4 girls, 3 mongoose, 2 craigs and a land rover

AMAZING!!!

That’s pretty much all I can say about this last weekend. I’ve been trying to decide how I can capture everything from the past 3 days into one little blog entry. I have decided that I just can’t. This is the one thing you will have to ask me to tell you about in person. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life!

Here’s a brief attempt to capture my safari…

Our small propeller plane landed in Hoedspruit, South Africa about 1:30 pm, the last of the 2 flights that day (or any day for that matter). We stepped out of the airplane and walked down the stairs into the wide open field with a small brick building and a runway – known in this town as an airport. The e.mail we had received instructed us to look for the skinny ranger named Craig. We were the last people off the plane, so as we rounded the fence we were pretty confident that the skinny man with no shoes and a giant grin was our ranger! We greeted each other with huge hugs and followed Craig out to his land rover. Craig was the envy of all the other rangers with his 4 American girls carrying all their belongings on their backs. There really wasn’t anything special about us, except that we were under the age of 60. ☺

The ride to the campsite was filled with energy, animal sightings and laughter. Back at camp Craig 1 introduced us to Craig 2, the other ranger at our camp and the 3 pet mongoose. To fully understand our experience on this safari you must have a clear picture of the Craigs. They are completely offensive, politically incorrect men who’ve been living in the African bush without electricity or any modern amenities for years. They smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and drink rum like it’s water. But you couldn’t help but love them! They’re also brilliant and the best safari guides we could ever ask for. Craig 1 used to be the top dog in conservation in South Africa – i.e. head of whatever they call the environmental department in SA. We fell in love with them the moment we met them. They took such good care of us and taught us so much in our short time with them.

The camp was centered around the fire pit and kitchen. The pit was where all our meals were made and also served as our gathering place for long evening discussions and entertainment. The path behind the kitchen led to the 2 outdoor bathrooms, fully equipped with flushing toilets, running water, and showers. The walls were made of reeds, with no roof and a beautiful view of the African wild. We stayed in raised chalets with 2 beds a piece. It was absolutely perfect.

We went on our first game drive a few hours after we’d gotten to camp. Craig 2 was our leader and introduced us to giraffes, zebra, kudu, elephants and rhinos. We were so excited. At first we couldn’t help but squeal, but we soon learned to contain ourselves, so as to no frighten the animals. Craig had so much information to share about the animals, the wild life, and the way it all worked together to sustain life in this place. I couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the beauty of God’s creation. He is so creative!!

That night we gathered for steak cooked over the fire and a late night of conversation ranging from politics and religion, to bad jokes and funny stories. We heard the leopards as we headed off to bed that night. The stars were absolutely amazing. There was no moon, so the stars were the only thing lighting the sky. We learned how to find south based off the Southern Cross. It was such a perfect day and night.

I don’t have time to go in to as much detail as I would like, but the next day we went on 2 game drives - that is after we pushed the land rover to get it started (think "little miss sunshine"). We saw tons of giraffe and zebra, warthogs, and other animals. We never did see any of the cats, but we did hear a momma lion calling for her cubs and lion’s at night. Every game drive we went on included a stop for tea and snacks. When we stopped for our evening tea, we sat in a field watching the impala play and the sun set over the mountains. As were looking at the vast stars, we saw a meteor with a huge tail streak across the sky. It was such a perfect moment. We didn’t get to see all the big 5, but we wouldn’t have exchanged the moments we had on this trip for anything.

We went on a final drive the morning we left and then packed our bags and headed back to airport. We considered trying to miss our plane so we could spend more time in the wild, but we had to get back to work. We gave our final goodbye hugs and passed through security – which was a couple ladies opening one of our 2 bags (it’s harder to get in to a Royal’s game). As we boarded the plane we each shed a couple tears, sad to be ending our adventure.

