Coming home!
This morning we whipped to the airport to drop off my rental, then Aunty Sybil and I had our last breakfast together. She is an amazing woman of faith. She is a pastor's wife, the adoptive mother of one daughter, takes care of her grand daughter and she and Peter are trying to start a new soup kitchen type ministry where they provide ingredients for meals to a couple families in the community and they are expected to make the soup and share it with the community members. They actually do surprise visits to the families to make sure they are making the soups and giving it away. They have spunk!
Peter pastors a church in a poor colored township. He has been preaching in a shack for 13 years and just recently they have the walls and roof up of their new building. It really puts our capital campaigns to shame.
I am writing this from Durban, so we have 3 more legs to go, but as we are sitting here, Stu just noticed we may be delayed. There is some bad weather here, and earlier there were people saying that all flights in J-Berg were delayed so we'll hope and pray for the best. Our luggage has been checked all the way to Calgary this time, so our 2hour window in J-Berg has a little wiggle room.
Things to remember:
You're welcome = pleasure
That's too bad= shame
Runners = tekkies ( say tackies)
The 'Gecko' song
My luggage was too heavy, so I am lugging around two heavy carry-ons, and feeling frumpled, but I am on my way home!
See you soon!
Shalina
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Last two days in South Africa
Tuesday and Wednesday in Cape Town
Tuesday was the day we were saying goodbye to Jeff and Gary, but before that we went downtown to do yet more shopping! We started back at the Waterfront for breakfast at Spurs. Spurs is something akin to Denny's for food selection, but more like Planet Hollywood for franchise. This one had a spectacular view of the Waterfront and Table Mountain! After a quick breaky, we started walking the outdoor markets of downtown Cape Town.
Curtis actually gave me permission to buy some art here in Africa, and there were some interesting choices to be made. I think I had to rule about half of it out on the basis of cultural differences in modesty, but the others were very cool. The only problem was I never did find anything I loved. About 3/4 of the way through the day, I realized my problem is I fell in love with Scott's art. Scott was the finance officer/braii expert/safari guide/artist from the Seed of Hope. Jody agreed with me and she says she's going to see if we can't buy a print of his. I thought I would send him a pleading email explaining that he has ruined me from African art forever and the least he can do is let me buy a print. We'll see!
After a stop at a Mediterranean restaurant for THE BEST yogurt strawberry smoothies of all times, we said goodbye to Jeff and Gary. Stu took them to the airport and was coming back to meet us later. That left the Schwartz's, Aunty Sybil and I to continue wandering the markets.
After more browsing, we met up again with the group and we all went to Camps Bay. It's known as the sun setter's strip. It is a great ocean side town where the views of the sunset over the ocean are spectacular. We enjoyed putting our toes in the sand and the cold water of the Atlantic and then a great Italian meal while the sun went down. We were truly spoiled!
But all good things must come to an end. We said goodbye to the Schwartz's that evening. They really were wonderful hosts in Toti, even though they were tourists themselves!
That only left Stu and I out of our little group. I wanted to leave Stu alone with his brother for what time he had left so against everyone's better judgement, I had Aunty Sybil take me to the airport to rent a car Wednesday morning. Everyone seemed very nervous about me going out on my own, even though I promised to stick to the main roads but they weren't having any of it, so poor Leizle was coerced into coming with me, even though she wasn't feeling well. Aunty Sybil took Leizle and I out for breakfast in the vineyard area just outside of Cape Town. What a stunningly beautiful area! I can see why Leizle wants to have her wedding there! And after that, us two "young ones" were off to Cape Point.
Our afternoon consisted of a beautiful drive along the coast of the Atlantic to the Point where we got out of the car and hiked around for a few hours. We hiked up to the lighthouse on the Point, then we hiked down to the Cape of Good Hope. In between those two sites was a long rickety wooden staircase to Dias Beach. The sand was white, the surf was huge and I could have stayed there forever, but time was passing us by so we started the long climb back up the stairs.
Hiking around there really brought home the differences in safety precautions taken in South Africa versus in North America, where nobody is willing to take responsibility for their own well being. We were on some pretty serious cliffs with cracks near the edge that went all the way down. I was sitting their taking pictures of Leizle perched precariously on the edge when I realized there are no hand rails anywhere. No signs, no hand rails on the rickety, "boards missing" stairs and boardwalks. It was actually refreshing to know that not everywhere in the world do people think that others should be responsible for their own well-being. It's just a given that you will not walk off the edge of the cliff! Safety all around the places we had been in SA has been lax to say the least. It's kind of liberating to choose to sit in the seat with a seat belt or in the back hanging off the load in the truck. Or to walk right up to the edge of the cliff if I want to. Now that I am writing about it, I guess that is the kind of lawlessness that contributes to the crime and feelings of not being safe. It just reinforces the fact that clear and safe boundaries can make you safer, not oppressed!
I loved my day at the Point, and I survived. We drove our way back to Quinton's place where we again enjoyed, family, friends and really hot curry!
One more sleep 'til I get to go home!
Shalina
Tuesday was the day we were saying goodbye to Jeff and Gary, but before that we went downtown to do yet more shopping! We started back at the Waterfront for breakfast at Spurs. Spurs is something akin to Denny's for food selection, but more like Planet Hollywood for franchise. This one had a spectacular view of the Waterfront and Table Mountain! After a quick breaky, we started walking the outdoor markets of downtown Cape Town.
Curtis actually gave me permission to buy some art here in Africa, and there were some interesting choices to be made. I think I had to rule about half of it out on the basis of cultural differences in modesty, but the others were very cool. The only problem was I never did find anything I loved. About 3/4 of the way through the day, I realized my problem is I fell in love with Scott's art. Scott was the finance officer/braii expert/safari guide/artist from the Seed of Hope. Jody agreed with me and she says she's going to see if we can't buy a print of his. I thought I would send him a pleading email explaining that he has ruined me from African art forever and the least he can do is let me buy a print. We'll see!
After a stop at a Mediterranean restaurant for THE BEST yogurt strawberry smoothies of all times, we said goodbye to Jeff and Gary. Stu took them to the airport and was coming back to meet us later. That left the Schwartz's, Aunty Sybil and I to continue wandering the markets.
After more browsing, we met up again with the group and we all went to Camps Bay. It's known as the sun setter's strip. It is a great ocean side town where the views of the sunset over the ocean are spectacular. We enjoyed putting our toes in the sand and the cold water of the Atlantic and then a great Italian meal while the sun went down. We were truly spoiled!
But all good things must come to an end. We said goodbye to the Schwartz's that evening. They really were wonderful hosts in Toti, even though they were tourists themselves!
That only left Stu and I out of our little group. I wanted to leave Stu alone with his brother for what time he had left so against everyone's better judgement, I had Aunty Sybil take me to the airport to rent a car Wednesday morning. Everyone seemed very nervous about me going out on my own, even though I promised to stick to the main roads but they weren't having any of it, so poor Leizle was coerced into coming with me, even though she wasn't feeling well. Aunty Sybil took Leizle and I out for breakfast in the vineyard area just outside of Cape Town. What a stunningly beautiful area! I can see why Leizle wants to have her wedding there! And after that, us two "young ones" were off to Cape Point.
Our afternoon consisted of a beautiful drive along the coast of the Atlantic to the Point where we got out of the car and hiked around for a few hours. We hiked up to the lighthouse on the Point, then we hiked down to the Cape of Good Hope. In between those two sites was a long rickety wooden staircase to Dias Beach. The sand was white, the surf was huge and I could have stayed there forever, but time was passing us by so we started the long climb back up the stairs.
Hiking around there really brought home the differences in safety precautions taken in South Africa versus in North America, where nobody is willing to take responsibility for their own well being. We were on some pretty serious cliffs with cracks near the edge that went all the way down. I was sitting their taking pictures of Leizle perched precariously on the edge when I realized there are no hand rails anywhere. No signs, no hand rails on the rickety, "boards missing" stairs and boardwalks. It was actually refreshing to know that not everywhere in the world do people think that others should be responsible for their own well-being. It's just a given that you will not walk off the edge of the cliff! Safety all around the places we had been in SA has been lax to say the least. It's kind of liberating to choose to sit in the seat with a seat belt or in the back hanging off the load in the truck. Or to walk right up to the edge of the cliff if I want to. Now that I am writing about it, I guess that is the kind of lawlessness that contributes to the crime and feelings of not being safe. It just reinforces the fact that clear and safe boundaries can make you safer, not oppressed!
I loved my day at the Point, and I survived. We drove our way back to Quinton's place where we again enjoyed, family, friends and really hot curry!
One more sleep 'til I get to go home!
Shalina
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Sunday and Monday in Cape Town
Cape Town
Hey all, it's been two days in Cape Town now and it really is beautiful here!
Sunday morning we went to Stu's brother's church, Sunnyside Church of the Nazarene. It had some funky worship with and Pastor Quinton on the sax. After church we drove to Port Hout for some fish and chips. It's about 45 mins from Cape Town. While we were eating we watched guys wading out to the Atlantic Ocean and throw some nets in the surf and pull out a net full of fish! Then they dumped them into containers and hauled them up to the piers. Now that's fresh seafood!
We wandered the little markets for a while and then went for a drive along the coast. We ended up in a liitle place called Simon's Town, a navy town. There is a little board walk to wander that leads you past a penguin sanctuary. We didn't see any penguins down by the boulders and beach, but we did see a whole bunch hiding in the bushes along the boardwalk! There were some vendors along the walk as well.
As the sun was setting, we made our way to where the Schwartz's were staying and had a little pizza party! Then Peter and Sybil drove me back to their place. Little Reese was staying up to say good night!
I gave a call home for a quick hello since I don't have an Internet connection, and found out that Annika had had a bit of an accident. She should be okay, but Curtis has been pretty sick and has been having a rough time at home. I actually tried to change my ticket when we flew in to Cape Town so I could get home earlier, but I couldn't do it without actually repurchasing new tickets so I guess we will just have to wait for Friday.
We were up and going for 8 Monday morning. Stu and I stopped by his old high school for a stroll down his memory lane. There were 3 teachers he remembered that were still working there. That's pretty impressive for it being 20 years later!
We went by Quinton's place and picked up Gary, Jeff and Quinton and we were off to meet the Scwartz's at the Waterfront. There were lots more markets here and lots of haggling and interesting things to look at. We grabbed a quick bite and headed over for our Robben Island tour.
Robin Island is where Nelson Mandella was imprisoned. It was an interesting tour, but unfortunately our tour guide was tough to understand and we were quite rushed through. Although I learned some new history I would have liked to have spent more time in some areas. The ferry rides there and back were a little choppy for some of our little group! We had decided earlier that if the weather was at all favorable, we would head up Table Mountain. Well this afternoon was the time. We got to the bottom of the Gondola at around 5. It turned out perfectly! The ride up was quick, lots of ear popping. The Gondola cars are round and have room for 65 people. The floors in the Gondolas actually spin slowly so that you get a full 720 degree view as you go up. The views from the top were indescribable. Table Mountain has just been named one of the world's new 7 natural wonders of the world for good reason.
The horizon out over the ocean looked like we were looking out from outer space. The clouds, ocean and sky all converged at the horizon and it was stunning! Then on the other side of the peak, you can see all of Cape Town and the surrounding communities. While we were up there, the clouds started to build up on the one side of the mountain range and spill over the edge, looking like a waterfall of clouds over the top of the mountain. The effect is called the table cloth, very fitting. On top of watching that, we caught the sunset over the ocean. What a beautiful day!
We made it back to Peter and Celeste's place for 8 where all of the family friends came over for some curry and a visit with Stu. It was a great gathering. And it confirmed my low tolerance to spice since the mildest curry made me suck back a lot of cucumber slices to save my burning mouth!
Peter and Sybil drove me home early and we left Stu at the party. I'm not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but I'm sure it will be stunning.
Until next time!
Shalina
Hey all, it's been two days in Cape Town now and it really is beautiful here!
