Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO - anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere... I have definitely fallen victim to the dreaded FOMO, especially during my year abroad, probably because I just can't get enough of South Africa! To counteract the fear, I haven't really slowed down to process my travels since March - sorry! Here's a brief overview with photos.

In March I learned a traditional Afrikaans partner dance called a sokkie with some church friends. I also attend a weekly bible study and “do life together” with these fine folks.

I also attended a ladies tea titled “Women of Destiny” organized and hosted by my friend / GCS colleague. Attendees were asked to bring gently used shoes and we were able to donate 200+ pairs to a local women’s shelter. That’s what I call - having your cake and eating it too!

Leading up to Easter, I got to turn Grade 1N into bunnies, then spent Good Friday and Easter weekend on a sugarcane farm (Allison Shade’s placement) with a few MCC colleagues and students from Canadian Mennonite University. I also made the front page of my hometown’s paper, the News Virginian.

Immediately after Easter, MCC visited partner organizations Acts of Faith, MOYA, and Guba in Swaziland. Acts of Faith taught me how to do laundry by hand, as we were asked to join one of their caretakers for an afternoon. Guba provides locals with conservation agriculture skills and I was so encouraged by their efforts as well. We stayed at Mlilwane Nature Reserve and enjoyed beautiful sunrises, wildlife, and hikes all week!

Thoroughly enjoy facilitating Peace Club every Thursday afternoon with Grade 7s. In April, each class nominated 4 peers as Peace Club Leaders to help facilitate when my SALT term ends. They have already shown how eager they are to lead; I just pray their passion for peace makes an impact on their school and community.

In April I attended my first rugby game! The national provincial teams from KwaZulu-Natal (Go Sharks!) and Gauteng played in Durban. Sadly, the Sharks lost that game but won a few weeks later at another game I attended with MCC colleagues.

I was invited for a long weekend to nearby coastal town Port Edward by a friend /GCS colleague. We celebrated her birthday on May 1 and I got to experience my first coffee plantation, yum!

From May 13-25 my cousin Shay came out to visit me! This was her first African experience and I loved showing her a bit of what I do here. We traveled to Cape Town for a week - saw African penguins, Robben Island, Table Mountain, the winelands, Cape Point AKA southern most tip of Africa - and celebrated her birthday on May 21.

Pietermaritzburg got cold in June but that didn’t stop me from hiking and braai-ing (means BBQ-ing) at two different nature reserves – Umngeni and Cumberland. On June 10 the Grade 7s put on a skit to show GCS what they’ve learned in Peace Clubs. They ‘graduated’ by receiving their badges as official Peace Club Members and I couldn't be more proud!

I had to say a lot of very difficult ‘goodbyes’ the last two weeks of June, including my GCS colleagues and my host family. June 24 was the last day of school so GCS hosted their pajama day (I wore a onesie) and the Junior Primary department hosted a tea & prayer time for me. My colleagues at Key Ministries had a traditional African dress made for me and we celebrated my last day with a photoshoot. I’ll never forget the God-sent community I’ve found in Pietermaritzburg!

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident in this - that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

The Art of Walking Slowly

*Generalizations made to simplify the story-telling, not the diversity of experiences*

In the USA I'm often chided for my slow pace. I get ready too slowly in the morning, I eat too slowly, I complete my work too slowly (I blame that on perfectionism), I make decisions too slowly, etc. I'm constantly being told to rush through life. I strongly believe that sometimes my surroundings simply call me to stop and smell the roses. South Africa is teaching me a few things about pacing myself.

Living here, I'm told the exact opposite of my speed. I must make a conscious effort to slow my walk with my friends and coworkers, to speak more slowly and clearly or even rephrase my speech, and to check my patience levels during decision-making processes. Everything about this non-Western culture beckons for me to slow down; it's given me a lot of time to reflect on my Western habits.

Recently, I have joined Key Ministry International to help them in their mission to assist refugees in the Pietermaritzburg area. One afternoon, I was playing secretary for KMI when a man entered the office. I barely greeted him and said, "Hi, are you looking for Lidia or Pastor Samson?" He said "No, I'm looking for you," which shocked me because I didn't recognize him. He proceeded to introduce himself (which I so rudely forgot to do when he first entered) before he admitted he was actually looking for the pastor. I was able to assist him, he said farewell, and left the office. Then I realized, it's that kind of interaction that shows more interest in the person rather than fulfilling a job. That's not to say this represents all of the Western world, but it's the same kind of task-oriented thinking that has me rushing and worrying through life.

South African time creates a focus on people rather than tasks, for example by walking slowly. Generally, people here do not rush for anything. They could be late for work, church, an appointment, and still stop to properly greet someone on their journey. Imagine that people are those roses we need to pause to appreciate. How differently we would view the world, then.

In Luke 12, Paul uses flowers as an analogy to remind us how unnecessary our worries can be sometimes. If that is how God clothes flowers, which are here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you! Imagine if we considered our surrounding environment, whether people or plants, as so splendidly clothed by our creator God. Would we worry less about deadlines, appointments, and schedules? Would we slow down and admire more then?

I've still got a lot to learn from the people who prioritize the journey over the destination. I've still got a lot to learn as I sit down to tutor the next trouble maker and remind myself, Patience, this is a splendidly clothed child of God and should be admired as such. The note below is a piece of advice that was written by a SALTer who just returned as I departed in August 2015. I chose it at random from a pile of other wise, experienced writings. I didn't know then how true it would be for my own reflection throughout the year. Praise God.