Christmas in Africa

Dear Friends,
Things are changing drastically this month at Lily of the Valley. At the beginning of the month we had 12 fulltime international volunteers and now we are down to five, and with 114 children, we are definitely stretched to the limit. Furthermore, while we are normally only charged with the care of the nursery aged children during the day since the older children are at school, due to school holiday we now have all of them all day long. Time for planning, cleaning, and paperwork is non-existent yet desperately needed at this point. Having so many children in one place at one time with such few staff members to look after them, often leaves all of us exhausted and frustrated as we can never dedicate enough time and attention to each child. With so few resources it seems that our jobs currently lie more in the realm of crisis managers than caregivers.

THIS MONTH AT LILY:
I have recently spent a good portion of my time making hospital visits with children. Since we have roughly 100 HIV+ children here, there is literally almost a child a day that needs to go to the hospital for one reason or another. The hospital that we primarily take children to is in Petermeritzburg, about an hour and a half from Lily. It is overcrowded, understaffed, and wouldn’t meet even the most basic standards of cleanliness in the States. The average wait time that we experience there (even though we have an appointment) is six hours. One day while waiting with a child, I journaled some of the things I witnessed, which included massive cockroaches, raw sewage in the hallways, and people in hospital beds outside because they had run out of room inside the building. It sickens me to think that our precious children who deserve the world, are subjected to such pathetic healthcare.
In addition to my hospital duties, I have spent much of my time in the past month honing my domestic skills as the chief costume and set designer for the Lily of the Valley nativity play. With roughly 50 costumes to design and sew by hand, I had my work cut out for me. Additionally, I was the choreographer and coach of the now famous “Angel Dance,” in which ten little girls fluttered and twirled their way across the stage for three minutes. This may not seem like a considerable amount of time, but when you are attempting to teach these moves to a group of six year old girls with severe behavioral issues it sometimes felt like an eternity. All of the work that was poured into the play, however, was well worth the outcome. The children preformed the play for local churches receiving rave reviews.

CHRISTMAS:
As the Christmas season approaches we here at Lily are gearing up for the holiday. Since we are isolated here in Mophela, our Christmas decorations are limited. However, those of you who know me well know that I have a deep love for the holiday which cannot be extinguished by a mere lack of resources. My roommates and I have become creative, converting scraps of material and paper into full-fledged decorations. In fact, the house of male volunteers has challenged our house to a Christmas decoration war. I pity them, though, because going into the dare they were unaware of the intensity of my Christmas spirit! I will keep you posted on the results, which are to be decided upon by several of the children.
Another facet of Christmas here involved several of the children leaving Lily to return to their extended families for the holidays. Although, at first glance it would seem that this should be a welcome event as the children get to return to some normalcy at least for a few weeks, it is actually something that causes us much anxiety. Most of our children’s health is so fragile, that the idea that they will be returned to the same families who neglected them in the first place is a scary thought. In past years, many of our children have returned from a break and have to be immediately admitted to the hospital because their families failed to give them any medication at all, even though the ARV’s that they are on require 99% compliance to the drug to be affective at all. The children are, however, technically property of the state so we have little to no jurisdiction on custody decisions. We are left with our hands tied, watching the children we love so much leave to go into environments that we know are literally life threatening.

NEXT MONTH:
On December 28th I will be heading to Rwanda for two weeks to serve alongside a small mission team from a local church here in KwaZulu Natal. We will be working with street ministries, sitting in on peace and reconciliation talks, as well as working with the refugees who are currently flooding in from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is currently in the midst of a devastating civil war. I am not sure exactly what to expect while I am there, but am eager to get a glimpse into how God is working in the country post-genocide. Being the International Relations nerd that I am, I have studied the Rwanda conflict in-depth all throughout college, so the prospect of visiting the nation is very exciting to me. In addition, I will also get to celebrate New Years in Rwanda, and cannot wait to see what that festivity will look like there!

I apologize if my blogs and emails seem to be convulsive- jerking from extreme highs to extreme lows, but that seems to emulate my life here. On the one hand, I recognize the blessings that I have here in that I get to work with and love on these children on a daily basis. Their laughter is infectious. While on the other hand, in the midst of their joy I am simultaneously faced with the reality of their circumstances and am left angry and overwhelmed. It is a strange dichotomy in which I find myself now, and I am daily seeking to reconcile the extreme emotions to which I am subject here.
That’s it from this side of the world for now. Have a very merry Christmas and please keep us in your prayers this holiday season!

In Christian Love,
Palmer

“For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

Lily Prayer Requests:
• Justice and healing for our newest child N, who is the victim of severe abuse perpetrated by a member of her own family.
• That the right people will be raised up to join our staff, and that the leadership of Lily will have wisdom in making management decisions.
• Strength and patience for a staff and volunteer force that is currently severely understaffed.
• That the children who are allowed to visit family members over the holiday will remain healthy and safe while they are away.
• That the children who will remain at Lily over Christmas will feel at home there and will begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas.
• There have been many deaths in the families of several of our staff members this month due to disease and violence. Please pray for the families of Ma Margaret, Ma Little Margaret, Ma Monica, and Emanuel as they mourn the loss of loved ones.
• That the volunteers and staff members will have the words to say and the hearts to deal with the ongoing trauma our children face daily as a result of their past abuse and neglect
• My Rwanda team as we head to the country December 28th- Januray 11th.

