I got to go to the hospital with my second Mama the other day. She had high blood pressure and so she was preparing herself for the possibility of an emergency c-section. Well the hospital has some strict rules and I am actually not allowed in with the patient except if I am the only one with her and she is in the final stage of labor and ready to deliver, which doesn't make sense for what I am actually there for.
Anyway, when I arrived at the hospital, a security guard let me go up to the waiting room where this young woman's mother was waiting. While we waited my only contact with this scared young first time mom was through phone calls and texts of encouragement ( I am thankful for cell phones). You see my client was not in labor but she was put in a labor ward with many other women who were in active labor. So as you can imagine the sight of these other women was not helpful for her blood pressure. . . when we did get a chance to talk face to face she spoke of the most horrendous things that were happening in the labor ward; mothers being hit and yelled at by the attending nurses, she herself had been hassled and repeatedly yelled at for crying.

I was starting to really get fired up about the things she was telling me when we met another young woman who had just had her baby by c-section and she showed us her baby who had a very bad cut on his head, when we asked what happened she explained that they cut the baby when they cut her!
Now here I am sitting with all these stories and experiences and I don't know exactly what to do with it??? I came home feeling so upset that the people who need help are constantly the victims in places where they should be getting help. What do I do??? What can I do? Despite the fact that I just got certified by DONA as a Doula ( yeah!!) I don't actually have any credibility in these hospitals, and I don't know anyone who does!

I listened to a song that my friends Yasmin and Ben wrote when they had studied the book of Amos it says:

"If you remain silent
If you just turn your head
If you remain silent
What can I say to those who will cry
Where is our God when our children die?

Speak through Your Word
Let us understand
Their cries must be heard by both God and man

Do not remain silent"

I cry every time I listen to that song, but it helps me remember that no matter how small, no matter how few connections I have, I must speak, speak up for those who don't have a voice and continue to listen.
Please pray for the government hospitals in South Africa, there are many issues, understaffed over worked and millions of sick people without resources just don't make for a good situation.

Some fun Keira video's

Chrissy and I have being really enjoying Keira. She is an incredible blessing to us. She is independant, smart and full of joy.
Enjoy these two vidoes.
Love us

Reality.

What is safety??? I have been wrestling with this question this week as there have been some incidents on our street. Last night I attended a street meeting where a few of our neighbors spoke of suspicious people around, attempted robberies and the like. As I asked clarifying questions, the street leader finally said, "Chrissy, I am sorry but in this country we have come to a point where we must trust no one!" My heart sank, trust no one. . . I have been told and taught that only the paranoid survive but I also feel like I don't want to waste life worrying when "it won't add a minute to your life". But the reality is that bad, scary and horrible things happen to people everyday all over the world. . .
I have to say my first reaction to hearing all the stories last night was one of fear and flight " How quickly can we move from this place?" But then after a deep breath I was moved to ideas of action, to follow up with other neighbors, prayer walk, connect with other people who are at home during the day. All good things but that nagging fear, which I am so familiar with, didn't want to let go of my heart. I came to Trev with talk of burglar bars, and panic buttons and roaming security.
Repeating scripture about how God is our shelter and how He never leaves us, was helpful to calm me down but it also made me realize the reality is that God is still that same God whether we get robbed or worse. Trusting Jesus for our safety doesn't mean that bad things won't happen. Today, in the wake of reality, my heart longs for home and familiar and seeming safety, but more than that my heart aches for a place where people feel that they must trust no one. To me, that is an isolating and lonely reality to live in.

To tell or not to tell

I have had the privledge to be part of a new young adults bible study in Zandspruit on Thursday nights. We meet every other week.
The last two weeks we have talked about the topic "To tell or not to tell." This has created some real discussion as we have wrestled with the struggles of telling the truth, for ourselves, for our friends and our communities. I think this is a challenging issue for us all, especially when telling the truth has consequences.
This is especially true in the squatter community where you can't hind in your house in the burbs, but are tightly packed together, where you see things that you don't really want to see, where telling what you did see has serious consequences.
We are growing as a new community of believers and we are starting to see the more negative consequences of not standing up for truth. Not telling the truth leaves us in the dark, it leads to communities that don't care what happens, where violence prevails. We have to start standing up for truth so that the light can prevail but we have to do it with love.

I hope that my character, along with this great group, will be changed, to be more truthful, to face the reality that if the truth does not prevail, it only leads to death and heartache in the long run.

