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“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8
Jesus’ words from Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they do now know what they are doing”, kept running through my head as I watched “Black Gold” with thirty, black South Africans while attending Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness’ Economic Justice retreat. The Westerners seemed to have no clue as to how their extravagance impacted the lives of the people who provided, in the sense that they grew or made, their basic needs of food and clothing. Although, the Westerners’ ignorance did not surprise me, as I often ignore the source of my material goods, the contrast between Westerners and Africans stung as I watched as the lone Westerner among Africans. “Black Gold” is a documentary that uses the material good of coffee, from planter to consumer, to demonstrate how the unjust international trade system, favoring the West over less developed countries, affects people’s daily lives.
The contrast between the Ethiopian coffee farmers wanting to earn enough money to send their children to school and representatives from the US, Canada, and Western Europe participating in a coffee brewing competition is undeniable. Although sending a child to school in the US is often relatively easy, Ethiopian coffee farmers struggle to build a school, let alone pay for uniforms, transport and/or school fees. Do we understand how our buying habits can mean life or death for the people who plant and tend to the raw product? According to the directors of “Black Gold”, the coffee farmers merely want: “a price that can send children to school, have healthcare and a clean water supply.” For many Americans, including me, understanding the feeling of not being able to provide food and shelter for our loved ones is inconceivable. Yet, this feeling is a daily reality for many of the people who grow coffee for their livelihood.
The story of Africans struggling to survive is not new. Often the solution seems to be to send money. Yet, ask the Malawi Minister for Trade if he wants aid. In “Black Gold” he states: "We don't want aid, we want trade". The directors of Black Gold elaborate: “African nations want to trade their way out of the situation, but there are corporations and international institutions that are preventing it.” How could Africans not want aid? Well, would you rather receive fair pay for your labor or free handouts? Africa’s share of world trade accounts for only one percent of the total. Yet, the “Black Gold” directors share: “If Africa's share of world trade increased by one percentage point, it would generate roughly five times the amount of money that they're receiving in aid.” Ibo! (See “A Word in isiZulu: Ibo!” on page 4).
I share these facts with you, not to make you feel guilty, but rather so that we may encourage one another to intentionally seek knowledge of the implications of our actions, and then, with our eyes open, change our actions to best love and empower our neighbors. Although the Westerners depicted in the documentary were in need of nothing, they seemed disconnected and empty. In the Africans, struggling to survive, I sensed true life.
We will sin again, sins of commission and sins of omission. By grace, God will forgive us endlessly, Martin Luther tells us that we are not saved by anything we do or do not do. According to Romans, we are saved by grace. God’s gift of grace deserves life-long celebration to give God glory. However, we must also daily recognize God’s sacrifice: Jesus’ crucifixion. Christian life is not only about joy; because of God’s grace through sacrifice, we too should pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. When we function within systems that unfairly ill-treat our neighbors, known and unknown, we do not love our
neighbors. In the case of the coffee farmers, Nick and Marc Francis, the directors of “Black Gold”, state: “The solution is for coffee farmers to receive a greater share of the billions of dollars generated from coffee. This will only happen when they can capture a greater share of the ‘value-chain’ - by earning more than 3 cents for a $3 latte.” Buying fair trade products would be a good, first step towards loving our neighbors. I ask each of you to watch the life-giving movie “Black Gold,” which, along with other information, may be found on their website: http://blackgoldmovie.com/. As Tadesse, the manager of the coffee farmers’ union featured in the documentary, states: "Awareness is the first step to change". The faith-based sacrifices we make glorify God and give life.
My experiences in Cape Town connect me with a few makers of material goods. After spending most of my money I have on me, I stroll casually into colorful Greenmarket Square, enjoying the careful craftwork and intricate or funky art. Yet, what jumps out to me is an open book with the text in two columns on each page. I look up to the face of the woman who holds the book. She meets my eyes. “What are you reading?” I enquire. She is reading the book of Proverbs from the Bible because, she explains, it gives her the wisdom and strength to stay focused on God. Her name is Grace, and she quietly responds that she is from Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans are often persecuted in South Africa, similar to how some Americans treat Mexican immigrants. Grace points out to her little son playing nearby. I ask her about her wire animals on display. Her husband makes the iron frames of the animals and she beads them. Besides sharing her work, Grace shares her kindness and warmth. I thank Grace and walk away with gifts from Grace: two wire animals and inspiration.
