This weekend has been insane! I am physically and emotionally drained and my head is spinning. On Sunday morning I went down to the relief center early to see where I could help. The guys were very jacked and the breakfast was served. Go Pete go! We had the Baptist church doing lunch and our church doing supper so I took the stuff to make with me and we handed it out after church.
We were supposed to meet at 5.30 but then we heard they were all being shipped out to caravan park in Gordon’s Bay called Harmony Resort. (God’s sense of irony again!)
The buses came earlier and 600 people with their life’s possessions were piled on buses and taken to this new location. They had pitched huge tents for them to stay and provided mattresses and blankets. The location has ablution blocks, lots of grass for the kids and a play area. The move was a good thing, the timing wasn't! We had to frantically pack up all the stores of goods and food and go off to the other location to set up. Our tables didn’t arrive till late and we just had a few to set up all this food on. We had no light and it was just chaotic feeding 600 people in the dark with no heating facilities or light. After the 1st half hour we quickly made a second queue which helped a bit. We had hardly any serving spoons and it was a complete nightmare. At 8.45, everyone was eventually fed and then we had to try and clean up. I had enough by this point and recruited 6 Zim ladies to help and wash up.
Since yesterday we have found out they will be there for at least 8 weeks and the numbers will swell to 2600 by tomorrow night. We have all sorts of people in place covering the various needs and I expect the village will be much better organized before long. I haven't put my name down anywhere specific (Gary is relieved!) as I can't leave my kids for such long periods of time on a regular basis. I will fill in where needed based on time and availability.
I had been waiting and wandering why no leader had stepped forward to represent the refugees when I bumped into an old friend called, um, I probably shouldn’t say his name. I will call him Big A. He is a beautiful Godly Zimbabwean man and he isn’t even staying there.
He had come to sort everyone out and form a committee and get the people involved. Thank you God for Big A!!!
When you first see all the pictures of the violence and the devastation you want to hate the local township people. But, after a while you think about the bigger pic. Imagine if all the Brits and Americans could work here in SA and we no longer had any jobs. We wouldn’t be very loving towards them then. I don’t condone the violence and I am so sad for all the displaced foreigners, but I also see how easy it would have been to stir up the local township people into this violent hatred. I also see how white and Muslim South Africans are pouring out their love, food, compassion, goods, money etc on these foreign people while many of them have never given anything to the local people here. I see how the locals think, WOW, we have been hungry, homeless, cold too and where were all of you then? I have struggled along with BB for over 2 years and it has being super hard to get any kind of donations locally. Blood from a flipin' stone! Now the baby stuff is sky high for these foreign babies and children. Its good, I’m not saying it isn’t amazing they people have opened their hearts, I’m just saying don’t forget about our own people. Making sense? Hope so!
I took this pic when the buses were loading people and others were waiting. Look at that man's face, at all the possessions, at that hand holding the fence. The fence was put up at night for their own safety, not too lock anyone in.
I understand what you are saying, Mel. I think the local people are coming from a place of fear - and fear sometimes makes people irrational. There is a lot of anger (from locals) and anger usually covers up pain which hides fear.... Hope this resolves itself quickly.
Posted by: Wobs | 26 May 2008 at 05:52 PM
Oh Mel, what a mess. I don't know what to say. Sarge and I took some time out yesterday night to sit together and pray for you as you minister to these hurting people, and for the people themselves and for the long term effects that this will have on your country. There's so much to consider but I know God has it all in His hands. I'm thinking of you.
xxoo
Posted by: Flicka | 26 May 2008 at 06:45 PM
Mel, I take my hat off to you, to be able to go out there and volunteer your time, energy and your heart like that is truly a gift!
I work for a Jewish NPO in Johannesburg, we have been making appeals to the Jewish community for donations of any kind and we have made at least a bakkie load a day for the past week. This morning when I walked into the lobby at work I had to negotiate a mine field of blankets, clothing, dry goods, toys, bags of disposable nappies and other essentials just to get to the lift. Instead of a bakkie, today we had a large truck come to collect. By the time I left today the lobby had started filling up again.
It makes me proud to know that even though there are a few nasty xenephobic people out there, there are still so many loving, giving and amazing South Africans out there, people like you with hearts so huge and full of light and love. These are the people the rest of the world should be reading about.
Thank you Mel!
Posted by: Gina | 26 May 2008 at 10:31 PM
Only humans are capable of such intense love and such intense hatred. If only there were more people in the world like you...
Posted by: Jen @ amazingtrips | 27 May 2008 at 01:17 AM
Mel, I am so sorry to hear all this. The SA situation is getting almost NO news coverage here in the US.
My ass-vice to you is to continue to focus your time and attention on BB. I think in situations like this, it is very important to maintain your charity efforts on behalf of the local population. You have a limited amount of time and energy, Mel, and BB provides so much good. Don't wear yourself out. Again, this is my 2 cents only.
Praying for you and your family and everyone in South Africa. Keep us posted.
Love, Laura
Posted by: Laura in L.A. | 27 May 2008 at 05:38 AM
Hey Mel. I understand exactly what you are saying.
You are doing an amazing job. Well done!
B
Posted by: Bianca W | 27 May 2008 at 10:26 AM
I agree with what you say 100%. Although I think the attacks are a disgrace, I can see how the situation was created where they became possible. People are so disillusioned by the Government's lack of delivering on promises made earlier and by their general silence on pressing issues like illegal immigration. The Govt attitude seems to be "if we don't acknowledge there is a problem, there there is no problem", so rather than confront the problem head-on, enforcing our immigration laws and putting in place a proper system to deal with refugees and asylun seekers, they allowed all comers to filter through our porous borders. Obviously it won't take long for the local people to think hang on, seeing as every man and his dog now has access to medical care and schools etc etc via the state, suddenly there is less to go round for us locals. In this climate, it wouldn't take much to whip up people's latent anger at their situation into a violent frenzy. People want to blame somebody, but the politicians who authored their misery are untouchable (and, it appears, unaccountable to them). Foreigners, however, are infinitely easier to attack. Too ghastly but not entirely unpredictable.
And I also hear what you say about people not giving to local charities on a regular basis, only when there is a disaster like this. The worst is that as you say, there is no leadership on this, so how are we going to stop it and prevent it from happening again going forward?
Last but not least, I agree with a previous commenter: your main energies should be directed at maintaining BB. Don't spread yourself too thin. Long after the refugee camps have been dismantled, there will still be local moms who need you in the hospitals.
Vasbyt - and you ROCK.
Posted by: Jeanne | 27 May 2008 at 03:50 PM
I agree with the wise women above. I think continuing to focus your efforts on BB will show the locals that there is enough love to go around.
Posted by: Kelly | 27 May 2008 at 05:35 PM
really makes me want to count my blessings...
Posted by: angel | 03 June 2008 at 06:18 PM