Checking In

Now what?

jjjcaponetto — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 19:21:49 +0000

I don’t know if anyone is still looking for a post or not but i have had a few requests, so i thought i would write a couple of lines. first of all, thank you, thank you! you all were so wonderful and i felt so proud to be over in africa spreading God’s love only because of everyone’s support! But now that i have had a week to kind of sit back and relax, the dust is settling and i am starting to see things more clearly.

Wow, God was so busy over there. He seemed like He was raring to go and couldn’t wait to put me to work, and work He did. The girls, mama, sister, even the babies all took me to the airport. They all just sat on my luggage and we had at least sixteen people in the car and then another car full as well. They all stood around us as we left and sang a song ‘never give up, you must never give up’. They sang it is xhosa. We all cried (as well as the onlookers) and then off we went.

My fondest memories of course are those of the kids at Oceans and of ‘my village’ that i have become so protective over. I can hear all the children’s voices, their footsteps between the house and the garage, the slamming of the garage door that never couldn’t be closed quietly, phumalni’s voice saying ‘can we go to sassol’ (a near by gas station that became our daily escape), sister’s face that always greeted me in the morning’s on my way to get coffee and i can still hear that rooster!! I am so moved and affected by my trip to africa that i can not quite become comfortable at home yet.

i almost don’t feel like i am in the right place just yet. I am giving that time and chalking some of it up to drama. The kids have called me every day (with a phone card i left for them) but have only managed to reach me a couple of times and each time i got to speak to everyone including sister. THey all wanted to know what i was doing, when i was coming back and how the boys are doing. Life here is so different and i will be making some changes. I will not allow such waste to be going on in my house anymore. no more drinks at the gas station when home is just a half a mile down the road. I am considering not having such an enormous car (but i do appreciate it’s reliability) and i am looking for what my purpose is now.

I want to go back to Ocean’s in Oct. when the next group goes to build a church at ‘my village’ but i don’t know if that will be possible or not. i guess we will see what God wants. final thoughts… my memories of africa will always be peppered with the comments from all of you, the support and of course the love from every direction i turned. my heart is filled with tiny thumbprints and pockets of laughter that will always be recognized… like a familiar childhood smell. I will never forget the eyes that i got to look into every day, the lips i got to kiss every morning and fingers i felt running through my hair several times a day. Thank you Oceans, thank you God, thank you danny and thank you children….. i will always love you. i will always miss you.

signing off,

jennifer, joseph and james

Mission Accomplished!

jjjcaponetto — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 17:17:32 +0000

Hi from
South Africa for the last time… Like always, things here have been very busy. We went up to ‘my village’ (i am very protective over that place and love it so much….it is my favorite place in all of
South Africa) and handed out xhosa bibles, tooth brushes and of course i followed up with some more sick people. I visited the woman who is dying in her home again. While i was seeing another family, a lady ran up to the door and said ‘can you come and see my sick friend? When she heard you were here, she began to cry’. So of course i went up there and spent some time with her. Her mouth was coved in thrush so i gave her medicine to stop that so she could eat. I wrapped a scarf around her head and she began to cry again. So did i. What a shame i can not see her again. Down the hill the boys found some men ‘plucking’ a porcupine and they gave Joseph some of the quills. They are very cool.

While we were there, next to the pink shack where we had English classes, there was a three sided shack being built. The man building it is named ‘wiseman’. He is a pastor. As God would have it, pastor Dave and Schaun were both with me and it looks as if now the group coming in October may have a new project. Yippee, yeah God. I am so pleased that this community is getting some attention. Lord, thank you for showing us the ‘other’ side of life and for allowing such freedom to help.

Yesterday…. That’s right, we bungeed off the highest bungee jump in the world. It was so great. We were tied at the ankles and we jumped off of a bridge. It was a little scary at first but then as i hung upside down, i could hear the birds singing down below and i could see the river. Joseph jumped too (like a champ) but james was not old enough nor did he weigh enough. He did the zip line instead. It looked just as scary.