After an energizing interaction with Grace, I leave my things with my two YAGM friends, Kristen and Elliott, as they eat lunch and dive into the market for another adventure. This time, beautiful stone carvings catch my eye and I fall into conversation with Austen, who shares the stall with his uncle and cousin. Austen and his family are also from Zimbabwe; they carve their sculptures in Zimbabwe and bring them to Cape Town. Two different elephants, one made by Austen and the other by his uncle, each remind me of people to whom I should give them. Yet, I explain to Austen that I cannot give him what he deserves- I have 70 Rand in my pocket, less than US$10. I promise to return. I ask one of my friends to lend me money for art, and he gives it to me, a pure luxury. I return to Austen with the money and Austen’s uncle picks out two tusks for one of my elephants, made from cow bone. I place them in the tusk holes but think that they are too big. Austen asks his uncle to make them smaller. Three minutes later, the uncle proudly gives me back the tusks and tells me to put them someplace where I won’t loose them. I smile and say I’ll put them in my cargo pocket. After shaking Austen’s uncle and cousin’s hands, Austen walks me to where he works full time on top of helping to run the market stall, a restaurant facing the market. Then, I introduce him to my friends. Before saying goodbye, Austen reminds me to call him via a friend’s number in a neighboring stall. I have not called Austen. I lost one of the tusks. Once again, based on my privilege, I receive in abundance. And, once again, I value what I have received less than the once who gave. By God’s grace, may I learn to appreciate all the gifts I receive.
God, please forgive us our sins, known and unknown. Open our eyes to the injustices in the world. Help us to love our neighbors, seen and unseen, in our daily actions. May we endlessly glorify you for your life providing gift of grace. Amen.
Monday, January 24, 2011
From a South African Friend: Dean Myaka
To Kate’s Family and Friends
I greet you all with words from Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the GIFT of God-not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” My name is Nkosinathi Myaka. I am a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and Dean of Umngeni Circuit (Pietermaritzburg and Midlands) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. I thank God that the ELCA MUD program allocated Kate to serve at Oebisfelde Parish in Dalton and also serve in our circuit at large. Her service among us is highly appreciated.
Since the decade 2007 through 2017 has been declared a Lutheran Decade (the decade prior to Lutheranism celebrating 500 years), our circuit youth have embarked on a program to revisit basic tenets of Lutheranism. This is done with the view of trying to find the relevance of those tenets in our context. One of those tenets is Luther’s teaching on Grace, the sola gracia, with its emphasis on salvation by grace alone… together we have learned, with the help of other pastors and bishops, through Bible studies and talks, that grace means FAVOR DEI i.e. God’s act of stooping in favour of the fallen human race, and, particularly, the inferior, the disadvantaged, and the oppressed. We have also learned that grace is undeserved, bestowed simply out of God’s love. We have also been cautioned by the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that grace is “not cheap, but costly”. A call of grace can be a call to “come and die”. Therefore, we conclude that although grace is God’s bestowed, undeserved, free gift of salvation, the logical conclusion cannot be that of “there’s not much we can do”. It is rather a call to a Christian life of courage and enduring commitment to the course of salvation.
The main challenge that we are trying to grapple with is whether Lutheranism does fully bear witness to a GRACE-DRIVEN LIFE.
This year, 2010, South Africa is hosting the FIFA World Cup. For some developed countries, Africa as a whole does not deserve this opportunity. All predictions of who might win the 2010 Cup point to Spain, Brazil, and other great soccer nations, but not to any of the African teams (they don’t deserve it yet). We hope that Lutherans, given our doctrine of favor Dei, will not absolutely subscribe to this kind of thinking, but will leave room for God’s grace to take its place.
There are many other practical examples that pose a challenge to our understanding of grace as Lutherans. Conflict, poverty, illnesses, economic recession, unpredictable weather changes are just a few areas where Lutherans are called to project their faith in a gracious God, by living a life that bears witness to a God who stoops in favour of the disadvantaged.
I invite all of you to critically engage this subject and share your thoughts with us in Umngeni Circuit. If you are interested in communicating with us on this topic, please contact our youth leader, Nokuphila, at nokuphilan@webmail.co.za or myself at elcaumngeni@telkom.sa.net. We will be very happy to get feedback on this subject. I appeal also to your patience because most of your thoughts will need to be translated to the vernacular for the benefit of the majority of our members. We aim at continued dialogue with fellow Lutherans.
God bless you all.
Yours truly
Rev. Nkosinathi (Nathi) Myaka – Dean of Umngeni Circuit of ELCSA
I greet you all with words from Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the GIFT of God-not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” My name is Nkosinathi Myaka. I am a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and Dean of Umngeni Circuit (Pietermaritzburg and Midlands) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. I thank God that the ELCA MUD program allocated Kate to serve at Oebisfelde Parish in Dalton and also serve in our circuit at large. Her service among us is highly appreciated.
Since the decade 2007 through 2017 has been declared a Lutheran Decade (the decade prior to Lutheranism celebrating 500 years), our circuit youth have embarked on a program to revisit basic tenets of Lutheranism. This is done with the view of trying to find the relevance of those tenets in our context. One of those tenets is Luther’s teaching on Grace, the sola gracia, with its emphasis on salvation by grace alone… together we have learned, with the help of other pastors and bishops, through Bible studies and talks, that grace means FAVOR DEI i.e. God’s act of stooping in favour of the fallen human race, and, particularly, the inferior, the disadvantaged, and the oppressed. We have also learned that grace is undeserved, bestowed simply out of God’s love. We have also been cautioned by the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that grace is “not cheap, but costly”. A call of grace can be a call to “come and die”. Therefore, we conclude that although grace is God’s bestowed, undeserved, free gift of salvation, the logical conclusion cannot be that of “there’s not much we can do”. It is rather a call to a Christian life of courage and enduring commitment to the course of salvation.
