The Call

This week was an affirmation of our Peace Corps Service but also a lesson in our limitations and weaknesses. Last weekend as stocks of fabrics grew thin for the occupational therapy program for patients at an AIDS hospital, I purchased many new fabrics in our shopping town. Monday is the sewing day for the Jabule group (occupational therapy) where the fabrics are chosen by the luck of the draw, patterns assembled and the fabrics cut to meet the requests of the patients. (hat, scarf, long or short skirt, t-shirt, pegs bag, cushion). The men meet from 9:30am to 10:30; the women then arrive till around 12:15 when lunch is served. I display the fabrics on the benches in the chapel, help them lay out the patterns on the fabrics and cut them on the floor to meet the customer’s request.

On Monday the men did not arrive at 9:30 am as they were late in receiving their medications. By 10 am they started to trickle in and took their time looking at the available handcraft project possibilities. Around 10:15am the women gathered at the windows of the chapel to see what the Jabule experience had to offer for Sewing Monday. (I had earlier told them that the Women’s group would start at 10:30am.) Promptly at 10:30 ten women entered the Chapel and in agitated, aggressive voices wanted to start their program and extricate the men. Fortunately, the Zulu volunteer assistant for the program was able to tell them to come back in 10 minutes when the men’s' requests for projects were fulfilled.

Ten minutes later the women showed up again at the door, this time greatly agitated and chanting in Zulu. I could not understand the words but clearly got the sentiment. One woman finally yelled in English “Women First!” I was floored by this rancorous response to the handcrafts project as each day and each week every person’ s request for craft supplies was handled by a picking a number and attention to their request. The women were slotted in the 10:30 hour because they receive their drugs at 9:30am and are not available until midmorning. I asked them for “Uxolo” (Peace) as this is the only Zulu word I know for harmony. Then I quickly asked the Zulu volunteer to tell them that peace must resume or we would close up for the day. He muttered something to the women and the handcrafts program finally began.

This was a cultural misunderstanding that I do not fully understand. Were the women truly agitated or were they just teasing me because the week before I suggested during the pizza cooking session that the women be served first. They women in Africa bear a tremendous burden as you often see them with the baby wrapped in a towel on their back and water or wood on their heads. They are generally submissive to demands from men which may be part of the gender issues causing the AIDS epidemic. I asked the male volunteer assistant why the women were agitated and he answered “Angawz” (I don’t know).

So with this rocky start for the week I thought about my place and purpose in South Africa. I began to understand the patient’s impatience to start the Jabule program and their promised handcrafts and sewing projects. What if an American was sent to an isolated rural hospital with limited recreation opportunities? Or were the female patients just having a good joke?

This brought to mind the reason why we are here in South Africa. Our service has many ups and downs but even in the deepest downs there is a conviction that we are needed here. Last weekend I received a request to explain the “Call of God” from some boys in my church in Palos Verdes. The following summarizes my experience with the “Call”:

In the early 60’s President John F. Kennedy started the Peace Corps with the caveat, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. As a little girl I was interested in the Peace Corps as the media was full of information about this new government program. I was not able to join until I finished college, worked for the Calif. Health Dept, raised two sons and retired but I kept Peace Corps Service in the back of my mind as a future possibility and followed the progress of the organization.

God’s call has come to me throughout my life as a whisper in my ear and a steady voice that says “You should do this” whenever an opportunity for service has come along. The call has a persistence coupled with open doors that enable the service to happen.

My interest in international mission service was piqued by hearing stories from missionaries as a young girl, the opportunity to travel, love of adventure, and the mission program at St. Peters by the Sea Presbyterian Church. When retirement came early, I sought a way of using the free time and my skills to help others. Christian service is the opportunity to use the creativity and imagination that one possesses for blessing and pleasure to give meaning to life.

The process of applying and being accepted to the Peace Corps was a challenge that took two years. Some of their requirements were medical, dental, financial and legal clearances as well as interviews and recommendations. At one point an obstacle was their requirement that my wisdom teeth be removed and an oral surgeon refusing to take them out due to risk. Other difficulties were getting rid or storing all of our belongings including our vehicles, renting our house, finding a place for our son to live, and arranging for management of our finances. We also had to say goodbye to our family, friends and neighbors for two years. However, the tasks were not too onerous and God provided steady wisdom, guidance and peace of mind through the process by that quiet voice.

The doubts we had about joining the Peace Corps or completing the service are better defined as concerns that we are up to the task, we can stay healthy and we can help South Africa. When the water or electricity does not work or we have no transportation it is easy to think of America and the comfortable life in Palos Verdes. However, God has given us a sense that we are in the right place and doing meaningful work. We trust him every day to give us the courage and strength to fulfill that day’s service and a positive spirit of love for the Zulu people.