Welcome to My Blog!

Hello and Welcome!

This site has served as a record of the past three months that I spent in South Africa. I had the opportunity to travel all over the country and blog about many of my experiences. Sometimes the blogs are serious, and sometimes they are just me being me... But the hope is that you will catch a glimpse of another culture and let yourself be changed, encouraged, or challenged by what you read. (And you may get a laugh or two along the way.) If you want to follow from the beginning, you will need to start at the beginning. There are tabs on the righthand side of this page that will help you navigate to Blog #1 on January 14.

This experience has opened my eyes and greatly expanded my worldview. Returning home, it is my prayer that my lifestyle, future decisions, and future spending will always remain impacted by all that I saw, learned, and experienced in Africa. We all have a role... Let's change the world!

Be Blessed!
Renee

Welcome to Welkom {May 3 – May 6, 2009}

On our long trek back to the farm we made a quick three day stop at a small church in Welkom (pronounced Vell-come; located in the Free State province). The church had been robbed four times in a ten day span several months ago... and is now on a long road to recovery. With the average member’s age spanning between 60 to 80 years old, the necessary manpower to repair their severely damaged ceiling and repaint their old back wall is hard to come by, and not to mention a struggle to deal with other issues such as the stolen chairs and sound system. Upon our arrival, another local church had donated old pews that we were able to sand and varnish during our short stay. We also helped repaint the back wall and varnish the doors of two entrances.

When I first heard we were doing a three day construction project before going back to the farm I didn’t think it would be anything special… and definitely was not expecting it to be all that enjoyable to be completely honest. What I thought would be a quick, somewhat boring pit-stop on our way back to the farm turned out to be quite the opposite. We packed more into the past three days than I could have ever thought possible.

The first thing I noticed was the immediate warm welcome and hospitality of the South African culture. This town sure lives up to its name. The people of the church greeted us with such interest, love, and attention… In fact, I think they were serving us more than we actually served them. One older woman from the church invited us into her home where she gave us all beds, showers, and goodnight kisses. Every morning was started with a hefty breakfast, handmade by the women of the church… a little work… followed by snacks… a little work and a lot of conversation… followed by a homemade lunch… more stories and snacks and stories… a little work… and a full, traditional homemade dinner and dessert to cap off the evening. These people loved cooking for us, sharing their culture, their community, and their history with us.

While we made a physical and tangible difference renovating the church, I think God moved powerfully in the relationships we made in Welkom. At our final braai on the last night, different individuals shared with tears how much our visit had meant and how much we had renewed their spirits, brought encouragement, and lightened their overwhelming burdens since the robberies. Though they were very tight in finances, they did not hesitate to lavish meals, snacks, desserts, town tours, and even wanted to pay for a trip to a local game park. Their unrestrained hospitality and love reminded me of the church in Acts where they poured out everything they had to their brothers and sisters in Christ. The minute they met us, they counted us as family… and I felt it. Beautiful people. Beautiful love.

Update: One More Week … and Happy Birthday Mitch!! {Saturday, May 2}

The past two weeks we have been visiting schools in the Knysna and Plettenberg Bay areas of the Western Cape Province. Today we started the two-day road trip to Velkom where we will be helping a church with construction work for three days. Tonight we are staying at a hostel in Port Elizabeth. Thursday we head back to the farm before we leave for the States on Sunday. I can hardly believe it. Have a wonderful weekend! See you soon!

PS. Happy birthday little bro! Good luck on your finals this week. I hope you have a wonderful day!! African love from your big sis.

The Last School {Thursday, April 30}

Today was our last day in the schools. Can you believe it? We’re almost done here. Time has seriously flown by.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That {Wednesday, April 29}

My alarm went off at 6am this morning for our second-to-last day in schools… and what a crazy day it was. Five school presentations, a meeting with the Knysna Youth for Christ staff (yay Liz!), a lunch meeting with an American missionary, a wonderful church service, dinner around 8, and home around 10. Whew!

Our second school was a very nice Christian academy. The principal was very friendly, invited us for tea and coffee, and gave us a tour of the school. It was very interesting learning about their school, as it was quite different from my schooling experience, and different from most schools in ZA as well. They have a self-teach education system with tutors and monitors around to provide assistance. The kids work at their own pace and have certain guidelines and stipulations on the amount of work that needs to get done in a day.

Our last school of the day was quite the opposite. It was an all-Xhosa school system pooling from a large community of shacks near the Plett area. Here there are 45-60 kids per classroom… and the presentation was probably a notch below mass chaos. The presentation was scheduled for the same time school lets out (why??), so the kids were that much more talkative and ready to go home.

Just before our last school of the day we grabbed a quick lunch with a Texas-native named Michelle. She was a fascinating woman with a compelling story to share. Five years ago Michelle was working a prestigious job at a medical supplies company, working her way up the ladder to Vice President of the company… when she let God interrupt her life and plans to serve amongst the poor here in South Africa. She met with Bruce Wilkinson (author of Prayer of Jabez) who was kicking off his “Dream for Africa” project at the time. She felt God pulling her heart to the need in Africa and decided to go. The entire forty minutes we spent with her, she was rattling off facts and stories… and it was very evident she was crazy about serving the Lord with all of her heart… and being the hands and feet of Jesus here in the Plett community. Most of her work is in the community from the last school I mentioned… She has started three orphanages and one church since she got here. She has a passion for HIV/AIDS orphans… sharing that every day in South Africa 1500 children are orphaned. What a cool heart Michelle has.

The last part of our day was one of the most memorable evenings for me here. We visited a church in one of these rural shack communities… and watched people worship God with all of their heart, soul, and strength… knowing they themselves had nothing. It was the most genuine, all out worship I have ever seen… It truly touched me to the core and gave me a glimpse of what heaven will be like someday. In Revelations it says all nations, tongues, and tribes will stand around the throne worshipping God with everything in them. So often I think we picture heaven as a bunch of English-speaking, NIV-reading, middle class Americans singing “Lord I lift Your name on High”… or something like that. But tonight gave me a glimpse of something quite different and much cooler.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Revelations 7:9

Jumping …. Mom: Read Slowly. {Monday, April 27}

So there happens to be a bridge about an hour from Knysna where the world’s largest bungee jump is located. Gio hasn’t been able to let it go since we first heard about it… So the last big surprise of Gio’s birthday weekend involved a trip to the infamous bridge. I totally was going to sit it out because I didn’t want to pay… until I realized how many times will I be in Africa… at the world’s largest bungee jump?! Okay it can’t be that bad.

By far the most terrifying and exhilarating experience of my life. Half the terror was walking out to the middle of the bridge. I held up the entire group with my slow walking, inconsolable shrieking, and frequent breaks before arriving at the jump site. As soon as you get out to the middle it’s like Cedar Point… techno music is blaring (thought of you, Ellsper) and the workers are running around teasing and taunting nervous wrecks like me. They tie up your feet, clip on a bungee to your harness… then when it’s your turn you hop to the edge of the bridge with two Africans at your side… get a big one, two, three, BUNGEE! And you have to jump / free fall forward. I still cannot believe I jumped.

I bought the DVD for you all to watch if you wish. It starts out with me announcing my concern over the fact that I need to blow my nose. So glad they caught that on tape.

Grocery Shopping in Africa {Sunday, April 26}

Last week we visited just about every school in Knysna. The schools ranged from small colored rural schools all the way to an Afrikaaner version of Deer Ridge (except with two classrooms). For the most part schools here are much more modern and resourced than the majority of schools we have visited here in ZA. Come to find out, part of visiting every school in a city means when you go to the grocery store every child there is pointing at you, tugging on your shirt, giving you a hug, or even greeting you by name. It’s pretty stinkin’ adorable. One mom even told us her sons have been reading the books all week.

Church this morning felt just like home. It was so nice to be able to worship in the way my culture worships, to be able to understand the lyrics I am singing and to hear a message in English that challenged me. Don’t get me wrong, I have loved experiencing so many different churches and worshipping God in new ways (be it dancing or stumbling through a Zulu hymnal)… but, as Vanessa said on our way home this morning, it does give you added appreciation and understanding of the importance in maintaining culture and embracing our diversity in the Body of Christ. We were all created unique by God. He created us to worship Him in our own ways. It is wonderful to get to see and experience other ways, just as it is wonderful to praise Him in my own way… in a way I understand. These people need the very same as we minister to them.

This week we will be visiting schools in Plettenberg Bay (Plett) about a half hour from Knysna. We only have Tuesday thru Thursday to work with, as both Monday and Friday are holidays here. They will be very packed! Next weekend we pack up and head to Velkom (Free State) for a short project before heading back to the farm. We have two weeks left here. I can hardly believe it’s been three months already. I have loved every day here in Africa, and am SO THANKFUL for your support in whatever role you have played in this experience. I pray God has and will continue to use me, this blog, or stories when I get home… to involve you in the world… and all that is yet to be done. (There is so much!)

Zuma Wins with a 68% Majority {Saturday, April 25}

Three days later, it is announced that ANC candidate, Jacob Zuma, has indeed won the election with a 68% majority. The DA party was next in popularity, but no where close to competing with the ANC. Please pray for these people I have been meeting and the future of their country.

