Walk in the Light

Just a quick update so I can hop into bed.  So today was absolutely amazing! We started at Walk in the Light, and the 19 others we joined were so welcoming and wanted to be sure we got the full experience on the first day.  We did 8-9 home visits, talking with people who are HIV positive or have TB.  It was incredible how much joy some of them had to see us in their homes and to hear their stories of sorrow that they still somehow find hope in.  One man who was paralyzed by his daughter’s boyfriend who stabbed him in the back lives in a mud hut.   Over the next few days we are working on building him a new house! I loved praying over all the people and how receptive they were of our prayers.  My favorite home visit however, may have been Pendillia’s house.  She is working full time at Walk in the Light, transporting people to the clinic and was the guide of our Hanniville tour.  The last stop was her beautiful home, slightly bigger and nicer than most others.  She is so proud of it and we were able to pray for her in her home: she loved it! In the afternoon we sang songs with the gogos, another joyous experience! I am loving Walk in the Light and even though our numbers are large, I feel God will have many more things to teach us! 

Whirlwind Week

Cave Adventures

11 days is the longest I have left you my faithful readers in the dark.  Art finals, service sites, sickness, and relationships have swamped my schedule.  First I must tell you about how wonderful my camping trip last weekend was.  From the get go we were already trailing from the schedule and it only escalated as we continued.  We drove into a real South African protest against the government in general, begging for improved housing and water conditions.  Rather than picket in front of the government, they find it effective to stop the flow of traffic, so I would say about 400 or more people were chanting and dancing down the road with signs and shouts at their own pace, with 10 police cars trailing behind.  We were fortunate to get stuck behind this mess with no options of going around, so what did we do: we joined! We took formation directly in the rear of the crowd, gathering many stares from onlookers and friendly high-fives from participants.  Careful not to get too close, we observed real life history in the making! What an experience! Other diversions from our destination included mating cows on the road, two separate hitchhikers, wrong directions, and crazy cones. 

God was preparing our way, because when we arrived late afternoon the only cave available for renting was 4 hours walking distance, but just as we were exiting the building a woman offered her closer cave to us.  I (having my mother in me) packed entirely too much and felt extremely weighed down on our 3 hour intense uphill hike.  However, I loved being in God’s beautiful creation and among the deep green grass covered slopes, it felt like we may just be the only 12 inhabitants on the earth.  We slept in a giant cuddle puddle in Wonder cave and in the morning played in our own private waterfall/mini swimming hole.  It was such an enjoyable time with our small group and we really were able to build close relationships and have wonderful talks about how God is shattering our old perceptions and shaping us more toward his will. 

Bonginkosi at a close

I must inform you that God was faithful in giving me hope at my service site, but sadly we are leaving Bonginkosi to begin at a place called Walk in the Light tomorrow.  With fresh motivation we entered the Preschool on Tuesday, hopeful that our songs, crafts, and giant hugs would give hope to the kids.  I have never felt so much love in my life than when I walked into their breakfast Tuesday morning and was immediately engulfed by a 25-kid bear hug that nearly knocked me off my feet.  I began recognizing faces and wishing I had 8 hands so they didn’t have to fight over who held reign over my two hands and sometimes elbow.  In those 4 days, well actually 3 because I came down sick on Wednesday, I was a human jungle gym that spouted songs and games to keep them active constantly.  Our worst moment was when we arrived one morning and the Gogo (grandma) gardener who doesn’t speak English motioned for us to follow her to a dark room on the end.  We found about 60 kids in the dark with no teacher and were left to manage them.  We quickly scrambled to sing as many of the action packed Sunday school songs we had learned when we were 4 and all but forgotten since then.  I have learned so much in my experiences there, but the thing that saddens me is that they believe since we are white we have all the answers and know how to better take care of the kids than them.

The one thing that gave me the most hope was the parent meetings. To our utter amazement 40 parents showed up to our first meeting, willing to participate and find ways to better educate their children.  They listed things that united and divided them as a community and were truly able to see that they were a community that could take action together.  And praise the Lord for one of the parents stepping up to translate for us as our translator was absent.  The second meeting was also a success, raising the issue of bullying and addressing the need of more tools to teach their children English at home.  The parents were willing to listen to us and one parent said to me “Its so wonderful to see people loving our children.”

