April 2014

Hebrews 6:10

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

Every once in awhile it is good to self-reflect on one’s calling. This has been my journey for the last few weeks. Chaplaincy ministry is a unique ministry to evaluate. One doesn't receive regular feedback from patients and family. Neither can one evaluate the ministry through monetary means.

I came across the above verse, reminding me that been faithful with what God has blessed Sinekamva with is important for my morale and His continuous blessings on this ministry. Within the same week of reading this verse, a patient that was admitted to HH for an overdose attempt called me to thank me for the care that I showed her. She was feeling helpless, dejected, hurt, and angry towards life, her husband and God. She wanted me to know that I spoke life into her situation and that I displayed God’s presence – something that she wanted. That Sunday she committed her life to the Lord and although her journey is still a difficult one, she has hope and strength within her Maker. Doesn't God have His matchless way of providing answers!

On an administration level, I want to praise God for answered prayers - I have a fully-functioning laptop!

January / February 2014

As we begin a new year in partnership, I continue to trust the Lord's blessing over your life just as He continues bless Sinekamva’s ministry.

I have been counselling a young lady who lost her entire family (husband  and three children) including her sister in-law and niece, in a tragic motor vehicle accident in the beginning of December (View).

This has been a difficult journey for Jane* as she begins to deal with the loss of her family. As with so many traumatic cases, the pain of unanswered questions remains a difficult theological and emotional experience, while trying to believe in a loving and faithful Creator God.

Helping Jane walk this emotional journey has once again been a grounding experience to the sadness that life can bring and how quickly one phone call can change one’s outlook on life.

James speaks of life's uncertainties when he writes; "You don’t really know about tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for only a short while before it vanishes. Here’s what you ought to say: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (4:14-15).

On a ministry need note; due to my laptop being six years old, I would like to replace it. If you are able to donate a laptop (new or used) please contact me or if you feel you would like to financially contribute to this, please reference donation as “laptop.”

This month Sinekamva was able to donate 16 gift packets to the KMC mothers and 20 toy items to the paediatric ward. Many thanks to all who have donated toys, knitted premature baby items and bought soaps, face towels and sanitary items for the gift packets. If you would like to help in this manner, please contact me for further details.  

*Not her real name.

Sept 2013

As Sinekamva nears the end of it's 6^th year (105 days till 2014!), God continues to bless my hospital chaplain ministry.

Training:

I had the opportunity to facilitate a training programme at Helderberg Hospice based on "The importance of Spiritual needs within a Medical Setting." The Why, What and How of healthcare spirituality were addressed and the following topics were discussed: The Church and Hospital Care, Why Spirituality is Important in Healthcare?, Definition of Spirituality & Religion, Dynamics of Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Pain, Grief Cycle & Unmet Spiritual Need Cycle, Five essential functions of Spirituality, Spiritual Measurement Tools, The Goals Of Spiritual Assessments, Signs of Spiritual Pain/Suffering, Visual Cues Indicating Possible Religious or Spiritual Beliefs and Practices, Spiritual Care at the Time of Death, and How To Effectively Use Spiritual Resources. 

This was a wonderful opportunity to expose the real and valid need of spiritual care for patients. The 25 volunteers were enlightened with valuable information in that patients are more than just an illness in a physical and emotional body, but that their spiritual narrative plays an important role in holistic care.

            Cape Town Baptist Seminary is looking to expand their psychology curriculum, to a more focused pastoral care curriculum. As I have been assisting them with lectures, this further opens the door for exposing the real need of pastoral care as a speciality. It has been my experience that newly graduated pastors receive a “crash-course” in pastoral care; however, anyone who is part of a church would know that competent pastoral care is vitally important for any church. This is exciting for both the Seminary and for myself.

The Teddy bear/wool drive

          The Teddy bear/wool drive has been a real success. As to date the following items have been handed out: Peadiatric Ward (10 Teddy Bears, 3 Blankets, 15 Jerseys, and 20 Beanies), KMC Ward (17 Beanie and Bootie sets, 9 Jerseys, 11 Beanies and 17 Booties.) Thank you to those who contributed to the wool drive. It has been wonderful to have the Parel Vallei High School students, who on a weekly basis, have given up their time to hand out the goodies to the children. If you would like to contribute teddies, jerseys or beanies, please drop them off at Somerset West Baptist Church, or alternatively contact me.

