Homecoming Week Craziness!

Here are some pics from homecoming week! Needless to say we were crazy, tacky, and ridiculous but it was soo much fun!!



Day 1: Backwards/Inside Out day

Here are the ladies from my chalet minus one from left to right: allison, jeanna, me, kelsey, and teresa

Day 2: Crazy Hair/ Clash

Each chalet was competing for points every day. By the end of the week they were all tallied up and the winning chalet won...something awesome but unknown as of now.

Here is um, almost everyone on day 2.

Can you find my feet?

Day 3: Black/White Day

We went to Drankensberg Boy's Choir that day so we wanted to look a bit nicer.

Here are some of the boys during intermission. The choir is like second internationally. They were absolutely amazing! They sang a mix of songs anywhere from classically, to the Circle of Life from Lion King, to "we will rock you" by Queens, to traditionally African music, to a thunder/rainstorm.

Day 4: Twin Day!

Here is Jeanna and I attempting to be twins.

That night we had an Air Band Chalet Competition. Every chalet picked a song and choreographed a dance to it. Fun, hilarious times! Can you guess what song we danced to?

.....Battlefield by Jordin Sparks.

Day 4: Chalet Color day

Ours was pink...I conviently forgot to upload a picture of us all wearing pink. :/ I had to borrow pink to wear...apparently my pink clothes are too purplish.

Anyway, Friday night we had a Tachy Homecoming dance.

The Briody Wall!!! Cody, Melody, and I were the defense for our team.

Sunday afternoon we played soccer in the pouring rain with fairies flying everywhere! Ok, not fairies, but that is what I told myself so I didn't freak out at the thought of it. There were flying termites everywhere..ew. Apparently they are edible. And apparently if you say that you think a guy would not eat one he will actually eat a termite-live.

The sun came out by the end...but we were covered in mud :) Definitly one of the best soccer games of my life!

Brokenness and Hope

Jeanna and I were at Ethembeni and the Family Center in Mpophemeni for clinical again. Here are some pictures from the family center and written below is some reflection. The day also included time at the hospice center where HIV patients are in critical condition.
Note: Pictures are from Jeanna.


This is a 2 year old girl. She cannot walk. Notice the tiny limbs and distended stomach of a malnourished child.
This beautiful child just wanted to be held all afternoon. Just held and hugged and loved. That's all she wanted. She lives in a child-headed home.

They get one complete meal at the Family Center every day.

A future nurse??

A future surfer??

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.” Psalm 22:14-15

A mom will never see the fifth birthday of her son. A child will never feel the loving arms of their parent in a protective embrace again. A child will never walk. A child will never live to see his fourth birthday.
There is a girl who just wants to be held in a protective, loving embrace. She does not ask for sweets or toys, just your arms holding her tight. She looks up to you with the smile of innocence and joy. Her 13 yr old sister comes to pick her up and her 4 siblings to take them to a home without a mom and dad.
A two year old sits alone on the floor unable to walk. He smiles with joy as you tickle him revealing that all his baby teeth have come in. But yet he can’t walk. His limbs are the size of two of my fingers but his tummy is distended and firm. He cries when you put him down.
A 32 year old mom lies in bed fighting for her life. Her left arm is disabled from shingles. She cringes in pain as you touch her feet. She barely has the strength to lift a cup of fluids to her lips. Her blood pressure is extremely low. Rehydrating fluids just are not enough. Giving someone their medications just isn’t enough. Massaging her legs just isn’t enough. Holding a child all afternoon just isn’t enough. There is no cure to their physical sickness. I am not enough. I can’t fix the problem.
A people who have been beaten down and abused for centuries now have a new enemy, HIV. And it is murdering them mercilessly. Families are being broken up. What can be done?
I want to be numb. I just don’t want to feel anymore. There is so much pain and suffering. How do I come to terms with it? Why, God? Why? I have cried until I feel like I can cry no more but the sadness does not go away. My heart aches. How do I live with this knowledge?
Why? Why, God? Why do you allow such suffering and pain? Will they know your comfort? Will they know your joy greater than their suffering? What do I do with this knowledge? How do I mend this brokenness? Will this pain go away?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:3-5
Brokenness brings a dependence on God. Recognizing that you are not enough brings a dependence on the One who is enough. Realizing you don’t have the answer brings a dependence on the One who is Sovereign for answers. Being emptied leaves you aching to be filled by the One who satisfies.
I am not enough but there is One who is. Jesus Christ gives hope. Hope of a day will their will be no more tears, mourning, or pain. A day where death will be no more. The evidence of sin is so much more pungent here. There is an urgency to share the good news of Jesus Christ’s salvation for all. No medicine or treatment will cure the disease innate in all of us. Sin is like HIV, like cancer. The only cure is Jesus Christ.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’“ Revelations 21:3-5

