Tim and Cecilia in South Africa

A Wonderful Park

2012-01-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a holiday for New Years. Tim went for a walk in the morning. He likes to walk in places he has never been before. Yesterday he walked about nine miles through neighborhood streets . When he returned he was very enthusiastic about a park that he had found. He wanted us to drive there in the afternoon so I could see it.

This park is just a few miles from the St. Francis Care Center in a neighboring suburb of Johannesburg. When we got there we saw that the parking lot was almost full. And there were many people scattered around the park which is several blocks in size. The people were a wonderful assortment of races, with native black people, people from India, and some white people. Families were in small groups around the grills, but the children were playing in mixed groups.

We started to see the animals that were roaming free in the park. There were rabbits, peacocks, piglets, ducks, geese, and a swan. These animals were widely scattered, some of them along the pond which was quite extensive. Then from a distance I say a camel. We went closer and saw that the camel, two horses, and a miniature pony pulling a small cart were in a fenced area, and being led for children to take rides.

There were train cars with a refreshment stand in one of the cars with carrots for the animals being sold as well as treats for the humans. Inside the train there were tables set up for eating and attached to the train was an outside raised area with picnic tables.

There was a great accumulation of farm equipment scattered throughout the park painted red, blue, green and yellow for children to climb and play upon. There was also some regular playground equipment. In one area there was a small motorized vehicle for rent for children to drive around a track.

There was also a number of fenced areas scattered among the grassy park areas. These included pens for long horned cattle, donkeys, pigs, ostriches, sheep and goats. There was another fenced area for chickens and other farm fowl.

The people seemed relaxed as they enjoyed the park. The children seemed to be having a wonderful time. I am really grateful that Tim discovered this park and that we had this very positive experience of African family life.

Cecilia

A Favorite Song

2011-12-16T01:31:00.000-08:00

Today is a holiday, the Day of Reconciliation, which is celebrated every year in South Africa on the 16th of December. So instead of getting ready for work after doing my morning stretches, I went for a walk. First I walked around the Guest House yards a few times. I saw flowers that I hadn’t noticed before.

Then I walked outside the first gate and around the outside of the House of Mercy. Again there were places that I don’t usually walk when I am just going home. Finally I walked outside of that gate and down the driveway which is paved with bricks set in circles for the entire length until I got to the street.

I was reminded of how it was when I walked on the Jamestown College campus when the students were away on vacation for the summer. Things were very quiet, but the grounds were obviously tended and cared for. There was a peacefulness in the entire place.

Then when I went for the 10 AM Mass in the St. Francis chapel, I was able to carry a pen and some paper with me. Usually my pockets are too full when I go to work as I carry foot rub lotion, gloves, mask, keys, and other things in my pockets when I am working. So then there is no room for a pen. So today after Mass I was able to copy the words of a song that I have liked. I wanted to share these words with you that are meaningful to me. The song is by Estelle White.

1. Oh, the love of my Lord is the essence
     Of all that I love here on earth.
     All the beauty I see
     He has given to me
     And his giving is gentle as silence.

2. Every day, every hour, every moment
     Have been blessed by the strength of his love
     At the turn of each tide
     He is there at my side
     And his touch is as gentle as silence.

3. There’ve been times when I’ve turned from his presence
     And I’ve walked other paths, other ways
     But I’ve called on his name
     In the dark of my shame
     And his mercy was gently as silence.

___________________________
I hope that things are going well for you.

Cecilia

Holiday Exodus

2011-12-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

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

Aids Day World Wide

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-08:00

December 1st is the day that Aids is discussed and written about around the world. I found that the December 1 issue of The Times newspaper published in South Africa on International Aids Day had some interesting facts.

"More than 42,000 babies born in South Africa last year began life HIV-positive. A Medical Research Council study presented at the national Aids conference in June showed that the national mother-to-child HIV transmission rate was 3.5%. In 2008 the figure was 8.8%." So progress is being made. " Lead researcher Ameena Goga said that national average trasmission rate of 3.5% was based on HIV tests on babies up to eight weeks old. But if the study had been on 18 month old babies the trasnmission rate would have been 'likely to exceed 5% because of mixed feeding practices and shortages of prophylactic drugs.'"

"South Africa also has the most children under the age of 14 living with HIV in the world - 333,941. . . . UNAids reports that more than 29,000 South African children under 14 die from Aids every year."

So there is progress being made in the fight against HIV/Aids. But there is still a great deal of improvement to work toward. There is stigma in South Africa that prevents testing and early treatment. There are many new cases of HIV in all age groups. And there are some areas of the country where the Anti-Viral medications are difficult to obtain.

The St. Francis Care Center can now be proud of the fact that there have been no children at their Rainbow Cottage that have died of AIDS in the past three years.

Cecilia

A Day of Compliments

2011-11-28T04:21:00.001-08:00

This is Cecilia writing for Tim and Cecilia.

I was working at the Hospice this morning, collecting the breakfast dishes from patients in bed who are too sick to eat in the dining room. One patient told me that he was having many pains and wished a rub. I said that I would return when all the dishes were collected. The first time I returned he was making a dash for the bathroom to vomit after his food and medication. I returned later and following his directions, rubbed his back, his legs and feet, his neck, and finally his head.The last request was a bit unusual, but following his directives, I did rub the sides of his head. When he was satisfied, he said that "I will love you until you die". Now this seems an extreme compliment for a rub. But other people in South Africa had told me that they loved me on the first day we met, so I am thinking that it is just a cultural thing with people who know many languages but not much English. But I do think of it as a compliment.

