3 Months Done and Dusted.

Nelson Mandela once said, 

“"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find ways in which you yourself have altered."“

Today I shall be stepping on a plane and tomorrow I will be back home. I am not home yet, but I can already tell that I have been altered by my trip to South Africa.

Physically I am returning different. 

I am returning 5kgs lighter. I am returning with a horrible tongue infection (my tongue is covered in a thick yellow and white puss coating. Its really gross). I am returning with what I think is a broken toe. I am returning with more things in my suitcase and less money in my pocket. 

But I think the biggest change has been mental. 

Here in South Africa, I have seen just how broken the world is. I have been caring for kids who have been abandoned by there parents. Left in a field, flushed down a toilet, abandoned in a hospital. Often because these babies have been conceived as a result of a rape. Babies, who even before the age of 1 have experienced abuse I didn't think was even possible. Toddlers with sever psychological scaring and who are experiencing post traumatic stress.

I have heard about little ones who have lived short painful lives. Babies who have died before there first birthdays. About children who have been refused medical treatment at hospitals because they don't have parents. Or because they have HIV. 

I have met people who have shocking living conditions. Who frequently go hungry at night. Who's loved ones have died from starvation. People who worry about thunder storms, not because its scary, but because the tin/cardboard over there heads wont last another storm. 

I have sat with a women as she has labored for 5 hours, knowing that at the end of the labour she would have to give up the baby. Not because she wanted to but because she was unable to take care of it. Because she was living so much in poverty that she couldn't care for the baby. Because she wanted the little one to have a better life, and not be starving each night.

I have seen things here and my heart breaks for the horrible state of the world. The way sin has taken over and corrupted the world.

Before I came to TLC I was praying that I would be able to raise money to help them keep doing the great work they where doing. But when I got here, even though TLC does an amazing job with the kids, I came to realise that the kids needed a family. A mum and dad to call there own.

So I started praying for families for the kids. That each child here would be adopted. But I came to realise that when one child left another child came. And that there where many children yet to come. And that forever families didn't fix the trauma and abuse which had happened to the children before they came. Or the poverty that many of there biological parents are in. Or the horrible sins which are going on around them. They needed more. We all need more.

I have come to realise that there is no way I can fix the problems in this world. No one can. Sin is so potent. 

I have started praying for Jesus to return. At first I was a bit freaked out praying it. There are so many things I really want to do in this life, why would I pray for something which would end this life. But being here my heart has been breaking for the state of this world. And I have come to realise that there is only one thing which can fix it, and that is Jesus. This world is to far gone. Sin is to embedded. We need a new world. We need our Saviour to come back. 

So I am going to end the last post on my blog with the same last words of the bible.

Come Lord Jesus. 

Final Days

My final days here in South Africa have been very exciting!! 

I was lucky enough to have the whole weekend off!! (A total luxury, I haven't had a weekend off in 3 months!). 

On Saturday I took our beautiful 6 year old girl who has cerebella palsy to the Zoo. It was so fun, we both had a blast! The Zoo here is so lovely! We saw all the animals which was very exciting for Miss 6 years old because she adores animals! Except monkeys, she is scared stiff of monkeys (which was very entertaining for me!).

On Sunday I was lucky enough to go to Church! I went with one of the other volunteers here, and it was really awesome! It was a full on African church, they sang songs in Zooloo, did African Drumming and African dancing. It was so fun!

On Monday, two of the other volunteers and I took all the creepies to the Zoo! (it was a Zoo kind of week!). It was SO much fun, the kids LOVED it! For most of them it was the first time they had been to the zoo. They where so fascinated by the animals!  We had 2 strollers, and 3 kids squashed into each stroller, which was fun and got us lots of odd looks! At the end of the day the kids where so tired they fell asleep, on top of each other, in the strollers! They didnt minds, they where in such good moods from the outing!

Finally, Wednesday was my day off to pack and things like that. But instead I went with two of the other girls to Soweto to do a bicycle tour! Soweto is one of the most famous townships in South Africa, its where Nelson Mandela lived for a large portion of his life. I felt like I got a true African tourist experience! We got to dress up in traditional clothing, we had our face painted, we unknowingly ate cow tongues, danced with African dancers and saw all around Soweto. 

I found it really interesting seeing the different class levels in the town. From the lower class shacks and slums to the upper class restaurants. It was such a fun day! The other girls and I had a blast! 

It was also such a fun week! I haven't had a week with this much adventure and outings in so long. Usually it is rare for me to have left TLC’s premises during the week. It was so exciting and such a treat!

Money well spent

Before I left for South Africa I through a fundraiser to raise some money for TLC. The money so far has been spent on essential kid things, including nappies, food, baby wipes, baby cereal, nappy cream, formular and kids furniture. 

It has been great, the money has gone so far. It has supplied the entire nursery of these things for the 3 months that I have been here. Around 1/3 of the money has been spent.

There is a beautiful little girl here at TLC who has stolen my heart. She is much older than all of the other children in the nursery, but is still here because she has a condition which means she is unable to walk or talk and has very little movement in her arms. She is extremely clever and extremely loving. Even though she is unable to walk or talk she is still an active little girl. She crawls around and utilized all the movement she is able to do. 

