I've been at Beautiful Gate almost two weeks now and I've pretty much got a routine set for the week. I thought I'd take a post to lay out what my average day looks like! Don't worry, I'll actually start talking about the kids next time!
6:00AM: Wake up and get ready for the day.
7:00AM: Arrive at my house.
When I walk in the door of my assigned baby house (Khotso 1) I am greeted by the chants of 8+
children shouting "NTATE! NTATE! NTATE!" 'Ntate' means 'father' in Sesotho, but is more
generally used the way we might say 'Sir.' I immediately get swarmed by all the kids in the living
room and often have difficulty walking through the door. It's one of the best parts of the day. By
this time the primary and pre-school kids are getting ready to leave for school, so I help feed the
younger kids who will go to playgroup later. After feeding, I walk the pre-schoolers across campus
to the pre-school and I help hang up laundry on the line to dry. Then I play with my precious
babies until playgroup.
8:30AM: Playgroup
Mme Agatha ('Mme' means mother and is used the same way we might say 'Ma'am') comes by all the houses and the other volunteers and I help take the remaining kids (except the really little
babies) down to the playgroup house. There they are separated into those who can walk and those
who can't walk quite yet. I'm usually put in with the walking group. We start by singing songs and
praying a prayer of thanks for the day. Then we play! Sometimes it's just playing with toys,
sometimes we play with play-dough, and sometimes we color. It all depends on what the playgroup
coordinators have planned. After we play for a while the kids get a snack and then we generally go
outside and play until playgroup is over.
11:30AM: Lunch and Nap
After playgroup I walk back to my house with my kiddos. I help feed lunch to the younger kids
and the pre-school girls get back around the same time. They change out of their uniforms and
have their own lunch. When they're finished I clean up and then I get a break while they all nap.
12:30PM: My Lunch
I head back across campus to my house and throw something quick together for lunch. After I eat
I generally read for a bit and then take a nap of my own. I love those kids to death, but they sure do
tire me out!
3:00PM: Playgroup, Round 2
When I wake up from my nap I groggily make my way back over the the playgroup house. I meet
all the kids there and we usually play outside. By this time the primary school kids are back and
playing with us too! Snacktime ends the second bout of playgroup and once the kids have their
snack we send them home.
4:00PM: Bathtime and Dinner
While they munch on their snacks the kids get ready for their baths. All the clothes come off and
get thrown in the hamper. Then there's a few minutes of mass chaos as 10 little naked children run
around the house waiting for their turn in the bath. After a quick dip in the tub they get rubbed
down with vaseline to keep their skin from drying out and I help them into their pajamas. Once
everyone is clean they get dinner. I once again feed the younger kids. After everyone is finished
eating I clean up after them.
5:30PM: I'm done.
After dinner most of the kids have quiet time for a while and then get put to bed, so when I'm done
cleaning up I head out and am done for the day. I walk back to my house and chill out for a while.
6:30PM: Dinner
Those of us living in the Maroon House generally have dinner together. We take turns making
meals.
7:00PM: Relax
After dinner I chill out and unwind! Sometimes I'll read, sometimes I dink around on the internet,
and other times I'll hang out with the other volunteers. We often set up the projector and have
movie nights.
10:00PM: Sleep
I try to get to bed by 10pm each night. Usually I succeed, but sometimes I don't! Bryan and Anita,
the directors, like to have game night on Wednesdays, so those nights tend to be later ones.
Regardless of the day, though, I'm pooped by the time I finally crawl into bed and it never takes
long after my head hits the pillow before I'm out.
So that's it! Obviously each day has it's own blessings and challenges, but that's the general gist of how my days go. It can feel kind of monotonous by the end of the week, but kids really make it all worth it. When I'm tired and impatient at the end of the day and I just want to go home, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be here with a hug or a kiss, a smile or a giggle. Even after two short weeks I know without a doubt that my sweet babies love me and, I think it goes without saying, I love them right back.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
True Faith
In the few days I've been in Lesotho many of the stereotypes a lot of us Westerners have about what Africa is like have been broken. Beautiful Gate is located in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho, near the South African border. In many ways it's fairly industrialized. I have indoor plumbing and the baby houses have heaters/air conditioners. We have paved roads and most of the same vehicles as in the U.S. And we do most of our shopping in one of the two local malls that rival, if not surpass, many of the malls I've been to back home. Yesterday I went to Bloemfontein, a city in South Africa, that's pretty comparable to Grand Rapids, MI. Several of the volunteer staff and I went and spent the morning at a large mall before going to a rugby game in the afternoon. I had french toast for breakfast and McDonald's for lunch. In the grand scheme of things it didn't feel that different from home.