The next compliment came from a woman also confined to bed. She is so thin that my fingers and thumb can reach around her upper arm as well as many places of her legs. She had me rub her back, her arms and her legs. Then she said "You gave me such a nice rub".

Then there were several patients who I rubbed and exercised because they have experienced strokes with paralysis. All of them have increasing motility since we began the exercises, which they and I can both rejoice about. This is another kind of a compliment.

That is all for today. But I am hoping to do more frequent blogs when things in my life seem to warrant a comment.

Cecilia

September - - the Marcy viewpoint from Africa

2011-09-16T05:01:00.000-07:00

A bit of news - - - a bit of reflection - - - a bit of hope

    We recently visited the internationally acclaimed Apartheid museum in Johannesburg. Through photos, interactive displays, film clips, two longer films, and hundreds of actual items and displays with aural or written descriptions, the visitor is taken on a journey of understanding of what apartheid did to this country. The basic principle behind apartheid is simple -- separate everything; cut a clean line through a nation to divide black from white and keep them divided. To help the visitor begin to understand what this entails, each person who purchases an admittance ticket is randomly assigned a color -- black or white -- and goes into the museum at the corresponding entrance where, for the first ten or fifteen minutes, he or she is cut off from those of the other color, and is exposed to different kinds and qualities of displays. After rejoining those of the other color, one learns about segregation, the history of myriad cultures, race classification, beginning of black consciousness, resistance and armed struggles, and peace negotiations. It’s a journey of tyranny and freedom, of tragedy and heroism, of chaos and peace. We had planned to spend a few hours, and ended up staying the entire day, leaving with a feeling of hope for the future.

    A few weeks ago we were visited by some U.S. military officers. When they came to the clinic, I (Tim) was impressed by the questions they asked. Hardly a week goes by when we don’t have visitors from some country or another, some governmental group, some organization, some special interest group, or just curious people -- and most ask the same questions; but this group (actually, three groups of six or seven each) asked good, probing questions with in-depth follow-up questions, and they welcomed and took time to discuss issues with us. A few days after they left I found out that they were 19 newly appointed generals and admirals. The U.S. embassy had organized this visit as part of their overview of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in action, and to deepen their understanding of the HIV/AIDS problem in South Africa.

    Cecilia and I have recently been given another responsibility: food pick-up. Much of the food that we eat here (patients, staff, Fr. Stan, Cecilia, and I) is donated. One of our bigger donors of both cash and food is a middle to upper-end department store chain called Woolworths. At the end of each day, their grocery department gathers together the food items that they consider unfit to sell to their clientele (opened packages, close dated, less than perfect fruits and vegetables, mistakenly overstocked items, etc.), and donates them to various charities. They have increased their offerings to us from two to three days per week, so on Friday and Sunday evenings we take the pick-up to their store (about 10 Km away) and pack their 6 to 16 cases of food into the truck, and deliver them to the centre’s kitchen where it is unloaded by the kitchen and security staff. As we’re allowed to (within reason) help ourselves to this largesse, our personal diet has broadened considerably.

    The current state of the African continent is not a pretty one. I would imagine that most of the world has heard of the famine in Somalia and Kenya, but there are other systemic problems in other African countries as well. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Africa as the second largest continent accounted for less than 1% of annual global capital flows, a decline from 4.5% in the early 1990s. At the same time the continent accounted for less than 2% of world trade, also down from earlier. Without South Africa, the rest of Africa’s share of world trade was just 1%. In a tri-dimensional measure of development (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), all except 13 of the 55 least developed countries are African.
    Can Africa escape its misery? Africa has enough resources to feed its own people. It has enough energy resources to supply its own needs for the foreseeable future. It has enough mineral resources to supply not only its own needs in most areas, but also excess to help other countries who are not so blessed. So what are the causes of Africa’s lack of development, or its uneven pattern of development? I’d like to suggest six primary causes.
1) The continent’s vast size and diversity are reflected in the regional distribution of human and natural resources; the lack of infrastructure retards the movement of resources from where they’re found to where they are needed. 2) The contrasting lifestyles of urban and rural environments makes it difficult to deal with development challenges. 3) International trade agreements entered into when most African countries were gaining their independence were biased more toward the benefit of the foreign countries (extraction of natural resources, cheap labor, mineral and land rights) than for the benefit of the African people. 4) Much of Africa’s wealth is concentrated in a few people. One common statistic bandied about and not much contested is that 95 to 98% of the continent’s wealth is held by a fraction of 1% of the people. 5) Corruption is rampant. Relatively uneducated people vote into power those who promise them most, but then those elected use the office to enrich themselves and their friends and relatives. 6) By-product of colonialism. In many ways the contemporary map of Africa remains a colonial map. This is reflected in the existing national boundaries, which bear little relation to natural divisions (mountains, rivers) or to indigenous concepts of space (ethnic areas, traditional kingdoms, and the like). South Sudan, which has just seceded from Sudan has become an exception to this. One consequence of this is that most people identify themselves primarily as their ethnic group rather than as a citizen of their country. Here in South Africa we have Zulus, Afrikaners, English, Swazis, Xhosas, Bantus, etc. (There are eleven official languages in South Africa.). It is difficult to get these different peoples to work together enthusiastically toward a statehood with which they don’t identify readily. But there is hope; progress is being made.

