Saturday
Dear Elsie
Today is the day I tell the story of how I came to be in Cape Town. Given that I was born in Zimbabwe – Lady Chancellor Maternity Home to be precise – 5th November 1964. I’m giving these details which are for our family common knowledge but for the generations to come may not be. Being the youngest of 4, I enjoyed much attention. Our family circumstances changed when my parents split when I was 12. At age 14, my Dad decided to move across town and I completed my high school education at Oriel Girls High School. We lived at 38 Hindhead Ave. Chisipite. I took a picture off Google earth, but they don’t have street view. The green arrow shows roughly where the driveway was. I lived there from 1979 to the end of 1982 and the whole plan of moving to Cape Town was dreamed out of this house.
In fact, it was in this house, in the front bedroom, that I prayed to ask Jesus into my heart (17th July 1979). I’ve written and celebrated that day many times. You can read about it here. That decision defined what would happen in my life because I started reading the Bible and finding out how to seek God in all things. It was Proverbs 16:3 that I learned to live. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. Whenever I had plans, I committed them to the Lord. And so it came about as I entered my O-level year at school, that I thought nursing would be a good idea & that plan began to be committed to the Lord. I didn’t really want to do M-Levels, so in 1981, I started writing to hospitals in South Africa to see if I could do a registered nurses course on O-Levels alone. I wrote to Greys Hospital in Durban, Johannesburg Gen and Somerset Hospital in Cape Town. I’d heard of others going to Greys. My family had moved to Johannesburg and my dearest Aunty Wyn Beale was on the point of moving to Somerset West. I mistakenly thought Somerset Hospital was in Somerset West (why wouldn’t I?). There was no Google to double check. The snail mail of the day was efficient and within a week or two replies started coming in. Greys said ‘no you need M-level’ . Jo’burg Gen said ‘no you need M-level’ . Somerset Hospital also said no, but they said, here is an application form anyway. I filled in the application form and returned it. They wrote back and said, we’ll keep your application and you can start the ‘Sister’s course’ on 1st January 1983, once you have your M-Levels. And that was that. When people asked me what I was going to do when I left school, I had an answer – I was going to Cape Town to nurse. I had a goal. I finished my O-Levels, started M-Levels and kept in touch with Somerset Hospital. By the second half of the year it was all finalised. My Dad arranged for my emigration allowance of 600 Zim dollars ( I got more than R700 for it). He booked the plane ticket. I had Christmas of 1982 with my family and on Boxing day I kissed everyone goodbye and flew to Johannesburg. It was my sister Anne’s birthday and she and Derek met me at the airport. I stayed with them a night or two and then flew to Cape Town.
And that was how I came to be in Cape Town. Tomorrow, I’ll write about arriving at the nurses home and my first days in the city.
I’m so grateful that I got to move here.
Psalm 146:5-6
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—He remains faithful forever.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