I really hope the goodbye to Paradise Camp and the 2 Craigs will not be a forever goodbye. This safari was the first time I truly felt like I was in Africa. It was the Africa I came here to see and I had a very hard time walking away from it. It was the Africa that gave me a greater understanding of just how big my God is. It was the Africa that some day I hope to return to. I felt more safe the last 3 days, living in the wild with the animals than I have the whole time I’ve been in Cape Town. I can't explain everything that went in to the emotions of leaving on that plane. I think it had to do with an understanding that I would soon be leaving the Africa I am learning so much to love. As I was pondering these feelings of sadness and not wanting to leave Africa, I opened my journal. The passage Caroline had written for the day stated -

Trust - in His timing
Rely - on His promises
Wait - on His answers
Believe - in His miracles
Rejoice - in His goodness
Relax - in His presence

Perfect council for me in that moment. God's plan is far greater than any I can imagine. So, I will trust in Him.

I’ve just read back over this blog and have so much more to share for you to truly understand how awesome that adventure was, but I don’t have time and will have to just offer what I’ve written…and promise to tell you more when I get home.

We’re planning on coming back for a 21 day traveling safari with the Craigs some day. You’ll have to join! ☺

also...

just wanted to let you know that my friend jamie is also keeping a blog of her time here, so if you want to hear her perspective on the trip, check it out at jamie-day.blogspot.com.

also. some of you were telling me you wanted to comment, but couldn't. i changed some of my settings and you should be able to comment now. so do. it makes me happy. :)

the first of the lasts

Today was my last Friday at the hospital…and thus begins the lasts. I’m not quite ready for all the lasts, but they’re coming regardless, so I will embrace them and enjoy them. Today was definitely a cherished day.

The ward was extremely slow today, most of the kids having had their wound checks yesterday and only a couple scheduled for theatre. I spent a large part of my day with Wednesday. His good friend had gone to theatre, so he was left without a playmate and needing some major attention. We pretended like cricket pitchers (I don’t even know if that’s the right terminology) and threw the ball back and forth down the hallway. He wore me out just watching all his energy buzzing around the unit. Sunday thrives on love. I can’t tell you how many sticky hugs and snotty kisses I received from him today. He was upset when his friend came back from surgery crying, so we spent some time just sitting together blowing bubbles. He was very sad to see us leave today, but I assured him we would be back to play next week.

For part of my playtime with Wednesday I was holding Bona (I wish I could write his real name on here because I love to say it!). He was so playful and would mimic everything that Wednesday did. It has been so great to watch how far Bona has come under Danielle’s care. He used to be a baby who just lay in his bed and watched the world pass by. But now he is so engaged and interactive. He sits up and plays and giggles and talks and mimics. It has been so great to see.

Joe and Missy came back today for physio. They looked so great! They were shy at first, but soon warmed up and I got my fair share of hugs and kisses. I was really glad to have such an uneventful day so I could spend some quality time playing and saying goodbye to them. I tried to tell Joe that I would be going home to America next week, so this was our forever goodbye. I don’t really think he got what I was saying, though. He repeated America and home and smiled really big. He did give me a big hug, though. It has been so amazing to watch him heal – physically and emotionally – during his time here. He was with me from the day I got here and has come such a long way. He used to be so withdrawn and scared. Now he is confident and full of life. It has been such an amazing transition to watch.

I also spent quite a bit of time with Lindy. She is a the little girl who had one of her legs amputated due to meningitis. She has such a sweet spirit and is always smiling and waving when we walk by. Caroline has been doing a lot of work with her and will actually be using Lindy and another girl, who had her legs amputated due to the same disease, for her case study to present to the hospital trust. The other little girl was never prepared for her amputation prior to surgery. She went in not knowing what was happening and came out with both her legs gone. Needless to say, the majority of interventions with her were centered on damage control. It’s difficult to help a little girl trust again when something like that has happened. I can only guess what she was imagining was going to happen each time she went in for surgery. Lindy on the other hand benefited from a great prep session with Caroline. They used a blank cloth doll and, with the help of a translator, performed surgery to remove the doll’s leg. Lindy was not happy with this thought (understandably so), but Caroline explained the need for her “really bad sick” leg to be removed and Lindy eventually came to understand. She has coped remarkably well since the surgery. Her story is such a contrast compared to the other little girl. There’s no doubt that Lindy will continue to encounter challenges and obstacles, but she is in the process of developing the coping skills she has gained to face those challenges as they come. It is great to see.

