Mama Pat

Every year Living Hope hosts dozens of volunteers from various parts of the world and for various lengths of time. Many of them are younger – at present we have seven under age 30, plus a 33-year-old, plus me, at 41 the old man of the group. And then we have Pat Ball, aka Mama Pat, who watches over us all.

Pat is a sweet, caring, God-fearing woman from Asheville, North Carolina. She's given nearly four years of her retirement years serving with Living Hope. When I came to Cape Town the first time, in September 2007, Pat was the volunteer coordinator. We had spent the previous six months emailing about details of my church’s impending mission trip. When I finally arrived, I felt like I had known her all my life. I remember her introducing me to a South African friend of hers at church one Sunday and the woman looked at Pat and said, “He talks funny like you!”

Indeed, Pat has a great Southern accent, which is just one of the many hospitable attributes that make the rest of us volunteers feel at home. Pat is now the executive assistant to Living Hope’s general manager, but she believes her calling is also to serve as mother to the volunteers, particularly the younger ones (and me – this wonderful woman has even offered to iron my clothes, a task I loathe with every fiber of my being).

So Mama Pat opens her home to us with a standing invitation to drop in anytime. She offers counsel, prayer, and whatever other comfort and encouragement is necessary. She’s currently leading a Thursday night Bible study, which is a great blessing to us because of her knowledge of God’s Word and her graceful way of communicating it. And did I mention she irons my clothes?

I greatly miss my dear mother back home – as I’m sure my fellow volunteers do with their own families – so I’m grateful for this very special lady we call Mama Pat.