Monkies in Trees

So...nothing much to say other than we had a monkey in one of our trees tonight! So funny! The zoo is not far from here so that's the only explanation I could come up with. :) Just another reminder that I am not in Alpharetta, GA. :)

Made dinner with my teammate Mariah. We had fun trying to find the right ingredients at the store. By the way...if the buttermilk in South Africa is lumpy...it's ok! :) gladly came across a brownie mix. however, ice cream...not near as good as home...much to my dismay. :(

well...that's really all i had.

truckin' along here in Pretoria North,
manda :)

Right, Different, or Wrong?

We have been continuing our study on culture this week. Yesterday we went to the Voortrekker musuem which told the history of the Afrikaans nation through marble sculptures around the inside walls. It was a neat way to tell a story...and beautiful! We also had a discussion on how people of different cultures either view things as right, different, or wrong in comparison to other cultures. Hmm...what things are a part of your culture that you would consider right or different, and what things are a part of other cultures that you would consider wrong or different? It's really intersting when you sit down and consider it. Cultural differences have been fun to discuss with our group since we have Americans, one Canadian, and one white South African. Very different world views. It's been really neat to learn about different cultures, evaluate our own, and see where God fits into the whole picture.

Today was another trip to the township of Soshanguve. This time we visited a place called Ikhaya Lenjabulo...translated means Home of Joy. We heard the story of Thobile, the woman who began this organization. She has an amazing faith and trust in God, mainly built up by the fact that she has seen God move so amazingly in her life and the lives of the children and families that she works with. In her words, "I have so much and He has always provided. Why not believe He will continue to provide." Maybe not exactly as she said it, but you get the picture. :) She has what she needs and knows she can't take anything with her. She finds fulfillment in the things that truly satisfy the soul. Do I live that way? Do you? She mentioned one day wanting to move back to Durban, where she grew up. She said she has given a lot to this township and now she hopes to be able to move back home and help people from her home town. Wow! That was amazing to me! She truly has a beautiful soul.

I think I felt a big connection with today's trip mainly because I could relate on a VERY SMALL scale to what Thobile was sharing. She used to be a teacher and told of her love for the kids and families she worked with. I instantly loved that about her! While I did not deal with the same struggles as Thobile, I could see her deep love of helping the children. At one point, she had 5 kids who lost their parents to AIDS and were ophaned. All within 2 months! This eventually led to the creation of Home of Joy. She found herself having to help so many families and children that she eventually had to quit teaching to run the "home" full time. It began in a garage and has, by the Grace of God, grown into a 2 story home with plenty of room for the kids. (the house was donated by a local church and the interior needs were donated by a few different organizations). They run a "daycare" there and house 8 kids full time. The rest are placed with their relatives....which she believes is important. The ages of the kids in the "daycare" were between 0 and 6...i think...and the ages of those who live there range from 4-13. The whole time we were upstairs there was this roar of kids voices coming from downstairs. I loved it! :)

We even got to share a meal with Thobile and her staff...who amazingly stay with the home even though they are paid very little! Prayers that that staff needs would be met through more financial support!!!! We had a meal of chicken and pap. Pap is kind of like grits..."undoctored" grits that is. :) It is best put with a gravy of some sort, which today was on the chicken and used for the pap. It was quite tasty. :) The catch is...you eat it with your hands! :) Eating with your hands is the normal way in the townships...and with some other cultures here. Interesting, but cool. :) Not right or wrong...just different. :)

Below are a few pictures from today. Also...one from Saturday when we went to the waterpark, Sun City. On the way out we saw a baboon on top of one of the buildings. Crazy!! :)

In His Love,

manda

the one on the far left is Thobile. (with the brown and white shirt.)

some of the staff and my gang eating.

Can you find the baboon on far right picture??? :)

The other is the "close-up". I couldn't get a great picture but it was pretty cool. :)

Has It Really Only Been One Week???

Well...week one in South Africa has come to a close and week two has begun. We just enjoyed a really lazy Sunday, which was nice! We needed to recover from the hecticness that was last week (which, by the way, absolutely CRAWLED by here). I truly can't believe it has only been one week!

