Paris
Boujour, Auvoir, Merci! Those are pretty much the only words I know in French… Doesn’t get me very far. LOL. So I am in Paris, France! This is the first non English-speaking country we have visited and it is amazingly beautiful here. I love that this place is so foreign to me. From the variety of smells and tastes to the beautiful and ancient architecture. I am in awe everywhere I look.
Yesterday we took a 4.5 hour-long bike ride through the whole city of Paris. Our tour guide took us to a lot of the non-touristy places as well. It was one of the best tours I have ever been on. All the streets are skinny and stacked high with apartments and cute little boutiques. I thought the French were going to be annoyed by me, but overall, I haven’t noticed much of that. It is interesting to try and find our way around when 1. We don’t speak the language, and 2. We have no idea where the heck we are going, but it is all in part of the experience. I tasted the best gelato I’ve had in my life…Carmello and Pistachio nut… yumm ☺
After the bike tour, we went to take pictures and eat baguettes and cheese alongside the Eiffel Tower!! Crazy huh?! It was pretty surreal. There was this huge lawn and we literally were just passing around the cheese and bread and stuffing our faces. It was delicious.
I woke up early today and went to get some great coffee next to Notre dame, no biggie. Then a couple girls and me went shopping all day… You could say we put a dent in our wallets. I got these really cute shoes for 23 Euros.., such a deal! Then we split sandwiches at this cute café along Chastelet. And I had to get gelato again.
One thing that I am inspired by the European culture is that they walk EVERYWHERE! I love it! I wish we could do this back in the states.
So far, Paris is my favorite place… It is just as cute as it appears in the movies and in pictures! IM OBSESSED!!! I wish I could be here for a whole week… but two days will have to do.
Off to Brussels soon… Keep you posted family and friends
Mucho amor y J’adore,
Jamie
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Being back home.
Wow... So I am really back. The plane ride took about 30+ hours. I basically slept for the entire time and watched about 4 movies... so it was rough.. but not as deathly impossible as many people put it! I cannot tell you how good it feels to be reunited with my friends and family back home. I feel that I am in the honeymoon stage of it all. Reuniting with people and family again is just amazing and I feel so comfortable.
There has been a lot of new "firsts" for me since being back. It feels very different and at times, awkward, to have the power to call or contact someone within a second (with my cell phone) and to go to a fridge and have all my favorite items inside waiting for me to devour. Driving a car is surreal and especially on the same roads that I had driven on day in and day out so long before. I have used a straightener and a curling iron for the first time on my hair in 4 months.
It seems like it has been such a long time since I was in Africa... with all of my friends. That is something that has probably been one of the weirdest things to try to adjust to. I made some of the best and deepest friendships with the 50 of us who studied their last semester. I saw them every single day....They really turned into my family and not being able to just walk over to one of their "chalet's" and have a "talk" is something I am not quite sure I like. haha. I have not yet added all of their numbers to my cell phone so every time I want to talk to one of them I am in a hole because I have to use a cell phone! My whole outlook on cell phones has changed tremendously. The truth is... I do not like having one at the moment. I hate that I have to use it... And texting multiple people at once is exhausting. I really think I've enjoyed and learned to just "be." I have been shown what it is like to have no distractions within a conversation. I love slowing down... And having the chance to really connect with people minus a phone. I remember before coming to South Africa, I would not let my cell phone ever leave my side. I would be talking with friends and family with it in my hands and half listening to them. I carried it with me all over the house whether I was upstairs or downstairs. haha... My sister, two days ago, came running upstairs with my phone after it went off and said, "You really have changed, haven't you?" and when she gave it to me, I didn't even want it. So that is something I really am trying to learn how to balance and come to a median with... Because it is just so crazy how much cell phones are a part of our society and our main way of communicating.
Something that I have been trying to be able to do... but I find is nearly impossible, is to give the things I experienced and the amazing people I met in Africa justice. I find that sometimes I am overwhelmed with the question, "How was being in South Africa??!?" I struggle with that question because that question can probably be answered in a couple of hours and with a whole stretch of emotions integrated within it. I could tell you it was so much fun, but then I'd be lying about the pain and heartache I felt to see the way so many people live... to see the reality for many of the lives there. I could tell you it was the best and worst experience of my life. I did not enjoy seeing all the poverty...I did not enjoy witnessing and hearing stories about the child's lives' we were working with every day... Kids being abused, not having meals, going to bed hungry... The list goes on and on. And the point I am trying to get at is that this experience was the best thing I could have asked for. I am on a journey to figuring out what to do with it all. And not wanting to conform back to living "comfortably." Probably one of the biggest principles I learned while being in South Africa was that being a christian should not be easy. This got me thinking... Before coming to Africa, I was living life so easily and considered myself a Christian, however, I was not challenging myself in any way, shape, or form.
When I show people pictures and videos of Ethembeni and of all the faces that crossed my path, my mind floods with memories and I crave to go back so much. I miss them and it makes me tear up just thinking of all of those kids and every single staff member at the family center.
I hope and cannot wait for the day I return to the family center...But Ethembeni needs your help, whoever is reading this. They are struggling financially with their donations and have since shut down their open hours for the kids to come and receive meals and fellowship from 5 days to 3 days a week. For some of these kids, the family center is the only stable thing in their life... If it is on your heart to help in any way, let me know!!
