Holiday Exodus

Many people are traveling for the Holidays. The school year has ended so the school children have 4 to 6 weeks of vacation now, similar to the summer vacation in the United States. And of course this is summer here in South Africa. Besides the children being on vacation, many adults have a long vacation at this time of the year. Some places of business close down for 4 weeks. Others take the time off for the Holidays.

Here at St. Francis Care Center we are also experiencing people leaving. Last week the man who lives in a little house just outside of the Guest House went home to another African country for several weeks. The House of Mercy, which is a facility dealing with addictions, closed down for a month. They are situated very close to the guest house where we live, and we even share clothes lines in the few feet between our buildings. Our house mate, Steven, who works at the Care Center is going home to Malawi next week.

Then there are the other people from the Care Center who are leaving. The teacher of the children from the Rainbow Cottage is leaving today, as is the receptionist at the Care Center. Our Center manager and our head housekeeper will be gone for the week surrounding Christmas. Some people go on holiday to family, others go to recreational sites. But this is the biggest time in the year for these activities.

And many of the patients who are well enough to go home with family for a few days will also be leaving soon. In addition to that, the 12 patients who have been at the hospice since last July that came from the nursing facility that had the serious fire will all be discharged at the end of December if not sooner.

Tim and I will be here at the Center throughout the Holidays. Tim will be helping Father Stan with the Church services. We are scheduled to pick up the donated food from the grocery store on the weekends including Christmas and New Years weekend. And we will be working during the week also.

We wish each of you a very Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Tim and Cecilia