A Pastoral Walk

          I was asked to provide counsel and pastoral support to a gentleman who had been newly diagnosed with cancer with a very bleak prognosis. He had come down from JHB to visit his children, when he took ill and it was then that he was diagnosed. He was very successful in his work and was highly involved in the reconciliation aspects of our country. As we got to know each other, opportunities of life-reflection became evident in his life.  Over the following few weeks, the time that we spent together, was enriching as I helped him explore the relational side of his faith with Christ. A barrier of regret was still apparent in his life, and being a divorced man we felt that he needed to make peace with his ex-wife and his children regarding this. I encouraged him to speak the truth and seek forgiveness for his wrong-doings. This brought a lot of peace to his soul. The full pastoral cycle was experienced when the family asked me to conduct his memorial service. Although he passed on, I trust that the Lord will honour our conversations and that he is resting in God's loving arms. This reminded me of the importance of reconciliation with loved ones and how vital it is to die in Christ's peace.         

PhD

As I continue my walk though the chapters, I have begun to realise that non-fatal medication overdose is a grave issue facing the Basin. I am currently designing a holistic assessment tool that would incorporate the psychsocial-spiritual aspects of the patient. This will not only be important for my pastoral care, but the assessment will provide an holistic picture of the patient for the medical team. If you feel that you would like to financially contribute towards the PhD fees, please take note of Sinekamva's bank details and reference the donation as PHD.  

I thought you might appreciate these real doctor’s comments from hospital forms:

1. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.2. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.3. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.4. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.5. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

May 2013

Greetings.

The supervision that I assisted with at Groote Schuur Hospital for 11 weeks went really well. Although it was an adjustment in having to leave earlier than normal (05:40), it was an enriching time with the students. In all 9 students participated in the program, 3 from Lesotho, 1 JBH, 2 CPT and 3 DBN. We took them through an intense program of personal development within the ministry. Half of their time was dedicated to actual practice of ministry, while the other half the participants were involved in interpersonal group work, role play, didactics on the practice of ministry and personal reflections which were written daily and given to their supervisor. As part of their development as ministers, various outings were organised to Doves Funeral home, Maitland Crematorium, CPT Holocaust Museum and CPT Heart Transplant Museum. Workshops also formed part of the program with Katie Sheel presenting the social issue of human trafficking and Reinette Evans on Rape Crisis and how the local church can help survivors. CPE is professional education for ministry as it trains clergy, religious and laity for work in pastoral care  -  in other words it brings them into supervised encounter with persons in crisis. It is planned that I continue co-coordinating the CPE program for either the 11 week unit or 5 week model each year.  For more info visit www.cpecapetown.wordpress.com.

I had great response after my presentation at church, with individuals wanting to get involved in Sinekamva (knitting teddy bears, visitations, training and financial support). I am continuously blessed at God’s provision, open doors and His involvement in Sinekamva. It still remains a desire to employ a Xhosa person to help in this amazing and challenging ministry, so please pray with me that God would bless this desire and continue to provide new ways for funding and sponsorship.  

Below is a video testimony of a patient that I ministered to.

February 2013

Greetings all

With 2013 already approaching February, I Trust that all is well and that you have had a restful festive season.  There are some exciting opportunities that lie ahead for Sinekamva Chaplaincy and Counseling ministry.  One such opportunity is my involvement with the CPE program at Groote Schuur Hospital.