Well, I don’t want to say it! Mission Accomplished! My family on a mission is about to come home. Mom, is my washing machine fixed??? I hope so. I have such mixed feelings as i prepare to leave. I am meeting with all the kids tonight to let them all know how much i love them and what i see special in each of them. I can’t imagine how it will feel when i see them for the last time not knowing when/if i will see them again. the girls have all decided to not go to church in the morning and have somehow organized a ride for themselves to see me off at the airport. I am so happy about that because they wouldn’t have a ride home if i drove…

Daniel left today with his dad for
Uganda. Even as i sit and type this i am expecting him any moment to come in here and ask me ‘where are the keys’ or ‘let’s go get Phumlani from work’. I miss you Daniel. Thanks so much for being such an easy person to work with, be around and vent to. It is quite an experience here (not always easy, in fact frequently difficult), so thanks for making me laugh every day and for allowing me to witness your caring heart. You are great with the kids here and i know you will have the strength to continue. So, stay strong and keep in touch. Don’t forget phumlani’s dr.s appointment and don’t forget to turn the hot water off all the way…oh, wait, that was me…..

I have learned a lot here. A lot about myself, about life, about my children, about people, about separation, about God, but mostly about the human spirit. I can’t believe how some people can live in a place where the breeze comes through every nail hole, the rain flows across their floors, their families are destroyed by a miserable killer, their cupboards are bare, no running water, no electricity and yet, some how they can still manage a smile, a joke and a helping hand. We were received in most places with a smile and an outstretched hand. It has been amazing.

Before i came, i had visions of going places and taking care of people in their homes and being able to do it most anywhere i wanted to. But you know how most things aren’t the way you envision it? Well, this was. I was a puppet with God working the strings and boy did he put me to work. But i have loved every person i have treated and i hope one day to come back and do it again.

This has been one of the hardest things i have done. At the same time it is one of the most rewarding accomplishments as well. I have learned so much. Something mama said to me one time when i was thinking of coming home was ‘what God started in you, He will finish’. How true. He sure did. I will take that with me always. Thanks mama.

Well, goodbye all of you. Thanks so much for supporting us. I can not tell you how it has felt to have you all behind us, every step of the way. Your donations have changed an entire community here (there are plans to continue with the little village in the future), given hope to the kids ( they know their life is what they make it and not controlled by disease) and treated the sick, fed the hungry and so much more.

I might blog one more time when i get home just to say thanks again and to let you all know how it feels to start sorting through all that has happened.

The boys say hello and can’t wait to see you when they return.

We love you all.

Thank you and God Bless,

Jennifer, joseph and James

Last one done!

jjjcaponetto — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 06:21:59 +0000

Sorry it has bee so long… hi everyone…

It has been a whirl wind of activities the last few days. Schaun is here with the pastor of our church (dave) and he brought two others with him. Brooke is an 18yr. old young lady that is going to stay here for four months. Becky, i know you are watching, so i will tell you, she arrived just fine. I helped her exchange some of her money and so far, she is doing great. She is overwhelmed a little, but doing fine. She moves in with me today. I saw her chasing around one of the girls on her first day (looked like a revenge type ‘run’) so, i think she is going to do just fine.

Two other ‘garage dwellers’ go home today. L It will be sad because i can not imagine how seven different people can live together in such close quarters and never have an argument, it just all worked out somehow. They have been wonderful. I will really miss them.

I have been busy making home visits in Motherwell and giving out all the last of my supplies. There are a ton more toothbrushes to give out now, so i was nearly mobbed by people wanting them. I am planning on going to my village today and checking on everyone that i have on medicine and say my goodbyes.

Tomorrow, we are going off of the ‘world’s highest’ bungee jump. Yikes, i hope i have the courage to do it… i will keep you all posted. The boys are going to do it as well (james may not be able to, but he might be able to do a ‘zip line’). Should be interesting.

