Our Breastfeeding support group for Macassar kicked off to great fanfare at the Macassar public library yesterday. It was wonderful and encouraging to see how excited the maternity ward staff were about this group. Nurses, peer counsellors and the nutritionist all contributed to have a huge variety of snacks for the attendees. They even advertised in the local paper! I love that. Attendance was a bit low, but I believe word of mouth will be the best advertising tool in this instance.
One very young couple attended with their 2-month old gorgeous baby girl. Baby girl is drinking a bottle. Why? We asked. Apparently mom was told by a nurse in hospital that her milk is too salty. What a crazy notion! Dad says he spends R800 per month on formula milk. Then the nappies, bottles, teats, all the added expenses of having a baby. This couple is only 20 years old, what a responsibility on such young people. Imagine how much simpler it would’ve been had she persevered, received correct advice and counselling about breastfeeding. Clearly we have a huge job ahead of us in terms of community education with regards to this.
Today I am feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed and sad. Sometimes this, what we do, Bosom Buddies, Thembalitsha, seems so futile. Sometimes I get stuck on the hugeness of the issues, and get overburdened by the enormity of our task. We are not here to change the world, but we are here to make a difference somewhere to some people, to a community, to some people.
Yesterday I met a young mom with a 2-year old boy and a 1-year old little girl. They are very poor and the mom had a dishevelled, drug addicted look to her. Little girl had no nappy on and was dirty. Now, I see this a lot, but sometimes it affects me more than others. I gave her nappies and some food. What more can I do? How can I help? Then I come home to my house with a garden, with a pool for goodness sake. I have TWO inside bathrooms with flush toilets. I have a geyser for hot water. I have electricity to cook food and to have light and to watch tv. I have a washing machine and a tumble drier. Who am I to tell a young mother without any of these things that she should wash her baby’s clothes? She does not have hot water, never mind soap.
A little boy in my daughter’s playgroup died yesterday of pneumonia. The fragility of life is the most frightening thing of all, because even with all these privileges, hot water, flush toilets, warm clothes, Sealy mattresses, we are not guaranteed it.
How can anyone get through a day without faith? How can you not have God to turn to?
As a leader, I am meant to be strong, to counsel my volunteers, and lead my ministry in strength and with courage. This is not always there. I am writing today to ask for prayers, for love and encouragement, because this is not easy. Not even for a day.
Frances
When I used to get over whelmed by the huge need and the seeming futility of what we did in the face of this need, I would remember this:
ReplyDeleteJesus could have healed the entire crowd, spoken to masses, helped millions but He so often stopped for the one. The individual. You will never know the impact of your prayers, love shown,gifts given and births doula'd at. You just be obedient each and every day and He will use you to touch who He needs to. You are doing a wonderful job.