Nicola on a Mission!

Wow. I can’t believe five months is over. So now I have to pack all my clothes, presents and memories back in my suitcases ready for the long flight home tomorrow night. But, in true style, we are filling our time with ten thousand and one things…

On Monday we went to the hospice for the final time. It was hard saying goodbye to all of the patients, but so amazing to see their progress. Tuesday I went to my favourite pre school. The kids there were as adorable as ever. Wednesday found me with the bridge the gap students. Yesterday was the final soup kitchen. Then we had a presentation from a policeman about drugs here in South africa. We visited Nicola in the afternoon. Saying goodbye to her was hard, she’s been such an amazing mentor. Last night we went out for drinks and desserts with our friends. This afternoon we will give a presentation to the Oasis staff of our time here, which includes lots of silly and incriminating photos! Tomorrow morning we are having a huge braai before we go.

As I sit here in our office for the last afternoon, I can’t decide how I feel. I’m so excited to see you all, but I am totally sure that part of my heart will always be here. All the people I have come into contact here, from our boss, to volunteers, children, people in church and strangers on the street have shown me so much abuot what it means to be a real community, and just how amazing it is to have God working with you.

One of my favourite things about here is the openness to talk about God and acknowledge him in people’s lives. I also love how chilled out it is here, how you can work with the children, smile at someone without causing people to wonder what you want, and say good morning to people you’ve never seen before.

I’ll write more when I’m back home, but for now, this is it, my South African journey so far.

I thought I would update you on my weekend…

Saturday was a momentous day for me. It was the day when I ceased being the same age as any of my fellow team members and became, acording to them, officially an adult. Yes it was my 22nd Birthday! And a strangely upside down experience it was to be wearing a knee length strappy dress and chilling in the sun!

I got up on Saturday morning to find the team had decorated and made me breakfast! Part of their birthday present for me was to book me a facial. They have already learnt that I don’t treat myself enough. It’s something that I keep meaning to get around to finding time to do… But well I’ve been busy! Anyway it was so nice! I’m sure the girl used more products in half an hour than I would ever consider using in a whole year!

We spent the morning making a mountain of sandwiches for my English picnic! We had cheese, turkey salad, peanut butter and even some jam ones as well. We decided that as we have been exposed to the most South African of braais, it was time to repay the favour with a traditional bit of englishness! So, armed with our cool boxes filled with triangular sandwiches, coctail sausages, cheese and pineapple, pringles and amazing cake, we ventured forth to the Botanical Gardens.

It was a beautiful afternoon. We took some of the local children and they were totally enchanted with the waterfall and spent the time exploring! It was so nice to chat to everyone and enjoy the sunshine! In true english tradition, we had a short sharp shower just as we were leaving! But that just added to the englishness!

I have to tell you that everyone hear has been aiding and abetting my girliness by buying me more jewellery! It’s a good thing I’m getting a new suitcase tomorrow!

Some of you will know that one of my good friends, Colin, has been very ill recently. He has been in hospital since December with pneumonia and has been on a ventilator with a tube in his neck since then. As a team we have been praying so much for him over the last eight weeks or so. A few weeks ago he was no better and I had a huge rant at God for not performing a miracle and healing him. His condition was described then as “precarious” even by the most optimistic of people.

This morning I found out that he is finally off the ventilator, which means he is able to talk again. He is expected home in 2 weeks if all goes well!

Praise God!!

On Thursday mornings I get up at an unearthly hour to go and spend a few hours at the HIV hospice in the centre of Johannesburg. Over the last five months we have done various activities with the patients there, from dominos and Jenga to biscuit decorating, making Christmas crackers, mug painting and creating works of art to put on he walls.

Some of the patients were so sick when we first arrived. One lady was really weak, with no energy to talk or sit up. But now she joins in with whatever we are doing and has the most fantastic sense of humour and infectios laugh ever! Another guy there has just become so much more chatty now and is so happy to see us. Another of the ladies has been struggling a lot recently with illness but is now getting better. But the best news is that all of these amazing people have been discharged from the main hospice into out patients!