The main challenge that we are trying to grapple with is whether Lutheranism does fully bear witness to a GRACE-DRIVEN LIFE.
This year, 2010, South Africa is hosting the FIFA World Cup. For some developed countries, Africa as a whole does not deserve this opportunity. All predictions of who might win the 2010 Cup point to Spain, Brazil, and other great soccer nations, but not to any of the African teams (they don’t deserve it yet). We hope that Lutherans, given our doctrine of favor Dei, will not absolutely subscribe to this kind of thinking, but will leave room for God’s grace to take its place.
There are many other practical examples that pose a challenge to our understanding of grace as Lutherans. Conflict, poverty, illnesses, economic recession, unpredictable weather changes are just a few areas where Lutherans are called to project their faith in a gracious God, by living a life that bears witness to a God who stoops in favour of the disadvantaged.
I invite all of you to critically engage this subject and share your thoughts with us in Umngeni Circuit. If you are interested in communicating with us on this topic, please contact our youth leader, Nokuphila, at nokuphilan@webmail.co.za or myself at elcaumngeni@telkom.sa.net. We will be very happy to get feedback on this subject. I appeal also to your patience because most of your thoughts will need to be translated to the vernacular for the benefit of the majority of our members. We aim at continued dialogue with fellow Lutherans.
God bless you all.
Yours truly
Rev. Nkosinathi (Nathi) Myaka – Dean of Umngeni Circuit of ELCSA
A Day with an HIV + AIDS Counselor
During the month of March, I had the opportunity to observe my friend Thandi* in her work as an HIV + AIDS counselor at a rural health clinic. Both my discussions with Thandi and observations of the environment and her clients opened my eyes to the complexity of confronting HIV + AIDS.
Thandi gave me information about HIV + AIDS at her clinic. The following information is based on statements from the booklet called, “HIV and AIDS and Treatment,” sponsored by the government. The virus HIV causes AIDS. HIV is a disease that attacks the immune system. The disease lives in sperm, blood and vaginal juices. HIV spreads between people in three ways: one, having unprotected sex with an HIV positive person; two, becoming in contact with infected blood; and three, passing from an infected mother to her unborn or newborn baby. HIV usually becomes AIDS with time, which is a different amount of time for every person. An HIV positive person has AIDS when their immune system is extremely weak. One way to measure the strength of a person’s immune system is to take a CD4 blood test. The CD4 number helps to determine when a person with HIV or AIDS may start taking ARVs (anti-retrovirals). ARVs cannot cure AIDS, but they do help make the immune system stronger.
Add about PMB’s HIV + AIDS status
As an HIV + AIDS counselor, Thandi runs three main programs: VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing), PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmition), and HAST (HIV + AIDS Sexually Transmitted Disease and TB). She provides counseling and testing for people, including ongoing counseling, adherence counseling, and literacy classes. The programs and counseling sessions are free to the public due to governmental sponsorship.
People see Thandi on their own terms or they will be referred to Thandi by other clinic staff if they are diagnosed with an opportunistic infection. An opportunistic infection is common for a person to have when the person has HIV. HIV is an autoimmune disorder, so it challenges the body’s cells that fight off illness. Opportunistic infections take advantage of the body’s immunity deficient status to enter the body. Opportunistic infections include TB, diarrhea, thrash (of the tongue), weight loss, meningitis, pneumonia, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Thandi always reconfirms that patients are taking HIV tests on their own free will and they sign a statement saying so.
Thandi tests clients for HIV with two rapid tests. The rapid tests receive their name from the fact that they should be read five to twenty minutes after a blood sample, taken by a pinprick to a finger, is placed in the small, plastic tests. The first test is a screening test called “S D Bioline” and the second test is a confirmatory test called “Sensa”. The tests must show the same result, obtained by reading line(s) that appear on the tests, to confirm whether a person is HIV positive or HIV negative as of three months prior. The control line should always appear to demonstrate that the test is working properly. If the tests do not read the same results, samples will be sent to a hospital for further testing. When testing for HIV, there is a window period of three months after becoming HIV positive when a person may not test positive, so if a person tests negative, a person is always recommended to come back in three months to retest.
On the day I observed, Thandi tested four people. Two people tested positive and two people tested negative. On a good day, Thandi stated that six out of ten will be HIV negative. On a bad day, seven of ten will be HIV positive. She also counseled four people for ongoing treatment. Additionally, Thandi encourages people to use condoms.