An African 21st!! {Friday, April 24}

Today we celebrate Mr. Gio’s 21st Birthday!! WahoO! After a full day of school presentations and a visit with a local pastor -- not to mention some African hospitality…coffee, tea, and pie with little-to-no advance notice we were even coming… I learn so much from this culture’s hospitality!! – Anyway, we finished the day off with a BanG. We ate dinner at an outdoor restaurant in a waterfront shopping center and had a wonderful meal. Gio got a piece of cheesecake for his birthday, which we all decided looked and tasted like a block of Philadelphia cream cheese. When we got home we surprised Gio with our fully decorated hostel rooms followed by a dance party (his favorite) that ended up lasting three or four hours. It reminded me of times at the Deeg. Midway through the party Bonnie and Amber surprised Gio with a chocolate birthday cake decorated with the country of Africa in sprinkles… It was really nice. They spent the rest of the night watching us make fools of ourselves singing and dancing… and even videotaping us.

Happy Birthday G!

The Skanky Donkey {Thursday, April 22}

Excuse my language, but that is Afrikaans for something… we’re just not quite sure what yet. Everyday when we are working in the schools we undoubtedly hear “skanky donkey” in the morning school announcements, translated conversation, or just mid-conversation. We are still trying to work it out with Tony and the girls back home, but as of now they have no idea what we’re talking about.

Today in our last school presentation the kids were super cute. We always tell them about the most important page in the book (the page that tells them how to invite Christ into their hearts). We always say “And there’s one very special and important page we want you to remember. It’s page 33! Can you say that with me?” Well this classroom of first graders screams back in unison, “A VERY SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT PAGE!!” It was adorable.

Election/Elephant Day {Wednesday, April 22}

Today is a BIG day! South Africa’s elections are taking place all day, and it is widely understood that Zuma (ANC candidate) will be elected. The larger question in this election is will he get two-thirds majority. It is expected that the ANC party, once in office, will change the constitution so that the new president elected with two-thirds majority will be in office for lifetime. From what I understand, Zuma has very communist views and the future does not look bright with him leading the country. A few weeks ago he was pardoned from the rape charges he had against him. He was supposed to be on trial for rape in his first days as President, but I guess they just scratched it altogether. One of the campaign slogans for a smaller party here says “Put criminals in jail not in government.”

Several of the nationals we have worked with along the way will not even be voting today. Party popularity varies by region, but it seems that the DA party is the second largest party supported, although still in the minority. There is a new party called COPE which split off from the ANC party for this election. There have to be at least 10 different parties running for office… I’m not sure of the exact number… but definitely more options than the States. The ballot here has pictures of the candidates next to their names for those that cannot read.

Since the schools are closed for elections and we needed to stay clear of the polls … we got to spend a few hours this afternoon at the Knysna Elephant Park! It was awesome. We got to touch, feed, and video these gentle beasts. The back of their ears are super soft, but watch out or they will flap you with them! There were also two one-year old babies running around. They had really cute toe nails. What a crazy day!

OneHope {Tuesday, April 21}

During our time here in Africa, Book of Hope has been transitioning to their new name and identity as OneHope… partly because there have been so many new additions to the ministry beyond the books… and there are so many illiterate children that cannot be reached with a book. The GodMan (animated film) is one way OneHope has been branching out lately. They are also shifting their focus to becoming an outcome based ministry, while still striving to achieve the same mission statement [God’s Word. Every Child.].

More information about the “new” OneHope can be found at www.onehope.net.

Back to the Basics {Monday, April 20}

Here in Knysna it’s back to BoH basics. We are in schools, doing presentations, and passing out books. Tony will be our national contact here in Knysna. He and his family live in Mossel Bay, but he is staying with us for the next two weeks in our hostel. It really is incredible to see the sacrifices nationals here make to get God’s Word out to children. Vanessa and Ryan have shared stories of nationals they have met in many countries they have worked in… Some of them are not even paid for the work they do. Tony is a colored, Afrikaan-speaking man….probably early forties. He’s very energetic and easy to work with.

This morning we started off with two HUGE schools scheduled at 8am…. So we got to tackle two 1500 student presentations with three and four people each. All of the schools here speak fluent English so we have had minimal need for translation. I actually miss having a translator, because it gives you more time to think as you’re talking in front of large groups of people. There’s also a heightened sense of needing to put your best foot forward as the students here are much more like students back home. Unlike some of our more rural locations, you have to watch being too cheesy or religious like you would in dealing with any schools back home.

On the other hand, our last school of the day was a half hour drive into the mountain bush…. Where we found one school in a desolate, impoverished area with 27 children all ranging from grades R through 7. It’s unbelievable to me that we can start and end our day in such completely opposite communities.

Drama Training {Sunday, April 19}

Here we are staying at a Montessori school hostel while the students are on their fall break. We have made friends with 17 year old twin sisters, Amber and Bonnie, who are both students running the hostel we are staying in this week. They are very interested in spending time with our group, particularly Jeff and Gio. Amber has a lot of questions about what we’re doing and why we’re here… last night as we were doing our team devotionals she stood in the room listening and by the end of the devo was sitting at the table with us. I’m excited to see ways we are able to connect with her this week while we’re at home. It seems like she is open to hearing about our faith.

After church this afternoon we hosted a BoH training event where we invited church members to join us in reaching their community. We gave a brief explanation of our ministry and our desire to partner with their church… We are here for only a short time and want to equip them to continue the ministry after we are gone. We gave them a demonstration of a typical school presentation, trained them to do our dramas, and invited them to join us at the schools this week.

Welcome to Knysna {Friday, April 17}

Today was our second driving day… We drove through the Free State, Northern Province (middle of nowhere), a little of the Eastern Province, and finally the Western Province to our final destination in Knysna (close to Mossel Bay). The drive was beautiful.

We got in and were invited to the Friday Fair for dinner. Who knew South Africa has fairs just like Columbia City? The place was decked with junkie fair food, picnic benches and lawn chairs, and a man playing interesting renditions of U2, Jason Mraz, Coldplay, and Oasis…

Like everywhere else in South Africa the people here are diverse. There are three main people groups in the Western Province: the white Afrikaaners, colored people (a mix of whites, Malaysians, and blacks- usually speak Afrikaans), and blacks (mostly Xhosa).

Knysna is much more of a first-world tourist location, very different from our normal ministry locations. Here there are beaches, mountains, cliffs that drop off into the ocean… there is wealth, there is tourism, and there is poverty right next door. South Africa is such a diverse country.

Pit-Stop in Bloemfontein {Thursday, April 16}

This morning we left the Farm around 7am feeling very spoiled with such a late leave time compared to normal moving days… but personally quite exhausted after finishing laundry around 3:30am last night. (Don’t worry our driver went to sleep at a normal time.) I love being up that late though because then I can sometimes catch people on facebook. ;)

Today we took the N1 (major ZA interstate… weird to be off the rural roads) all the way to Bloemfontein in the Free State province. We got in around 4pm to our host’s home, who is a friend of Leah’s. It was very refreshing to stay in someone’s home for a night!

An Update from the Farm {Wednesday, April 15}

Hello! Our week at Agathos was my favorite week yet (lekker, as an Afrikaaner would say). It was a string of 10-12 hour days, but well worth the crazy schedule. I’m trying to go back and blog some of the highlights. We didn’t have a ton of computer access so my blog update is a little slim this time.

We have been back at the BoH base here at the Shikwaru Lodge for the past week. Little amenities like couches have been a refreshing change of pace. Aside from the tarantula in our living room on the first night and the monkeys eating all of our bananas and apples the other day, it has been good to be “home.” We have been doing a variety of work around the area here. Some of our time has been spent helping Leah (BoH missionary stationed here at the ZA base) research surrounding communities.

Our time here in South Africa is quickly winding down (I can’t believe it!!). Tomorrow we leave for our last ministry location. We will be traveling to Mossel Bay at the very southern tip of ZA in the Western Province. It will be a two-day drive down, which we are all looking forward to actually. I love the road trips here! Hope all is well and I will talk to you soon!

The Team

Some of you have been curious who I’m with here in Africa. So I did a few bios for ya’ll.

The team…
Gio is a sophomore in Elementary Education at Southeastern University in Florida, but originally from Cleveland. He has been taking 4 online classes while we’ve been in Africa (lots of work!). He wants to teach little kiddies in Africa and start an orphanage here someday. He has a huge heart to teach every child how important they are to God. The kids love him and we do too! He’s all about “peace and love” and loves anything hippy-ish, minus the drugs of course. He is also crazy about a girl named Anna Strong who is currently doing missions with YWAM in Australia. I’m really proud of them for following God even though it meant different countries and minimal communication for awhile. Can’t wait to meet her!