Tomorrow I leave for my safari in Kruger National Park, so I won’t be back on the blog until Monday night or Tuesday. Craig – the self described skinny ranger – will be waiting at the airport tomorrow to take us on our adventure. If we don’t come back, try checking with the lions! Have a great weekend! It’s your last one without me! ☺

walk in love

This morning before going to work I read Ephesians 5:2, which says, “Walk in love.” A few verses later, Ephesians 5:8 says “walk as children of light.” I decided to center my day on these two verses and focus on walking in love and light.

Today’s little revelation: you never know how someone will respond to you or your actions, or what little thing you do will make a difference in someone’s life. But as we walk in love and light, we can be assured that lives will be touched by the spirit we bring.

It’s always interesting to walk on the ward after a weekend or a holiday. Faces brighten up and begin smiling as soon as the Child Life team walks on the floor – light. One little boy saw me from the end of the hallway and set out in a dead sprint straight into my arms. He clung on to me in an amazing hug. I finally pulled away and saw that his eyes were watery. I asked what was wrong, but he just hugged me. I had spent a bit of time with this little boy and his friend on Tuesday. To me it just seemed like normal every day interventions. We played and laughed. I tried to set boundaries. They tried to push limits. There wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. His perception of what we shared, however, was obviously much greater. The little 7-year-old boy doesn’t have any family and has come to the hospital to await surgery to remove some of the keloid scars that have formed all over his body. The small amount of love and attention I was able to share with him obviously had a much bigger effect than I ever thought it would.

After my hug session was over, I went to see why there was crying coming from the bay I had been assigned to. Mo, a 6-year-old boy I’ve been working with, was sitting in his bed, staring out his window and crying. Mo has been pretty traumatized by his experience here in the hospital. Only within the last few days has he begun to open up, laugh and play. His mother, however, is usually with him and I noticed she wasn’t around this morning. One of the sisters got Mo down from his bed and took him into the hall. I think she was trying to get him to stop crying, but it didn’t help. I followed them out and took Mo with me. He wanted to go to the end of the hall to the doors that exited off the ward. I held him up so he could look out the windows and watch for his mother. I kept reminding him that his Mother would be back, that she had only left briefly. He began to calm. I walked him back to his room and held him on my lap until his mom returned. I wasn’t really sure what Mo thought of me helping him this morning. At first he was very resistant to my attention and he never completely appeared to feel comfortable. But later today, he finished a game I had given him to play and followed me out to the hall to give it to me. His mother told me that he wanted to be sure to return it to me himself. It was a small gesture, but I took it as a symbol of the trusting relationship we have built. I was talking to some of the mothers later that day and informed them than next week would be my last week at the hospital. Mo’s mom said, “You will be missed. You are nice for the children.” Simple words, yet to me they were precious. Up until this point, I had never been sure how Mo and his mother felt about my interventions. I really didn’t think what I had been doing was making much of a difference. But as we walk in love and in light we are able to impact lives far greater than we ever imagined.

A little (I should say big) baby in my bay today was tearful when her mother stepped out to take a shower. I walked over to her and placed a block at her feet. She looked at the block and then stared at me. I tried to engage her in play, but she just kept staring at me with this “who are you and why are you not my mom” look on her face. I did everything I could think of, but nothing seemed to amuse her. Rather than scare her, which was what I thought I was doing, I left her alone. As soon as I walked away, she started to cry. I went back to her crib and this time she moved toward me like she wanted to be picked up. I held her on my lap and she rested her head against my shoulder. We played and played until her mom came back. Again my perception had been off, but as I continued to focus on walking in love (no matter what kind of response I felt like I was receiving in return) I could be used in a number of ways to bring comfort. It was a good lesson for me to learn to always walk in love and light – no matter what the response from others.