Living Water

Lately I have been good about working out. I have been so proud of myself because over the summer and in the past I might exercise maybe once or twice every two weeks. But here, I am able to roll out of bed somewhat easier at 6 am to go for a run three times a week with a group of girls. What really gets me out of bed is the excitement of possibly running into some Zebra! It’s amazing, I get to go running with the zebra and buck and other woodland creatures (minus lions ;) while here at AE. To be honest, I actually have done a lot more walking than running but my endurance is improving.
I had a revelation or vision that just has stuck in my mind as a result of running. When I get back from the run I am obviously thirsty because I haven’t drank or eaten anything yet. My routine is to grab my water bottle and head to the top of the waterfall. This is my favoritest (yes, that is a word because I say so) place at AE. I sit on a rock overlooking the running water with my feet dangling over the waterfall. It is magical. I was thinking that the Holy Spirit is kinda like the water. I have grown up hearing the scripture of Jesus being like living water. But now it has hit me what that really means.
Have you ever been to a river bed during the end of the summer or dry season? The water is stagnant. There is an overgrowth of algae and other unknown things. The water is murky and dirty. Basically, there is a pool of water which has been sitting there for a long time getting darker and darker.
But when the rain starts falling and the stream begins to flow the pool of water is disturbed. Have you ever seen the Avatar? I know, I know, it is a cartoon-but a good one :). Anyway, on the last episode of season 2, the avatar learns about the chakra. There are like five or something different chakras in oneself which are pools of water. In order to clear your mind and open your senses you have to have water flowing freely through each chakra. I thought this was such a great example of what the Holy Spirit does in your life.
As I sat at the top of the waterfall with the rushing, foaming water flowing and cleansing the pools of water of their murkiness and darkness, I realized that is what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to free our chakras so that our senses and mind can be opened up to what God wants to tell us, communicate with us. If we try to stop the water from flowing, if we try to stop the Holy Spirit from flowing in your life by ignoring the still quiet whispers; then your pool is going to get murky and full of algae, full of sin building up.
Jesus said that “If anyone thirsts, let him come to him and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38). Jesus is offering to clear the sin from our life which is causing the stream to become murky and dark. He offers the cleansing and rushing water of the Holy Spirit to flow through your life. Will you believe? Will you open up your chakra through the power of Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit?

Clinical

So I’ve been thinking it would be good to sum up how clinical has been as I know there are those who are interested and curious. Clinical is at four different locations: Ethembeni, East Boom, Mason’s Clinic, and Caprisa.

I have already done a post on Ethembeni so you should check that out. But basically it’s amazing. Ethembeni is the hospice for patients affecting by HIV. While assigned there, you also go on house visits to people in the township who have HIV. On the house visits, the major emphasis is on spiritual care. The opportunity to experience this side of community nursing is such a privilege and rare treat. In the future, I would like to see more holistic care with house visits but a majority of those who do house visits are either from the church or unlicensed caregivers. So hint hint, for those future nursing students coming to SA, this could be a community health project to teach them some basic assessment skills. For half of our groups' community health project, we will actually be focusing on teaching the caregivers how to take blood pressure, what that means, and what to do about it. The other group will be focusing on health assessment for the kids at the family center. The family center is the other location you visit while assigned to Ethembeni. The kids there are a joy and privilege to hold and love. Quick tip future nursing students: let down your hair when you are there-the kids love to play with it!

Another site is East Boom which can be bittersweet to be honest. The experience is one of a kind and eye opening. The clinic is always overrun with patients from all over. It is funded by the province and free to all. There are three main units that you can visit when there: ARV, PMTCT, and TB (but I think we will begin going to the Peds unit as well soon). The ARV (antiretrovirals) unit is heart wrenching. When there you may be assigned to follow a doctor or, most commonly, observe/help/assist the phlebotomist who takes blood for testing the viral load, CD4 count, AST, and ALT. I did countless blood draws there-I am a pro now. lol not really. But I feel much more confident about drawing blood now. The PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission) is um..amazing. I did some TB checks, drew blood, and observed/assisted nurse as able. The TB unit can be pretty boring but it all depends on the nurse you get. East boom can be an amazing experience or one where you are left frustrated with nurses and their attitude. But that is what it is like in the states too. There are nurses who are engaging and those who are don’t care if you are there. Drawing HIV positive blood at East Boom was mind blowing. To think that you are holding in your hand (which is covered by a glove) a tube of blood which has a virus which has the power to take away life is..is..is..crazy. When you walk in the ARV clinic and see the waiting room packed with people who you know are there because they have HIV is heartbreaking. When you see a 16 year old girl come in to get blood drawn because she has HIV is heartbreaking. When you are surrounded by kids hungry for attention because they have been orphaned by HIV is heartbreaking. When you hear that a 3 year old came in to get blood drawn because he has HIV is heartbreaking. When you see the heel of a 6 week old baby being pricked to test if they contracted HIV during delivery is heartbreaking. What does your mind do with this knowledge? With the impact of HIV staring you in the face?

