden-brown statue of their great chief, Gaborone, for which the capitol city of Botswana is named. He was a strong man, and apparently a strong leader, too. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the statue or anything else for that matter. It was fun nonetheless to look at everything.
Finally at about 11 the chief was ready to talk with us, but instead of taking us to the Kgotla where there were no tables for me to write on, the chief brought us into his very nice air-conditioned office. I gave him my reassurance letter, and signed it in his presence. He complimented me on my handwriting and seemed surprised that I could hold the pen between my chin and arm. Once this was done we went straight to the interview. He told me the fascinating story of how the Batlokwa came out of South Africa along with many other people groups because of the tribal wars that were taking place in the early 1800’s. Our long conversation went really well, and the history of the tribe, especially fascinated me.
There is one brief story that I thought was interesting that I will share here. All of the Botswana tribes’ people have a totem. The Batlokwa totem is the Antbear. It once was the leopard, but during the migration from South Africa to Bechuanaland, they became extremely thirsty and as they pressed on f
urther and further the more their thirst increased. Then they saw a dog coated with mud and the people became hopeful because they knew that they were somewhere close to water. They followed the dog which led them to a hole full of water, which turned out to be the home of an Antbear. They believed that this Antbear had saved their lives and for that reason, the Batlokwa changed their totem from the leopard to the Antbear. Pretty cool story!There is so much to learn about these incredible people. Lerato and Rorisang are going to help me set up more interviews with various older Batlokwa who really remember the “was it was” before independence. I also want to talk to younger ones to see how important the tribal affiliation is to them now. It’s all good. I am very happy to be here -
Okay, that is all for now!
Ke o Rata (I love you)! Minda
Monday, March 12, 2012
THE HELP
March 11, 2012
Dumalang, my wonderful friends!
Well the beginning of the week was definitely the most difficult time I’ve had since I’ve been here. Finding the right sort of hired help, someone who can help me physically throughout the week and also be a companion and language tutor has been a very unpleasant struggle. After I had to fire Ntebeleng on the last day of February because she just wasn’t getting the work done for either of us, Sandy and I started looking for someone new. As I mentioned in my last blog, Elsie ended up being a better cleaning lady than she was helper for me. So we did hire her for that and she is working out very well indeed! But after realizing that Elsie wasn’t going to manage for me, we started looking around again. Sandy knew a young woman, just 21 years old, looking for a job. I met her a week ago on Saturday, and we got along just fine. She’s a jewelry-maker, and she told me that she would be happy to show me how to make some of the beaded things she makes. She was eager also to help me with Setswana. However, when she didn’t show up either Monday or Tuesday, it became obvious that either she did not take the job very seriously in the first place, or that she just didn’t quite understand how much I needed her to be regular and dependable.
Whatever the reason, it left me back at square one! Our internet is down completely at the flat which did not help the matter at all. I was having trouble contacting anyone here (we use facebook and email in Botswana too, you know!)
I got pretty discouraged and by Tuesday morning I had a minor meltdown - I had places I needed to go – and no helper showed up! I was in the middle of doing my laundry, and I kept thinking that there was something wrong and that the “something” was probably me. I went through things that I thought I might have said wrong, worried about whether it was because they have to help me to the bathroom, or whether it was just too hard for them to be seen with me in public, etc. I was literally ready to cry, and I felt upset for myself, and also bad for Sandy because of all the time she was putting into helping me resolve this, using time to she needed to do her own work. And yet nothing was working out with hiring the right “help.”
It’s been a real inconvenience to both of us; Sandy cannot be my help as well as taking care of her own duties! And we are friends first, not helper and employer! So I didn’t want to make that relationship hard for her or for me. Needless to say I was not in the most positive of moods. It was just one of those moments when I felt the frustration of having a disability, and not being able to fix it. If I didn’t have this disability I would never have the issue of having to find someone to help me with my personal needs. I could just, “Do it myself!” Of course, I had to remember that it is because of my disability that I am even here – that I have something to SAY to these people about the faithfulness of God! And then I felt bad all over again because I could see I was just feeling sorry for myself and not trusting God even though I know He can be trusted. So it was one of those moments in which I had to cry out to the Lord and say, “O Father help me!”
It was in this moment that I mentally turned to Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. I had to just accept that this was one of those dark valleys that I will have to walk, well, roll, through… but I WILL roll through it. And he WILL be with me. So I dried my eyes and began again.
We asked Mma Florence from the Anglican Women’s Fellowship to help us find someone else, and on the same day I got a call from Doctor Howard Moffat, saying that he knew of a Motswana lady who once worked at Princess Marina Hospital as a nurse’s assistant and was now looking for another job. Her name was Monica, in her late 40’s. She actually received her education in Zimbabwe before there were many good schools in Botswana. .
But Mma Florence had found a woman too, who could work for me, named Esther. So now I had a different problem – TWO possible helpers! I would have to choose one of them. Again, “Lord, help me!”
On Thursday I decided to have Monica come over for the morning, and have her work with me, helping me get prepared for the day, and practicing taking me to Riverwalk – Since so much happens there, this is an essential! Then in the afternoon, I asked Esther to come and I’d just do the whole process over again. That way I could make a wiser decision.
Well, Monica came at about 8 o’clock on Thursday morning and having been a nurse’s assistant for 20 years she had no problem at all falling right into the flow of helping me with showering and dressing. She was also very good at handling the wheelchair, and being a well built, strong woman she had no difficulty lifting the chair over bumps or steps, even with the groceries we’d bought hanging on the back! She was also quite interested in helping me improve my Setswana, correcting me from the beginning, working on everything – making me say things exactly correctly – from greetings, buying food in the store, introducing myself and just talking to people. She’s really wanting me to learn it right. She’s tall, with broad shoulders and a beautiful round face. Not only that, she is really bright, which is very helpful. She can figure out what to do quickly. She left around 11:30, and then Esther came in at around 12 o’clock.
Esther was an older woman in her mid-sixties, also tall but pretty thin; very beautiful. I liked her right away. She did not have the broad shoulders that Monica did, nor was she as strong as Monica. But she was certainly strong enough to lift the chair over the steps in and out of the flat. So I wasn’t sure what to do. Her English is not as good as Monica’s either, which was good because it forced me to speak more, but on the other hand it made things a bit more difficult when it came to explaining: “You need to just position yourself beside the chair while providing some support for my arms as I lift myself off…” My biggest concern was the fact that she is a diabetic. That made me a little uncomfortable, because I wasn’t sure how she would manage physically in the long run when we are not always able to eat regularly because of our schedule. Her age, I have to admit, was another concern to me because I felt that she would get tired very quickly and maybe have trouble in the heat now, and the cold by June and July.
At the end of the day I had to make the decision – But who did I want to officially hire? I enjoyed my time with each of them immensely, both of them could help me now, and both would be good for language learning. So the decision was not an easy one to make, and I didn’t much like being in this position.
But the fact that Monica was younger, was healthy and more physically fit finally made me choose her. I didn’t like having to tell Esther that she was not getting the job, but she seemed okay with it and showed no hard feelings.
Monica came the next morning right on time, and helped me get ready without having to be told anything. She remembered the routine almost perfectly. When we got to St Peter’s, it was obvious that she enjoyed the children and they seemed to enjoy her a lot as well. At the same time, she was watchful to see if I needed her, left me alone when I didn’t and came immediately if I did. She is very aware.
At the moment, the 4 year old children are learning about the human body and that day they were studying feet. The activity was putting their feet in paint then putting feet to the paper! I helped wash their feet when they were finished putting them in the paint. It was so much fun watching the children squeal with delight when they saw their foot print in red or blue paint! I probably was giggling harder than all the children put together! Monica was flashing pictures wildly until my camera battery died - Oh, well – I MUST remember to charge the thing!
What was a lot of fun was to watch her interact with Gladys Mudereri, the director. They are both well- educated and sharp! They have a lot in common, so Monica was enjoying herself even when I didn’t need her. Once they got talking they didn’t stop! So, I think this is all for the better.
I saw something I hadn’t really understood before, and this week has really helped me to realize it. For more than a week I’ve been praying, and looking for, The Help for my personal needs. (That’s a terrific book, by the way.) I needed to hire a person who could assist me in my daily activities while I’m here. I can’t go anywhere, or do much of anything here without The Help. We are always talking around here about “hiring help,” or referring to “the help,” but I suddenly saw that I was actually talking to THE HELP – in all capitals! The whole time! He is the one who gives us life, opens doors and windows, and prepares us for fresh starts and new beginnings, and who makes us clean each day. He is really what I need. When I cry for help, He is always there to answer. God is THE HELP who will never go away nor get tired or lazy or try to manipulate me or the situation. God is, and will always be here! Always it is GOD!
Okay, so I knew that. But now I KNOW it differently. So now I can sing again, happily, “Great is thy faithfulness!”
Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
Dumalang, my wonderful friends!
Well the beginning of the week was definitely the most difficult time I’ve had since I’ve been here. Finding the right sort of hired help, someone who can help me physically throughout the week and also be a companion and language tutor has been a very unpleasant struggle. After I had to fire Ntebeleng on the last day of February because she just wasn’t getting the work done for either of us, Sandy and I started looking for someone new. As I mentioned in my last blog, Elsie ended up being a better cleaning lady than she was helper for me. So we did hire her for that and she is working out very well indeed! But after realizing that Elsie wasn’t going to manage for me, we started looking around again. Sandy knew a young woman, just 21 years old, looking for a job. I met her a week ago on Saturday, and we got along just fine. She’s a jewelry-maker, and she told me that she would be happy to show me how to make some of the beaded things she makes. She was eager also to help me with Setswana. However, when she didn’t show up either Monday or Tuesday, it became obvious that either she did not take the job very seriously in the first place, or that she just didn’t quite understand how much I needed her to be regular and dependable.
