It is not unusual for a day to turn out completely differently than one expects here in South Africa. It adds an element of surprise to life if you are able to be flexible in daily planning. Often you will start out a day intending to accomplish one particular thing and in the end you will have been involved in something completely different.
I can remember driving on a beautiful sunny day in September returning home from Durban. Driving along the busy M4 highway with taxis speeding along filled with their maximum capacity of people, I was deep in thought. I realized that this was an opportune moment to stop in at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital to check in on a project that Seed of Hope had been a part of implementing. Prince Mshiyeni Hospital is the main public hospital that serves the communities surrounding Seed of Hope. It serves over 500 000 people.
It was an impromptu visit but stoping now would prevent me from having to make a separate trip later in the week. I passed through the security gate at the hospital stating my reason for visiting and chatting with one of the security guards in my limited zulu. It was a little difficult to find a parking spot but miraculously one opened up near the emergency/ casualty entrance. I did my usual routine of stepping out the car closing the door and ensuring it is locked. Then I glanced across the road to the sidewalk where I noticed a little old lady sitting in a wheelchair at the side of the parking lot road. She was a lone figure bent over and waiting. She had a scarf tied around her head and a blazer draped around her shoulders.
I don’t know why I noticed her. In a way I felt drawn to notice her… but then I felt as if I knew her. Crazy. Here is this little zulu lady and I think that I have seen her before. I tried to rack my brain for recollections and then it hit me clearly. I took a photo of her a year ago at our Seed of Hope Mobile Medical Clinic weekend. I knew from that moment that she lived in the community of Bhekulwandle (Felegis).
Since I know that transport to and from the hospital is very difficult for people unable to afford taxi fare, I thought I would see if she needed a ride. I approached her and greeted her in Zulu, “Sawubona Mama. Unjani?” She looks up and is completely surprised that I am greeting her in zulu. “Uhlala Felegis?” I ask. (Do you live in Felegis?) “Yebo,” she responds and nods. I ask,“Udinga iride?” (You need a ride?) I didn’t know how to say ride in zulu so I just said i-ride? She nodded again. I tried to explain in zulu that I worked at Seed of Hope and she seemed to understand. I asked her name and found out her name was Grace. I then called the community workers at Seed of Hope and asked if they knew of a Grace Shozi. They had never worked with her before… but I knew that she had attended our mobile clinic on the day when we had 400 people pass through.
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It didn’t take me very long to drive her back to Seed of Hope. I stopped there first so I could introduce her to our community care workers. We wondered how she was going to take care of herself with her limited mobility. The community care workers promised to visit her. Then I navigated our Toyota hatchback down some meandering gravel roads punctuated with huge ruts. She lives in a 2 room concrete house with an outhouse for ablutions. I wondered how she would go to the toilet. We talked about using a container and getting neighbours to come and empty it for her. I knew that the community needed to step up for this wonderful little lady.
Within a few days, our SOH community workers had visited her and began helping her with adjusting to her home life. Other community members have come to help and she is now getting around with a walker by hopping on her one good leg. Keep in mind this lady looks somewhere between 70 and 80 years of age.
There are so many times when we walk into situations in Bhekulwandle where we wonder if God sees what is going on there. We know in our hearts he sees everything, but sometimes it is just so hard to trust that. On the day that I met Grace, I knew that beyond any doubt God sees everything and is working to care for each one that may seem forgotten. God saw Grace sitting on the sidewalk that day and he diverted my plans to show her his love. He used me to affirm to her that she is not forgotten and he cares about her situation. I was so profoundly moved by this experience. Not because I was able to help Grace, but because I was overwhelmed by how much God must love her.
KW