Thanks to all of you who followed along on my journey... it really means a lot and I hope that you were able to share some of the same experiences as I did from reading it :)
love, Jamie
There has been a lot of new "firsts" for me since being back. It feels very different and at times, awkward, to have the power to call or contact someone within a second (with my cell phone) and to go to a fridge and have all my favorite items inside waiting for me to devour. Driving a car is surreal and especially on the same roads that I had driven on day in and day out so long before. I have used a straightener and a curling iron for the first time on my hair in 4 months.
It seems like it has been such a long time since I was in Africa... with all of my friends. That is something that has probably been one of the weirdest things to try to adjust to. I made some of the best and deepest friendships with the 50 of us who studied their last semester. I saw them every single day....They really turned into my family and not being able to just walk over to one of their "chalet's" and have a "talk" is something I am not quite sure I like. haha. I have not yet added all of their numbers to my cell phone so every time I want to talk to one of them I am in a hole because I have to use a cell phone! My whole outlook on cell phones has changed tremendously. The truth is... I do not like having one at the moment. I hate that I have to use it... And texting multiple people at once is exhausting. I really think I've enjoyed and learned to just "be." I have been shown what it is like to have no distractions within a conversation. I love slowing down... And having the chance to really connect with people minus a phone. I remember before coming to South Africa, I would not let my cell phone ever leave my side. I would be talking with friends and family with it in my hands and half listening to them. I carried it with me all over the house whether I was upstairs or downstairs. haha... My sister, two days ago, came running upstairs with my phone after it went off and said, "You really have changed, haven't you?" and when she gave it to me, I didn't even want it. So that is something I really am trying to learn how to balance and come to a median with... Because it is just so crazy how much cell phones are a part of our society and our main way of communicating.
Something that I have been trying to be able to do... but I find is nearly impossible, is to give the things I experienced and the amazing people I met in Africa justice. I find that sometimes I am overwhelmed with the question, "How was being in South Africa??!?" I struggle with that question because that question can probably be answered in a couple of hours and with a whole stretch of emotions integrated within it. I could tell you it was so much fun, but then I'd be lying about the pain and heartache I felt to see the way so many people live... to see the reality for many of the lives there. I could tell you it was the best and worst experience of my life. I did not enjoy seeing all the poverty...I did not enjoy witnessing and hearing stories about the child's lives' we were working with every day... Kids being abused, not having meals, going to bed hungry... The list goes on and on. And the point I am trying to get at is that this experience was the best thing I could have asked for. I am on a journey to figuring out what to do with it all. And not wanting to conform back to living "comfortably." Probably one of the biggest principles I learned while being in South Africa was that being a christian should not be easy. This got me thinking... Before coming to Africa, I was living life so easily and considered myself a Christian, however, I was not challenging myself in any way, shape, or form.
When I show people pictures and videos of Ethembeni and of all the faces that crossed my path, my mind floods with memories and I crave to go back so much. I miss them and it makes me tear up just thinking of all of those kids and every single staff member at the family center.
I hope and cannot wait for the day I return to the family center...But Ethembeni needs your help, whoever is reading this. They are struggling financially with their donations and have since shut down their open hours for the kids to come and receive meals and fellowship from 5 days to 3 days a week. For some of these kids, the family center is the only stable thing in their life... If it is on your heart to help in any way, let me know!!
Thanks to all of you who followed along on my journey... it really means a lot and I hope that you were able to share some of the same experiences as I did from reading it :)
love, Jamie
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Somebody turn off the Fast Forward button!!
Hey everyone! Wow, it has been a while since i've been able to catch my breath! I have just been on the go these past few weeks!! So we got to Cape Town last week and I just love it!! It is so beautiful here! So far, I have been staying at a homestay with an adorable family for the last week! They are seriously so wonderful! Their names are Nallie, Trever, Jessie (boy,23), Lisa (girl, 16), and Adam (boy, 15). This family has opened up their home to us so that we can get a little taste of what it is like to live the way they do. They live in town called, "Ocean View" and they leave very simply. I am paired living their with my friend, Daniele, and we already feel like kids in the family. It has been great to talk with them about their way of life and compare and contrast it to ours. They live in a coloured community and are coloureds themselves. I have been informed that they classify themselves as "coloured" people and do not take offense to that title!! They are also not categorized with blacks either. I have learned so much about the history of South Africa and have had the chance to pick at their experiences since being here. I had never known about "District 6" which happened about 30 or 40 years ago, when the government forced all the people leaving in District 6 out because they wanted to use it for something else and develop it because it was a township. My house dad, Trever, has taken us around Cape Town and has pointed out all the places that were whites only and coloureds only and blacks only. There were also designated beaches and shops that they were allowed to go into. It has just amazed me with how far they've come today with all the changes.