Its not up to me

We start Zulu classes tonight! It has been one of those things that has been postponed then canceled and then restarted so we are looking forward to actually getting started in an official way. Language, as you know has been a bit of an issue. For me it especially hard to help a mother fill out an antenatal card for the clinic if we don't speak the same language, so I hope in learning Zulu it will at the least familiarize my ear to the different sounds of the other languages that come into the clinic. Speaking of the clinic, for those of you that don't know I work in the antenatal clinic that is held at the community center 2 days a week. Antenatal s the same as Prenatal, so the ladies come and get checked by a midwife and have their blood work done before they deliver at a far away hospital. The problem that has been reoccurring at this clinic is that we haven't been able to keep a steady nurse to do the blood work. Govt hospital nurses are over worked and understaffed and underpaid, so no one seems to be able to spare anyone. And it s actually very dangerous to continue with antenatal care without having blood work done, several problems could be present that the mother or the hospital would not be aware of, the scariest of which is HIV. So instead it looks like the clinic will have to close until we find someone to do blood.
Even though I get queasy at the sight of blood, I wish that I was qualified. I know that is not what I am here for but it is so awful for these moms who will have to either travel far to the hospital to get their blood workup or they will go to another clinic that is not so nice. . . or they won't go at all and end up with a baby that is infected with something. I just wish I knew more. . .on a daily basis. Or had more helpful skills, I know I have resources and education and that is more than the average Precious or Soley (common names here) but it s a challenge to feel that inadequacy and then know what to do with it. I won't be taking on anymore degrees at least not at this stage but I can pray and use what I do know to do the little that I can and ask Jesus to multiply it. So really its not me at all, people don't need me, they need Jesus the one who can supply for their every need, the one who feeds 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I am not trying to preach, just thinking out loud or. . . through my fingers I guess. It is helpful to reflect a little in these quiet moments when Keira is sleeping, thanks for listening. . .or reading I mean. Until next time,
Love Chrissy

Life in Zandspruit

Just wanted to share some pictures from the community we work in.
They show some of the everyday issues that have to be faced just dealing with basic services.

Quite different from most our lives and the hiking in the Mountains...it is really the survival of the fittest and the least getting treated the worst.

Pray with us as we try to empower this community to demand better service from the government and to see their living situation improve.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2188785&id=19712795&l=bd2d5359aa
Copy and paste above address into a new browser to view.

Peace.

Hello Change, old friend

I know that nothing in life is permanent. . . but it feels like here that reality is accentuated! I start to make a friend and then they move, I start to make another friend and then they move. I offer my services as a doula and then a woman who sounded sure she could use the help never calls. It can be really difficult at times to be so unsure of things that seem like you could be sure of.

I am very thankful to Jesus that HE is constant! In the midst of so much instability, poverty, corruption, injustice and hopelessness it is only Jesus that I can cling to to know that there is hope for the next breath! Thanks God.

News on the home front; Keira started Nursery school this week and absolutely loves it! (She is just going on Monday and Thursday when I have clinic.) She came home with a noodle bangle that she made and singing the days of the week. I was the only one who cried in the whole ordeal! Its funny that all of a sudden someone else is influencing my child! I know its good but it is strange, but Keira loves playing with the kids and I know she feels safe there because her first day she went and sat down on the carpet and said "Jesus loves me"
Apparently the church where the school is, had prayed in each of the school rooms the night before asking that each child and parent would know the love of Jesus when they walked in, well Jesus heard!!

how crazy is this whole online...connectedness...multiple networks...sitting by yourself stuff?

Drakensberg Hike - A taste of SA

Had a great long weekend hiking the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains. It is so great to be able to spend time in nature with friends. The hike was tough though, doing 37 hours of hiking in 3 1/2 days. Outdoor fans in the US would love this place. I felt like I was regaining my South Africaness after years in the States. God is good.

They said we were in trouble...

Here is a little treat of our baby growing into a little girl. The dress Keira has on was one we bought in Mexico on holiday before we new the gender of our baby. I think it looks perfect on her.
This was before going to church one morning. She ended up throwing up all over the dress on the way to church and so ran around with just a diaper on. She looked equally cute.

March Prayer Update 2009

Hello Friends!
We have now been in South Africa for about 3 months! Some days it feels like we've been here a lot longer, other days it feels like we just stepped off the plane! Nonetheless, we are learning what life is like here. Just to give you a little taste here is a glimpse at our week:
Monday -Friday from 8-5 Trevor spends his mornings at Emthonjeni, the community center, cultivating relationships and helping with the management of the center, then in the afternoon he goes into the squatter community to meet with different families and young men that he has been introduced to. Every conversation is a brick laid on the road to building a network to create change in the community. As you might have guessed this takes a long time and so each day it is necessary to hold onto a bigger vision of what we are doing here. That also comes in handy when he is in meetings with the sponsoring church that is excited to dive into the community. Trev is learning to walk a balance between two worlds and trying to navigate when to put on the brakes and when to move forward. All of this in at least 4 languages at a time. (English, Tswana, Afrikaans,and Zulu)
That is something we are both learning to work through, we can be in a conversation with a group of people, comfortable in our communication and then in a blink the language changes and we have no idea where the conversation is going! Thankfully we often have someone with us who will graciously give a rough translation of what just happened. But the problem with that is people often process their thoughts in their own language so we get the result or the answer to a question but not the process, and what we really want to hear is the process.
But we are hopeful because everyone says that we will learn everything we need to know in 6 months : ) We laugh but I think they are serious !

