Tuesday 25th July 2017
We all woke early for prayers as a team at 7am followed by
breakfast.
The ladies then went for “ladies prayers” at 8.00 while the
men had some time to relax.
The ladies came back quite exhausted as they also had had a
physical workout, simulating carrying babies on their backs and weights on their
heads with lots of laughter.
At 9.45 we assembled in the Wendy House for a “wall session”
where we looked at the objectives of Hands At Work. Although Christ is always
the corner stone, the wall is built from there with stones which represent, for
example the local church, the care co-ordinators and care givers. Today the
focus was on the single word “effective” care which means the efforts are
targeted at supporting the African church to support the local community with help
from the church throughout the world.
At 11.00 we set off for the community at Siyathuthuka which
we specifically support at St Andrews. We were accompanied by Patricia, Audrey
and Niyko who were to be our care co-ordinators and translators.
We immediately recognised the mural we had seen on photos
from past visits. There was a mobile clinic visiting so there was a throng of
mothers and small children. We were introduced to some of the care workers
which was an opportunity to practice again our limited but improving SiSwati.
We soon went off on our home visits and separated into
groups of 4. Some of us visited a young couple
with a 6 month old baby who was quite adorable. Some of remembered their home
visit from the last year but found a very determined mother who had both
extended her vegetable patch and was extending her home with homemade bricks. Others
of us visited a mother who had been reported to have some difficulties with her
teenage daughter.
What we found was two of the sons at home off school. Audrey
encouraged them to run back to the clinic. But they first insisted they had to
spruce themselves with a bath first! We then were able to listen through our interpreter
to some of the social problems that this mother had, and Audrey was able to
give advice and take details to keep in touch.
We walked about a mile in total on rough dusty paths always
greeting the people and children that we met. Back at the Care Point children were
starting to arrive from school and the clinic was still going strong, so our
two young boys got some treatment. One was referred to hospital the next day,
but it didn’t stop him starring at “stickleball”! Soon we were serving large
portions of “pap” with vegetables and gravy, all eagerly devoured by the
children, and visitors! It had been a hot day and we were all glad, some more
than others to get back for showers and tea.
At our evening debrief with Tommy our host, we each were
asked to describe our day in terms of the weather, not actually but as a
metaphor. Most chose “a sunny day with a few clouds”. Rob described recognising
the mural at Siyathuthuka as a rainbow breaking and feeling we had really
arrived.
We look forward to
returning tomorrow earlier in the morning to spend more time with the care
workers and help with some repairs.
Rob