My family has been treating us so well and serve us coffee and tea about 10 times a day no joke! They are constantly feeding us and in order to not be rude, we must eat. hahaha. But the good thing is that the food is delicious and Nallie can cook beautifully! Last night, Nallie told me her testimony to becoming a christian and it was so powerful. She was originally Muslim and started dating Trever in highschool. Trever was a christian and as they got more serious in their relationship and were thinking of marriage, trever told nallie that he would convert to muslim. Nallie felt uneasy about this for she felt that trever was a "better" christian than she was as a muslim. So she made the hard choice to convert but this had a huge toll on her relationship with her family. I didn't know that if you convert from being a muslim, your family will shun you and the person who converts will become "dead" to them. This is exactly what happened... Nallie and Trever told her famly and they shunned her immediately. But before she were to become a full on christian, she wanted to make sure her heart was right... And not just become a christian in order to marry trever. So she said she remembered getting down on her knees and just praying to God and I cannot give this all justice as I am writing it on here, but it was so beautiful and this whole story brought tears to my eyes! Since then, God has provided people in their lives who have taken the place of her famliy who have shunned her and she says that she is so happy that God had filled that emptiness and she is so happy!! Nallie has so much strength and I was glad to learn so much about her life last night and of how she became a christian!!
This week we have been taking classes and touring Cape Town. Today we went on a tour around a Township called, "landa" and ate at this meat place. Tomorrow we are taking a Fairy to Robin Island all day. Friday we have class/lecture, and on Saturday we are climbing Table Mountain!! woop woop! 2 weeks are left from today until we take a plane back to the states! I am enjoying everything so much and absolutely love it here! Yesterday, me and a few friends went to the ocean and ran along it and basked in the beauty of this place!! God blessed Cape Town with so much beauty and I am trying to soak it all up in 2 weeks!! If I have time, I will go to an internet cafe to upload some pictures, However, at the moment I am at a Bible Institute (college campus) that has like zero internet! haha So if I don't get to it, i'll put them up when I'm in the states!!
love and miss you all!! Take care :)
My family has been treating us so well and serve us coffee and tea about 10 times a day no joke! They are constantly feeding us and in order to not be rude, we must eat. hahaha. But the good thing is that the food is delicious and Nallie can cook beautifully! Last night, Nallie told me her testimony to becoming a christian and it was so powerful. She was originally Muslim and started dating Trever in highschool. Trever was a christian and as they got more serious in their relationship and were thinking of marriage, trever told nallie that he would convert to muslim. Nallie felt uneasy about this for she felt that trever was a "better" christian than she was as a muslim. So she made the hard choice to convert but this had a huge toll on her relationship with her family. I didn't know that if you convert from being a muslim, your family will shun you and the person who converts will become "dead" to them. This is exactly what happened... Nallie and Trever told her famly and they shunned her immediately. But before she were to become a full on christian, she wanted to make sure her heart was right... And not just become a christian in order to marry trever. So she said she remembered getting down on her knees and just praying to God and I cannot give this all justice as I am writing it on here, but it was so beautiful and this whole story brought tears to my eyes! Since then, God has provided people in their lives who have taken the place of her famliy who have shunned her and she says that she is so happy that God had filled that emptiness and she is so happy!! Nallie has so much strength and I was glad to learn so much about her life last night and of how she became a christian!!
This week we have been taking classes and touring Cape Town. Today we went on a tour around a Township called, "landa" and ate at this meat place. Tomorrow we are taking a Fairy to Robin Island all day. Friday we have class/lecture, and on Saturday we are climbing Table Mountain!! woop woop! 2 weeks are left from today until we take a plane back to the states! I am enjoying everything so much and absolutely love it here! Yesterday, me and a few friends went to the ocean and ran along it and basked in the beauty of this place!! God blessed Cape Town with so much beauty and I am trying to soak it all up in 2 weeks!! If I have time, I will go to an internet cafe to upload some pictures, However, at the moment I am at a Bible Institute (college campus) that has like zero internet! haha So if I don't get to it, i'll put them up when I'm in the states!!
love and miss you all!! Take care :)
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Time is flying by! Off to Capetown now!!
Wow! So much has happened this past week and this weekend that I do not know even where to start! Let me first start by filling you all in with what happened last week with the safari/living with the zulu tribe! Half of our giant group went to live with the zulu tribe first while the other half lived on a game reserve and went on a safari! I started at the safari and it was SO much fun! We woke up at like 4:30 am every morning in order to get a good start to finding some animals! I saw the most exotic animals... zebra, giraffe, elephants, rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, scorpions, spiders, mpala, and nyala! They were so amazing and I took about 400 pictures! haha! We were in these open vehicles so it felt like we were really out in the wild! My favorite part was definitely being a few car lengths away from cheetah!
They were so beautiful and we actually got to see the cheetah chase an mpala right in front of our eyes! I seriously felt like I was on Animal planet or something!! We were literally out looking for animals the entire day.. we would only come back to base camp for lunch and dinner! At night we would play games as a group and it was so nice to be able to get to know everyone because we were in a smaller group.
It was time to swap places on Wednesday so all of us were very excited to go live in the zulu tribe... however there was a huge issue that had come about that we were all unaware of its serverity! Apparently 20 of the 27 students had become violently sick
and many spent the night in the hospital the night before! They were unsure of what exactly it was that caused all the students to be sick but they think it was because they drank water that the tribe gave them! It was terrible... as we swapped buses it was probably one of the most pitiful sights I have ever seen. They all looked in pain and it was just so sad to see. It made all of us so nervous to go to the tribe because we didn't want to get sick like they did! But after some reassurance, we were still excited but very cautious and stopped at a gas station to buy a ton of water for the next few days!