Every so often she needs a vital surgery to help her maintain this movement that she has. However the surgery needs to be paid for up front and is rather expensive. In fact it is exactly (down pretty much to the nearest dollar) the amount of fundraiser money I have left. 

After pray, I have decided to put the rest of the money towards this little girls procedure. I think it is an extremely valuable thing for her, and therefore an extremely valuable way to spend the money. 

I would be more than happy to chat more to anyone who generously gave money. 

Adoption

In the last few weeks 3 of the children here have gone to forever families. They have been adopted or fostered by both local and overseas families and have gone to live with them forever. 

It is possibly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

The love these parents have for these children, even though they have never met them before is crazy. And the way the children respond to the love the parents give them is amazing. 

Before I started my teaching degree I was studying to be a midwife, and during that time I saw many many births. Labour is hard, but the moment the baby is out and in the arms of the mother is a once in a life moment. There is so much joy and love. Its one of the happiest moments I can think of. 

The day when the adoption parents meet there child to be, I believe, is just as great as the moments after birth. Except with adoption, the moment is even greater, because the child is in such need of a family.

Being here in Africa I have come to realise just how many children need adoption. TLC is absolutely fantastic for the kids, don't get me wrong, but they need more. They need a family. Someone to call a mum, and/or someone to call a dad. 

Here at TLC there are 45+ kids waiting to be adopted. If you walk 10 minutes down the road there is another children's home with 60+ children waiting to be adopted. There are so many children's homes and orphanages in the area, and this is just a very small part of Africa. Some of the children here will never be adopted. They will spend there childhood waiting.

Why then is it that we hardly even consider adoption in Australia. Why is it always thought of as “a last resort”, if you cant have kids naturally. Being here at TLC I have come to realise that the availability and attitude toward adoption really needs to change.

Adoption in Australia is ridiculously hard to do and ridiculously expensive. But there are ways. 

During my time here, I have met 2 amazing single Godly women who have moved to South Africa just to adopt little ones with medical conditions which has cause them to be considered “un-adoptable”. When you come to South Africa with a working visa you can adopt much easier and cheaper (nearly 1 tenth of what it cost to do an international adoption.) Its a big sacrifice, but I really cannot think of anything more selfless. These kids now have a family, a home and a mother fighting hard for them. 

I have no idea where my life will take me, if I will spend the rest of my life in Australia, if I will have kids. But being here in South Africa has challenged me to think of adoption as something which isn't just a last resort. And I hope you might be challenged as well.

The Scrapbooking Room

Here at TLC there is a little room called the scrapbooking room. Its full of scrapbooking equipment, paper, stickers glue and photos. Here the memories we make with the children can be scrapbooked, so when they are older and, God willing, have forever families they will be able to have a record of their childhood.

We scrapbook lots of things for them. Like there first steps, bath time, birthdays, special outings, their first tastes of solid food. 

I love it because I feel like its something that makes TLC different from other childrens homes/orphanages. It acknowledges that each child’s life is unique and worthy of documenting. It makes it a family environment rather than an institution.

I have been spending quiet a bit of time in here over the past few weeks, documenting my time with the kids. My hope is that when they are older they will be able to see how much they where loved.

Last Days

My days at TLC are coming to a close. On the 29th, I shall be back home.

I am having real mixed feelings about it.

On one hand I am so excited to be home. I cant wait! I cant wait to see my family and friends. I cant wait to sleep in my own bed. I cant wait to cook my own food again. I am excited to be going back to Uni. I am excited to not have to wake up at 5am each morning. I am excited to have more down time.

On the other hand there are things which will make it hard to go. This place has quickly become my home over the last 3 months. I have made friends who will be hard to leave. And most of all, its going to be hard to leave the kids. 

The truth is, I will probably never see most of the kids again. God willing, they will be quickly adopted which means they could be anywhere on the globe. And if they are not adopted, I am not sure if I will be able to come back to TLC any time soon. 

So it is going to be really hard saying goodbye forever to 36 beautiful children who feel like my own kids. 

Joy

So before I left for Africa, a group of people and I made a bunch of toys for the kids here. Beautiful handmade toys. For a number of reasons I changed my mind about who to give the toys to. I found a group of kids who where even more in need of these toys then the kids here at TLC.

There is a lovely lady who has started an amazing daycare at the slum right next to TLC. She opened it so the children would be able to get some form of education and so they where able to have some form of supervision during the day. 

Its nothing special. They have 2 tin sheds (one pictured below), which they use when it is wet, although there are lots of holes in the roof. They spend most of the day outside playing in the dirt.They have an open fire where they can cook food for the kids, food which the kids are extremely grateful for, as sometimes it can be there only meals of the day. 

I went down there for a few hours to play with the kids and give them the toys. 

I feel like a picture speaks a thousand words, so here are a few pictures.

Thank you to all the people who made toys. They kids appreciated them so much. The joy on there faces was amazing. 

Also thanks to those who donated money. At the moment the daycare does not have enough blankets for all the kids during 

No Power

The last few days there has been no electricity here at TLC. I’m not sure why, its just been like that. No electricity means no running water, no lights, no mobile phone, no internet, no  fridge, no stove, no toilet.. 

Its been really interesting learning to live without things which I have defiantly been taking for granted. So many people around the world live without electricity. The 1500 people in the slum right next to me at the moment live without electricity.

Its been a really humbling experience.