Sunday morning we went to Stu's brother's church, Sunnyside Church of the Nazarene. It had some funky worship with and Pastor Quinton on the sax. After church we drove to Port Hout for some fish and chips. It's about 45 mins from Cape Town. While we were eating we watched guys wading out to the Atlantic Ocean and throw some nets in the surf and pull out a net full of fish! Then they dumped them into containers and hauled them up to the piers. Now that's fresh seafood!
We wandered the little markets for a while and then went for a drive along the coast. We ended up in a liitle place called Simon's Town, a navy town. There is a little board walk to wander that leads you past a penguin sanctuary. We didn't see any penguins down by the boulders and beach, but we did see a whole bunch hiding in the bushes along the boardwalk! There were some vendors along the walk as well.
As the sun was setting, we made our way to where the Schwartz's were staying and had a little pizza party! Then Peter and Sybil drove me back to their place. Little Reese was staying up to say good night!
I gave a call home for a quick hello since I don't have an Internet connection, and found out that Annika had had a bit of an accident. She should be okay, but Curtis has been pretty sick and has been having a rough time at home. I actually tried to change my ticket when we flew in to Cape Town so I could get home earlier, but I couldn't do it without actually repurchasing new tickets so I guess we will just have to wait for Friday.
We were up and going for 8 Monday morning. Stu and I stopped by his old high school for a stroll down his memory lane. There were 3 teachers he remembered that were still working there. That's pretty impressive for it being 20 years later!
We went by Quinton's place and picked up Gary, Jeff and Quinton and we were off to meet the Scwartz's at the Waterfront. There were lots more markets here and lots of haggling and interesting things to look at. We grabbed a quick bite and headed over for our Robben Island tour.
Robin Island is where Nelson Mandella was imprisoned. It was an interesting tour, but unfortunately our tour guide was tough to understand and we were quite rushed through. Although I learned some new history I would have liked to have spent more time in some areas. The ferry rides there and back were a little choppy for some of our little group! We had decided earlier that if the weather was at all favorable, we would head up Table Mountain. Well this afternoon was the time. We got to the bottom of the Gondola at around 5. It turned out perfectly! The ride up was quick, lots of ear popping. The Gondola cars are round and have room for 65 people. The floors in the Gondolas actually spin slowly so that you get a full 720 degree view as you go up. The views from the top were indescribable. Table Mountain has just been named one of the world's new 7 natural wonders of the world for good reason.
The horizon out over the ocean looked like we were looking out from outer space. The clouds, ocean and sky all converged at the horizon and it was stunning! Then on the other side of the peak, you can see all of Cape Town and the surrounding communities. While we were up there, the clouds started to build up on the one side of the mountain range and spill over the edge, looking like a waterfall of clouds over the top of the mountain. The effect is called the table cloth, very fitting. On top of watching that, we caught the sunset over the ocean. What a beautiful day!
We made it back to Peter and Celeste's place for 8 where all of the family friends came over for some curry and a visit with Stu. It was a great gathering. And it confirmed my low tolerance to spice since the mildest curry made me suck back a lot of cucumber slices to save my burning mouth!
Peter and Sybil drove me home early and we left Stu at the party. I'm not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but I'm sure it will be stunning.
Until next time!
Shalina
Cape Town here we come
Capetown Here we come!
This morning was my last morning on the beach. I am very sad to be leaving it. I did my reading and played in the surf for a while and then sat on the sand for a while watching the waves come in. There really is something therapeutic about the ocean, and I will miss it. I can't help but imagine Annika here on the beach playing keep away with the waves.
I met Dan from the Seed on the beach walking his dog and it just felt nice and homey meeting a friend on the becah!
I borrowed the Schwartz vehicle to go pick up the last of our laundry. There are no laundry machines in the flats, but the laundromat will wash and fold your laundry and they charge by weight. I think it turns out to about 6 dollars a load.
By 11 we were packing ourselves into the Schwartz's car and Dan's car and heading to the airport. Good-bye Amanzimtoti!
The flight was good, we had the exit row with lots of leg room. Stu's family met us at the airport. His brother Quinton and sister-in-law Celeste as well as his dear friends Peter and Sybil. We all went back to Peter and Sybil's place for supper and chatting. Then we split up into groups for sleeping arrangements. The Schwartz's are staying about 20 mins away at someone's holiday place. Gary and Jeff are staying at Stu's brother's place and Stu and I are staying at Peter's. Peter's daughter and granddaughter, Reese, live with them, and I get to stay in Reese's room. She is turning 8 next week, and her room looks so lovely. I am very proud to get to stay in her room. She will be sharing her room with her mom while I am here. They have been so kind to all of us already!
Both Stu's brother Quinton and Peter are also Nazarene pastors so there was quite some debate over which church we would be attending in the morning and who would be speaking at which church. I guess we'll see how that plays out in the morning. There seems to be a precedent of spontaneous invitations to pull visiting pastors from the pews and having them speak!
Shalina
This morning was my last morning on the beach. I am very sad to be leaving it. I did my reading and played in the surf for a while and then sat on the sand for a while watching the waves come in. There really is something therapeutic about the ocean, and I will miss it. I can't help but imagine Annika here on the beach playing keep away with the waves.
I met Dan from the Seed on the beach walking his dog and it just felt nice and homey meeting a friend on the becah!
I borrowed the Schwartz vehicle to go pick up the last of our laundry. There are no laundry machines in the flats, but the laundromat will wash and fold your laundry and they charge by weight. I think it turns out to about 6 dollars a load.
By 11 we were packing ourselves into the Schwartz's car and Dan's car and heading to the airport. Good-bye Amanzimtoti!
The flight was good, we had the exit row with lots of leg room. Stu's family met us at the airport. His brother Quinton and sister-in-law Celeste as well as his dear friends Peter and Sybil. We all went back to Peter and Sybil's place for supper and chatting. Then we split up into groups for sleeping arrangements. The Schwartz's are staying about 20 mins away at someone's holiday place. Gary and Jeff are staying at Stu's brother's place and Stu and I are staying at Peter's. Peter's daughter and granddaughter, Reese, live with them, and I get to stay in Reese's room. She is turning 8 next week, and her room looks so lovely. I am very proud to get to stay in her room. She will be sharing her room with her mom while I am here. They have been so kind to all of us already!
Both Stu's brother Quinton and Peter are also Nazarene pastors so there was quite some debate over which church we would be attending in the morning and who would be speaking at which church. I guess we'll see how that plays out in the morning. There seems to be a precedent of spontaneous invitations to pull visiting pastors from the pews and having them speak!
Shalina
Friday, 11 November 2011
Last day at The Seed
Last day at The Seed
I can't believe it's over. I have this terrible torn feeling between leaving this place of amazing ministry, and moving on towards getting home. I cried a lot today .
This morning's prayer time was filled with praise for all the time spent here, and prayer requests for the team. We are going to need to process a lot of information in the weeks to come, and then figure out how God intends to use this new information.
Dan took some time to debrief us this morning. He asked about our highs and lows. My lowest point was probably the first Tuesday. I was completely stripped of my comforts, schedules, routines, tasks, relationships and cultures at that point. I knew that back home Cole, Grandma and Curtis were all sick and it was rough for them. I was questioning the point of this trip. I was uncomfortable and homesick. But I think the reason I was in that position was because it was important for me to know how much I need Curtis and the kids, to realize just how much I love them. But I was also supposed to see that I could rely on God. When everything else is taken away, He will meet me where I am and comfort and guide me. I learned a lot these past weeks and I couldn't have done that in a familiar setting.
My highs were corporate worship and prayer. We were able to pray and sing together as a group every day we were here. The Zulu ladies all have magnificent voices and don't need any instruments to sing some very lovely songs. And praying together as a group is really powerful. My favorite was the evening we spent at Dan and Kerry's singing together after that great meal.
When I worship or pray at home, I often feel 'good' or 'moved' and I mostly attributed it to the way things were phrased, or the music was good. Here, I remember the first few days feeling my spirit being moved, and it couldn't have been from those other things because I didn't even understand the words being sung and prayed. It wasn't my mind or my emotions being affected, but my spirit. It was a lovely revelation for me.
We took Dan for lunch today and just chatted with him. He's a really good guy with a real heart for the things being done here. He is really trying to follow God's will for his life and it shows.
After lunch, the staff came together to say good bye and thank you. We were all together for some great worship and some dance songs, then prayer, and they said a blessing over us. Then we ate cake! We had our last Simunaye time with the kids and we gave out all the Canadian stickers Matt and Kerri Lynne gave me to bring. We took lots of pictures and I had a sad time of more good byes.
It's hard to say good bye here. I just can't imagine that I won't be back here at some time. Sorry Curtis, but this might not be the last trip to South Africa our family participates in!
We leave for Capetown in the morning. Gary and Jeff leave at a ridiculous time in the morning but we won't leave until 11. They will rent a car and explore on their own for the day, then the Schwartz's and Stu and I will arrive later. I'm not sure about internet connections, and how interesting the blogs will be past this point, but I'll post if I get a chance. Capetown is supposed to be beautiful!
PS if you want to see some pics of the safari, the Schwartz's blog has some up. Their blog is www.schwartz5onsabbatical.blogspot.com I think!
Shalina
I can't believe it's over. I have this terrible torn feeling between leaving this place of amazing ministry, and moving on towards getting home. I cried a lot today .
This morning's prayer time was filled with praise for all the time spent here, and prayer requests for the team. We are going to need to process a lot of information in the weeks to come, and then figure out how God intends to use this new information.
Dan took some time to debrief us this morning. He asked about our highs and lows. My lowest point was probably the first Tuesday. I was completely stripped of my comforts, schedules, routines, tasks, relationships and cultures at that point. I knew that back home Cole, Grandma and Curtis were all sick and it was rough for them. I was questioning the point of this trip. I was uncomfortable and homesick. But I think the reason I was in that position was because it was important for me to know how much I need Curtis and the kids, to realize just how much I love them. But I was also supposed to see that I could rely on God. When everything else is taken away, He will meet me where I am and comfort and guide me. I learned a lot these past weeks and I couldn't have done that in a familiar setting.
My highs were corporate worship and prayer. We were able to pray and sing together as a group every day we were here. The Zulu ladies all have magnificent voices and don't need any instruments to sing some very lovely songs. And praying together as a group is really powerful. My favorite was the evening we spent at Dan and Kerry's singing together after that great meal.
When I worship or pray at home, I often feel 'good' or 'moved' and I mostly attributed it to the way things were phrased, or the music was good. Here, I remember the first few days feeling my spirit being moved, and it couldn't have been from those other things because I didn't even understand the words being sung and prayed. It wasn't my mind or my emotions being affected, but my spirit. It was a lovely revelation for me.
We took Dan for lunch today and just chatted with him. He's a really good guy with a real heart for the things being done here. He is really trying to follow God's will for his life and it shows.
After lunch, the staff came together to say good bye and thank you. We were all together for some great worship and some dance songs, then prayer, and they said a blessing over us. Then we ate cake! We had our last Simunaye time with the kids and we gave out all the Canadian stickers Matt and Kerri Lynne gave me to bring. We took lots of pictures and I had a sad time of more good byes.
It's hard to say good bye here. I just can't imagine that I won't be back here at some time. Sorry Curtis, but this might not be the last trip to South Africa our family participates in!
We leave for Capetown in the morning. Gary and Jeff leave at a ridiculous time in the morning but we won't leave until 11. They will rent a car and explore on their own for the day, then the Schwartz's and Stu and I will arrive later. I'm not sure about internet connections, and how interesting the blogs will be past this point, but I'll post if I get a chance. Capetown is supposed to be beautiful!
PS if you want to see some pics of the safari, the Schwartz's blog has some up. Their blog is www.schwartz5onsabbatical.blogspot.com I think!
Shalina
Thursday at The Seed
Thursday at The Seed
I can't believe our last day at The Seed is tomorrow!
It turned out to be quite misty today. Not really rain, but like being in a cloud without the cold and the visibility issues. We had a goal for the day. It was to plant another garden, this time on the new Oasis church property. So Gary, Dan and I set out in the mist, hoping it would clear up for us.