This isn't the reality for everyone, though. As with most stereotypes, the ones many Westerners have about life in a third world country stem from some truth. Even amidst the comfortable amenities, cars, and shopping centers I don't have to go too far to see what poverty in Lesotho looks like. It's not uncommon to see a block of really nice houses directly next to one full of small concrete boxes and tin shacks. While I can throw my laundry into the washing machine in my kitchen, across the street people are "washing" their clothes in dirty ponds and rivers. It's overwhelming when I think too long about the disparity between those who are well off and those who are impoverished.
Lesotho is a country that's seriously affected by HIV. Many of our kids here at Beautiful Gate are HIV positive. We are incredibly blessed to have access to medication and a relationship with a local hospital that allows us to take care of our kids well. Yesterday, on the drive to Bloem, I witnessed a visual representation of what it's like for those without those blessings. There are many mountains in Lesotho and the surrounding areas of South Africa. At the base of one of the mountains along our drive there is a cemetery with thousands of headstones, most of which have only been put there in the last 7 years, all of them representing a death due to HIV. Seeing the devastating effects of such poverty makes me sad. It forces you to wonder where the hope is. I was reminded this morning.
Today I went to church at Maseru United Church. It's an interdenomenational and international church and do they know how to worship! We sang, we danced, we prayed, we worshipped with all that we have. It was during the service that I got a clear understanding of what it means to have deep, true, unfailing faith. It looks like trusting that God will provide for you even when all you have is a tin shack to come home to. It looks like relying on God to heal a sick child that has no other way of getting well. It looks like asking God to do things no one else can do and actually believing He will do it. It looks like singing and dancing on a Sunday morning with people of every tribe and tongue in a city suffering from political unrest. It looks like the people of Lesotho on a daily basis. I'm beginning to realize just how much God brought me here for my own benefit in addition to allowing me to benefit others.
God,
To you alone be all the honor, praise, and glory! Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your plan. Even when it seems like there's nothing good left in the world I am reminded just how present you are with us. Continue to open my eyes and my heart to your Spirit's working in this place.
In the powerful and precious name of Jesus,
Amen
This isn't the reality for everyone, though. As with most stereotypes, the ones many Westerners have about life in a third world country stem from some truth. Even amidst the comfortable amenities, cars, and shopping centers I don't have to go too far to see what poverty in Lesotho looks like. It's not uncommon to see a block of really nice houses directly next to one full of small concrete boxes and tin shacks. While I can throw my laundry into the washing machine in my kitchen, across the street people are "washing" their clothes in dirty ponds and rivers. It's overwhelming when I think too long about the disparity between those who are well off and those who are impoverished.
Lesotho is a country that's seriously affected by HIV. Many of our kids here at Beautiful Gate are HIV positive. We are incredibly blessed to have access to medication and a relationship with a local hospital that allows us to take care of our kids well. Yesterday, on the drive to Bloem, I witnessed a visual representation of what it's like for those without those blessings. There are many mountains in Lesotho and the surrounding areas of South Africa. At the base of one of the mountains along our drive there is a cemetery with thousands of headstones, most of which have only been put there in the last 7 years, all of them representing a death due to HIV. Seeing the devastating effects of such poverty makes me sad. It forces you to wonder where the hope is. I was reminded this morning.
Today I went to church at Maseru United Church. It's an interdenomenational and international church and do they know how to worship! We sang, we danced, we prayed, we worshipped with all that we have. It was during the service that I got a clear understanding of what it means to have deep, true, unfailing faith. It looks like trusting that God will provide for you even when all you have is a tin shack to come home to. It looks like relying on God to heal a sick child that has no other way of getting well. It looks like asking God to do things no one else can do and actually believing He will do it. It looks like singing and dancing on a Sunday morning with people of every tribe and tongue in a city suffering from political unrest. It looks like the people of Lesotho on a daily basis. I'm beginning to realize just how much God brought me here for my own benefit in addition to allowing me to benefit others.
God,
To you alone be all the honor, praise, and glory! Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your plan. Even when it seems like there's nothing good left in the world I am reminded just how present you are with us. Continue to open my eyes and my heart to your Spirit's working in this place.
In the powerful and precious name of Jesus,
Amen
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Piggyback Rides > Airplane Rides
So...I'm writing this post from my bed...in my room...in LESOTHO, AFRICA! It's one thing to plan this type of journey, but it's something completely different to actually embark on it! It's totally surreal. It feels unreal, but it's not! It's completely really real!
