Peace and Love of God Which Surpasses All Understanding.

Rain drops patter on the roof of the guest house tonight as the day is done. I don’t mind the rain now. I am inside, curled up in bed, and next to the foot of the bed is a heat lamp to ward off a little bit of the chill. The lamp casts orange light and shadows across half of my room which adds to the cozy feeling. Songs of freedom are playing, no words are needed, and I am thankful as it does not distract my thoughts but inspires them. It is getting late and usually I would be turning off my light pretty soon to sleep but tonight my mind still stirs and I can’t ignore it.

Today was a routine day. In fact I did today what I do nearly every day. I did the unusual. The longer I am here the more I am getting used to doing the unusual. One thing I will confess though is that it is not easy a lot of the time. Many days, like today, have moments of both laughter and tears. Sometimes this is the hardest. To have two honest and often contrary emotions present in a short time frame. Dealing with both joyful and sorrowful situations at the same time can be hard as it takes a mental change in thinking to process the different situations. I am thankful that though there are so many situations around me that could keep me down and feeling sorrowful I am able still to laugh and to experience also situations of joy and encouragement.

When lives are lost it brings the most pain to me. Both lost in death but also lost to the world. Many are sick, disease ridden, hurting, broken, and fighting against the love of God. When I feel overwhelmed by sorrow for both of these I am constantly strengthened by the knowledge of God’s sovereignty in the lives of every single person. I know God uses man but in the end not I or any other human being is needed for God’s plans to come to pass and this gives me comfort. Though times of sorrow and tears are not uncommon I am thankful for the more frequent times of peace God has allowed for me and the other staff of EWF. There are times when in the human perspective a person should be sorrowful or fearful yet they are able to experience an amazing comfort and peace which I know is found only In our God. He has also given to us a love of each other so that through each other we can be an encouragement and comfort. There have been many times in the past couple weeks when we have been able to reassure, comfort, and even rebuke each other in love. It is a love which God gives and calls us to use and I am so very thankful for this gift.

Hard decisions are part of life, sometimes I am the one who needs to make these decisions and other times I watch as it is made by someone else. Other times decisions are not an option because of the even harder reality of the situation and the lack of options available to be had at the time or place. In my opinion it is much harder to see someone struggle with accepting things the way they are than someone who struggles deciding what option to choose. Many people are looked down on for not trying to change their situation, for not making good choices, or for not looking for options. I have seen examples of these, but I have also seen situation where there are no options, or the options are inconceivable.  Seeing a person deal with this type of situation is often painful. I've seen complete defeat. Some though are defeated over and over again and others when defeated surrender their lives to God and stand victorious. There are many people in Richmond who need to bring their defeated lives to the foot of the cross and surrender to God. To put their trust in him and allow him to take control of their lives instead of trying to do it themselves. I've learned this lesson before but am reminded again and again that I need to surrender my life, my plans, my thoughts, my attitudes to God and ask him to control them for me so that they will turn out for good and give him all the glory and honor. Tonight I pray that this truth would be seen for many of the people of Richmond. 

I pray that Richmond as well as you may know the peace and love of God which surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7, Eph 3:19).

Love Laina

Changes and Challenges.

                Things have changed here in the past couple weeks. To start with, it is now June here in Richmond as well, but for us this means cold weather as we welcome winter. It’s definitely not your average Canadian winter weather but none the less it is chilly for us here. There is frost on the ground nearly every morning now and during the nights the temperature can creep pretty close to zero as it did a couple nights ago. Getting out of bed in the morning is the hardest part for me as my feet really do not want to touch the freezing tile or hardwood floors. I am thankful that I have hot water to start my morning with but I often think of the majority of people living in the communities around Richmond who first have to fetch and heat water to enjoy that comfort. In the evenings you can find those in the guest house curled up on the couch or in bed very cozy with blankets. During the days the sun is very nice and warm and we are always eager to be able to enjoy it also to stay warm. As I am typing this I am sitting outside of the hospice in the sun as it nicer to sit in the sun than to wear a jersey and sit inside where it is much cooler.

