END WITH A LEGACY (part 2 of 2)

The transformational journey of a little Sesotho-speaking Zulu boy – from abandoned orphan to beloved son in a large Afrikaans church.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR:

You are about to read the remarkable story of an extraordinary young man. The finished product is a work in the genre of reality fiction. It is a collection of real life events and plausible realities combined into the life story of a fictional character. I made the choice to intentionally focus on specific important details, while skimming over and even omitting other, perhaps equally important, details for the sole purpose of reflecting WHAT happened, instead of HOW it happened. It may seem that certain processes, actions and/or experiences appear to have gone down in smooth and seamless orderly fashion, but the truth is that neither Paballo’s victories neither his support team’s efforts to assist and protect him in the process were without unpleasant, unnecessary and even unbearable resistance in some form or another. But it is simply impossible to reveal the powerful message of this life story in short story format without the use of a literary chopping board. The primary focus is placed on the purification and growth of the characters’ faith in Jesus, their only sustainable Source of life, and the outcomes of their journey together. Please note that the intentional omission of the harrowing details of their trials and tribulations (how they experienced times in which they were stripped down to naked desolation while having to endure blazing flames and scorching heat of impossibly relentless raging infernos inside gigantic refiner’s furnaces testing their faith in every way possible), does NOT imply that it did not occur. But, in the end, they emerged from each furnace with fresh mercies and refined faith in Jesus, having had to learn ways of following and trusting Him they have never had to do before.

Thank you for your willingness to read Paballo’s story. It is my hope that it will touch your heart with the same measure in which it did my own.

One last thing….I am not telling the story in chronological order, so please pay attention to the subtitles of paragraphs. It took me two days to write this story, so I will publish it in two parts. Part One will be subtitled START WITH A STORY. Part Two will be subtitled END WITH A LEGACY.

[PABALLO’S STORY – PART TWO]

PABALLO, TANKISO’S MODIMO (Sesotho word for God) IS THE TRUE uNKULUKULU (Zulu word for God), GO AND FIND HIM! This is the audible heartfelt plea of a dying grandmother to her grandson, before she shuts her eyes for the last time, first in silent prayer to surrender her own life into and then to place her grandson’s life in the hands of Almighty God before she, finally, relents. It has pained Paballo to be present and hear every echo of his beloved Gogo’s laboured breathing, and when she exhales for the last time, he feels a strange relief inside his young soul. While unstoppable tears stream down his 8-year-old cheeks, he vows two things to himself. First, he will go back to that large Afrikaans church to find Leandri, because she knows Jesus and she will take him to Jesus. Leandri was so friendly and beautiful, with the whitest hair and bluest eyes he had ever seen. Despite Paballo having not understood a single word of the Afrikaans Leandri spoke to him and his Gogo on that day, he willingly took her hand to go to the kids play area with her. In the kids area, Leandri gave him a hug, a snack pack, and an activity pack before she taught all the kids in more Afrikaans he didn’t understand. He did, however, hear the name of Jesus, and has been unable to forget it ever since that day. Second, he will ask Jesus to make him a doctor so he can help old people like his dearly departed Gogo.

Unbeknownst to Paballo on that fateful day, he was scheduled to journey through yet another dark tunnel of unspeakable tragedy before he was to, finally, find his way back to that church. Like spoiled food, he was passed from one flakey, irresponsible far-removed relative to another where he had been forced to do, see and hear things no child should ever do, see or hear. He became an abandoned orphan who remembered the name of Jesus, but he was starting to lose his grip on the hope of ever finding Jesus. Then the unthinkable happened. While struggling to keep his frail, famished and freezing fading frame upright next to empty garbage bins, he spotted someone familiar in the distance. It was Lindiwe. He scraped together every drop of remaining energy in his ailing body and he ran to her as fast as he possibly could. She was visibly shocked and took immediate pity on him. Everything in him wanted to plead with her to take him with her, but there was not enough energy for that. As it turned out, he didn’t need to speak a single word for Lindiwe to fully understand the cry of his heart. She was able to carry his limp body with her to the house, not far away, where she was set to spend the night where she nursed him back to a still dire, but reasonably stable state of health. The very next day she took him with her, back to the servant’s quarters in the affluent neighbourhood to spend the following night together in yet another covert operation where she continued to nurse him.