Jeff just finished high school and is from Cincinnati. He will be going to school at Union University in Tennessee this fall to study English Lit. He is your very intelligent, practical, competitive guy. He is also a boyscout, which he does not like being explained by (to which I reassure him I was a girl scout in college), but it does help explain his outdoor hardiness if you will. He is extremely self-sufficient in some of our roughing-it conditions and always a great bug killer when in a bind. Jeff and Gio have gotten very close and I think will be BFF’s for life.

Lauren is from Albuquerque and a junior at New Mexico State. She is taking the semester off from school, where she is studying Speech Pathology. Lauren is one of the sweetest, most servant-hearted people I have met. You basically have to force her to sit down, stay out of the kitchen, or stop cleaning and tidying up. She is a very skilled photographer (yay!) and has a hardcore camera in tow. But she does have thiss Jen Oberhausen spirit to her where if she doesn’t feel like taking pictures, she’s not going to do it gosh darnit. (haha I love you jenny!) Lauren is really good with the children, and very much a mother at heart.

Hillary just finished high school and is from Cincinnati as well. (Hillary and Jeff grew up together and went through the same home schooling program. Both very sharp people!!) Hillary comes from a big Italian family with lots of artistic and cooking genes built into her! She is a ridiculously good artist and would love to someday use art in the missions context. She will be attending Anderson University this fall (wahoo Indiana!) which is very exciting because she has been trying to decide on a college while here in Africa. I can’t wait to have real Italian pasta with Hil’s family someday. :) Hillary is the chatty Kathy of the group :) and , in my opinion, very mature for having just graduated high school.

Our leaders…
Vanessa is 32, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale (wouldn’t that be nice!). She studied psychology in college and has done a variety of work since then. I’m so thankful for Vanessa’s leadership because her down to earth, fun-loving personality totally set the tone for our group to be open and real from the start. She is a good cook, good delegator, good communicator, and awesome off-road driver. Vanessa is always making us laugh.

Ryan is 32 as well and is originally from Fresno, California. He has been with BoH for several years and has a huge heart for Africa. He gave up his consistent, steady paycheck job (at the firm in Erin Brachovich) to follow God’s calling on his heart to missions. He will be staying here in Africa for the summer intern team after we’re gone. It will be weird not having him on the plane ride home. Ryan is our behind-the-scenes leader. He takes care of a lot of the BoH details- budget, reports, etc. Ryan is an awesome cook and we are always excited when it’s his dinner night!

Leah is 29 and lives permanently at the farm here in South Africa (though a native of Toledo). She has been with Book of Hope for 8 years leading teams around the world and is now stationed in Africa full-time. She loves the people here and is very good at building relationships in the community. She decides where we go, when we go, and how we go… she is in charge of setting our entire schedule and connecting us with the nationals we have been working with. Leah is an awesome story teller and always has us laughing.

(Gio and Jeff wrote this about Renee. She was not allowed to edit.) For all you who don’t personally know her…Renee is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Purdue this past May with a degree in psychology. She is the fun, bubbly, giggly one of the group. She has said many memorable quotes…you can ask her to explain them. You can tell she really has a heart for following God and desiring His plan for her life. She has stepped out many times and shared at different times (youth group meetings, church services) and she always has deep and impactful insight. She also connects with the secondary learners a lot and you can tell she has a passion for them. Renee makes us laugh a lot. Well, she laughs a lot naturally…and it is just contagious. Random, you should all ask her about “Smooth Moves” sometime…that’ll be a good story. She is definitely the African Queen here! All the guys flock to her. We usually have to beat them off with sticks…as all good brothers do. We have been looking out for her. It’s very funny and we play it up all the time. We love her like a big sis! You are all lucky and blessed to have her in your life.

Haha, thanks little bros. So that’s our story. I’m very thankful for each of these people and the way God brought us together as a team. The experience would be quite different without them.

Isaiah 53 {Sunday, April 12}

Check it out. Spend a day thinking about it. Re-read it a few times. Every year I find myself understanding Jesus in a new light. It really is incredible that he would choose to leave a perfect place like heaven for us. Giving up some of my American comforts the past three months has given me some level of understanding, but I know it doesn’t come near to understanding the sacrifice He made. Not only did he choose to leave heaven but he also chose to come in such a humble way. What a servant Jesus was. What an amazing Savior and amazing Sacrifice. I pray you will see His love in a new way this year as I am.

It’s Like Comin’ Home {Monday, April 6}

Today we made the long trek back to Limpopo. We left around 5am this morning, and pulled in around 4:30pm this afternoon. With three stops, one being lunch, and one being the grocery store on the way into town, it made for a long day. Packing our car for these road trips is like playing life-sized Tetris. I swear it’s a God thing that we fit everything in every time.

Wedding Reception meets Church {Sunday, April 5}

This morning we went to Pastor Welcome’s church, called Power of God. They meet in a nearby Creche (African pre-school) classroom. Welcome and a few others are from Durban, so the church was much more contemporary than the Black Dutch Reform churches we typically attend. As we sang worship the two women up front led us in something all too similar to the electric slide. As Vanessa put it, the entire experience could be described as wedding reception meets church. I think I made God smile a few times this morning watching my Zulu electric slide.

Today was our last day with the kids. It was sad leaving, as a lot of them wanted us to promise we would come back. Please pray for Kwanele, the little boy with AIDS. Pray for the Mamas, that they would have energy to continually pour into these children and teenagers. Pray for Thanda as she is preparing for her wedding on April 25th. Pray that Agathos will continue to raise up Christian leaders in this community.

An Inspirational American Couple {Saturday, April 4}

Okay, so there are a lot of stereotypes out there about missionaries. JD and Barbara don’t fit the mold on any of them. They are our first group of American missionaries, both graduates from Wheaton College. They are in their sixties, have four children, and have lived in Atlanta, Tanzania, The Philippines, and now South Africa. JD served as a pilot in the Vietnam War and briefly shared the impact of that part of his life. They are truly an inspirational couple.

Tonight they invited us over to their home for a “braai”. I’ll be honest, I was a little relieved to have a break from rice, potatoes, pap, and beans… even though they ended up serving rice and beans anyway. J I had no complaints though, it tasted like good home-cooking. They even made a little Filet Mignon and had salads with Romaine lettuce, which I miss. After dinner they fixed a South African dessert called Malva Pudding and made real coffee just like my dad does at home. (Although not quite as good as yours, Dad.) It made me slightly homesick having such an American evening, but was very relaxing nonetheless.

JD and Barbara shared many cool stories from their lives, their ministry, and in general just had really cool hearts. JD continued to drive home the point of God’s faithfulness in his life. He shared many times where God had provided for his family and truly wanted each of us to be encouraged in that truth.

Lastly, their home is gorgeous. It is a cottage tucked away in the mountains of South Africa and has a phenomenal view. Like the rest of their lives, they had a cool story of how God had provided the home and how they use it for His Kingdom. It is probably one of the most beautiful places I have been.

A Day at the Salon {Friday, April 3}

Throughout the week we have been splitting up our team to make intentional connections with the kids and teenagers here. Vanessa and I are focusing our attention on the high school girls. We have done everything from MASH to Dutch Blitz to “A Day at the Salon.” All of us girls compiled our nail polish, nail files, lotion, etc. so Vanessa and I could do manicures and pedicures with the girls. They loved it.

Late tonight we had a surprise visitor. One of the oldest boys in the big Agathos family came back from university for his spring vacation. Zamani is 21 years old and studying electrical engineering at a school in Durban. Everyone at Agathos was so surprised by his visit they made a train running in and out of the cottages screaming, clapping, cheering, all while singing “he’s home, he’s home, our brother’s home” in Zulu. It was pretty nuts. Anyway, I would say Zamani is an awesome example of the difference Agathos is making in this community.

Pastor Welcome {Thursday, April 2}

Living on site at the Agathos Cottages is Pastor Welcome and his wife Zama. Welcome is the Zulu Pastor the American missionaries here partner with in their ministry. An important part of missions is maintaining culture. It is crucial that missionaries only bring Jesus to the people, and not their home culture. Welcome has a cool link into the lives here in Agathos because he understands the culture here better than any American missionaries ever will.

Anyway, Welcome is a really cool guy. In some ways he reminds me of Themba from Kosi Bay. He is really down-to-earth and funny. He is from Durban, came to Agathos to help out for 3 weeks and then never left. He is a very relational guy and has a huge heart for investing in the people around him. Everywhere we go people know him. It is very evident he is a respected figure in the community. The other day a Chris Tomlin song was playing and I heard him singing along. “Do you know Chris Tomlin?” I asked. “Yeah, I met him” he replied. It made me laugh. There’s so many times where you’re just thinking… Okay, wait. Say what?? Haha. So Welcome is really fun to be around. I like riding in his car and listening to his stories. Oh, and this guy is a maniac driver. The other day I swear we were inches away from nailing a goat.

The BIG 5-0 {Wednesday, April 1}

Not only is it April Fools Day, but it’s also our 50th day here in Africa. Cool stuff.

