Retreat day for Tsibogang

After a long winter with lots of frost and cold wind, Spring is slowly taking over. The first green leaves are visible and in the garden the first roses are coming out. Winter here in South Africa is really tough because there are no heating systems inside the houses. Some people seem to hibernate during this season of winter, they are hiding in their blankets.

Surprisingly, however, it was that at the end of July we went out for a retreat day with 22 people from Tsibogang. We drove to a game park nearby(to Zeerust) leaving behind our families, work and our communities.

 After the four retreat days, there is already a ritual, how the retreat day starts. The first night we were sitting in a circle and Wolfgang Hermann introduced us to a text of Exodus 33, where it is said of Moses, He talked to God as one would talk with his friend. That was an impressive image. All were invited to write a letter to God, as if writing to your best friend telling her/him what is going on in your life.

Most participants had already been to a retreat day before. Those who had come for the first time, shared their expectations : "At home there is always something going on, it's always noisy and loud." "I need time alone with God, without anyone bothering me." "In everyday life, my prayer consists mostly of petitions and requests, now I want to listen to God."

This is most amazing that so many had this longing to have time with God alone.

The next day there was silence after an introduction about ‘Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” The focus was to look into one’s life where the relationship with God needs more space and time and to find balance in serving others.

All participants looked for a quiet space in the garden and a spot in the sun because it was still very cold. Unfortunately, the silence was disturbed by a group of young people, who had come for a drama workshop.

Sharing with others was very important

 In the two groups where we shared our insights, it was striking that so many family problems came up. Also problems among the employees in Tsibogang were shared. The good thing about the sharing was that everyone could listen without giving advices. At the end we had a prayer fellowship.

The sun was up and it was getting warmer; this was the time for sports: volleyball and skipping rope. The Tswana children dance, sing and skip at the same time. This is absolutely fascinating: Two skip the rope and the others jump in while singing and dancing. There was much laughter because the older ladies also joined.

Skipping and playing volleyball

 In the feed back round we heard from two what they had experienced: a young woman told us that she had realized that she just could not accept her brother and the word:’ Love your neighbour' hit her in the heart,she goes home with a new insight to see her brother with eyes of God. Another one shared with us: “For the first time in years, someone told me: You've done well! This has built me up I will look at my family from a different perspective. My life has changed through these few hours of the retreat."

Stiller Tag für Tsibogang

Nach einem langen Winter mit viel Frost und kaltem Wind zieht so langsam hier der Frühling ein. Die ersten grünen Blätter sind zu sehen, und im Garten kommt die erste Rose zum Vorschein. Der Winter hier in Südafrika hat es in sich, weil es keine Heizungen in den Häusern gibt. Das führt bei manchen dazu, dass sie, wenn es kalt wird, abends und morgens ins Bett fliehen, dem einzig warmen Ort.

Umso erstaunlicher war es, dass wir Ende Juli mit 22 Leuten von Tsibogang zu einem Stillen Tag aufbrachen. Wir fuhren in einen Naturpark in das nahegelegene Zeerust.

Inzwischen gibt es schon ein Ritual, wie der Stillen Tag anfängt. Am ersten Abend saßen wir in einer Runde, und Wolfgang Hermann führte uns mit einem Text aus Exodus 33 ein, wo es von Mose heisst: "Er redete mit Gott, wie einer mit seinem Freund redet." Das war ein schönes Bild und Motiv. Alle wurden eingeladen, an Gott einen Brief zu schreiben, so wie man seinem besten Freund oder seiner Freundin erzählt, was einen bedrückt und erfreut.

Die meisten Teilnehmerinnen waren schon vorher bei einem Stillen Tag gewesen. Die erstmals dabei waren, drückten ihre Erwartung aus: „Zu Hause ist immer etwas los, es ist immer laut.“. „ Ich brauche Zeit mit Gott allein, ohne dass mich jemand stört.“ „ Im Alltag besteht mein Gebet meist aus Bitten, jetzt will ich auf Gott hören.“
Uns erstaunt es immer wieder, das zu hören, in einer Gesellschaft, in der Stille wenig Raum hat.