Whatever the reason, it left me back at square one! Our internet is down completely at the flat which did not help the matter at all. I was having trouble contacting anyone here (we use facebook and email in Botswana too, you know!)
I got pretty discouraged and by Tuesday morning I had a minor meltdown - I had places I needed to go – and no helper showed up! I was in the middle of doing my laundry, and I kept thinking that there was something wrong and that the “something” was probably me. I went through things that I thought I might have said wrong, worried about whether it was because they have to help me to the bathroom, or whether it was just too hard for them to be seen with me in public, etc. I was literally ready to cry, and I felt upset for myself, and also bad for Sandy because of all the time she was putting into helping me resolve this, using time to she needed to do her own work. And yet nothing was working out with hiring the right “help.”
It’s been a real inconvenience to both of us; Sandy cannot be my help as well as taking care of her own duties! And we are friends first, not helper and employer! So I didn’t want to make that relationship hard for her or for me. Needless to say I was not in the most positive of moods. It was just one of those moments when I felt the frustration of having a disability, and not being able to fix it. If I didn’t have this disability I would never have the issue of having to find someone to help me with my personal needs. I could just, “Do it myself!” Of course, I had to remember that it is because of my disability that I am even here – that I have something to SAY to these people about the faithfulness of God! And then I felt bad all over again because I could see I was just feeling sorry for myself and not trusting God even though I know He can be trusted. So it was one of those moments in which I had to cry out to the Lord and say, “O Father help me!”
It was in this moment that I mentally turned to Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. I had to just accept that this was one of those dark valleys that I will have to walk, well, roll, through… but I WILL roll through it. And he WILL be with me. So I dried my eyes and began again.
We asked Mma Florence from the Anglican Women’s Fellowship to help us find someone else, and on the same day I got a call from Doctor Howard Moffat, saying that he knew of a Motswana lady who once worked at Princess Marina Hospital as a nurse’s assistant and was now looking for another job. Her name was Monica, in her late 40’s. She actually received her education in Zimbabwe before there were many good schools in Botswana. .
But Mma Florence had found a woman too, who could work for me, named Esther. So now I had a different problem – TWO possible helpers! I would have to choose one of them. Again, “Lord, help me!”
On Thursday I decided to have Monica come over for the morning, and have her work with me, helping me get prepared for the day, and practicing taking me to Riverwalk – Since so much happens there, this is an essential! Then in the afternoon, I asked Esther to come and I’d just do the whole process over again. That way I could make a wiser decision.
Well, Monica came at about 8 o’clock on Thursday morning and having been a nurse’s assistant for 20 years she had no problem at all falling right into the flow of helping me with showering and dressing. She was also very good at handling the wheelchair, and being a well built, strong woman she had no difficulty lifting the chair over bumps or steps, even with the groceries we’d bought hanging on the back! She was also quite interested in helping me improve my Setswana, correcting me from the beginning, working on everything – making me say things exactly correctly – from greetings, buying food in the store, introducing myself and just talking to people. She’s really wanting me to learn it right. She’s tall, with broad shoulders and a beautiful round face. Not only that, she is really bright, which is very helpful. She can figure out what to do quickly. She left around 11:30, and then Esther came in at around 12 o’clock.
Esther was an older woman in her mid-sixties, also tall but pretty thin; very beautiful. I liked her right away. She did not have the broad shoulders that Monica did, nor was she as strong as Monica. But she was certainly strong enough to lift the chair over the steps in and out of the flat. So I wasn’t sure what to do. Her English is not as good as Monica’s either, which was good because it forced me to speak more, but on the other hand it made things a bit more difficult when it came to explaining: “You need to just position yourself beside the chair while providing some support for my arms as I lift myself off…” My biggest concern was the fact that she is a diabetic. That made me a little uncomfortable, because I wasn’t sure how she would manage physically in the long run when we are not always able to eat regularly because of our schedule. Her age, I have to admit, was another concern to me because I felt that she would get tired very quickly and maybe have trouble in the heat now, and the cold by June and July.
At the end of the day I had to make the decision – But who did I want to officially hire? I enjoyed my time with each of them immensely, both of them could help me now, and both would be good for language learning. So the decision was not an easy one to make, and I didn’t much like being in this position.
But the fact that Monica was younger, was healthy and more physically fit finally made me choose her. I didn’t like having to tell Esther that she was not getting the job, but she seemed okay with it and showed no hard feelings.
Monica came the next morning right on time, and helped me get ready without having to be told anything. She remembered the routine almost perfectly. When we got to St Peter’s, it was obvious that she enjoyed the children and they seemed to enjoy her a lot as well. At the same time, she was watchful to see if I needed her, left me alone when I didn’t and came immediately if I did. She is very aware.
At the moment, the 4 year old children are learning about the human body and that day they were studying feet. The activity was putting their feet in paint then putting feet to the paper! I helped wash their feet when they were finished putting them in the paint. It was so much fun watching the children squeal with delight when they saw their foot print in red or blue paint! I probably was giggling harder than all the children put together! Monica was flashing pictures wildly until my camera battery died - Oh, well – I MUST remember to charge the thing!
What was a lot of fun was to watch her interact with Gladys Mudereri, the director. They are both well- educated and sharp! They have a lot in common, so Monica was enjoying herself even when I didn’t need her. Once they got talking they didn’t stop! So, I think this is all for the better.
I saw something I hadn’t really understood before, and this week has really helped me to realize it. For more than a week I’ve been praying, and looking for, The Help for my personal needs. (That’s a terrific book, by the way.) I needed to hire a person who could assist me in my daily activities while I’m here. I can’t go anywhere, or do much of anything here without The Help. We are always talking around here about “hiring help,” or referring to “the help,” but I suddenly saw that I was actually talking to THE HELP – in all capitals! The whole time! He is the one who gives us life, opens doors and windows, and prepares us for fresh starts and new beginnings, and who makes us clean each day. He is really what I need. When I cry for help, He is always there to answer. God is THE HELP who will never go away nor get tired or lazy or try to manipulate me or the situation. God is, and will always be here! Always it is GOD!
Okay, so I knew that. But now I KNOW it differently. So now I can sing again, happily, “Great is thy faithfulness!”
Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
Sunday, March 4, 2012
God's Timing
March 1, 2012
February is finished. Another month has gone by. It’s hard to believe that another month of my time here is already done. How incredible it is to me that so much can be accomplished, so many surprising events can occur, so many new faces can become familiar, and so many relationships can be built in such a short time. After realizing this, it makes me see how important it is to value time. I’m not saying "clock time" necessarily, but rather, we need to value the time we share with others. It is easy to say, "Oh, I don’t need to talk to this person right now." I know I am not the only one who puts things on the back burner because it’s so much easier to do than to make time for people when so much else seems to be more important right then. As I look back now, I see that I did this a lot back at home in the states. I would put off time with various friends who mattered to me, and who sometimes needed to talk, and then regretted not taking that time to listen and share with them. But being in Africa has deepened my understanding of how important it is to value every moment we have with someone. Rather than just brushing off opportunities to develop strong relationships, I find myself more and more embracing them, because once the chance is gone, it is gone, and it won’t ever come back. I see how many chances God gives us to shine His light on the people we encounter, how He gives us words to share, and how sometimes I haven’t obeyed, or have missed the cues God gave me.
I have seen in my time here the many opportunities that He has given me to share His unending love with others. God has blessed me so much in my work at St. Peters Daycare Center. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to teach and to learn from children who have suffered. Some have lost family members to AIDS. Together we are looking at the love of Jesus in the Bible, and I am trying to help them trust Him (and the staff!) to be Lord of their lives. A few years ago I could not have seen myself in this position. How could I help anyone? Would people even take me seriously? God’s answer was "yes, you can encourage my people, and they will take you seriously because of what I am doing in you, because of who you are in ME." And that’s why it’s very important to accept with an open heart every chance He offers us to show others what He is like through our own obedience. The staff and Mma Mudereri have told me how much God’s love radiates out from me, and that even children see it. Wouldn’t it be a real sadness if I had refused such a wonderful opportunity to share the good news with children in a way that lets them see that He is good and can use ANYONE who is willing to be used by Him! I think we should change the "service project" to the "honor project!" It is an incredible honor to be asked to do anything at all for the Lord Jesus, and it brings honor to Him to try to obey his invitation to be His messenger.
Last week I also visited Cheshire again, and met with Rra Mabusa, who is in charge of the Cheshire Center. It was terrific! I also met with two women, Mma Leleti, who is in charge of the staff, and Mma Catherine who advocates for the disabled who live there. Together we took a look at the plan I am developing for teaching a class on Scripture as it relates to the disabled, showing them to be created in the image of God exactly like anyone else. We want to discuss what that means for the church, for the disabled, for those who work with them. We talked about the scriptures I might use, and the concepts we want to cover. We need to decide exactly who the participants will be, but I think we are going to include staff, parents and some of the youth from St Michael’s who want to get involved, as well as the disabled themselves. This will be an interesting mix, and ought to be a good time for all of us. It will probably be five or six weeks long, so we can talk about the way Jesus refused to blame the blind man or his parents for his disability (which is a big deal here.) There is a lot to share, and I am eager to get it organized enough to send a plan to Dr Malone, my teacher for the indigenous theologizing class.