Dan had plotted the corner pegs for the garden out earlier that year, when he had covered the ground with 'God's blanket' or mulch, but they had been taken. So we started from scratch. We laid out the 6 x 6 meter perimeter and then went down each row hoeing out each little planting station. The difference in the soil under the blanket Dan had put down earlier versus the ground that had been left open was striking. There was nice moist, dark soil under there! We finished all 99 stations and were just starting to scoop some compost in each one when started to really rain, so we had to pack it in. We were pretty wet but luckily I had a change of cloths with me, sadly the boys did not.
Today was the day we were buying pizza for the staff for lunch so Stu and Gary went to pick up the pizza's while Scott showed us his art. Scott is the finance officer here, and he was also our guide on the safari trip. His art is amazing. He does a lot of portraits and he can capture the character of a person so well. It's an amazing mix of talents he has!
After lunch we went back out to the garden to finish up. We had Adam and Jeremy with us now and their job was to gather bags and bags of mulch to cover the garden once we finished planting. The adults finished up by scooping compost, then a small amount of organic fertilizer in each planting station. Then covered that with soil leaving it 5cm from the top. Then planting 3 seeds in each station and backfilling everything until the garden was smooth and level again. Then we went down to the trees where the boys were to help gather all the decomposing leaves to use for ground cover. There were some crazy bugs in there, but luckily no snakes. I don't think I could have handled snakes! We did have to fight off cows though. Once the garden was covered, we were finished and we headed back to The Seed.
The rest of the team had been shopping for the supplies to make 150 goodie bags for the kids big Christmas party coming up in early December. And they had finished putting them all together and they looked great!
We came home for much needed showers and some supper. Then we went out to find a local open air market that happens on Thursdays. The weather was pretty bad so there weren't many good vendors out. But we decided to go 10 pin bowling and it was a blast. We did the kids plus Jeff and Stu versus the rest of the adults and of course the adults won. Jody had a most impressive finish, she need 29 to make 100 and she finished the last frame with 2 sticks and she got 9 pins on her last ball giving her the 100 she was aiming for! We have a bowling queen in the making!
I'm noticing now that I don't hear the surf as much as before. It was deafening before, and even when we were at the game reserve there was a lot of noise in the night. I think I will be happy to get home to some quite. I will definitely miss my mornings on the beach though. Everyone should have the privilege of starting the day that way for a few days of their life.
Some interesting differences in language: bandages are plasters, and lights at intersections are called robots.
Have a great day!
Shalina
I can't believe our last day at The Seed is tomorrow!
It turned out to be quite misty today. Not really rain, but like being in a cloud without the cold and the visibility issues. We had a goal for the day. It was to plant another garden, this time on the new Oasis church property. So Gary, Dan and I set out in the mist, hoping it would clear up for us.
Dan had plotted the corner pegs for the garden out earlier that year, when he had covered the ground with 'God's blanket' or mulch, but they had been taken. So we started from scratch. We laid out the 6 x 6 meter perimeter and then went down each row hoeing out each little planting station. The difference in the soil under the blanket Dan had put down earlier versus the ground that had been left open was striking. There was nice moist, dark soil under there! We finished all 99 stations and were just starting to scoop some compost in each one when started to really rain, so we had to pack it in. We were pretty wet but luckily I had a change of cloths with me, sadly the boys did not.
Today was the day we were buying pizza for the staff for lunch so Stu and Gary went to pick up the pizza's while Scott showed us his art. Scott is the finance officer here, and he was also our guide on the safari trip. His art is amazing. He does a lot of portraits and he can capture the character of a person so well. It's an amazing mix of talents he has!
After lunch we went back out to the garden to finish up. We had Adam and Jeremy with us now and their job was to gather bags and bags of mulch to cover the garden once we finished planting. The adults finished up by scooping compost, then a small amount of organic fertilizer in each planting station. Then covered that with soil leaving it 5cm from the top. Then planting 3 seeds in each station and backfilling everything until the garden was smooth and level again. Then we went down to the trees where the boys were to help gather all the decomposing leaves to use for ground cover. There were some crazy bugs in there, but luckily no snakes. I don't think I could have handled snakes! We did have to fight off cows though. Once the garden was covered, we were finished and we headed back to The Seed.
The rest of the team had been shopping for the supplies to make 150 goodie bags for the kids big Christmas party coming up in early December. And they had finished putting them all together and they looked great!
We came home for much needed showers and some supper. Then we went out to find a local open air market that happens on Thursdays. The weather was pretty bad so there weren't many good vendors out. But we decided to go 10 pin bowling and it was a blast. We did the kids plus Jeff and Stu versus the rest of the adults and of course the adults won. Jody had a most impressive finish, she need 29 to make 100 and she finished the last frame with 2 sticks and she got 9 pins on her last ball giving her the 100 she was aiming for! We have a bowling queen in the making!
I'm noticing now that I don't hear the surf as much as before. It was deafening before, and even when we were at the game reserve there was a lot of noise in the night. I think I will be happy to get home to some quite. I will definitely miss my mornings on the beach though. Everyone should have the privilege of starting the day that way for a few days of their life.
Some interesting differences in language: bandages are plasters, and lights at intersections are called robots.
Have a great day!
Shalina
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Wednesday at The Seed
Wednesday at The Seed
The first thing I need to do is make a correction to Monday's blog. Whenever you saw the word 'mess' it was supposed to be 'meds'. Auto correct can be a tricky thing and I hate proof reading. There was an unfortunate sentence where you may have read about Kaisa 'flinging his mess' but it was' Kaisa taking his meds'. It's been corrected now.
Wednesday Was a full day at the Seed. We had some down time in the morning and I went in had a chat with one of the workers, Gloria. She has a very difficult ministry here, she runs the food and clothing hamper program. The Seed has limited resources for buying food and their mandate is not to supply food to everyone who comes in and asks. The Seed will supply food to people in crisis but not to people who should be able to provide for themselves. If you can imagine being the person in charge of making those decisions and the difficulty in having to turn people away in tough love!
Gloria is an amazing Zulu woman though. Her parents were Christians, and she accepted the Lord for herself as a teenager. She has lived in this community her whole life and so is a great resource for the Seed. I asked her about making the tough decisions and she said it could be very tough, but The Seed has pretty defined criteria for her to follow which helps. She first asks about who is living in the house and if anyone is working or getting grants ( equate it to our various Social Services). Then she talks about how many children are in the home. Usually she knows of the family and has a pretty good sense right off the bat of whether they are telling the truth or not. For the times she doesn't know the people, she will go out and talk to the neighbors or schools to get a sense of the situation. She is very dedicated to following God and making the right decisions each time.
She told me about a couple of situations where someone comes in who is not sick or old, but hasn't been able to get work, when they come in and are hungry and ask for food, it is really tough to turn them away but she has to. There are also times when a family doesn't meet criteria, but she senses the need is great and she will prepare a hamper for them once and then makes it very clear to them that they won't be able to come back for more food unless they meet the criteria. Then there are families who they give food to each month to supplement what they get themselves. There is one Gogo (grandma) who has had 3 of her 5 girls die leaving behind 15 grandchildren for her to take care of. One grandma taking in 15 little ones! There are 'Foster' grants for when you take in orphans but it is still a pretty small amount. Then Gloria said her other 2 daughters and their children are living in the same little house! There are some amazing stories here!
The Seed of Hope's sewing ministry makes things geared towards the North American market and when people travel back and forth they bring the items to sell. They are trying out a new pattern for a yoga style pant and one of the ladies, Belinda is making me a pair. So I tried them on yesterday and they fit really well, she really did a great job! It turned out that Kerry and Ernestina were going to Belinda's house so I was invited to go with them. We were taking some food with us. Along the way I found out her father had passed away a couple of weeks ago, and she had just gotten back from being at the funeral. So we were going over to give our condolences. We parked on the side of one of the roads and walked down into the area carrying the food. We came to her place and it was a square mud building of two rooms. The yard was small and neat and there was a tiny garden beside the house. We went in and I think she knew we were coming because there was nothing in the first little room except some really nice furniture. It seemed a little too nice. Judging from the outside of the house, the other room would have been too small to have beds in it, and she lives there with her husband and her 2 children. I really hope she did not borrow, or worse, pay for that furniture just for our visit. You could tell she was uncomfortable and shy about us being there.
(As a side, since I wrote this I asked Kerry about the furniture and she said it is Belinda's furniture, maybe a wedding present. In Zulu culture, it is a huge priority to have a conversation area. It is bad manners to come into a home and not sit down right away. It represents your intentions to stay and visit and invest time in their lives.)
We chatted for a little bit with her and her husband Isaac. For every question we asked there seemed to be a need, but I would never have known about it from seeing her at the Seed. I have noticed that's another cultural thing here. In Canada, we are much quicker to try to bring attention to our problems. We are quicker at playing the woe is me card. Here they are on the far side of the spectrum in that you would not know of an imminent need unless you pressed them. There should be a healthy middle somewhere.
An example of not telling about problems is a worker at the Seed whose son is in real danger of being killed by a gang, to the point where the community has stopped talking to him because he is considered dead already. She is afraid to even sleep in her home. But it took Kerry, her mentor, a week to get it out of her even though she had known something was up.
Belinda's prayer requests included work for Isaac and herself. She has saved up enough to buy a sewing machine so she can do repairs and sewing for people in her community for some money, but they don't have electricity to their home. They ordered and paid for it in May, but they are still waiting for the workers to come out. Kerry asked if she had called the electric company to follow up, and they didn't realize they could even do that. So we are praying for electricity. We are praying for her mother who is alone and sick now far away from here. The rainy seasons are coming in the next weeks and she doesn't have plaster on her home yet, which means the rain will just dissolve the walls. Also there is flooding in her home when it rains. They are near the bottom of a ravine and I think the water table is high because she was saying the water comes up out of the ground into the home. Kerry took a look at the garden there, and there is a big difference between that garden, and the gardens growing at The Seed. The biggest difference I can see is that the earth is just open to the elements. Without the mulch covering the ground it dries it out and won't hold the moisture. Kerry tried to explain it again but I don't know if they will do it. Here it is more common that people will tell you what they think you want to hear than the actual truth.
We went out for more home visits with the medical team as well. We took a food parcel to Kaisa, the man I met on Monday. He had been to the welfare centre on Tuesday to try to apply for help. The ladies are really happy to see him up and walking around. When I see him walk it looks painful, but she says he walks 10 kms to the hospital, amazing! If only he would take his meds on time.
Then we went to visit a young lady named Pell who is HIV positive and has had TB for a few months. She is in a small tin hut with room for 2 double beds where she is living with her mom and sister. She is not responding well to the drugs and is not getting better. They dressed her and we went in for a visit. She slowly got down on her knees and we prayed for her. Her mom was crying and we stayed and talked for a while with her as well until she calmed down again, it would be a very hard thing to see your child so sick, no matter how old they were.
The last lady we went and saw was hard for me. She was so ill. She was an old Gogo who was so tiny under her blankets. She was living in a modest home where she had 2 other Gogo's taking care of her. She was well cared for, clean and they made sure to keep moving her so she didn't get any sores. But she was near death. She was breathing so quickly and so shallowly I didn't think she was getting any breath. This was the first time the medical team had met her and she had never been tested for HIV so they tested her. When they pricked her finger there was no reaction from her, and they had to prick her twice to get enough blood for the test. She tested negative so the teams suspects she is dying of old age. She is surrounded with her pictures of her family and she is well cared for. She did perk up when we gathered around her and prayed for her. She is a Christian.
We took one of the workers, Musa, to lunch. He is a young Zulu man who has been to university and through his church came and started volunteering. They did some spiritual gift testing and he scored very high in teaching and administrative skills. Within three months they gave him a paid position and he is the receptionist and he teaches the middle primary classes in the after school program. He teaches life skills like money, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV information, hygiene, ethics etc. Last year, the leader at the Seed encouraged him to take his curriculum out to the schools and he now teaches 8 classes in 2 different schools. It really is good to see some of the Zulu men taking a leadership position. The young boys really need good solid role models because sadly, traditional Zulu culture has not produced many solid men. He has also started a soccer club in his township where the kids learn soccer and life skills.