While we did have some great successes and the children have stolen my heart, our director felt it was right for us to change service sites and leave Bonginkosi behind.  The main reason was that Zodwa, the principal was not equipped to give us enough direction because she was swamped with 96 kids.  However, I did learn many lessons from my time there.  I learned that the ministry of presence speaks loudly and I was blessed to be able to share in the mundane activities of the preschool teachers, encouraging them if only for a few days.  I learned that service is not always tangible and often the results of our work may never be visible to us, but God’s hand is in it none the less.  As one of my team members put it, we witnessed the “real” Africa, in that we can see that so much need exists, but they don’t know how to ask for help because they are stuck helplessly in the mud.  God is teaching me many more things and I am sure he will continue to give me life lessons as I go to work with the teen agers and broken families in the township of Hanniville, gardening, putting on a youth group, working with gogos, and exploring the community that faces the hardship of HIV.  Please be in prayer for my team as we join the 19 students who have been working here for two weeks already.  Also I need prayers that my body will heal quickly and I will not be burdened with sickness this week! 

Service Sites Day 1

My frustrations have been confirmed, as Francis told us last night there is no schedule for us or any sort of structure at all.  As we walked onto the grounds of Bonginkosi—which means “Praise the Lord”—we found 96 children, 3 teachers, a cook, and a gardener, all engulfed by their regular routine.  It is the only preschool in the area, servicing kids ages 2-6 who have lost at least one parent and are starving for attention.  The L-shaped facilities include 3 classrooms, an office, fun playground equipment, a garden, and a kitchen attached to a big room for meals. I will spend my next 3½ weeks here. I absolutely love the kids and fell in love with one already who said “upasse” (pick me up) every time I set her down.  They are all a bundle of joy and show me a little more of how God responds to us in love.  The teachers are timid, but thankful we are there; yet don’t have anything for us to help them with. No projects, or small tasks, only asking to help in the small garden and wash the dishes.  I feel like an unnecessary addition to the chaos, and though we may be helpful in nurturing the children and possibly strengthen family bond, there are so many people here in worse condition begging for willing helping hands.  I came to Africa in obedience, willing to go where God needs me, but I feel like we have been thrown in as leftovers to fill unnecessary slots.  Below is a passage that spoke to me last night as I was preparing to go which I rewrote to fit my situation.  

Psalm 44 remix

O God I have heard with my own ears and seen with my eyes how your mighty power succeeds all evil.  When you gave me loving parents and kept me pure from the ways of the world your favor was upon me and you smiled in on me.

You are my King and my God. With your power you command victories and reveal yourself through answered prayers.  You move my heart—proving your self to be real through Janet your messenger.  I do not trust my bow or my own knowledge.  I do not trust my strong will.  It is you alone who gives us victory over our enemies and humbles the people who may judge us.  O Lord I give you glory all day long and constantly praise your name.

But now you have tossed me aside in dishonor. You allow the enemy to plunder our land.  You have sold us at a pittance, valuing us at nothing at all.  We have been tossed aside like left over’s- unimportant to the group, the object of mockery and scorn.  You have made us the butt of their jokes and we hear the taunts of our vengeful mockers.  The taunts reach our ears begging us to compare our experience with theirs.

All this has happened despite our loyalty to you.  We have not violated your covenant, but rather stayed on your path with our choice to come to Africa.  Yet you have crushed our hopes in the desert, covering our hearts with darkness. If we had turned away from worshipping our God or listened to Satan, God would surely know, for he knows the secret of every heart.  Wake up Oh Lord! Why do you sleep? Do not reject us forever.  Why do you look the other way and ignore our brokenness? We collapse in the dust, lying face down.  Save us because of your unfailing love.  

Marvelous Mysteries

Setting out as adventure seekers, Sarah and I ran into a little more than we asked for today.  As we climbed the steep incline we found ourselves panting and straining for air.  Simultaneous with the telling of Jon’s eerie story, we saw the first item that had begun his strange encounter: a king of spades.  Slowly we continued, awed by the deep, fresh ruts in the road and finally rounding the corner to spot the lurking edifice.  It’s a low building with one long roof over about 12 rooms, each with their own doors, swinging freely open in the breeze.  Not too scary upon arrival until you survey the third door with graffiti, and then the fourth that has a whole that looks as though it was clawed out from the inside.  Sarah mentioned her inclination that a man would pop out of the last door saying “Hey ladies, where you going,” and at that thought we turned and sprinted.  Wrought with adrenaline we imagined footsteps and rustlings the whole way back, and were overjoyed upon emergence from the forest. 