There was also another really cool thing that happened! I had gone to the Spar Grocery Store at RiverWalk, and the manager, Maurice, came up to me and wanted to hear my whole story. He also wanted to see any artwork I had with me, so I pulled out a couple of cards that were in my backpack. He told me that he has seen me in there a lot, and how much he loved my "positive attitude and bright smile." He knows I am a Christian, and he is too. But he had not thought much about how the disabled fit into God’s plan. He said he would like to display my work (good thing I brought some of the large prints!) at the store along with some of his friends’ artwork. Then we got talking about how the disabled are so often hidden away at home, so that few people get a chance to know what they can do. He said he wants to contact Cheshire and other places and schools for the disabled and have other disabled people bring their artwork, their music, and their other talents to share. He wants to have a whole Saturday that focuses on the disabled and their needs and their abilities! He even wants to contact the media for this event! This is too cool, huh?!
Another opportunity to talk about the Lord came when I was with Tshegofatso Bogacu, whom I mentioned in my last blog. I had been rethinking my decision to participate in the Fundraiser walk for Cheshire, because it was outside of Gaborone and the walkers needed to be there at 6:00 am on Saturday the 25.th I was not sure if I was going to be able to get a taxi ride at that hour on a Saturday morning. Sandy had an engagement at 9:00, so she could not participate in the event with me. I told Tshegofatso on the Sunday before that I was worried about how I was going to do this. She told me that she’d be happy to take me, since she and her boyfriend would be walking as well. She said that she would pick me up around 5:30 am so we would all arrive in time for the walk. I was so glad for her help, and I’m glad I went.
My day began at 5:00 when I woke up and had Sandy help me get showered and ready for my 5:30 pick-up. Tshegofatso came with her boyfriend, Tshepiso Sasa Molelekeng, who gently helped me get into the large red car, and we headed off to the walk. Here is where some great God-talk happened. As we were driving along the dimly lit road, Tshegofatso and I started a discussion about Lent and what it meant to each of us. We both have the same understanding that Lent means a time to emptying ourselves of "junk," and to be more open to God who wants to fill us with more and more of himself. It is a time when some people commit themselves to fasting from various food such as chocolate, meat, soda, or wheat products, while others choose to give up certain types of things like Facebook, anger at others, or resentfulness. It’s not just about giving up something, although that can remind us of what we are really doing - but also taking on, or making room for something else, like patience or being willing to forgive. I told Tshegofatso that I’m giving up my habit of getting so easily irritated with myself about the things I struggle to do, or when there is something that really is difficult to understand how to resolve, (such as the situation Sandy and I have had with hired help, for instance!) I shared that when I do this, let go and stop being annoyed with myself because I can’t resolve everything by myself, or do everything for myself, or make everything "work," I end up being more open. Then I am more able to see and to understand more clearly what God is trying to teach me. She told me that she has made the hard decision to deliberately love others more carefully than she usually does. She says that sometimes this is very difficult for her to do. She explained to me that when she chooses this way that this makes her feel like she is closer to God (who is Love) and to see that we are called to love and value every human being, even when it’s difficult at times. We both thought how important Lent is to us, and that it really does help us become more aware of our relationship with our Lord and Savior. I told her how it helps us cry out to the Lord for help when we really see ourselves this way, and that it makes us see that we cannot do anything apart from Him. As we were talking I thought to myself, how often we do forget how much God loves us, and wants us to be closer to Him. It’s like, "yes, I know all this" and, "I have already heard this a thousand times before in the many conversations I’ve had with friends"…and yet I still forget how important it is, to not just hear it but to obey it so I can this experience it again and again. I remember the hymn that many of us have grown up with, "I have decided to follow Jesus." It originated in a tribe in my birth-country, India where new believers were being severely persecuted. My mom told me that there is a verse we don’t sing in English. I loved it and think it is particularly powerful. "Though I may wonder, I still will follow. Though I may wonder, I still will follow. No turning back...No turning back.." I think I am sometimes uneasy admitting that I do sometimes really wonder what God is doing, worrying about it, and then not being excited to see what is coming next. When I wonder, I don’t always trust Him. I think I need to KNOW. But it is true, even when we "wonder" and aren’t sure what is going on, we still want to be able to sing, "No turning back, no turning back." I think that’s why Lent is so important. To think that if I had been too shy to ask for help getting there, I’d have missed the walk, which was great for me and gave me a chance to meet so many others who are interested in the disabled - and I would have missed this very valuable conversation and a great opportunity to keep building a friendship with a young woman whom I enjoy and admire.
Anyway, the walk was wonderful and long. It gets hot so early in the day that we needed to get it underway very early. There were more than 200 people who participated in the walk, including many of the youth from St. Michael’s. Since we started so early, the weather was nice and cool for the whole hour and a half walk. Tshegofatso’s boyfriend, Tshepiso, pushed me the whole way, for which I was very grateful! There are just things I can’t do at all here without assistance. In the US I’d have just grabbed my electric chair and "done it myself!" But this is good. I am learning how to allow myself to be dependent when I need to be so that I don’t miss anything God has for me here. Tshepiso told me that it was a great experience for him, too, and that he also enjoyed it as much as Tshgofatso and I did. I had a lot of fun with the youth, trying my choppy Setswana with them. It’s getting better all the time, thanks to everyone who is willing to repeat words over and over for me! I’m glad I went, and I feel like my relationships are growing with the young people, with my new friends, even with strangers who were there to help out other disabled people.
On another note, last Wednesday we had to let Ntebeleng go. That was very hard for me. I like her a lot, but she just wasn’t doing the work we had hired her to do. We got some really good help from the Anglican Women’s Fellowship about how to do it in a culturally appropriate way, so that she would not lose face. We did not want to hurt her, and we did not want to let her think that we do not like her, but Sandy and I just needed someone else to work for us. We are in the process now of finding a replacement, or, really two different part time people, one to work with me and one to do the housework.
There’s an older woman, Elsie, who will probably work out to do the cleaning. She is very careful with that kind of work, but she is an older woman who because of her age and physical condition can’t possibly work with me.
We think we have another person for me, though. There’s a young woman named Kamohelo who seems interested in the job. She’s good at beadwork, and I am interested in jewelry making as well. She’s nearer to my age and might turn out to be a pretty good companion, especially since Sandy is helping me get ready in the morning so she won’t have to do anything like that. I just met her yesterday, but Sandy has known her since she arrived last year, so we will see if this works out.
There’s just one more thing I want to share this week. Father Amanze, my supervisor, set up a meeting for Sandy and me at the Office of the President of Botswana where we met for over an house with a former theological student of Father Amanze’s. Thomas Timmy Motingwa has been appointed by the President of Botswana as Coordinator of the Disability Unit for the country. Imagine what it can mean to have a committee Christian in this job! We had a great time, and he asked me to serve on his national disability committee until I leave in July. This was just amazing. He hopes I will have time to speak to others about what it means for the disabled to be seen ad real people with needs and gifts. Of course, for me (and for him) this truth comes from Scripture, form creation itself, so it will always be a time of telling the truth about God’s love and power, and denying that evil spirits or evil behavior on the part of our parents, made us the way we are. This message is so needed her. And the freedom that comes from it can make a real difference. One day Dr Frost, my ICS professor in Bolivar, commented that my disability IS my "platform." It is the gift I have been given by which I can share the love and the purposes of God, the great salvation of Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit of God over all others spirits. I see more and more how that is exactly the truth.
Okay - I think that is all I can write for now.
Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
February is finished. Another month has gone by. It’s hard to believe that another month of my time here is already done. How incredible it is to me that so much can be accomplished, so many surprising events can occur, so many new faces can become familiar, and so many relationships can be built in such a short time. After realizing this, it makes me see how important it is to value time. I’m not saying "clock time" necessarily, but rather, we need to value the time we share with others. It is easy to say, "Oh, I don’t need to talk to this person right now." I know I am not the only one who puts things on the back burner because it’s so much easier to do than to make time for people when so much else seems to be more important right then. As I look back now, I see that I did this a lot back at home in the states. I would put off time with various friends who mattered to me, and who sometimes needed to talk, and then regretted not taking that time to listen and share with them. But being in Africa has deepened my understanding of how important it is to value every moment we have with someone. Rather than just brushing off opportunities to develop strong relationships, I find myself more and more embracing them, because once the chance is gone, it is gone, and it won’t ever come back. I see how many chances God gives us to shine His light on the people we encounter, how He gives us words to share, and how sometimes I haven’t obeyed, or have missed the cues God gave me.
I have seen in my time here the many opportunities that He has given me to share His unending love with others. God has blessed me so much in my work at St. Peters Daycare Center. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to teach and to learn from children who have suffered. Some have lost family members to AIDS. Together we are looking at the love of Jesus in the Bible, and I am trying to help them trust Him (and the staff!) to be Lord of their lives. A few years ago I could not have seen myself in this position. How could I help anyone? Would people even take me seriously? God’s answer was "yes, you can encourage my people, and they will take you seriously because of what I am doing in you, because of who you are in ME." And that’s why it’s very important to accept with an open heart every chance He offers us to show others what He is like through our own obedience. The staff and Mma Mudereri have told me how much God’s love radiates out from me, and that even children see it. Wouldn’t it be a real sadness if I had refused such a wonderful opportunity to share the good news with children in a way that lets them see that He is good and can use ANYONE who is willing to be used by Him! I think we should change the "service project" to the "honor project!" It is an incredible honor to be asked to do anything at all for the Lord Jesus, and it brings honor to Him to try to obey his invitation to be His messenger.
