Elim Home

Cecilia Engel, Director of Elim Home; Vicki Schmidt, my mother.

The Elim Home

The town of Elim, population 1500, is located approximately 300 km east of Cape Town. To get there, we traveled on a small coastal highway tucked between the Indian Ocean and the towering Hotentot mountain range, then headed inland on a series of potholed gravel roads surrounded by sheep and ostrich farms. One feels transported back in time when entering; donkey-pulled wagons, Dutch-architecture, and thatched roofs all contribute to an old world feel. The town’s main industry, in fact, is producing and installing straw-thatched roofs! Elim also boasts of having southern Africa’s oldest and largest water wheel, a 14 foot diameter all-wood wheel that is still used for grinding wheat.

Elim Home was started by Pr. John in 1964 in response to a family in his congregation with a severely disabled son. It quickly grew to ten children with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. Today, the home has 50 residents ranging in age from 5-27; while most residents are discharged to their families (or other institutions) at age 18, many who were taken in as orphans are allowed to stay past their 18th birthday. Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, and various birth defects make up the majority of diagnoses. In addition to taking care of their daily needs, the staff of 50 nurses and assistants programs various activities. Elim struggles for funding; with only 25% of their operating budget met by the government, they are constantly appealing to South African churches and other agencies for support. Staff members are underpaid, and many of their buildings need work. Because of its reputation for providing good care – a part of their history as one of most established institutions of its kind in South Africa - Elim has a long waiting list of applicants.

Cecelia Engel is the director of Elim. She is a registered nurse, but also works extensively with the Moravian church as a public health advocate and as a guest preacher. Wearing these multiple hats made her a perfect candidate to interview for my project. During our visit, she gave us a tour of the grounds, and introduced us to some of the residents and staff. She also showed us the farmyard where the home raises chickens and vegetables for food and to supplement their income. In our conversations, Cecelia revealed a deep passion for her work and for helping the children in her care. As a person of faith, she sees the Holy Spirit as a tangible, active force that keeps Elim afloat. Despite their financial struggles and staffing uncertainties, Cecelia reflects that the Spirit has always met their every need. Just when they have felt on the verge of bankruptcy, a large grant or donor has come through to help keep the home running.

Cecelia doesn’t try to pretend to understand the workings of the Spirit. While there is definitely a need to grow to provide for more residents, Cecelia says that “the Spirit only provides when the time is right.” She sees her work and her life as a journey of faith; her greatest joy is when a resident makes an unexpected breakthrough - such as learning to self-feed or communicate in a new way - when such learning was thought to be beyond their capability. In this way, the journey is full of twists, turns, and surprises. For Cecilia, this is the Spirit at its best! She says that she is constantly surprised by the Spirit and the way in which it infuses her residents and staff with life, love, and laughter.