A Day in the Life of Lily

A glimpse into an average day at Lily of the Valley...


We… read!


We... Climb on things!


We... learn to wink!


We… do chest physio!


We... are fashion forward!


We...act like angels!


We...eat cake!


We...laugh!


We…act like divas!


We... read our Bibles!


We...break dance!


We...slip n' slide!


We...go on game drives!


We...eat bugs!


We...sew!


We...dress up!




We... have tickle wars!


We... hug our friends!


We...LOVE!

Life at Lily in October

A month and a half into my journey in KwaZulu Natal, I have finally settled into my home here at Lily of the Valley Children’s Home. Life here is extraordinary. The window to the little house I share with two other volunteers overlooks a compound of 22 houses filled with 114 orphans. Our property backs up to Tala Game Reserve so from my window I can see herds of Wilderbeast and Giraffe! About 90% of the children here have HIV, and another good portion of them have suffered from TB. They are very sick, but you would never know it. They act just like normal, perhaps even more joyful, kids. Each has a unique and equally devastating past, but I often have to remind myself of this, as they are so resilient, are rarely let you see their pain. Only when their immune systems fail them, or they have a moment of anxiety or angry outburst am I truly aware of their reality. I have so much to learn from them, and feel so blessed to get to spend my time with them.

My duties here change day to day, but I have found myself doing more activities, which resemble teaching than I planned. Every weekday afternoon we hold “homework club” in which we help the children with their homework and/or work with them on basic math and English skills. A lot of our children are behind in school because of illness or their turbulent past, so it is our goal to get them caught up to their grade level. I have never possessed the gift of teaching, but after discovering just how far behind our kids are when compared to children back home I have found a new motivation to cultivate my teaching skills. I am now an expert on my times tables, phonics, and basic addition facts!

Here’s a list of some of the things I have learned here thus far:
• The power of touch: It is amazing how much anger and hurt can be melted away with a warm hug, or a good tickle war. Several of the little girls will not speak to adults, and put on a hard demeanor with everyone whom they come into contact. However, after several days of hugs after Homework Club, they have begun to smile at me, and seek me out when they have a problem.
• To sew by hand: I have become the resident seamstress. Years of cross-stitching and quilting at Grandot’s house is paying off, as children now daily bring me their holey worn clothing to mend or resize for them. We do not have a sewing machine, but I am learning to patch everything by hand, and even how to dye my own string using tea, lipstick, or whatever I can find around the village.
• What a blessing running water is: We often have water shortages in this area. The main pipe line that runs to the village goes through another rural township called Mophela. When the locals do not feel like walking miles to get water, then they improvise by breaking the major pipelines that run in front of their house. This means that on the days following their lethargy, we will not have water. Going without water for days at a time is not fun! Needless to say, the drip of water from the tap has become music to our ears!
• Basic Zulu: At the village community center, Zulu classes are being offered twice a week. I am getting the basics down, but have only mastered three of the twelve “clicks” in the language, so I am not sure I will ever manage to speak properly.
• How caring and helpful our kids are here: From the moment I got to Lily, the kids have bent over backwards to make sure that I can get from place to place. Whenever I get stuck in the mud or need to go up a big hill, children come running. Even ones who I have yet to meet or who are shorter than my chair itself come to help. Last week two six year old boys tried to pick me up when I was getting into my wheelchair from the floor. They seem to always be eager to lend a helping hand. One 12 year old boy, Stambiso, who is generally filled with a lot of anger, for some reason has chosen me to be nice to. Last week he came running up to met to inform me that he had been researching “healers” for me and he found a great one in Jo-Burg that I must go to immediately. Although I had to explain to him that my body is healed and that God is working through my disability, I was touched that he wanted to help in any way he could. Despite the terrible things in these children’s lives, they turn around and are ready to serve me!
• The need for and power of prayer: Both because of the love and because of the pain that radiates from our Lily kids, it has been impossible for me to ignore the faithfulness and ever-nearness of God. I am constantly reminded of my need for him as I attempt to serve in an environment that is always overwhelming. Prayer is beginning to be a constant conversation between the Lord and I, instead of a once a day chore that I do so that I will fulfill my duties as a “good” Christian. I am learning that if I try to do this without prayer and constant reliance on Him, I am going to fail miserably.

I would love to have you all partner with me in prayer. Here are a few prayer requests for the time being.
Prayer Requests:
• That I and the other volunteers would have the motivation and strength to serve to the best of our abilities.
• The health of our HIV+ children who are daily struggling with their health.
• For the two new children D and B, who came to Lily today, that their transition would be smooth and that they would come to feel safe and at home here.
• For the leadership at Lily, that they would be able to make wise decisions about the future growth and plans for this place.