I flew out of Chicago at 6am on Tuesday morning. About two hours later I landed in New York, navigated my way through JFK Airport (that place is gargantuan; seriously, it's nuts), and boarded a second plane. 15 hours, 1 book, 1 movie, and several fitfully failed attempts at sleep later I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. I was done sitting at planes at that point, so, naturally, I boarded another one (luckily only for about an hour) which brought me to Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. There I was picked up by a couple of awesome Beautiful Gate representatives and brought to my new home for the next year.
Arriving on the campus of Beautiful Gate, I was exhausted, but somehow very awake and alert. Now, at the end of the day, I'm mostly just exhausted. It was a whirlwind of a day. I met a ton of amazing people, toured the campus, ate meals in the fellowship of those I'll be working alongside, etc. Let me tell you my favorite part about today, though. It's the reason I'm here. The Beautiful Gate kids! There aren't words to describe what meeting them was like. For over a year I've been imagining what the first encounter with these kids would be like and, God be praised, reality far surpassed any expectations I had. I was hugged, tugged, and pulled every which way across the playground. I gave piggyback rides, held hands, and sat with probably 15 different kids within 20 minutes! Those 20 minutes made the 18+ hours of tiresome and nerve-wracking travel absolutely worth it. No doubts. No questions. This is where The Lord has called me. This is where He's going to use me for a year. This is where He's going to transform my life.
There's that saying, "Home is where your heart is." I think that's true, but I don't think it's complete. I think a better saying is, "Home is where your heart is filled" or "Home is where your heart grows." I have several places I call home and it's precisely because in those places there are people who pour into me and circumstances that force me to grow. Even after one day I can say with confidence that Beautiful Gate will be added to my list of places I call home. This is going to be an incredible year. My heart is going to grow and it's going to be filled. It's going to be covered in little Basotho handprints that will forever change who I am. All I have to say is, "Bring it on!"
I flew out of Chicago at 6am on Tuesday morning. About two hours later I landed in New York, navigated my way through JFK Airport (that place is gargantuan; seriously, it's nuts), and boarded a second plane. 15 hours, 1 book, 1 movie, and several fitfully failed attempts at sleep later I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. I was done sitting at planes at that point, so, naturally, I boarded another one (luckily only for about an hour) which brought me to Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. There I was picked up by a couple of awesome Beautiful Gate representatives and brought to my new home for the next year.
Arriving on the campus of Beautiful Gate, I was exhausted, but somehow very awake and alert. Now, at the end of the day, I'm mostly just exhausted. It was a whirlwind of a day. I met a ton of amazing people, toured the campus, ate meals in the fellowship of those I'll be working alongside, etc. Let me tell you my favorite part about today, though. It's the reason I'm here. The Beautiful Gate kids! There aren't words to describe what meeting them was like. For over a year I've been imagining what the first encounter with these kids would be like and, God be praised, reality far surpassed any expectations I had. I was hugged, tugged, and pulled every which way across the playground. I gave piggyback rides, held hands, and sat with probably 15 different kids within 20 minutes! Those 20 minutes made the 18+ hours of tiresome and nerve-wracking travel absolutely worth it. No doubts. No questions. This is where The Lord has called me. This is where He's going to use me for a year. This is where He's going to transform my life.
There's that saying, "Home is where your heart is." I think that's true, but I don't think it's complete. I think a better saying is, "Home is where your heart is filled" or "Home is where your heart grows." I have several places I call home and it's precisely because in those places there are people who pour into me and circumstances that force me to grow. Even after one day I can say with confidence that Beautiful Gate will be added to my list of places I call home. This is going to be an incredible year. My heart is going to grow and it's going to be filled. It's going to be covered in little Basotho handprints that will forever change who I am. All I have to say is, "Bring it on!"
Monday, September 8, 2014
Beautiful Beginnings
Beginnings are interesting to say the least. It's the joy of starting something new mixed with the sadness of other good things coming to a close and the fear of the unknown that make beginnings so confusing. It's the hot surge of excitement meeting the cold pang of nervousness that makes you want to embrace the something new and run away from it at the same time. But as I lie awake in this hotel room, listening to my father snoring (and loudly; I don't know how my mother gets any sleep) in the next bed over, considering what this next year could possibly hold, one feeling surpasses all the others: gratitude. I'm grateful for the innumerable blessings The Lord has given me all throughout my life. The gift of faith, loving parents, a rockstar sister, countless friends who support and encourage me, a roof over my head, three meals a day (and oftentimes more), clothes on my back (way more than I need, too), two incredible church communities, a home at Calvin College, wise mentors, life changing opportunities...the list is legitimately endless! My heart swells at the thought of how truly rich I am. And now, despite the fact that I have so much more than many others, God is inviting me on a whole new journey through which I am confident He will bless me even more!