This journey began in the middle of last year, while I was doing PhD research that I came across an advert in a pastoral care journal advertising CPE (clinical pastoral education) in Cape Town. After emailing them, explaining who I am and my experience in CPE (Houston, TX), I did not have much expectation that I would get a reply since the advert was dated in the 80’s.  After a few days had passed I received a reply from a lady (Jacinta) in Strand stating that the program still existed and wants to know what my interest in emailing her was about.  In reply I said I was curious as I had done a year’s CPE program in the US.  Her response was for us to meet.  I had no agenda for that meeting as I wanted to find out if a relationship between my ministry and CPE Groote Schuur could be established.  Near the end of the meeting Jacinta said that their agenda was “me”.  It was in that week that she and her colleague decided to step down from leading the CPE program (as they have been running the program for 15 years ) and felt it was time for them to step down and find someone with fresh and new ideas.  It appeared that in all likelihood the program was going to close all together, although their prayer was for the program to continue, they had no one to carry on running the program.  Throughout that week they had been praying for someone to take over the program and out of them to blue they received my email.  The end result was an open invitation for me to prayerfully consider taking over the CPE program at Groote Schuur Hospital as I had a good understanding of what such a program entails.  As part of my introduction to this I will be attending their 2013 program (11 weeks) beginning February.  Not only is this exciting to be part of such a program, but this journey would also bring the beginnings of qualification to awards a certified CPE supervisor (the program is governed by ACPESA).

I look to this not as coincidence but a God given opportunity, as the timing of my email could not have been more perfect.  It has always been a goal to establish such a program here in Cape Town, as CPE is an incredible learning experience for anyone involved in pastoral care.  Groote Schuur Hospital offers a wonderful learning experience as it is a world renowned for their innovative and historical care.  All staff at Groote Schuur has a wonderful working relationship with all CPE students and supervises. I will keep you all updated as to the progress of CPE in the next few newsletters. Please be in prayer with me as I make a final decision about CPE in the next few months!

My PhD continues to move forward as I’m currently at the stage of writing my first three chapters (introduction, literature review and methodology).  I thank the Lord for such an opportunity and continue to remain aware that this is an incredible journey that I and my family are on.  This is only possible through the gracious support both financially and emotionally from all those who support me in my ministry. If you would like to contribute towards Sinekamva ministry or my PhD fees (Please reference “PhD”) the bank details are as follows:

Sinekamva     (Saving Account)

Bank:             Nedbank (Somerset West)

Branch code:  106012

Account:        2060 1742 44

Thank you for your support and God Bless!

Christmas 2012

Greetings

Thank you all for being a part of Sinekamva in 2012. 

Your encouragements, contributions in so many ways and monitory faithfulness is a wonderful blessing. Ronel and I are grateful for and to you all.

It has been a wonderful 2012 for Sinekamva. The ministry has been fulfilling as I continue to share with patients, their families and staff, God’s love and hope for their situation. Another highlight was the privilege of spending some of my sabbatical in the UK with family and networking with pastors as part of my PhD research. Ronel and I want to again give acknowledgment to God’s faithfulness in 2012 and we look forward to another bumper, challenging yet rewarding 2013.

Have a blessed Christmas season and a wonderful new year!

Life without God seems impossible

A 30 year old lady was admitted to ICU for an overdose on various medications.  This was not her first overdose attempt.  As the conversation unfolded she revealed many dark and difficult periods in life (sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol abuse, relational disappointments and spiritual deserts).  She had been in and out of psychiatric treatment facilities and was now finding it difficult to cope with life.  Her loving husband is currently her only support system.  The attending casualty doctor asked that I please visit her as she believed that God is the true answer to her many problems.

In spite of the sadness and disappointments that this patient has experienced, it was a God-given opportunity to allow her if to safely express her feelings towards God in a caring environment.  Being emotionally, physically and spiritually hurt in the past lead this patient to believe in a very bleak future.

My role was not to rescue her from her medical or physical ailments but to be a compassionate, professional, caring and sympathetic ear when no one else could by allowing her to explore spiritual journey.  I continued to visit with her until special arrangement was made for her to be admitted into a psychiatric treatment program.  A follow up visit was arranged at the treatment center where I found that she was doing somewhat better.  Although a long and bumpy road lies ahead, it reminded me that life without God seems impossible.

     On the PhD front, my supervisor has approved my research proposal (Non-fatal overdoses on prescription medication: an exploration of the characteristics of the patients from a psycho-social-spiritual perspective) and is now in the hands of the post-graduate committee for final consideration.