Masons clinic is in the Hunniville township. In the township, there is only one water spigot for each hill of homes. So they have to walk up and down the hill every day for water to drink, bath in, and cook with. The day that I was there I was helping Sister Carson pass out the medications for those with chronic illness. The clinic also has an ARV unit, TB, antenatal, and other units. I will be returning tomorrow to help with blood draws and join Sr. Carson in the antenatal unit. The nurses (or sisters) at Masons are amazing, helpful, and educational. Sr. Carson did not take a break all day last Thursday as we passed meds. We served 60-100 people with their month’s worth of medication for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and more. I was on my feet all day except for lunch break. Through it all, Sr. Carson amazed me by her cheerfulness and her knowledge of almost every single client that came to the clinic. She would know who lives with them, who their husband is, how many kids they have, and more.

The last site, Caprisa, I have not been to yet. But I have heard that you observe and assist wonderful nurses there as well.

Today, we did are teaching project at a school in Mpophemeni. We taught 5 different periods of 8th graders four different teaching projects. The topics were hygiene, dental hygiene, diarrhea, respiratory infection, HIV, and menstruation. The students were attentive, receptive, and eager to learn. Adah and I taught on menstruation without the boys present. It was so exciting to see the girls leaning forward as we taught, eager to learn about menstruation. Our teaching was impeded by time constraints in a few classrooms, since we were the last presentation, but I think they heard the essential parts of the message. I hope that our presentation relieved those fears that often come with the unknown of maturation and prepared them to deal with what is to come.

Since nursing is one of the main reasons that I came here I thought it would be important to share how that has been. Overall, I have been able to do a lot of nursing skills not otherwise given many opportunities to do in the States. I have been shocked and heartbroken. I have experienced joy and compassion. My expectations have been met and exceeded far more than imagined. If you are a nursing student considering going to SA, I urge you to take the leap. Feel free to email with questions.

P.S. I apologize for grammatical and spelling errors and such!

Ecabazini and Cow Dung!

Last weekend we went on an overnight trip to live like traditional Zulus. I had expected to be roughing it, but the company seems to be aimed at more touristy people. There was a bathroom with running water, we slept in a comfortable bed, and ate like kings and queens Zulu style. The experience was great for gaining insight into the culture before western influence.

Here we are on the short walk down to the village. There was a lake which I hear is great for fishing.

The fence is made of a particular kind of wood which is actually resistant to termites as well as the effects of weather. It is extremely hard and dense.

I was very excited to see dogs welcoming us to the village! It was just like home :) They were very friendly and adored being petted.

Here was my bee hive! I believe that is what they are called. In traditional Zulu homestead, there would be a room for the elder at the top of the sloping hill, another room for the first wife, each wife thereafter gets another room while the latest wife's room is closest to the entrance of the homestead (in case of danger they are the most expendable I guess :/, there is another room for the female children, another room for the male children, a kitchen, food storage room, and then the head of the family has his own hut. The design of the rooms are in a circular pattern. Interestingly, when the government came into some of the townships and quickly built cheap quality houses in straight lines they broke this cultural value. The bee hives are made with excellent engineering design. The structure design creates a natural air conditioning inside.

Here are my roomies for the night!

Off a little way from the homestead is the bathroom with showers too. Yep we were spoiled.

The first day there, the people wore traditional clothing, although I'm pretty sure this green cape is not part of Zulu custom. In Zulu culture, it is perfectly natural for the women to go..um.. free-since the culture's view of breasts is more functional.

We were taught how they make straw mats. The Zulus were ingenious with natural materials.

