Noah's Ark

Since the Mercy Clinic, I have been working at a playschool (or crèche, as they call it here) in the township called Noah’s Ark. The crèche is run by Victory For All non-profit and is a much needed place for kids to play, learn and grow. The fees are subsidized substantially and sponsorship is available as well. Healthy meals are provided twice per day and caring staff bless the kids here (you can check out the Victory For All website for further information and to make donations http://www.victory4all.com/).

Last week and this week I have been helping Zola with her age 1-2 kids. They are very energetic and cute, snotty noses and all! There are about fifteen kids in Zola’s group and the dirty diapers keep her much too busy to manage the kids by herself. I’m glad to help and have been having a great time. We get tons of time to play with the other kids too! The children speak only Afrikaans and Xhosa (one of the native languages here, sounds so cool with the tongue clicking and such!) so there is a bit of a language barrier there but they are winning over my heart (of course).



There’s one girl I am particularly partial to. She comes from a very difficult background and has some mental disabilities due to FAS. She is 4 years old but only weighs 9 kgs. Noah’s Ark staff are trying to get her to gain some weight and are involving a social worker in her situation. She calls me ‘auntie’ and is just all smiles and adorable. I’m getting emotional thinking about her as I write. She is especially vulnerable because of her mental difficulties and small size and I just want her to be safe and loved. PLEASE PRAY for her, specifically for a safe home, gaining weight/health and for the family situation.

This weekend, Saturday, I went on a hike to Storms River in Tsitsikama. It was a 3.5k walk to a waterfall along the ocean with a stunning rocky shoreline. We got to the waterfall and had lunch and a rest, then turned around and walked back. Sunday afternoon I was lucky enough to go sailing on a small yacht with some friends. We sailed around the St. Francis area and went swimming too. The drive back to J-Bay was punctuated with a beautiful sunset. How awesome!

Storms River Hike








Sailing in St. Francis

Debt To The World

Tuesday this week I spent two hours in the morning at the Victory Church sorting clothes donations. Then Becky picked me up and we went to the home (shack) of Zoe (not her real name) and her mother. Zoe is HIV positive and has final stage AIDS. She is frail, extremely thin, basically bedridden and can’t walk on her own. She is also suffering from some serious infections on her neck, open sores that will not heal due to her almost non-existent immune system.

Becky was asked yesterday by one of the Mercy Clinic nurses to pick up Zoe and take her to the clinic so they could clean her wounds and check on her condition. Zoe has only been a patient there since the New Year and tested positive for HIV in December. She knew she had HIV prior to this but didn't tell anyone. Now its seems she is likely too late to hope for recovery.

It had just begun pouring rain; the dirt path leading to Zoe’s shack was muddy and full of puddles. We came into the doorway and saw that Zoe was ready to go to the clinic except for her slipper-clad feet. She attempted to find shoes and put them on and was able to barely manage with her mother’s help. Becky and I helped her out of the doorway and with one of us under each of Zoe’s arms we helped her navigate the muddy path and avoid puddles. She lost her shoe a few times (it was a slip on), but we managed to make it to the car without much incident.

We drove to the clinic and helped her slowly into the waiting room. We had an appointment, but the clinic was very full... After forty minutes we were seen by Sister Fisher, a nurse. She explained that they don’t have the supplies to clean Zoe’s wounds, so I suggested Becky and I go pick up some supplies from the Pharmacy. We did that and returned to the clinic, only to wait for another half an hour. The doctor had arrived by then and he asked to see Zoe. He did a quick check up on her and took a little peek at her neck infections. He explained that they were unable to change her bandages in the clinic because they can’t put other patients (who also have weak immune systems) at risk of infection. They don’t have the proper supplies for cleaning wounds and such for this very reason and must keep the place safe and infection free. He also mentioned Zoe’s prognosis at this point is not good; the best we can do is try to make her comfortable since she is unlikely to recover. She hasn’t taken her medications properly since she tested positive and has also been using medicines from the local Sangoma (witch doctor). She is only 33 years old.