Last week I also visited Cheshire again, and met with Rra Mabusa, who is in charge of the Cheshire Center. It was terrific! I also met with two women, Mma Leleti, who is in charge of the staff, and Mma Catherine who advocates for the disabled who live there. Together we took a look at the plan I am developing for teaching a class on Scripture as it relates to the disabled, showing them to be created in the image of God exactly like anyone else. We want to discuss what that means for the church, for the disabled, for those who work with them. We talked about the scriptures I might use, and the concepts we want to cover. We need to decide exactly who the participants will be, but I think we are going to include staff, parents and some of the youth from St Michael’s who want to get involved, as well as the disabled themselves. This will be an interesting mix, and ought to be a good time for all of us. It will probably be five or six weeks long, so we can talk about the way Jesus refused to blame the blind man or his parents for his disability (which is a big deal here.) There is a lot to share, and I am eager to get it organized enough to send a plan to Dr Malone, my teacher for the indigenous theologizing class.
There was also another really cool thing that happened! I had gone to the Spar Grocery Store at RiverWalk, and the manager, Maurice, came up to me and wanted to hear my whole story. He also wanted to see any artwork I had with me, so I pulled out a couple of cards that were in my backpack. He told me that he has seen me in there a lot, and how much he loved my "positive attitude and bright smile." He knows I am a Christian, and he is too. But he had not thought much about how the disabled fit into God’s plan. He said he would like to display my work (good thing I brought some of the large prints!) at the store along with some of his friends’ artwork. Then we got talking about how the disabled are so often hidden away at home, so that few people get a chance to know what they can do. He said he wants to contact Cheshire and other places and schools for the disabled and have other disabled people bring their artwork, their music, and their other talents to share. He wants to have a whole Saturday that focuses on the disabled and their needs and their abilities! He even wants to contact the media for this event! This is too cool, huh?!
Another opportunity to talk about the Lord came when I was with Tshegofatso Bogacu, whom I mentioned in my last blog. I had been rethinking my decision to participate in the Fundraiser walk for Cheshire, because it was outside of Gaborone and the walkers needed to be there at 6:00 am on Saturday the 25.th I was not sure if I was going to be able to get a taxi ride at that hour on a Saturday morning. Sandy had an engagement at 9:00, so she could not participate in the event with me. I told Tshegofatso on the Sunday before that I was worried about how I was going to do this. She told me that she’d be happy to take me, since she and her boyfriend would be walking as well. She said that she would pick me up around 5:30 am so we would all arrive in time for the walk. I was so glad for her help, and I’m glad I went.
My day began at 5:00 when I woke up and had Sandy help me get showered and ready for my 5:30 pick-up. Tshegofatso came with her boyfriend, Tshepiso Sasa Molelekeng, who gently helped me get into the large red car, and we headed off to the walk. Here is where some great God-talk happened. As we were driving along the dimly lit road, Tshegofatso and I started a discussion about Lent and what it meant to each of us. We both have the same understanding that Lent means a time to emptying ourselves of "junk," and to be more open to God who wants to fill us with more and more of himself. It is a time when some people commit themselves to fasting from various food such as chocolate, meat, soda, or wheat products, while others choose to give up certain types of things like Facebook, anger at others, or resentfulness. It’s not just about giving up something, although that can remind us of what we are really doing - but also taking on, or making room for something else, like patience or being willing to forgive. I told Tshegofatso that I’m giving up my habit of getting so easily irritated with myself about the things I struggle to do, or when there is something that really is difficult to understand how to resolve, (such as the situation Sandy and I have had with hired help, for instance!) I shared that when I do this, let go and stop being annoyed with myself because I can’t resolve everything by myself, or do everything for myself, or make everything "work," I end up being more open. Then I am more able to see and to understand more clearly what God is trying to teach me. She told me that she has made the hard decision to deliberately love others more carefully than she usually does. She says that sometimes this is very difficult for her to do. She explained to me that when she chooses this way that this makes her feel like she is closer to God (who is Love) and to see that we are called to love and value every human being, even when it’s difficult at times. We both thought how important Lent is to us, and that it really does help us become more aware of our relationship with our Lord and Savior. I told her how it helps us cry out to the Lord for help when we really see ourselves this way, and that it makes us see that we cannot do anything apart from Him. As we were talking I thought to myself, how often we do forget how much God loves us, and wants us to be closer to Him. It’s like, "yes, I know all this" and, "I have already heard this a thousand times before in the many conversations I’ve had with friends"…and yet I still forget how important it is, to not just hear it but to obey it so I can this experience it again and again. I remember the hymn that many of us have grown up with, "I have decided to follow Jesus." It originated in a tribe in my birth-country, India where new believers were being severely persecuted. My mom told me that there is a verse we don’t sing in English. I loved it and think it is particularly powerful. "Though I may wonder, I still will follow. Though I may wonder, I still will follow. No turning back...No turning back.." I think I am sometimes uneasy admitting that I do sometimes really wonder what God is doing, worrying about it, and then not being excited to see what is coming next. When I wonder, I don’t always trust Him. I think I need to KNOW. But it is true, even when we "wonder" and aren’t sure what is going on, we still want to be able to sing, "No turning back, no turning back." I think that’s why Lent is so important. To think that if I had been too shy to ask for help getting there, I’d have missed the walk, which was great for me and gave me a chance to meet so many others who are interested in the disabled - and I would have missed this very valuable conversation and a great opportunity to keep building a friendship with a young woman whom I enjoy and admire.
Anyway, the walk was wonderful and long. It gets hot so early in the day that we needed to get it underway very early. There were more than 200 people who participated in the walk, including many of the youth from St. Michael’s. Since we started so early, the weather was nice and cool for the whole hour and a half walk. Tshegofatso’s boyfriend, Tshepiso, pushed me the whole way, for which I was very grateful! There are just things I can’t do at all here without assistance. In the US I’d have just grabbed my electric chair and "done it myself!" But this is good. I am learning how to allow myself to be dependent when I need to be so that I don’t miss anything God has for me here. Tshepiso told me that it was a great experience for him, too, and that he also enjoyed it as much as Tshgofatso and I did. I had a lot of fun with the youth, trying my choppy Setswana with them. It’s getting better all the time, thanks to everyone who is willing to repeat words over and over for me! I’m glad I went, and I feel like my relationships are growing with the young people, with my new friends, even with strangers who were there to help out other disabled people.
On another note, last Wednesday we had to let Ntebeleng go. That was very hard for me. I like her a lot, but she just wasn’t doing the work we had hired her to do. We got some really good help from the Anglican Women’s Fellowship about how to do it in a culturally appropriate way, so that she would not lose face. We did not want to hurt her, and we did not want to let her think that we do not like her, but Sandy and I just needed someone else to work for us. We are in the process now of finding a replacement, or, really two different part time people, one to work with me and one to do the housework.
There’s an older woman, Elsie, who will probably work out to do the cleaning. She is very careful with that kind of work, but she is an older woman who because of her age and physical condition can’t possibly work with me.
We think we have another person for me, though. There’s a young woman named Kamohelo who seems interested in the job. She’s good at beadwork, and I am interested in jewelry making as well. She’s nearer to my age and might turn out to be a pretty good companion, especially since Sandy is helping me get ready in the morning so she won’t have to do anything like that. I just met her yesterday, but Sandy has known her since she arrived last year, so we will see if this works out.
There’s just one more thing I want to share this week. Father Amanze, my supervisor, set up a meeting for Sandy and me at the Office of the President of Botswana where we met for over an house with a former theological student of Father Amanze’s. Thomas Timmy Motingwa has been appointed by the President of Botswana as Coordinator of the Disability Unit for the country. Imagine what it can mean to have a committee Christian in this job! We had a great time, and he asked me to serve on his national disability committee until I leave in July. This was just amazing. He hopes I will have time to speak to others about what it means for the disabled to be seen ad real people with needs and gifts. Of course, for me (and for him) this truth comes from Scripture, form creation itself, so it will always be a time of telling the truth about God’s love and power, and denying that evil spirits or evil behavior on the part of our parents, made us the way we are. This message is so needed her. And the freedom that comes from it can make a real difference. One day Dr Frost, my ICS professor in Bolivar, commented that my disability IS my "platform." It is the gift I have been given by which I can share the love and the purposes of God, the great salvation of Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit of God over all others spirits. I see more and more how that is exactly the truth.
Okay - I think that is all I can write for now.
Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
Sunday, February 26, 2012
God's Community
Feb 25, 2012
Hi, everyone! I miss you all very much and I’m praying for each of you constantly. My time here in Africa is slowly decreasing. But my love for it is rapidly increasing! This week has been very exciting and joyful.
First, on Wednesday morning, the 4 and 5 year olds that I have been working with performed the story of Jesus Feeding the 5,000 at the 8:30 am chapel. We had an unexpected surprise when Ntebeleng and I arrived. The boy, Miguel, who was supposed to play Jesus, was nowhere to be found. We discovered that on Tuesday night he suffered a severe asthma attack and had to be hospitalized. This threw everything into mayhem, and the first ten minutes Mma Beauty and I were trying to find someone else to play Jesus in Miguel’s place. After we tried at least five boys who either got cold feet and would not say the lines, or got too silly and kept mixing up the lines, we finally got a boy named Faith who could do it without much difficulty. However, as we all processed into the church a car rolled into the Daycare and out popped Miguel! So we quickly took the costume off Faith and dressed Miguel and he stepped into his role as Jesus immediately. In the beginning Mma Mudereri led the school in the Botswana anthem and then some worship songs and then proceeded to tell the rest of the school about the story we’d been working on. After she was finished the children and Mma Beauty along with Mma Garonne set up the scene; Ntebeleng and I had baked fish sticks and bought 5 loaves of bread the day before and we put it in a basket (I know ,and the children know, that there were 12 baskets but for the moment we only had one!) It was amazing to watch the children slip into their places with no difficulty and they all knew what to do as well as had their lines completely memorized! Miguel was loud and clear and there was no child that misbehaved. When the performance was finished they sang “Jesus Loves Me” and then they sang the song “God is so good”! I must say I was impressed with the graceful way these children portrayed this wonderful story and like I’ve said before, children really are our best teachers! Theirs truly is the kingdom of heaven! Mma Mudereri was extremely pleased with the whole performance and after watching what the children did she came up to me and put me in charge of directing the 5 and 6 year olds who are going to do the whole Passion play! I will be helping Mma Goncee who’s the teacher of the 5 and 6 year olds and I’m EXTREMELY excited for another opportunity to put my theatre skills into practice! At the moment we are rewriting the script and beginning to block it, and I love every minute of it.