Yesterday was phumlani’s birthday! 18 years old now. He is still working and still loving getting a pay check. Man i will miss that boy. Putting on my make-up will never be the same. He has been hugging me at least twenty times a day saying ‘please don’t leave’, ‘i love you so much’, ‘please can you stay’, ‘please can i go home with you’. That hurts so much. But i have to respond strong ‘phumster, you will be just fine, you will grow, have your own family and one day i am going to come and visit you’. I have an appointment set for him at the end of aug. to see about his neurofibromatosis.

Also, mission accomplished with the final child tested. I can tell you the story now. The final girl (who backed out of being tested a few times) had plenty of reason to be worried. She cared for her dying mother, changed her bandages, slept in the same bed, shared the same ‘worms’ from her mother’s sores in her sores. She was constantly exposed to her mother’s HIV. In fact of everyone, i was the most worried about her. But yesterday, she said she was ready to test. So i scrambled around and called someone to meet us somewhere and we did it! We did it in the backseat of a car, but we did it and………. Praise God, HIV negative! The girl folded in half with relief, bawled…..we all bawled… i can not imagine the pressure she felt when she was about to get the results that could change the rest of her life. But she faced it and it worked out in her favor. I have never felt so honored to be witnessing such courage and strength that this girl showed.

Well, all my goals have been met. I have done everything i wanted to do and then some. The last thing on my list is to sit with each of the kids here and tell them what they mean to me and my family. I will see them again one day, i know it!

I will update again soon. Lots of love to you all,

Thanks for your support,

Jennifer, joseph and james.

From a distance….

jjjcaponetto — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:31:18 +0000

Molweni! I hope this finds everyone well…. everyone here is going strong! We can’t wait to see everybody. Today, we went and bought that man at the new village his three sheets of tin for his shop.

While we were there, we saw the woman who was contemplating the abortion and all she could talk about was her future. She is taking her vitamins, going to the health clinic and tomorrow she is having her first ‘scan’ of the baby. All she could do was smile and talk about the baby. She has a long road ahead of her but God is capable of all things and I wish i was going to be here to see what He does with this new life that was almost taken away.

In the afternoon, i took sister and norenti out to lunch and then took them home to Motherwell. We really enjoyed ourselves and we had a good laugh watching all the white folks (there were only white people) look and point at us. Being so close to the end of the apartide, everyone thinks that i am their ‘boss’. The people in the restaurant were so intrigued that they just couldn’t help themselves and kept looking. I was sitting on the opposite side of sister and norenti so i decided to pull my chair around right next to them instead. We all started to laugh. We had a great meal and then we walked to the nearest gas station and we bought, what else but chocolate… yummy.

I heard a song today by bette midler called ‘from a distance’. A few lines in there said ‘from a distance the world looks blue and green…. From a distance there is harmony’. I thought of all that is going on here and thought maybe one day, there will be peace. That song also reminded me that ‘God is watching us’…. That is so true. I would never claim to do things right all the time, not even most of the time, no one does. But the one thing we can all do is try to follow what has been placed in our hearts to do and not let fear stomp it out. It could be God’s prompting and He is watching what we do for His kingdom.

Tomorrow i am taking the girls shopping and i have to buy a skirt. The man that lives in the field across the way from us (lives in the shack where the mom and baby died two months ago) said he wants a picture of me and him but he wants me to wear a skirt… J he said he wants to see me wear a skirt to church…. So, i will go buy one since i didn’t bring any… i think that is such a funny request. Some of you may be thinking he is perverted, but it is a culture thing here. All the women wear skirts. He calls me the doctor and he said ‘the doctor must wear a skirt on Sunday and i want a picture with her’…. So, i will try to find one…

the new boy is sooo funny and of course attached to the boys at the hip. he is a typical boy. he runs everywhere and has his hands on everything and talks non-stop. He has been chasing the chickens everyday and now some of them are losing feathers from stress….haha. He found some eggs and broke them all on a rock and loves to take my brush and pretend it is a weapon. The boys are his favorite ‘play thing’ and they love it too. i wish you all could see joseph and james shine.