That night, after Lindiwe had washed every inch of the non-privacy-invading areas of 9-year-old Paballo’s body, it brings her to tears to notice that he appears no older than a much younger 6-year-old. Since he regained consciousness after she rescued him three days ago, he has been mumbling incessantly. Most of it sounded like jibberish, but she recognised two words clearly – Jesus and the name of the large church. By the time Lindiwe rubs Paballo’s back after she had tucked him into her bed, he had fallen off to sleep and she was singing softly. She plans to take Paballo to the church’s Shop Day the next morning just like he and his late Gogo did last year. In her heart she hopes that the kind people at the church will open up their arms to a desperate little boy whom they had already met. Lindiwe had no doubts about rescuing the little boy and, given the opportunity to do it again, she would not flinch, but she did not have the means to take care of him. WILL THE CHURCH HELP HIM? At sunrise the next morning, Lindiwe is awakened by the voice of a cheerful, excited child. Paballo is fully dressed and, this time, he is talking incessantly, every word clearly articulated. He is ready to go and she knows that nothing could stop him. Lindiwe feels her fears melt away like fog in the presence of sunlight, when Paballo made an announcement in broken English before he ran out of the door, across the street to the church gate. I MEET JESUS TODAY!

[PABALLO’S STORY – PART FOUR]

On a beautiful, unusually warm Free State winter’s morning, in a peaceful prayer garden and with the help of a translator, a middle-aged woman makes two introductions to a little boy. For the first introduction, she hands him a paper version of the South African national flag and then proceeds to explain the essence of the Gospel using all the flag colours. With an expression of mesmerising awe on his face, the little boy listens intently and it moves him to the point where he can no longer contain the buildup of excitement in his heart. Just after the woman connects Step 6 in the blue part to the promise of heaven, but long before she finishes, he blurts his heart out aloud. I WANT TO FOLLOW JESUS! They pray together and Paballo invites Jesus into his life while the older woman’s tear taps are running at a steady flow rate. After their prayer, she gets up, walks over to someone in the distance where the two of them first share a clearly emotional conversation before making their way over to Paballo. Paballo recognises the man immediately, the kneeling man whom he had mistaken for Jesus. The crying woman makes her second introduction to the boy, a beloved dominee of the church. In that tender moment, two of Paballo’s endearing pet names are born – TannieTears & DomineeTears, to the two compassionate people who took the seats on either side of him while crying unashamedly. The same two people who would partner to petition a family court judge, later that same day, for an emergency hearing where they filed for an immediate transfer of custody into their shared guardianship of Paballo.

The translator took her seat across from the trio and, once again, ensured a deep and sound conversation between the boy and the adults. For the first time in Paballo’s life it felt like people, other than his late Gogoand Lindiwe, took a real, heartfelt interest in him. The conversation was all about him and it made him feel so loved, almost as if someone has lit the bright coloured lights of a giant Christmas tree right inside his soul. CAN JESUS MAKE ME A DOCTOR? Paballo did not want the moment to end, but as with all moments in a broken world, it had to end, but this end was so indescribably beautiful. By the end of the conversation, Paballo found himself inside the loving, soft sanctuary of the woman’s tender motherly embrace. His eyes were shut, but when he felt her releasing her arms, he opened his eyes and was met with a sight he would not only never forget, but also never retell without shedding tears, for the rest of his life. There, in front of him, was the kneeling man on his knees with his arms open wide. Paballo’s mind flashed back to the scene in the auditorium earlier, a vivid reminder of his greatest desire, and then he gets up and falls into an embrace he had been yearning for for as long as he can remember. Inside his memory, a brand new scene gets drafted, one where he becomes the little child sobbing inconsolably being drawn into a safe embrace by the strong arms of a father. PABALLO, JESUS KNOWS YOUR HEART AND WHEN HE CALLS YOU TO BE A DOCTOR, HE WILL ALSO SHOW YOU THE WAY. JUST FOLLOW HIM AND TRUST HIM.

[PABALLO’S STORY – PART FIVE]

PABALLO MOSES MKHIZE, YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY WITH ALL YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT YOU ARE SUCH A BLESSING TO ME! This has become one of MamaTears’ favourite exclamations and it had just slipped out of her mouth again in answer to yet another testing question from Paballo. I AM 16 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE STUDIED THE MECHANICS OF MANUAL TRANSMISSION OF A PASSENGER TRANSPORT VEHICLE. WHY CAN’T I JUST PARK THE MINIBUS UNDER THE CARPORT FOR YOU? Last week he studied astrophysics and wanted to know why certain fiercely atheist world renowned academic scholars are so hung up on wanting to know everything and find the endpoint of the “entire cosmic multiverse” (his words), when they so vehemently deny the very Creator Who could reveal it to them. The week before that he completed an insightful project on the flaws in some acclaimed publications of a few revered philosophers. There had been multiple projects in just about any topic known to man, but Paballo’s all-time favourite project, The Ultimate Timeline of History, started on Christmas Day when he was 12 years old when he decided to not only read his Bible, but also study it. In all the large living areas, the walls are filled with tiny neatly handwritten notes and hand drawn pictures representing a gigantic timeline starting with Creation, in the dining room, to Modern Day, in the TV lounge. It is an ongoing project.

