I have been writing stories about many of our children at the Family Centre who have left us, some for great reasons and others for sad reasons and others simply because they no longer wished to receive our services. Now I come to write my own story as I leave Ethembeni. I am sad, but thankfully not leaving for sad reasons as another Smallbones is about to be born!
I started at Ethembeni on the 16th May 2007. Sr. Kathryn Olive and I (see picture of us above – I’m on the left) shared a desk and a computer at Ethembeni Care Centre. Kathryn and Ethembeni staff very patiently answered my questions and put up with my ignorance. The job was exciting but daunting. Ethembeni had never had a social worker before. I had to carve out my role. There was so much to do, but where to even start?
As time went on and the ministry of the Mpophomeni Family Centre (MFC), that had been conceived before my arrival, started to take shape, to grow and to operate, I became more and more involved in that work. I met seven people who had been trained as child care workers, who were to begin the journey with me in starting the MFC. Four of the seven are still part of the staff of the MFC today. Zwelihle is now a trained Social Auxiliary Worker and the MFC Assistant Manager. Phindile is the Early Childhood Development worker, Samkhe and Ellen are both still faithful child care workers, both of whom love to work with the younger children.
I know that initially I was employed to do something quite different to what I am doing today! I would like to thank Rouen Bruni and Grant Edkins for allowing me such freedom to pursue the things that I believe God placed on my heart and things that make me excited and enriched in my working life. There have been many frustrations, brought on for the most part by my own lack of skills. For example, I always regarded myself as a social worker, not a manager! In my time as manager of the Family Centre I made bucketfuls of mistakes, but I received in return bucketfuls of grace, from God, my colleagues, and my superiors. I am really grateful for these steep learning curves and the amazing support I received in the midst of them.
Through others we are hurt and sometimes broken. We had a significant period of brokenness in our team a while ago and even lost a member of staff through a taxi accident during that period of time. However, through others we are also allowed to see Jesus and to see hope. We have come out of that period of time with a much stronger team, full of energy and skill with so much potential ahead. Thank you to the MFC team, for your love, support, and many kindnesses to me, and for your dedication to the children which at times has been astounding.
I have had the privilege of working with some amazing children and young people. They allow one to see what the meaning of resilience really is; being able to rise above their circumstances and seek Life and Hope, being able to experience joy even though some of us would struggle with bitterness in the very same circumstances. I would like to thank all of the children of the Family Centre, those who no longer attend but whom I got to know well and those attending now. Thank you for trusting us as adults to build relationships with you and to share some of your journey of Life with you. There have been many children whose lives have been filled with sadness and abuses of many kinds. Many times we wish that God would remove the pain and suffering or that He would empower us to do so, and with the wave of a magic wand it would all disappear. He doesn’t work that way and instead chooses to use us as fellow weak humans to reach out, advocate, support and counsel in many of those circumstances. It has been reinforced to me time and again that God values relationships above all else, ours with Him and ours with one another.
To all of the staff of Ethembeni, it has been a wonderful working environment because of you. I want to especially thank Dudu Zulu and Zwe Sokhela, because of you my work at Ethembeni has been that much easier. You have both given your time to working alongside me and enabling me to do my job by being translators in so many different circumstances, some very difficult and sensitive. Thank you both for your faithfulness, your trustworthiness and your insights. I have loved working with you!
May God continue to bless Ethembeni. All my love and thanks, Linda