That's enough for one day I think!
The first thing I need to do is make a correction to Monday's blog. Whenever you saw the word 'mess' it was supposed to be 'meds'. Auto correct can be a tricky thing and I hate proof reading. There was an unfortunate sentence where you may have read about Kaisa 'flinging his mess' but it was' Kaisa taking his meds'. It's been corrected now.
Wednesday Was a full day at the Seed. We had some down time in the morning and I went in had a chat with one of the workers, Gloria. She has a very difficult ministry here, she runs the food and clothing hamper program. The Seed has limited resources for buying food and their mandate is not to supply food to everyone who comes in and asks. The Seed will supply food to people in crisis but not to people who should be able to provide for themselves. If you can imagine being the person in charge of making those decisions and the difficulty in having to turn people away in tough love!
Gloria is an amazing Zulu woman though. Her parents were Christians, and she accepted the Lord for herself as a teenager. She has lived in this community her whole life and so is a great resource for the Seed. I asked her about making the tough decisions and she said it could be very tough, but The Seed has pretty defined criteria for her to follow which helps. She first asks about who is living in the house and if anyone is working or getting grants ( equate it to our various Social Services). Then she talks about how many children are in the home. Usually she knows of the family and has a pretty good sense right off the bat of whether they are telling the truth or not. For the times she doesn't know the people, she will go out and talk to the neighbors or schools to get a sense of the situation. She is very dedicated to following God and making the right decisions each time.
She told me about a couple of situations where someone comes in who is not sick or old, but hasn't been able to get work, when they come in and are hungry and ask for food, it is really tough to turn them away but she has to. There are also times when a family doesn't meet criteria, but she senses the need is great and she will prepare a hamper for them once and then makes it very clear to them that they won't be able to come back for more food unless they meet the criteria. Then there are families who they give food to each month to supplement what they get themselves. There is one Gogo (grandma) who has had 3 of her 5 girls die leaving behind 15 grandchildren for her to take care of. One grandma taking in 15 little ones! There are 'Foster' grants for when you take in orphans but it is still a pretty small amount. Then Gloria said her other 2 daughters and their children are living in the same little house! There are some amazing stories here!
The Seed of Hope's sewing ministry makes things geared towards the North American market and when people travel back and forth they bring the items to sell. They are trying out a new pattern for a yoga style pant and one of the ladies, Belinda is making me a pair. So I tried them on yesterday and they fit really well, she really did a great job! It turned out that Kerry and Ernestina were going to Belinda's house so I was invited to go with them. We were taking some food with us. Along the way I found out her father had passed away a couple of weeks ago, and she had just gotten back from being at the funeral. So we were going over to give our condolences. We parked on the side of one of the roads and walked down into the area carrying the food. We came to her place and it was a square mud building of two rooms. The yard was small and neat and there was a tiny garden beside the house. We went in and I think she knew we were coming because there was nothing in the first little room except some really nice furniture. It seemed a little too nice. Judging from the outside of the house, the other room would have been too small to have beds in it, and she lives there with her husband and her 2 children. I really hope she did not borrow, or worse, pay for that furniture just for our visit. You could tell she was uncomfortable and shy about us being there.
(As a side, since I wrote this I asked Kerry about the furniture and she said it is Belinda's furniture, maybe a wedding present. In Zulu culture, it is a huge priority to have a conversation area. It is bad manners to come into a home and not sit down right away. It represents your intentions to stay and visit and invest time in their lives.)
We chatted for a little bit with her and her husband Isaac. For every question we asked there seemed to be a need, but I would never have known about it from seeing her at the Seed. I have noticed that's another cultural thing here. In Canada, we are much quicker to try to bring attention to our problems. We are quicker at playing the woe is me card. Here they are on the far side of the spectrum in that you would not know of an imminent need unless you pressed them. There should be a healthy middle somewhere.
An example of not telling about problems is a worker at the Seed whose son is in real danger of being killed by a gang, to the point where the community has stopped talking to him because he is considered dead already. She is afraid to even sleep in her home. But it took Kerry, her mentor, a week to get it out of her even though she had known something was up.
Belinda's prayer requests included work for Isaac and herself. She has saved up enough to buy a sewing machine so she can do repairs and sewing for people in her community for some money, but they don't have electricity to their home. They ordered and paid for it in May, but they are still waiting for the workers to come out. Kerry asked if she had called the electric company to follow up, and they didn't realize they could even do that. So we are praying for electricity. We are praying for her mother who is alone and sick now far away from here. The rainy seasons are coming in the next weeks and she doesn't have plaster on her home yet, which means the rain will just dissolve the walls. Also there is flooding in her home when it rains. They are near the bottom of a ravine and I think the water table is high because she was saying the water comes up out of the ground into the home. Kerry took a look at the garden there, and there is a big difference between that garden, and the gardens growing at The Seed. The biggest difference I can see is that the earth is just open to the elements. Without the mulch covering the ground it dries it out and won't hold the moisture. Kerry tried to explain it again but I don't know if they will do it. Here it is more common that people will tell you what they think you want to hear than the actual truth.
We went out for more home visits with the medical team as well. We took a food parcel to Kaisa, the man I met on Monday. He had been to the welfare centre on Tuesday to try to apply for help. The ladies are really happy to see him up and walking around. When I see him walk it looks painful, but she says he walks 10 kms to the hospital, amazing! If only he would take his meds on time.
Then we went to visit a young lady named Pell who is HIV positive and has had TB for a few months. She is in a small tin hut with room for 2 double beds where she is living with her mom and sister. She is not responding well to the drugs and is not getting better. They dressed her and we went in for a visit. She slowly got down on her knees and we prayed for her. Her mom was crying and we stayed and talked for a while with her as well until she calmed down again, it would be a very hard thing to see your child so sick, no matter how old they were.
The last lady we went and saw was hard for me. She was so ill. She was an old Gogo who was so tiny under her blankets. She was living in a modest home where she had 2 other Gogo's taking care of her. She was well cared for, clean and they made sure to keep moving her so she didn't get any sores. But she was near death. She was breathing so quickly and so shallowly I didn't think she was getting any breath. This was the first time the medical team had met her and she had never been tested for HIV so they tested her. When they pricked her finger there was no reaction from her, and they had to prick her twice to get enough blood for the test. She tested negative so the teams suspects she is dying of old age. She is surrounded with her pictures of her family and she is well cared for. She did perk up when we gathered around her and prayed for her. She is a Christian.
We took one of the workers, Musa, to lunch. He is a young Zulu man who has been to university and through his church came and started volunteering. They did some spiritual gift testing and he scored very high in teaching and administrative skills. Within three months they gave him a paid position and he is the receptionist and he teaches the middle primary classes in the after school program. He teaches life skills like money, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV information, hygiene, ethics etc. Last year, the leader at the Seed encouraged him to take his curriculum out to the schools and he now teaches 8 classes in 2 different schools. It really is good to see some of the Zulu men taking a leadership position. The young boys really need good solid role models because sadly, traditional Zulu culture has not produced many solid men. He has also started a soccer club in his township where the kids learn soccer and life skills.
That's enough for one day I think!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Tuesday at The Seed
Tuesday at the Seed
36 degrees degrees today! Sorry everyone who is in the cold back home.
We got to The Seed for 9 this morning, and we were waiting on Dan for a few minutes. I know we all love Stu's preaching, and the best thing every is having him here and he will just share these very profound teachings that come to him. Spontaneous preachings are really the best!
When Dan meets with us in the mornings, he lets us talk through anything we are processing at the time. It's really helpful because he has been through this culture shock himself.
Kelly took us up to the local high school today to meet the principal there. She is a phenomenal Christian lady who really has a heart for these kids. Talk about budget issues in schools! In the system here, most schools are technically public, but then charge expensive fees. One high school we drive by looks very rich with track and soccer fields as well as outdoor pools on the property. The high school here has 17 teachers for 552 students. It is for grades 8-12. They have less than 1000 rand that has to last them until next April. That's roughly 120 Canadian dollars. Each night they have to move any valuables into a vault on the property, including the photocopier and food. They received a donation of some brand new computers about 3 years ago, but they haven't been able to even bring them to the property because they are table top computers and the vault isn't big enough to house eveything. They started working on making another room safe enough to make a computer lab but they have so little money to work with, that it's taken them this long to get extra bars on the winows, a solid floor and razor wire in the roof. They will still need to put in electrical outlets, and fans (because now they can't open the windows because of the security bars on the inside and outside of the windows) to keep a room full of computers cool enough to not wreck the computers. The computers were a well meaning gift, but it's an example of how even a well intentioned gift can cost people money.
The principle finally won a battle to get a lunch program at the school. The program pays 2 staff to prepare full warm lunches for all the students! The principal said attendance was particularly good on the one day a week they are served fruit with their meals. She said she has noticed a definite difference in the students ability to learn now that they have a good meal once a day. Sounds very similar to lunch programs at home!
After lunch Gary and Jeff went on their home visit where one of the workers felt led to stop along the way to their appointment and talk to a man they met on the street. She led him to Christ after a short conversation and will follow up with him this week. There really is a strong spiritual awareness here if you take the time to look and listen to the Spirit.
Stu and I stayed at The Seed and helped Dan prep his garden to plant some maize. It took the 3 of us 2 hours to lay out a 6 by 6 plot, hoe out little planting stations, fill the bottoms with compost and backfill it part way. I got some blisters, and if you remember that it was 36 degrees out. As soon as we finished, we went back to our place and jumped in the ocean for a cool down. I think I might be ready to plant my own garden next year!
I am starting to feel frustrated by not having the option of jumping in the car and taking off to see the sights or go to the store on my own. I'm not even supposed to walk around by myself. It's very frustrating for me to be dependent on the guys. I am gaining an appreciation for the frustration and helplessness some women in certain cultures feel when they don't have as many rights and freedoms as Canadian women do.
A new food for me: We were out of groceries the other morning so we went out for breakfast. I ordered bacon and banana toast, and it came with chips (fries). Bacon and banana is a very common sandwich and pizza topping here. It's better than you may think!
One more interesting thing here: there is a very large East Indian population, and a large number of them are Christians. It was very different for me to see that!
36 degrees degrees today! Sorry everyone who is in the cold back home.
We got to The Seed for 9 this morning, and we were waiting on Dan for a few minutes. I know we all love Stu's preaching, and the best thing every is having him here and he will just share these very profound teachings that come to him. Spontaneous preachings are really the best!
When Dan meets with us in the mornings, he lets us talk through anything we are processing at the time. It's really helpful because he has been through this culture shock himself.
Kelly took us up to the local high school today to meet the principal there. She is a phenomenal Christian lady who really has a heart for these kids. Talk about budget issues in schools! In the system here, most schools are technically public, but then charge expensive fees. One high school we drive by looks very rich with track and soccer fields as well as outdoor pools on the property. The high school here has 17 teachers for 552 students. It is for grades 8-12. They have less than 1000 rand that has to last them until next April. That's roughly 120 Canadian dollars. Each night they have to move any valuables into a vault on the property, including the photocopier and food. They received a donation of some brand new computers about 3 years ago, but they haven't been able to even bring them to the property because they are table top computers and the vault isn't big enough to house eveything. They started working on making another room safe enough to make a computer lab but they have so little money to work with, that it's taken them this long to get extra bars on the winows, a solid floor and razor wire in the roof. They will still need to put in electrical outlets, and fans (because now they can't open the windows because of the security bars on the inside and outside of the windows) to keep a room full of computers cool enough to not wreck the computers. The computers were a well meaning gift, but it's an example of how even a well intentioned gift can cost people money.
The principle finally won a battle to get a lunch program at the school. The program pays 2 staff to prepare full warm lunches for all the students! The principal said attendance was particularly good on the one day a week they are served fruit with their meals. She said she has noticed a definite difference in the students ability to learn now that they have a good meal once a day. Sounds very similar to lunch programs at home!
After lunch Gary and Jeff went on their home visit where one of the workers felt led to stop along the way to their appointment and talk to a man they met on the street. She led him to Christ after a short conversation and will follow up with him this week. There really is a strong spiritual awareness here if you take the time to look and listen to the Spirit.