My Little Kosi {Tuesday, March 31}

Kosi (Co-see) is a three-year-old boy here at Agathos. He is Flo’s little boy and everyone loves to play with him. He’s got big cheeks and big brown eyes and is one of those extroverted children that already has such a personality to him. He likes to swing, ride in the wheelbarrow, and repeat everything you say. I tried to teach him “I’m really cute” which usually comes out “I’m coot!” The other day he threw a temper tantrum when he didn’t want to finish his second jelly sandwich (I don’t blame him). It was so cute I videotaped it. I know, terrible parenting prep, but I had to.

This afternoon we did a lot of manual labor help around the Agathos cottages. Last week the Wheaton College (Illinois) football team came over their spring break and built a new playground for the kids and a fence that goes around the entire Agathos property. They must have worked non-stop all week. Today our boys helped tear down the old barbed wire fence and posts while the girls cleaned all of the rocks out of the playground and filled in holes under the fence. I discovered how terribly out of shape I am. Later this week the boys will be painting the main entrance gate while the girls paint a bathroom and organize some storage rooms.
This week we are eating all of our meals (except breakfast) with the kids here. It gives me a greater understanding of day-in-day-out life here at Agathos. I feel bad for the kids because most of the older girls will tell me how much they dislike most of the food. Their diet is basically all carbs and beans. For example, tonight we had two full peeled potatoes, potato salad, sweet potatoes, fried chicken breast, spicy refried beans, and canned peaches. And you have to eat it all or else you are disrespectful. Have you seen those ESPN eating competitions on tv? I feel like I’m on it when I eat here. You have to eat pretty fast or you literally get stuck mid-meal because you realize how full you are. Dinner time is definitely my most-dreaded part of the day.

The Mamas of Agathos {Monday, March 30}

A thirty year old woman named Lungile (pronounced Loong-ee-lee) greeted us with enthusiasm as we pulled into the Agathos site on Monday afternoon. She is the youngest of 12, and came to Agathos in 2005 after losing all of her eleven brothers and sisters. About half of the 25 children here at the orphanage are her nieces and nephews. By the end of the week her favorite way to greet us was with a big “I looove loving you,” which is taken from the creepiest pop song in South Africa. Someday I will sing it for you.

Another thirty-some year old woman named Thanda (pronounced Taan-duh) also gives us a warm welcome. Although slightly shy and bashful, she usually thanked each of us with hugs at least twice every day for coming to Agathos... almost always followed with an “I love you,” “I love you so much,” or “I love your face.” One day when I was spending time with Thanda I asked her how she became a Christian. She told me about a time when she had applied for university and did not get accepted, and then contracted TB for the first time (she has had it twice) later that same year. She said it was in that time that someone told her about Jesus and she knew He could bring her hope and peace. Thanda also shared briefly a year in her life she “does not like to remember.” Early in 2000 she lost her father in a car accident, and a few months later lost her brother most likely to AIDS. This woman has experienced serious hardships in her life.

One day sitting in her room I learned that Thanda is engaged to be married on April 25th, very soon. It was very interesting talking with her about this as she is very nervous, or “it is making me crazy” as she put it. Her fiancé’s name is Sam and he is albino. It does not sound like she knows him all that well, which is typical for marriages in the Zulu culture. He lives far away and the last time she spoke with him was on her cell phone last week. She doesn’t know if she will talk to him before the wedding because her cell phone is now broken. Wow, I would flip out if that was me.

Thandi (Taan-dee) is another Mama here at Agathos and has two children of her own. The youngest, Kwanele (Kwa-nell-ee), is four years old with full-blown AIDS. He is regularly taking ARV’s, but his immune system is already so low. When we first arrived he had an itchy rash all over his body and was covered head to toe in Calamine lotion. Unfortunately the rash is the least of his problems, as he also has an advanced TB infection. Not only does he have terrible coughs, but you can hear the rasp of his breathing from several feet away. He does not play with the other children, but instead wants to be held all day. He will randomly burst into tears and throw his arms up at you to be picked up and cradled. It makes me want to cry every time. Next year they hope he will be able to attend Kindergarten, but I highly doubt that will happen. From what we can piece together, he was born with HIV from his mother, Thandi, who is also infected (although she does not show sign of infection). Situations like these are very difficult for me to process.

The last Mama of the group is the head cook responsible for preparing all of the meals, the mother of one of my favorite little boys, and has the best name ever…. She is Mama Flo. I’ll probably mention her cooking at some point this week.

These women are the Mamas here at Agathos. They are assigned to look after specific children as they come to the orphanage and given adjoining rooms to their kids. They work extremely hard and will each tell you their job is exhausting. I have a ton of respect for these women.

Hello!

Hello there!! Here’s the latest update from our Nomad team. We are wrapping up our stay here in Jozini and moving on to our next location tomorrow morning bright and early. We will still be staying in the KZN province, but heading south to Loskop (near Estcourt). We will be working with an HIV/AIDS orphan care ministry called Agathos Foundation. I’m really excited, I think it will be an awesome week. Vanessa’s small group back home actually sponsors this ministry, so it will be really cool for her to be there and see it in action. We will be in Loskop for one week and then finally head back to the farm!

Our team is safe, healthy, and excited for an awesome week at Agathos, so stay posted!

Moving Eve {Sunday, March 29}

Wow, what an experience today was. My sermon this morning went well! I was very thankful the translator seemed to understand English well enough to convey what I was saying (not always the case). I even got my own pulpit (that I could barely see over) which turned out to be a huge blessing when, mid-sermon, my dress blew up to my stomach. Thankfully the pulpit was so big no one but me realized what happened. Whew, almost made a new most embarrassing moment there!!

After my message we had more worship, communion, one of our BoH dramas, offering followed by the offering revival- as I call it, worship, then the head pastor gave a final word of thanks. During this time I sensed all Zulu-speaking people turning to look at me, while the guy next to me nudges me, “sister, you must give the closing.” So I start to go back up to the pulpit while everyone continues singing … having no idea what a closing is in this church… And remembering that this sometimes means a second sermon. I lean over to the head pastor’s assistant up front and whisper, “would you like me to pray?” To which he responds, “No, bless.” Umm… “Okay, maybe I can pray?” He looks at me with seriousness as if I am understanding what he is wanting, “Close, please.” Fabulous. I’m glad we’re communicating clearly. I’m thinking do I try my Pastor Rick’s benediction or recap my sermon or …. Oh man, I don’t know. So I kind of did a little of everything and prayed. I love when I have no idea what’s going on.

After church we got a VERY special treat… Actually, we have been looking forward to it all week… KFC!! I can honestly say I have never been so excited for KFC in my life. I miss good chicken, and who knew KFC makes the best chocolate caramel avalanche sunday you have ever had??

An Outline… from my Message

Most of my message was focused around what I mentioned in my blog yesterday.

Hebrews 11:6-16 ~ Three things about Noah and Abraham
1. By Faith
-trusted God would do what He said
-being sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see (v.1)
2. Obedience
-received God’s calling in faith and followed through in obedience…despite the risk and sacrifice involved
3. Living for a Heavenly Kingdom
-content with being different (v. 13) … a life lived for God will often be counter-cultural
-they were focused on God’s Kingdom, not their own, otherwise they would have backed out (v. 15)

Jeremiah 29:13 ~ Seeking God with all Your Heart, what does it mean?
1. A close relationship with God
-spending time with Him
-giving Him the opportunity to lead
2. Walking in faith
-God often gives us one step at a time
-we will not always see the end result of our faith (v. 13)
-willing to risk and sacrifice
3. Resolve to be different
-citizens of a heavenly kingdom; foreigners on earth

I know it is just bullet points, and these are just some of my thoughts. Hopefully you can spend time looking over these Scriptures yourself. There is a lot to be learned in these passages.

…When you seek me with all of your heart… {Saturday, March 28}

I’m increasingly more thankful for the opportunity to spend 3 months here in Africa. Being here for 3 months gives the opportunity for day-to-day life to sink in. I haven’t been blogging as much this week, partially because of being hot, but also just sensing God stirring things in my heart. One verse has been on my mind a lot this week- Jeremiah 29:13. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I love this verse because it keys in on the personal element of a relationship with God. The fact that God can be found by us when we seek Him with all of our heart means He desires to be close with us. I love that. I’ve been spending time studying places in Scripture that talk about seeking God… What does it mean to seek God with all of my heart? How do I do that?

As I was searching Scripture, I came across Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” I love Hebrews 11. It reminds us of so many lives lived in faith. I was excited to re-stumble upon it… It was actually a passage that I studied quite a bit as I made the decision to come to South Africa. You should read it when you get a chance.