We got to the tribe (which was literally in the middle of nowhere... like an hour from civilization) and moved into these adorable looking huts with mud floors! We met a bunch of people who live there and a ton of people and kids from nearby villiages came by to hang out with us! They performed a zulu dance our first night.. which was so interesting and they pulled a few of us out of the audience to perform with them... It was fun trying to dance like them... but I have to admit, it was awkward too! haha But the next day we went on a super long hike and it was so hot out! We met a medicine man in the forest and that was sweet! We also stopped at this one woman's hut to buy some of her bead jewelry! I learned how to make some jewelry with them too and we hung out with them for a while and sang praise songs in zulu and just talked. The bathrooms and showers were very interesting! the toilet was literally a hole with a sheet of cardboard over it! It was disguting and anytime any of us had to use the restroom, we dreaded it BIG TIME! The shower part was interesting because we had to get hot water from this giant boiling pot over the fire, poor it into a bucket, and then carry it over to the shower to poor it into another bucket, and then lift it up on a rope so that we can shower ourselves with it. It was a lengthy process but a necessity if you wanted to be clean! We spent our second evening sitting around the campfire with all of our group and all the zulus! We sang sons and just chatted... It was so much fun and I cherished the whole weekend for what it was.... I appreciate the way they live and the hard work they put into everything! It is amazing how different of a lifestyle they truly live!
And so I thought I got through living with the zulu tribe being healthy, but that shortly failed today when I had a super upset stomach and found myself needing to use the restroom a ton... Along with the majority of both groups! It is not fun to be sick, but it has been comical to find our group talking about these very personal issues concerning "diahreea and throwing up" in depth and so freely! I love it.. haha... But we are unsure of what exactly caused us all to get sick... but for sure it had to be something while at the zulu tribe :/ But many are still sick and please pray for everyone to heal as we are getting ready to have a week's travel by bus down to capetown! It is such a necessity to be healthy as we are constantly going going going! Many have made trips to the hospital... so this incident was definitely not a good thing, but I feel it has brought us all closer in a very unique way.
Today I packed pretty much all day and cleaned out my room at African Enterprise. Tonight we had our fairwell dinner and it was very fun! We all got dressed up for the occasion and had a delicious and fancy meal! We had some of our friends from ethembeni come to join us for dinner and it was lovely. It was nice to have one last goodbye! They are like family for sure!
Tomorrow we leave at 7 in the morning and are driving all day!
Alright, well I am gone for the rest of the week and will not have internet until Friday and by then, I'll be in Capetown!! During this next week, I will be bungee jumping off the largest bungee jump in the WORLD!! YEA BABY! And also exploring into the deep Cango caves! I am SOOO FREAKING EXCITED! Hope all of you are doing well! love and miss you all!!
love, Jamie
They were so beautiful and we actually got to see the cheetah chase an mpala right in front of our eyes! I seriously felt like I was on Animal planet or something!! We were literally out looking for animals the entire day.. we would only come back to base camp for lunch and dinner! At night we would play games as a group and it was so nice to be able to get to know everyone because we were in a smaller group. It was time to swap places on Wednesday so all of us were very excited to go live in the zulu tribe... however there was a huge issue that had come about that we were all unaware of its serverity! Apparently 20 of the 27 students had become violently sick
and many spent the night in the hospital the night before! They were unsure of what exactly it was that caused all the students to be sick but they think it was because they drank water that the tribe gave them! It was terrible... as we swapped buses it was probably one of the most pitiful sights I have ever seen. They all looked in pain and it was just so sad to see. It made all of us so nervous to go to the tribe because we didn't want to get sick like they did! But after some reassurance, we were still excited but very cautious and stopped at a gas station to buy a ton of water for the next few days!
We got to the tribe (which was literally in the middle of nowhere... like an hour from civilization) and moved into these adorable looking huts with mud floors! We met a bunch of people who live there and a ton of people and kids from nearby villiages came by to hang out with us! They performed a zulu dance our first night.. which was so interesting and they pulled a few of us out of the audience to perform with them... It was fun trying to dance like them... but I have to admit, it was awkward too! haha But the next day we went on a super long hike and it was so hot out! We met a medicine man in the forest and that was sweet! We also stopped at this one woman's hut to buy some of her bead jewelry! I learned how to make some jewelry with them too and we hung out with them for a while and sang praise songs in zulu and just talked. The bathrooms and showers were very interesting! the toilet was literally a hole with a sheet of cardboard over it! It was disguting and anytime any of us had to use the restroom, we dreaded it BIG TIME! The shower part was interesting because we had to get hot water from this giant boiling pot over the fire, poor it into a bucket, and then carry it over to the shower to poor it into another bucket, and then lift it up on a rope so that we can shower ourselves with it. It was a lengthy process but a necessity if you wanted to be clean! We spent our second evening sitting around the campfire with all of our group and all the zulus! We sang sons and just chatted... It was so much fun and I cherished the whole weekend for what it was.... I appreciate the way they live and the hard work they put into everything! It is amazing how different of a lifestyle they truly live!