Stu and I stayed at The Seed and helped Dan prep his garden to plant some maize. It took the 3 of us 2 hours to lay out a 6 by 6 plot, hoe out little planting stations, fill the bottoms with compost and backfill it part way. I got some blisters, and if you remember that it was 36 degrees out. As soon as we finished, we went back to our place and jumped in the ocean for a cool down. I think I might be ready to plant my own garden next year!
I am starting to feel frustrated by not having the option of jumping in the car and taking off to see the sights or go to the store on my own. I'm not even supposed to walk around by myself. It's very frustrating for me to be dependent on the guys. I am gaining an appreciation for the frustration and helplessness some women in certain cultures feel when they don't have as many rights and freedoms as Canadian women do.
A new food for me: We were out of groceries the other morning so we went out for breakfast. I ordered bacon and banana toast, and it came with chips (fries). Bacon and banana is a very common sandwich and pizza topping here. It's better than you may think!
One more interesting thing here: there is a very large East Indian population, and a large number of them are Christians. It was very different for me to see that!
Monday at The Seed
Monday at the Seed
I don't have Internet right now, and the blog I wanted to post last night didn't upload so I can't remember what I've written. If I am repeating myself I apologize in advance!
Sunday night we went to Dan and Kerry's for lunch, they are currently running The Seed and they are a wonderful couple. Scott was manning the Braai again but this time he did chicken and fish. Again it was scrumptious! After we had eaten, people started bringing out instruments, a guitar, an African drum and the biggest recorder I have ever seen. And we worshipped for 2 hours, song after song, in Zulu and in English. What a fantastic evening. I do love worship!
I have a new favorite song. I heard it twice at church and Jeff knew it well and sang It that night. It's called 'Beautiful' by Phil Wickham I think. Anyway, fantastic song and I've been singing it for days now!
Monday in devotional time, Pastor Stu requested prayer for my family at home since Cole and Grandma were sick for a week and Curtis is dealing with a lot on his own, and I started to cry. Missing my family has been hitting me pretty hard these past couple of days.
That morning I was able to go on my first home visits without the Medical team. I got to go out with Buli and Sue(a volunteer driver) was driving us. Our first stop was to pick up a little girl named Wendy and take her to the clinic to have her dressings changed.
A couple of weeks ago they went to see her at her home and she was very, very sick. She is HIV positive and she had TB in her whole body with a really bad abscess in her abdomen. She lives with her two teenage brothers because both of her parents have died, she is 14 but looks like she is 7. We have been praying for her everyday during devotions. I was excited to finally meet her. When she got into the bakkie (say Bucky) or pick up, she looked fabulous! She was smiling and her eyes were bright and her color was good. Her appointment at the clinic went well, her dressings were changed, and she was so brave and smiling through the whole thing! I told her we were praying for her, and that she was a miracle! She hasn't been able to go to school for a while but she talked about going back soon. She even came to the after school program and played!
Our next visit was a little more sobering. We were going to check in on a man who has been a client at The Seed for two years now. His nickname is Kaisa after a football club he is a fan of. He wasn't home when we got there so went to the neighbor's place. In Zulu culture,it is expected that you will take care of your neighbors even more so than your family is expected to. Anyway, we went into this little concrete square building and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. We came into the living room where we sat on three newer couches, watching TV with surround sound. There were lots of nice family pictures on the walls. The Gogo (or grandmother) came and sat with us and we visited. The young man who has taken the responsibility of helping Kaisa was there and told us Kaisa has not been taking his meds on time which is very discouraging. It has the same effect as not taking antibiotics properly, in that the HIV will mutate to a drug resistant form.
When Kaisa got back and came in to see us, he did not look well. He had just walked to the store to buy a little food and he looked completely wiped out. His muscles are wasting away and he doesn't look well at all. We prayed together, and Buli tried to explain again the importance of taking the meds on time. We had to go to his place to look at his medical papers so we went across the yard to what I had thought was the shed and it was his place. It is really just 5 large pieces of tin for walls and a roof with dirty cloth stuck in the holes to keep out the drafts. There were no windows so it was very dark and dreary inside. There were two single beds in there, one along each wall and that was as long as the walls were. His few belongings were very tidy and the beds were made. There were bits of fabric on the floor to cover the broken concrete pad. I found out after that his girlfriend had left him 3 weeks earlier and took their 2 kids. Both adults are HIV positive and the girl was fling her meds properly and doing fine, but he wasn't, so she left him. I think he was emotionally hurting as much as he was physically ill. I really felt for him.
The most interesting thing I learnt from this day was something Kerry had wanted us to notice from the first day. This township is very much like a neighborhood in Canada. There are problems and there are strengths. There are many people who are choosing to stay in this community because it is where they grew up and their land and their families are there. There is crime, but there is crime in all neighborhoods here. If you have money and live in a 'nice' neighborhood, you surround yourself with concrete walls with razor wire all around. There is a lock on every door on your property and they lock them all the time. There are bars on EVERY window here. We have three locks on our door plus a padlock and we are in the tourist area. You may say it's not safe in that neighborhood after dark, but the locals in this neighborhood don't go out after dark either.
The best thing is when the people who are not as poor stay in the community and they are role models for others, they put money into the schools and the churches in their communities. There are issues in every community, but we can't just see the problems and judge them that way, we need to see the strengths in the community and build on them.
It was a good day, and an honor to be in their homes and see a snapshot of their lives. I will pray for Kaisa, that he finds a reason to keep taking his meds and hopefully he will put that hope in Jesus.
I don't have Internet right now, and the blog I wanted to post last night didn't upload so I can't remember what I've written. If I am repeating myself I apologize in advance!
Sunday night we went to Dan and Kerry's for lunch, they are currently running The Seed and they are a wonderful couple. Scott was manning the Braai again but this time he did chicken and fish. Again it was scrumptious! After we had eaten, people started bringing out instruments, a guitar, an African drum and the biggest recorder I have ever seen. And we worshipped for 2 hours, song after song, in Zulu and in English. What a fantastic evening. I do love worship!
I have a new favorite song. I heard it twice at church and Jeff knew it well and sang It that night. It's called 'Beautiful' by Phil Wickham I think. Anyway, fantastic song and I've been singing it for days now!
Monday in devotional time, Pastor Stu requested prayer for my family at home since Cole and Grandma were sick for a week and Curtis is dealing with a lot on his own, and I started to cry. Missing my family has been hitting me pretty hard these past couple of days.
That morning I was able to go on my first home visits without the Medical team. I got to go out with Buli and Sue(a volunteer driver) was driving us. Our first stop was to pick up a little girl named Wendy and take her to the clinic to have her dressings changed.
A couple of weeks ago they went to see her at her home and she was very, very sick. She is HIV positive and she had TB in her whole body with a really bad abscess in her abdomen. She lives with her two teenage brothers because both of her parents have died, she is 14 but looks like she is 7. We have been praying for her everyday during devotions. I was excited to finally meet her. When she got into the bakkie (say Bucky) or pick up, she looked fabulous! She was smiling and her eyes were bright and her color was good. Her appointment at the clinic went well, her dressings were changed, and she was so brave and smiling through the whole thing! I told her we were praying for her, and that she was a miracle! She hasn't been able to go to school for a while but she talked about going back soon. She even came to the after school program and played!
Our next visit was a little more sobering. We were going to check in on a man who has been a client at The Seed for two years now. His nickname is Kaisa after a football club he is a fan of. He wasn't home when we got there so went to the neighbor's place. In Zulu culture,it is expected that you will take care of your neighbors even more so than your family is expected to. Anyway, we went into this little concrete square building and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. We came into the living room where we sat on three newer couches, watching TV with surround sound. There were lots of nice family pictures on the walls. The Gogo (or grandmother) came and sat with us and we visited. The young man who has taken the responsibility of helping Kaisa was there and told us Kaisa has not been taking his meds on time which is very discouraging. It has the same effect as not taking antibiotics properly, in that the HIV will mutate to a drug resistant form.
When Kaisa got back and came in to see us, he did not look well. He had just walked to the store to buy a little food and he looked completely wiped out. His muscles are wasting away and he doesn't look well at all. We prayed together, and Buli tried to explain again the importance of taking the meds on time. We had to go to his place to look at his medical papers so we went across the yard to what I had thought was the shed and it was his place. It is really just 5 large pieces of tin for walls and a roof with dirty cloth stuck in the holes to keep out the drafts. There were no windows so it was very dark and dreary inside. There were two single beds in there, one along each wall and that was as long as the walls were. His few belongings were very tidy and the beds were made. There were bits of fabric on the floor to cover the broken concrete pad. I found out after that his girlfriend had left him 3 weeks earlier and took their 2 kids. Both adults are HIV positive and the girl was fling her meds properly and doing fine, but he wasn't, so she left him. I think he was emotionally hurting as much as he was physically ill. I really felt for him.
The most interesting thing I learnt from this day was something Kerry had wanted us to notice from the first day. This township is very much like a neighborhood in Canada. There are problems and there are strengths. There are many people who are choosing to stay in this community because it is where they grew up and their land and their families are there. There is crime, but there is crime in all neighborhoods here. If you have money and live in a 'nice' neighborhood, you surround yourself with concrete walls with razor wire all around. There is a lock on every door on your property and they lock them all the time. There are bars on EVERY window here. We have three locks on our door plus a padlock and we are in the tourist area. You may say it's not safe in that neighborhood after dark, but the locals in this neighborhood don't go out after dark either.
The best thing is when the people who are not as poor stay in the community and they are role models for others, they put money into the schools and the churches in their communities. There are issues in every community, but we can't just see the problems and judge them that way, we need to see the strengths in the community and build on them.
It was a good day, and an honor to be in their homes and see a snapshot of their lives. I will pray for Kaisa, that he finds a reason to keep taking his meds and hopefully he will put that hope in Jesus.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Oasis Church
It's Sunday!! It sure was good to be in church today. The music was great! The worship was even better. We sang songs in English, Zulu and Xhosi (with the English translation written underneath so we could understand what we were trying to sing. It was stunning and amazing. It's new and moving experience to sing a song in a language you don't know and to still feel the Spirit move you. During devotional time at the Seed of Hope each day, they start off by singing, mostly in Zulu, and we don't know the songs, but I still feel moved by the Spirit during worship. It's a very interesting thing for me.
Anyway, the worship was great, then it was followed by a time of open mic testimony, praise and words of encouragement (I thought of you Joel!) One of the elders spoke instead of the pastor but it was still a great message. We knew a couple of people there from the Seed of Hope so we chatted for a bit, but the media geek in me stole some time with the media lady to check out how they do things.
Pastor Stu was invited to speak at a Nazarene church so he was off on his own. So Jeff, Gary and I took in some lunch at Mike's Place, a little pub down the street. The legal age here used to be 25, is now 18 and they are moving it up to 21 soon. I thought that was interesting.
The Schwartz's were hanging on the beach today despite the cooler weather and misty rain so Jeff and I went with them where the kids started a pick-up game of beach baseball using a cricket set. People probably thought we were crazy but it was a blast.
We are off to a braai put on by Dan and Kerry Weins so we will be eating well tonight!
I'm a little nervous about the the week to come at the Seed and working on my new relational intentioned time there, but I know God will is there so I'll be fine, if just a little uncomfortable!
Chow for now!
Shalina
Anyway, the worship was great, then it was followed by a time of open mic testimony, praise and words of encouragement (I thought of you Joel!) One of the elders spoke instead of the pastor but it was still a great message. We knew a couple of people there from the Seed of Hope so we chatted for a bit, but the media geek in me stole some time with the media lady to check out how they do things.
Pastor Stu was invited to speak at a Nazarene church so he was off on his own. So Jeff, Gary and I took in some lunch at Mike's Place, a little pub down the street. The legal age here used to be 25, is now 18 and they are moving it up to 21 soon. I thought that was interesting.
The Schwartz's were hanging on the beach today despite the cooler weather and misty rain so Jeff and I went with them where the kids started a pick-up game of beach baseball using a cricket set. People probably thought we were crazy but it was a blast.