Tomorrow we are going to a local Zulu church where we’ve been asked to give a message. Our leaders Vanessa and Ryan usually give the sermons in these situations, but I offered to speak instead… partially because they’re awesome and totally need a break and partially because I’ve been a lot more introspective lately and feel like God wants me to share these things that have been on my heart. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to share yet, so I will keep you posted on my first sermon! ;)

Move Along {Friday, March 27}

This week has probably been the most draining for our team. Jozini is lovely, but not our favorite place so far. To be blunt, there’s a lot of bugs and it’s really really hot. Sometimes I think about dragging my mattress outside to sleep at night where I think I would feel cleaner and cooler. Haha, ok there. I said it. That’s all I’m going to say on that end, but it has been a more difficult week. Please pray for our energy and endurance as we’re hitting the mid-way point exhaustion. We’re all doing just fine, and we’re making the most of Jozini. But I don’t think anyone will be crying when we leave on Sunday. ;)

School Visits {Thursday, March 26}

Today we visited two schools. The first school this morning was huge. It was R-12 and had about 2000 students. They wanted us to go classroom to classroom, but because we had another school appointment we were not able to do so. Some of the presentations were frustrating because it was almost impossible to be heard with the amount of people and the setup of the area. In total we ended up doing six presentations there. Afterwards we were invited back to the Principal’s Office (the first air-conditioned room I’ve been in since maybe Hazyview??) where we were served “cool drinks” (juice and soda) and MUFFINS. I don’t know why, but I realized how much I missed muffins and was deeply grateful for this special treat.

The next school was much smaller but in a more remote location. We got lost on the way there (red dirt road suddenly ended) and had to stop multiple times so Thabani could ask random Zulu people where the “tar road” was. It was definitely interesting.

Only in Africa {Wednesday, March 25}

Only in Africa do you wake up to a random Zulu guy raking your front yard leaves in his boxers. That’s all.

Hump Day {Tuesday, March 24}

Today is our official half way point. It seems like it has been a long time since I left home and a lot’s happened since then. I’m so thankful to be here and excited for what’s still ahead!!!

This Week {Monday, March 23}

This week we will be visiting schools in the Jozini area. We are very thankful to continue working with our translators from Kosi Bay- Themba, Tombencane, and Thabani. They will be with us this one last week. We will be sad to part with them after a month… In some ways they have become part of the fam! They play parts in our dramas, they eat our American dinners, they’ve learned our card games, and they love our IPods. Last week Themba and Thabani watched 5 movies on Hillary’s IPod.

Moving Day… Jozini! {Sunday, March 22}

After three weeks and 38 schools in Kosi Bay we finally made our move out. It was definitely weird leaving, as I had gotten somewhat attached to the family we were staying with. Cari, my new 14 year old friend, discovered my obsession with “real” coffee and would spoil me with their french press coffee (almost all coffee here is instant) and rusks (similar to biscotti). I will miss Cari and her family!

Jozini is not a far drive from Kosi Bay. In fact, we nearly drove to Jozini on several occasions visiting schools in the surrounding area. It took us about 2 hours to get to Jozini. You should try Google Earth on some of these places if you haven’t already. We are staying just around the corner from the Jozini KFC. If you can find the huge red KFC next to a green plaza center, you have found me!

Our new home is a similar setup to Kosi Bay- camping house next door to the missionary host family. Inside the house isn’t so nice, but outside it is gorgeous. There are banana trees and plumeria trees and a nice patio/covered garage attached to our kitchen…which is the garage…where I’m sitting and typing right now. It’s probably the most “roughing it” we’ve done so far, but we’re honestly all pretty used to it by now. Everyone’s spirits are high and health is good! We’ll be here for a week and then moving on. :)

Long Time Coming {Friday, March 20}

This morning we woke up to a flat tire. With all the off-roading we’ve been doing I cannot believe it hasn’t happened already. So we got to ride to our schools in the back of Themba’s pick-up truck, which over here is called a “bucky.” We drove to our first school where we passed my favorite store in town marked, “Cell Phone Doctor and Hair Salon. Perfume and tobacco for sale.”

Flexibility is Key {Thursday, March 19}

Today was supposed to be very similar to a Hazyview day—visiting homes and praying with families in the rural and impoverished communities. I really enjoyed doing this last time so I was looking forward to it. We followed Themba to our meeting place for the day. As a person with no sense of direction- even with the help of civilized roads, interstates, and landmarks- I’m daily amazed by our nationals’ ability to find schools and other meeting spots in, literally, the middle of nowhere. The Reverend we met up with took us to his nearby tent church. He invited us in for fellowship before we did our home visits. We soon found out fellowship meant one of us needed to share a message. I’m learning that is so much of mission work. Be prepared for anything… and be flexible in everything. So after a few brief messages and a worship song in Zulu we discussed the plan for the day.

Next came the not so uncommon miscommunication. It seemed that they thought we would be doing humanitarian relief as we visited the homes… giving money and resources for the people we would meet. After an awkward discussion explaining that was not our ministry and focus here, they decided it would be best for us to visit schools. So we ended up doing our school visits as usual.

After we finished our presentations, we got to visit a local Afrikaans woman who assists with training the BoH Life Orientation program. She had us over to her art gallery where we had tea, coffee, and scones… one of my favorite things here!

Marina is your typical artsy lady. Wild hair up in a clip, the classic artistic framed glasses, and slightly clumsy (spilled the coffee two or three times). She was very friendly, welcoming, down to earth, and quite inspirational. She has a passion for art and a passion for spreading the love of Jesus in this community. Seven years ago she started an art mission where she began training local Zulu women to stitch and embroider. This is such a cool concept because it provides skills for these women to make an income and a means to support their families. Projects like this instill work ethic and employment into these communities.

At first the women were compensated with tea and biscuits for their work. As the project grew, she was able to employ her workers with regular wages. Now she has 17 women sewing and stitching in her mission creating quilts, picture frames, key chains, greeting cards, and framed artwork. The art all has an authentic African influence and is VERY well done. The facility is pretty amazing. I think it was a unanimous decision that we all wanted an outdoor wedding there. She was telling us stories of how God provided for the mission, how it grew, and the people that have supported along the way. She was saying how there was a hair company from the States that heard about her project and bought a ton of Christmas cards from them last year…. She was trying to think of the guy “umm… Mitchell..?” I was like “Paul Mitchell?!” “Yeah, him!” Haha, that was pretty crazy to me. I mean I have his hairspray back home and I’m glad he supports cool projects like Marina’s. ;)

Candles and Flashlights {Tuesday, March 17}

The past two nights we have had no power. Usually right after dinner is when the electricity dies. Power goes out all the time here in Africa. Monday night we had five of us lying on my bed comforter under the stars. The stars here are incredible… you can even see the Milky Way. We saw a few shooting stars and too many low-flying bats to count. After about an hour lying on the ground we got a bit psyched out by the possibility/reality of critters, spiders and snakes and decided to go in.

We are still visiting three schools a day this week. Another part of our school visits that I have not yet mentioned is our Life Orientation program. South Africa requires schools to teach a class called Life Orientation (LO). From my understanding, this curriculum is a combination of health education, life skills, and guidance counseling. The program is supposed to educate kids on topics like HIV, abuse, love, healthy relationships with people, sex, and others. It is a class in K-12 curriculum every year.

Book of Hope has put together a Life Orientation program that we offer to schools free of charge. LO material is often hard to come by, or not well done, so I’m excited BoH is doing this. We have both teacher manuals and student books that we provide. This material is geared toward HIV education, abuse, decision-making skills, character development, and education in morals and values. There are many interactive demos and illustrations given to teachers throughout the program which they seem to appreciate. The end of the book has Christian applications and teachings that teachers are able to use as well. Christianity can be taught in SA schools, but teachers are not allowed to teach any religion as absolute truth.

Buy a donkey!! {Sunday, March 15}

I just wanted to thank each one of you for the encouraging posts and emails you have been sending. It is so exciting hearing from everyone! I save all of your notes and facebook posts in a Word document and read them often. :) Thank you!!!!! (Buy a donkey means thank you in Afrikaans. Possibly different spelling, but whatever.)

Well hello there! {Saturday, March 14}

Yay! So good to be back in touch again! We’ve been in Kosi Bay for the past two weeks doing full days of school presentations. So far we have visited 26 schools here- both primary and secondary. We will be here for one more week. If you just want to check in, you can know our team is healthy, safe, and doing great. If you want ridiculous Renee-writes-about-everything detail, scroll down to Tuesday, March 3 and read on. Hope all is well with you!!
PS. Do a load of laundry, and eat a chocolate chip cookie for me. Oh and maybe a tall skinny vanilla latte. Awesome, thanks! ;)

Questions {Friday, March 13}

Can you help me get on the Oprah show?

Is God black or white?

What happens when you die?

What makes you think a book can change my life?

Will you tell Obama we said hi?

What should I do if someone wants to have sex… and I do too?

How do I not get HIV?

To Gio: Do you have more than one girlfriend? (No) Wow. You are a loyal man.

Can you get HIV from kissing?

Did you vote for Obama?

How do I hear God speaking to me?

How can Jesus become my best friend?

Are there any job opportunities in America?

What are Obama’s intentions for your country?

If we are made in God’s image, but you steal, are you still made in His image?

My brother is not a Christian and making wrong choices and I pray for him. I keep trying to bring him to church but he won’t come. What should I do?

What are differences between the US and South Africa?

Do you think it’s okay for me [grade 10 student] to date?

I have a question about sex. [Uncontrollable laughter] That’s all.