                

               The activities and jobs I have been helping with have also changed up and so I’ve been doing some different things in the past week which have brought new challenges. One of these things was helping lead a meeting along with other EWF staff for the mothers of the crèche children. This meeting gave them the opportunity to talk about any problems or concerns they have as well as see what their children learn and do at the crèche. Crafts and drawing of the children were collected for the moms to see and the mothers expressed their thanks to the teachers who have been doing such a great job at the crèche. What the children have learned has been seen at home by their family which is also good for us to hear since it means that whatever techniques of teaching are working!!

                

               We have been doing some spring cleaning here even though it is just starting into winter. Cloths and linen cupboards, filing cabinets, and storage sheds are being pulled apart in order to make things more accessible and productive.  One thing I can say for sure, it is interesting and sometimes scary what you find when you start pulling things apart. Yesterday we needed to find a file for an old patient and after about an hour of looking and not finding what we needed it looks like some more organization is in order. This is okay with me as I have found that I am a slight organization freak and like to put things in order as long as I have someone to help me.

                

               I have been driving more now which feels good but also is a little nerve racking as before now I have driven a Manuel very little. I now feel confident with it and even drove to the city (Pietermaritzburg) twice now. We went to pick up some Zulu bible which I ordered a couple weeks before. These bibles were lovingly paid for through the donations from my church (Immanuel Reformed Church of Nobleton). I plan to get more bibles in the future as well as I see a need for more and have been given donations by Ivy Presbyterian Church. At a staff meeting just a few days ago each staff was given a bible which was cause for much excitement and lots of thanks. I am thankful that through donations I am able to buy these bibles. Please pray that the words read would be understood and applied to the lives of those who read and hear them. Also pray that I would be able to find and give to those people who need the word of God in their lives.

                

               Tuesday was my twentieth birthday and the first one I ever spent away from my family though thanks to their planning ahead (I’m pretty sure it was Mom’s planning ahead), I got to open a few gifts from them and am excited to start reading a great Karen Kingsbury book and watch a familiar classic movie. When I say I spent my first birthday away from my family, I mean my biological family, because in the end I still spent the day with wonderful people who I consider family. The EWF staff were lots of fun with their many happy birthday wishes, singing, and Chocolate (Thanks Busi). At the hospice we enjoyed cake and cooee with our lunch and later in the day the staff gave me magwinya’s which I love, probably because they are deep fryed !!! That evening was bible study at the church and the Pastor and his wife organized to have cake and coffee for my birthday. This was a surprise and a very nice one though it was odd to feel so spoiled. I got to talk to my family back home at two different times in the day and also received lots of birthday wishes from many friends so all in all it was a very wonderful birthday.

     I’m going to share a story with you so you can see how some people live so differently than the comfortable life I’m sure many of you along with me enjoy and often take for granted. We visited a family at their home today which was about the same size of my home’s kitchen and dining room. The only furniture in this house was a couple of plastic chairs, a cabinet and shelf in the kitchen, and a two piece couch one still together and the other with its seat fallen out. In the one room the entire family’s cloths were folded over a line hung between the two walls as there was no cabinet or closet for them. Many houses in the community have linoleum flooring over either dirt flooring or cement. One of the rooms had very worn flooring and the others were only dirt. This is where the family sleeps with blankets only as they do not have any beds, mattresses, or even mats. I’ve seen living situations like this before but this situation was different as the family living here is made up of fourteen people. They live, eat, and sleep in this tinny house that I wish no one would have to live in. Many homes are similar to this and for many people they can only dream of living in anything nicer.

               

      My heart greaves for the people in this situation as well as many others that live in such harsh conditions. I know there are situation such like this all over the world, but seeing it so close and often really impacts my thinking a lot, both in the past and even more so now after seeing situations like this many times. I couldn’t help but compare this family to my own large family. Number wise we are pretty close yet we live in four different houses that are each many times the size of the place they call home. Yes it is hard sometimes to come home to my very comfortable house, yes I sometimes feel guilty for having so much, but I also feel responsible as I know that what I have been given by God has been given to me for a purpose and I am accountable to him to use it and live wisely with it.