For me: Mondays and Thursdays I go to the antenatal clinic to meet pregnant moms and help them with their medical information. I have enjoyed this time as I get to make someone smile in the midst of filling out paperwork, and meet moms that might be interested in a doula. Lately there have been a lot of very young moms that I have tried to connect with. Currently I am waiting for a baby to come! Hopefully this week, and if all goes well, it could be my last certifying birth! Yeah!
The other days in my week are filled with young boys fixing their bikes in our yard, meeting with moms from the clinic, connecting with some friends we have met here and meeting and getting to know our neighbors. ( Quick Story) One of the little boys who fixes his bike here rang our bell. He had come because all the other boys were gone and he wanted to talk to me. I thought something was wrong at first, but soon I realized he just wanted to hang out! I felt priviledged that I was cool enough to hang out with a 10yr old boy! Anyway, I got to hear about his family and what school is like and he shared with me that his Mother passed away when he was 5. It was that moment that I felt a nudge from the Lord that when he is a my house I can be like a mother to him, what a gift! Please pray for Mandla and his relationship with Trevor and I.
Another gift is that this week, I have started meeting with a Zulu conversation partner who lives just around the corner from us! She is a young college student and she comes over whenever she can and teaches me Zulu culture and language, I can see a nice friendship developing.

We are still trying to find a church, which is proving to be a challenge! We would love to attend a church that is diverse and pursuing reconciliation, with great teaching and worship, in english. We have attended one church where the teaching has been solid and reminds us of InterVarsity manuscript study and teaching, but it is predominetly Afrikaans, which leaves Keira and ultimately me, out of the service and out luck for understanding. So our search continues.
Keira has been doing much better adjusting to her new diverse cultural surroundings. She has been happy to play with other children and even take the lead with kids older than her : ) ( Its so cute watching her tell 5yr olds to join hands and make a train with her!) In the picture on the left is Keira and Mervyn our next door neighbor, whom she cares for very much, in fact that day she and Mervyn were in the splash pool and Keira looked and Mervyn and touched his hair and said " Beautiful . . . beautiful hair Mervyn!" It was a precious moment.
In a nutshell we are trying to connect! Please continue to pray for us;
~The relationships that we are building, and that they will form the network that is necessary to create change here
~Pray for our need for friendships and comraderie
~ Pray for the broken systems in this country
~Pray for the lack of jobs in this country

We continue to be grateful for all of you! Thank you for praying and caring for us! We now have internet at our house so if you would like to skype please email us and we can set up a time!
Blessings!
Chrissy for the Davies

The start on 09

Hi all,

We hope you are all doing well. We thought you would enjoy this video of Tayla and Keira. It has been fun to watch them together. It is crazy how quickly they are growing up.

We are doing okay, getting settled and getting to know our neighbours and the folks in the community we are working in.

Like anything you start, it takes a lot of energy and courage to build new relationships and friendships, putting yourself out there and trusting that God is going to use it. We are doing our best.

We are surveying the land, looking for God's hand print, asking Him to reveal himself and lead us to those people who we will be able to partner with in the future.

Chrissy is doing great a the anti-natal clinic and already has some potential folks she can Doula for.
I am having fun getting to know new people in the community, playing pool in shacks and just trying to become a normal part of community life. The kids love to shout "umlungu" which means whitey. I am enjoying the challenge of winning their hearts over.

Of course there are those who think we are crazy but that is part of the fun, breaking down the dividing wall and letting God's light shine.

We love you all and miss all you in the US. We miss familiar conversation and just being known.

Keep us in your prayers and when you get a chance send us your news.
We don't have internet at home yet and things are just slower here so bear with us as we try to keep you up to date.

All our love
Trev, Chrissy & Keira

A home at last

We found a place to live!

As many of you know whe have been in transition for a long time, but finally we will get to settle into a home of our own. We are renting a place in Cosmo City and we will move in the middle of January, now all we have to do is set up our house. . . which is equally as exhausting as finding one, but alas it will be home!

So far we are doing okay, I finally took a stab at driving which was better than I thought it would be, next I just have to drive where there are cars on the road. . . my goal is to feel comfortable driving by the time we move in, so I have a lot of work to do.