We love you all,

Thanks for everything…

J,j,j

I can’t believe they care!

jjjcaponetto — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 13:44:55 +0000

Hi everyone…. i went to the village again today (the new one). I was met right away by a man that i have been communicating with each time i go. He has a small shack that he sells snacks and candy out of right at the front of this little place. He has four wooden posts coming off of the shack and last time i asked him what he is doing and he said he was ‘adding on’. He said he couldn’t do anymore because he couldn’t afford the tin that goes on for the roof. It costs about 12-15 dollars a sheet and he needs three sheets. When i went there today, i noticed he still didn’t have his roof. James then said to me, ‘mom, look the wood is starting to rot and is getting moldy, can we get his tin for him’… i almost cried because he has such a generous and compassionate spirit and what an eye. he knows how important this is to this man…. We talked to him a while and never did he ask me for a roof. He did ask if there was a way that anyone could come out and talk to him about how to handle money and how to get ‘things started’ to educate him on business practices. He said he works now at a grocery store and his dream is to have his own shop…. his little shack doesn’t even have electricity…..sad, but i think i am going to try and get his roof for him. The boys really want to help, so we are going to try. I am impressed that he is working and has goals for himself and doesn’t seem to be disappointed at all by the fact that his place has no electricity which means no lights and no refrigeration… but it is a start!

Then as i went farther in, i heard someone calling me and saying ‘where have you been? we have missed you’… i told them i was in cape town for a few days and then they said ‘oooohhh, we loved your pills, my wife can now get up and walk around and can sleep at night’. I can’t believe that they care that i was gone. They said ‘it was like jesus came in and helped us and we didn’t have to pay anything’. Wow! I had to say, no, it is just a girl from kansas… But Jesus made me do it ! THen i heard others discussing the fact that it was cape town that took me away…haha. God’s timing is perfect because i stuck my head in one shack with two kids and a mom and asked if anyone was ill. she said she was just getting ready to take her child to the clinic because he was not well. She was just finishing washing up. I asked her if i could take a look at him and she agreed. I looked into his ears and found the problem. Other than that he was very healthy. So i put him on antibiotics (thanks Dr. Felts, you are great!) and i will check on him this weekend. Lord, thank you for this awesome opportunity and thank you for letting me be your hands and feet for a time.

Before i went to the village, i noticed that one of the little ones at oceans was not acting herself. I checked her out and couldn’t find anything, but wanted the doctor to check her out. Daniel took her and norenti to the clinic. While i was at the village, i received word that she had to go to the hospital. We rushed over there. Luckily she was okay, but it was another great opportunity to get her blood drawn and to get a TB test done. It was awful to watch this doctor draw her blood…. yuck! i couldn’t stand it. he went right for the artery (after a weak attempt at her vein) and let the blood drip out of the end of the needle into three different tubes. She screamed and screamed and i was so glad daniel was there, because i couldn’t stand it.

anyway, she is okay and home safe again.

Thanks for all your support and keep the prayers coming these last few days….i am praying that the last remaining test gets done before i leave… keep praying for that.

Lots of love,

J,J,J

Done! Almost :) ‘it’s africa’

jjjcaponetto — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 04:56:26 +0000

Hello everyone… hope all is well. We are all fine. Testing was a drain as i thought it might be but over all, it is was a negative experience….haha, okay bad joke, what i mean is that the results were all negative. Praise God. It was a humbling experience to sit in the presence of young people who were learning their fate and watch how they handled such news at such a tender age. They all were tearful as the tests were being developed and all had squeals of joy when they learned they were negative. What anxiety to finally get to the point of testing. i can not share with you all the ‘roller coaster’ of events that went on to get to that point, but trust me…. it was tough!!! There is only one remaining person to test (they changed their mind at the last minute) and i will not be pressuring the situation, i will just be praying that if and when this person is ready, i or someone can be here to support and assist when the time comes.