We are off to a braai put on by Dan and Kerry Weins so we will be eating well tonight!
I'm a little nervous about the the week to come at the Seed and working on my new relational intentioned time there, but I know God will is there so I'll be fine, if just a little uncomfortable!
Chow for now!
Shalina
On safari
On Safari
Thursday morning we went to the Seed Of Hope and learned about their farming program called Farming God's Way. It's three premises are no ploughing, do things to schedule and do things with integrity. Very interesting!
In the afternoon we left for the iMfolozi Game Preserve. It's a 4 hour drive that was beautiful! When we got to the park it was about a two hour drive to our accommodations. The entire time we had our eyes peeled for anything moving. We saw Nahli's, water buffalo, zebras and birds that were just incredible. The country is absolutely beautiful. It's lush and green. We were in rolling hills with those fantastic African trees I love in art. It was not desert-like at all, except that every once in a while there were sand bars along the rivers. it was the last couple of hours of daylight and the lighting was stunning. The sounds, smells and sights were too much, what a privilege to be there.
Once we made it to our little huts, our guide Scott, one of the guys working at the Seed of Hope, brought out all the fixings for a braai, an African BBQ. It was fabulous! And Lauren did manage to amputate a hand from a gecko while trying to get it out of our kitchen.
We turned in with the plans of meeting back at the cars for 5:30 in the morning. There were 10 of us in all so the girls were in one cabin and the boys were next door. The huts we were in were fabulous but not 'critter'-free. There were lots of ants and spiders and moths scurrying about but the beds were excellent! The Schwartz's were downstairs in the bedrooms and I was upstairs on the pull-out. I fell asleep really quickly but I was a little worried about an insect or spider crawling on me in the night. I was awoken at one point by what I thought was my cat jumping on my feet, but then I remembered where I was and woke up. Here in South Africa they don't turn off the tv's because of the humidity so there was a little light and I could see this little cat sized animal huddled in the corner. All I could see was a big fuzzy tail and scared little eyes. I started to get up and it ran to the window and it looked like it was trying to get out, but when I did get up it had disappeared. I did a look around the place and didn't find it anywhere so we are assuming it found a hole to get out of. But it did eat some tea that we left on the counter in a ziplock baggie and it left some poop on the counter for us! Our guide did see it the next night and he didn't know what it was so, I'm not sure what that means.
We were up early and off. We were in two vehicles so we switched in and out during the day. We stayed out until around 11 and it was 36 degrees by then. So we hung out in the pool to cool off and ate some lunch. Then we went back out around 2:30 and stayed out until sunset, 7:00. The first morning we didn't see much. We did see some giraffes and dung beetles. The beetles were definitely the funniest animals. Did you know they fly? We had the honor of having Jody in our car and her fears and incredible humor are always entertaining. As we drove by a particularly fresh pile of dung, crawling with beetles, one flew up and Jody tried to get the window up before the beetle got in and in the aftermath she said " I would rather ride a rhino than have a dung beetle in my lap". Little did we know Jody would end our time at the reserve actually riding a rhino. You'll have to ask her about that yourselves!
The afternoon was excellent, we saw so many rhinos! They are so huge! You really can't get a grip on how big they are until you are close to them! We also turned a corner at one point and almost ran into 3 giraffes on the road. They are magnificent. We also managed to hem in a rhino family of 3 and they didn't seem very happy about it. Several people were trying to get out of the way but there were four vehicles right beside the rhinos. It all ended well, but it was exciting!
We also saw wildebeests, water buffalo, vultures, hawks,impalas, turtles, millipedes and so many more! Buy we did not see elephants and lions, so we set out at 5 Saturday morning optimistic and bleary eyed. And we were not disappointed!
Our first major sighting started with a lone hyena wandering towards a bunch of trees, but just around the bend there was a car parked (that's usually a good sign) so we went towards that car. We parked there and this is what we saw.
From the road the grass sloped down a little for about 100 yards with short stubby bushes dotting the landscape. Down at the bottom of the bowl was a little grove of trees and behind that there was a large rolling hill. On that hill was a herd of water buffalo that were quietly grazing, but they seemed slightly wary and then we saw another couple of hyenas over near them. Closer to us we noticed a few wild dogs hanging around, but a little back from the hyenas. Apparently this pack of wild dogs is very rare to see, and they wear collars because they are an endangered species. Our guide had never seen them before!
Then we see them, in the little grove of trees is a lion pair, a male and a female, and they are keeping an eye on the several hyenas that seem to have them circled. The hyenas slowly tightened the circle until one of the lions would get up and slowly pace out. If the hyena backed off the lion would go back and lay down, but if not, the lion would charge the hyena, chasing it back. It turns out of course the lions had made a recent kill and the male got up and walked over to it, bit off the leg of the water buffalo carcass and went back to the trees to eat. While he ate, the female guarded the carcass, then they switched. As we watched this going on, a whole flock of vultures moved in and sat on a tree waiting for the lions to finish. So we are seeing water buffalo, lions, hyenas, wild dogs and vultures all within 3 or4 hundreds yards of each other!
Once the lions decided they were finished they just let the hyenas get closer and closer without chasing them off anymore and one hyena got a leg and took it away. Then the vultures swarmed the carcass and they feasted for a long time. Grim and amazing all at the same time. Mixed in with the regular vultures was a rare white headed vulture as well.
There were several cars hanging around by this time and all the guides agreed this was an amazing sight!
Later on we had our first elephant sighting, way off in the distance. We saw one more a little closer in but that was it for the morning. We stopped for a quick bite of lunch and kept going. It was much cooler today with some cloud cover, so it only went up to 28 degrees (sorry Calgary with all your snow). We were really hoping to see more elephants and a leopard that afternoon. We decided to get specific and we asked for some elephants really close up. God did not disappoint!
We saw a lot of elephants! We stopped near one watering hole where we saw 2 elephants and their baby playing in the water. Then they started coming straight towards us. Apparently they wanted to cross the road right where we were. We backed up to let them by but they still seemed agitated so we scooted past them. Then a whole herd of them walked by! It was spectacular! We also saw another lone elephant, and he was breaking trees for fun. I guess elephants are called nature's vandals for good reason!
We saw many, many more animals throughout the day. Then we came up to a place where a car was parked and all we saw were wart hogs (we had seen 10's of them already by then) so we almost moved on when we realized there were 3 cheetahs resting under a tree not even 100 yards away. They were bathing and stretching and rolling. I LOVE CATS!!!!! They were definitely my favorite! One of them stood up and I couldn't believe how long it was! He was sitting and he was taller than 6 feet for sure!
What a decadent day! We left the park around 1:30 and headed home. We did not have Internet out there so I am just updating this now, but I won't be able to upload it until tomorrow. It's 10 and we were up at 4:45 this morning so I am off to bed.
Thanks for your replies all! I miss my family terribly right now. I had a quick scratchy phone call with them tonight and then cried. I didn't realize how much I was going to miss them!
Well I'm off to bed. The chirp of the crickets cicadas and frogs has been replaced by the noise of the pounding surf again!
Good night from KZN in SA!
Thursday morning we went to the Seed Of Hope and learned about their farming program called Farming God's Way. It's three premises are no ploughing, do things to schedule and do things with integrity. Very interesting!
In the afternoon we left for the iMfolozi Game Preserve. It's a 4 hour drive that was beautiful! When we got to the park it was about a two hour drive to our accommodations. The entire time we had our eyes peeled for anything moving. We saw Nahli's, water buffalo, zebras and birds that were just incredible. The country is absolutely beautiful. It's lush and green. We were in rolling hills with those fantastic African trees I love in art. It was not desert-like at all, except that every once in a while there were sand bars along the rivers. it was the last couple of hours of daylight and the lighting was stunning. The sounds, smells and sights were too much, what a privilege to be there.
Once we made it to our little huts, our guide Scott, one of the guys working at the Seed of Hope, brought out all the fixings for a braai, an African BBQ. It was fabulous! And Lauren did manage to amputate a hand from a gecko while trying to get it out of our kitchen.
We turned in with the plans of meeting back at the cars for 5:30 in the morning. There were 10 of us in all so the girls were in one cabin and the boys were next door. The huts we were in were fabulous but not 'critter'-free. There were lots of ants and spiders and moths scurrying about but the beds were excellent! The Schwartz's were downstairs in the bedrooms and I was upstairs on the pull-out. I fell asleep really quickly but I was a little worried about an insect or spider crawling on me in the night. I was awoken at one point by what I thought was my cat jumping on my feet, but then I remembered where I was and woke up. Here in South Africa they don't turn off the tv's because of the humidity so there was a little light and I could see this little cat sized animal huddled in the corner. All I could see was a big fuzzy tail and scared little eyes. I started to get up and it ran to the window and it looked like it was trying to get out, but when I did get up it had disappeared. I did a look around the place and didn't find it anywhere so we are assuming it found a hole to get out of. But it did eat some tea that we left on the counter in a ziplock baggie and it left some poop on the counter for us! Our guide did see it the next night and he didn't know what it was so, I'm not sure what that means.
We were up early and off. We were in two vehicles so we switched in and out during the day. We stayed out until around 11 and it was 36 degrees by then. So we hung out in the pool to cool off and ate some lunch. Then we went back out around 2:30 and stayed out until sunset, 7:00. The first morning we didn't see much. We did see some giraffes and dung beetles. The beetles were definitely the funniest animals. Did you know they fly? We had the honor of having Jody in our car and her fears and incredible humor are always entertaining. As we drove by a particularly fresh pile of dung, crawling with beetles, one flew up and Jody tried to get the window up before the beetle got in and in the aftermath she said " I would rather ride a rhino than have a dung beetle in my lap". Little did we know Jody would end our time at the reserve actually riding a rhino. You'll have to ask her about that yourselves!
The afternoon was excellent, we saw so many rhinos! They are so huge! You really can't get a grip on how big they are until you are close to them! We also turned a corner at one point and almost ran into 3 giraffes on the road. They are magnificent. We also managed to hem in a rhino family of 3 and they didn't seem very happy about it. Several people were trying to get out of the way but there were four vehicles right beside the rhinos. It all ended well, but it was exciting!
We also saw wildebeests, water buffalo, vultures, hawks,impalas, turtles, millipedes and so many more! Buy we did not see elephants and lions, so we set out at 5 Saturday morning optimistic and bleary eyed. And we were not disappointed!
Our first major sighting started with a lone hyena wandering towards a bunch of trees, but just around the bend there was a car parked (that's usually a good sign) so we went towards that car. We parked there and this is what we saw.
From the road the grass sloped down a little for about 100 yards with short stubby bushes dotting the landscape. Down at the bottom of the bowl was a little grove of trees and behind that there was a large rolling hill. On that hill was a herd of water buffalo that were quietly grazing, but they seemed slightly wary and then we saw another couple of hyenas over near them. Closer to us we noticed a few wild dogs hanging around, but a little back from the hyenas. Apparently this pack of wild dogs is very rare to see, and they wear collars because they are an endangered species. Our guide had never seen them before!
Then we see them, in the little grove of trees is a lion pair, a male and a female, and they are keeping an eye on the several hyenas that seem to have them circled. The hyenas slowly tightened the circle until one of the lions would get up and slowly pace out. If the hyena backed off the lion would go back and lay down, but if not, the lion would charge the hyena, chasing it back. It turns out of course the lions had made a recent kill and the male got up and walked over to it, bit off the leg of the water buffalo carcass and went back to the trees to eat. While he ate, the female guarded the carcass, then they switched. As we watched this going on, a whole flock of vultures moved in and sat on a tree waiting for the lions to finish. So we are seeing water buffalo, lions, hyenas, wild dogs and vultures all within 3 or4 hundreds yards of each other!
Once the lions decided they were finished they just let the hyenas get closer and closer without chasing them off anymore and one hyena got a leg and took it away. Then the vultures swarmed the carcass and they feasted for a long time. Grim and amazing all at the same time. Mixed in with the regular vultures was a rare white headed vulture as well.