There is a lady who stays at the hospice who is a teacher from Zimbabwe. She arrived in December and has always been so enthusiastic and pleased to see us and join in whatever we are doing. Yesterday she wrote us such a lovely letter, saying thank you for all our love and care for her over the last few weeks. It struck me so strongly just how much I will miss all of these guys and I wonder what will be in their futures!

I’m so glad we have been able to spend time with these wonderful people and make even a small difference to them. But will they ever know what they have done for me? The sense of hope that each person there has is truly inspirational. One of the things that I will always remember is the children’s room. On the wall above the beds of these kids with HIV are the following signs.
“Jesus loves me.”
“God is my friend and keeper.”
“I am very special to God.”
Amen to that!

Yesterday we organised a big prayer day in our office. Each room was for something different. We had a silent prayer room, creative area with paints, music, communion, verses and news stories on the walls. The main time was between 12 and 1.30 yesterday lunchtime. All the Oasis staff, community health workers and various other volunteers who could come were there. For most of the time I stayed in the garage, where people could pray out loud and together. The community health workers took it upon themselves to worship and glorify God with the most amazing singing I have ever heard. It truly is inspiring to hear around twenty-five people singing with all their hearts and souls, praising and worshiping our awesome God.

But for me the most amazing part of this is the fact that it is the community wellness project which is in most need of funding, and is therefore in most danger of closing down. This would mean that none of the community health workers would have a job and would lose the income they get from Oasis. Yet despite this threat, they choose to really put into practice the phrase in Romans 12.
“Be Joyful in hope… Patient in prayer.”

Wow! I’m sitting back in our office on Friday morning, while it’s grey, cool and cloudy outside trying to find words to express just how amazing Capetown is…

We stayed in a small town just outside of Capetown called Fishhoek! It is a beautiful little seaside town. Our house was so beautiful. We were on a mountain and could see so much from there over the sea.

On Sunday, as it was clear, we decided to go to Table Mountain. Instead of choosing the cable car to reach the top, which would have taken about five minutes, we decided to walk up. And believe me, it was no easy stroll! Most of the uneven rocky step type things were at least knee high! But, with the amazing help of my team, we made it! Just in time to hear the sirens for the last cabel car down as it was so windy up at the top. So we ran across the top of the mountain, not stopping for photos and thankfully managed to get the cable car! I definitely discovered muscles I thought I’d forgotten about!

On Monday we had a well earned relaxing time on the beach. Imagine a gorgeous beach, with palm trees, powdery white sand and crystal clear blue-green water. Well this is exactly where I was!
Tuesday found us at Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. It is also the most southern point in Africa. It is stunning there. We also went to a beach where there is a huge colony of penguines. Yes, actual penguines chilling out on the rocks and lazing in the sun! Pretty amazing and strangly out of place don’t you think?
On Wednesday we spent the day at the water front in Capetown. We went for a speed boat ride and in the afternoon took the ferry across to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held in prison for eighteen years. We were taken round the prison by an X prisoner. It was incredible to hear him say how all of the inmates who were held because of fighting against the apparthied weren’t bitter and were so proud of what they did! He told us ow the prison wardens tried to separate the prisoners acording to their colour. The indian and coloured men were given more and better food than the black men. However, they all shared, thus making the bonds of unity across the racial divides even stronger and more pronounced.The water front is so beautiful, wih lots of shops, restaurants and boats to keep you amused.

Some thoughts about Capetown…
It really is such a beautiful part of South Africa, with such a range of things to see and do, from fantastic beaches to mountains, vinyards, shark diving, and amazing scenery. Robben Island was truly inspirational. There are actual people whose job it is to sit on top of a hill and keep a look out for sharks approaching!

So Capetown, along with Swaziland are 2 places which I have fallen totally in love with. I really hope to come back and spend longer in this amazing corner of Africa!

Dear Reader,

I regret to inform you that Nicola will be absent from any computer over the next few days as she is going on holiday tomorrow and won’t be back until Thursday.

