What happened with either Mrs. Tshabalala or Ann would have been more than enough to make my last day in South Africa wonderful, but then Elina walked in the door. You’ll remember Elina from my previous posts. She is the woman who lives in Phomelong, one of the poorest areas of Mamelodi, where we delivered her a food parcel. She’s also a seamstress that we’re hoping to employ.

When I was finally able to walk over and speak with Elina, I was brought to tears.

Elina wanted to thank me, Heather, and Beth (Skillman) for helping her get the sewing project started, so she brought us each a gift. Wrapped in scraps of fabric and carried in the same box that we had delivered her food parcel in, she gave us pottery that was hand-made by a friend from Zimbabwe. Cups, mugs, a sugar and creamer set, a tea pot and a vase decorated with simple tribal images were displayed as she told us who was to receive each item. Standing before me was a woman who hadn’t been able to feed her family for two days, and yet here she was giving us gifts.

Three times in a single day I humbly received gifts and witnessed the truth of what St. Francis of Assisi meant when he said “for it is in the giving that we receive.”

Throughout the rest of the morning, the beadwork ladies came and went. Last to arrive was Ann. We reviewed her beadwork the day before, so all Ann needed to do was pick up her payment. However, this time Ann, who typically has lots to say, sat quietly on the couch for a long time. We all wondered what was on her mind but, of course, did not push her to tell us.

Finally, with tears in her eyes, Ann opened up and told us that God had clearly told her that He wanted her to work with us and He wanted her to charge a fair price to Beaded Hope. Dutifully, she was coming to us to say that this is what she wants as well.

You see, in the past, Ann has challenged us on our standard pricing, always wanting us to pay her more than the other women. We’ve stood firm and sometimes that has caused difficulty between us. But on this day, Ann’s heart softened and we welcomed her with open arms.

I want to take you back to my last day in South Africa because it was truly the most amazing day.

On Tuesday morning I arrived at the VCT where the women were to meet me with the beadwork that I ordered from them. Walking into the building I found Mrs. Tshabalala (pronounced Cha ba la la) waiting patiently for me. We sat down together and looked over the items that she brought me. Everything looked wonderful, so I got out my notebook, wrote everything down, and totaled up the amount due.

Before I could pay Mrs. Tshabalala, she asked Mighty to translate for her. In Zulu she told me that she wanted to donate 10 key rings to Beaded Hope. She said that she wanted to give back, and the only way that she knew how to do this was through the use of her hands. She told me that Beaded Hope had given so much to the women of Mamelodi that she also wanted to give.

I was completely and thoroughly touched by Mrs. Tshabalala’s generosity, but I must admit that it was terribly difficult to accept her gift. I know that the only income she earns is through her beadwork, however I also know that the act of giving is also a gift for the giver, and so I humbly and graciously accepted Mrs. Tshabalala’s gift.

Touchdown Atlanta!

One more flight and I’m home to a much needed shower before picking my boys up at the bus stop.

But stay tuned!

The journey hasn’t end, I have much more to share…

Today I am posting before my day starts, rather than at the end of the day. It is my last day in South Africa, which is always bittersweet. I had a lovely dinner last night at the home of some new South African friends, the perfect way to spend my last evening.

Today I am headed to the township to meet with all of the beadworking ladies. On the last day of every trip to South Africa, the ladies bring all of their beadwork to me that I’ve ordered during my stay. It’s always a fun day when the ladies get together, and the perfect way to end my stay before I head home to my family.

My least favorite part of Beaded Hope is giving constructive feedback to the women, and today tested my ability to do just that. It’s my policy that all items sold by Beaded Hope are nothing short of perfect. No mistakes, no missing details, no slacking work. It may sound harsh, but in reality I am trying to help the women understand that if their work is perfect, then people will tell their friends about it. The better the work, the more people will want to shop at Beaded Hope, and these women will continue to have work through Beaded Hope.

However, delivering this message to the women is both difficult and heart-breaking. How is it that you tell someone who is living in poverty that her work isn’t “perfect” enough? I do it as kindly and gently as I possibly can. I remind the women that I want Beaded Hope to be a huge success so that they can be blessed with the work, and this requires perfect products. It’s tough feedback to deliver in a tough world.

Me with Mighty and Lydia.

On all of the trips that I’ve made to South Africa, I’ve never had a day that wasn’t packed with a full agenda. Today was the first time that I have been without plans. What to do?

Well‚ yesterday I offered to go to the grocery store and pick up food so that my South African friends and I could cook together this afternoon. For me, having friends and family in my house is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. So, that was my plan for today. What I didn’t plan on was that we were cooking for 12 to 14 people, but only 5 of us sat down to eat. Where were all these people that we were cooking for?

Then, slowly, neighbors, friends and family began to trickle in. They would fill their plate with food and then sit down and talk with us. Lengthy discussions on HIV/AIDS, South African president Zuma, the ANC, what it means to be a wife and a mother, and much, much more ensued. It was, without a doubt, a perfect afternoon filled with food, laughter and community.

It has rained nearly every day that I’ve been in South Africa. This has been wonderful because the landscape is more lush and green than it’s been on any of my previous travels. But one day at about 1:00 pm, it poured. The rain was so heavy that we simply sat inside waiting for it to stop, certain that venturing out wasn’t a good idea.

When the rain finally subsided and we headed home, we drove through what seemed like rivers of water running through the streets. Lack of adequate drainage systems causes the rain to just sit on the road. As you exit the township there is a spot where the squatter camps on the left side of the road are very primitive. As we drove by I saw that the water was also standing around all of the make-shift homes. Slowly it dawned on me; in the matter of a 2 hour rain storm, these people’s home were flooded with water. When they arrive home they will find their mattresses and blankets soaked. They have no choice but to sweep the rain out of their house and hope that their possessions dry before night time.

And yet, this isn’t even the rainy season in South Africa.

How about a little “word play” today? In the event that you ever travel to South Africa, it’s good to know a few phrases that might just help you out. Here you go:

Petrol is gas

The boot is the trunk of your car

To get transport is to get a ride

Takkies are sneakers (it took me a long time to figure this one out)

Howzit? is a way of saying “hello” or “how’s it going”

Is it? is an all purpose phrase that can be used in any time where “really?”, “uh-huh”, etc. would be appropriate.

A spaza is an informal store found on the roadside especially in the townships and remote areas

Dumela is Tswana for “hello” regardless of the time of day. There is no phrase for “good morning”, “good afternoon”, etc.

Yebo is Zulu for “yes”

Danki is Afrikaans for “thank you”

While these phrases may have their origin in one language or another, they tend to be used universally.

Today was a slow and enjoyable day of browsing beadwork at the open-air market outside of the Pretoria Zoo. It’s a small market in comparison to the Rosebank and Chameleon Village markets, but it’s always my favorite. The zoo has a quiet pace and it’s clear that the ladies are working hard to earn a living and take care of their families.

Mrs. Tshabalala has a booth at the zoo, as does Poppy who we’ve worked with in the past. On this trip to the market we didn’t find any new products that inspired us, but we did meet Johanna who has a stall and also works for the Department of Labour teaching beadworking skills. We spent a good deal of time visiting with her, learning what needs to be done so that we can bring her in to Mamelodi to teach new women how to do beadwork. So, it was a good day.