We have done a ton of stuff. We went to cultural museum one day to get a very brief history of South Africa. (we will be going to a couple different ones this week as well) Even though there is a ton to learn it was good to get the basic overview. We have started our “conversation” times as well. This is a chance for us to discuss our books and other topics. It’s basically our learning time. We visited a family in a local township that one of the staff members is really involved with. It reminded me quite a bit of the last time I was here. It was good to get out in the township because we have been in a mostly “city” setting thus far.

Most of our time has been spent learning about the culture here from different perspectives...which are quite a few. It's been great though because we will definitely be more prepared than if we had jumped right into the ministry side of things. To end this first week, one of our staff members, Daleen, made us Greek food and we watched “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. It was a great way to enjoy the funny side of “integrating cultures”.

It’s been really great getting to know everyone here...staff, apprentices, and other members of the community. Everyone is so great! It's a diverse group but we have had a fun time. Well, I have. :)

Center is Kellie Laurson, my roommate, from Illinois ; Chris Seitz, to her right, from Florida ; Laura Waldrip, to his right, from California ; ME; Mariah Cocke, to Kellie’s left from Virginia ; Jody Thomas, to her left, from Canada ; and Roger Sanor on the end from Johannesburg .

Kellie and I get along splendidly! The other girls have been awesome too but it’s been a relief to be getting along so well with my actual roommate. Jody is hilarious! He has me laughing so hard all the time…especially during dinner which makes it hard to eat. Roger, poor thing, gets a million questions seeing as he’s local. Between Roger's English accent, Jody's Canadian accent, and the mix of accents we hear around town, we have all been joking about what ridiculous accents we are all going to end up having by the end of all this.

Oh yeah…it rained ALL WEEK last week!!! The first full sunny day was Saturday! But, that was perfect timing because we went to a water park that day. It was a great time of just chilling…and very much needed! It also gave us a chance to get to know people better and have discussions that are often brought on in a relaxing environment. The weather was beautiful, but much sun screen was needed as the sun can be quite brutal here...but i managed to not get burned and fared much better than most!

For those concerned...my luggage came on Monday so it wasn’t too bad. :)

I guess that might be all for now. The updates shouldn't be as long once I am on more of a routine with updating the blog.

I definitely miss you all A TON!! However, the week has gone much better than I anticipated! This must definitely be where God wants me for right now, which makes me feel even better. I am learning a lot and am looking forward to all that these 10 months will hold. Thanks for all your prayers! They are definitely felt as I settle in here so smoothly.

Much Love,

manda :)

one more thing...

oh yeah...a quick update on my surroundings. the house we are staying in is really neat! it's a 100 year old house name Pangani, which means "to gather together". very appropriate! It has a spacious main house with many different types of rooms. the yard is beautiful and through the backyard are some steps up to guest houses. each one is about the size of a hotel room. there are two people per room but we have our own bathrooms which is great! it's a really nice place to stay!!! i will send pictures of it soon!

it is rainy season and it's been raining a ton! it has been weird to hear so much rain since we are still in a drought in Atlanta. i forgot how much i like that sound when i'm just lying in bed. :)

there are two dogs running around the place too...chippy and jesse. they aren't allowed in the house at all so it's funny to see them just sit right outside the doors and longingly look in. no worries though...there is plenty of covered area for them to be in when it's raining. :) they do sneak in the house occassionally but are quickly scooted out. :) kinda funny!

the staff couples have kids so there are lots of little ones running around here...which of course i love!

ok...i think that's all for now. don't forget to read the previous post that i just put on as well! :)

lots of love!
manda

First Full Day!

Wow!!! I had my first full day in South Africa and it was wonderful! I spent a lot of time with all the other apprentices and staff as we had a cookout and just enjoyed each other's company. The next two weeks will be filled with orientation. We will be getting more familiar with Pretoria, each other, and getting a good idea of where we will be headed in the next 10 months. They have some awesome things planned for us and I am really looking forward to all of it! One cool thing will be a cricket match on Sunday...apparently it's an all day event!

I was really sad to leave my family and friends but it's getting much easier as the time goes on. I know I will experience moments of sadness but I continue to rest in God right now. This is going to be an amazing 10 months with Him!!!

I will keep it short for now but keep looking for more updates soon! I am going to do my best to keep this thing updated regularly. :)

In His Love,

manda :)