One of the most impactful things I have done in Jeffrey’s Bay is volunteer at a clinic for mom’s and their babies. I have had the gift of meeting and observing 7 strong, powerful, sacrificial women who run this clinic. They are one of the only places in the Easter Cape that does what they do- offer ultrasounds, vaccines, anti-retrovirus (medication needed for HIV+), educational classes, counseling, and well checks at no cost to the patients who cannot pay.
Two weeks ago, I sat in one of the clinic rooms with Lynette. Lynette is one of the kindest, most honest, warm, and wise women I think I have ever met. She’s funny too. So, I am sitting on a chair, in the corner, and she is speaking Afrikaans, giving vaccines and vitamins, inspecting babies and c-section incisions, and loving each mom and baby with her whole heart from the second they walk in her door. All I can think is “what the heck am I here for?” because, aside from holding the occasional baby while mom couldn’t, I felt pretty useless. I kept wondering, “Surely I could go weigh the babies or take blood pressures or something, anything to make me feel purposeful?!”
There I was, in a room with a mom who was waiting to find out about her baby’s HIV test- because even though she had taken her meds and followed the rules, there was still a chance that she had passed the virus to her child. Or I was holding a mom’s baby for 10 minutes while she worried about where their next meal would come from, or how she was going to find a job. Or, a 17 year old mom was asking questions about how to breastfeed the baby and go back to school and go to work and sleep/shower/eat. And I just kept thinking about myself, and my feelings, and why was I here.
About 3 days of this went on, and then I got really sick and slept for 12 hours and missed a day at the clinic and had some time to do some reflecting. The first thing I realized, is that I am really selfish. The second thing I realized (or maybe just was reminded of) is that God is in everything; He is in the ministry day that seems bleak to me, He is in the conversations with my racers that I don’t even know has impact on them, He is listening to every prayer that I whisper through out the day, He is in every unexpected twist and turn of my plans that aren’t as good as His plans, and He is good- always, always, always.
I spent the weekend recuperating, and headed back to the clinic on a Monday. I know that I was feeling much more like myself because I wasn’t sick anymore, but I also know that God used that time to refresh not just my immune system, but my mind and heart, to set my focus on Him. I walked into the clinic and believed that I was there for a reason, and for the next week, Lynette taught me tons about pregnancy and babies, and I was awed by God’s handiwork as 5 pound, perfect little babies wrapped their unbelievably strong fingers around mine. We laughed and shared stories between patients, and she oozed wisdom about life, love, marriage, work, kids, and being obedient to God in all of it and I couldn’t get enough!
This morning, when I dropped by to say thanks for having me and goodbye to these incredible women, Lynette taught me the word ‘ongeluk’ which mean accident in Afrikaans. She explained that maybe I had a thousand different thoughts about why I were here, and maybe none of those were the actual reason that I was here, but know that nothing happens per ongeluk. You were here for a reason, and you brought life to our clinic this week.
That is enough. If others can see life in me, I can trust that He is working, and that I have purpose. Hearing those words motivated me to always walk with purpose- whether it’s to shovel goat poop at a farm in Thailand, or horse poop at a farm in South Africa (it’s been a shitty few months hahah!), or to whatever job I land when I get home, I want to do it with a mind set on Him and the purpose He gives.
Let’s go about all of our days this coming week believing that they are not by accident, because God is not a God of accidents, but of prosperous life and purposeful plans! If we believe that every meeting has a meaning, and every customer needs to see our smile and feel our warmth, and every student will gain from our positivity, can you imagine the impact we can have on the people around us?!
If you’re interested in helping the Healthy Mom and Baby Clinic, they could definitely use whatever you’ve got! They’d be grateful for donations in many forms: medical aid supplies (gloves, gauze, needles), gently used baby clothes and toys, baby blankets, or monetary donations are always in need.
You can visit their website here and find them on Facebook here