My second exciting event happened last Sunday when I visited St. Michael’s in Mogodishante, which is actually where my supervisor, Father James Amanze, is pastor. I was invited by a young woman named Tshegofatso Bogacu whom I met at the Diocan Link Committee in January. She wanted me to come and get involved with the young adults there, and she said that after she heard me speak in the committee meeting she thought that I would be a great influence on the youth and be able to encourage them. She came and picked me up at around 9:30 since it takes us 30 min and she wanted to be there in time for the 10:00 service. It's not like the service was actually going to start at 10:00, but none the less. We had a good time on the way, just getting to know each other. I loved the little place the moment I laid eyes on it. It is a small church, beautiful with wooden pews and a large fan in the center of the ceiling. We entered the room filled with people dressed in brilliant colors chattering about various sorts of things in Setswana. Tshegofatso and I sat up in the front where some of the young women were already sitting. I greeted them all and introduced myself in Setswana which they appreciated. Well, as I expected, the service did not start at 10 but more towards 10:30 but I was not bothered by this nor did it seem like anybody else was for that matter. When the service finally did begin, the Deacon announced that Father James Amanze was unable to attend today and so we would just have to start without him. The service is celebrated exactly the way we have it in the states but it’s all spoken and sung in Setswana, which to me is so beautiful that it almost makes me cry when I hear it. I managed to understand a lot of the things that were either being sung or said, and the things I did not understand Tshegofatso would quietly tell me. I learned several new hymns but one of them that we sang has become one of my favorites. It goes like this: AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! It says: There are no problems and nothing to fear because our God is here. BEAUTIFUL!!
After the service, the youth group gathered for their weekly meeting to discuss their plans and upcoming events. They include college age students as well as younger ones. Tshegofatso introduced me to the rather large group who warmly welcomed me into their circle. I told them about myself and that I have always had a love for Africa since I was very small child, my passion to empower the disabled for missions, and that my second major is Theatre and Communications. The fact that I was studying theatre excited the group greatly and immediately they wanted to know if I would be willing to help them with their skits and mini dramas that they do in the spring around April and May. They perform as a Fundraiser for their mission work . They make it a rule that they don’t do any fundraising of any sort during the 40 days of Lent, which I really honor. I told them that I would be delighted to help out with their plays in every way I could. I did tell them my need to continue learning Setswana and they said they would be happy to help me, and they also want to work at helping get the disabled more involved in the church and society. I was pleased to hear that they were going to participate in the Fundraiser walk for Cheshire as I also was. Everywhere I go I feel like God is expanding my community of people to work with. Tshegofatso and I have become friends and we will work together with the youth as well as do other things together.
Speaking of Cheshire, I met with Raa Mabasa on Tuesday afternoon to discuss my theologizing project that I would like to do there at Cheshire. I want to work with scripture and help these workers and the disabled themselves understand what it says, and mostly what it does NOT say about why people are disabled. Raa Mabasa thought this would be a wonderful idea, since even though many of them are Christians, the culture, even in the church, sometimes believes that people are disabled because they, or their parents have done something wrong. The staff and even some of the parents of the disabled children will get involved with that study as well. He said that he has seen how the disabled are really rejected here because they seem to be evidence that someone has done evil, and so families often keep them kept shut away. Since they are seen as cursed, or as proof that the families are, they are embarrassed to take them out. Families will deliberately keep them hidden in order to avoid being blamed for the child’s deformity. He felt that doing something like a Bible study on God's love for the sick and disabled would be something so wonderful and he even agreed that we should get the St. Michael’s youth involved too, since they’ve been there and helped with the children before. We will discuss in more detail about how to do this on next Tuesday. We probably will begin this in early April. He believes that we should start getting some media attention on the problems of the disabled because of the wrong ideas people have about the cause of disability, and he said that even though he has been an advocate for the physically/ mentally impaired it’s not as effective as someone like me would be because he himself is not disabled. He wants me to speak myself and say why I can trust God and know his love in the midst of disability. So we will get that started up soon as well. THIS WAS WONDERUL!!!
On Friday I got a call from an Indian Doctor at the Princess Marina Hospital, who wanted to meet with me that afternoon. So Ntebeleng and I drove over there after our time at St. Peter’s and talked with Dr. Gureja for an hour about the needs of the disabled. He told me that Dr. Moffat, whom I’ve mentioned before, told him about me and that he would like me to talk to the staff that take care of wheelchair-bound patients and encourage them to rethink how they view these people. He said, "If they see you and your art, and hear about your love of God as well as all the things you can do for yourself, it will help them see that disability doesn’t define a human being." So amazingly, I have come to Africa to be asked by an Indian to talk about disability, such a small world this is! I will speak to them in late April.
It is so amazing all the opportunities God has given me to share my testimony and to just try to show Jesus - He is the one who really can bring people closer to Himself, but he is willing to use us when we are willing to be used. I am so grateful.
That is all for now. Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
Hi, everyone! I miss you all very much and I’m praying for each of you constantly. My time here in Africa is slowly decreasing. But my love for it is rapidly increasing! This week has been very exciting and joyful.
First, on Wednesday morning, the 4 and 5 year olds that I have been working with performed the story of Jesus Feeding the 5,000 at the 8:30 am chapel. We had an unexpected surprise when Ntebeleng and I arrived. The boy, Miguel, who was supposed to play Jesus, was nowhere to be found. We discovered that on Tuesday night he suffered a severe asthma attack and had to be hospitalized. This threw everything into mayhem, and the first ten minutes Mma Beauty and I were trying to find someone else to play Jesus in Miguel’s place. After we tried at least five boys who either got cold feet and would not say the lines, or got too silly and kept mixing up the lines, we finally got a boy named Faith who could do it without much difficulty. However, as we all processed into the church a car rolled into the Daycare and out popped Miguel! So we quickly took the costume off Faith and dressed Miguel and he stepped into his role as Jesus immediately. In the beginning Mma Mudereri led the school in the Botswana anthem and then some worship songs and then proceeded to tell the rest of the school about the story we’d been working on. After she was finished the children and Mma Beauty along with Mma Garonne set up the scene; Ntebeleng and I had baked fish sticks and bought 5 loaves of bread the day before and we put it in a basket (I know ,and the children know, that there were 12 baskets but for the moment we only had one!) It was amazing to watch the children slip into their places with no difficulty and they all knew what to do as well as had their lines completely memorized! Miguel was loud and clear and there was no child that misbehaved. When the performance was finished they sang “Jesus Loves Me” and then they sang the song “God is so good”! I must say I was impressed with the graceful way these children portrayed this wonderful story and like I’ve said before, children really are our best teachers! Theirs truly is the kingdom of heaven! Mma Mudereri was extremely pleased with the whole performance and after watching what the children did she came up to me and put me in charge of directing the 5 and 6 year olds who are going to do the whole Passion play! I will be helping Mma Goncee who’s the teacher of the 5 and 6 year olds and I’m EXTREMELY excited for another opportunity to put my theatre skills into practice! At the moment we are rewriting the script and beginning to block it, and I love every minute of it.
My second exciting event happened last Sunday when I visited St. Michael’s in Mogodishante, which is actually where my supervisor, Father James Amanze, is pastor. I was invited by a young woman named Tshegofatso Bogacu whom I met at the Diocan Link Committee in January. She wanted me to come and get involved with the young adults there, and she said that after she heard me speak in the committee meeting she thought that I would be a great influence on the youth and be able to encourage them. She came and picked me up at around 9:30 since it takes us 30 min and she wanted to be there in time for the 10:00 service. It's not like the service was actually going to start at 10:00, but none the less. We had a good time on the way, just getting to know each other. I loved the little place the moment I laid eyes on it. It is a small church, beautiful with wooden pews and a large fan in the center of the ceiling. We entered the room filled with people dressed in brilliant colors chattering about various sorts of things in Setswana. Tshegofatso and I sat up in the front where some of the young women were already sitting. I greeted them all and introduced myself in Setswana which they appreciated. Well, as I expected, the service did not start at 10 but more towards 10:30 but I was not bothered by this nor did it seem like anybody else was for that matter. When the service finally did begin, the Deacon announced that Father James Amanze was unable to attend today and so we would just have to start without him. The service is celebrated exactly the way we have it in the states but it’s all spoken and sung in Setswana, which to me is so beautiful that it almost makes me cry when I hear it. I managed to understand a lot of the things that were either being sung or said, and the things I did not understand Tshegofatso would quietly tell me. I learned several new hymns but one of them that we sang has become one of my favorites. It goes like this: AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! AO Mata, AO Mata, Ke Modimo O Teng! It says: There are no problems and nothing to fear because our God is here. BEAUTIFUL!!