Harry, a 10-year-old boy, came in over the holiday. His family is not around, so he has been alone during his admission. Older children, even in the US, are often held to much higher expectations by staff. We forget that the hospital environment can be just as frightening to them. I could tell Harry was nervous, but trying to act beyond his years. I followed him and a sister into the treatment room for his dressing change. He was trying so hard to hold it all together, but as soon as the dressing started to be cut away he began to cry. I asked if he wanted to hold my hand and he squeezed it tight. I sat down next to him and let him lay his head against my shoulder. He only speaks Afrikaans, but I reassured him, with some English and a couple Afrikaans words, that he was brave and it was okay for him to cry. After his treatment we went back to his room and played a game of Connect Four. Again, I couldn’t really tell how deeply we were connecting – sometimes the older kids take a while longer to build that trusting relationship. Between games, I prepped Harry for theatre. He nodded that he understood, but I could tell he was worried. The porter came to pick Harry up. I walked him to the trolley. He looked up at me and asked, “Will you come with me?” Again, it was such a small request, but it verified that Harry knew my role and had learned to trust me as a support system. My role with him in theatre was very minimal. We tried to talk, but our languages were too different. I basically just held his hand and spoke with an assuring voice as he received the anesthesia and drifted off.

I think my experiment to walk in love and light today really worked. Even in those times I didn’t feel like I was making an impact, that attempt to walk out love in all situations proved effective as kids and families responded in positive ways. What a great day!

voting day

Today was Voting Day - another public holiday here in South Africa (only 2 more to go during my time here). I have heard a little about the politics involved in this day, but not enough to blog my opinions. I have actually learned to avoid political conversations most of the time - especially with cab drivers. They usually end up centered around US politics (which I hate anyway) and how George Bush started all the wars in Africa - even the ones before he was president if you can believe it. It's pretty ridiculous (even for the non-Bush supporters) to listen to and usually leads to really awkward cab rides, so we try to stick to the weather. :)

All these public holidays are not as great as they sound. I would have much rather been in the hospital with the kids, but instead spent it hiking up Table Mountain. Don't get me wrong, it was a blast and an awesome workout, but I only have 5 days left in the hospital. It was just Jamie, Danielle and I on the hike. We made it up in 1 hour 11 minutes, so we felt pretty awesome. :)

I know this is a short blog tonight, but I think I'm craving some sleep and my day really wasn't that eventful. I mean, I enjoyed it, but I'm not so sure it would be that exciting from the other side of the blog. :)

Back to work tomorrow, so more fun to come!

the little things

Any Child Life Specialist can tell you what a big difference the little things make. Letting a child sit up for a procedure, giving a patient the choice of which arm to try an IV in, allowing mom or dad to hold the child’s hand, explaining what you’re going to do before you do it, changing a word to be more child friendly: these are all little acts which can result in big differences in a child’s ability to cope and cooperate.

I was helping a little boy finish up with his dressing change today when Lindy was carried in for her dressing. She saw the boy I was working with was tearful and immediately began to cry. Unfortunately there is not the time, nor the space here to keep treatments private. There are often 2 or 3 children having their dressings changed at one time. There aren’t curtains to close, so the kids end up watching the other children and seeing their wounds. It definitely makes the experience scarier for many of them. Lindy’s mom laid her on the table and I stepped in to provide support and ease the transition away from her mom. Lindy recently had one of her legs amputated due to meningitis. Her other leg is severely infected and the doctors are fighting to keep it. Her dressing change today was for the wound on her nonamputated leg. Lindy cried when her mom stepped away, aware of her treatment to come. She laid on the table and looked at me with scared eyes. She only speaks Xhosa, but I spoke to her anyway, trying to put her at ease with the sound of my voice. I walked over to her and helped her sit up. I positioned myself behind her on the bed and allowed her to lean against me with my arm around her in a protective embrace. She calmed immediately. She remained calm throughout the whole procedure, sometimes watching the removal of the old bandages, sometimes blowing bubbles. The simple act of allowing her to sit up made a huge difference in her ability to cope. Often times kids are made to lay down because staff think they are more cooperative or easier to hold or that’s just the way they have always done it. However, if you think about it, the simple act of laying down puts you in a very vulnerable position. Imagine laying down, not being able to see what was going on and being expected to just trust that the painful event being done to you was somehow helping you get better. Pretty scary. The simple act of allowing a child to sit up for a procedure gives them control, comfort, and aids in their cooperation. Lindy was a perfect example of this. I was so proud of her!