These are some of the questions we get at high schools. Some are pretty simple. Others are pretty blunt. They love Q&A…. and we do too. Sometimes it is the most influential part of our presentation. We try to be as real as we can in our answers, and I think that gains a lot of their respect. Silence in large high school assemblies usually means you have their attention. Please pray that these students will be open with their questions, doubts, concerns, fears… and that we can be relevant and real in our answers. Pray that they will see truth and that they will see Jesus in a way they have never seen before.

Dear Mom: First Grade in South Africa {Thursday, March 12}

Today we went to a primary school (R-7^th) with 1980 students. I’m often thinking of my mom and her first graders when we go into these primary schools. I wish she could come visit a first grade classroom here with me. So today I found out some 1^st grade stats for you, Mom, and wrote them on my hand. There are 480 first graders, 8 first grade teachers, and 7 first grade classrooms at this school. Isn’t that crazy?!

uNkulunkulu {Wednesday, March 11}

By far my favorite Zulu word. uNkulunkulu (oon-koo-loon-koooo-loo) means God. It sounds awesome when all the kids say it.

All 3 of our schools today were secondary schools. It is a totally different presentation for high schoolers and you have to be on your toes or you lose them quickly. Granted we are immediately received as famous Americans the minute we say we’re from the US… and they want to know if we have Usher’s cell number or if we know Beyoncé…. And before you know it everyone wants a picture with you with their cell phone camera. It’s crazy. But I like it.

At the second school today we broke up in groups and went class to class. This is fun because we allow the learners to ask questions at the end. Sometimes they ask about America or Obama, and sometimes they ask about sex and HIV. As we were about to leave the classroom, one of the teachers stopped us with his own question. “You talk about HIV. It is a large problem here. I understand your views. I understand you teach abstinence and faithfulness. But I myself can’t blame these young girls… they have no parents, no money, no food… and they’re caring for many brothers and sisters. So when older men offer them money for sex, what options do they have? Poverty is the real problem here.”

Luckily Vanessa, one of our leaders, was in our group and had a great response for this teacher. I was caught totally speechless, and left feeling quite sick to my stomach. The situations that exist here are far beyond difficult. It saddened me to hear this teacher’s views. It saddened me to once again see the complexity of life here. The situation here in Africa is devastating and very complex.

At the next school we did two large assembly presentations. A reserved girl named Khanyisile came up to me afterwards. She was soft-spoken and had semi-broken English so it took some patience in understanding what she was telling me. I learned that she was 21, and studying in grade 11. She was telling me about her family. “We are suffering, can you help me? My mother is positive (HIV)… she is very sick… my father has already gone… my brothers and sisters, we are five…. Can you tell me what to do?” Hillary, one of my teammates, was there with me as we tried to comfort this girl. We talked, asked questions, and listened. It was very difficult to know the right things to say. We prayed with her and I took down her name on my hand. I told her we would continue praying for her and her family.

Today was a difficult day for me. I find myself thinking about my small group of high schoolers back home. I cannot believe that girls just like them here- girls the same age- are faced with such different decisions… They have the same teenage-girl spunk and personality yet live completely different lives. Please keep Khanyisile in your prayers.

A Day in the Life {Tuesday, March 10}

Today we visited our 25^th school since we’ve been here in SA. We visited 5 in Hazyview and now 20 here in Kosi Bay. It is crazy to think our team has had the opportunity to influence literally thousands of children in such a small period of time. I continue praying some part of our message will stick with each child. Most of our presentations focus on the message: “I am important to God.” We address positive self-worth and communicate how special each child is to God through our dramas and testimonies. The dramas are very effective in capturing the kids’ attention. In the lower primary schools we start out teaching them the “Hello Song.” We teach them how to say hello (with different gestures or dances) in many different countries around the world. They get really into it, it’s adorable. In the upper primary schools we do an illustration using “chappy” (gum) and Rand (SA money). This is probably the best illustration we do. It definitely has the whole classroom- or assembly- laughing by the end. We do another drama after these illustrations called The Walk of Life. As one person from my team “walks through life” he is repeatedly stopped by friends that call him names. After he is called ugly, stupid, worthless, and told that nobody loves him, a Christian shares about their best friend Jesus- someone that thinks you are important and special. It’s so cute when you’re the “walker” because you get to be really interactive with the kids. We’ll say, “Oh!! Did you hear that, he just called me STUPID! Do you think I’m stupid?” All the kids will yell “NO!!!” And when they say it in Zulu it involves a tongue click so it sounds like they’re clucking at you.

Please keep praying that our message would connect with these kids. Their lives are filled with hardship, and I truly believe they need Jesus. Many of these children have heard about Jesus before, but there is so much junk around them that suffocates the truth. Christians we have met here will tell you Christianity in SA is wide but it doesn’t go deep. There is a bunch of ancestral worship and other practices mixed in with Christianity that skew truth. Others have heard about Jesus but don’t know what a personal relationship with Him means. Outside of Christianity there’s also religions like Shembe… and in this particular area in Kosi Bay we have heard there is a high concentration of witchcraft. Please pray that God would speak through us here. Pray that educators will be open to using our curriculum in their classrooms.

Can I Have Your Number {Monday March 9}

Can I have your number. Can I have it. Can I have it please. These kids want our numbers. Some days you come home with random cell numbers written on your hands, arms, etc….

The ATM’s went on strike this past weekend. There were lines wrapping around street corners at every ATM in town. Didn’t know ATM’s could go on strike, but it happened.

A few cultural fun facts. These Afrikaaner men like their shorts…. short. I see a little more leg than I care to at our gas station stops in town. From what we gather, even the local women do not find it attractive. It is a mystery why this situation still remains.

Also, it is not uncommon or socially uncomfortable for guys to hold hands here. This has brought ongoing entertainment for most of our team. Thabani, one of our translators that is our age, has gotten especially friendly with the guys on the team. We’ll be walking to our next school and I’ll see him go in for the move on Gio or Jeff. It cracks me up seeing them all walking hand in hand as we walk through the schoolyard. And, sometimes, he’ll even wrap his arms around their waists. It makes me laugh because every time it happens the guys are totally caught off guard and you pretty much see them reminding themselves this is normal.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned how much I like the goats. They are one of my favorite animals here. I know, call me crazy but they are pretty stinkin’ cute. Like cows, they often stand in the middle of the road…totally oblivious. My favorite are the baby goats. They are so little. A close second is the mullet goat. When it runs, the party in the back shakes. It looks ridiculous. I’m still working on getting better footage of this for you. I doubt American goats are this cool.

Anyway, we had a long day and tonight I don’t feel like blogging about anything serious!

“Youth Group” {Saturday, March 7}

Themba invited us to his youth group this morning. Nothing is close around here, so we had to get a 2 hour head start. We were supposed to meet Themba at the halfway point around 9am. Zulu culture has no emphasis on time, so he showed up around 9:45. Although we were very late, it seemed like no big deal. We arrived to the start of a very typical African church experience. The church, about a ten minute off-road (uncomfortable) drive in the middle of rural South Africa, was jumping with music. Loud singing, lots of dancing, off beat clapping, and the synthesizer keyboard rocking. It’s so funny attending church here because you have NO idea what is going on the majority of the time. Everything is in Zulu. We’ll sing a song, we sit down, someone starts to give a sermon?, someone stands up and starts singing, we stand up, dancing starts, clapping starts, and it all repeats. I swear it seems like there’s no organization to it whatsoever. Occasionally people will hand you a hymnal and point to where we are in the song, as if you can read Zulu. After about 30 minutes of singing and dancing, the message starts. The synthesizer piano continues playing throughout the entirety of the sermon, which I find interesting… and distracting… but not like I can follow the message anyway. Midway through the sermon the baby on the woman’s lap next to me pees on her. So as she went and cleaned up I got to enjoy an hour sermon- in Zulu- in a small hot church with pee baking in the seat next to me. There are many times that I find myself thinking… “wow, that really just happened.” This is definitely one of them. I laugh a lot here.

Anyway, after the message we had a 5 minute intermission (church is now half over) and it pretty much repeats for the second half. Not quite anything like The Chapel. It’s like a 3 hour ordeal. As much as it is entertaining, I do have to stop and realize just how cool it all is. The same God you and I sing to in our American churches is being worshipped-- in an entirely different way--here in South Africa. It’s so easy for me to get wrapped up in my little corner of the world. I’m so thankful to get to see a new culture. To step into a world different from mine back home. It helps me see how big God is. How creative He is in what He has created. How much bigger life is than my little corner of the world. God has created so many different people, with different styles, preferences, and surroundings… And He calls us to live as One Body and to bring glory to His name. What an honor to see another culture loving God in their own way.

So “youth group” turned out to be a church service, three hours long … that started nearly one hour late. What a day.

Just Over the Hill {Friday, March 6}

Some things just get lost in the whole cross-cultural experience. This has been a great source of entertainment for me.

Yesterday we had an AWESOME opportunity to visit the BEACH!! We went to two nearby schools and finished our day earlier than normal. Rev. Louwrens family was going to the beach and they wanted us to come along. Okay, you don’t have to pull my arm for that. It’s funny because as soon as you hear beach you know what you’re getting into. You drive, park, pull out your towel and lay out. I can do that.