Example A: cattle was basically money in their society. The more cattle you owned the richer you were. Cattle had a variety of uses alive and- well-not alive. The skin, horns, bones, and every part of the cattle would be used. However, only for special occasions would a cow be sacrificed. When this happened, people from all over would hear about the event and come even when not invited which was culturally accepted.

Herein lies the byproduct of the cattle which is another example of the usefulness of the animal! Every night the cattle are corralled in the middle of the homestead. In the morning, the cow dung is placed in this very deep hole which connects to pipes and stuff underground (don't ask me for details). Somehow, through pressure or something, the methane produced from the cow dung is separated and can then be used as electricity in the homes. The electricity is renewable, good for the environment, and every morning there is more!

Here you can see the burner being started by the electricity from cow dung! The system is really quite remarkable. This is most likely the fuel of the future.

Here is another use of cow dung! The floor is made from crushed termite mounds. The saliva the termites make there mound with is very sticky and allows the floor to be compacted and hard. However, to clean the floor you can't just use water because that would wash away the floor. So they spread cow dung on the floor and smooth it out. After it dries you have a shiny, clean floor! ;) Our host explained that cow dung from naturally raised cattle is not so fowl smelling. The processed food given to cattle is what makes there dung smell so bad.

There were many aloe plants around as well as other plants which were used as remedies for different ailments.

We enjoyed having dogs around! Here is sheshae looking for attention.

Here are the men in traditional dress.

We had a briaar (pronounced "bry") or barbecue for dinner.

For meals, the males would eat in one circle while the females would eat in another. The women were only aloud to eat boiled meat as the meat cooked over the fire had the risk of not being cooked thoroughly. Thus, since women were the child bearers they were protected from getting sick. During the meal, the food is placed in the middle of the circle and everyone eats off of the same plate. The meat can be dipped in salt with bread to go with it. The second course of dinner is the cooked vegetables which makes up the mainstay of the traditional Zulu diet since meat was rare.

After dinner we were entertained with traditional Zulu dance which includes lots of singing to the rhythm of the drum with legs being kicked in the air and slammed on the ground in rhythm. We were given traditional beer to taste. It was pretty disgusting, but since I don't like alcohol I am probably not one to ask how it tasted.

The next day we did crafts. Here is my amazing pottery! (note: now is when you"ooo" and "aww" over it.) We also made beaded bracelets.

Grrrr...Don't I look fierce? Here is the stabbing spear introduced by Shaka who was apparently a war genius in the Zulu society. He ended up conquering a vast amount of land and uniting the Zulus. My next post is about the battles between the British and the Zulus. The stabbing spear played a huge role.

In the Zulu boys past time, they would stick fight. Here I am winning at stick fighting!! Ya... no, not really. He was just playing with me.

Overall, the Zulus were extremely resourceful and community oriented. Their primary religion was worshiping ancestors. If something went wrong or they became sick, they believed that the ancestors were upset with them. Basically, the ancestors were their link to the afterlife and their mediator. They would live in fear of upsetting the ancestors and never knowing for sure of their salvation. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Tim 2:5

We had a speaker, J. Mchunu, share with us about Zulu culture and explained about ancestral worship. Here are the notes from that session:

ANCESTRAL WORSHIP OR VENERATION

NOT BIBLICAL
· OT quite clear that any consorting with the dead is evil

NOT AFRICAN
· Many in all cultures refuse to let go of the dead – “Garden of Remembrance”
· Belief that the dead are still part of our lives – putting flowers on graves and “talking” to them. We need to remember that the Bible teaches that the dead are actually dead and have nothing to do with the living.
· It is paganism, in the sense that it is “unbelief”, as Biblically defined
· Ancestral veneration is idolatry, which is anything that takes the place of God in our lives (Isa 44:49). It imprisons people. (Deut 8) It challenges God’s ability to provide.
· It is demonic. Satan is fully behind this business and he wants people to surrender their lives to the control of the “spirits”

DOES IT WORK?
· Yes. Can ancestors guide and control? Yes, if we submit to this idea, because Satan is behind it. Behind every “ancestor” is a demon. (Rev 9:20) Satan takes over our mental image of our ancestors and uses that for his own ends.
· I Corinthians 10:18. What does God say? The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons! Sangomas (witch-doctors) are representing the demonic world.

ONE GOD
· Any other “spiritual” contact is devil-inspired
· Only one Lord; only one Mediator
· Only one Guide for life: God by His Holy Spirit.

Recommended Reading:
“Demons in Disguise: The Dangers of Talking to the Dead”, by Steve Wohlberg, Destiny Image Publ. 978-0-7684-2491-1