One of the clients Thandi tested was a farm worker on a local farm. He makes 580 rand per month, which is about 80 US dollars per month. Based on responses from clients, Thandi said that farm workers make about 500 to 1,500 Rand per month. With his wages, this man not only supports himself, but his wife and six children, ages seven to seventeen. He sends money to his family, who live in Lesotho. How do eight people survive on 80 dollars per month? While we waited for results, he stated that he was not cheating on his wife and he had no girlfriend. Prior to Thandi telling the man his results, I reached for some information and saw two lines on each of his tests, meaning he was HIV positive. Until Thandi told him the results, I felt numb in shock. After Thandi told the man the results, she asked if I had seen the results, and I leaned over to confirm that the two lines truly appeared on the tests. Thandi ushered the man to another room for further testing. I stood in the doorway, observing this thin man in an oversized blue worker outfit. The other clinic workers told me to come into the room; I stepped far enough into the room to close the door behind me. The results changed this man’s life, and in these moments of human suffering, I felt that I should disappear, disappear from being the white girl observing this man’s pain. My heart goes out to the man.
Next, Thandi counseled a girl in her school uniform who was raped in 2005 and subsequently tested HIV positive. Both her parents are dead and she lives with her brother. Her birthday was unknown, so Thandi and she made up her birthday: April 3rd, 1993. A local myth about HIV is that if a person rapes a virgin, the virgin will get the disease and the rapist will become HIV negative. The man who raped the girl is now in prison and she is still going through the trial. The girl talked about committing suicide. I asked her if she had any dreams. She smiled but said no. Then, she asked Thandi if she would be able to have children, even though she was HIV positive. Thandi initially did not want to respond, because she did not want to encourage sexual behavior, but the girl said she did not want children yet, she wished to know for the future. The girl will soon start classes on HIV + AIDS and join a support group.
After observing Thandi at the clinic, I asked her if she thought people felt uncomfortable with me in the room. She replied, “Because you’re from another culture, they don’t mind… Also, they know you can’t speak Zulu.” I tried to show each person dignity and respect.
Thandi discussed the many challenges of working as an HIV + AIDS counselor. Alone she provides lots of programs, due to a staff shortage, yet the government does not have the money to employ more people. The clinic is situated in a fairly isolated spot; there are no houses nearby and people walk long distances to reach the clinic, as no transport exists to the clinic. Due to the small size of the clinic, the clinic does not have ARVs. In the rural area, many people do not have identification books, and without this identification, they cannot receive social grants. Also, Thandi said many rural people do not know their rights, so the government ignores them. She elaborated: “Here in South Africa, you have to know your rights before the government will help.” Therefore, she concluded that the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
The greatest challenge, according to Thandi, is that people do not take their ARVs properly. Sometimes people don’t have food, so they cannot take the necessary food with their ARVS. Sometimes people have given up on themselves, demonstrated when they drink alcohol. Sometimes, people end up “defaulting” and lie about taking the ARVs.
Thandi also gave examples of local perspectives on HIV + AIDS. For one, even if people know that they have HIV or AIDS, they will assume that others do too, so they do not worry about spreading the disease. Thandi alleged that people living on farms: “…just makeup their own stories about HIV + AIDS because they’re in denial.” Additionally, she stated, “Because in the farm, there is no entertainment for them. Their entertainment is sex, so they’re spreading it [HIV + AIDS].”
I asked Thandi about the greatest joy of her job and she said, “If people say thank you, it means I’ve done my job.” She described people will not say thank you at the time of testing, but they may come back and show her the tablets they are taking or they were sick and they come back to tell her thank you. She tries to refer people to the right channels, such as to social workers, for grants, or the police station, to receive an identification book.
When Thandi was new at the job, she told me that she used to cry and give people money because she was more sensitive. Now, she affirms, “Everyone on this planet must stand on their own feet… can’t spoon feed them… they will abuse you.” Now she empathizes, not sympathizes and tries to stay neutral but listen carefully. She wisely realizes that she can’t solve everyone’s problems.
Thandi sees lots of people with HIV or AIDS. For example, she sees children growing up HIV positive because their moms did not take nevirapine treatment when they was pregnant, which lowers women’s chances of passing HIV onto their children. Then, shortly after the child is born, the mom dies and the grannies take care of the AIDS orphans. Furthermore, moms are often too sick to see a social worker after their children’s birth, therefore not obtaining an identification document for the child.
Although Thandi constantly gives, she, too, is struggling to get by. She shares, “I do wish to have a house with a toilet inside and my own bedroom, because I’m older, but I don’t want to challenge God and say I’d like a car and a big fancy house.” In her home, curtains separate the family room from the kitchen and the only bedroom, which she shares with her daughter and sister. Her cousin and uncle live in one-room dwellings on the property. Thandi insisted that I sleep in the double bed and she, her sister, and her two-year-old daughter share the twin-sized mattress on the floor. For serving as an HIV + AIDS counselor, Thandi receives 5,000 rand per month in wages from the government, without benefits, which is about 685 US dollars per month. I believe we may all learn from Thandi. She elaborated, “We also have people who call themselves Christians, but they do not talk to their neighbors… They are only Christian in name… Because they have everything they don’t see the need to plant relationships with their neighbors.” May we all learn from Thandi’s loving service and wisdom.
* Thandi is a pseudonym, meaning love in isiZulu, for my friend in order to protect the identity of her and her clients.