    I’d like to conclude this month’s blog with A LORD’S PRAYER FOR JUSTICE by Ronald Rolheiser.

    OUR FATHER . . . Who always stands with the weak, the powerless, the poor, the sick, the aged, the very young, the unborn, and those who by victim of circumstance, bear the heat of the day
    WHO ARE IN HEAVEN . . . Where everything will be reversed, where the first will be last and the last will be first, but where all will be well and every manner of being will be well
    HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME . . . may we always acknowledge your holiness, respecting that your ways are not our ways, your standards are not our standards. May the reverence we give your name pull us out of the selfishness that prevents us from seeing the pain of our neighbor
    YOUR KINGDOM COME . . . Help us to create a world where, beyond our own needs and hurts, we will do justice, love tenderly, and walk humbly with you and each other
    YOUR WILL BE DONE . . . Open our freedom to let you in so that the complete mutuality that characterizes your life might flow through our veins and thus the life that we help generate may radiate your equal love for all and your special love for the poor
    ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN . . . May the work of our hands, the temples and structures we build in this world, reflect the temple and structure of your glory so that the joy, graciousness, tenderness, and justice of heaven will show forth within all of our structures on earth
    GIVE . . . Life and love to us and help us to always see everything as gift. Help us to know that nothing comes to us by right and that we must give because we have been given to. Help us to realize that we must give to the poor, not because they need it, but because our own health depends upon our giving to them
    US . . . The truly plural us. Give not just to our own but to everyone, including those who are very different from the narrow us. Give your gifts to all of us equally.
    THIS DAY . . . Not tomorrow. Do not let us push things off into some indefinite future so that we can continue to live justified lives in the face of injustice because we can make good excuses for our inactivity
    OUR DAILY BREAD . . .so that each person in the world may have enough food, enough clean water, enough clean air, adequate health care, and sufficient access to education so as to have the sustenance for a healthy life. Teach us to give from our sustenance and not just from our surplus
    AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES . . . Forgive us our blindness towards our neighbor, our self-preoccupation, our racism, our sexism, and our incurable propensity to worry only about ourselves and our own. Forgive us our capacity to watch the evening news and do nothing about it
    AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US . . . Help us to forgive those who victimize us. Help us to mellow out in spirit, to not grow bitter with age, to forgive the imperfect parents and systems that wounded, cursed, and ignored us
    AND DO NOT PUT US TO THE TEST . . . Do not judge us only by whether we have fed the hungry, given clothing to the naked, visited the sick, or tried to mend the systems that victimized the poor. Spare us this test for none of us can stand before your gospel scrutiny. Give us, instead, more days to mend our ways, our selfishness, and our systems
    BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL . . . That is, from the blindness that lets us continue to participate in anonymous systems within which we need not see who gets less as we get more.
    AMEN

July Journey

2011-08-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is Cecilia writing the blog for Tim and Cecilia this month. I wish to write about “journey” as in “all life is a journey”.

But we did start July with our journey home from our retreat in Durban, South Africa. The trip was mostly on toll roads that were in good condition for safe driving. But about half an hour from home, Sister Margaret’s car broke down. She phoned another Sister who picked us up and drove us home and then went back to rescue Sister Margaret and her good old car.

Much of July was filled with strikes by various workers. The steel workers and the petrol delivery workers were some of the first to go on strike throughout South Africa. The strike actions that were shown on television had hundreds or thousands of people in the streets demonstrating. Most of the actions were non-violent. And many times there were people dancing in the protest. Both of those strikes have been settled after several weeks of negotiations.

Meanwhile our health care workers at the St. Francis Care Center also planned a strike for higher wages. There were threats of possible harm to people, so all the children in the Rainbow Cottage were sent to stay with temporary foster parents. And as many of the adult patients as possible were sent out. So the adult census went from about 35 to 16.

It was also decided that if the strike was finalized by the union, that Tim and I would move across the street to stay in the guest room of the friary so that we would not have to cross the picket line to get into the hospice. The union and the care workers decided not to strike, so we continued to live in the guest house. And the patients are gradually returning to the center.

Currently the miners of South Africa are striking. There are about 150,000 coal miners plus gold and diamond miners. These strikes are being negotiated and will probably be settled this week.

There is a certain tension that accompanies all of this strike action. And somehow it makes a person tired even when living just at the fringe of the events. Now Tim and I and Sister Dierdre are planning a one day journey to Pretoria to renew her passport and to explore the city.

Blog for July

2011-07-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Cecilia is writing again this month for Tim and Cecilia.

Tim and I just returned from a 8 day silent retreat. It was the longest time that I have been on a retreat. Perhaps that is true for Tim also. It was a directed retreat which was also new for me. We met individually once each day with a director who talked with us about how the day was going and gave us scripture readings to consider until the next day. There was Mass daily.

The setting of the retreat was fantastic. It was near Durban, South Africa, on the Indian Ocean. The house was on a bluff overlooking the ocean and it took about five minutes to walk to the public beach. I did walk there every day and used that setting for meditating. I was also fortunate to have a bedroom with a window on the ocean side, so I could watch the waves and hear the water noises day and night. Truly awesome!