Besides that small incident, life has been normal, well if normal exists in Africa O Africa.  Our battlefield excursion over the weekend proved better than expected.  Our personal historian, an ex-military-cattle advising-75-year-old man named Tony brought the real people out of the history books with flavor and zest.  He made the battles seem as though we were reliving them as we stood on the ground, snapping his stick at us, reprimanding us as tonsil experts if a yawn snuck out, renaming Regan to Nixon, and best of all falling to the ground faster than I ever could all for the sake of showing us how the lines of rifles fit into formation.  The food was also incredible, treated like queens and kings at the Royal Hotel with their spiced chicken green beans, and others as well as delectable grilled tomato/ham/cheese sandwich. 

God is so incredibly good and continues to teach me new ideas everyday! I love God’s Family Life Center Church because the people are real and love to praise God with everything they have, their voices, bodies, and minds, yet still challenge their members to motivate change in the community.  The pastor invited us for a Brie (bbq) at his home after church (pork rashes are my new favorite meat!).  The shining sun made for a perfect Sunday afternoon spent well with new friends, cricket fun, a dip in the pool, and funday relays back at AE.  People continue to challenge my views, teaching me about God’s perfect will.  I am learning the importance to develop leadership skills and exactly how to go about that.  As we prepare to begin service sites on Thursday I pray that God will bond our team and help us be facilitators in the community.  It will certainly be a challenge, but I am willing to face the challenge of unknowns with the skills Francis has been teaching us. He is a true gem and perhaps more will come about him later. For now you need to know that I am confident Jacob and I will be in the missions field someday and I am learning incredible tools that revolutionize a community. 

Random thought of the day: what is the proper etiquette to use when you are sitting on the pot and someone knocks/starts to open the door.  Do you just stammer “Uh.. Im in here” or awkwardly call out an empty “Hello” hoping they don’t respond or shout “Hey! Back off!” I’ve always wondered the proper response so if you have any insights please share.  

Attack of the aggressors 3/4

Finals, stress, and frustrations: all the things I hoped to avoid in Africa.  Well most of the school portion is over now so we can focus on our fun agenda and most importantly serving the Zulu community.  We have a class next week to teach us about community engagement and on Thursday we are set loose into our service sites. I will be serving at a Preschool, nurturing kids who speak little English, working with their families, and raising support for them through gardening.  When it was time for the decision, I had been set on going to Gateway, but God has better plans and I know he will use me at this place.  Hillary and I will be together and we have decided to bake special treats for the kids in the mornings before we go—I am so excited!

Waking up this morning every bone in my upper body ached with pain: the cost of playing ultra intense rugby! Although I was hesitant to go out in the rain, it was the best decision of my life.  Rugby may just be my new calling.  I’ll admit I was slightly nervous having no tackling experience, but the minute I successfully ransacked Sarah there was no return.  I started tackling anyone I encountered: if they had the ball I was there.  It was definitely one of the funnest games I’ve ever played and I shocked myself with my inner ferociousness.  O what a day—only in Africa.  

Hollerin, Holy, and Hectic

I’m stuck! I finished my traveling journal on Tuesday—which was a life-changing day but I’ll get back to that part—and I haven’t been able to write since.  I feel so intimidated to start my new journal and continue on, as if I’m not good enough for it.  It’s becoming almost unbearable, so I’ll have to break it in and start writing immediately!  But back to Tuesday: because of this day, I will never look at life in the same way: 

A) My D-Group has out standing girls who are willing to be vulnerable and go deep with God and probably be my good friends for life

B) At D-Group after sharing our life stories we prayed for ourselves out loud—one of the harder things I’ve ever done—you try it

C) An incredible conversation with Shaun encouraged me to take up my cross and follow Christ everyday and be willing to suffer in His name at any price, even the small ones

D) After 1 am tears and parting hugs at D Group, the prayer chapel beckoned me into its Holy presence. 

E) I finished my journal praying for everything that had happened, wrote into thy hands I commit my spirit, and died to myself, to sin, and to things of this world to live a life for Christ and seek him alone, taking every thought captive, keeping only the ones that honor him.