In my mind I knew there would be a lot of adjustments to my life, driving, new language and people already thinking that I speak it, new brands and foods I have never heard of, everything going a lot slower. . . but I never could have imagined what it would feel like to have everything happening at the same time. It is a whirlwind of unknowns and new experiences, so far nothing is easy, so I just have to change my attitude: my montra " Nobody told me that the road would be easy, but I don't believe He's brought me this far to leave me." I am so glad that Jesus doesn't change when the world around me is so unfamiliar.

And I am so thankful that Trevor is even keeled and takes things easily, when I let him, he really brings me out of my "tornado of crazy" and helps me to take one thing at a time :)

The last 2 weeks with Christmas and NewYears, I am missing home and the easy friendships that are so close to my heart, but again one thing at a time!

Happy New year friends!

Sending you love and blessings fo 2009!

Mabula 2008 Click on the picture. It is a link to a web album.

Remembering my Dad

Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of my Dad's passing. It was good to grieve as a family and remember the legacy Dad left us. A legacy of courage and compassion. A life lived well.
The picture above is such a gift to me, Dad connecting with Keira, full of joy and life. I miss him.

Well we made it, after 22 hours of flying time we arrived to a great welcome of our family. You should have seen the peoples faces when we hauled our multiple bags and boxes through customs with the help of the local ground crew.
We then headed straight to Mabula, a game reserve where we spent the first week. It was so great to relax, hear the sounds of Africa and have the sun shinning on our shoulders (We'll maybe a little to much of that....can we say sun burn).
We were up at 5:30am thanks to jetlag and of course Keira. We watched the sunrise together, chased birds, squirrels, played on swings and went for walks all before Mom got up. Mono can be a good thing sometimes I guess. It is good to see Chrissy getting better and be able to swallow again.
It was a special joy to be with family and to watch Keira play with her cousin Tayla and interact with all the critters that were in abundance. You should have seen Chrissy's face as Keira picked up and played with the bugs. Proud and yet fearful that she might give them to her.

We were well rested being in the bush, but now we face the hectic pace of Johannesburg, trying to get things sorted out. We waited in line at the traffic department for 3 1/2 hours to get the car we bought registered. Don't let me here anyone complain about the DMV. It was an African experince. A line to get in. A line to hand the papers in and a line to pay. Each taking over an hour. Glad that's done.

Then we tried to get cell phones. But you can't get them if you don't have credit, or 3 months pay slips or bank statements. Tricky when you haven't lived here in 11 years or never. Thankfully this is Africa and we have made a plan. Just ask nicely and bring some chocolates next time.

That's enough for now. We miss you all in the US. Play in the snow for us.
Trev, Chrissy & Keira


P.S. We would have liked to post more pictures but for some reason we could only load one. We will try to show some of the animals Keira had fun seeing.

Ready to leave

We are less than 24 hours from leaving the US and heading to South Africa. This has been something that we hard been preparing for months and years.
We are grateful for the time we have had to get ready, time with friends, donors, supporters and family. Fun watching Keira have fun with all of you.
Chrissy was recently diagnosed with Mononucleosis (Glandular Fever) on Friday last week, which has been a real bummer. She has been really sick. The doctor saw her on Monday and put her on steroids which meant we needed to postpone the trip a day.
We are thankful we are still able to leave mostly on schedule and are looking forward to resting with my family in South Africa. We will be taking the first week at a vacation spot at a game reserve, a peaceful, slow paced place.
We just wish this added stress of Chrissy's illness could have been better timed. Now to make it through the rigours of long-haul international travel.

A call to Auntie Cat!

We had great fun tonight when Auntie Cat called from California. Keira has been "talking" up a storm today. So we gave her the phone and after a while she started walking around, having a "conversation" with Cat. Enjoy the little video below. Pretty cute.

We are in the last week before we leave for South Africa. The time has finally arrived. As we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am thankful for the time I have lived in the US, for my family here and for all friends I've made through the years. Because of who God is and what he has done in my life during my time in the US I have great hope for what God has for us in South Africa.

I came to America with a suitcase and a backpack 11 years ago. I now return to SA with a beautiful wife and daughter. A serious upgrade. I am thankful.

Time with Grandparents in Seattle

Keira has been having a great time with Granma and Grandad. Playing games, reading and going the park.

Above we are off to see the fishies....


We had a great time as a family on this special sunny, fall day. Of course Keira made it extra special and watching her get excited about the fish was fun.

Chrissy Here!

So this is my first post, I know it has taken me a long time but here I am! Here are some pics of Keira having fun with Larry at the dinner table! It is such a gift to be able to stay with the Passmores and share Keira with them, it is home!! We have had such a great time this week connecting with friends. It is just sad to know that this is goodbye for a very long time.

I feel so greatful for the relationships that we have here and the influence they have had on our lives. Being here this week has really solidified God's call on our lives as it has helped us remember where we have come from. We still have a few days here before we go to the coast so we are taking advantage of the rest and reminising before we leave Corvallis.