Besides the beauty of the ocean, there were also gardens in the front and back yard of the retreat house. Sometimes there were visiting monkeys in the yards. But there was always the beauty of flowers since the temperature is warmer than Johannesburg even though it is winter now.

We returned to work on Monday, and it was great to be told by both patients and staff that we were missed while we were gone.

2011-06-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

This blog is being written by Cecilia. Tim and I are both well. Tim has been under stress as the clinic downsizes from 1200 clients to a target of 200 clients. And things are also rough because three key people left in the last 6 weeks: the head nurse of the clinic, the head social worker, and the psychologist who did liason work with the community, taught inservices, and was a very supportive person all around. There were also government inspectors at the clinic for more than a week as part of the transition of patients to government facilities. This added to the staff's stress. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

The hospice has not been as effected by the changes even though the hospice is part of the St. Francis Care Center. The every day work at the hospice has been only a little different. However the patients now need to be transported by their relatives to other clinics to get their medication to fight AIDS. Sometimes the relatives just don't come. So it does make the overall care less consistent than when the hospice staff could just accompany the hospice patient across the street to the St. Francis Clinic.

Now to a new topic. I have had questions in my own mind about why some things are like they are in South Africa. I read something in a church bulletin from a neighboring Franciscan parish that answered some questions I have had. So I thought that I would include this paragraph in today's blog. "Central to the evil inflicted by Apartheid was its denial of human dignity. Twenty years later we are still living with the consequences of that denial manifested in different ways, but particularly in the extreme violence of our country. Apartheid taught people of all races to surrender their awareness of the innate dignity to themselves and others. Of all the evils needing to be undone this seems to be the most difficult. It requires that we first radically change our self image, and see ourselves as created in love by God. Secondly it requires us to see all other people as also being created in love by God. To see ourselves and others as God see us; as human beings with the dignity that comes from being made in God's own image."

This quote answers my questions when I hear on the TV news that the average number of homicides in countries around the world is 7/100,000. And in South Africa it is 35/100,00 (I am presuming that this figure is per year, but I am not sure). And on TV we hear about the high number of police men killed while on duty as well as the much higher number of citizens killed by the police every year. And in our local weekly newspaper we read about a great deal of violence in our local area. There is violence in many forms of course. But at this time I am focusing on the criminal forces used by persons on another.

And on another topic, we are into winter weather here. Compared to the U.S. winters, especially in North Dakota, the weather is not very cold. But since many people live without any form of heat, when it is about freezing temperatures outside, it can also seem cold on the inside of the buildings.

I hope that all of you in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying great weather and long summer days.

Cecilia

THOUGHTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA

2011-04-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

South Africa as it is now is a new country; it’s been about nineteen years since the end of apartheid and the ratification of a new constitution. South Africans boast about having the best constitution in the world, and they may be right, at least theoretically. It was written with the realization that for South Africa to succeed as a country, it must truly be for all the people, and all must participate. In reality, existing problems preclude a quick transition into the free, productive, peaceful, commonweal-minded country that was envisioned. These problems include (but are not limited to) the following:
    1. As of March, 2011, South Africa has the greatest income disparity in the world;
        the rich are getting richer, and the poorest are getting poorer. In the last year ( I             believe), we went from having ten billionaires to twenty-four.
    2. There is rampant corruption at all levels of the government. It seems that most          people running for office do so to enrich themselves rather than serve the people.
        Here is a quote from the Minister of Transport as he unveiled a new national                traffic intervention unit of “super traffic cops:” “Road safety in South Africa is             essentially about eradicating deaths, crashes and bribery.”
    3. HIV/AIDS. Twenty to thirty per cent of all South Africans are now HIV +
    4. Unemployment -- now at 26%
    5. A bad public educational system, including more than 30,000 unqualified
        teachers, some of whom couldn’t read at a 4th grade level.
    6. A hangover of prejudices, biases, and ways of thinking from the time of white             supremacy and apartheid, not officially and overtly, but very real.
    7. A sense of tribalism that makes it hard for many to think of themselves as
        South African rather than Xhosa or Zulu or Venda, etc.
    8. A vast inequality of access to resources: water, fuel, electricity, sewers,                 government services, etc.

South Africa is a fairly large country. Someone told me that if you were to eliminate the 3 or 4 largest U.S states, and the 3 or 4 smallest U.S. states, and pick randomly nine states from the remaining states, their area would approximate the area of South Africa.. South Africa is composed of nine provinces (roughly equivalent to U.S. states). Their names are: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Northwest, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. The country is large enough to have some variety of climates. Winters are generally mild, while summers are hot in the low desert areas and nicely warm (70s and 80s F,) in the high country and coastal areas. I should add that within the outline of South Africa, there are two independent countries that are completely surrounded by South Africa: Swaziland and Lesotho.

South Africa has much natural beauty. It has mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, jungles, savannahs, deserts, plains, and two oceans. It has cities and suburbs, small towns and villages, farms and ranches, populated and unpopulated areas. It’s known for its large animals: elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos, buffalo, giraffes, kudus, and others, but it also has hundreds of species of other animals. It abounds in birds, flowers, and trees of all sorts. South Africans like to pride themselves as being the most “European” or “Western” country in all of Africa, and this may be true culturally in the cities, but within a one or two hour drive from anywhere in the country, you can find yourself completely away from “advanced culture,” perhaps among people living as they did 1000 years ago, or perhaps in a jungle without a hint or a sign of “civilization,” or perhaps on a savannah where all you can see are the grass, the trees, and the animals around you, and not another human being in sight.