Thank you all for your prayers and as i finish my last ten or eleven days here, i am reviewing my goals and trying to check all the boxes. All of my goals are met so far except i haven’t been able to get Phumlani into the specialist yet. They are too booked up… so we are on a cancellation list. I am praying for a slot before i go….

Just a quick update, Phumlani is still working his job and liking it. He was bought himself some clothes with his money and of course some ‘sweets’. He gets up and does great without complaining each day he is to work…..

The teachers are still teaching English at the ‘new found village’ several times a week and all the ladies continue to come…. They are loving it. They are also teaching at the farm school.

All the people i have put on antibiotics have healed and i will be looking for more sick people today.

I gave my leftover supplies to Hope World Wide. They were so glad to have some of the things that i brought and that were donated (TB masks, dressings etc.). I am still hopeful to meet with one of the Hope World Wide nurses next week and make some home visits.

So, winding down is hard but i am looking forward to having all my boxes checked. Of course i am dreaming of my home as well. I can not get into my house until Aug. 3^rd because the church interns are there, but i can peer in the windows and drool… J haha, just kidding. I get home July 31^st,so i will stay with family until the 3^rd…..

We love you all and this has been an ever better experience sharing it with you all, thanks for all your support.

Love,

J, J, J

jjjcaponetto — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:02:06 +0000

Joe and James delivering mission supplies.

James in Cape Town.

the hardest day tomorrow???

jjjcaponetto — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 18:16:11 +0000

Hi guys…. Well, we have settled back into our routine so quickly and it is like we never left. I am so happy to see the kids and to be busy getting everything wrapped up these last few days. I am feeling almost a little panicky because i want to make sure i have done everything i needed and wanted to do. I am reviewing all my pictures, making sure i have one of all the kids and thinking of everyone on meds and making sure they are all better. I am careful to make sure i have made a mental note of everyone’s facial expressions, smiles, dimples, eyes and of course their laughter… i will never forget the laughter here. I can tell i am already gearing up for the goodbyes….when i went to the internet shop, i savored my conversation with my friend more than usual. I have made friends with the boy that pumps my gas (he calls me mama, but i am not sure that is a compliment because usually the older women are called mama), he fights the other boys to make it over to the car to pump my gas… i always laugh and he has the most beautiful smile… i studied his face harder today. The little man that sweeps the sidewalk outside the internet shop that i chat with everyday, caught me staring at him as well. I am just going to miss so many things…. But not that rooster…. Did i mention that i could hear that stupid rooster in
Cape Town? Every time it was a little quiet, i could hear that rooster….

Okay, deep breath. I am thinking tomorrow might me my hardest day. All the kids that have not been tested are being tested tomorrow. Including the new guy…(.he is soooo cute). It has been a battle though, let me tell you. When i first got here, no one was in favor of being tested because of the stigma attached to it and how it was better to be ‘in the dark’ than to know. Now, they have been counseled and half have been tested. But this last group will be the hardest. I fear that if all the tests don’t come out negative, will i be blamed? Will they dislike me? so close to the end of my trip too. I don’t want it to end on a bad note…. But i am here for this reason as well. It has been such a struggle getting this last group tested for some reason. The clinics have been impossible to get into, mama had her reservations at first with the person coming (trust is a challenge at times for many people here), but finally, we are at the point to test. It is the rapid test that is going to be done, so, we will know all the results tomorrow. Please pray for negative results. I will have a counselor on hand for any troubles we may have. This group is old enough to have many transitions and anger to go through if the results are bad. so i am very nervous. Please start the prayer chain again. I always get a pit in my stomach before I do this because even though someone can look very healthy, they can be HIV positive for around 10 years or more before they show signs of being infected… So you really just never know.

I have to say, after they are tested, i will be glad this part is over with. This has been hard. At times i have wished that i could have just come over here to just love on all these people and not have to test, teach, change things in the house and so on… i could just be the friend and mother figure i want to be, but i am not here for me… i am here with a clear purpose that is not of me at all. God placed this on my heart long ago… i am merely following orders… J Maybe i will come back sometime with no official ‘plan’ and just love, love… i have formed wonderful and tight relationships that will last forever.