F) I chose to listen to God’s nudge, woke up Leslie, and in accountability told another human being about my new revelations and commitments

G) I skipped across the lawn at 4am, feeling the joy rise from every bone in my body in a capacity I had never known before.

As for the rest of the week, it’s been a battle to keep the spiritual high and my commitment alive.  It’s truly been hectic with everything from #1 boys choir in the world to sightings of a world cup stadium, coffee overload, and zip lining through the jungle canopy like Tarzan/Jane/George of the Jungle. 

A stunning performance by the Drakensburg Boys Choir, who range from age 7-14 left me wondering how it’s possible.  They came out in perfect suits, singing traditional opera, transitioning into “Crazy little thing called love” and Michael Jackson, and then changing completely to traditional Zulu—sheepskins, drums, stomping, and all.  In my absolute favorite moment the lights went dark and each boy started clicking randomly, sounding like the animals in a forest.  Soon a hush came and a light patter began, followed by drizzle, hard rain, and booming thunder! It sounded so real, with flashes of lightening accentuating the effect.  Their voices were heavenly and their manners perfected! I so enjoyed them!

Today may have been one of the greater Saturdays of my life. Rather than squandering the day in slumber, we rose early to reach our canopy tours awaiting adventure.  In the pioneer group, I was #3 of 10 to zip fearlessly through the trees while admiring a marvelous open view of grassland, lakes, and majesty.  Apparently my body is completely out of control and I never learned how to brake with my hand until the very last (#8) line.  I would fly wildly through the air at unstoppable speeds, crashing into the safety break at the end, once even flipping over, slamming the rope, and falling backwards down the slide (I slightly damaged my arm and burned my hand by incorrect breaking technique).  I had no fear and leaped off the platforms, preparing myself for the nearing bungee date (AHHHH).  To end the perfectly African day, we played nertz and sang along to the Lion King. I have never enjoyed the Lion King so much as I did watching it in Africa, knowing that every one of those animals are within 20 minutes proximity. 

Most delicious meals of the week: sandwich #1 bacon, avocado and feta, and sandwich #2 grilled ham, cheese, and tomato.  

Miracles Abound 2/22

Another Monday means the start of our 5^th week here: our time is rapidly fleeing exponentially!  Although I’m stuck listening to group seminars in biology, I can blog happily knowing I only have 2 weeks of school left! Within the last week, I have been enjoying seeing each personality here truly shine and watching individuals take leadership roles, encouraging the rest of us.  We are slowly becoming a close-knit community, venturing out in trust, shared desires, and bonding in fun.  The chapel committee challenged us to give up our comforts for Christ, not serving out of our own good, but to glorify God’s purposes.  In that we challenged ourselves to partake in different Lent, thinking about Christ whenever we begin to miss things at home.

Following chapel, we were blessed by the most amazing story of God’s hand working that we are likely to ever hear.  The founder of African Enterprise in 1964, who initiated the conference center our campus is on, spoke to us today.  He witnessed the whole apartheid era into its destruction and rejuvenation of South Africa.  The destruction of apartheid, which means “apartness”, began in the late 1980s when the Church ran into theological turmoil.  They had been preaching that the God created different races for a purpose and found support for separate development in the Bible.  When a huge revival type conference was held for pastors of all denominations, Heyns, one of the Dutch Reform Church leaders called for an exegetical study of what the Bible says about race.  They discovered apartheid was a sin, taking away the government’s religious legitimacy to continue the movement. (picture = my chalet)

In 1992 after the outrageous political decision to release Nelson Mandela and unban liberation movements, African Enterprise worked hard to shower the country in prayer.  Marches were happening daily, people were being killed, and political activity was at its highest.  Realizing the need for God to work miracles in South Africa, AE organized a 24-7 two-year prayer.  People called in to sign up for 1 hour, 1 week, or any time they could pray from all over: churches, prison cells, little old ladies, people overseas, and anyone else who wanted to pray for the state of the nation.  Mike says that if you win the heavenly battle than He will bless you with a win on the ground as well.  He has amazing stories about how he took initiative to enable politicians from opposite spectrums to talk to each other through dialogue weekends spent in the bush.  In hearing each other’s stories and what brought each party to where they stand they were able to become friends and work together even if then didn’t agree on every point.  By the time elections drew near in 1994, people were going crazy and everyone thought that South Africa would go up in flames with the amount of explosions.  Much prayer, negotiations, and God moments worked together to create a political miracle.  The three political parties came together and declared to the people to take their place for the elections.  The four days leading up to the election were entirely crime free: the only time in history.  Everyone in the nation knew it had been a complete God moment and began to realize the power of prayer with miracles.