We live in Gauteng province, in the high country. We came in July, in the middle of winter, and I never had to wear more than a sweater to work. Summer just ended for us, and I don’t think we had more than a day or two when the thermometer got up to ninety or more. We live in a semi-rural area, in the neighborhood of Everleigh, which is sort of a suburb of Boksburg, which is a suburb of Johannesburg. Gauteng is the smallest of
South Africa’s nine provinces, but it has more than 50% of the crime in all of South Africa. So far, we haven’t been victims of crime of any sort.

In a sense, crime is big business here. Most houses have all their windows and doors covered by ironwork --business for the ironworker. Most properties are ringed by high walls -- business for the mason. Most wall tops and gates are wired for electricity -- business for the electrician. Most homes (and businesses) have internal security systems -- business for people who install such systems. Many (perhaps, most) homes and businesses hire security services to respond to the internal security systems and to patrol the area -- BIG business for security services. Interestingly, I’ve been told by a number of people that the majority of people hired by the security services are ex-convicts.

Since we came here last July we (the clinic) lost phone service twice because thieves cut down and stole the phone lines along the street to sell for scrap copper. After the second time, the phone company refused to put up any more lines, so we had to go to wireless digital technology,   In the past week or so, there’s been a rash of manhole cover thefts; they’re worth about $ 250.00 each, but I don’t know how much the thieves get for them. Most car thefts are done by hi-jacking, and there are a lot of them. Most street hold-ups are for cell phones and the money people carry. Many of the crimes seem to reflect a kind of thinking that does not consider the good of the community as a whole.

There can also be humor in crime. Consider these excerpts from stories in the latest local newspaper. In a story headlined “Alleged bank robbers escape from prison,” a police spokesman said, “They allegedly dug through the wall of their cell and cut one of the window bars. They then made a rope using their sheets to climb over the wall and escape. We are still investigating how they managed to escape. We tried to hunt them down but failed to find them…It is the first time we have seen this kind of an escape in our prison…This is the third escape from this prison since January this year.”

I didn’t mean for this to be a “downer” kind of blog; I merely wanted to help all you who read this to get a better idea of what it’s like to live and work here. We’re happy and contented and fulfilled with the work we’re doing and the people we interact with. We invite you to be adventurous; come visit us and have a great experience.    T & C Marcy

Trust the "Reshaping"

2011-02-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Tim and I are blessed with many opportunities for prayer and reflection. Each week there is Sunday Mass in the big hall at the St. Francis Care Center. And on Thursdays and Fridays there is Mass at the Chapel at the Center. And the chapel is always open for private prayer and visits.

Yesterday Tim and I went to a day of recollection at the Cathedral in Johannesburg. The day was led by a Dominican Sister and was for caregivers of AIDS patients at various locations in the diocese. There were about 25 of us present.

The theme was Trust in God. There was a power point presentation, sharing among the large group, meeting in small groups with one or two others, meeting in groups of six, sharing the small group material with the large group, music at appropriate times throughout the day, and finally a meditative use of clay to be molded by each of us.

The theme of the day was coordinated with Sunday’s scripture readings with the theme that God will never forget us. So the theme of trust was emphasized with scripture and song and peoples’ shared experiences. The images were of God as Abba or Father. And we as the clay to be molded. And this much was not new for me.

But the idea that struck me was that God not only shaped us, but he reshapes us. And we must trust Him in this process. Wow! What if we have gotten used to how we are after many years of life? What if we take our abilities of thought, memory, decision making, personality, physical well-being, general functioning and skills for granted? What if the reshaping means that we have to accept many fewer gifts?

So as we age, the qualities that make up who we are will gradually change, likely they will diminish. But we need to trust God in this new, reshaped, person that we become? Scary? Is this where the “acceptance” comes in after the “denial”? And for the AIDS patients or anyone with a life threatening illness, this diminishing of abilites comes at all ages, some quite young.

Here are a couple of quotes that we were given and I am presently considering: “Your part is to trust God no matter what happens. God’s part is to take what happens and to turn it into something good.”

Another thought is “Thank God for what you have. Trust God for what you need.

I will be giving this thought: Trust God in the Reshaping in the weeks to come.

I hope that you have a good month of March.

Cecilia

2011-02-27T10:36:00.001-08:00

Cecilia's experience working at the hospice

2011-02-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

Tim has written the blog for the past couple of months. So we thought that I should share some of my thoughts and experiences. I have been working at the adult hospice of the St. Francis Care Center since early in December. My tasks have evolved a little in that time. But now I help with serving the breakfast, mid-morning tea, and the noon meal. Sometimes I help feed one of the patients.

But the majority of my time I have been massaging the patients feet and legs. There are several reasons why this is important and appreciated. The disease of AIDS can cause peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities which causes pain and poor circulation. Some of the strong medications given to combat AIDS also cause the same leg problems as a side effect. Then there are also many of the AIDS patients who also have tuberculosis. A number of these people have tuberculosis of the spine which causes them to be paralyzed from the waist down. And some of them are then having problems with contractions of the muscles in their legs. So the massage is useful for them.