Am nächsten Tag gab es dann eine ausführliche Stille mit einer Einführung über das Doppelgebot der Liebe. Der Fokus lag darauf, im eigenen Leben nachzuspüren, wo die Beziehung zu Gott mehr Raum und Zeit braucht und wie daraus sich das Miteinander in der Familie,in der Arbeit zuordnet.

Alle verteilten sich auf dem Gelände, der Sonne zugewandt, denn es war doch sehr kalt. Leider wurde die Stille von einer Gruppen Jugendlicher massiv gestört, sie hatten ein Dramaworkshop.

Austausch zu zweit

 

Im Austausch nach der Stille kamen etliche Probleme zu Tage: In vielen Familien gibt es massive Spannungen untereinander. Auch Probleme unter den Mitarbeitern in Tsibogang kamen vor. Das Gute an dem Austausch war, dass alle zuhören konnten, ohne Ratschläge zu geben. Am Ende des Austausches war noch Zeit für eine Gebetsgemeinschaft und Singen.

Inzwischen hatte die Sonne uns aufgewärmt, es gab Sport: Volleyball und Seilspringen auf Tswanaart. Das ist absolut faszinierend: Zwei drehen das Seil und die andern springen tanzend hinein. Auch die Älteren hüpften mit und es gab viel zu lachen, weil die Gesänge und Tänze der Älteren natürlich anders waren als die der Jüngeren.

Volleyball und Seilspringen

In der Abschlussrunde hörten wir zwei bewegende Zeugnisse: Ein junge Frau erzählte, dass sie gemerkt hat, wie sie ihren Bruder einfach nicht annehmen konnte und ihr der Text: ‚Liebe deinen Nächsten wie dich selbst‘, geholfen hat, ihren Bruder als Geschenk von Gott zu sehen. Eine andere erzählte von der Austauschrunde nach der Betrachtung: „Zum ersten Mal seit Jahren hat mir jemand gesagt: Das hast du gut gemacht! Das hat mich so aufgebaut, dass ich jetzt meine Familie und mein eigenes Leben anders anschaue. Für mich hat sich durch diese wenigen Stunden Retreat mein Leben geändert.“

Workshop on tuberculosis for home care givers

35 of our Tlamelang Home Care Givers gathered from 06.07. to 11.07.2014 at the Guest Farm outside Mafikeng for their annual workshop in order to get an update on the management of chronic diseases. They had to brave the icy cold weather conditions in a hall without air conditioner and heaters.

Again Tuberculosis (TB) was one of the main topics. The Department of Health has published new guidelines for this disease this year. The incidence has risen from approximately 200,000 new cases in 1995 to more than 500,000 new cases in 2012. The underlying reason for this increase is the advancing AIDS epidemic because those living with HIV have a weakened immune system and are therefore much more susceptible for Tuberculosis.

Home care givers during a group assignment

 Our home care givers can play an important roll in the fight against Tuberculosis. They can contribute to the early recognition of infectious patients, e.g. by doing a thourough screening for all close contacts of a TB Patient who are living with him/her in the same house hold. The prophylactic treatment with Isoniazid of all children under five years who stay together with a smear positive TB patient prevents many new infections. 

An even greater challenge than case finding is to encourage the patients to remain on treatment for at least six months in order to get cured. Wrong perceptions of the disease, ignorance, alcohol abuse and side effects of the TB drugs are important factors that lead to defaulting the treatment. This does not only lead to the flaring up of the infection and to infecting other people but may even result in the threatening development of resistant strains against the standard treatment( Multi Drug Resistance -MDR).

Undine Rauter shows how to do exercises with patients who have a hemiparesis after a stroke

 The greatest challenge for our home care givers is whether they succeed in convincing the patient that the infection with Tuberculosis may go together with HIV Infection. Seven of ten patients who suffer from Tuberculosis are HIV positive. A HIV test is therefore mandatory. According to the new guidelines all patients suffering from TB have to start with livelong Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) within weeks after the initiation of TB Treatment. 

Beside these two long term priorities HIV and TB many other topics were discussed during the workshop. Among them was the input from Undine Rauter and her team from Gelukspan how to do exercises with patients who have a hemiparesis after a stroke.

Traditional "braaivleis" at the last evening of the workshop