I’ve decided one of my favorite moments here is when a child sneaks out his or her first smile. There seems to be a transition period when the kids are too sick or too scared to engage, laugh and smile. But with consistent support they finally reach that moment when they slip out a smile. It’s so much fun to see! Sometimes that one smile opens a flood gate of happiness and laughter and everyone looks on in amazement. Other times it takes a few more days of trust building and support to finally release unrestrained smiles, but eventually all the kids have reached that smiling point. I had a couple "first smile" experiences today and it made me so happy. One little boy who had been so quiet and reserved laughed and played for quite a while today. He even waved goodbye to me when I left. It may seem like a small success, but these are some of my most treasured moments.

The one word that all the kids learn very quickly to say in English is “bubbles.” I don’t know what I ever did at home without bubbles strapped to my neck. These kids can play forever with a tiny bottle of bubbles. They blow them, pop them, spill them, play alone, play in groups, fight over them. Bubbles are seriously my best friends. It has never been easier to build rapport. I just walk up, blow a bubble and am immediately best friends with a patient and his parent. Kids who have been away from the hospital and come back for outpatient clinic come running up to us as soon as they walk through the door. For a brief moment I humor myself enough to think they are excited to see me, but then they plunge for the purple dolphin hanging from my neck and scream “BUBBLES!” instantly bursting my personal bubble. ☺ The lack of bubble mania in the US will definitely be one of my biggest adjustments.

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I’ve decided everyone in Cape Town is in marketing. Whether it’s the guy in the mini bus hollering “Cape Town!” while hanging out the window, or the “stranded visitor” trying to scam you out of your money – everyone has a marketing scheme and a story to sell you at a negotiable price. There is no greater place to witness the world of marketing than the market – I just realized that’s probably where the name came from! ☺ Unfortunately, all the vendors appear to have gotten their degree from the same university and therefore have the same marketing plan. I can’t tell you how many times I have been the “first customer of the day” and therefore entitled to a discount price. Every tent I went to said the same thing. “Take your time. Free to look. I give you good price. Special price for you.” I must be the luckiest girl in the world because I happened upon every special offer there was today! I started to determine whether or not I was going to buy things from people based on the originality of their marketing gig. I can’t tell you how tempted I was to buy the candle from the guy who told me, “Don’t walk in the dark,” just because it was one I hadn’t heard yet. Needless to say, I am definitely not the best market shopper. I feel horrible about haggling and even worse when I don’t buy things. So I bought a couple things I knew I wanted and decided try get up my nerve to try again another day.

People keep asking me what I miss most about the US (other than the obvious friends and family). I have to tell you it’s kind of hard to make that list. Cape Town pretty much has all the amenities of home, but I have come up with a very short list of some of the small items…

1. Being able to walk without having my ninja moves ready and waiting to spring on any unsuspecting mugger. Along with this is the paranoia that sets in every now and then which drives me crazy. Today I freaked out in the market thinking my wallet had been stolen from the purse I had been clutching the whole time. I thought it must have been a pretty amazing pickpocket until I remembered I’d left my wallet at home for that very reason.

2. Being able to tip my waiter based on how well they keep my water glass filled. Asking for tap water makes me feel like I have a horn growing out of my forehead and getting the glass filled up again is relatively unheard of. One waitress actually brought us a pitcher of water the other day – she received a very large tip. ☺

3. Paying for electricity after you use it – not before. The opposite is true for cell phones and internet.

5. Having the right of way when crossing the street. Pedestrians NEVER have the right of way here…even in cross walks. The little green walking man may be beckoning you across the street, but what he isn’t tell you is that car that’s about to turn the corner doesn’t really care that you’re half way across the street. In fact, he finds it necessary to speed up and lay on his horn just to remind you that you do NOT have the right away. You literally take your life in your hands every time you step off the curb.