Thandi gave me information about HIV + AIDS at her clinic. The following information is based on statements from the booklet called, “HIV and AIDS and Treatment,” sponsored by the government. The virus HIV causes AIDS. HIV is a disease that attacks the immune system. The disease lives in sperm, blood and vaginal juices. HIV spreads between people in three ways: one, having unprotected sex with an HIV positive person; two, becoming in contact with infected blood; and three, passing from an infected mother to her unborn or newborn baby. HIV usually becomes AIDS with time, which is a different amount of time for every person. An HIV positive person has AIDS when their immune system is extremely weak. One way to measure the strength of a person’s immune system is to take a CD4 blood test. The CD4 number helps to determine when a person with HIV or AIDS may start taking ARVs (anti-retrovirals). ARVs cannot cure AIDS, but they do help make the immune system stronger.
Add about PMB’s HIV + AIDS status
As an HIV + AIDS counselor, Thandi runs three main programs: VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing), PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmition), and HAST (HIV + AIDS Sexually Transmitted Disease and TB). She provides counseling and testing for people, including ongoing counseling, adherence counseling, and literacy classes. The programs and counseling sessions are free to the public due to governmental sponsorship.
People see Thandi on their own terms or they will be referred to Thandi by other clinic staff if they are diagnosed with an opportunistic infection. An opportunistic infection is common for a person to have when the person has HIV. HIV is an autoimmune disorder, so it challenges the body’s cells that fight off illness. Opportunistic infections take advantage of the body’s immunity deficient status to enter the body. Opportunistic infections include TB, diarrhea, thrash (of the tongue), weight loss, meningitis, pneumonia, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Thandi always reconfirms that patients are taking HIV tests on their own free will and they sign a statement saying so.
Thandi tests clients for HIV with two rapid tests. The rapid tests receive their name from the fact that they should be read five to twenty minutes after a blood sample, taken by a pinprick to a finger, is placed in the small, plastic tests. The first test is a screening test called “S D Bioline” and the second test is a confirmatory test called “Sensa”. The tests must show the same result, obtained by reading line(s) that appear on the tests, to confirm whether a person is HIV positive or HIV negative as of three months prior. The control line should always appear to demonstrate that the test is working properly. If the tests do not read the same results, samples will be sent to a hospital for further testing. When testing for HIV, there is a window period of three months after becoming HIV positive when a person may not test positive, so if a person tests negative, a person is always recommended to come back in three months to retest.
On the day I observed, Thandi tested four people. Two people tested positive and two people tested negative. On a good day, Thandi stated that six out of ten will be HIV negative. On a bad day, seven of ten will be HIV positive. She also counseled four people for ongoing treatment. Additionally, Thandi encourages people to use condoms.
One of the clients Thandi tested was a farm worker on a local farm. He makes 580 rand per month, which is about 80 US dollars per month. Based on responses from clients, Thandi said that farm workers make about 500 to 1,500 Rand per month. With his wages, this man not only supports himself, but his wife and six children, ages seven to seventeen. He sends money to his family, who live in Lesotho. How do eight people survive on 80 dollars per month? While we waited for results, he stated that he was not cheating on his wife and he had no girlfriend. Prior to Thandi telling the man his results, I reached for some information and saw two lines on each of his tests, meaning he was HIV positive. Until Thandi told him the results, I felt numb in shock. After Thandi told the man the results, she asked if I had seen the results, and I leaned over to confirm that the two lines truly appeared on the tests. Thandi ushered the man to another room for further testing. I stood in the doorway, observing this thin man in an oversized blue worker outfit. The other clinic workers told me to come into the room; I stepped far enough into the room to close the door behind me. The results changed this man’s life, and in these moments of human suffering, I felt that I should disappear, disappear from being the white girl observing this man’s pain. My heart goes out to the man.
Next, Thandi counseled a girl in her school uniform who was raped in 2005 and subsequently tested HIV positive. Both her parents are dead and she lives with her brother. Her birthday was unknown, so Thandi and she made up her birthday: April 3rd, 1993. A local myth about HIV is that if a person rapes a virgin, the virgin will get the disease and the rapist will become HIV negative. The man who raped the girl is now in prison and she is still going through the trial. The girl talked about committing suicide. I asked her if she had any dreams. She smiled but said no. Then, she asked Thandi if she would be able to have children, even though she was HIV positive. Thandi initially did not want to respond, because she did not want to encourage sexual behavior, but the girl said she did not want children yet, she wished to know for the future. The girl will soon start classes on HIV + AIDS and join a support group.
After observing Thandi at the clinic, I asked her if she thought people felt uncomfortable with me in the room. She replied, “Because you’re from another culture, they don’t mind… Also, they know you can’t speak Zulu.” I tried to show each person dignity and respect.