After the service, the youth group gathered for their weekly meeting to discuss their plans and upcoming events. They include college age students as well as younger ones. Tshegofatso introduced me to the rather large group who warmly welcomed me into their circle. I told them about myself and that I have always had a love for Africa since I was very small child, my passion to empower the disabled for missions, and that my second major is Theatre and Communications. The fact that I was studying theatre excited the group greatly and immediately they wanted to know if I would be willing to help them with their skits and mini dramas that they do in the spring around April and May. They perform as a Fundraiser for their mission work . They make it a rule that they don’t do any fundraising of any sort during the 40 days of Lent, which I really honor. I told them that I would be delighted to help out with their plays in every way I could. I did tell them my need to continue learning Setswana and they said they would be happy to help me, and they also want to work at helping get the disabled more involved in the church and society. I was pleased to hear that they were going to participate in the Fundraiser walk for Cheshire as I also was. Everywhere I go I feel like God is expanding my community of people to work with. Tshegofatso and I have become friends and we will work together with the youth as well as do other things together.
Speaking of Cheshire, I met with Raa Mabasa on Tuesday afternoon to discuss my theologizing project that I would like to do there at Cheshire. I want to work with scripture and help these workers and the disabled themselves understand what it says, and mostly what it does NOT say about why people are disabled. Raa Mabasa thought this would be a wonderful idea, since even though many of them are Christians, the culture, even in the church, sometimes believes that people are disabled because they, or their parents have done something wrong. The staff and even some of the parents of the disabled children will get involved with that study as well. He said that he has seen how the disabled are really rejected here because they seem to be evidence that someone has done evil, and so families often keep them kept shut away. Since they are seen as cursed, or as proof that the families are, they are embarrassed to take them out. Families will deliberately keep them hidden in order to avoid being blamed for the child’s deformity. He felt that doing something like a Bible study on God's love for the sick and disabled would be something so wonderful and he even agreed that we should get the St. Michael’s youth involved too, since they’ve been there and helped with the children before. We will discuss in more detail about how to do this on next Tuesday. We probably will begin this in early April. He believes that we should start getting some media attention on the problems of the disabled because of the wrong ideas people have about the cause of disability, and he said that even though he has been an advocate for the physically/ mentally impaired it’s not as effective as someone like me would be because he himself is not disabled. He wants me to speak myself and say why I can trust God and know his love in the midst of disability. So we will get that started up soon as well. THIS WAS WONDERUL!!!
On Friday I got a call from an Indian Doctor at the Princess Marina Hospital, who wanted to meet with me that afternoon. So Ntebeleng and I drove over there after our time at St. Peter’s and talked with Dr. Gureja for an hour about the needs of the disabled. He told me that Dr. Moffat, whom I’ve mentioned before, told him about me and that he would like me to talk to the staff that take care of wheelchair-bound patients and encourage them to rethink how they view these people. He said, "If they see you and your art, and hear about your love of God as well as all the things you can do for yourself, it will help them see that disability doesn’t define a human being." So amazingly, I have come to Africa to be asked by an Indian to talk about disability, such a small world this is! I will speak to them in late April.
It is so amazing all the opportunities God has given me to share my testimony and to just try to show Jesus - He is the one who really can bring people closer to Himself, but he is willing to use us when we are willing to be used. I am so grateful.
That is all for now. Ke o Rata (I love you)!
Minda
Sunday, February 19, 2012
He shines brighter with every lesson learned
Feb 19, 2012
Dumalang, my friends! Otsogile Jang? I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the coming of spring. I’ve heard that you all in Missouri had a couple of inches of snow last week. I’m very happy for you all but I have to admit that I did feel a little bit jealous that I could not be there with you to celebrate the snow! It’s been very hot here and on some days it gets to the point where it is very uncomfortable. I try to keep drinking water and other fluids to keep me from becoming dehydrated which does help a lot but sitting in your own sweat is not the most pleasant feeling in the world, I must admit.
This last week has been full of blessings, valuable lessons, and some cultural adjustments. First, cultural adjustments. I’m not someone whose ever had experience with hired domestic help, certainly not in a different culture and country. Ntebeleng and I were becoming very close, and I really liked having her as a friend and companion. But I was not careful to remember that she is still my paid assistant, who is here for a job and not my best friend. I started buying stuff for her that I thought she needed, helped her pay her phone time, let her use my phone when she no longer had any minutes, took her to lunch so we could practice my Setswana etc. It started getting to the point where she depended on me for a lot of financial help, and I started feeling that she was taking advantage of me. She didn’t want t do the housework we had agreed for her to do, etc. I think that for me to have kept on saying that she was my friend wasn’t helping either. Our definition of friends is very different in our two cultures. When I started backing away from her and becoming more direct with her about asking me for things, the tension between us started to increase. It got to the point where I needed to talk to Mma Evelyn, the one who brought Ntebeleng to work for me to help me figure out a way to settle the situation before it got totally out of hand!
On Wednesday, Mma Evelyn sat us both down and listened to both sides of the story. Then Evelyn explained to us that in each culture the definition of friendship is different. She also helped us see that it is not wise to borrow each other’s things such as using each other’s phones, buying things that aren’t necessary, as if she was not a paid helper. We are friendly, but not exactly "friends." Talking it out really was helpful for both of us and I feel like my relationship with her is much better now that we came to an understanding of what is appropriate. Thank the Lord!! This situation was very discouraging to me at the time because I felt like I was the one at fault, and that I really failed to be careful and aware of the situation at hand. I began to doubt myself a bit and then I became distressed that I was not as culturally aware as I thought I really should have been. I just really had not understood, and neither had Ntebeleng. The night before Mma Evelyn came; I talked to the Lord about this and He really did help me see that this is a complex cultural issue and it is NOT necessarily a failure. I made the commitment that night that no matter what happened at the meeting the next day I was going to continue to love Ntebeleng and be her friend no matter what, and move forward. I felt that once I did that I was more prepared to listen in the meeting and open myself up to making things right again for both of us. I think 
Ntebeleng had felt badly, too, because she thought it was rude to refuse what I offered, even though she was glad to have the things, but she knew she ought to repay it and couldn‘t. I didn’t know how she felt and she had no idea how I felt. In the end, it was wonderful and both of us have a fresh understanding. There is a way to be friends, and yet employer/employee, but it has to be clear. Now it is! Thank you Evelyn!
Ntebeleng had felt badly, too, because she thought it was rude to refuse what I offered, even though she was glad to have the things, but she knew she ought to repay it and couldn‘t. I didn’t know how she felt and she had no idea how I felt. In the end, it was wonderful and both of us have a fresh understanding. There is a way to be friends, and yet employer/employee, but it has to be clear. Now it is! Thank you Evelyn!Now for the blessings. I have the most fun and wonderful service project ever at St. Peter’s Daycare. I absolutely LOVE working with the children there. They are real
ly poor, disadvantaged kids whose families cannot care for them. Either a parent has died or both have, so they need a place to be in the daytime. AIDS is still a huge problem here. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have been going there. This week I read the story of the Feeding the 5,000 from my Setswana Bible to them. They seemed to really understand the story and are able to tell me about how "Jesus shared the food he had with others" and that he was teaching his disciples to "share what they had"! They see that Jesus can do anything, and that when we follow him we can take part in his way of life too. This week we have been acting out the story, which is hilarious, and overall we have been making good progress. Beauty and I wrote out the lines last Friday and distributed them to the children. The little boy playing Jesus is named Miguel and is 5 years old. He is a very bright young man and has pretty much memorized his lines in just a few days. We keep changing the disciple who asks Jesus to send the people, because the little boy, Faith, who was originally supposed to say the lines often gets nervous and freezes and then doesn’t say the lines. We got a girl to do the part and she was very
good and we really did not have to tell her what to say! Last Friday we put the children in their costumes which excited them greatly and they all squealed with delight as they took turns trying on their costumes. One little girl in particular whose name is Monkogogi, and is about 4 years old, was just adorable as Mma Beauty helped her into her white cloth dressing gown. She kept twirling around and around as she was being put in the dress and then would giggle with joy. We are going to perform the short play this coming Wednesday the 22nd at the 8:30 am chapel. I’m really getting close to these children.
ly poor, disadvantaged kids whose families cannot care for them. Either a parent has died or both have, so they need a place to be in the daytime. AIDS is still a huge problem here. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have been going there. This week I read the story of the Feeding the 5,000 from my Setswana Bible to them. They seemed to really understand the story and are able to tell me about how "Jesus shared the food he had with others" and that he was teaching his disciples to "share what they had"! They see that Jesus can do anything, and that when we follow him we can take part in his way of life too. This week we have been acting out the story, which is hilarious, and overall we have been making good progress. Beauty and I wrote out the lines last Friday and distributed them to the children. The little boy playing Jesus is named Miguel and is 5 years old. He is a very bright young man and has pretty much memorized his lines in just a few days. We keep changing the disciple who asks Jesus to send the people, because the little boy, Faith, who was originally supposed to say the lines often gets nervous and freezes and then doesn’t say the lines. We got a girl to do the part and she was very
good and we really did not have to tell her what to say! Last Friday we put the children in their costumes which excited them greatly and they all squealed with delight as they took turns trying on their costumes. One little girl in particular whose name is Monkogogi, and is about 4 years old, was just adorable as Mma Beauty helped her into her white cloth dressing gown. She kept twirling around and around as she was being put in the dress and then would giggle with joy. We are going to perform the short play this coming Wednesday the 22nd at the 8:30 am chapel. I’m really getting close to these children.
