Making Marvellous Connections

The last month has been filled with special encounters with remarkable people. I’d like to share the stories of the moments I’ve spent with such inspiring individuals as they have brought light into my life and hope into the most seemingly difficult situations. Their stories have reminded of how sometimes, we must go through trials to grow closer to God. Or, as Third Day puts it, we must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain of God. Click here to listen to their song.

The first two beautiful souls I must mention are two malnourished children who I met in the hospital’s paediatric ward. Both suffer from chronic malnourishment and are severely developmentally delayed. The first, Phiwa, is about to turn 5 years old yet he looks the size of a 2 year old and is still learning to walk by himself. The second child, a cute 2 year old from Mozambique, lives in a family where poverty is rife and he has never been able to access the nourishing nutrients his body needs. These two little boys became my month’s mission as I knew they would be in the hospital for quite some time as their mothers worked closely with the dieticians in an attempt to use supplements to increase their weight and undo the effects that chronic malnourishment had had on their tiny bodies. This gave me the time to show the mothers how to assist their children develop and i would visit them each afternoon to play with the two boys. While it sounds simple, it was an incredibly difficult and draining task as initially they were the two most unhappy children I have ever met. They refused to laugh, smile or even be touched by me. They would start to cry as soon as I entered their little room in the ward, wiggling their frail limbs and enormous kwashiorkor bellies in an attempt to get as far away from me as possible. But, by the grace of God, consistent interactions and abounding love, these two little boys started to come to life again.

I shared a particularly special moment with Phiwa the first time I managed to get him to walk out of his little room without his mother.  We slowly made our way over to the small plastic house in the paediatrics playroom. Phiwa approached the house cautiously and stood outside staring blankly at it while I tried to coax him to enter. Eventually, I decided I may as well squeeze into the small house myself and show him it was okay. I started to giggle uncontrollably the moment I had finally fitted my entire body into the area. The absurdity of sitting in a tiny plastic house in order to try coax a small child inside gave me such joy and I was reminded of how lucky I am to have the job that I do. To top off the experience, Phiwa finally decided that he would join me in the house and we squeezed inside together. My laughter became contagious and all of a sudden his tiny mouth curved into a smile, then a giggle and then he let loose a hearty laugh. That moment in the tiny plastic house broke the ice between me and Phiwa and from then on he stopped crying when I entered the ward and would look at me expectantly for each day’s play activity.

Within a few weeks both boys started to engage with me and the days I managed to make them laugh gave me the energy and encouragement to loving them with all my heart. Through constant demonstration and active involvement, their young mothers started to imitate my playfulness and assisted in drawing the children out of their unhappy little worlds. By the time they left the hospital, both boys gave me a smile and a high five. That was by far the best day I’ve had this month.

The second inspirational individual I met this month is a young man by the name of Phumzane Nthuli. As a local Manguzian, he is the pride of many people in the community. Phumzane is the town’s dearest ultra marathon runner, and his passion and drive to win is almost overwhelming. Coming from circumstances that would usually tear at my heart strings, this young athlete has reminded me to appreciate the small things as they bring opportunity and promise. He walked into therapy one day asking for the physiotherapists to give him some exercises for his upcoming race in Cape Town (a city he had only ever heard about, but never travelled to). After talking to the physios, they realised he needed some assistance with organising sponsors for his upcoming races and I was asked to help him. Phumzane and I took time to discuss his goals, his needs, desires and future plans. Together we established sponsorship letters he could hand out to various local businesses and worked out a budget for each race he was hoping to run. His budget made me cringe as I considered how easily I had paid for expensive running clothes, how I had never considered using a bus to get to Cape Town and how using someone’s old running shoes could been seen as such a blessing. While his dreams are big, and his heart even bigger, Phumzane is one of the most humble men I have ever encountered. Phumzane thanked me profusely throughout our first encounter together and I tried hard not to cry as a result of his humility and passion.

I am proud to write that Phumzane did extremely well in his first Two Oceans Ultra Marathon. He returned to our therapy department after the race and re-enacted every detail of his time in Cape Town, much to my delight and encouragement. Having run 56km in 4 hours and 24 minutes, he recieved a gold medal for his achievement and wore a permanent grin on his face as he retold the stories of his time in “that amazing city.” He showed me many photos of his trip down, the free accommodation he stayed in as an underprivileged runner (called Runners Village) and the various parts of Cape Town he saw while there. He also proudly displayed the various apparel he had been given by the Two Oceans sponsors as a part of his time in Runners Village. He was so concerned about thanking the people who had sponsored him, no matter how small their donations and I couldn’t help but get choked up as he repeatedly commented on how he didn’t know how to show his gratitude to those who had assisted him in getting to Cape Town.

Phumzane’s story is one of true courage and determination. If anyone is looking to sponsor an athlete with a heart for his community and a desire to be a role model for the local Manguzi children, I would recommended you check out his facebook page or contact him on 078 758 4698 to find out how you can assist him.

