Esté Jansen van Vuuren shared her story about how a 5 hour wait in a Doctor’s room showed her a very beautiful side of South Africa!
In the doctor’s waiting room, my hope for our country was renewed.
This morning I got up with a heavy heart. Sunday the Pastor told us to praise the Lord and testify to His goodness, but it’s difficult on a morning that I have to take my car in to determine the extent of the damage of Wednesday’s accident and then be off to the neurosurgeon to find out whether or not my assymetrical back needs to be operated, all of this with a 6-month-old baby on the hip.
My morning runs smooth and I’m half an hour early for my appointment.
“The doctor is late, there was an emergency. You will have to wait. Patient number 11.”
I do the math – I’m going to have to wait between 5 and 6 hours.
Two Muslim girls come running to me. “Can we meet the baby?” Their father follows them: “softly-softly,” he says.
These two kept Lisa busy for a good hour. Their mom calls them and when they return to me they spoilt me with a chocolate. Their dad offers to look after Lisa’s toys and blanket so that I don’t have to pack everything to go change her nappy.
Later I meet Boitumelo and her mother. We find out our girls are the same age and share ‘war stories’ for a good hour. This dear lady is going through the same challenges of new motherhood as I am.
It’s half past 5. “Mrs. Jansen.” Finally, my turn! My baby is taken from my arms by the friendly receptionist. “I will look after her, you go in.” I make her promise to bring Lisa to me, if she cries.
In the consulting room, Dr. Mkhonza shakes my hand. I can see he is a highly educated man. What took me by surprise, however, is this man’s gentle smile, his patience when answering my questions and sincere care in his humble eyes.
When I come out, I get my baby back with a smile on her face.
“Mr. Pienaar, you’re next.” “Can’t the lady with the baby go before me, please?” he says, pointing to Boitumelo’s mom. I get tears in my eyes. The man waited with me for 5 and a half hours for his appointment.
Then I felt someone take Lisa’s car seat from my hand. “I will help you, dear,” the other receptionist says and she carries my chair and scans to the car.
“Dear Facebook friends, what I’m trying to express with this very long post is this:
There is still love, there is still care and hope for this country! (Sometimes it only takes 5 hours in a doctor’s waiting room with a flat cell phone battery to realise it). Let’s speak life over our country again.”
by 
Thank you for this beautiful post, what a wonderful story. I feel that this is my experience most of the time. We have beautiful, humble and kind people of ALL races in our country. We shouldn’t let the influx of constant bad news poison our thoughts. There are bad things happening in our country that need urgent attention. But it sure as hell is NOT all bad. I love SA and I am proud to be South African!