Becky and I helped her back to the car, drove her home, and then I helped her slowly back to her shack with nothing really accomplished. This is reality. Zoe will have to somehow visit the hospital to get her bandages changed.

On Tuesday afternoon when I got home and sat down on my couch in my flat, I felt so lucky and blessed. I live in a clean and safe place and I take it for granted. I think its all too easy to take what we have and are blessed with for granted. We tend to look upwards and compare ourselves to those who have more than we do. But if we truly look at what reality is for a LOT of people in this world (I think about 1/6 of the world lives in poverty), we will be SO thankful for what we have. How much might this world be changed if we never let this slip from our minds?

I feel like I live with a debt to the Father and the world for the blessings I have. It isn’t a heavy or guilty feeling, more like a motivation to make life better for others since I have been given so much. Do you live with a debt to the world? Or are you simply living for yourself?



ARVs


The Mercy Clinic

HIV and Mercy

Last week Monday I was able to tag along with Becky and her translator/helper Primrose for their work in the townships. Becky is from Canada (Edmonton) and has been working in the township communities here for about five years. She works hard and is such a blessing to the people here! She helps people with legal issues (getting government grants, birth certificates and IDs, court orders, child protection issues, etc.), does health care related home visits to sick people (mostly HIV/AIDS and TB) and tries to help with anything else she can. Amazing.

After the weekly prayer meeting Becky has with her colleagues, we went into the townships for a few home visits. One particular home visit I will never forget. The home was in a field of shacks and in quite a dangerous area of the township. We don’t even take a cell phone with us (let alone a camera ☹) because people have been knocked out, stabbed or even shot for such things in the past. And if you do get into trouble in this maze of shacks, no one will (can) help you. They are terrified of retribution from the perpetrators, who will know who they are and where they live. So, we walk through this maze of ‘homes’ to a small shack with nothing particular or special about it. We are invited inside and are able to sit down on a small stool in the entrance. Inside is a middle-aged lady who is HIV positive. She has a terrible cough, either a chest infection or quite possibly TB, and is in pain. The other girl we are supposed to visit slowly walks up. Her name is Ntombi and she is obviously sick - thin, frail and dehydrated. She has an absolutely stunning face and a beautiful smile. She grabs my hand as we are introduced and doesn’t let go for the duration of our stay. Becky talks to both women through the translator, seeing how their ART is going (anti-retroviral therapy), how they are feeling, and if they have any issues or ways that we can help them. Both women have been somewhat delinquent with taking their ARVs (anti-retrovirals) and are not eating well or taking proper care of themselves (with HIV, proper nutrition and personal care will make all the difference to their longevity and quality of life). Becky tries to encourage them to seek help and stresses the importance of taking their medication properly. They promise to do better and we are able to pray with them before we leave. Their conditions may improve or they may not.

There are so many problems here, but help is increasing. Two years ago HIV patients in J-Bay townships had to travel to the next town for medicine and medical care (many people were unable to do this due to the cost of transport, work schedules, physical ability, etc). The Mercy Clinic opened in Pellsrus (one of the J-Bay townships) two years ago to serve that need and has been very successful. HIV patients have better access to medical care, medicine, and HIV testing. I was able to hang around the clinic for two days this week and have seen the difference they are making. There are a number of patients who are taking their meds and taking care of themselves; they have a good quality of life. For those patients, life expectancy is about thirty years. On the other hand, I have had interactions with other people who are not taking care of themselves and are sick, some even on death's door. There is a huge problem here with education and people not taking their medication properly (or at all). Some seek witchcraft and other help which is a very sad reality.

One particular man, age 40, came to the clinic for his first consult since he tested positive this past month for HIV. He is frail, thin, has full-blown AIDS and also likely has TB. My understanding is that many men here will not get tested and do not want to acknowledge they may be HIV positive. This might have been the case with this gentleman; he left his sickness for so so long before actually coming to the clinic. He does have a chance to recover, but the prognosis is likely not very good.

There is one other person I would like to tell you about, but will save it for the next blog. Please pray for these patients and also for those ministering to them. They need all the help they can get. I feeling so blessed to see, experience and learn and to have some tiny part in these people’s lives.