Happy Valentine's Day!!

It's a bright and sunny day!  We've exchanged our "home made" valentines cards, and heart-shaped pancakes are on the menu for lunch (a Valentine's tradition in our family!).  I'll be making them without a recipe, and without the right ingredients, but tradition must prevail!  We want to take this opportunity to send our love to all of you, and to remind you to truly appreciate one another.  This year we can relate to the cliché that states, "We may not have much, but we have each other!".  And somehow, "each other" becomes more precious without the trappings of all the "stuff".

 

We had a GREAT weekend away in Durban this past weekend!  God provided us with hot, sunny weather, and we spent most of the two days in our bathing suits.  We stayed at another "Backpacker" facility across from the beach, and alternated between the relaxing by the pool, and playing at the beach.  On Saturday evening we were treated to a "full on South African Braii" (BBQ) with all the trimmings!  This consists of several types of meat (all quite recognizable!) BBQ'd on an open grill, along with 8-10 side dishes and salads.  It was the best meal we've eaten since our arrival...especially since we were able to eat it on the deck and watch the sun set over the ocean!  We even watched some dolphins playing far out in the water!

 

 On Sunday, we did the typically "touristy" thing and spent the day at "uShaka Sea World".  It is a large aquarium in Durban with the usual dolphin and seal shows, shark feeding, and other sea-creature viewing, but it is also attached to a huge water park with miles of slides and tube rides and pools.  It was another strange "first world" experience within our "third world" life here in SA.  The park was an interesting blend of people groups, with about 75% East Indian, 20% Caucasian, and only about 5% black people (see Bernie...I can do Math!).  This is apparently typical in Durban, with its huge Indian population of over 1 million.  It also paints an accurate picture of who can afford such a luxury.  It was a blessing to have our host, Rob, from the Backpacker drive us into Durban, and then all the way back to GGA (for a 'small' fee!).  Durban is notorious for its crime, so we were happy to tag along with someone who knew where they were going. 

 

It's always a bit deflating coming back to GGA after a weekend away, and the rain that greeted us here on Sunday evening didn't help.  We had another spectacular lightening storm, and buckets of rain.  On Monday morning it was back to school work for the kids, and volunteer work for Dan and me.

 

Over the weeks of writing this blog, we've often struggled with the question of how much to describe about the "politics" of GGA and our frustrations here.  I know that some of that has come through in our journaling, but we've deliberately chosen to be somewhat positive in our reporting since it's virtually impossible to describe some of the challenges.  Last week was a very difficult one for us.  In spite of the many positives of GGA (the children, the good outreach work done in the valleys, the staff that mean well etc.), there are underlying issues here that make us wonder whether we can be effective in this environment.  We have been warned about the classic climate of disorganization and chaos that seems to be prevalent in NGO's (Non-governmental Organizations), particularly ones in developing countries.  It seems to be very difficult for volunteers from Western countries to accept and adapt to this atmosphere.  The constant temptation is to try to change or fix these systemic problems, and the frustration comes from the realization that this task is impossible. 

 

There are two young couples here that we have connected with somewhat closely, and both are considering leaving GGA.  One of the couples (from Holland), is already living out at "the Farm" where we will hopefully someday move.  They are on their own out there, and have fears about the poor security.  They also have no running water and absolutely NO toilet facilities in their accommodations, so day to day life if a struggle.  They have felt that in the 6 weeks of their stay at GGA, no efforts have been made to provide them with even the most basic comforts, and they are frustrated with the empty promises.  The other couple (from Germany) lives here at GGA and although they are both highly educated Music Therapists, and the needs among the children are great, they are not being given the freedom or respect they deserve.  Both couples are checking out other organizations in the area, and are contemplating a move.  This would be a blow to us, since most of the other volunteers are very young and in a different stage of life. 

 

Our challenge this week is to continue to sort through our thoughts and feelings.  We must be careful not to let the issues of others become our issues.  We continue to believe that we are at GGA for a reason, but continue to find it hard to find a balance between humbly accepting that our roles here are to serve within the current circumstances, or whether we are meant to challenge the system.  It's easy to say that we must follow the example of Christ, but the fact is that He did both of those things...sometimes humbly accepted, and sometimes challenged.  We too have had to do both of those things in our month here.  Please pray that we will have the grace to accept what we cannot change, the courage to change what we can, and the wisdom to know the difference!

 

Cathy