There are two or three women who massage professionally that volunteer at the St. Francis Care Center one morning a week. So I have had the opportunity to observe and try to imitate some of their helpful work. And since I am there five mornings a week, I am able to give some relief to the patients on a more frequent schedule.

I value this opportunity to be of service in a manner that is helpful to others. I find that it is fitting my faith life at this time. I am grateful to be a part of the Franciscan Mission Service and to be working as a missioner.

Reflections at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 (Tim’s thoughts)

2011-01-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings, friends (or Sawubona, abangane, as we say in Zulu). Here I am a half a world away from relatives and old friends, from familiar places, from situations in which I am reasonably secure and comfortable, and from most of the comforts to which I had grown accustomed. I’m working with and for people of a vastly different culture, mostly the poor, the dying, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS, and in less than ideal circumstances, - - - and yet somehow I’m happy from morning to bedtime; I’m living in a quiet kind of joy each day the whole day long. This realization prompted the idea of finding out what made South Africans happy.

    So, I asked ten people (white, black, mixed, relatively rich, dirt poor, highly educated, poorly educated, professional workers, menial workers, young, old) the following question, “What makes you happy; what gives you joy?” Here are their answers. (shortened, but containing the essence)
    1) Sitting and talking with people.
    2) Having a job that I like doing, and being able to do it well.
    3) Being around people that I like and that care for me.
    4) Waking up alive each day feeling good (healthy).
    5) Serving other people; having a job that allows me to serve them.
    6) Having my family (children & grandchildren) close.
    7) Being close to God.
    8) Having everything I need. (?) You know, food, cosmetics, money
               to do whatever I want, and friends.
    9) Having time to do what I want instead of always working because
         I have to.
    10) When we get together for celebrations, with food, and music, and
         story-telling and talking.

    There’s nothing very profound here. Would people in the U.S. have similar answers? How would you answer? To me, these answers under-score our basic humanity; that despite our differences, our commonalities as human beings far outweigh those differences. Our cultural, religious, political, economic, racial, occupational, generational, and individual differences merely add spice and variety to the beings we call the children of God. We truly are all brothers and sisters.   Sala kahle. (Zulu: remain well)

December Blog

2010-12-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

      Yesterday we celebrated the World’s AIDS day here at St. Francis Care Centre and Clinic with hundreds of visitors who came to learn about HIV/AIDS, be in solidarity with our patients, support our staff, and celebrate the progress we’ve made in dealing with the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. There were educational and inspirational talks, tours, and questions and answer sessions during the day, and a special evening mass at 6:00 pm followed by a candle-light procession to (and prayers at) our St. Frances grotto. Then, because December 1st just happens to also be Fr. Stan’s birthday (he’s the founder and head of all that goes on here, and is known throughout South Africa as a leader in care for AIDS patients -- and is tickled and pleased that his birthday falls on world AIDS day each year), our day ended with a birthday celebratory “tea.” I don’t know how many volunteers contributed foodstuffs to this “tea,” but in addition to the obligatory birthday cake, there were about 20 different other “sweets,” four different meats, chips, some fruit, and to drink: tea coffee, wine, and soda.
   For those of us who stayed late enough to come to the party, the visiting, socializing, feasting, and general camaraderie served as an uplifting end to a worthwhile day.

   After working four months in the hospice (working intimately with 20 to 40 patients), Tim has been rotated this week to the outpatient clinic (2549 patients minus those who have died or transferred to other clinics). We may now see each patient only every two months.

   I (Tim) would like to give some personal reflections on our hospice work here. First, I am amazed at the results of the care we give with our meager resources. Latest statistics show that 46% of our patients are now getting well enough to leave us and live productive lives again -- likely the best record in South Africa.
   Second, some examples of meager resources: a) for two months, we did not even have a pair of scissors; we had to cut bandages or adhesive tape with a knife or our teeth or nails, b) we have only one small, cheap nail clipper which just can’t cut the tough toenails of some of the patients, c) our one sphygmomanometer has broken twice -- for more than a week each time, we couldn’t take blood pressures, d) we continually run out of adhesive bandages, gowns, rubber gloves -- and must borrow from the children’s cottage or the clinic, e) there’s very little recreational equipment for the patients -- no books, some old magazines, no playing cards, 15 jig-saw puzzles (only 4 of which have all the pieces), no board games except monopoly which no one wants to play, no bingo cards, etc.
   Third, we have food shortages. We grow our own spinach, cabbage, onions, beets, and some carrots, beans, and corn. Much of the rest of the food is donated by large grocery stores, so we eat a lot of close-dated foods, or foods just a bit past their expiration date, or slow-moving foods (food that “regular” people don’t want to buy. We have good cooks who make the most of what they have to work with: left-overs from one meal can be transformed into stew, left-over stew into soup, left-over soup into gravy; but they feed not only the patients, but the staff and full-time volunteers who far outnumber the patients. Ceil and I get tired of eating rice and gravy or corn meal and spinach, or chicken hearts and cabbage, and so about 20% of the time we skip a meal.
   Fourth, the working staff (non-administrative) are underpaid. The average ward worker makes the equivalent of about U.S. $ 300.00 / month, while living expenses are similar to the U.S.