Time Flies

Each day here seems to last forever, but the weeks are passing too quickly! Yet another biology field trip blew my mind with the beauty of God’s creation.  In our exploration of the Umgeni River wetlands we counted insects like water scorpions and crabs to see how polluted the water is.  After the practical side, we half floated, half tromped down the river like real explorers to a beautiful waterfall.  The hills were perfectly green contrasted to the deep blue sky in the marvelous valley.  A little later that day Kailey and I had our first roommate clash.  We came to the realization that we are absolutely 100% complete opposites in every way.  She is a morning person while I love night.  She hates pink, the color I wear nearly everyday.  She has her whole wedding planned without being engaged, I am engaged without any wedding plans.  She likes to have a few close friends and be separate from the group; I thrive in group settings and love interacting with many people.  I like to be invited, while she invites herself.  Its wild, but we have decided that if we ever need to understand the other person we simply think the opposite of how we normally would. 

Friday proved to be a relaxing day without class, full of artistic flair and sporadic naps.  The cooks spoiled us with chicken enchiladas and guacamole! Absolutely delectable! After a game of mow (a game with no set rules), we had a huge bonfire.  Somehow we started playing the trust game: everyone had to make a confession before falling in trust into the arms below the wall.  The best confession was Stacy’s “My mom really does got it goin on.”  Roasting marshmallows and singing together with the guitar ended the starless night perfectly. 

Today’s hike provided excellent fun even if the cave paintings weren’t as amazing as imagined.  We saw baboons and a chameleon which we took home as our pet.  We played in the river in the beautiful Drakensburg Mountains and enjoyed spending time with each other.  

Love Day

Love is an action and not a feeling, an unselfish act that builds another up in encouragement.  I thought Valentines day would make me terribly sad with missing my fiancé; not being able to even give Jacob a hug or a small present to express our love.  Instead I was completely blown away by how far Jacob’s love for me reaches.  Even the thousands of miles didn’t stop him from delivering flowers and chocolate to my doorstep.  Somehow he researched a local florist and had the most beautiful red roses sent with a thoughtful note! I am so in love with this man of my dreams who surprises me beyond belief and know that I certainly don’t deserve him.  And Jacob even joined me for our delectable dinner of chicken alfredo and garlic bread in the Jabulani hut.  Well kind of.  We drew secret valentines to get a small present and card for and ironically I drew Jacob, the guy here who shares my fiance’s name.  We even drew twice and both times I picked him: Rachel and Jacob are simply meant to be together.  We all dressed up for our fancy dinner and enjoyed watching a movie together afterwards! (The picture below is a reenactment of me burning Sarah's hair off with my curling iron) A perfect day of love!

Today we visited the last service site: a place where 70 kids who have lost their parents due to AIDS play everyday.  They all live with either grandparents, older siblings, or some other relative who was willing to take them in.  The center has seven mentors who interact with 10 kids each: going to their homes, their school, and asking them questions while they play at the center.  Taking an interest in their lives will enable them to have a new future with a job, medical help, and a God who loves them.  It will be difficult to decide which service site to go to, and I have been praying that God will reveal his will.  At another site I could work at a school, baking, organizing, and teaching P.E. and then a woman’s home in the afternoons, building relationship and sharing life.  And still another great option is Walk in the Light ministries where I would help the gardeners and do home visits in the township. 

Prayer Requests:

• Classes are getting more intense.
• For my decision of which service site God wants me at. 
• My relationship with my roommate, who is my complete opposite.
• That I can build relationships with the AE staff and encourage them as they serve us.
• That God continues to mold my heart toward his will and reveal himself to me.  

A week of field trips

My faithful readers I am so sorry I haven’t written in so long.  Life has been so full of adventures that I want to write about but I’ve had no time to write it all.  Last week was simply amazing.  Our art professor took us on two field trips to different art museums and both times we ate at a coffee shop afterward.  Canaan you’ll like this one: I had a banana bacon sandwich! It was so strange, but so delicious! You should try it.  And at the other place, which was in a fancy hotel teahouse I got lemon tea and cream brulee pie.  The art was also fun: I found an artist that makes her paintings look like scrap booking: art I can identify with! On our biology field trip we had close encounters with giraffes and saw real life discovery channel happenings.  I am growing to appreciate the tiny creatures more and more as our professor points out the grasshoppers, spiders, ants, and other life sustaining animals that all work together as a part of nature. 