Phumzane proudly showing off his meddle and Two Oceans T-shirt after returning from Cape Town

A truly South African experience

This month I feel like I ticked off one of the important milestones in my journey as a South African: taking a long-distance ride in a taxi. While millions of South Africans use taxi's as a means of daily transport, I have rarely needed to rely on public transport, especially one that is synonymous with accidents, violence, loud music and unroad-worthy vehicles. But things are different out here in the bush* and I felt compelled to share an experience with my fellow South Africans. (Well, that and the fact that the drive between Manguzi and Durban costs me R1000 return in my own car while the taxi was a cool R380 return...enough said).

The entire journey was surprisingly enjoyable, and while sometimes we'd stop for half an hour to wait for more passengers and fill up with fuel, I had very little to be annoyed about. I was able to sleep, read, write this blog, eat and enjoy the scenery without focusing on driving and trying to stay awake. While, yes, the music was loud and some passengers even louder, my position in the front seat of the taxi allowed me lots of space to curl up and sleep. I quickly made myself at home by putting my feet on the dashboard and chatting to the jolly man sitting behind me, much to the amusement of driver and other passengers. With the dark (I mean really dark) tinted windows slightly open creating the perfect breeze, the experienced driver clearly in control of the road, the secure, well-run vehicle with only a slightly cracked windscreen (nobody’s perfect), I settled into journey with a sense of complete satisfaction: it was a cheap, enjoyable ride that I would recommend in an instant and plan to do again as soon as the opportunity arises.

The journey back on the taxi two days later was a completely different experience but just as enjoyable. The driver’s surprising taste for Celine Dion music made me giggle but I enjoyed singing along to her songs nevertheless. That coupled with the gospel music (it was Sunday after all) and chats I shared with one of the local nurses who recognised me made for a pleasant drive. The driver dodged cows with skill and poise as the sun started to set. My only two concerns were found with the passengers incessant need to throw rubbish out their windows and the fairly suspicious rustling bag that was lugged onto the taxi by an obvious Rastafarian (there was no doubt that the enormous bag was filled with weed). I was only proposed to twice between the taxi rank and my home (a fairly normal occurrence in Manguzi for me) and I even learnt how to fill up a taxi with petrol (not as simple as one may expect!)

In retrospect, I realised that it is not the reactions of the black people on the taxi that surprised me (they looked after from me moment I stepped inside the vehicle) but rather my own white suburban civilians who could not quite fathom how I could choose to travel in such a way. I hope this post changes at least one person’s view of taxis. If I'm honest, I trusted their driving far more than my own on these roads!!

Relinquishing control:

Besides being humbled by genuine human encounters this month, I have been journeying with the importance of relinquishing control of my life to completely God. I tend to like to keep different areas of my life in neat little boxes which are opened at when necessary.  I have (mostly) carefully thought out plans with specific details of how to achieve these.  When things do not work out as planned, I feel my life crumbling around me and become frustrated by my lack of control. God has been gently nudging me to change this completely unnecessary aspect of my character and has been guiding my heart to a place where I am able to give all my anxieties to Him. 

During one of my quiet times this month I read something in my daily devotional that really struck me..."do not lift your hand to attempt to accomplish any slightest task in your own strength. This I have forbidden. God helps not those who help themselves, but he is the champion of those who cannot help themselves and of those who are wise enough not to try. It is not your cooperation for which I have asked, but your submission."

A few days later I found this poem which seemed to fit perfectly with what I was experiencing. It is my prayer that it may assist you too. God bless!

Tender Love

Holy Spirit from above,

Tender, undefiled Dove,

In my spirit have Thy way,

O’re my actions hold full sway.

Blest Companion from on high,

In Thy comfort ever nigh;

Bind my heart to Christ in love,

O Thou precious, Heavenly Dove.

This cold heart and these dull eyes,

So unfit for Paradise,

Fire with Thy sacred flame,

Show the power of Jesus’ Name.

Weak I in myself may be,

But my strength shall be in Thee,

Sweet provision of God’s grace;

In Thy gift His love I trace.

I could not Thy coming earn,

Could no more Thy wooing spurn.

Take control and bless and use

As the Infinite shall choose.

*(Side-note: one of my local Manguzi friends was horrified to hear me call her home town "the bush." Clearly we have different ideas of what one considers rural!)

Some of April's moments captured on camera:

Learning how to make a tiny splint for a newborn baby with a club foot

Me and the eye nurse sharing some corn off the braai bought on the side of the road on our way back from a clinic

Fikile, one of the physio assistants leading an exercise group for women with osteoarthritis or chronic pain issues

The bugs in this area seem to just get bigger by the day

What interesting cases we have around these parts! Notice anything different with this child's fingers?

Easter weekend with my boyfriend...a perfect opportunity for us to paint a chalkboard world map on his wall!

I had the privilege of watching these two special friends get married this month. What a beautiful wedding it was!