   How do we get the results that we do? I attribute it to two factors. First, the workers and volunteers are here because they care; they want to be here, and they want to be part of something they can be proud of -- and they’re willing to make sacrifices to do so. Second, the general atmosphere of the hospice is that of family. The patients, the staff, the volunteers see themselves more as members of a large family than as a patient or as a ward worker or as a cook or as a volunteer. We’re all in this situation together; we laugh together, we mourn together, we work together, we play together; we care for and love one another. We share the African idea of unbunto -- of caring, sharing, and loving those around us.

CHURCH MUSIC

2010-10-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

In September Tim was asked to give a presentation for an all night vigil program which is held once a year for choirs in the area of the St. Francis Care Center. The Sunday before the event, all of those at Mass at the Care Center were also invited to attend.

The vigil was scheduled to start at 7 P.M. on Saturday, October 9, 2010, so Tim and I arrived at the hall about half an hour early. There were six people practicing singing in this hall that can hold over 400 people. Without any amplification they sounded like a full choir of beautiful voices in four part harmony. It was amazing.

Gradually more choir members came and the sound grew. Eventually there were at least two adult choirs and a youth choir. The only instruments for accompaniment were bongo drums of various sizes and a soft organ. All of the singing was in Zulu.

The Mass started about 8 P.M. and of course the music was great. After Mass there was a break during which there was the first rain storm in many months. After the break there was an inspirational talk by Sister Connie. More singing followed this and then Tim gave his Bible Study presentation. Tim and I left then during the break that followed. On the program for the remainder of the night was the Rosary, 3 hours of Spiritual Revival/Faith Sharing (probably all in Zulu), and from 4 A.M. to 10 A.M. praying was scheduled.

The Sunday Mass was celebrated at 10 A.M. with all the choirs in attendance. There has always been great music at the Sunday Masses since we have been in South Africa. But this Sunday's music with all the choirs from the Vigil was incredibly beautiful.

During the normal Sunday Mass every week there are three groups that lead the singing. One is a group of singers and drummers and an organist from Malawi. Another group also sings in an African language. The third group sings in English. There are 17 times that there is song during the Mass, and the groups take turns preparing and singing for these hymns by a pre-planned schedule. Most of the congregation joins in with voice, clapping, and body swaying. I have been asked to chose, post, and begin the English songs on October 31 since the usual leader of English songs will be out of town.

The Our Father that is sometimes sung is set to the tune of Kum-Ba-Ya. This may be a common adaptation known to many of you. But I will include it in case it may be useful to some.

OUR FATHER (KUM-BA-YA)
Father God in Heaven, Lord most high,
Hear your children's prayer, Lord most high
Hallowed be Thy name, Lord most high,
O Lord, hear our prayer

May your Kingdom come, here on earth,
May your will be done, here on earth,
As it is in heaven so on earth,
O Lord, hear our prayer.

Give us daily bread, day by day,
And forgive our sins, day by day,
As we too forgive, day by day,
O Lord, hear our prayer.

Lead us in your way, make us strong,
When temptations comes, make us strong,
Save us from all sin, keep us strong,
O Lord, hear our prayer.

PAUSE:

All things come from you, all are yours,
Kingdom, Glory, Power, all are yours,
Take our live and gifts, all are yours,
O Lord, hear our prayer.

______________________________________

Tim and I wish you well. We encourage you to respond to our blog.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN FMS MISSIONER AT ST. FRANCIS CARE CENTRE

2010-10-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

First, a bit of physical background. Our workplaces consist of two five-acre walled and gated compounds in what was until recently, a rural area.

    The first compound contains:
    1) St. Francis Guest House, the original old farmhouse, where long-term volunteers and other guests live.
    2) House of Mercy, an inpatient treatment center for drug & alcohol addiction.
    3) Outpatient clinic and two satellites (where Cecilia works).
    4) a sheep pasture for twenty or so sheep that we keep.
    5) a large recreational field for soccer, volleyball, etc.
    6) a house for some staff people.

    The second compound houses the following:
    1) St. Francis Care Centre (the hospice where Tim works) which consists of two wings with a roofed patio between them; maximum capacity = about 50 patients.
    2) Rainbow Cottage for children with HIV/AIDS (about half), or orphaned by AIDS; maximum bed capacity = about 25.
    3) about thirty other buildings (administration, chapel, chaplain’s office, laundry, morgue, large community room (@ 350-400 capacity), nursery school, training room, handyman’s office and shop, etc.
    4) three playgrounds, open grassy areas, many flower beds, three fruit and vegetable gardens, and a large pasture for 3 donkeys, many rabbits, and many geese.

Second, a bit of background about the patients. Technically, we are a hospice offering palliative care for patients who are terminally ill. In reality, we do much more. We serve about 300 to 500 patients per year, giving them full medical, physical, emotional, and spiritual care until they leave, either through death (166 last year), becoming healthy and strong enough to live out a relatively normal life (106 last year), or because they either develop conditions which we don’t have the capability to treat, or they decide to leave for personal reasons (35 last year). All of our patients have HIV/AIDS, and most of them have other diseases or infirmities. The majority have TB, and most who die here do so because of TB or related disease. Our youngest patient was 14, and the oldest was 84.