And so I thought I got through living with the zulu tribe being healthy, but that shortly failed today when I had a super upset stomach and found myself needing to use the restroom a ton... Along with the majority of both groups! It is not fun to be sick, but it has been comical to find our group talking about these very personal issues concerning "diahreea and throwing up" in depth and so freely! I love it.. haha... But we are unsure of what exactly caused us all to get sick... but for sure it had to be something while at the zulu tribe :/ But many are still sick and please pray for everyone to heal as we are getting ready to have a week's travel by bus down to capetown! It is such a necessity to be healthy as we are constantly going going going! Many have made trips to the hospital... so this incident was definitely not a good thing, but I feel it has brought us all closer in a very unique way.Today I packed pretty much all day and cleaned out my room at African Enterprise. Tonight we had our fairwell dinner and it was very fun! We all got dressed up for the occasion and had a delicious and fancy meal! We had some of our friends from ethembeni come to join us for dinner and it was lovely. It was nice to have one last goodbye! They are like family for sure!
Tomorrow we leave at 7 in the morning and are driving all day!
Alright, well I am gone for the rest of the week and will not have internet until Friday and by then, I'll be in Capetown!! During this next week, I will be bungee jumping off the largest bungee jump in the WORLD!! YEA BABY! And also exploring into the deep Cango caves! I am SOOO FREAKING EXCITED! Hope all of you are doing well! love and miss you all!!
love, Jamie
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Saying Goodbye to our family at the Family Center
Wow. I honestly do not know where to begin except to start by thanking God for the amazing experience of spending the last four weeks at Ethembeni/Mpophomeni Family Center. I am not going to forget the friendships I have made with the staff and kids here. They have all touched me so much.
Yesterday was our last day at the site, and I could not have even imagined the way it played out. Everything was so humbling... Our group decided to throw a pizza party with lots of good treats for everyone! So in the morning, a few of us picked up the pizzas and headed to the family center.
We got there and set up all the food and drinks and organized the staff to eat in one room and the kids took all their food outside to eat and play. The time we had with the staff during lunch was one of my most memorable times I have had at the family center... We were preparing to say our goodbyes... We started off by thanking them by opening their arms and being the people that they are. This turned into personal speeches for everyone to share about the impact that this whole experience has been for us. Little did I know, that they would open up and share what their hearts were feeling as well. Each staff member: Ellen, Pindi, Nanhlanhla, Zwe,Claire, Nambu, and Hlaka all shared with us what their time has been like for them since we have been here. I can tell you it was such a humbling experience. They spoke in Zulu and Zwe translated... I don't think their was one dry eye in the room... We all were in tears as we went around the circle sharing the impact that each has had on us. I was so thankful for this time..... 
And God was definitely surrounding us in that room. After all of this, we surrounded the staff and were blessed with the opportunity to pray over them and their impact on the family center. And after, they surrounded us....It was honestly one of the most beautiful gatherings I have ever experienced. I cherish all the joy, tears, and laughter that was expressed during this time. [Above is Claire and I...She is such a great woman of God and I am so glad and blessed for these past few weeks of getting to know her and have a friendship with her. She devoted 3 years of her life working at the family center and has such a servant heart!]
Another amazing thing that God blessed the family center with on this day was the opportunity to show the kids and staff the, "Everything by Lifehouse" skit.
I encourage anyone who is reading this right now to watch this skit on youtube. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever watched and it makes me cry every time, as it symbolizes and resembles each individual's personal relationship with God. So we made the playroom into a movie theater and all the kids watched it. After the skit, we had everyone who had questions or comments about the video to come into another room so we could have question and answer time. Right after this was said, a bunch of teens flooded into the room and we all sat down in there. We had Khlaka and Zwe there and they took charge and really led the discussion and translated for us. They asked and commented about the video and the struggles that the girl in the skit faced and how they were hurting her relationship with God. The questions were deep, vulnerable, and creative. It was great to have this time for them to ask these questions... They have so many questions about sin, dealing with money, and promiscuity.
The day before, we also had another question/answer time with them the day before and it was an open discussion which led to a deep discussion about sin and the temptations they are faced with every day in the township. I found this time to be such a beautiful thing for the teenagers...I know that these types of things are not discussed in their daily lives and they may have never even talked about it before. Another amazing thing that came about through this time with the teens was that Khlaka and Zwe led this time with them and it opened a door for these kids to see them as people they can be comfortable with to come to with questions or struggles. I pray that Zwe and Khlaka and Claire and all the care givers at the family center can be someone these kids can come to with questions. It was a great thing to be a part of and see this door open for everyone at the family center.
As if the day could not have been more filled with love, it continued to be displayed more and more.
Claire, Zwe, and the other staff members put on a little ceremony for us to receive these beaded pins with the South Africa flag on it. Each of our mentors placed it on us and they told us that it was a gift for being here, working with them, and becoming a part of the family. They are beautiful pins and everytime I where it, I will think of them : ) As the day came to an end, I was sad to say goodbye... 
