October Update

Phillip (otherwise known as Mfundisi or pastor) opened the Wellness Day in the customary way with a gospel song and a prayer. He then shared a devotion with those sitting in the room about God's faithfulness and steadfastness, even amidst illness or countless other difficult circumstances. Thembalethu held its fourth Wellness Day, the first the I was able to be part of.

We started Wellness Days in response to the increasing numbers of patients and orphaned and vulnerable children who are under our care - with the desire to be able to better provide them with care beyond what our home-based caregivers can offer - a nurse for unresolved or unexplained medical problems, a social (auxillary) worker for complicated social/familial/emotional situations, and a Zulu pastor for sharing God's hope and comfort in the midst of illness and difficulty. Our home-based caregivers bring their patients for our weekly Wellness Days when they see that their problems are beyond their knowledge, experience or training. Jules (the American nurse volunteering with us), Xoli (now a social worker auxiliary) and Phillip (Zulu pastor) all meet together and the clients able to come to see us (ie, not bedridden patients) can come for more professional help. We can see up to 12 or 18 patients in a few hours this way instead of trudging up mountainsides and getting stuck in the mud going from house to house to see people mobile enough to come to us. We are working to get the caregivers to really identify patients who are too sick to come to us so that we can continue to prioritize their care at home.

One of the recent touching cases we saw recently at a Wellness Day was a HIV positive patient in her early 40s who was suffering from Parkinson's Disease which had never been explained to her or her family and her poor mother wondering why her daughter was getting progressively worse. Jules was able to explain the diagnosis and disease to the mother and daughter who, though saddened by the news, were relieved to find resolution to all their questions. Another patient was a sickly skin-and-bones 11 year old boy who had been on TB treatment for nearly one year - but incorrectly. He walked with a cane and assistance to sit and go up stairs. We used our referral system to get him readmitted to hospital where they corrected the treatment error and are looking at the likely possibility of drug-resistant TB.

A girl smiles while eating her lunch at
Thembalethu's OVC soup kitchen.

At Thembalethu, things are going well. I have been busy A LOT in the administration of things lately, trying to catch up on many different things that got behind while I was gone. But this week, Xoli was away at a training so I took over the delivery of food parcels to some of our orphaned and vulnerable children. Some of the cases were heartbreaking - families headed by 16 year olds without any support or income or food, and wearing rags five sizes too small for them. I am very glad to hear that our caregivers continue seeking out really needy cases to love, support and make a difference in their lives and for the increasing resources we have to share with them. It has been really encouraging since I returned from the US to see that the local church-unity group has launched community worker encouragement/support as one of their new priorities. It is great to sit down with others in the area who are also involved in sharing God's love, according to their gifts, with those in need in the community. On Friday we met with a guy from YWAM Pretoria about some of our struggles and joys of being God's hands and feet in the community. I am very much looking forward to taking part in various mission and worldview workshops held by YWAM in the next couple months to help me better understand how similar and different my Western context is from the lives of the Zulus with whom I work.

It's nearly the end of October already, and I can't grasp how the time has flown since we returned from the US six weeks ago. We hit the ground running - getting ourselves moved to Winterton and then settled into our new house, getting a grasp on things at Thembalethu and for Eugene his new renewable energy business, and trying to find our place in the Winterton community again. Lots of changes and adjustments for us in these past few weeks.

We are now living in a 60 year old thatch-roofed mud-walled cottage on a dairy farm. When the cows are grazing in the pasture in front of us, all 620-something of them can really make a noise - and even when they're not bellowing, the sound of so many chewing grass is really remarkable! Joshua's favorite word has become "cow, cow" now, or alternatively "kandakanda" (Zulu for tractor). He has really settled in well here. He's such an adaptable, easy little guy - we are so blessed! We started potty training, decided he wasn't ready yet, and now are back into it again as he's started to take initiative himself. He seems to be a very quick learner as we have had very few accidents in the last couple of days. (Thank goodness for cement floors!) Very exciting not to have to do diapers so much any more!

Eugene's business is coming along, slowly as they do at the beginning. But we are trusting God that all his hard work and connections will turn into some sales as time goes on.

It was so great to be able to connect with so many of you this summer after so long away. Thank you for all your hospitality, generosity and all your prayers. Please keep them coming! We would also love to hear the latest from you - please let us know how you are doing.

May the rain of God's blessing shower down on you today.

Betsy, Eugene & Joshua Meyer


Prayer Requests:

• Thanks for God's provision of a lovely cottage at just the right time, and the right price.  

• Thanks for the ability to spend three months in the US - the chance to spend time and reconnect with family and friends and supporters. It was really precious to be able to introduce Joshua to my family, and to spend time with my nephews, and for Eugene to get to know everyone better. 

Joshua was 'smothered' by the
love of two cousins.

• Thanks for the renewed generosity and support of so many old and new friends over the past few months. We are tremendously blessed to have such lovely people behind us!

• Healing for Roy, our peace corps volunteer who has now left us to recover after an illness.

• Wisdom for how to help Mpume Hadebe, who I have known since I arrived in South Africa in 2004. She is now 13 years old, ran away from the orphanage where we moved to four years ago after being repeatedly sexually abused by an older boy where she was previously living. She has an addiction to boys now, and her granny isn't able to keep her away from trouble either. She will have to repeat the 9th grade since she's dropped out and moved and needs a strong, loving place to live. Pray that God will really do a miracle in her life - fill all her needs and give her hope for her future.

• Wisdom and provision for Eugene in his business as he's increasing his contacts and the word is starting to spread in this area. Provision for us as a family as we live without his monthly salary we have been so accustomed to.