Mma Mudereri had the parents over on Friday for their monthly meeting and she had me come along so that the parents could meet me. Mma Mudereri introduced me to the crowd and told them that I was a student from the USA studying here in Botswana until July. She explained to them that I was teaching the children about Jesus and telling them the stories about his love and kindness and that the children were beginning to understand Jesus’ love for them because of what I was able to show them. Mma Mudereri also said how much she and the staff appreciated having me there and that it was important to them that the children see someone like me and understand that just because I’m disabled does NOT mean that I cannot do things for myself and can teach them things just like any other able bodied teacher. The parents seemed to appreciate this and they broke into applause once Mma Mudereri was finished. What a blessing to be able to teach others and broaden their horizons.
Another blessing this last week was that I was asked by a lady named Pam, whom I met at the Cathedral the Sunday before, to come and speak on Valentine’s Day to the Thuto School just outside Gaborone where she works. She said she’d been watching me for the last 2 Sundays and was so impressed with all that I did and my confident attitude and thought that it would be great if I could speak to the children at her school and encourage them. I was honored by this invitation and opportunity to witness and of course I said yes. So on Valentine’s Day Ntebeleng and I headed to the school and we were greeted by a crowd of children from the ages of 5 up to 12 all wearing reds, whites, and pink for Valentine’s Day. They were gathered in the court yard where they were going to have a presentation. Each class took turns doing various skits, songs, and poems for the specia
l day. It is bigger here than it is in the USA! After all of them were finished it was my turn to speak to the crowd. I introduced myself and told them where I was from and what I was doing in Botswana. Then I told them that I was born without arms or legs and that it was no accident and how much I could do for myself. I even showed them how I draw, brush my hair, hold a toothbrush, and how I washed my face. And since it was Valentine’s Day I stressed the part about how God loves each of us just the way we are and that we are made in his image. They seemed to really understand this and even repeated back to me the part about how we are all made in HIS image. Then I told them what my interests are, what I like to do in my free time, etc… After I finished speaking the principle told the students that if "Miss Minda can do this degree in college and 
draw, teach and preach as well as do so much else for herself than there is no reason why you cannot use the gifts God gave to you. I don’t ever want to hear any more excuses about why an assignment isn’t finished or why you did not get your homework done. From now on all of you are without excuse!" I think that I encouraged the staff as well.
l day. It is bigger here than it is in the USA! After all of them were finished it was my turn to speak to the crowd. I introduced myself and told them where I was from and what I was doing in Botswana. Then I told them that I was born without arms or legs and that it was no accident and how much I could do for myself. I even showed them how I draw, brush my hair, hold a toothbrush, and how I washed my face. And since it was Valentine’s Day I stressed the part about how God loves each of us just the way we are and that we are made in his image. They seemed to really understand this and even repeated back to me the part about how we are all made in HIS image. Then I told them what my interests are, what I like to do in my free time, etc… After I finished speaking the principle told the students that if "Miss Minda can do this degree in college and 
draw, teach and preach as well as do so much else for herself than there is no reason why you cannot use the gifts God gave to you. I don’t ever want to hear any more excuses about why an assignment isn’t finished or why you did not get your homework done. From now on all of you are without excuse!" I think that I encouraged the staff as well. After I was finished, the principal and the teachers presented me with a gift of 480 pula! I was not expecting this and I almost cried when they presented it to me. Once the assembly was over the teachers distributed candy to all the children and sent them to their classes. Ntebeleng and I went to have a talk with Pam and Mma Maria-the woman who started Thuto School. She, Mma Maria, told us that the school was started in her home a few years ago and that this large building was just opened the first semester of this school year! She has also started the Thuto Primary School which is just a few kilometers away from this school. She told me that when she started the school in her home she and her husband had very little money, a big dream, and never failing faith. So see how good God is - everywhere and all the time?!
Now for the valuable lessons. God has really blessed me this last week with a lot of good experiences that will remain with me forever. First, He really helped me understand that cultural misunderstandings really are not easy to avoid and they will happen. This doesn’t mean that it is failure when I don’t understand something and that I JUST HAVE TO LEARN what works and doesn’t.
Second, I used to not like children because they made me feel so self-conscious of my body because of their curiosity. I have really discovered through this service project a love for them that I haven’t ever fully known, or for that matter wanted to admit. But in this last month of working with them and nourishing them I have had so much fun. This is a wonderful feeling for me because I’m able to give them hope and encourage them to follow God, and then to the dreams he shows them. Maybe one day I’ll be able to adopt my own children and love and care for them, but for now I love my work with these children and they give me a lot of hope. I have been reminded of one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament in Matthew 19:14 when the disciples are discouraging the children away from Jesus, and his simple reply : "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
My third and final one for the moment is this. God has helped me see that I’m a teacher; I know not the kind that teaches math, science, literature, etc… I’m a different kind of teacher who encourages people to offer to God who they are, as they are, and to see themselves as God’s gift, and then to offer to the world what they have; a teacher who helps others see and appreciate differences, and one that gives hope!
As I close this I would like to leave one prayer request which has to do with language. I’m doing fine in it, but as I’m moving onto level 2 there are things that are becoming a bit more complicated, such as telling our taxi drivers where to take us, and being able to describe some things around me. I keep getting some words mixed up. I love it, but it is sometimes so confusing! Please pray that I don’t get frustrated with myself too much with this. It is easier to be patient with others than with myself!
Love you all. Sala Sentle!
Minda
Minda
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Blessings!!!!
Feb 10, 2012
Dumalang my amazing friends! Otsogile Jang? It is rather cool Thursday evening and it’s hard for me to believe that another week has gone by. I’m beginning to see how true it is when my friends who have completed their semester abroad te
ll me how fast it really does go! And it REALLY DOES! WOW! This has been a week full of excitement and DARLING little children!
I started my service project at St. Peters Daycare on Monday and it has been very successful so far, and so much fun. I will be working there Monday, Wednesday, and occasionally Friday. On the first day Ntebeleng and I arrived at the Daycare at around 10:00 am, right as the children were finishing up their mid-morning snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cups of milk. I’m going to be working mostly with the 4 to 6 year olds retelling the stories of Jesus. Their teacher, whose name is Beauty, is originally from Zimbabwe but now lives in Botswana. She is 43 years old and has a 19 year old son still in Zimbabwe finishing school. She began working with the children of St. Peter’s i
n the fall of 2009 shortly after her husband died. She loves working with children and her patience is like a never ending fountain. The children love and respect her as much as they do Mma Gladys Mudereri. Garonne, the 23 year old assistant teacher to Beauty, has just finished school a few years ago herself.
ll me how fast it really does go! And it REALLY DOES! WOW! This has been a week full of excitement and DARLING little children!I started my service project at St. Peters Daycare on Monday and it has been very successful so far, and so much fun. I will be working there Monday, Wednesday, and occasionally Friday. On the first day Ntebeleng and I arrived at the Daycare at around 10:00 am, right as the children were finishing up their mid-morning snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cups of milk. I’m going to be working mostly with the 4 to 6 year olds retelling the stories of Jesus. Their teacher, whose name is Beauty, is originally from Zimbabwe but now lives in Botswana. She is 43 years old and has a 19 year old son still in Zimbabwe finishing school. She began working with the children of St. Peter’s i
n the fall of 2009 shortly after her husband died. She loves working with children and her patience is like a never ending fountain. The children love and respect her as much as they do Mma Gladys Mudereri. Garonne, the 23 year old assistant teacher to Beauty, has just finished school a few years ago herself. Anyway, I entered her classroom and her curious little pupils never took their eyes off me. They all greeted me with a polite “hello, Auntie Minda.’’ Immediately I got out of my chair and walked around the room to show them the way I “rolled” without my chair. The children just squealed with delightful fascination. Then they started taking my arms and feet touching, hugging, and tickling them and then bursting into laughter. It’s so much fun to watch how easily entertained little children are at the least interesting things! After I finally got them settled down, I had Beauty pull out the chalk board so that I could show the children how I held a pencil, or in this case, the chalk in between my chin and arm. Each time I wrote my name or drew a picture the room was filled with the great roar of applause and the kids crying out “Well done, Auntie Minda!” Later on I read them the story of the ‘’Feeding the 5,000’’ in English and Garonne helped me retell what I said in Setswana. We made them count the five loaves, two fish, and the twelve disciples. This went over very well and th
e children seemed to enjoy listening and they seemed to really understand the whole point of the story. I asked them what they thought was so cool about the story and they said because Jesus showed his disciples how to share with others what they had. I have a strong feeling that teaching such a responsive group is going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to everything God will do through this experience. He has already opened my eyes to the fact that I really do enjoy children more than I usually like to admit.
My helper Ntebeleng was taking pictures like crazy and the kids loved it. They would strike dramatic poses each time she pulled out the camera and if they didn’t see it they would ask her why she wasn’t taking a picture and when she was going to take more photos. When this happened she would always take the camera back out and the children would immediately go ballistic!
e children seemed to enjoy listening and they seemed to really understand the whole point of the story. I asked them what they thought was so cool about the story and they said because Jesus showed his disciples how to share with others what they had. I have a strong feeling that teaching such a responsive group is going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to everything God will do through this experience. He has already opened my eyes to the fact that I really do enjoy children more than I usually like to admit.My helper Ntebeleng was taking pictures like crazy and the kids loved it. They would strike dramatic poses each time she pulled out the camera and if they didn’t see it they would ask her why she wasn’t taking a picture and when she was going to take more photos. When this happened she would always take the camera back out and the children would immediately go ballistic!