Kind Regards.

Yep, it’s true! We’re off to Capetown tomorrow until Thursday! Sunshine, Sea, Sand, , Table Mountain, penguines and 2 oceans here I come!!

I hope you all have a good few days. Hopefully I can write next Friday telling about our conquering Table Mountain, swimming with penguines, chilling on the beach and exploring a little bit more of this amazing country! Have fun!

I am so blessed and lucky to have the most supportive friends and family in the world! And at the moment, Oasis SA needs your help…

At the start of the week we had a big team meeting to discuss funding. We applied for money from various companies and the government but because of the current financial situation, all decisions were either declined or postponed. With the money we have all projects could run until May this year, when they would have to start closing. The first to go would be the work with children in the local schools. To give you an example, we recently did a project where we had the honour of telling around two hundred eight year olds who live in an informal settlement that they are special and that God loves them. From May work such as this will not be able to happen. Other projects like the community health work will also stop by July. It’s heartbreaking. Oasis as a global family do such inspiring work, serving our amazing God and his people with love, compassion and humility.

We desperately need your prayers over the next few weeks to ask for funding, peace for the staff and the hope and ability to continue doing God’s work. Please take this prayer request to anyone you know and let’s get an international prayer army fighting for God’s people!

On Wednesday we saw how loving God is, and how awesome his provision is. We recieved one of five sets of funding we asked for. Praise God!

But we still need more. If any of you feel you can help in any small way please please let me know.
Together we can help God in doing an amazing miracle, and helping his glorious kingdom here on earth.

I’m sitting in our office thinking about Valentine’s day tomorrow. So I have decided to share with you all the things I love about being here in South Africa!…

1. I love waking up at 5 AM and the sun already shining!
2. I love propper South African braais! [Barbecues but way better!]
3. I love getting e mails! It’s so exciting!
4. I love traditional African singing. It always makes me smile!
5. I love hearing the crickets chirping in the evening.
7. I love getting excited about talking to my family, friends and especially Michael!
8. I love the following conversation that almost takes place as a greeting.
Me: [to a local] Hi.
Local: I’m fine thanks and you?
9. I love being able to do so many new things I wouldn’t normally do in the UK.
10. I really love making you all jealous at our beautiful sunshine!!

So there you are! I’m feeling so full of love right now. I just read a quote about you can’t really love without giving part of yourself. And that’s so true! Africa will certainly be keeping a part of me here. And I will definitely be bringing part of Africa back to England! Hmmm… Maybe I will need a new suitcase afterall…

I realised I haven’t talked much about all the children recently who visit us most afternoons after school. And, as the title suggests, it is indeed Madness!

There are so many local children who generally play in the streets after school. Some have small bikes, skipping ropes or balls, but mostly they just play together in groups which is lovely. Normally about 2 minutes after we arrive home we hear a familiar tap tapping on our gate and the war cry,
“Chris… Hattie… Open the gate!”
This cry is repeated for as long as it takes someone to decide to go and let them in! Alternatively, if the gate is open, we will find a group of children at our door, or windows saying,
“Knock Knock… Hi… Knock knock!”

Usual persuits of entertainment are singing, dancing, drawing, sticking, face painting, playing football, asking for balloons, and once a giant water fight organised with military planning on our part! All the children love taking photos and seeing themselves on digital cameras. Invariably, if we start off with one or two children, after about 5 minutes we will have most of the kids from the area appearing over the wall, at the gate or running from whatever they were doing at break neck pace to be in on the fun at our house! And as well they all have such amazing names. Blessings, Mpo, Happiness etc.

It will be so strange back in England to not have any little wood pecker type tappings on the gate, little voices in English or otherwise calling us, or demands to open the gate, do face painting, or requests for juice!

Kids, I might sometimes complain and want peace, but really I’ll miss you all loads! Who wants to come to England with me? I’m sure you all want to adopt an adorable African child or 2… or 10… or 20…! Oh and a dog!