This past week for ministry, I had the privilege to work at a camp that hosted six kiddos diagnosed with cerebral palsy and their mothers. I cannot tell you how excited I got after hearing that we would be working with this camp, as working with kids with special needs is where my passion lies professionally as a physical therapist.
The camp is hosted by a non-profit organization called “Timion” which is Greek for “precious” because they believe that “every child is wonderfully created and loved by God.” This organization was started by an orthotist and physiotherapist husband-wife duo who had the desire to improve services and equipment provided to children with cerebral palsy in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. They wish to “enable children with disabilities to live life to the full” by building and providing standing frames, corner chairs, benches, and transport chairs free of charge to these kiddos. The hope is that through this process, the staff would also be able to establish relationships with their families which would open doors for a conversation about Jesus and God’s love to take place. It’s an amazing organization, staffed with wonderful and faithful people who love God and love people, so incredibly well.
At camp, my role was to help take care of the kids while their moms were in informational sessions on a variety of topics including: what cerebral palsy is and how it can present differently in each child; proper feeding techniques and nutrition; proper positioning techniques; and education on stretching and manual massage to promote relaxation in tight muscles. Then in the afternoons, the moms would put into practice what they learned that morning with their kids while we helped as an extra pair of hands. We also started each morning off with a time of worship with the families and then prayed over each child and had a worship night in the middle of the week.
In the mornings with the kids, we made paintings, fitted equipment, went to the beach, played parachute and did many other silly things to keep the kids amused for three hours. I loved getting know each kid and spending time learning about their personality and their presentation of cerebral palsy.
Most of the moms had very little knowledge about the diagnosis given to their child and on our final day comments like “now I feel like I can be a real mother” and “now I have hope” were made, filling our eyes with tears and hearts with gratefulness as we were humbled by the fact that God ordained for our paths to meet and for lives to be changed this week. Many of the women strengthened their faith this week. Prior to camp, some had felt forgotten, rejected or even punished by God because their child was born with special needs. These women who seemed to be hard soil on the first day of camp had their hearts softened by the Lord. They were able to build a community amongst themselves that can provide support for one another moving forward and allowed them to be themselves mid-way through the camp as the brought in their own worship songs. We sang songs in different languages including English, Xhosa, Zulu and Afrikaans, which brings me to the title of this blog post “Noyana Phezulu” which means “Are you going to heaven?” in Zulu. The moms worshiped and praised through this song many times at camp and it was beautiful every single time and has quickly become a favorite of mine. Listen to the song in the video attached!
The week was incredible for me personally and professionally. I learned a lot about South Africa’s health care system, I learned more about cerebral palsy and different presentations of it, and I learned how to love kids who have CP and their families better than ever before. I got to see the moms laughing together as they experienced the beach for the first time and I got to feel the hope that they exuded on the last day of camp.
I also got to hang out with six really cool kids…
Siyabonga
Maker of the funniest noises and silliest faces
Eldine
A burst of energy and giggles
Mihlali
An independent and sweet child
Shivonne
A smart and beautiful little girl
Nombulelo
A bringer of joy, laughter & life
Chrisinta
A curious and clever teddy bear