Please pray fervently tonight. I will check in tomorrow with hopefully good news. Thanks again,

We love you all,

Jennifer, joseph and james

home sweet home!

jjjcaponetto — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:17:21 +0000

Safe at home!!! Yes, coming back to Oceans felt like home. As we rounded the corner to the town where Oceans resides, all of us got a little punchy and realized how much we had missed our home away from home!

We had a great time in
Cape Town. The family we stayed with Sharon, Michael, Justin and Diane, were the most lovely family and what a perfect fit they were for us. They are so easy going and
Sharon and I bonded right away. I was actually sad when we left because we just ‘connected’ like that. You know those few and far between meetings you have with people that you seem to just get along with so easily? She was like that. sm.Saturday we went and saw all the ‘jackasses’ running around on the beach. Haha, the penguins (called jackasses) were all out and were so funny to watch. I was very pleased to see them as i have been wanting to see them since i learned of them back in March. Then we went bowling with the Sharon, Justin and Diane and one of Justin’s friends. The next day we all packed up again (with Sharon and Diane) and went shopping at the market. That night we all had dinner together and sat around the table and laughed at all the differences between Americans and white Africans. Then home today.

It rained most of the time we were there but it was still nice to get away and to meet a such a wonderful family was so worth it. The only hang-ups we had were to do with Daniel locking the keys in the car…. Uuuhhh, TWICE! Sorry Daniel, i couldn’t resist. J

As soon as we came home, we were welcomed with lots of hugs and Phumlani came right up to me and said ‘i missed you so much it felt like you were gone a whole year’. He couldn’t do enough, helped carry in our stuff, took james by the hand and got him a piece of meat in the house. He stayed right on our heels the entire time… it felt nice to be home.

Goals for the next two weeks, get the girls tested, follow up with some people in the ‘new village’ and then of course keep trying with Phumlani to get him into the specialist. I am sure a few more things will pop up.

Thanks again to all of you who have been so faithful with checking in and leaving us messages every blog, it helps us so much not to feel forgotten. Thanks, we love you all. Please pray for the next two weeks to go well and with an easy transition home….

Hey all, its Joe,
Cape Town was so fun we got a ton of stuff at the market, it was lots of fun hanging out with Justin and the rest of them…. Dad, Coty, everyone at home only two and a half weeks [i think].

I love the new little boy he is so cool he doesn’t speak English though but he loves W.W.E. wrestling and he calls me Xoloni (the Xhosa name the girls gave me.)

-Dave C. I can’t wait to see you on the bungee we saw it on the way to
Cape Town and it was huge (worlds largest.)

Love, J,J and J

Cape town!

jjjcaponetto — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:24:37 +0000

Hello again. here we are in cape town. arrived safely. It has been rainy since we have been here, but we are still having fun. even if we didn’t get out, it is still fun just having a real bed (even though i have to share with james) and a fridge and only three of us to share a space. But we went out to the water front yesterday and did some shopping and today we went and did some wine tasting… that was nice.

the family we are staying with is awesome…they are so nice and very down to earth. The mom, sharon, made us soup last night and today the daughter, diana, spent the day with us. She is adorable. She is 11 i think. Tomorrow we plan on trying to find the penquins (jack ass penquins) on the beach. That should be fun.

I am already missing the kids at oceans and am looking forward to finishing my goals when i return. I can’t wait. I am heading home in just 16 days… it seems like i still have so much to do, but not enought time to do it in.

Dave, Daniel’s dad will be bringing few things up for me, thanks Dave. I am looking forward to the next two weeks and looking forward to coming home, but not looking forward to the goodbyes… Sister and norenti keep saying ‘what will we do when you leave?’ and i keep thinking, i don’t know how i will leave and how different i will be when i go.

Thanks to all of you for being so supportive. we love you all so much,

love,

j, j and j.