Also if you are a fan of snail mail I would love to hear from you via:
Lily of the Valley
ATTN: Palmer Harston
PO Box 185 Gilitts 3603
KZN South Africa

Or if you are more of a skype fan my cell number here is:
+27 72 982 3676

That’s it for now!
Blessings,
Palmer

“For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4: 11-13

Two weeks down...

As of today, I have been in South Africa for two weeks, and although I have yet to even start my main job here, I have already experienced and been challenged by a lot. For the last few weeks I have been working for World Changers Academy, volunteering at Shepherd’s Keep Home for Abandoned Babies, writing law school essays, studying for the LSAT, and trying to survive in a house that has 30 people living in it. Each day has brought a new challenge, a new emotion, and a new lesson. Although I have enjoyed my time so far, I am greatly looking forward to next Wednesday when I begin living and working at Lily of the Valley, because I am desperately longing for some routine and consistency.

Living in a foreign country by myself has allowed me a lot of time alone with my thoughts. This is the first time in my life that I have had to face the frustrations, curiosities, and thrills of a completely different culture alone, with no one else to turn to for reflection. It has been a huge time of growth in my life as I have wrestled with quandaries of faith, politics, and culture on my own. Not to mention, I have endured much ridicule for my strange “Yankee” accent with no one to back me up that it is indeed “y’all” not “you all.” Yet through this struggle, I have learned to cling to the foundational principles of my faith, as without those I truly would be on my own. In truth, I am thankful for this time of inward struggle and discovery, as I am confident that perseverance through challenge yields strength. If these first two weeks are any indication, I am confident a great deal more personal growth derived from trials is in my foreseeable future.

Today was somewhat of a paradox for me. I woke up to President Mbeki’s announcement that he would resign as South Africa’s president after allegations of political manipulation from his equally corrupt political opponent Zuma. The government, which has been in shambles for years, is finally beginning to show its true colors on the international stage. If something of this magnitude had happened in our country, the nation would have been in an uproar. Yet in this country that has become disillusioned and apathetic towards the status of their government due to years and years of corruption, no one seems to have even taken notice that Mbeki has left. Frustrated at the hopelessness that seems to be hanging in the air here, I drove to Shepherd’s Keep Orphanage, the NGO with whom I have partnered the past two summers. There I held a tiny three-week-old baby, who had been found abandoned in a bush on the side of a highway. Although her chest wheezed with each breath from a life-threatening infection that has set in, I couldn’t help but find hope in each labored breath. She has a fight left in her. There is a reason she was delivered to this high-care center, instead of dying on the side of the road along with the 2,000 other babies who are abandoned in this province each month. As I looked at her I realized that the work that is being done in the NGOs, churches, charter schools, and others who have joined the cause is not in vain. There is still hope for her and the rest in her generation that things can be turned around. I am so privileged to get to work with such innocence, because I am becoming convinced that it may be the only way to escape the ever-growing disillusionment festering here.

In the book “Mountains Beyond Moutains,” (which I highly recommend you reading) the author tells of an old Haitian proverb, which essentially says that beyond the mountains there are more mountains, meaning that when we overcome one obstacle there is certain to be another equally as challenging obstacle waiting for us on the other side. At first glance this may seem like a depressing thought, but the author goes on to explain that victory then may not necessarily come in the defeat of the obstacle, but may instead come in the perseverance. We succeed because we refuse to give up trying. It is with this mindset that I am excited to begin working at Lily of the Valley Children’s village next week.

Look for more substantive and detailed posts in the weeks to come as I get to know the children and stories that make up Lily of the Valley…

Africa Bound

So I’m off! And since according to the flight map on the seat in front of me it is currently 4:45 am and I’m flying high over Namibia, it looks like there is no turning back. About hour 7 of this 19 hour flight, I began to question my sanity for making this voyage, but the Lord is faithful, and as soon as my doubts set in a precious Senegalese family with a 2 month old child sat down next to me in the bulk head row of the plane. Those of you who know my addiction to African children, know that this quelled my doubts immediately. Over the next few days I’m going to need little reminders as to why I left house and home to come all the way over, but I’m confident that when I meet the children of Lily of the Valley my anxiety will be subdued.
For those of you who don’t know I will be living in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa for the next ten months. I will be living and working in Durban with several organizations that I have partnered with the last few summers for the month of September, but come October 1st, I will spend the remainder of my trip working at Lily of the Valley orphanage (www.lilyofthevalley.org.za) located in the Valley of a Thousand Hills.
I plan to update this blog as much as possible, however, I do not yet know what my Internet situation will be like in the coming months. I would love for y’all to come on this journey with me, and thus I plan to post prayer requests, orphanage needs, and other ways for you to get involved as much as I can.
Habakkuk 1:5 says “Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.” I am eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of this passage this year!