On Saturday we went to Durban to a market place and the beach.  At the market we haggled with sellers until they gave us low prices and on a venture into the streets Emma and I were surprised by a fight breaking out just in front of us and several other interesting sights, but a good find in the dress dept.  I loved the beach! The sand was extremely hot, but the water was refreshing.  Sarah, Kohei, and I ventured to play some volleyball with the locals, but we didn’t have socks so our feet couldn’t bear the heat.  We did end up making some friends! Lucky invited us to come back to Durban again and he would bring us our own net and ball: his whole life revolves around beach volleyball.  He is the coordinator for finding the beach volleyball Olympic team and has already been planning for two years.  He is number 19 in South Africa and they play in tournaments every month: we even met the number 6 duo. Watching them play inspired me! I wish I could be watching the winter Olympics right now, but sadly only 1 channel covers it for one hour late at night.  You better be recording iceskating : )  I made another friend at the beach named Tendai.  He works at a factory and is waiting to be an accountant, but he wanted to be a journalist.  He didn’t have the funding to go to school for it, but he writes poems and books in his spare time.  We had this amazing writing connection and I encouraged him to follow his writing heart to see where it takes him.  I am waiting for him to email me one of his poems to see how good he is and maybe help him publish something.  

Weekend of Learning

Whew! That’s my sigh of relief that I can finally slow down for a few moments.  This weekend was a cultural immersion, taking a trip to Durban to visit an Indian community, where everything went wrong and we had no itinerary.  On Friday we left around 2:30 on a trip that was supposed to take about an hour and half, until someone forgot their license, and then we had car problems ( our Prof lost 2 cars in one day) and we got lost, stopping at least 7 times.  We arrived around 7:30-8, about 6 hours later.  While I thrived on the bonding time, some people were extremely irritated and it just started the weekend off to a succession of lateness.  We woke at 4:50 to see the beautiful sunrise over the Indian ocean (pictured) along with several tiny crabs.  We visited an Indian market where I bought water for a man who called me his sister and felt like an outsider: under dressed, extremely white, and a minority for the first time in my life. At least they speak English here.  


We tried to have bunny chow for lunch, but after 2 unsuccessful hours we settled for pb&j so that we could get to the beach.  Oh the beach!! I have never set foot in such warm water; it was even warmer than a bath in some parts.  We wave jumped for over an hour, enjoying the cooler and warmer currents and observing the surfing lifeguard for signs of a shark.  In a sandy soccer game, I shocked my teammates by scoring a point!! So exciting! That night we had a brie (bbq) with our bunny chow (chicken curry inside a bread bowl- Canaan you would love it!)  We had 20 Indian guests who answered our cultural questions and played any game we chose.  We tricked them into star tripping and watched all of them laugh hysterically as their friend fell to the ground after spinning for 30 seconds.  Church on Sunday morning was interesting to say the least.  All the people were so hospitable and friendly- they even made us lunch afterward, and we were soon on our way back to AE.  The uneventful car ride gave way to exclamations at the site of our newly called home.  What a weekend of adventure: discomfort remembered.  

A real safari! 2/4/10

Wow guys! A week has flown by without any time to write about it! And oh the adventures we’ve had!! I must go back to Thursday’s safari with Sandy (our bio teacher).  We arrived to Tala Game reserve, hoping that we might get to see a few animals, with no idea what was actually in store for us.  Two safari jeeps took us all over the private reserve, revealing kudus, super tall giraffes, zebras, galloping wildebeests, grazing rhinos, swimming hippos, frantic ostrich, pumas (warthogs) and so much other wild life. On the muddy road our jeep tipped slightly sideways when we splashed through a puddle.  The biggest surprise was how magnificently large the rhinos were: they were grazing toward us with their giant tusk and intimidating death stare, even our tour guide semi-panicked.  We had to do an experiment where we named all the vegetation species in a square every 2 meters for 20 meters, mostly surveying grass.  Even though the exercise was tedious, I learned to recognize how beautiful each tiny part of the ecosystem is, down to every plant and loved giving them all wild names like African sunshine, button, teacup, and fuzzy grass.  The most striking thing to me about the day is that everything in nature is made for a purpose, from the giant grazing herbivores to the dung beetle that cleans up everyone’s mess.  Without any part, utter chaos would break out, unable for any part to survive.  That just testifies to how amazing God’s creativity is and how perfectly he designed everything with a purpose, even down to the termites that make good soil.  