Thandi discussed the many challenges of working as an HIV + AIDS counselor. Alone she provides lots of programs, due to a staff shortage, yet the government does not have the money to employ more people. The clinic is situated in a fairly isolated spot; there are no houses nearby and people walk long distances to reach the clinic, as no transport exists to the clinic. Due to the small size of the clinic, the clinic does not have ARVs. In the rural area, many people do not have identification books, and without this identification, they cannot receive social grants. Also, Thandi said many rural people do not know their rights, so the government ignores them. She elaborated: “Here in South Africa, you have to know your rights before the government will help.” Therefore, she concluded that the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
The greatest challenge, according to Thandi, is that people do not take their ARVs properly. Sometimes people don’t have food, so they cannot take the necessary food with their ARVS. Sometimes people have given up on themselves, demonstrated when they drink alcohol. Sometimes, people end up “defaulting” and lie about taking the ARVs.
Thandi also gave examples of local perspectives on HIV + AIDS. For one, even if people know that they have HIV or AIDS, they will assume that others do too, so they do not worry about spreading the disease. Thandi alleged that people living on farms: “…just makeup their own stories about HIV + AIDS because they’re in denial.” Additionally, she stated, “Because in the farm, there is no entertainment for them. Their entertainment is sex, so they’re spreading it [HIV + AIDS].”
I asked Thandi about the greatest joy of her job and she said, “If people say thank you, it means I’ve done my job.” She described people will not say thank you at the time of testing, but they may come back and show her the tablets they are taking or they were sick and they come back to tell her thank you. She tries to refer people to the right channels, such as to social workers, for grants, or the police station, to receive an identification book.
When Thandi was new at the job, she told me that she used to cry and give people money because she was more sensitive. Now, she affirms, “Everyone on this planet must stand on their own feet… can’t spoon feed them… they will abuse you.” Now she empathizes, not sympathizes and tries to stay neutral but listen carefully. She wisely realizes that she can’t solve everyone’s problems.
Thandi sees lots of people with HIV or AIDS. For example, she sees children growing up HIV positive because their moms did not take nevirapine treatment when they was pregnant, which lowers women’s chances of passing HIV onto their children. Then, shortly after the child is born, the mom dies and the grannies take care of the AIDS orphans. Furthermore, moms are often too sick to see a social worker after their children’s birth, therefore not obtaining an identification document for the child.
Although Thandi constantly gives, she, too, is struggling to get by. She shares, “I do wish to have a house with a toilet inside and my own bedroom, because I’m older, but I don’t want to challenge God and say I’d like a car and a big fancy house.” In her home, curtains separate the family room from the kitchen and the only bedroom, which she shares with her daughter and sister. Her cousin and uncle live in one-room dwellings on the property. Thandi insisted that I sleep in the double bed and she, her sister, and her two-year-old daughter share the twin-sized mattress on the floor. For serving as an HIV + AIDS counselor, Thandi receives 5,000 rand per month in wages from the government, without benefits, which is about 685 US dollars per month. I believe we may all learn from Thandi. She elaborated, “We also have people who call themselves Christians, but they do not talk to their neighbors… They are only Christian in name… Because they have everything they don’t see the need to plant relationships with their neighbors.” May we all learn from Thandi’s loving service and wisdom.
* Thandi is a pseudonym, meaning love in isiZulu, for my friend in order to protect the identity of her and her clients.
March Snapshots
- Visited a fellow YAGM volunteer in Port Elizabeth and observed his placement site at an at-risk children’s home and school
- Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Strength to Love and, Nobel Prize in Literature winner, J. M. Coetzee’s Age of Iron
- Retreat in Cape Town included climbing Table Mountain, walking to the Southwestern most point of Africa (located on the Cape Peninsula), attending church at St. George’s Cathedral (where anti-Apartheid meetings took place), watching and being inspired by Africa Jam, walking around downtown Cape Town, and relaxing with fellow YAGMs
- Celebrated 200 days in South Africa
- HIV + Aids clinic
- Sat in on PACSA’s Economic Justice retreat
- Participated in PACSA’s Homosexuality conference
- Attended the ELCSA Men’s Prayer League revival
- Celebrated Human Rights Day on March 22nd
- Welcomed the Hagen family to South Africa on March 25th
- Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s Strength to Love and, Nobel Prize in Literature winner, J. M. Coetzee’s Age of Iron
- Retreat in Cape Town included climbing Table Mountain, walking to the Southwestern most point of Africa (located on the Cape Peninsula), attending church at St. George’s Cathedral (where anti-Apartheid meetings took place), watching and being inspired by Africa Jam, walking around downtown Cape Town, and relaxing with fellow YAGMs
- Celebrated 200 days in South Africa
- HIV + Aids clinic
- Sat in on PACSA’s Economic Justice retreat
- Participated in PACSA’s Homosexuality conference
- Attended the ELCSA Men’s Prayer League revival
- Celebrated Human Rights Day on March 22nd
- Welcomed the Hagen family to South Africa on March 25th
March Sound Bytes
“Jesus has done it all” – Londeka
“ How can I speak if he hasn’t first spoken to me?” – Londeka
“Crucially, we wanted to show the audience that the current international trading system is enslaving millions of people and is urgently in need of radical reform – we wanted people to wake up and smell the coffee…” – Nick and Marc Francis (Co-directors/producers of BLACK GOLD)