There were several cars hanging around by this time and all the guides agreed this was an amazing sight!
Later on we had our first elephant sighting, way off in the distance. We saw one more a little closer in but that was it for the morning. We stopped for a quick bite of lunch and kept going. It was much cooler today with some cloud cover, so it only went up to 28 degrees (sorry Calgary with all your snow). We were really hoping to see more elephants and a leopard that afternoon. We decided to get specific and we asked for some elephants really close up. God did not disappoint!
We saw a lot of elephants! We stopped near one watering hole where we saw 2 elephants and their baby playing in the water. Then they started coming straight towards us. Apparently they wanted to cross the road right where we were. We backed up to let them by but they still seemed agitated so we scooted past them. Then a whole herd of them walked by! It was spectacular! We also saw another lone elephant, and he was breaking trees for fun. I guess elephants are called nature's vandals for good reason!
We saw many, many more animals throughout the day. Then we came up to a place where a car was parked and all we saw were wart hogs (we had seen 10's of them already by then) so we almost moved on when we realized there were 3 cheetahs resting under a tree not even 100 yards away. They were bathing and stretching and rolling. I LOVE CATS!!!!! They were definitely my favorite! One of them stood up and I couldn't believe how long it was! He was sitting and he was taller than 6 feet for sure!
What a decadent day! We left the park around 1:30 and headed home. We did not have Internet out there so I am just updating this now, but I won't be able to upload it until tomorrow. It's 10 and we were up at 4:45 this morning so I am off to bed.
Thanks for your replies all! I miss my family terribly right now. I had a quick scratchy phone call with them tonight and then cried. I didn't realize how much I was going to miss them!
Well I'm off to bed. The chirp of the crickets cicadas and frogs has been replaced by the noise of the pounding surf again!
Good night from KZN in SA!
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
First full day at the seed
So Tuesday, we started the day with a tour of the area around the seed and some history on South Africa. It was a driving tour and it was a brilliant way to see and learn. We started on the beach where the first Europeans landed and went on from there. Kerry did a great job of teaching us. We ended in the townships and it was very interesting.
The hard part of the day came after lunch for me. This trip doesn't have an agenda. We are not building a school or church, we are here to learn and that means forging relationships. I'm not so good a walking into a new place and talking to people in Canada. Doing it in a new culture has been painfully difficult. I know that is what I am here to learn though, and it will be tough.
This morning while I was wrestling the surf, I took it to God. I was so uncomfortable on Tuesday that the thought of going back today was not good. I told God I didn't know what to do and I was frightened really. I don't like to be stretched.
This morning we were busy though, we got a great talk on HIV/AIDS and how and why it is here and so rampant. The KZN province of South Africa (which is where we are) is the worst in the world for HIV. It was really interesting and it is so complex that I couldn't even believe it. Everyone said though, that if everyone abstained from sex or was faithful, it would be wiped out in one generation. It really is a spiritual battle!
Then we were on our own this afternoon, the part I was dreading. But true to God's promises, if we just face our fears and give them up to Him, we will be fine, and better for it. I was fine. I had fun. And I learned a lot. Thanks Jesus. Oh yeah and I got my butt kicked at soccer by little 9 year olds! I can't believe their footwork! Adam is trying to teach them basketball, so I fared a little better there!
That's if for now!
Shalina
The hard part of the day came after lunch for me. This trip doesn't have an agenda. We are not building a school or church, we are here to learn and that means forging relationships. I'm not so good a walking into a new place and talking to people in Canada. Doing it in a new culture has been painfully difficult. I know that is what I am here to learn though, and it will be tough.
This morning while I was wrestling the surf, I took it to God. I was so uncomfortable on Tuesday that the thought of going back today was not good. I told God I didn't know what to do and I was frightened really. I don't like to be stretched.
This morning we were busy though, we got a great talk on HIV/AIDS and how and why it is here and so rampant. The KZN province of South Africa (which is where we are) is the worst in the world for HIV. It was really interesting and it is so complex that I couldn't even believe it. Everyone said though, that if everyone abstained from sex or was faithful, it would be wiped out in one generation. It really is a spiritual battle!
Then we were on our own this afternoon, the part I was dreading. But true to God's promises, if we just face our fears and give them up to Him, we will be fine, and better for it. I was fine. I had fun. And I learned a lot. Thanks Jesus. Oh yeah and I got my butt kicked at soccer by little 9 year olds! I can't believe their footwork! Adam is trying to teach them basketball, so I fared a little better there!
That's if for now!
Shalina
Monday, 31 October 2011
Driving South Africa
Today, we had a half day at the Seed of Hope because they know that we were pretty jet lagged. We learned about the Centre and all the things they do for the community. We learned about their Farming God's way program where they are learning about sustainable agriculture along with biblical foundations. They have a sewing program, and HIV/AIDS testing and group sessions, and children's programs for after school. It's really great what they do here. I am pretty blown away!
For the afternoon Gary and I took the car and went exploring after many warnings about being safe we took off. So Gary first learned how to drive on the opposite side of the road and the manual stick is also on the other side. He did really well though. It is an amazing country of beautiful country and ocean views. We drove South on the main highway and turned off to see Crocworld, but we had missed the last feeding by a half hour. So we pulled out and decided to take the coastal road back. We saw a couple of ladies on the side of the road pointing down with their pointer finger and that means they want a ride, so we picked them up. They spoke broken English but it was great to chat with them. She said she was born her and she will die here because she is afraid of the Aeorplandes. It was great!
We drove up North into Durban next and we hit rush hour. It took us 20 minutes to go one block, but we were entertained the whole time. There were officially 4 lanes but we were definitely driving in 6 lanes! and they were all grid locked. There were these van taxis that people just climbed in and out of anywhere and they were constantly beeping for more people even though they were full. They blasted out music, it was loud from the outside! Then there were all the street venders and it was wonderful chaos!
We made it through downtown to the coast and it was a beautiful beach. There were tons of surfers out and lots of piers and walk ways. We drove past the stadiums (huge!!!). Then we went back. We saw everything from shacks to million dollar homes in the space of a couple of hours. It is truly a beautiful place with beautiful people.
We then did dinner with the Schwartz's tonight and it's been a great day!
Later!
Mom/Shalina
For the afternoon Gary and I took the car and went exploring after many warnings about being safe we took off. So Gary first learned how to drive on the opposite side of the road and the manual stick is also on the other side. He did really well though. It is an amazing country of beautiful country and ocean views. We drove South on the main highway and turned off to see Crocworld, but we had missed the last feeding by a half hour. So we pulled out and decided to take the coastal road back. We saw a couple of ladies on the side of the road pointing down with their pointer finger and that means they want a ride, so we picked them up. They spoke broken English but it was great to chat with them. She said she was born her and she will die here because she is afraid of the Aeorplandes. It was great!
We drove up North into Durban next and we hit rush hour. It took us 20 minutes to go one block, but we were entertained the whole time. There were officially 4 lanes but we were definitely driving in 6 lanes! and they were all grid locked. There were these van taxis that people just climbed in and out of anywhere and they were constantly beeping for more people even though they were full. They blasted out music, it was loud from the outside! Then there were all the street venders and it was wonderful chaos!
We made it through downtown to the coast and it was a beautiful beach. There were tons of surfers out and lots of piers and walk ways. We drove past the stadiums (huge!!!). Then we went back. We saw everything from shacks to million dollar homes in the space of a couple of hours. It is truly a beautiful place with beautiful people.
We then did dinner with the Schwartz's tonight and it's been a great day!
Later!
Mom/Shalina
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Monday morning
Good morning all!
I see that it is 10:30 at night as I write this to you but it's Monday morning here! I stayed up until about 8 on Sunday night. Every time I sat down for more than a minute, I started to go blank and dose so I gave up and went to bed. I woke up several times thinking there must be a horrible storm going on, but when I looked there wasn't any wind at all, it was only the surf hitting the beach! It will take a bit to get used to the constant noise while I sleep but I wouldn't get rid of it for all the world! I woke up for good about 4:45. It was getting light so I went out and started at the ocean from our balcony for a while, read the bible for a bit. I was reading about the unity of the body and thinking just how that fit so well with being in a strange place but that I am still a part of the same body, as are all the believers here and it didn't feel like I was all that far from home.
Everyone keeps saying that we shouldn't go down to the beach alone so this morning I was antsy to get down there, the water was calling me! Last night we had gone down the water, and I put my toes in the Indian Ocean for the first time! So this morning I was so anxious to get down there, but thought I shouldn't until someone else was up. Cole, now I know what you feel like waiting each morning for someone to get up!!!! So when Stu got up, I pounced on him and he said he would keep an eye on me from the balcony.
It was tremendous! I was just walking in the surf and waves would come and crash into me. It would go from dry to up to my waist in a heartbeat! It was really strong, but the surprising thing for me was how strong it pulled as the water went back out! It will be my new morning workout to battle the surf for a while and then walk back up the stairs to our 9th floor apartment!
Annika and I have read the Narnia series many times now, and there is a spot in The Lion, The Wictch and the Wardrobe where Susan and Lucy get to romp with Aslan the Great Lion, who represents Jesus in the story. Well playing in the surf this morning was like playing with Jesus. It was a little scary and exciting and thrilling all at once!
I could tell the tide was coming in as the waves were getting closer and closer to my clothes on the beach so I headed up and stepped back and bit and sat on the sand, just enjoying and thinking about how blessed I had just been to play with Jesus when a group (?) of dolphins swam by. I could see then as they leaped out of the waves. It was so incredible!!! As I was sitting there though God decides this is His chance and the biggest wave yet comes and drenches me as I sit there, clothes shoes and all! The waves were no where near me until then! I'm pretty sure I could hear Him laughing saying I sent those dolphins by to distract you and then I sent the wave. I must have looked pretty silly sitting there drenched and laughing out loud on the beach at 6 in the morning!
Ruthanne sent me a little note before I left to watch out, because anyone who goes to Africa falls in love with it. I don't know how God is going to reconcile my new love for this place with my love for my family, especially my wonderful Curtis who doesn't do well in warm!
I'd better go get some breakfast so I'll blog soon!
Shalina
I see that it is 10:30 at night as I write this to you but it's Monday morning here! I stayed up until about 8 on Sunday night. Every time I sat down for more than a minute, I started to go blank and dose so I gave up and went to bed. I woke up several times thinking there must be a horrible storm going on, but when I looked there wasn't any wind at all, it was only the surf hitting the beach! It will take a bit to get used to the constant noise while I sleep but I wouldn't get rid of it for all the world! I woke up for good about 4:45. It was getting light so I went out and started at the ocean from our balcony for a while, read the bible for a bit. I was reading about the unity of the body and thinking just how that fit so well with being in a strange place but that I am still a part of the same body, as are all the believers here and it didn't feel like I was all that far from home.
Everyone keeps saying that we shouldn't go down to the beach alone so this morning I was antsy to get down there, the water was calling me! Last night we had gone down the water, and I put my toes in the Indian Ocean for the first time! So this morning I was so anxious to get down there, but thought I shouldn't until someone else was up. Cole, now I know what you feel like waiting each morning for someone to get up!!!! So when Stu got up, I pounced on him and he said he would keep an eye on me from the balcony.
It was tremendous! I was just walking in the surf and waves would come and crash into me. It would go from dry to up to my waist in a heartbeat! It was really strong, but the surprising thing for me was how strong it pulled as the water went back out! It will be my new morning workout to battle the surf for a while and then walk back up the stairs to our 9th floor apartment!
Annika and I have read the Narnia series many times now, and there is a spot in The Lion, The Wictch and the Wardrobe where Susan and Lucy get to romp with Aslan the Great Lion, who represents Jesus in the story. Well playing in the surf this morning was like playing with Jesus. It was a little scary and exciting and thrilling all at once!