Birthday!!!

Tossing in turmoil, I woke from my slumber in a panic.  I dreamed that I had a terrible birthday, with 150 people I didn’t know, I didn’t get any cake, there were rodents running everywhere and I didn’t even feel special.  Happily, when I got out of bed, the day began precisely the opposite.  The hallway outside my door was decorated with balloons and a giant happy birthday poster signed by everyone.  My chalet eagerly greeted me with cheers of happy birthday.  At breakfast the birthday committee had me stand on a chair with a giant birthday hat while everyone sang to me.  I felt especially loved when Reagan prayed for me during chapel, rejoicing in the celebration of the birth of the Father’s daughter.  I miss you family! It’s not the same celebrating without you and your crazy antics.  I missed playing games and eating my favorite foods.  But everyone did a great job of making me feel super special by calling me birthday girl and making a tunnel at tea time to my waiting birthday cake and another singing fest.  We even had a birthday workout after my long day of classes and now I’m waiting to open my present from my dear fiancé when he finally decides to get on Skype.  All in all a good celebration day. 

Swept away in the Spirit 1/31/09

Officially it’s the last day of January and the day before my birthday.  It seems a new surprise awaits everyday: today God amazed us with a lightening show that lit up the entire sky.  Yesterday held lions and birds of prey, the best being the beautiful owls.  I never knew vultures were such bullies; they attacked each other’s necks and got in a mean fight.  One even flew smack into the wall out of hunger.  Sadly I didn’t get to see the lions up close like the others as the mad owner came marching down saying we couldn’t be standing outside the gate, to which we witnessed Reagan’s anger.  In the midst of wild creatures, God caught my attention, particularly exposing the continual cosmic war between truth and lies.  A wise man asked do you really believe what you believe is really real?’  It gets you thinking… At the Pentecostal church the pastor spoke about the reality of spiritual warfare and how we must be preparing our hearts by obeying now so when the hard times come we can handle it.  I am expecting some very hard things to come up that will refine me as this message has been repeated since we got here.  Extremely different from anything I had ever before experienced, this Church seemed to be full of the Spirit with people dancing and singing in the aisles, praising the Lord in creative ways and joining in the prayers.  While I didn’t necessarily join in, I loved watching their joyfulness before our common King.  Several great conversations were initiated by these experiences and I have enjoyed developing true friendships with some of the people here, seeing into their thoughts and desires.  O and father you will be happy… I am officially lice free : ) 

Am I dreaming?

The past two days have quite literally been dreams come true: even better than Cinderella.  A) Biology lab consists of hiking through the jungle and scenic overlooks B) Its absolutely beautifully breathtaking C) I got to express the beauty in art today.  We packed our lunches and headed out, unsure of what to expect.  On a huge grassy hill we examined the protozoa plant and it smelled like sweet sweet honey.  At the next stop we got out to overlook a giant valley covered in luscious trees with a cascading waterfall.  I mentioned to my friend: I would love to be at the base of that waterfall right now.  Following lunch we took a hike that lead exactly to the bottom of the waterfall: an amazing sight! Words and pictures cannot compare to the glory of God’s creation expressed.  We found crazy bugs called shongololos and exotic birds as we literally walked in the middle of a jungle.  Today I have been spending time alone marveling at how amazing God’s creative capacities are and learning to fear the God of the Universe who chooses to love me.  I had quality time with my roommate Kailey sharing life and God’s doings and relishing the moment of being here.  

A Perfectly African Day

Wow the day started off beautifully with a short run at 6 and a jungle exploration after breakfast.  While we were on the path, we ran into a herd of antelope/buck of about 15 simply grazing on the road 20 feet in front of us and inching closer.  What majestic creatures they are! Next in a canopy of trees we passed under a fleet of about 20 monkeys, grooming one another, eating guava, and just hanging out in the tree.  I was certainly entertained just watching each one and playing “where’s waldo” with the monkeys.  (you should try it your self) We took an excursion to the mall later in the day and found all the treasures we had hoped for and more! A little later we went to a movie, so I saw Sherlock Holmes and absolutely loved it.  His way of thinking amazing me and while everyone else came out of the movie drained and sleepy, I emerged fully awake and invigorated.  For a few moments I wanted to change my life plans to become a detective or spy so I could always think in that way and pay attention to such detail, but then I realized that as a journalist its exactly what I do without all the danger, secretiveness, and losing all my loved ones.  Life is ultimately good in South Africa, even in a hearty rain that gushes the water falls and creates floods over the roads.  