“Rich countries pay their farmers $300bn in subsidies every year making it impossible for developing countries to compete in the world market.” – Nick and Marc Francis
“There are 30,000 people who die every day because they don’t have access to basic needs and services such as water and health care. If that were happening in the Western world, it would be classed as a state of emergency.” – Nick and Marc Francis
“Consumers need to buy coffee (and other products) from companies that have an ethical business philosophy – a philosophy and outlook that doesn’t exploit the people in the poorer countries who make these raw commodities.” – Nick and Marc Francis
“ How can I speak if he hasn’t first spoken to me?” – Londeka
“Crucially, we wanted to show the audience that the current international trading system is enslaving millions of people and is urgently in need of radical reform – we wanted people to wake up and smell the coffee…” – Nick and Marc Francis (Co-directors/producers of BLACK GOLD)
“Rich countries pay their farmers $300bn in subsidies every year making it impossible for developing countries to compete in the world market.” – Nick and Marc Francis
“There are 30,000 people who die every day because they don’t have access to basic needs and services such as water and health care. If that were happening in the Western world, it would be classed as a state of emergency.” – Nick and Marc Francis
“Consumers need to buy coffee (and other products) from companies that have an ethical business philosophy – a philosophy and outlook that doesn’t exploit the people in the poorer countries who make these raw commodities.” – Nick and Marc Francis
A Word in isiZulu: Haibo!
Haibo is an expression of surprise or disbelief. Haibo is my favorite South African expression.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Spiritual Word: Struggle
“For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God” – Timothy 4:10a
If we are Christians, then we should struggle. If we believe in a higher power, then we should struggle. We struggle against things of this world and for the higher good. As my measuring stick for what we should struggle for, I follow Jesus’ mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus did not qualify neighbors. Jesus does not say love your neighbors who are white, elder, and male. As we share this earth, we should always act in the Spirit of loving our neighbor, including every living being.
In my experience in KwaZulu-Natal, I often feel that respect for a person is based on age and sometimes on gender. With the dozen people I have shared that my dad has washed countless more dishes than me during my lifetime, every person is surprised. In my host family, my host parents never wash dishes, nor my half-host-brother, who sometimes visits. Also, part of my host sisters’ role is to serve food to my host parents. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen my host parents dish up supper for themselves. Older age seems to give one veto power. I struggle with respect being based on age because I grew up in a home where every person’s opinion mattered equally, no matter the person’s age. Of course my parents still had veto power, but they rarely used it and we would almost always agree on the most reasonable and best decision. I believe we should respect all people equally as a fellow child of God.
A few Saturdays ago I attended a seven hour long ELCSA Youth League Executive meeting, almost all in IsiZulu. When a snack came for the group a couple hours into the meeting and was placed on a table in front, I whispered to the person next to me, asking if I could serve everyone. She replied with a laugh that they can serve themselves. Yet, I noticed that only the Dean and ranking male members were enjoying the snack. Finally, I walked to the table and served everyone pastries and juice. I appreciated the break from sitting and I felt helpful. During a break, the male secretary and I were discussing President Zuma’s wives. Then, he offered that I could be his second wife- I was so quick in serving everyone; some women refused to serve men and they were lazy. I replied that I believe that vice-versa is also true-if men refuse to serve women, then they are lazy. His jaw dropped. I continued that our savior got down on his knees and washed his disciples’ feet and told us to do likewise. He said nothing, but looked at me with skeptical amusement. This is the only time that I’ve verbally confronted someone about sexist remarks. I haven’t even discussed the topic with my host mom. Yet, if someone is going to offer me his hand in marriage, he better know what he’s getting himself into. Growing up with three brothers, I never felt that they could do something I couldn’t based on gender. Yet, seeing women as less than men is a problem the world over, including in the US.
Finally, my last major struggle has been about whether I am where God wants me. On a day at Dalton Primary School, when I have made a few copies but mostly sat without a given task, I felt that I was serving little purpose. When I struggled to accomplish tasks based on cultural differences, I questioned if South Africa is truly the place that I am most effective with my gifts.
Yet, the reality of struggle is that struggle will make you stronger if you continue to strive to love. When I return to the US, I will show my parents more respect; I will aim to empower more women; I will live with more patience and empower people who feel purposeless. Even though these struggles have frustrated me, I never would choose that they had not happened. Even at school, the months of frustration have given me a taste of what it feels like to be trapped and powerless within an inefficient system, a lesson I could never learn in a classroom or pay to understand. Furthermore, I know that people at the school truly appreciate my presence. My principal said yesterday that knowing that I’m leaving is like knowing when you are going to die. He wants me to stay forever. Plus, by trying to not come off as the pushy American and setting a schedule when the educators respect me, I feel fulfilled at Dalton Primary School the two days per week I am at the school since January. I visit each class once per week and I am in a classroom three of the five hours per day.
