Allie finding the hope that motivates

Allie 12541 km (7793 miles) from NY

The past few days have certainly been a change of pace from the first week of orientation. On Friday, we visited a number of different places within the townships, including an organization that sells crafts made by local women, a children’s shelter called Elonwabeni, and even Vernon’s mother’s house. But even though these places were interesting and fun, it was a difficult day emotionally. It’s not easy to see people living without basic amenities like plumbing and doors, and it’s even harder to reconcile how these people have to survive in these conditions while we get to return to our beautiful house and pampered lives. We discussed the experience in depth afterwards, and everyone responded differently. Some were angry to see how apartheid-era policies are still marginalizing the people of the townships, while others felt guilty that we had been enjoying our vacations and ignoring the situation just across town. I personally felt a little of all these emotions, but for the most part I just felt hopeless. As I watched how the miles shacks stretched out to the horizon, I was overwhelmed by the vastness of it all; there are so many factors that contribute to poverty, and on a scale as enormous as this, how can it ever be fixed?

However, this all changed when we went to church on Sunday. We attended a service at the Sivayile Baptist Church in Guguletu, and honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect. We were all just waiting for the service to start when a woman sitting a few rows back began to sing. One by one, the other church members took up her song, and soon the entire audience was singing a hymn in Xhosa. There were elaborate rhythms and harmonies, and you could actually feel the downbeat that was emanating from the drums and hand-pillows. We obviously couldn’t understand what they were singing about, but you didn’t need to know the lyrics to recognize their meaning. It was hope. These people have virtually nothing, but through their song you could feel their joy, their compassion for each other, and above all their faith in God. And standing in that tiny church, I realized that the answer to enigmas like poverty was not despair, but hope. If these people who have struggled and suffered can raise their voices in song, then there’s still reason to believe that things will get better and motivation to work towards that brighter future.

The timing of the church service actually worked out perfectly; we started visiting internship sites the next day, and yesterday we finally made it to my site, City Mission Educational Services. I cannot adequately describe how amazed I was by this program. It’s a school for kids who don’t fit into the mainstream schools, whether for personal reasons, behavioral issues or other factors. While they don’t have a lot of resources, they are providing a second chance for these kids who have already suffered so much. I am so excited to start, and I hope that this opportunity will allow me to translate that hope that I felt at church into actions.