All things beautiful

All Things Beautiful
Tuesday May 19, 2009
It is winter here which means lots of rain, wind and cold temperatures. In a few places there is snow on the mountains but these are far from where I live and work in the small town of Fish Hoek. Surrounded as it is by the sea, we get the major share of the wind and the unpredictable weather. My neighbor loves winter but I struggle and especially with the cold in the unheated homes in which we live, and all the more because everything slows down in winter in this tourist focused area. All of this is to say that I just had to get away into the Western Cape countryside, something that never fails to lift my spirits and amaze my soul. Together with a friend, last weekend, we headed out for a drive to visit a farm on the mountainside in Calitzdorp. The trip there was long, more than 350 miles one way but for me it drained away all of the stress of the recent weeks. It was on the second day of what had been a rain drenched weekend but after an hour we were away from the dark clouds and into full sunshine. With few cars on the road, we sailed along and enjoyed the garden route with mountains that come in all shapes and sizes, pure stone or covered with fynbos as the local vegetation is called. Once we reached the town we drove up the winding gravel road, across the river until we reached our farm destination. After I caught my breath at the daring drive I had just completed in my Toyota Corolla, when a Land Rover was needed, I relaxed in the sheer beauty of the landscape around me. I will let the picture speak for me. I love the beauty of the Western Cape and it helps me to better cope with the poverty and sickness that surround the work I do.
What also delights my heart is the women and men who lives touch mine at ever turn. A few weeks ago I met Cisko at the homeless ministry I visit every Tuesday. For six months he was out of work and he came to get the breakfast and lunch served daily at Living Grace in nearby Muizenberg. He sought my help and I sensed it was the right thing to do, especially as he was working and praying hard to find a job. Last Tuesday when he approached me he had great news. He had found a job and needed my help one last time. Today he phoned me from his work to let me know it was real. He was so happy and so was I. My heart was also filled when sewing assistant Paul shared the news that his brother had been released from prison and was free to begin a new life. In the last two months, Paul needed time to appear in the court to support his brother and that meant he had to be away from class. "Thank you so much for supporting me , " he said. I left the class walking on air. We are making a difference in the lives of men and women here and this is something for which you can be proud and grateful.

Children we love

Evangeline Celebrates Children
To be in Africa is to be among the most child populated place in the world. I rarely see a young woman here without a child and in my sewing classes, usually I am the only one who has never had children. I love to drive through Masiphumelele when school has finished for the day just to see the boys and girls spilling out of the building in their navy blue and white uniforms. However, one of the sad facts of life for children here is that they are so at risk. For this reason Living Hope, the South Africa organization with which I am linked, works with hundreds of children each week in a Prevention Program. One of these after school projects is in the informal settlement of Capricorn. I know the place well since Evangeline Ministries had a soup kitchen there when I first started. The children at Capricorn come from homes that abound with problems: mothers on drugs or alcohol, fathers in jail, poverty, child-headed households and the resultant sub-standard education. One of the volunteers who help with the children saw a big need. In their shacks the kids had no place for any of their personal or prized possessions. There is no room in a shack for you to hide anything so the children can feel special. Gail decided upon a mini hanging closet, or you could say a small shoe bag and she asked if the Evangeline sewing class would make them. The women were delighted to help. They too live in shacks and understood the need so well. When these cloth bags were finished we took them to the children for each boy and girl to paint them and personalize their bag. The results are stunning. I went with another teacher to see them and receive the hugs and thanks of the kids. They also loved to have their pictures taken. I wanted to help our women understand how blessed it is to give and when I showed them the decorated items they were thrilled. As a bonus the kids made a bag for me and the three teachers. We gave and received so much more. As you can see from my happy smile, I loved that moment.