Vacation Farewell

Starting 7 in the morning until 8:45 at night I have been constantly busy with absolutely no break in between.  Its terribly hard to enjoy such a beautiful place with all the difficult thinking I was required today.  However, I did love the challenges laid out today especially by Reg in Chapel.  He pointed out that it was his generation (around the 60s) who brought this big mess to the world of racism, love not war, drugs, and several other bad examples, but that he is counting on the young generation of today being the ones to bring the world back to its right state.  Even biology was mind boggling as well as an exercise we did in intercultural communications where I was in the love bear culture and had to try to influence the grumpy culture.  It showed the differences in culture when we tried to hug them, but their sign of affection was beating their chest.  It is essential to observe a culture before enforcing your own way.  

Beauty Abounds

Reluctantly we boarded yet another plane from Joburg to Durban, but were rewarded with beautiful scenery on our bus ride to our new home in Pietermeritzburg.  Words cannot describe the splendor of African Enterprise—its like a giant green forest with green rolling hills and beautiful everywhere you look.  The monkeys are already evil and got into Paige’s bed and bag.  We start classes tomorrow.  Below is a waterfall that cascades into a pool we can sleep in and to the right a monkey is hidden in the tree if you look close enough.

A Harsh Reality 1/23/10

From the slums to the “Beverly Hills,” the town of Soweto has it all.  Soweto, outside of Johannesburg, was the starting place of the young people’s riot against the apartheid. We visited the square where 600 youth were shot in one day.  We also passed Nelson Mandela’s house and saw the 10 parts of the new constitution that has brought equality and freedom to all.  Our tour guide shared that she had grown up at the time of the uprising and in the black schools liberty was much more important than education.  After apartheid was resolved and freedom was granted, the values remain the same, thus education for the black population continues to be terrible. 

In a conversation with Leslie, one of our community life advisors, she pointed out that America has the same problems.  She was an immigrant from Cuba and went to elementary in San Francisco. Because the API score was a 2 there was no funding and the education was worthless.  She didn’t even learn English until 7^th grade when her mother fought for her to go to a better school.  Once a family is stuck in uneducated poverty, it is hard to break the cycle.  That is why the blacks here remain in slums: they cannot afford a better education for their children, so their uneducated children grow up without hope and bring more uneducated children into the world.  Without a better education system, the cycle will continue endlessly, even in the US.  There is much work to be done. 

Exciting moment of the day: amazingly delicious meal including guava, ice cream with mangos, and codfish accompanied by amazing zulu children dancers.

Just a random thought… a napkin today asked me to draw true love.  I drew a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: the peanut butter is the guy who is sometimes a little rough around the edges, but compliments the sweet jelly girl and the relationship is enveloped by God the bread who sustains the true love.  

First Impressions 1/22/09

After 29ish hours of traveling (longest plane ride of my life!) all 53 of us have arrived in South Africa! It’s beautifully green with lush palm trees and in the middle of summer.  How different from the cold winter of London and Paris just two weeks ago.  We are all smelly, sticky, and super fatigued, but somehow the excitement of being in the country I have been dreaming of overcomes all those factors. 

We are here to be learners and observers of a culture that is different from our own, and use that knowledge to transform our way of thinking. 

Our mission statement for our 3 ½ months here is as follows:

We, the Spring 2010 South Africa Team, a community of humbled servants, empowered by Christ’s love, unified in joyful, caring, and creative risk-taking inspire to encounter God through community and cultural engagement which opens our minds leading to new life-changing perspectives, broader understanding, global awareness and expanded world views, as we act as agents and recipients of God’s healing for the desperate and broken hearted. 

Prayer Requests:

• ·       That our minds and bodies adjust easily to the time change
  
• ·       That we bond together as a community that acts in love toward one another. 
  
• ·       That we respond with joy as we face our initial culture shock
  
• ·       That I don’t miss my new fiancé too much : (