I could tell the tide was coming in as the waves were getting closer and closer to my clothes on the beach so I headed up and stepped back and bit and sat on the sand, just enjoying and thinking about how blessed I had just been to play with Jesus when a group (?) of dolphins swam by. I could see then as they leaped out of the waves. It was so incredible!!! As I was sitting there though God decides this is His chance and the biggest wave yet comes and drenches me as I sit there, clothes shoes and all! The waves were no where near me until then! I'm pretty sure I could hear Him laughing saying I sent those dolphins by to distract you and then I sent the wave. I must have looked pretty silly sitting there drenched and laughing out loud on the beach at 6 in the morning!
Ruthanne sent me a little note before I left to watch out, because anyone who goes to Africa falls in love with it. I don't know how God is going to reconcile my new love for this place with my love for my family, especially my wonderful Curtis who doesn't do well in warm!
I'd better go get some breakfast so I'll blog soon!
Shalina
We Made It
We Made It!
We are sitting in our little apartment at the Strandburg. We have an awesome end unit so every window faces the Indian Ocean. We have all the windows open and the breeze is luxurious. Our balcony is closed in, like a little glass room and with the windows open it's wonderful to sit and watch the waves break on the beach.
We spent 36 hours traveling, and ended up here Sunday morning at 10:30. It's 2:30 am at home so we are all feeling pretty groggy right now. We spent another not so sleep filled night on the plane, but this one was much fuller, so there was no space for spreading out. Our goal is to stay awake for the rest of the day, and go to sleep early tonight, and that should bring us back on track. This is easier said than done, but we'll see.
New things for me, swollen feet. It's amazing how 36 hours without laying down will swell your feet! The Indian Ocean!
Kelly met us at the airport and we were warmly welcomed by the Scwartz's and they have offered to take us to do our shopping. I am slightly distraught, I forgot my frying pan at home and there isn't one here. I may need to buy one for my eggs in the morning!
Love you!
Mom/Shalina
We are sitting in our little apartment at the Strandburg. We have an awesome end unit so every window faces the Indian Ocean. We have all the windows open and the breeze is luxurious. Our balcony is closed in, like a little glass room and with the windows open it's wonderful to sit and watch the waves break on the beach.
We spent 36 hours traveling, and ended up here Sunday morning at 10:30. It's 2:30 am at home so we are all feeling pretty groggy right now. We spent another not so sleep filled night on the plane, but this one was much fuller, so there was no space for spreading out. Our goal is to stay awake for the rest of the day, and go to sleep early tonight, and that should bring us back on track. This is easier said than done, but we'll see.
New things for me, swollen feet. It's amazing how 36 hours without laying down will swell your feet! The Indian Ocean!
Kelly met us at the airport and we were warmly welcomed by the Scwartz's and they have offered to take us to do our shopping. I am slightly distraught, I forgot my frying pan at home and there isn't one here. I may need to buy one for my eggs in the morning!
Love you!
Mom/Shalina
London... England, not Ontario
London... England, not Ontario!
We are sitting in Heathrow airport waiting for 5:30 so we can see how far away our gate is for our flight to Johannesburg is. Our options are: 5-25 min walks. After spending the day touring London on foot, we are hoping for a five minute walk.
Well it was a 15 minute walk, not too bad really!
Today we got off in London and Jonathan and Leanne met us at the airport and whisked us off down "The Tube". We started on the Picadilly Line and transferred to the Liberty Line. When we came out from the Underground we were staring up at Big Ben. It was incredible! We were very touristy and stopped right there and took pictures.
Annika and Cole, remember Phineas and Ferber 2D? I saw the London Eye and Big Ben, I was really there!!! We saw Westminster Abbey, but missed being able to go inside by 10mins :(. We hadn't eaten yet so we asked around and were directed to an old English Pub called Albert's. Apparently it is the oldest around, 300 years old. I had good old fish and chips with 'mushy' peas. It was excellent, truly the best fries I've ever had! And they served Pepsi, much to the chagrin of the Coke drinkers in the group! I didn't go for the pint of ale though. I just couldn't do it.
Best thing about London besides meeting up with familiar faces was walking on the streets and hearing so many different languages. I think I heard as much French as I did English, and many other languages too. I think I am beginning to realize just how sheltered we are in Canada from the rest of the world.
Just as a note, there seems to be a lot less free Internet over here, so I am writing each day, but I will only post them once in a while. That also means I can't check D2L everyday Annika, sorry girl, but I will check it when I can!
Love you,
Mom ( Shalina)
We are sitting in Heathrow airport waiting for 5:30 so we can see how far away our gate is for our flight to Johannesburg is. Our options are: 5-25 min walks. After spending the day touring London on foot, we are hoping for a five minute walk.
Well it was a 15 minute walk, not too bad really!
Today we got off in London and Jonathan and Leanne met us at the airport and whisked us off down "The Tube". We started on the Picadilly Line and transferred to the Liberty Line. When we came out from the Underground we were staring up at Big Ben. It was incredible! We were very touristy and stopped right there and took pictures.
Annika and Cole, remember Phineas and Ferber 2D? I saw the London Eye and Big Ben, I was really there!!! We saw Westminster Abbey, but missed being able to go inside by 10mins :(. We hadn't eaten yet so we asked around and were directed to an old English Pub called Albert's. Apparently it is the oldest around, 300 years old. I had good old fish and chips with 'mushy' peas. It was excellent, truly the best fries I've ever had! And they served Pepsi, much to the chagrin of the Coke drinkers in the group! I didn't go for the pint of ale though. I just couldn't do it.
Best thing about London besides meeting up with familiar faces was walking on the streets and hearing so many different languages. I think I heard as much French as I did English, and many other languages too. I think I am beginning to realize just how sheltered we are in Canada from the rest of the world.
Just as a note, there seems to be a lot less free Internet over here, so I am writing each day, but I will only post them once in a while. That also means I can't check D2L everyday Annika, sorry girl, but I will check it when I can!
Love you,
Mom ( Shalina)
What day is it?
Saturday October 29th (I think!)
It was my first try at sleeping on a plane. There were actually quite a few empty seats so the experienced people pounced right away on the open middle rows. If only I had known!
First class had those seats that are arranged in little pods and can stretch out all the flat. It is a bigger plane than I've ever been on before. It is set up with two seats on the side, four in the middle, and two more on the outside, so those groups of four seats in a row made nice beds. I had two seats to myself and have tried many different sleeping positions, none of them turning out really well. In the end sitting up was the best way to go for me. Once I woke up, it was light out so I could wander around the plane and I saw some creative positions I may try next time!
The clock on the iPad reads 3 in the morning, but it is bright and sunny out right now as we are flying into a new day on the other side of the world. We left Calgary late, not until 8, and so it was dark right from the start, but it was so cloudy that we couldn't see much. At one point though, I woke up and looked out and saw one little clump of lights with maybe 2 more within eyesight far below me. When I checked the flight map it said we were just coming up on Iceland. Once the lights passed, all I could see of the ground below was the slightest shade of gray amid all the black where light was reflecting off tons of large islands of snow or ice. It was really cool!
Then I looked out and there were so many stars! I didn't have to look up at them it was like we were flying right in them. They looked closer than I have ever felt. It was great!
We will be landing soon and Jonathan and Leanne Hooper are going to meet us and take us to see some sights during our ten hour lay over. It's like getting a sneak peek at a whole new country for free!
Talk again soon,
Mom/Shalina
It was my first try at sleeping on a plane. There were actually quite a few empty seats so the experienced people pounced right away on the open middle rows. If only I had known!
First class had those seats that are arranged in little pods and can stretch out all the flat. It is a bigger plane than I've ever been on before. It is set up with two seats on the side, four in the middle, and two more on the outside, so those groups of four seats in a row made nice beds. I had two seats to myself and have tried many different sleeping positions, none of them turning out really well. In the end sitting up was the best way to go for me. Once I woke up, it was light out so I could wander around the plane and I saw some creative positions I may try next time!
The clock on the iPad reads 3 in the morning, but it is bright and sunny out right now as we are flying into a new day on the other side of the world. We left Calgary late, not until 8, and so it was dark right from the start, but it was so cloudy that we couldn't see much. At one point though, I woke up and looked out and saw one little clump of lights with maybe 2 more within eyesight far below me. When I checked the flight map it said we were just coming up on Iceland. Once the lights passed, all I could see of the ground below was the slightest shade of gray amid all the black where light was reflecting off tons of large islands of snow or ice. It was really cool!
Then I looked out and there were so many stars! I didn't have to look up at them it was like we were flying right in them. They looked closer than I have ever felt. It was great!
We will be landing soon and Jonathan and Leanne Hooper are going to meet us and take us to see some sights during our ten hour lay over. It's like getting a sneak peek at a whole new country for free!
Talk again soon,
Mom/Shalina
Friday, 28 October 2011
at the airport!
I'm at the airport, and I have just said good bye to Annika and Cole and Curtis. And, yes there were tears... On my part. The kids were way more worried about going to the park here!
Anyway, we made it through security and the waiting begins! We have time in London and We have tour guides so it sounds like we will get to look around. Too bad it's on the weekend.
Talk soon,
Shalina
Anyway, we made it through security and the waiting begins! We have time in London and We have tour guides so it sounds like we will get to look around. Too bad it's on the weekend.
Talk soon,
Shalina
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Getting Ready
Hello all!
I am pretty excited about heading out on Friday, and completely unprepared!
We had a gathering last night to talk with some families who are very involved with the Seed of Hope and I am so grateful for the time they spent with us. It really helps to talk about the purpose and goal of the trip and reaffirm the reasons we are going.
The Seed of Hope is an organization that works with the community of Bhekulwandle in South Africa to help in so many ways, I encourage you to look them up at theseedofhope.org .
There are four of us going, Pastor Stu, Garry and Jeff Henderson and myself. We are going to learn and try to initiate relationships with the staff there as well as the organization in general. I am truly blessed to be a part of this team and I am very excited about the trip.
While I have known the trip was a possibility for a couple of months now, it was only recently that we confirmed it, and it's been a whirlwind ever since! Thanks to all my friends who are making it possible for me to go for three weeks!! Thanks Norm for the iPad so I can keep in touch with my family! Thanks Alice for staying with my family and helping Curtis out! Joel and Vero for lending me their camera! Hiedi for ferrying Cole to Gymnastics! And all the offers for giving Curtis a break while I'm gone.
Mostly though I thank Curtis for being open and willing to letting me go off for three weeks, while he holds down the fort! So many people are saying how impressive it is that you will do this for me, and while you are certainly able, it's going to be a long go for you. Thanks Curtis!
I don't know how well I will do at keeping this blog up, but at least I have started it! I'll be honest and say it's mostly for Annika and Cole so it may be more geared to them, but anyone is welcome to read along!
I need to go and get through my To-do list that seems to growing and not shrinking!
Shalina
I am pretty excited about heading out on Friday, and completely unprepared!
We had a gathering last night to talk with some families who are very involved with the Seed of Hope and I am so grateful for the time they spent with us. It really helps to talk about the purpose and goal of the trip and reaffirm the reasons we are going.
The Seed of Hope is an organization that works with the community of Bhekulwandle in South Africa to help in so many ways, I encourage you to look them up at theseedofhope.org .
There are four of us going, Pastor Stu, Garry and Jeff Henderson and myself. We are going to learn and try to initiate relationships with the staff there as well as the organization in general. I am truly blessed to be a part of this team and I am very excited about the trip.
While I have known the trip was a possibility for a couple of months now, it was only recently that we confirmed it, and it's been a whirlwind ever since! Thanks to all my friends who are making it possible for me to go for three weeks!! Thanks Norm for the iPad so I can keep in touch with my family! Thanks Alice for staying with my family and helping Curtis out! Joel and Vero for lending me their camera! Hiedi for ferrying Cole to Gymnastics! And all the offers for giving Curtis a break while I'm gone.
Mostly though I thank Curtis for being open and willing to letting me go off for three weeks, while he holds down the fort! So many people are saying how impressive it is that you will do this for me, and while you are certainly able, it's going to be a long go for you. Thanks Curtis!
I don't know how well I will do at keeping this blog up, but at least I have started it! I'll be honest and say it's mostly for Annika and Cole so it may be more geared to them, but anyone is welcome to read along!
I need to go and get through my To-do list that seems to growing and not shrinking!
Shalina
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