Brotherly Affection

Ronnie Here!

Sorry I have been a bit M.I.A. lately where the blog is concerned but now that school has started I have found a majority of my free time pouring into reading and writing for my classes. I just really want to share a recent experience with you…

So last week was my first week traveling to the Health Clinics with the other Counselor Coordinator Pumla visiting the clinics she oversees. The first we went to was the clinic in Masiphumelele (aka, Masi. Clinic) which is in a black Xhosa (pronounced Cosa) speaking community. Up until that point I had had very little direct involvement with the black communities as Capricorn and Ocean View are colored Afrikaans speaking communities. I had however heard from other volunteers that the black communities are very different and having driven through Masi before I felt prepared for the differences. Regardless, I cannot speak Xhosa so I felt the language barrier much more as the Xhosa speaking black communities speak very little English, unlike the colored communities which are pretty balanced between English and Afrikaans.

Upon entering the clinic I, as has become usual, was besieged by inquisitive stares because, and I hope this comes as no surprise to anyone reading this, I am a White Male! Yes I know the truth is sometimes Shocking! Anyway, Pumla took me around and introduced me to the counselors and a few of the other attending physicians there and I would assume she told them why I was there but of course, I couldn’t understand a majority of what was said. We then left and went to visit her other two clinics one in a colored community and one in a predominantly white area. The next day she asked me to meet her at Masi Clinic in the morning so I did so and was pleasantly surprised by the warm greetings I received from everyone I had been introduced to the previous day. I was hugged and everyone shook my hand and I even had the pleasure of seeing and visiting with a woman I was partnered with weeks prior in an HIV/AIDS workshop at Living Hope. I then watched and did my best to assess the presentation given by the counselors which obviously was all in Xhosa.

The experience made me think about what this world would be like if as God’s family we were all as welcoming to outsiders as those people in Masi Clinic were to me. Because surely, that day I returned, no one was required to say anything to me, a minority in their close knit community, and yet they welcomed me in without question with open arms. My challenge to everyone reading this blog is simply this: How can you reach out a meaningful hand or hug of love and acceptance to those around you today? Maybe it is that coworker that drives you and everyone else in the office bananas, or perhaps it is the best friend that let you down, or even the sad looking stranger waiting in front of you in the grocery store queue. Romans 12:9-10 tells us this “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection.” As this verse says, I encourage you today to love the world “with brotherly affection”!

In His TLC,
R.

PS I have discovered and have become rather addicted the blog found at: www.stuffchristianslike.net I encourage everyone to check it out for encouragement and most likely a laugh as well.