I feel like so much happens on these placements that one or two blog posts just don’t do it justice.
Last week we started our projects, going into schools and teaching English and Six Bricks (a Lego development program), visiting local crèches, and facilitating a youth homework club. At the moment it’s a weird mix of having so much to do, and moments where we have nothing. Trying to keep everyone motivated is proving difficult, but I know how frustrating it is to leave somewhere believing you haven’t done enough. It’s also a hard balance because I don’t want to overwork everyone, this program can be really tough and I don’t want to add to the stress. I’m really proud of how my team are dealing with it so far. It’s hard to adjust to a new culture (even for the SA volunteers), new work, and new people all at the same time, but they’re thriving and I firmly believe they’re going achieve some great things.
The weather here has been a bit insane, it went from one day at 40 degrees to the next at 17. One moment the sun will be beating down on us, the next it will be chucking it down with rain. It’s honestly as temperamental as in England, though perhaps a little more extreme. Unfortunately, it has meant there were a few schools we couldn’t get to last week due to the rain. This was frustrating but provided us with some good downtime and a chance for team bonding.
The community continues to be great support to us, particularly the team at Wellspring and Abbie, I honestly don’t know what I would do without them. I’m discovering that being a team leader can be a very isolating position to be in and so the support I receive is invaluable. As a team leader I’m often the messenger, yet the phrase ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ doesn’t seem to apply. However, I think that the team often need someone to shoot their arrows at, so for the moment at least, I’m happy to be that person, I just might need to prepare some better armour.
Complete chaos struck on Friday as one of our team members, Amy, became extremely ill and I had to accompany her to the hospital. Her fever was raging and she was in a lot of pain. We travelled to Pietermaritzburg (1 ½ hours away) where she was admitted (after waiting 7 hours!) for observation. We were relieved to discover that she didn’t need surgery but the diagnosis still wasn’t great. She was supposed be discharged today but the doctor is still concerned about a number of things and so we’re still without our beloved Amy. It most definitely is not the same without her here and we’re desperate for her return.
Prayer requests:
For Amy, that she recovers quickly and can return to us, and in the meantime not be too bored or isolated in hospital; that she knows she is loved and missed.
For motivation – to continue in our work even when it’s tempting to give up.
For friendships in the team, that we’ll all be able to support each other, particularly on the hard days.
For energy and peace of mind –this weekend has been particularly difficult and stressful and I think we could all do with boost.
ICS SOUTH AFRICA 