It has been seven years since Paballo moved into the Tomorrow’s Hope Youth (THY) Centre where Miriam Fortuin takes care of 13 children between the ages of 7 and 17 years. Despite all of the almost insurmountable challenges with regards to the state of his health, education and psyche with which Paballo arrived on that bright Spring morning, he took to life at THY like a duck to water. It was love at first sight for Miriam, who upon introduction, lowered her heavyset grandmother body to be on eyelevel with the little newcomer and welcomed him with open arms. She could not hide her tears. It revealed her broken heart for a little boy in such a shockingly vulnerable state, but also her willing and receptive heart to take him under her wing and love him like a mother should love a child. She has indeed done exactly so since that day and Paballo came up with MamaTears, his endearing pet name for her only weeks after their first introduction. Soon after, all the THY children followed suit and adopted the name also.

Nine-year-old Paballo’s new life journey as JESUS FOLLOWER started on an all-time high when the first part of his greatest longing was fulfilled – he met, encountered and surrendered his life to Jesus in that prayer garden of the large Afrikaans church. There, in a community of imperfect people sold out to serving a perfect God, a non-Afrikaans-speaking boy was showered with unconditional love and he found belonging. His TearsTrio signed on right at the start and they have been faithfully present on Paballo’s journey throughout unspeakable hurt and also indescribable beauty. They continue to marvel at his innate ability to synchronise his unparalleled superior intellect with his inconceivably convincing child-like faith. He simply never stops asking questions, and the increasing complexity thereof has kept his TearsTrio in a constant state of sanity-questioning-level-humility throughout his teenage years.

More than they care to admit, Paballo flummoxed them to the point of fervent faith-filled prayers for persistent patience. WHY DOES MAN GET SO ANGRY WITH GOD FOR ALL THE BAD AROUND US, WHEN MAN HAS ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR IT? IS GOD NOT THE ONLY BEING WHO LOVE MAN ENOUGH TO OFFER PERFECT REDEMPTION TO RECONCILE MAN BACK TO HIM? DID MAN NOT BLATANTLY DISOBEY GOD’S ONLY COMMAND WHILE IN A PERFECT PLACE OF LIMITLESS FREEDOM? WHY DOES MAN INSIST ON FOLLOWING HIS OWN MIND, AND IN THE PROCESS, HURT HIS FELLOW MAN? WHY DOES MAN FEEL THE NEED TO JUSTIFY HIS OWN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS? HOW CAN MAN NOT SEE THAT HIS OWN INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS HIS FELLOW MAN IS BY FAR THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE SURVIVAL OF THE HUMAN RACE, NOT THE GROWING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OF COMPUTERS? But everytime, just before the jaws of insanity could sink its razor teeth into the minds of the answerless smart people guiding an even smarter young boy, they discovered fresh, new ways of how to FOLLOW JESUS AND TRUST HIM. Not long after his sixteenth birthday, Paballo received an official email with a message informing him that the wheels have been set in motion to fulfil the second part of his greatest little boy longing, that of becoming a doctor.

“Dear Mr Paballo Mkhize

We are delighted to inform you of your acceptance into the MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) program… Your exceptional academic record demonstrates your eligibility as worthy student of medicine, and your commitment to excellence have distinguished you as an outstanding candidate. We are excited to welcome you to our esteemed community of scholars and future medical professionals…”

[PABALLO’S LEGACY – PART SEVEN]

Six months into Paballo’s compulsory community service term at a local hospital following his graduation from medical school, the recklessness of a drunk, unlicensed, red-traffic-light-jumping-16-year-old changed Paballo’s life forever, again. Only this time it was a tragic and heart shattering event nobody could foresee or deter.

