Fulfilling Joy

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I did not start work on Tuesday like planned but on Thursday. Those two days were the highlight of my week - even in the midst of a terrible cold which caused me to almost called in sick; however, I did not feel I have earned that right yet since it was my second day - in the end I'm glad I didn't.
So, Thursday I climbed into the Ballade for the first time by myself and made my way to Mpophomeni without incident. When I arrived, I learned about sellers who come in and buy donated clothes at a low price in order to resell to make a small profit and learn about micro-business. While there, I got introduced to a lady and she gave me the biggest hug as a welcome; she genuinely seemed to care about me and hugged me and didn't want to let go - it was probably one of the most meaningful hugs I have received in my entire life. I then sat in on a meeting with some ministers and did some administration work in the office while having some meaningful conversations with the admin officer, Nokuthula. After I finished hlpeing Nokuthula, my boss, Mduduzi asked me to do a favor; drive Alec, a homestead gardening instructor, around Mpophomeni to check on four gardens. Aside from the nerve wracking driving, I enjoyed that time and got to learn a lot more about the process of homestead gardening.
After lunch, I got to go upstairs to wait for the children to arrive after school. It was not what I expected but it turned out to be the highlight of my day. It's not what I expected because the "children" who walked in that door were almost my age. I didn't know how to take that but one of the girls immediately pulled up a chair to talk to me. Two of her friends joined us and they quickly made me feel comfortable and I can't wait to get to know them better throughout the year. I don't remember their names but I do know that we will have a lot of fun together and I'm sure I will learn a lot of Zulu from them based on how much they laughed at my horrible accent from just trying to pronounce their names and the way the girl asked for a hug before we walked out together.
My second day wasn't as exciting. I didn't get to do such a vast amount of jobs and I also was feeling a bit under the weather after not getting much sleep the night before due to my incessant coughing. I am also trying to learn that the culture isn't always go, go, go, so there will be a lot of instances when I sit around because there isn't always a job to do and relationship trumps work in many instances.
Again, the hour or so after school when the kids come to Masibumbane, was the highlight of my day. This time it was like I thought the day before was going to be like. Elementary school age kids flooded the room and immediately started doing their own thing. Again I didn't know how to respond because the younger kids aren't as confident in their English so I couldn't communicate with them. After two younger boys settled onto my lap and seemed comfortable, a few of the girls made their way over to me and smiled shyly. We soon started a sitting version of tag and the girls started to become more comfortable with me, and I with them. Over the course of the next hour and a half, I became accustomed to having the girls and one little boy constantly touching me as if making sure that I wasn't going to leave, having my hair stroked and being told it was pretty by the girls since none of them have long hair, and by one girl in particular, having my hand stroked and being held. When one girl hugged me, I asked if she wanted to take a picture; mass chaos then ensued. She got all her friends and soon most of the kids tried shoving their way into the camera's viewfinder as I took pictures. Somehow I relinquished my hold on the camera and for the next hour I didn't touch it. I have now deleted a whole pile of blurry and random object pictures but kept a whole slew of them because they just make me smile. These kids have melted my heart already - especially three girls and the one little boy who always wants to be held - who stayed behind until I drove away with them waving goodbye. Again, I don't remember their names but I am already falling in love with these precious children who walk into Masibumbane's doors and welcome me with smiles, hugs, and love.
A good reminder after those first two days of work at Masibumbane and seeing the joy on the staff and children's faces was my Jesus Calling devotional on Saturday the 5th:
"Remember that Joy is not dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world's most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them. True Joy is a by-product of living in my Presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, in prisons...anywhere.
Do not judge a day as devoid of Joy just because it contains difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Me. Many of the problems that clamor for your attention will resolve themselves. Other matters you must deal with, but I will help you with them. If you make problem solving secondary to the goal of living close to Me, you can find Joy even in your most difficult day."
This touched me especially today because my observations the past two days of the people at Masibumbane. They are people in the worst of circumstances and dealing with a hard thing, HIV/AIDS, and yet they are some of the joyful people I have met. They often greet with hugs, they have an intense passion for God evident in their words and praises throughout the day, their smiles meet their eyes when they look at you, and they always seem to be laughing about something. If there is one lesson I want to take from this year working at Masibumbane, it is to find Joy in the midst of hard circumstances and in the little things. I am certainly blessed and there shouldn't be any reason why I shouldn't be praising God every moment of the day for how He has taken care of me and my family.
Aside from work, this week I have also officially become legal in the country of South Africa as my Visa is now straightened out, driven multiple times by myself in a foreign country (manual and on the left side of the road I might add), helped build a bird cage, ate ice cream out of a green cone, gone to youth group at my older brother's church, got a bloody nose since it was so dry from blowing it so often, made my first purchase at a Tuck shop for cough drops, took my first kombi to and from town, ate sheep tripe (much to my dismay - however it wasn't as bad as my experience with cow tripe since it was curried and I most likely will not have it for the remainder of my time here), watched my first rugby game - Springboks vs. the All Blacks (however we lost in a very close match; now I just have to get to a live game), and had an amazing first two days of work!