Iris Johannesburg South Africa.
A Day in Our Lives.
Most people know more or less what their day will look like. For us here on the base, a day in our lives is unpredictable, always changing, extremely versatile, and filled with the unexpected.
Our only constant, is God Himself, and knowing that with the entire “goings on” He will never leave us.
A day in our lives could start at 1.a.m. with a phone call from the local Police Captain. “ Hello Pastor Yolanda, we have a lady here who poured oil on her baby and set him alight, could you come down to the station?’
A few of the boys have asked to camp outside, without a tent, not knowing that a fierce storm was brewing over the mountain, so at 3.a.m. Us adults run out, pulling 4 sleeping boys to a dry and warmer place, much to their dismay, because getting wet would’ve been more fun.
6.a.m. and its wake up time for the children that don’t go to school on base... It’s a race for the kitchen, bathroom, and bus, as each one rushes to be on time. At least Nic has stopped hiding a rabbit in his school bag, in order to surprise the class. His teacher was not impressed.
At the back of the property, where new bedrooms are in process of being constructed, a main water pipe bursts. This is not good, due to the fact that the nearest hardware store is not close at all, and carries very little choice of the much needed products. We could be waterless for hours! Not wanting to stay out of the action, our electricity joins in the days’ events and we have a POWER-OUT No water, no electricity.
A homeless woman comes to the gate, looking for work or something to eat. I chatted with her for a while and she leaves with a bag filled with food. A toddler comes running out the bathroom with toothpaste all over her hair, “Look, I’m pretty!”
And it’s still morning.
The gate bell rings, it’s a granny asking if she can leave her granddaughter here with us because her mom doesn’t want her. The child is 5 years old. A father from Malawi brings his child, asking if we have space in one of our classrooms on base, as his child is 5 years old and doesn’t speak English.
We have food drops to do, social workers to meet, water pipes that need fixing, and still no electricity.
It’s Midday and one of our workers is very ill and suspects he has T.B. He gets taken to the local Doctor who does tests and sends him home because he is weak and can hardly stand on his feet. All of his symptoms point to T.B. We pray for him, for the Doctor, and for everybody on the base. This may be contagious, but we have God on or side, and He is our healer.
The afternoon’s program is upon us, the three different schools run, children to be fetched, driver’s to be found, diapers to be changed for the 10th time, grocery store to be visited…. Again. Little ones come running around the corner, one catches a speed wobble and the rest go tumbling over her, looking like a rugby scrum gone wrong. The lunch bell has rung and it’s eating time. The eating hall dreads meal times, as its bricked sides are stretched to capacity, and the roof tiles lift off due to the noise inside… until “mommy” walks in. Then the hall’s painted walls smile, as the noise dies down and changes to a dull roar. YES!! THIS IS FAMILY!
OOOOPS, there’s an airport run to do, a much needed volunteer/missionary arriving for a while, and we are grateful for another pair of hands!
Evening arrives with sunset and eight girls decide to ask, “ Please, may we sleep outside tonight? We will use a tent, so if it rains, we won’t get wet.” “ Sure,” we say, “Enjoy!” They run out full of joy and laughter.
Peace for a few hours in this valley, until 10:15pm, when earth-shattering shrieks are heard from the direction of the tent. We run out and witness an exodus of pajama clad girls running in all directions, shouting at the same time, that something is in their room pouncing on them in their sleep. Wow…. This sounds serious, looks serious, and needs deliverance. However, on close inspection, the boys, who got the inspiration from a responsible adult, had thrown a chicken into the tent and encouraged it to fly and jump around on the girls. We were sympathetic towards the girls, but came back inside and cried with laughter.
So where is God in all this? He is in everything. He teaches us how to be patient and longsuffering, and how to take every opportunity to show love and compassion. He gives us opportunities to laugh and to experience joy in the midst of frustrating circumstances. We learn how to enjoy the darkness of night without power and to appreciate the water when the pipe eventually gets fixed.
And the biggest lesson is to watch the children on our base. The negatives do not distract them and they are focused on their identity. They know they have a King who looks after them. They are oblivious to all of the logistics, frustrations, and events that take place on a daily basis. They know that it will all get fixed, that God will provide solutions and the finances to repair the problem areas. They pray for the vehicle that broke down, they pray for the water and power to come back, they pray for leaking roofs from the rain, and join us in praying for a miracle for Donald, who was given the all clear for T.B. The test was negative, in spite of the symptoms.
God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good!