I should’ve known better. So it starts out interesting as we have to park in someone’s backyard … the beach is just over the hill the locals tell us. We’ve got all of our towels, cameras, water bottles, the whole I’m an American tourist deal in tow. We run down the first sand dune and climb the top of another. We get to the top, and everyone is cracking up saying “you’ve GOT to be kidding me!!” We see the beach… like 5 miles away through what looks to me like Michigan sand dunes/African bush/Sound of Music. Suddenly beach day has a Survivor twist to it. The best part was the Pit Bull – Rotweiller dog that led us the entire way to the beach.

The beach was gorgeous. We had to swim across several bays, to sand bars, and then swim around into the Indian Ocean. It was crazy. I think I was driving everyone crazy with my broken record of “I cannot believe we are doing this. Did you ever think you would go to the Indian Ocean??? Oh my gosh. This is so cool.” Our group of 15 was, for the most part, the only people there. The Indian Ocean is rough! We went out in the waves and they were crazy. We also got to do some snorkeling in the bays and saw some pretty cool fish and a few polka-dotted eels. Ew!

HIV/AIDS {Thursday, March 5}

Tonight we had a British doctor come to our house to share her insight on HIV/AIDS here in South Africa. The local hospital is very under-staffed and most of the doctors are from other countries- England and Australia seem to be common. Here’s some basic info…

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV becomes AIDS, or Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In short, this disease is a virus that attacks the immune system.

The life expectancy in SA is 37 for women, and 39 for men. Most AIDS patients are 24-34 years old. The doctor approximated that 80% of hospital patients here are suffering with AIDS. She added how embedded the stigma is here. Even in the hospitals, nurses and doctors are still very hush-hush in acknowledging the disease. The most at risk group in this area of SA are married women (so many men are unfaithful to their spouse, or in some cases have multiple wives). I found that very interesting.

Quick stats:
-In Sub-Saharan Africa, 28 million ppl are infected {2 million children} with HIV
-25 million HIV deaths globally since 1981
-2.8 million deaths in 2005 – half million of which were children
-12 million AIDS orphans
-5.7 million people infected in South Africa- world’s highest caseload
-600-1000 deaths per day
-In South Africa, 1 in 3 pregnant women is HIV positive

Schools & Presentations {Wednesday, March 4}

The people here are very welcoming. Last night Rev. Louwrens (pronounced Laurens) invited us to his house for a dinner/Bible study with their small group. Rev. Louwrens has five children... Two high school girls that I like hanging out with. They remind me of my small group girls back home! Dinner was another curry meat and rice combo... they seem to like their curry here. Luckily I'm doing fine with it.

We are having a more typical Book of Hope internship experience here in Kosi Bay. We visit three schools every day, meeting with the teachers and doing presentations for the students. Most schools we visit are primary schools- grades R (kindergarten) thru 7^th. Sometimes we go class to class (probably 40 to 60 kids per room) or split the school into two groups and do assembly presentations. Throughout training we learned different dramas and games geared toward specific age groups. Every presentation is structured with an intro, interactive illustration/game, drama, testimony, and the closing explanation and distribution of the Book of Hope. The kids love it.

We are getting to know our translators pretty well. They are awesome. Thabani is my age. He just graduated metric (high school) in 2007 and his favorite musician is Chris Brown. Tombencane is a 33 year old woman who studied child psychology at a university here. She likes to talk to me about my classes in psych. The c in Zulu actually makes a clicking noise, so to pronounce her name you have to make a click in the middle. I think I can finally say it right after like 5 days. She is getting married in May. In the Zulu culture the man must pay a bolla (pronounced bowl-a) to the bride’s parents for his bride. The most common amount is 11 cows. One cow costs 4000 Rand ($400 US dollars). The engagement process takes a long time because the bolla is so expensive.

Themba is our last translator. He’s a ton of fun. On Sunday he invited us into his home for coffee. We of course said yes, as it is extremely rude to turn coffee/tea down here. He showed us his entire wedding photo album while we waited for our “coffee”… which actually turned out to be a full meal and hot chocolate. It was pretty interesting. He’s loud, funny, and very metro. He has these European looking snakeskin shoes that he likes to wear with tight jeans and sweater vests. Probably not what you would think for a Zulu guy huh. Haha.

Road Trip… Kosi Bay {Tuesday, March 3)

Hello again! We arrived here at Kosi Bay (KwaZulu Natal Province) on Saturday night. We woke up around 4am on Saturday to pack up the car and head out. The drive took…. Ugh, pretty much all day. While the GPS and locals predicted 6 hours of driving time, our road trip took more like 11 hours. Driving in rural Africa is a totally different experience. Entire herds of goats and cows chill in the middle of roads, construction causes roads to close for 20 minutes at a time, many roads are dirt/red clay, and potholes (miles of them) are everywhere. It’s entertaining… for the first few hours. ;)

Kosi Bay is in the northeastern tip of South Africa. We’re probably 20 miles from the Mozambique border and 15 miles from the Indian Ocean. We drove along the Swazi (Swaziland) border on our way here from Hazyview.

Things have been crazy here. We have been pretty much go-go-go since we pulled in on Saturday night. We had a full out Afrikaans meal Saturday night, and I got to try Kudu meat for the first time. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.

I’ll be honest, I have had to develop an eating strategy for some of these meals. As soon as I realize things are less than appetizing… slash starting to feel the gag reflex come on… I quickly switch to the mash and mix method. Ie. When you have squash (disgusting, I cannot keep it down) and kudu (texture a little iffy, but do-able) you mix them together for a much easier eating experience. It is also key to eat very fast.

We are staying next door to a missionary family. They are very friendly. Accommodations here are much more of a camping-style (but sleeping indoors) than our vacation home in Hazyview… but still working just fine. And most importantly, we are safe and healthy here!

INTERNET!!

Ok not gonna lie, my heart is racing. It feels great to be online again!!!!!!! Haha. I have a half hour, so I'm copy-pasting all my stuff from this week. If I have time I will upload a few pix! I'm doing great and loving Africa! I am posting several entries.... so make sure to scroll all the way down to Sat Feb 21 :) Sorry, small novel. Maybe I'll publish a book when I get home.

This morning we got to drive through Kruger National Park. It was awesome! We saw two of the big 5- elephant and cape buffalo. Lots of baboons, impala, zebra, giraffe, and even a mongoose. ha. Anyway, tomorrow we are headed to KosiVay in KwaZulu-Natal. We will be there for the next 3 weeks. It is close to the Indian Ocean, although we are not sure if we will go all the way to the coast. Apparently we will be star guests at an Afrikaans 21st bday when we get there... should be interesting. Tonight we have our first authentic Afrikaans meal. Clean plates are a must, like it or not.

Miss you all! Lots of love~ Renee :)

Poverty Runs Deep {Thursday, Feb 26}

Today we visited homes again. The volunteers from one of Rev. Tevey’s 5 orphanages went around showing us the places where their orphans are staying. There are roughly 100 homes at that particular care center site that need visited. Today we only got to 15 of them. Within those 15 there are an overwhelming amount of needs. I have learned that the question, “Do you have food here?” is actually relative. Every person says no. We have to look deeper into things…. Are they growing crops on their property? Is there any evidence of food in their home or scraps in the yard? We visited a pre-school today where 2 teachers were watching 40-50 children. We were told their parents were spending the day at the Hazyview dumps looking for food, furniture, and other things they could put to use. Part of me gets frustrated with the people we meet asking for handouts because we are white or American. Don’t get me wrong, I have compassion for these people and my heart breaks for each situation I hear. I want to give them bread. I want to give them a mat to sleep on. I want to give them all of the things that are so second nature to me. But there’s also a deeper problem here. HIV is winding out of control. There are no jobs for the children graduating from Metric. I cannot tell you how many educated people I meet that are my age and cannot find work. There is corruption in the political structure and the leaders. South Africa has an upcoming election and the ANC candidate (Mandela’s party), who pretty much has the win in the bag, is totally corrupt. My brain is all over the place, but those are some of the issues I’m trying to sort through.

Tevey’s Got Connections {Wednesday, Feb 25}

Rev. Tevey is a really cool guy. In my opinion, he looks like an interesting mix of George Bush and my Grandpa Blake. Haha. Grandpa, he reminds me of you! Anyway, his son happens to be a white water rafting guide…. And got us some pretty sweet connections for our day off today. Yes Mom, we went white water rafting. It was awesome. I went with one of the guys in a two person kayak deal. Basically, if I wasn’t screaming I was hysterically laughing. My raft probably struggled the most (shocking, I know). We were frequently going into the rapids backwards or sideways… and by some miracle never flipped the entire day. Half way through we pulled our rafts up on shore…. and were given a juice box and a bag of chips. It seemed pretty random to me, but hey I took the break! After that, we each got to jump into the river and swim down a small drop. They had the guides all around us, it was very safe and so fun! After we finished rafting, we did a little zip-lining. It was pretty intense. Truth be told, I was freaking out. The zip line went over half African mountain bush, half lemon orchards. We had to climb this tower at the top of a mountain where our guide would clip you onto the line and scream 3…2….1…ZERO! When I got to the top of the tower I made our guide triple check my belts and had a death grip on his shoulder. From the bottom of the mountain they heard … Renee laughing…. Guide yelling 3 …. Renee screaming….. 2 and 1 covered with the scream… and there I went. I decided up front I was doing “no hands” and everyone says it was Peter Pan slash bird the whole way down. They’re still laughing at me. Anyway, my favorite part of the day was getting a caffé latte at the end. I felt totally spoiled.