Furthermore, living in South Africa has taught me to keep my perception of my struggles in check. Last week, I was making my mom a birthday card, writing down for each year she has lived an important person, event, accomplishment, destination, characteristic, or hobby in her life. As I was brainstorming a list, a man named John, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, started sharing about how, since he fled the DRC over a year ago, he has no idea where are his nine siblings. He shared, “It’s like I’m coming from nowhere.” I looked down at the paper stating blessings in my mom’s life and felt humbled. He shared many more eye opening information (which you can find on the third page of this newsletter). Keeping perceptions in check of our own struggles is a huge challenge for many Americans. Are we striving to show love in our struggle? Are we in tune with others’ struggles? May we continue to struggle for the glory of God as we grow in loving service.
God, please grant us the courage and compassion to seek to understand the struggles of our neighbors. May our struggles glorify you as we seek to be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.
If we are Christians, then we should struggle. If we believe in a higher power, then we should struggle. We struggle against things of this world and for the higher good. As my measuring stick for what we should struggle for, I follow Jesus’ mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus did not qualify neighbors. Jesus does not say love your neighbors who are white, elder, and male. As we share this earth, we should always act in the Spirit of loving our neighbor, including every living being.
In my experience in KwaZulu-Natal, I often feel that respect for a person is based on age and sometimes on gender. With the dozen people I have shared that my dad has washed countless more dishes than me during my lifetime, every person is surprised. In my host family, my host parents never wash dishes, nor my half-host-brother, who sometimes visits. Also, part of my host sisters’ role is to serve food to my host parents. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen my host parents dish up supper for themselves. Older age seems to give one veto power. I struggle with respect being based on age because I grew up in a home where every person’s opinion mattered equally, no matter the person’s age. Of course my parents still had veto power, but they rarely used it and we would almost always agree on the most reasonable and best decision. I believe we should respect all people equally as a fellow child of God.
A few Saturdays ago I attended a seven hour long ELCSA Youth League Executive meeting, almost all in IsiZulu. When a snack came for the group a couple hours into the meeting and was placed on a table in front, I whispered to the person next to me, asking if I could serve everyone. She replied with a laugh that they can serve themselves. Yet, I noticed that only the Dean and ranking male members were enjoying the snack. Finally, I walked to the table and served everyone pastries and juice. I appreciated the break from sitting and I felt helpful. During a break, the male secretary and I were discussing President Zuma’s wives. Then, he offered that I could be his second wife- I was so quick in serving everyone; some women refused to serve men and they were lazy. I replied that I believe that vice-versa is also true-if men refuse to serve women, then they are lazy. His jaw dropped. I continued that our savior got down on his knees and washed his disciples’ feet and told us to do likewise. He said nothing, but looked at me with skeptical amusement. This is the only time that I’ve verbally confronted someone about sexist remarks. I haven’t even discussed the topic with my host mom. Yet, if someone is going to offer me his hand in marriage, he better know what he’s getting himself into. Growing up with three brothers, I never felt that they could do something I couldn’t based on gender. Yet, seeing women as less than men is a problem the world over, including in the US.
Finally, my last major struggle has been about whether I am where God wants me. On a day at Dalton Primary School, when I have made a few copies but mostly sat without a given task, I felt that I was serving little purpose. When I struggled to accomplish tasks based on cultural differences, I questioned if South Africa is truly the place that I am most effective with my gifts.
Yet, the reality of struggle is that struggle will make you stronger if you continue to strive to love. When I return to the US, I will show my parents more respect; I will aim to empower more women; I will live with more patience and empower people who feel purposeless. Even though these struggles have frustrated me, I never would choose that they had not happened. Even at school, the months of frustration have given me a taste of what it feels like to be trapped and powerless within an inefficient system, a lesson I could never learn in a classroom or pay to understand. Furthermore, I know that people at the school truly appreciate my presence. My principal said yesterday that knowing that I’m leaving is like knowing when you are going to die. He wants me to stay forever. Plus, by trying to not come off as the pushy American and setting a schedule when the educators respect me, I feel fulfilled at Dalton Primary School the two days per week I am at the school since January. I visit each class once per week and I am in a classroom three of the five hours per day.
Furthermore, living in South Africa has taught me to keep my perception of my struggles in check. Last week, I was making my mom a birthday card, writing down for each year she has lived an important person, event, accomplishment, destination, characteristic, or hobby in her life. As I was brainstorming a list, a man named John, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, started sharing about how, since he fled the DRC over a year ago, he has no idea where are his nine siblings. He shared, “It’s like I’m coming from nowhere.” I looked down at the paper stating blessings in my mom’s life and felt humbled. He shared many more eye opening information (which you can find on the third page of this newsletter). Keeping perceptions in check of our own struggles is a huge challenge for many Americans. Are we striving to show love in our struggle? Are we in tune with others’ struggles? May we continue to struggle for the glory of God as we grow in loving service.
God, please grant us the courage and compassion to seek to understand the struggles of our neighbors. May our struggles glorify you as we seek to be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.
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