That’s the top 5 at this point in my day. ☺ Seriously though. I love this place and I have a far greater list of things I will miss from here than things I can complain about. It’s a beautiful city and I have to go now so that I can take advantage of my last few opportunities to experience it.

stepping in for a moment

From Friday 17 April

The kids were in a very peculiar mood today. Joe was especially grumpy – fighting with the other kids and totally testing his limits. I have a suspicion it had to do with him having to share my attention with other kids, since it seemed to peek at times when other kids were sitting on my lap. It caused quite a scene during our attempted playgroup though. One minute all the kids are having a blast and the next their flipping each other off and saying words in Afrikaans that I’m are not nice words. I know most of their frustration comes from having to share when they are used to not having much. It’s a difficult concept to be teaching them. At one point today I had to put Othathali and Joe in their beds (which are over sized cribs) with the rails up and the curtain drawn. I think we had all just had enough. Taking a timeout from them did give me some time to give some personal attention to Missy though. That made her happy. She came alive again, smiling and laughing with me. I was glad to see that positive turn around.

Othathali was discharged today and Joe calmed down a lot after she left. At one point he was sitting in bed singing to himself. I heard him singing the “Cast your burdens. Come to Jesus, for He cares for you…. Higher, higher, higher, higher, etc.” song. You know the one I’m talking about? Everyone sings it when they come back from Africa. Anyway, I had learned it from my cousin when she came back from Africa, so I started singing it with him. He was so excited that I knew the song. After that he sang, “I’ve got peace like a river.” It was really fun to sit there and sing with him. I absolutely love African voices singing – especially the kids. It was also a neat connection to make with Joe. When a patient makes it apparent that they cope with spiritual tools, it opens a door to offer ministry that I’m not always allowed to give, which is a neat connection.

Friday night Tami, Caroline and I set out for our “Girls Weekend.” Tami and I thought it was funny to call it that – since we don’t have any other kinds of weekends here, but the concept was the same. ☺ We rented a car and drove to Stellenbosch. It’s an adorable little town out in the vineyards. We settled in at a little hotel and ate at a really cute bistro before calling it a night.


From Saturday 18 April

We woke up Saturday and explored Stellenbosch. It’s an adorably quaint town with lots of shops and restaurants. It felt so peaceful after the hustle and bustle of the city. No matter how much I’ve tried to blend in to this city – I am definitely a country girl at heart.

After exploring the town, we continued on the rest of our road trip around the cape. It was a little rainy, but still beautiful. Along our drive we passed by some of the townships in the area. This was the first time I had the opportunity to observe life in these areas. It’s very different from the city. People live in tiny tin houses crammed together. It’s very dirty and not very safe. My one regret about this trip was that I didn’t get the opportunity to get in and work in the townships. It’s not a place you can go on your own and the opportunity didn’t present itself, so I have to accept that perhaps it wasn’t the place for me this time. Danielle, one of our new CLS’s, however is going to start burn outreach and education programs to some of these areas so I’m really excited to see how that turns out. There is so much poverty in these townships and they stretch for miles and miles. It made such an impact on me just to see them.

We stopped at a number of beach, fishing, cape towns along our route, taking our time and exploring what the area had to offer. We visited the penguins at Boulder Beach. They were everywhere! We ended up in Simon’s Town and stumbled upon the cutest bed and breakfast - Cornerhouse. The French woman that owned it was named Briggitt and she took us in for the night.

Oh! I almost forgot! I was able to drive on the left side of the road today for the first time ever. The hardest part was remembering the turn signal was on the right side instead of the left. I only turned the windshield wipers on a few times trying to trade lanes. ☺ It was almost weirder to drive after not doing so for 6 weeks than it was to be driving on the left side of the road. I had a fun time (not sure if Caroline and Tami felt the same way)! ☺

From Sunday 19 April

Sunday we woke up to find the cape totally covered in dense fog and rain. We had planned this to be the day we took the big trip down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. We were slightly bummed, but decided to proceed as planned – regretting that we hadn’t brought the appropriate rain gear with us. After a breakfast of coddled eggs, we headed to the tip of the continent (well – the southwestern most tip at least). It rained most of the time, but the fog lifted enough ever now and then for us to see where we were and add just a bit of mysteriousness to the morning.