When the morning activities were finished, the children went to wash up and get ready for their lunch. Each class lined up and took turn going into the dining hall. Since there is no table that is a good height for me in the dining hall, Ntebeleng and I eat our food with Gladys in her office. This is a lot of fun because it gives us time to rest and talk without the children hanging all over us. We enjoy talki
ng about the future plans for the Daycare, activities for the children, and exciting new events. Speaking of exciting things happening, the staff has agreed to take the older children of St. Peters on a field trip to the Cheshire community of the disabled!!!! The staff agreed with me and Gladys that the children need such an experience like this and it’s important for the children to see a different sort of suffering. They said that even though some of the children at St. Peters are orphans they are NOT hidden the way a child who is handicapped is. The teachers also said that the kids need to understand that even though someone is physically/ mentally handicapped it does NOT mean that they can do nothing. On the 13th we are going to discuss some possible dates to take the kids up there for the visit.
ng about the future plans for the Daycare, activities for the children, and exciting new events. Speaking of exciting things happening, the staff has agreed to take the older children of St. Peters on a field trip to the Cheshire community of the disabled!!!! The staff agreed with me and Gladys that the children need such an experience like this and it’s important for the children to see a different sort of suffering. They said that even though some of the children at St. Peters are orphans they are NOT hidden the way a child who is handicapped is. The teachers also said that the kids need to understand that even though someone is physically/ mentally handicapped it does NOT mean that they can do nothing. On the 13th we are going to discuss some possible dates to take the kids up there for the visit.On Tuesday Ntebeleng took me to see her village, located about 45 minutes outside of Gaborone. It’s a small village and Ntebeleng’s house is not very big either for that matter. It’s a brick house with 4 tiny bedrooms; a small living room with 2 old couches and a battered coffee table. The kitchen, located in the very back of the house is the largest room in that little building. Outside to the left side of the house there is the outhouse and a small garden where Ntebeleng grows b
eans, vegetables, and pumpkins for her and her family to sell later on. Her stove is very small and it runs on gas. There is no electricity in the house and it’s very hot! I do believe that her whole house would easily fit right into our apartment!
I was a little overwhelmed at how much poverty many people here live in. Not only does she live in this house but so does her 21 year old daughter Hellene, her 18 month old granddaughter Natasha, her 30 year old sister Ono, and her 18 year old brother. She has another sister who is going to a computer school so her 2 children also stay at the house. Right now Ntebeleng is the breadwinner of the family, but her daughter and sister are trying to find jobs. Ntebeleng took me around the village where I met her friends- most of them were her age or a little older, came face to face with some live goats, a group of muscular cows, and a large rooster, and got to practice my Setswana a lot. The dusty road made pushing the wheelchair difficult and sometimes I felt bad for Ntebeleng trying to get through that rough way. But she told me that it was good exercise for her and that it was no problem for her to push me. After she said this I felt better. We stopped at a Truck Stop in the middle of the village and we talked to an elderly lady, the owner of the stop, she was very interested in me and that I was going to college. She was very impressed with my ability to introduce myself and tell who I am in Setswana. She was impressed that I could pick up a glass of water by myself and eat without a lot of help either! She told me so many disabled in Botswana cannot do a lot for themselves and that it was amazing that I was able to do so much for myself. This marks about the 400th time I’ve been told this within the first month of being here! Of course, that is because no one expects them to do much, and that needs to change!
eans, vegetables, and pumpkins for her and her family to sell later on. Her stove is very small and it runs on gas. There is no electricity in the house and it’s very hot! I do believe that her whole house would easily fit right into our apartment!I was a little overwhelmed at how much poverty many people here live in. Not only does she live in this house but so does her 21 year old daughter Hellene, her 18 month old granddaughter Natasha, her 30 year old sister Ono, and her 18 year old brother. She has another sister who is going to a computer school so her 2 children also stay at the house. Right now Ntebeleng is the breadwinner of the family, but her daughter and sister are trying to find jobs. Ntebeleng took me around the village where I met her friends- most of them were her age or a little older, came face to face with some live goats, a group of muscular cows, and a large rooster, and got to practice my Setswana a lot. The dusty road made pushing the wheelchair difficult and sometimes I felt bad for Ntebeleng trying to get through that rough way. But she told me that it was good exercise for her and that it was no problem for her to push me. After she said this I felt better. We stopped at a Truck Stop in the middle of the village and we talked to an elderly lady, the owner of the stop, she was very interested in me and that I was going to college. She was very impressed with my ability to introduce myself and tell who I am in Setswana. She was impressed that I could pick up a glass of water by myself and eat without a lot of help either! She told me so many disabled in Botswana cannot do a lot for themselves and that it was amazing that I was able to do so much for myself. This marks about the 400th time I’ve been told this within the first month of being here! Of course, that is because no one expects them to do much, and that needs to change!
When we were done with our tour we headed back to Ntebeleng’s house to make lunch for everyone. I helped Ntebeleng and her sister Ono boil white rice and then Ntebeleng showed me how to stew chicken. First she cleaned off the chicken and then placed it in a pot full of water and set it to a boil. Next she cut up garlic and onions on a small old stained cutting board and dumped them into the cooking pot. After this she proceeded to put in 3 spoons of Olive Oil, 5 tablespoons of curry, and 3 teaspoons of a barbeque beef base. Once she has done this she lets it all simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally from time to time. Soon it was ready to serve; Ntebeleng got out the dishes and silverware from under the sink and I spooned out the rice onto each plate and then she would come in with the chicken and gravy. We served the children first and they all sat huddled on the floor closed together eating their meal, babbling to each other. It was too hot for Ntebeleng and I to eat in the house so we went outside and sat on the porch. It was earlier afternoon and had cooled down a bit. We sat there eating our lunch watching the children play around with each other. Shortly after we ate we headed back to the flat. I kissed the children good bye and shook hands with Ntebeleng’s sisters and daughter and told them how nice it was to have met them. It was a lovely day!
Wednesday and Friday I was back at St. Peter’s from 10am-3pm. I love working with these kids because they are a smart group and they are so much fun to be around. On Wednesday I reread the 5,000 story and they all REMEMBERED it!! In fact they were telling ME the story!! Then I had them draw with their crayons what they thought Jesus feeding the crowd would look like. It was amazing what the kids came up with and they had so much fun with the colors. Some would draw a large Jesus with a small stack of loaves and great big fish- not always two! Other kids got carried away with drawing the crowds! I LOVED watching how much fun they had colouring. When it was time to put the children down for their afternoon naps I went and tried to help
. Let’s just say that wasn’t the best idea. One the children kept getting up and wanting to play with me or would just try to sit up on their mats and watch me move around. Needless to say they did not get much in the way of sleep and reassured the teachers I won’t be around during the nap hour anymore. On Friday I had Mma Mudereri photocopy a picture of Jesus feeding the crowd from a children Bible coloring book I brought from the states. It’s one of those pictures where you’re supposed to connect the dots in order to form the image. I was AMAZED at how the children easily connected the dot and watch them get so excited with watching the picture being created- THEY WERE CREATING!!!! When the children were taking their naps that afternoon Mma Beauty and I pinned the original drawings and the line drawing side by side. Beauty would later hang them on the wall once the children woke up. I also helped her grade the work and she was very impressed with the way I wrote! I suggested that we draw out for the children some baskets, loaves of bread, and fish and on each of them have the kids only color 2 fish or 12 baskets. This would help them with their counting ability. Gladys and Beauty really liked this idea so I drew out several baskets, loaves, and fish, each on separate piece of paper for Gladys to photocopy. As they watched me draw they were in awe and said you are teaching the children and US how much you can do and give. I told them that I was blessed at this opportunity that God gave me to serve and witness here. Gladys told me that they are the blessed ones and that I really do give my heart in everything I do. But you see, the real witness is that Jesus can make every life beautiful. I think if nothing else, people will begin to believe that God has been good to me, that I am not cursed, and that neither are the disabled among them. That is what I pray for all the time. It isn't really about me, but I seem to be an example of what God wants for them, and so it is okay to be the center of everyone's attention.
. Let’s just say that wasn’t the best idea. One the children kept getting up and wanting to play with me or would just try to sit up on their mats and watch me move around. Needless to say they did not get much in the way of sleep and reassured the teachers I won’t be around during the nap hour anymore. On Friday I had Mma Mudereri photocopy a picture of Jesus feeding the crowd from a children Bible coloring book I brought from the states. It’s one of those pictures where you’re supposed to connect the dots in order to form the image. I was AMAZED at how the children easily connected the dot and watch them get so excited with watching the picture being created- THEY WERE CREATING!!!! When the children were taking their naps that afternoon Mma Beauty and I pinned the original drawings and the line drawing side by side. Beauty would later hang them on the wall once the children woke up. I also helped her grade the work and she was very impressed with the way I wrote! I suggested that we draw out for the children some baskets, loaves of bread, and fish and on each of them have the kids only color 2 fish or 12 baskets. This would help them with their counting ability. Gladys and Beauty really liked this idea so I drew out several baskets, loaves, and fish, each on separate piece of paper for Gladys to photocopy. As they watched me draw they were in awe and said you are teaching the children and US how much you can do and give. I told them that I was blessed at this opportunity that God gave me to serve and witness here. Gladys told me that they are the blessed ones and that I really do give my heart in everything I do. But you see, the real witness is that Jesus can make every life beautiful. I think if nothing else, people will begin to believe that God has been good to me, that I am not cursed, and that neither are the disabled among them. That is what I pray for all the time. It isn't really about me, but I seem to be an example of what God wants for them, and so it is okay to be the center of everyone's attention.It is Sunday now - and Sandy and I just came from a four hour Sunday morning service at the Cathedral! No one here thinks anything about long worship times!
Baka Moreno, mowa we me le tsotlhe tse di mo teng ga me, bakang Liena la gagwe le le boishepo. Dipesalome 103:1
Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Psalm 103:1
Sala Sentle!
Minda
Minda
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