But I hate goodbye's so I turned it into, "I'll see you later." These people have made such an impact on my life. The way they serve these children every single day just amazes me. It is not easy work and I am inspired by each and every one of them and the way they devote their lives to making mpophemeni a better place! I am still processing all of my emotions... so as I speak, I am getting all worked up! haha... But I will definitely never forget these wonderful people : )
<3 Jamie
Yesterday was our last day at the site, and I could not have even imagined the way it played out. Everything was so humbling... Our group decided to throw a pizza party with lots of good treats for everyone! So in the morning, a few of us picked up the pizzas and headed to the family center.
We got there and set up all the food and drinks and organized the staff to eat in one room and the kids took all their food outside to eat and play. The time we had with the staff during lunch was one of my most memorable times I have had at the family center... We were preparing to say our goodbyes... We started off by thanking them by opening their arms and being the people that they are. This turned into personal speeches for everyone to share about the impact that this whole experience has been for us. Little did I know, that they would open up and share what their hearts were feeling as well. Each staff member: Ellen, Pindi, Nanhlanhla, Zwe,Claire, Nambu, and Hlaka all shared with us what their time has been like for them since we have been here. I can tell you it was such a humbling experience. They spoke in Zulu and Zwe translated... I don't think their was one dry eye in the room... We all were in tears as we went around the circle sharing the impact that each has had on us. I was so thankful for this time..... 
And God was definitely surrounding us in that room. After all of this, we surrounded the staff and were blessed with the opportunity to pray over them and their impact on the family center. And after, they surrounded us....It was honestly one of the most beautiful gatherings I have ever experienced. I cherish all the joy, tears, and laughter that was expressed during this time. [Above is Claire and I...She is such a great woman of God and I am so glad and blessed for these past few weeks of getting to know her and have a friendship with her. She devoted 3 years of her life working at the family center and has such a servant heart!]Another amazing thing that God blessed the family center with on this day was the opportunity to show the kids and staff the, "Everything by Lifehouse" skit.
I encourage anyone who is reading this right now to watch this skit on youtube. It is one of the most powerful things I have ever watched and it makes me cry every time, as it symbolizes and resembles each individual's personal relationship with God. So we made the playroom into a movie theater and all the kids watched it. After the skit, we had everyone who had questions or comments about the video to come into another room so we could have question and answer time. Right after this was said, a bunch of teens flooded into the room and we all sat down in there. We had Khlaka and Zwe there and they took charge and really led the discussion and translated for us. They asked and commented about the video and the struggles that the girl in the skit faced and how they were hurting her relationship with God. The questions were deep, vulnerable, and creative. It was great to have this time for them to ask these questions... They have so many questions about sin, dealing with money, and promiscuity. The day before, we also had another question/answer time with them the day before and it was an open discussion which led to a deep discussion about sin and the temptations they are faced with every day in the township. I found this time to be such a beautiful thing for the teenagers...I know that these types of things are not discussed in their daily lives and they may have never even talked about it before. Another amazing thing that came about through this time with the teens was that Khlaka and Zwe led this time with them and it opened a door for these kids to see them as people they can be comfortable with to come to with questions or struggles. I pray that Zwe and Khlaka and Claire and all the care givers at the family center can be someone these kids can come to with questions. It was a great thing to be a part of and see this door open for everyone at the family center.
As if the day could not have been more filled with love, it continued to be displayed more and more.
Claire, Zwe, and the other staff members put on a little ceremony for us to receive these beaded pins with the South Africa flag on it. Each of our mentors placed it on us and they told us that it was a gift for being here, working with them, and becoming a part of the family. They are beautiful pins and everytime I where it, I will think of them : ) As the day came to an end, I was sad to say goodbye... 
But I hate goodbye's so I turned it into, "I'll see you later." These people have made such an impact on my life. The way they serve these children every single day just amazes me. It is not easy work and I am inspired by each and every one of them and the way they devote their lives to making mpophemeni a better place! I am still processing all of my emotions... so as I speak, I am getting all worked up! haha... But I will definitely never forget these wonderful people : )<3 Jamie
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Happiness
Wow. I am so grateful for the people who I have come to know at Ethembeni. I would like to share with you one in particular. 
There is a young 17-yr-old woman named Happiness (Nobojulo), who attends the family center every single day. I had met her at the beginning, but had not had the chance to really get to know her story and who she is. Yesterday, I had the chance of having a one-on-one with her. I greeted her in the morning and asked her how she was doing and stuff… just small talk.. And we both started getting more comfortable with each other. She wants to be a hair stylist one day so she was braiding and playing with my hair for a while. When it came to be around lunch time, she asked me if I wanted to eat lunch in the backyard with her and so we went in the back and she got two chairs and we sat down. I just started asking questions about her life….
I asked her about her parents and she shared that they both died a few years ago. I do not know how her dad died but she said her mom killed herself from drinking poison at work… and that her mom wanted to die. Happiness went on to say that her brother is in jail because he attempted to hijack a car…and she does not have a relationship with him at all. As she was telling me these horrible things that have happened to her family… I noticed she said a lot of this with no emotions involved… it was just reality for her. Looking at her, I honestly would have never guessed this was her life. She lives on her own and is struggling every single day to get by. She is looking for a job and says it is very tough to find one around where she lives. She says that she barely has enough money for food and relies solely on the family center to provide her meals. 