Precious Children {Monday, Feb 23}

Today we did presentations at 3 schools. Every morning they start school with singing and clapping. It is so cool to watch. Classes start and end with what I think is the equivalent of Fort Wayne tornado sirens. It is a bit dramatic and overwhelming if you ask me. They are fascinated with white people. Groups of kids crowd around you just to touch your skin. Their faces light up when you smile and wave. As we were leaving the last school, we glanced behind us to see hundreds of children running down the hill chasing after our car. It was hilarious. They caught up to our car and only stopped when adults started yelling.

This afternoon we spent time at one of the orphan care centers. Sitting in the yard outside were 4 young orphans…. Here is a glimpse of the children I met.

Rhulisa is 4 years old. She is a beautiful little girl. Red turtleneck and a precious blue dress…even with the ridiculous heat, she is not hot. She stares blankly at me, with no expression. Her eyes are cloudy, and it is quite obvious she is sick. I look at her legs and see sores. Her head has scabs where flies are gathering. She looks…exhausted. I take her in my arms and sit in the shade. She is unusually small for a 4 year old. Within minutes, she is fast asleep snoring in my lap. Having gone to visit her home earlier that day I know she has a 20 year old brother looking after her. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that can care for a 4 year old sister with AIDS. There are at least 7 other brothers and sisters, and I wonder if she has a bed to sleep in at night.

I look over at two children sitting on the ground across from me. They look to be about 2 years old. At first glance I think they are boys. I later learn they are twins, one boy and one girl. I ask what their names are. The volunteers are unsure, it is their first day here. They explain that just two days ago their mother overdosed on poison because the suffering of her life was so great. No wonder these children do not smile. No wonder they are zombies consumed by a world I cannot see. I look down to see the start of sores on the little girl’s leg. Probably the first signs of HIV.

I sit silently lost in my own thoughts. These precious children, never knowing their own mother…already knowing what it feels like to be dying. I cradle Rhulisa in my arms wanting to take away the cruel virus in her little body. I imagine God looking down on this precious girl. I remember how much God mentions his love for orphans and widows in His Word. I think how much he loves her and how much it hurts Him to see her pain. Jesus loves this little girl.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Beautiful People {Sunday, Feb 22}

Wow, what an incredible week. I never would have imagined getting an opportunity to experience this. I am fascinated by the stories and the people I am meeting. The weather is very hot. I would guess the temperature is in the 80’s and the sun is pretty intense. Today we visited 16 homes. Conditions were very rough, so we spent most of the day documenting.

Here’s some quick observations…
-most orphans live with a “granny” some with an “auntie”
-usually at least one child in the home is “not well” (aka has HIV) -- a lot of the time you can see the sores on their arms, legs, or head
-most homes are brick with 2-3 small rooms (some covered with roof, some not)
-some take pride in a clean house and will joke with you about their home not being clean… although everything inside is polished inside and outside the dirt is raked; other homes are not well kept- they smell, have trash lying around, and clothes/dishes sitting in filthy water
-most families had small sections of crops growing on their property, a barbed fence enclosing their land and a creepy looking guard dog
-most families do not have enough mattresses- youngest children sleep on the cement floor
-none of the homes had regular access to clean water…water is dropped off once a week on Mondays

I usually am given the job of recording stories-- which I LOVE-- because I get to sit down next to the caregiver and hear their story. I love talking with these people. I love to listen to their needs and to show them someone who cares. I love making them smile. I work with the nationals for translation, which is cool. It is fun building relationships with our translators and telling them about my family and friends back home. I always say where I come from it is VERY VERY cold. In the winter, it snows! The land is very flat and we have lots and lots of corn. Their eyes smile and they say “yes…”. Haha I love them.

The story of one particular girl, Nonhlanhla, will always stay with me. She’s sixteen years old, in the 8th grade, and taking care of her 3 younger brothers. They live by themselves in a small one room brick house. They have nothing. I ask her my last question, “Is this a safe place for you?” She shakes her head. They need a new lock and the windows are shattered from a robbery not too long ago. We are led to believe she was raped during the robbery. The translator explains they often sleep across the street at their aunt’s house…. But the Aunt is “not good to them.” She abuses them and makes them sleep on the cement floor. She is taking the orphan grant money given by the government for these children and using it for herself. This 16 year old girl I am talking with has prostitution as her only option to provide for her brothers. It is widely known by the community this situation exists, but law enforcement is basically non-existent and social workers are few and far between. Four children, lost in a world of injustice.

This is just one story of many. It makes me angry and it breaks my heart. I am hopeful, however, that the work our team is doing sheds light. Every story is documented and turned into Rev. Tevey’s ministry to take action. It is not our job to go into these homes and give hand-outs. They need long-lasting solutions that need partnership from locals within the community. And they need our prayers. Please pray with me for these people.

As a sidenote, the nationals have been guiding us through the neighborhoods to ensure our safety. I have never felt threatened in any way in these communities, and we are always in groups.

I’m so thankful for my team. These people are awesome. It’s funny that only a few weeks ago we had never met, and now they’re like family. Everything is going very well. Even though our days are filled with some intense emotionally draining events, we still have pretty normal lives. We make our own dinners at home, have water fights doing the dishes, bake chocolate chip cookies (YAY!!), and play competitive games at night. Still healthy, safe, and thrilled about being here.

Hazyview {Saturday, Feb 21}

Sanibonani! That’s hello from Hazyview, a small town in the Mpumulanga Province of SA. Here the language is Swahili. I’m amazed at the amount of languages in this country. So far I think we’ve heard some Zulu, Afrikaans, Swahili, Sotho, and English. Unless it’s English they all sound the same to me. I try to mimic and it makes the kids laugh.

It was a five hour drive in our Condor SUV… luggage behind us in a little trailor. Hazyview is a beautiful town bordering Kruger National Park. The drive here was gorgeous. We drove through small rural villages where women carried food and water on their heads with babies strapped to their backs with towels…. We drove through grassy plains with no civilization in sight…. And we drove through the mountains, which was my favorite. I tried to do some taping, but it just doesn’t do it justice. It was weird seeing elephant caution signs as we drove into town. I haven’t seen one yet, but I think it will happen here soon.

This week has been awesome!! Everyone is safe and healthy. We are staying in someone’s vacation home in a gated community. It is the nicest missionary accommodation I’ve ever seen. We are working with Reverend “Tevey” and his orphan care ministry. Friday morning we got to visit 2 schools and do presentations. Each school had probably 200-300 learners. At the second school about one-fourth of the kids raised their hands when the headmaster introduced the Reverend’s work with orphans and asked how many did not have parents. It was heart-wrenching. Rev. Tevey supplies 5 (going on 6) central care giving centers with food and water for orphans in the community. Each care center usually feeds at least 100 children. These orphans are usually taken in by a grandmother or neighbors. The black culture here does not embrace the idea of orphanages.

Today was one of the most impactful days yet. One of our responsibilities this week is to assist Rev. Tevey in assessing living conditions of the orphans he’s helping. Our group split up into a leader, national, a guy team member, and a girl member and visited the homes where these children are living. Wow, heart-wrenching stuff. It’s what you hear about, but can never quite imagine. We walked through grassy brush…on dirt roads…climbing mountainside… passing communities of wooden shacks or small brick buildings with tin roofs (sometimes). It was one big third world neighborhood. One thing we did recognize though was the Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé blaring from random houses. Gio and I made a game of naming the American hip hop as we walked through. That much was entertaining for sure.

Our goal was to document living conditions (we had an observation chart) but also to have fun!! It was depressing seeing living conditions like this… homes that had no access to clean water, people literally devoid of emotion from the poverty, homes with one outfit for every family member (with huge holes all over the place), one mattress for 8 people (aka children sleeping on dirt floors), a boy with a large protrusion from his belly button (probably a parasite or hernia), and children with sores (most likely from HIV/AIDS). So yes, lots of depressing stuff. But it was our job to make those kids smile and laugh. To bring a little fun and a lot of love into their day. While one of us sat with the translator documenting conditions and speaking with the caregiver, others played games with the children. At one house we had about 8 African kids teaching us dance moves. At first, it was us teaching them like… oh, the shopping cart, or the lawn mower… Then one of the girls started break dancing and looked at us to repeat after her. Oh my gosh, it was a riot!!! They thought our dancing was funny and we loved theirs. There was a four year old boy getting DOWN. I so wish I could’ve videotaped this for you. It was hilarious. But for safety reasons we only carry our Nalgenes (water bottles) in these areas. So I’m trying extra-hard to imprint everything in my memory.