     I’ve heard it said before that if you feel guilty chances are you have something to be guilty about. I think I agree with this. If I feel guilty in such situation, or when I hear such stories, perhaps this guilt should be used to make a reality check, to see whether my actions and my way of living condemns me as guilty. Too often, if I’m honest, I have to admit that yes I look at my actions and lifestyle and find that I am guilty of not using my talents, gifts, and possessions to honor God and for his work. I encourage ach one of you to never be swallowing in your guilt but use it to transform your actions and deeds to serve the Lord and others.

Many thanks and blessings

Laina 

Food/Ukudla

            So as promised I will share with you what kinds of food are often eaten in Richmond. There are some staple foods that are eaten by almost everyone as it is both cheap and filling. Rice and Putu are eaten very often as a base for meals with some kind of veggie and meat sauce put over it. Putu is made by boiling ground corn meal in water or milk until it becomes mixed together and flaky. It is quite bland by itself but when you put a curry sauce over it or something it is a very nice and filling meal. We have been given many cabbages from the farm lately so the crèche has been making a cabbage curry sauce and putting it over putu which is very yummy. 

Big pot of Putu for creche.

Nasiphi cutting cabbage at creche.

          Jeqe or Zulu bread is made by putting dough in plastic bags and boiling it in a pot with a little bit of water in it. It takes about two hours to cook but it is worth the wait as the warm bread is amazing.

Cooking Jeqe with a rock to keep the lip on.

          Sugar cane is a crop in large abundance around Richmond and people, especially children, enjoy eating it. It is not easy though. It’s almost like a stick where you have to peal the outside bark before you get the sugary flesh. Then the sugar has to be sucked or chewed out of the flesh. It is tasty but my teeth are not used to such a hard thing. 

          At home whenever we cook a whole bird my oldest brother and I always fight, and usually end up sharing, the neck of the bird. Once there were two necks inside the foul and it pretty much made our day that we each got one. Well here you can buy a bag full of chicken necks which we cooked last week with potatoes to eat with putu. 

Chicken necks

Lunch for the creche children

          I went to a wedding last week with Ntsiki and her friend Boneni's family. I had never met the couple who was getting married but it is normal to bring friends to a wedding it’s a very open event where everyone is welcome to come whether you know them or not. Our meal at the wedding was a huge variety. Rice and Jaqa with a choice of beef or chicken and then a scoop each of squash, beet, coleslaw, tomato, spinach, and veggie salads. On the side you could also take a container of fried cow intestines. They were good, better than I thought they would be, I liked the taste but they were extremely fatty so I only ate a couple of them. 

Meal at the wedding

Cow intestines

          Roti is an Indian flat bread, I’m not sure how it is made but I was given some from a friend and wrapped it with eggs one time and a fish curry the other time. 

           When a full bird is cooked none of the bird is put to waste. We cooked whole chickens last week and everything except the feathers and the gallbladder was cooked and eaten. I ate chicken intestines, liver, spleen, gizzard, feet, and heart. And last week as well I tried Ox liver. Each of these was tasty although I would have preferred the liver to be cooked more. Like cow intestines, the chicken intestines and gizzard are quite fatty as well. The heart of the chicken, about the size of a loonie, was very good, my favorite part as it is all meat and has little fat on it.

Chicken feet.

My chicken foot !!!

Mabusi and I cleaning the chicken.

The head which I didn't eat but an told that it's really tasty.

          So there are many other things that I hope to try and taste before I leave. So far I have tried many more things than I have in my last two trips combined so I would say I am off to a good start. 
          I've added here a couple pictures from the wedding I went to on June 1st. We were really happy that it was a warm day so that we could wear our dresses and not freeze all day. 

Ntsiki and I

My want to be husband

Boneni's family

Ntsiki and I

Ntsiki and Boneni

The wedding party at the hall

The bride and groom saying their vows

          Hope you enjoy this post and the pictures !! Believe me these are just a few of them.
Please continue to pray for me as the next couple weeks look really busy for me and the staff. Pray that God would guide us in every decision we make and in everything we do. Pray that we would have no fear of man but that we would be strong and courageous in the work we need to do. Pray that we would be bold in helping the helpless, in showing the love of God and in speaking the gospel. 

I thank my God for you all
Laina