Poverty

This weekend I was able to spend Saturday with Nita, the woman whose house I am staying in along with Eva, another volunteer who lives with me who is from Germany....and two other woman Abigail and Laura who were from Nigeria and Namibia who were staying at Nita's house this weekend.

We had an amazing day together, talking, having lunch, shopping....really an amazing day! At one point we were talking and the topic of poverty came up. It was such an amazing discussion to me. Here were 5 different women who all grew up in different places and we all had a different opinion on what poverty really meant.

How do we really define poverty? Do you tend to define poverty as a physical state or something bigger than that? As an American there are so many people here that I would say live in poverty.....but why? Simply because I look at them and see how little they have?

Abigail was talking about how a tribe close to her does not wear clothes....simply cover up with mud...but even if they were to be given clothes they would sale them. They are completely happy with how they live...they do not have need for clothes that we see as necessary...then there are the people who use animals for transportation...we may say they are in need because they do not have a car...but they have a way to get around....

I know my words are not even touching the surface of our conversation. But, I wanted to attempt to share it with you...maybe get you thinking about poverty in a different way. Is poverty really such a state of physical need or more a state of spiritual/emotional? Even to the level of being in a place where you do not think you can do better than what you have...a place where in America at least people will stay un-married so they can receive more government help?

Coming from Cape Town...

I've made it! After way too many hours on an airplane I am in Cape Town!

It was a little overwhelming at first...everything is really pretty similar but at the same time so very different. I'm on day three of being here now and I'm starting to feel more at home.

On Wednesday I was taken to the house I'll be living in and given the day to settle in/catch up on rest. I live currently with 3 other women. Nita, is the woman who owns the house and allows us to live there. Angie, is the woman from Midland, TX who will be here for a year, and Eva, is a woman who is here from German and she will be here until the end of Octover.

On Thursday I went to Thembacare, the hospice type place where most of the patients have HIV and got introduced to the staff and how things run basically. I will be going there on Mon, Tues, and Thurs at this point. Our main goal here is to stimulate the babies. The occupational therapist is also wanting us to help her get together a way for the older childeren to have some organized play basically. Ways to work on their fine motor development and such.

Today, Friday, I went to Graceland which is a pre-school and spent the day getting to know the crazy 3-5 year olds. I will be going to Graceland on Wed, and Fridays. These kids are sooo full of energy. I was talking to the principle of the school and she said most of these childern are delayed because of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. They are trying to educate the parents of the damage that alcohol does during pregnancy in hopes that the moms will not drink if she is pregnant again.

Well...I think this will be all from me for now! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers while i'm here!

7 hours and counting...

SOOOO.....in 7 hours my flight takes off! I'm a bundle of excitement...and a litttllleeee bit of nerves...just a little though! :-)

This past week has definitely been emotional for me. I just keep thinking about the person who really gave me the courage to go for it...missing him is still so intense at times it seems like yesterday that I was forced to say "bye". Still don't understand the why but I do trust God's plan and know good has and is coming from Jeremy's death.

I'm really looking forward to this journey...I keep hearing the word "rejuvenation" when I think about what my time will be like in Cape Town, South Africa. One definition of rejuvenation says, "the phenomenon of vitality and freshness being restored". I like that and I can't wait to see how rejuvenation happens while I'm there.

Well, guess I better get going...the next time I write it should be from the beautiful Cape Town!!!!

The reason I'm going for it...livin my life