Tomorrow morning (bright and early) I'll be boarding the first of three planes that will take me from all the people, places, and things I know and love to Lesotho, Africa. I've never been to Africa, let alone Lesotho. In fact, I'd never even heard of Lesotho until a year ago. But God is funny that way. Through the help of a great mentor and friend (Nick In't Hout, that's you) I learned about an orphanage called Beautiful Gate in a little landlocked country within South Africa called Lesotho. At first it didn't mean all that much to me, but, in a way that only God could have orchestrated, I repeatedly encountered Beautiful Gate through friends from completely different contexts in my life who either knew about it or had been there themselves. It was probably the 7th instance or so when I finally accepted that God was speaking to me. He was inviting me to consider something I never would have planned for my life on my own and He had something big in mind. So, to make a long story short, over the course of the past year, I've been raising money, working with a travel agent, and preparing for an adventure that begins tomorrow. I will arrive at Beautiful Gate sometime early afternoon on Wednesday and will spend the next year working with and loving 60-70 of God's most precious creations.
My hope is that this blog will be a place both to keep my loved ones back home updated with my journey and process it for myself. Some posts may be short and sweet, and others may be entirely too long. It may be riddled with bad grammar and I might ramble aimlessly from time to time. All I can say about that is #sorrynotsorry. In all, my aim is to be truthful about how The Lord uses this experience to transform me more into the person He's created me to be. If you read this, I thank you for your time and your apparent interest in my little piece of God's big, BIG story. Occasionally I will post prayer requests and I hope that you will come alongside me and pray for those things. I wholeheartedly believe in the power that comes from prayers of God's people and I so often rely on it. There really is no better way you can join and support me in this journey!
It all comes down to this. Over a year's worth of praying, planning, and preparing culminates in just a few short hours. Thank you to everyone who has loved me, encouraged me, and supported me. I wouldn't be where I am without you. I have many hopes and dreams for what this next year holds, but I trust in God's plan above all and my prayer remains "God's will be done." So, my adventure begin. It's going to be beautiful.
Tomorrow morning (bright and early) I'll be boarding the first of three planes that will take me from all the people, places, and things I know and love to Lesotho, Africa. I've never been to Africa, let alone Lesotho. In fact, I'd never even heard of Lesotho until a year ago. But God is funny that way. Through the help of a great mentor and friend (Nick In't Hout, that's you) I learned about an orphanage called Beautiful Gate in a little landlocked country within South Africa called Lesotho. At first it didn't mean all that much to me, but, in a way that only God could have orchestrated, I repeatedly encountered Beautiful Gate through friends from completely different contexts in my life who either knew about it or had been there themselves. It was probably the 7th instance or so when I finally accepted that God was speaking to me. He was inviting me to consider something I never would have planned for my life on my own and He had something big in mind. So, to make a long story short, over the course of the past year, I've been raising money, working with a travel agent, and preparing for an adventure that begins tomorrow. I will arrive at Beautiful Gate sometime early afternoon on Wednesday and will spend the next year working with and loving 60-70 of God's most precious creations.
My hope is that this blog will be a place both to keep my loved ones back home updated with my journey and process it for myself. Some posts may be short and sweet, and others may be entirely too long. It may be riddled with bad grammar and I might ramble aimlessly from time to time. All I can say about that is #sorrynotsorry. In all, my aim is to be truthful about how The Lord uses this experience to transform me more into the person He's created me to be. If you read this, I thank you for your time and your apparent interest in my little piece of God's big, BIG story. Occasionally I will post prayer requests and I hope that you will come alongside me and pray for those things. I wholeheartedly believe in the power that comes from prayers of God's people and I so often rely on it. There really is no better way you can join and support me in this journey!
It all comes down to this. Over a year's worth of praying, planning, and preparing culminates in just a few short hours. Thank you to everyone who has loved me, encouraged me, and supported me. I wouldn't be where I am without you. I have many hopes and dreams for what this next year holds, but I trust in God's plan above all and my prayer remains "God's will be done." So, my adventure begin. It's going to be beautiful.
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