At Cape Point we found a trail out to the old lighthouse, but the sign said it was a dangerous trail and would take 1.5 hours to complete, so we didn’t take it. I was pretty bummed because I felt like I hadn’t really been to the tip of the cape unless I walked to the end. We all had flip flops on and the fog kept rolling in and out, so we decided it wasn’t safe. When we got to the gift shop, though, I asked one of the workers about the trail. She said it wasn’t dangerous, we could do it in 40 mins out and back, and our flip-flops would be just fine. We made sure she knew what we looked like before leaving for the hike – just in case. ☺ We kept thinking what a great scary movie the three of us would make, but thankfully we made it to the end and back – in the 40 minutes without any problems. The fog even lifted enough for us to see some of the other mountain ranges. Caroline commented that God must have lifted the fog for us because by the time we got back it had settled back over our path. We were very grateful.


After Cape Point we drove to the Cape of Good Hope – the most southwestern tip of Africa. Some people think it’s the most southern, but if you look at a map you see it’s not – hence the most southwestern. It was so beautiful to watch the waves crashing against the rock…and to feel so close to Antarctica. ☺

We continued our trip along the cape – watching baboons and ostriches along the way. It was such a wonderful time with my good friends. We were discussing on the way back how amazing it is that just a few weeks ago we didn’t know each other and now we are great friends. It has been such a blessing. I told them how worried I was about the friends I would make on this trip, and that they had been a wonderful answer to my prayers. I can’t say again how thankful I am for them and for the wonderful time we’ve been able to spend together.

From today, 20 April 2009

My last Monday at the hospital (next week is – you guessed it – another holiday!). I was able to spend some quality play time with a couple of the boys and saw some amazing turn arounds. Play has become such an integral tool for me here. I know that’s what CLS is all about, but sometimes at home some tend to shay away from that role because other see it as – “just playing with the kids.” But when you understand the importance of play, the purpose it serves, and the impact it has on kids and their ability to heal, you realize that there is no greater tool than the ability to “just play.” So I have embraced that role in my work here and hope to take it back to the US in full force. ☺ The 2 boys I played with today had really rough weeks last week. One of them, Will, had spent last week just lying in his bed. He didn’t want to play, but would just lay and let people rub his legs. Today, he was full of play! He laughed and sat with me, read books, and blew tons of bubbles! It was so amazing to watch his interactions and see what a difference had occurred in him. The other little boy I had mostly worked with in dressing changes. He never really seemed very fond of playing with me. I think he associated me with the treatment room and didn’t enjoy that reminder. But today we were able to make huge play strides. He read books, blew bubbles, and laughed and played in ways he hasn’t done since he’s been here. It will be interesting to see how his dressing goes tomorrow. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to build that trusting play relationship, I hope he can accept my support in the treatment room as well. It was amazing to see and an awesome reminder of the power of play!

I’m having quite the range of emotions as I prepare to leave this place. This South Africa Project is not mine. I was just here to provide support to those who are developing the program. However, it’s difficult to come and invest yourself in something and then walk completely away from it, never knowing if it will cross your path again. But as I’ve struggled with this – I’ve realized this experience is not about me – it never has been. This experience is about the opportunity to touch the lives of others and lift them up. If that means stepping in for a moment and then stepping away for a lifetime, then I am thankful for that opportunity. I’ve learned the importance of not lifting myself up, but lifting up others. Not worrying about my own success, but how to help others succeed. I think in the world I come from, we focus so much on our own successes and how to get ahead. But while I’ve been here, I’ve been learning the lesson of how much greater joy comes when we help others succeed and when we lift them up. I know that my life lies open before me. I trust that as I turn it over to God, He will continue to guide me through this fabulous adventure of life in ways far greater than I ever imagined!