Disability event

Today we had a big charity event for children with disabilities. This took almost two months of planning: finding sponsors, phoning the same sponsors again and again, driving up and down for quotes, typing letters, organising busses, phoning people to come to the event, inviting guest speakers, making goodie bags, working out budgets, begging people for money… this was endless doing and re-doing. Especially in government where something that should take 2 minutes ends up taking 20. So you might not actually be doing that much, it just takes that long to do.

The past few days consisted of picking up sponsorships, lugging around 400 cans of colddrink, driving up and down to stores and back, running and phoning to confirm and re-confirm, decorating, buying food. And today finally getting up just past 5 to be there at 6, chopping onions, cooking food, telling people where to go and what to do, re-doing what people didn’t do right, organising and… oh my goodness I’m tired just from typing this.

And I can say with all the glory to God and thanks to everyone involved that it was an outstanding success. A lot of frustration and stress later and everyone was in the hall and the events began. We invited a school of able-bodied children’s grade 1 class to perform an item. These were the sweetest, quiets, most well-behaved children I’ve ever seen. They arrived a good hour and a half before the event, sitting quietly in the hall waiting for the events to begin. Then during the event they were so well-behaved. And the items they performed. I’ve never seen such talent. 28 grade 1’s who know exactly where to stand, what to do and how loud to speak so people can hear them. They were thoroughly entertaining!

But the best for me was just learning from the black culture. Or rural culture. Or whatever politically correct way there is to say it. During the event people would spontaneously burst out in song. Children would dance in front and return to their seats. Disabled children would move to the music with smiles bigger than sunshine. Mothers of disabled children moved in their seats with children on their backs. It was so amazing. Their absolute freedom to…thoroughly enjoy themselves. None of the white conservative no-it’s-not-on-the-programme “we can’t sing now” mentality. The event was about what the audience wanted and if they wanted to sing, then we sang! And a lot of it was worship songs. Their freedom to worship God where-ever they got the chance was simply amazing. I am still in awe.

And when push came to shove everyone really (finally) did their share!! People were really keen to help. And get free food eventually J But I was impressed at the turn-out of people. And watching people’s faces during the event. I didn’t understand much because 90% was in sotho or shangaan or something, but looking at the faces of mothers and children I just realized that, even for a few hours, we could make them smile. We could give them hope. We could give them encouragement and show them that others are in the same boat as they are.

I think that’s what we, as part of the human race, need to remember. Others are also in the same boat. You are not the only one going through what you’re going through. Be it a broken heart, death of a loved one, making a difficult decision, or even being happy and being in a moment you enjoy, you are not alone in this. There are people everywhere suffering the same as you, laughing the same as you, learning the same as you, enjoying the same as you and simply living the same as you. God made us like this. To work together, to be together, to suffer together, to enjoy together! I hope that, whatever you are doing today, tonight, you know that you are not alone. Everything is better when we share it!