On the weekends, she goes without food because she has no money…. Hearing all of this, I could not help but to tear up in front of her. All of these things, a young teenager should not have to deal with… It got me questioning why her??…. I told her that I cannot even imagine the way she lives. I told her that I have not realized all the blessings that I have in my life and that I have taken them for granted after hearing what she has said…That I do not know what it is like to not have food…to not have a family waiting for me when I come home…to not have someone there to take care of me. I don’t know why she has to live like this and I don’t. At this point we both were in tears. It broke my heart that she has to deal with all of these hardships. …
But the light at the end of the tunnel is that she has God. I was reminded by one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 29:11.. “For you know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” I told her that God did not place her in this place for a reason and that he has a purpose for her life. I prayed with her and thanked her for sharing all of this with me.
She said that she doesn’t talk about all of this a lot and that she feels better when she does.
Happiness is truly a blessing to me. She makes me want to strengthen my faith in God. Her determination to keep going and make the most of what she has is beyond inspiring. After lunch, she took me to her house so I could see it! It was probably a
20-minute walk from the family center and she lives in the same house she lived in when her parents were still alive. I was very impressed with how well she has kept the house and how tidy it was. She lives out of a suit case and as I was looking around her room, I noticed a list of things that she wanted to buy as soon as she had money… The list included the following items: toothpaste, deodorant, potatoes, maize meal, etc… just the basic necessities to get by… Something cool that hung on the wall right across her bed was an isiZulu phrase and she explained to me the English translation: That when you face hardships and struggles, to give them up to the Lord. : )
Happiness also shared that she has a 3 year old son! I got to meet him because she brought him to the family center yesterday : )
He is a bundle of joy and looked so much like his mom. But it hit me that she has to struggle to provide for him when she can barely provide for herself. Please keep Happiness in your prayers. I wish you all could meet her… I cannot even think of her without tearing up… She has definitely made an impact on my life and I am so thankful that God crossed our paths together. At my final day yesterday, I received a note from Happiness which warmed my heart so much...She calls me my zulu name, "Gugu" (which means precious) and she wrote in this letter, "Gugu, thanx 4 everything u've done 4 us God bless you... luv you alot! Gugu if I die or travel so far I will write your name in the sky so that everybody can see how much you mean 2 me. 4rm: Happiness" This note is one of the best gifts I have ever received... I am so humbled by this whole experience...
Love, Jamie
There is a young 17-yr-old woman named Happiness (Nobojulo), who attends the family center every single day. I had met her at the beginning, but had not had the chance to really get to know her story and who she is. Yesterday, I had the chance of having a one-on-one with her. I greeted her in the morning and asked her how she was doing and stuff… just small talk.. And we both started getting more comfortable with each other. She wants to be a hair stylist one day so she was braiding and playing with my hair for a while. When it came to be around lunch time, she asked me if I wanted to eat lunch in the backyard with her and so we went in the back and she got two chairs and we sat down. I just started asking questions about her life….
I asked her about her parents and she shared that they both died a few years ago. I do not know how her dad died but she said her mom killed herself from drinking poison at work… and that her mom wanted to die. Happiness went on to say that her brother is in jail because he attempted to hijack a car…and she does not have a relationship with him at all. As she was telling me these horrible things that have happened to her family… I noticed she said a lot of this with no emotions involved… it was just reality for her. Looking at her, I honestly would have never guessed this was her life. She lives on her own and is struggling every single day to get by. She is looking for a job and says it is very tough to find one around where she lives. She says that she barely has enough money for food and relies solely on the family center to provide her meals. 
On the weekends, she goes without food because she has no money…. Hearing all of this, I could not help but to tear up in front of her. All of these things, a young teenager should not have to deal with… It got me questioning why her??…. I told her that I cannot even imagine the way she lives. I told her that I have not realized all the blessings that I have in my life and that I have taken them for granted after hearing what she has said…That I do not know what it is like to not have food…to not have a family waiting for me when I come home…to not have someone there to take care of me. I don’t know why she has to live like this and I don’t. At this point we both were in tears. It broke my heart that she has to deal with all of these hardships. … But the light at the end of the tunnel is that she has God. I was reminded by one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 29:11.. “For you know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” I told her that God did not place her in this place for a reason and that he has a purpose for her life. I prayed with her and thanked her for sharing all of this with me.
She said that she doesn’t talk about all of this a lot and that she feels better when she does.Happiness is truly a blessing to me. She makes me want to strengthen my faith in God. Her determination to keep going and make the most of what she has is beyond inspiring. After lunch, she took me to her house so I could see it! It was probably a
20-minute walk from the family center and she lives in the same house she lived in when her parents were still alive. I was very impressed with how well she has kept the house and how tidy it was. She lives out of a suit case and as I was looking around her room, I noticed a list of things that she wanted to buy as soon as she had money… The list included the following items: toothpaste, deodorant, potatoes, maize meal, etc… just the basic necessities to get by… Something cool that hung on the wall right across her bed was an isiZulu phrase and she explained to me the English translation: That when you face hardships and struggles, to give them up to the Lord. : )
Happiness also shared that she has a 3 year old son! I got to meet him because she brought him to the family center yesterday : )
He is a bundle of joy and looked so much like his mom. But it hit me that she has to struggle to provide for him when she can barely provide for herself. Please keep Happiness in your prayers. I wish you all could meet her… I cannot even think of her without tearing up… She has definitely made an impact on my life and I am so thankful that God crossed our paths together. At my final day yesterday, I received a note from Happiness which warmed my heart so much...She calls me my zulu name, "Gugu" (which means precious) and she wrote in this letter, "Gugu, thanx 4 everything u've done 4 us God bless you... luv you alot! Gugu if I die or travel so far I will write your name in the sky so that everybody can see how much you mean 2 me. 4rm: Happiness" This note is one of the best gifts I have ever received... I am so humbled by this whole experience...