A (more or less) TYPICAL DAY IN MY DAY

    7:00 a.m. Arise from our suite in the guest house, eat, say morning prayer, and walk the quarter mile to the hospice -- a nice walk with sheep on both sides, palm and fir and deciduous trees, many flowers, and nice grassy areas.
    8:00 a.m. Say “good morning” to each patient individually, and to each staff member, and help collect breakfast trays from bedridden patients and return them to the kitchen. Read night shift’s “patient’s report” and/or make rounds with doctor and nurse.
Pass meds, treat sores, change bandages. Help patients to move outside: help them dress, change “nappies,” lift from bed to wheelchairs, “drive” wheelchairs to outside place of patient’s choice,
    9:00 a.m. Tea time. Prepare and serve tea and sandwiches (egg, tuna, peanut butter, jelly), and partake thereof myself.
    9:30 a.m. Make beds, give massages, cut nails, and (some days) prepare for mass and help move patients and children from rainbow cottage to chapel.
          10:00 a.m. Mass (some days) or personal time with patients (individually or in small informal groups): talking, praying, playing games, doing crafts, etc.
          11:30 a.m. Lunchtime. Serve patients, clean up, and eat lunch myself.
             1:00 p.m. Personal time with patients: visit, sit with dying, walk with some.
    2:30 p.m. Begin to move some patients inside and into beds.
    3:00 p.m. Tea time. Help prepare and serve tea and snacks (cheese crackers, bread and jelly, cookies, biscuits, candy -- whatever is available).
    3:45 p.m. Say individual “good-bye” to each patient and staff person.
    4:00 p.m. Leave. Perhaps walk to store and buy some food. Walk home,

    8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Do miscellaneous jobs as needed: charting, intakes of new patients (5-page examination and interview), prepare dead bodies and take to morgue, check oxygen or IV, change position every 2 hours of bedridden patients, prepare electrolyte solutions, clean patients’ cups and water jugs, fill water jugs, etc.

    6:00 p.m. Supper time at home.
    7:00 p.m. Watch evening news.
    7:30 p.m. Personal time: Read, study, prepare class or homily, talk with Cecilia and/or other residents of the guest house, E-mail, evening prayer, etc.
          11:00 p.m. Bedtime.

A Day in the Life . . .

2010-10-17T08:43:00.001-07:00

A Day in the Life

2010-10-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Spring message

2010-09-04T00:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I tried to send both pictures and a written message. The pictures made it to the blog, but I couldn't get the message from my document page to the blog. So now I will try to tell you what the pictures are all about.

September 1 is Spring Day in South Africa. The weather has warmed into the 40's at night and into the 70's or 80's in the daytime. The trees have leafed out, the flowers are blooming, and it is really pretty. Tim likes to watch the African Daisies that are just outside the St. Francis Care Center where he works with the adult hospice patients every day. Tim enjoys watching the flowers that have closed up at night open their petals in a variety of colors each day.

I have been working in the St. Francis Clinic, which is a walk-in clinic for HIV/AIDS patients. I have been doing the office work, especially with the paper records. There are currently two volunteer seminarians doing this job, but they are returning to their studies soon, so I am being trained into the job.

There is also a live-in place for the children to age eight. It is called the Rainbow Center for Children, and there are pictures of the building and some of the outdoor play equipment among the blog pictures.

Tim and I both have ideas for future blogs, and perhaps Tim will be writing the next blog for us.

2010-09-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

2010-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

2010-09-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

St. Francis Clinic

2010-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Tim in front of St. Francis Care Center

2010-09-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Spring Day

2010-09-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

2010-08-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

2010-08-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

An image from the Regina Mundi church in Soweto.

Kim, Tim and Sr. Connie inside Regina Mundi, where Apartheid organizing took place

We've Arrived in South Africa

2010-08-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, July 27th we departed from Chicago for Johannesburg, South Africa and arrived on Thursday, July 29th, after nearly a day stop over in London. If you are wondering, of course we did not stay in the airport. We ventured out into London for the day (but sadly took no photos to share).

It is our third week here; we are slowly getting to know our jobs at the St. Francis Care Center and the St. Francis Clinic (more to come on that later). We received a visit from Kim Smolik -- a photo from our day long tour of Soweto with Sr. Connie (a sister of Mercy) is below. Sr. Connie is a native of Soweto.

We look forward to sharing more about our work and our adventures soon.

Enroute to South Africa!

2010-07-29T07:29:00.001-07:00

On July 27, 2010 we began our journey from the U.S. to South Africa. We are excited and happy to be starting our new mission assignment at a Franciscan mission center in Johannesburg.

But now a little background information about us. We both were born, attended schools, and were married while living in Chicago, Illinois. We moved to North Dakota in 1971 and raised our five children there. Tim was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, ND in 1979. We started short-term overseas missions in 2000.

In 2003 we participated in the 12 week Franciscan Mission Service (FMS) training program for overseas missioners. As members of FMS we went to Bolivia, South America on mission for three years from 2004 to 2006.

Since returning from Bolivia we have reconnected with family and friends. Tim has been involved in diaconate activities at the parish level. And we have both done local volunteer work. But we felt called to a second 3 year committment overseas with the Franciscan Mission Service.

We participated in some re-training for mission before and after Tim's prostate cancer surgery. Now that Tim has completed his cancer treatments, we are preparing to leave for mission.

When we are living in South Africa we will keep updates on this blog as we experience our new life in the Franciscan mission. The web page for that mission at which we will be living and working is: www.st-anthonyscentre.co.za/st%20francis.html.