It’s the 2nd of September 2014 and that means the start of spring, a new season of flowers, sunshine and blossoms. It is also my birthday month which involves reflections, weighing up passed decisions and making new choices for the future. Hence, I decided to go down memory lane and share a few untold stories, those moments that shaped my life and that might give context to many of my past and current decisions…
Seven years ago, more or less this time of the year… I still remember it was just before the September Holiday, because I was busy preparing for my mission trip to Namibia..., yes, It was early September, on a Tuesday afternoon with a scorching hot sun, around 3 O’clock in the afternoon with about 300 kids on the sports field and 30 volunteers from all walks of life. They were all under my care, or that’s how I felt being the leader of a huge project.
I will never be able to forget that day or rather that week and the sequence of events that followed. A local girl came and delivered a message to one of the volunteers, after a failed attempt to find me in the midst of the hundreds of people. However, she chose the wrong volunteer. The message was delivered to a first comer, white Afrikaans girl, that was unaware of the
surrounding and was unable to translate: “Sê vir Bianca, Charles kom om haar af te haal”. Firstly, not all Afrikaans is understandable by Afrikaans people and secondly, I am calling that special boy Charles, for the sake of our conversation.
Roughly translated, the girl meant that I should be aware of that Charles was on his way to take me out. She did not mean, that he wanted to take me out for a movie or an ice-cream although that would have been nice. Instead she was more speaking in the line of him making sure that I am taken out of this world, implying that I would never watch another movie or eat another ice-cream. The volunteer never gave the message to me on that day, but by the time Charles reached me I knew something was
cooking.
Charles was upset, and he wanted to see me. I went out to see him and we spoke for a while. I cannot remember our conversation. However, while we were talking there was a split second where his face changed. Suddenly I could
literally see murder in his eyes. I turned around and walk away. As I was walking he came after me and just as he wanted to stab me one of the guys from his own gang jumped him and tried to keep him to the ground. Now, talk about the good Samaritan putting himself in danger for the other... I kept on walking as if nothing happened. I ordered all the volunteers to get into the busses and to lock the doors, while I was still outside the bus. Thumps up to all the volunteers. I never spoke twice and I never had to raise my voice. Not on that day or on any other day. They knew something about first time obedience and
submission to leadership. Fortunately the kids were all gone already and the volunteers were busy packing up. My first priority was to make sure that everyone was safe. Then I got into the bus. Orders went out to stay in the busses and only move when I said so.
Meanwhile, Charles got away, ran to the gate and closed the gate. He was not going to let me go…he came to take me out and he was determined to execute his plan. I must give it to him for his perseverance, it showed lots of character... Some other kids rocked up and opened the gate…open….closed…open….closed. That went on for a while. We just sat in the busses. The volunteers in the one bus was unaware of what was going on but they sat patiently without asking questions. Eventually some older guys came and dragged him aside and the gate was opened. I let the bussed drive one by one with my bus leaving last.
You probably by now want to know why he wanted to kill me…I can’t say much but it had to do with some drug stuff that I got myself involved with….trying to help…
Anyways, I will still tell you in another blog what happened the day after and the day after that… so don't change the channel, or should I say log out...
Not a lot of people know about this. I had to protect…my team, my 100 volunteers and my 300 kids. There was no time to be weak, or to sulk so I did what I normally did after coming home from the outreach. I went to my room, I can’t remember if I ate something that evening, I went to sleep, got up the next morning at 4am to work on my thesis and by 9am I was in the office,
ready to lead the team, make sure all the preparations were done to teach the kids and to assist the volunteers in their
learning…
I think today, is a good day to watch a movie and have an ice-cream!!!
Seven years ago, more or less this time of the year… I still remember it was just before the September Holiday, because I was busy preparing for my mission trip to Namibia..., yes, It was early September, on a Tuesday afternoon with a scorching hot sun, around 3 O’clock in the afternoon with about 300 kids on the sports field and 30 volunteers from all walks of life. They were all under my care, or that’s how I felt being the leader of a huge project.
I will never be able to forget that day or rather that week and the sequence of events that followed. A local girl came and delivered a message to one of the volunteers, after a failed attempt to find me in the midst of the hundreds of people. However, she chose the wrong volunteer. The message was delivered to a first comer, white Afrikaans girl, that was unaware of the
surrounding and was unable to translate: “Sê vir Bianca, Charles kom om haar af te haal”. Firstly, not all Afrikaans is understandable by Afrikaans people and secondly, I am calling that special boy Charles, for the sake of our conversation.
Roughly translated, the girl meant that I should be aware of that Charles was on his way to take me out. She did not mean, that he wanted to take me out for a movie or an ice-cream although that would have been nice. Instead she was more speaking in the line of him making sure that I am taken out of this world, implying that I would never watch another movie or eat another ice-cream. The volunteer never gave the message to me on that day, but by the time Charles reached me I knew something was
cooking.
Charles was upset, and he wanted to see me. I went out to see him and we spoke for a while. I cannot remember our conversation. However, while we were talking there was a split second where his face changed. Suddenly I could
literally see murder in his eyes. I turned around and walk away. As I was walking he came after me and just as he wanted to stab me one of the guys from his own gang jumped him and tried to keep him to the ground. Now, talk about the good Samaritan putting himself in danger for the other... I kept on walking as if nothing happened. I ordered all the volunteers to get into the busses and to lock the doors, while I was still outside the bus. Thumps up to all the volunteers. I never spoke twice and I never had to raise my voice. Not on that day or on any other day. They knew something about first time obedience and
submission to leadership. Fortunately the kids were all gone already and the volunteers were busy packing up. My first priority was to make sure that everyone was safe. Then I got into the bus. Orders went out to stay in the busses and only move when I said so.
Meanwhile, Charles got away, ran to the gate and closed the gate. He was not going to let me go…he came to take me out and he was determined to execute his plan. I must give it to him for his perseverance, it showed lots of character... Some other kids rocked up and opened the gate…open….closed…open….closed. That went on for a while. We just sat in the busses. The volunteers in the one bus was unaware of what was going on but they sat patiently without asking questions. Eventually some older guys came and dragged him aside and the gate was opened. I let the bussed drive one by one with my bus leaving last.
You probably by now want to know why he wanted to kill me…I can’t say much but it had to do with some drug stuff that I got myself involved with….trying to help…
Anyways, I will still tell you in another blog what happened the day after and the day after that… so don't change the channel, or should I say log out...
Not a lot of people know about this. I had to protect…my team, my 100 volunteers and my 300 kids. There was no time to be weak, or to sulk so I did what I normally did after coming home from the outreach. I went to my room, I can’t remember if I ate something that evening, I went to sleep, got up the next morning at 4am to work on my thesis and by 9am I was in the office,
ready to lead the team, make sure all the preparations were done to teach the kids and to assist the volunteers in their
learning…
I think today, is a good day to watch a movie and have an ice-cream!!!