Love, Jamie
Sunday, March 28, 2010
beauty through pain.
"Love each other with genuine affection. And take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality." -Romans 12:10-13
This verse has helped motivate me so much while I am serving at Ethembeni. It has summarized the time spent and the way I strive to spend my time while serving the Mpophemeni community.
Over this past week, It has really been hitting me the importance of the family center in this community. On Thursday, I was informed that a young girl named, "happiness," opened up and shared that the only meals she receives are from the family center. She mentioned that she is not sure what she is going to do next month when two days will be cut out of the week...She is about 17 years old and lives on her own because both her parents have passed away and she is just getting by. I was in shock hearing this... I honestly cannot imagine what her life is like.. to now know when your next meal will be... Hearing these stories about the kids' lives are very hard to hear and accept... so my Thursday ended with a feeling I had not yet felt before... It really sank in the reality for many of these kids... and the hard obstacles they are facing at such a young age : /....
I am trying to see God in all of these situations and trust in him more and more through hearing these stories... and having faith that he will provide for these children and that there can be beauty through pain...<3
Friday came around and it was a completely different day than the all of our other days..It was the first day that all of the kids did not come because it was a staff retreat. It was a time of reflection, praise worship, and fellowship. We started off the morning with worship with about 25-30 of us.They combined the staff who work at the clinic and the family center. A lot of the worship was in isiZulu but it I was familiar with a lot of the songs! However, we also sang a lot of familiar hymns that we sing at church back home, which I loved. One of the songs that I have enjoyed singing in isiZulu a TON is, "Siyagudumisa." This in english means, "We glorify your name," and it is such a beautiful song. Then we had a tea break and had time to be in fellowship and get to know some of the volunteers and staff who work at this ministry. I spoke with a woman named, Norah, who I went on the home visits with last Thursday. I had a chance to get to know her and her time spent with Ethembeni. She has been volunteering here for 10 years and absolutely loves it and reaching out to people in the community. She had such a peaceful spirit and said that she knows this is exactly where she is supposed to be. I enjoyed talking with her. After tea break, a man came to preach about forgiveness with us. It was so great because he translated into isiZulu and English and had so much energy when he spoke. I could not help but want to listen to everything he was saying! The rest of the day was more worship and time alone with God. I could not have asked for a better way to spend a day... I love having the opportunity to slow down because it allows me to think and process so much. So today was so great!!
Back to the topic of thinking and reflecting.. For our community engagement class we have journals that we are writing in and it is a part of our final grade for the class. I actually enjoy this part of the class because through journaling, I really am able to recognize my own feelings. This is one of my journal entries to my "So what? Reflections on How this experience is changing my life" for week 3:
"This experience is changing the way I want to live my life. I am so blessed with the life God has given me and the people he has placed in my life. It has been difficult for me to see the struggles that many people in the community face, even at such a young age. It has been shaping my perspective on the things that really matter in life. I am more aware of the little, but huge blessings that I have in my life. I have a home to go back to, an education, supportive and loving family, money, and so many luxuries. Now, I do not feel guilty for what I have, but I am so much more appreciative. I want to bless others in need with the blessings I have. I want to help, even after service sites are over. I am just trying to figure out by what means am I able to do this and what that may look like when I am back home. All I know is that my heart is aching for and hoping for a change for many lives that are struggling in this township and the rest of Africa."
On a side note... haha.. my weekend consisted of the following!!
This weekend was a bit hectic with school! I had over 15 pages to write for two of my classes... so it was very overwhelming.
But I finished it all this afternoon so I am a happy camper right now. On saturday, we went to uShaka all day! Yes, I could have been a good student and stayed back to work on my papers, but pshhh. I'm only in Africa once right?! So I went! It was a huge water park/marine world place! It was in Durban and right next to the ocean. I spent the day acting like a kid, racing down water slides, being silly in the lazy river, etc. I got to spend the day with people I have not hung out with since being here. So I loved it all the more. We also saw this dolphin show. It was cool, but sea world is more impressive ;) Another highlight of my day was seeing all the sharks and wildlilfe in the deep blue ocean. There was a great display of aquariums!! And something that I have noticed growing deep within myself is that I have a great passion for sharks ever since this last summer after watching shark week!!! So I enjoyed seeing those fascinating creatures the most!! : )
There are three days left of service sites this week. I hope to enjoy and appreciate the short time I have left with the kids and staff this week. 
Tomorrow there are supposed to be about 15 volunteers coming in and helping us for the day! There are so many but it should be a fun time with an overflow of love for the kids!! We may be setting up a soccer tournament as well so I will fill you in tomorrow about how it goes! I hope you all are doing so well!!
Love and miss you all
<3 jamie
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