HE STILL HAS A STEADY HEARTBEAT, THERE’S A SYNCHRONOUS SINUS RHYTHM! The exasperated exclamation, in a soft audible whisper, of a confused trauma surgeon leaves all the mourning attendees of a sorrow-filled ICU room in shocking disbelief. All members of Paballo’s beloved TearsTrio alongside a few others are present. As a result of the almost impossible decision to honour Paballo’s wishes of not being kept alive by artificial life support measures, Paballo’s life support devices were disconnected just a few moments ago. But Paballo is still alive, by natural means.

It would take endless months of gruelling rehabilitation and recovery before Paballo was finally discharged from hospital with a vast collection of deficits. Among many others, he had obvious speech and motor skills impediments, his vocabulary had shrunk to that of a preschooler and he required around the clock home nursing care. Furthermore, due to the contraction of some hospital superbug while in recovery, he was also left with a severely impaired immune system. Not a shred of evidence of his once superior intellect followed Paballo home from hospital, but the echoes of his compassionate heart and his child-like faith remained unharmed and intact. In fact, it appeared as if the intensity was amplified into a sound that was purer than ever before. There was an indescribable peace about Paballo, he did not have to make any effort to maintain balance between mind and soul in a synchronous rhythm, it was an inexplicably automatic soul-driven harmony. Many people came to visit and not a single visitor left untouched by the same love little Paballo felt radiating from the kneeling man in the church auditorium many years before. Nobody could explain the warm light etched in his eyes or the ever-smiling expression on his face and nobody could dismiss the involuntary infilling of overwhelming unconditional love in every one of his hugging embraces. And then, on a cold winter’s morning, when Paballo peacefully crossed over to the perfect side of eternity when a case of the common cold turned into deadly pneumonia, his story came to an end, but his legacy lives on, indefinitely.

“Well sir, I live with several people that come and go as they please and I offer them whatever help I can. … Everyone who comes to the ranch is a patient, yes. And every person who comes to the ranch is also a doctor. Every person who comes to the ranch is in need of some form of physical or mental help. They are patients. But also, every person who comes to the ranch is in charge of taking care of someone else, whether it’s cooking for them, cleaning them or even as simple a task as listening. That makes them doctors. I use that term broadly gentlemen but is not a doctor someone who helps someone else?”
– Quote by Robin Williams as Patch Adams in the 1998 movie PATCH ADAMS

From time to time, Paballo’s TearsTrio would get together and watch his all-time favourite movie, Patch Adams, because even after his passing, in his absence, Paballo continue to be the doctor. Truth be told, they can spend the rest of their lives unravelling the depth contained in the simple cornerstone message of his legacy.

Paballo, the emaciated little orphan was the doctor who helped them understand something of how the inner yearning of a soul to FIND JESUS is a powerful force, undeterred by the outer body wasting away. None of them have ever had to yearn for Jesus in quite the same way Paballo had to, and it fanned the flame of yearning in their own hearts for deeper personal connections with Jesus.

Paballo, the bright little boy was the doctor who helped them understand that FOLLOWING JESUS is such a remarkably simple decision of receiving the very best, priceless Gift free of charge, and then allowing Him to fill them with His fullness while also radiating Him out of them to others. It revived their own God-directed cries for pure hearts and steadfast spirits and restored in each of them the joy of their own salvation. Paballo so beautifully reflected how Jesus was his one Gift he could never get enough of, while at the same time, he could never contain Jesus even in his giant compassionate heart. Jesus kept overflowing from Paballo’s heart to touch everyone around him, believers and unbelievers alike.

Paballo, the precocious teenager was the doctor who helped them understand something of TRUSTING JESUS in times when it goes against the grain of logic or defy reason. This is an implicit action often requiring letting go of the known to make room for the unknown. They have had to ditch schedules, re-appropriate funds, sacrifice comforts, become unpopular and so many other things in order to imitate Jesus in the not-so-easy times unto outlier people in not-such-nice places.

Paballo, the young medical student was the doctor who helped them get a much deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God and the church of Acts, where child-like faith is the purest form of faith and where so many more needs can be addressed in communities made up of people who consider one another in higher regard than themselves.

Even Paballo, the severely mentally retarded patient was the doctor who filled their grieving souls with same love, the love of Jesus, which they so faithfully radiated to him throughout his life with them.

PABALLO’S STORY moved them into taking bold action to advance the Kingdom of God by taking care of the vulnerable, and PABALLO’S LEGACY will inspire them to continue doing so!

Paballo Moses Mkhize FOLLOWED JESUS, TRUSTED HIM and now lives with Him forever!