Soccer Fever!!!

Went to a soccer game at the new Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban. It is spectacular. As we arrived there was a sea of black and gold for the Kaiser Chiefs and black, white and red for the Orlando Pirates. There has been a long rivalry between these teams with most of the games ending 0-0. One of the most amazing things about the game are the Vuvuzelas. They are made of plastic and look like elongated trumpets without the keys. When 20,000 plus are blown at the same time....man it's crazy. The fans were jumping up and down and many were in elaborate outfits in support of their teams. The game was quite exciting and went into overtime without either team scoring. It came down to penalty kicks where the Chiefs won 3-0. Soccer fever is in the air as South Africa gets ready for the World Cup.

Happy Easter!!

Christ our Lord is risen today. Alleluia!!! I have celebrated another first. This is my first Easter away from home. It was a wonderful day. I went to church in Ntshongweni to start the day. After church I went to a friend's house for a braai with his family. It was a lovely afternoon filled with laughter. We did something really cool in the evening. There is a group that meets at a nature conservation to look for chameleons. So we joined them. Even though it was raining we saw 4 chameleons. I heard that up to 45 have been spotted in the area. They are quite amazing and were a bit hard to see since they were green like the leaves. We used flashlights to look for them. Never thought that I would do such a thing. I did have fun and hope to do it again when it's sunny.

www.why-did-I-have-problems-with-my-internet.com

This morning I woke up and Julia says..."I think that our internet is out." Unfortunately, we don't have unlimited internet access here. It's a bit expensive. So I only get 3GB per month. I don't even know how much that is in internet language. I went online as I usually do to top up with another 1GB. After trying several times I could not for the life of me get on. I had to do the unthinkable.....call tech support. After being on hold for what seemed like a lifetime, the person gave me another www.page to try. Woo! Hoo!..... NOT! After filling out all of the information to top up, I got a RESTRICTED CARD error message. So I tried again, same message. Changed cards, had Julia try her card and still the same message. So, yes I had to call tech support again. This time it didn't take too long to get someone. I explained the problem and he says, "Please hold while I check to see what the problem is." Finally he comes back and says, "Unfortunately the system is down so I will give you an 800 number to call and they can help you." Arrrrgghh!!! Why is this happening, am I in the twilight zone?

I call the 800 number at 7:30am and get the message, "the office is currently closed, please call back at 8:00am." Didn't have too long to wait, so I listened to Michael Jackson songs to pass the time. I called back at 8:00, 8:01 and got the office is currently closed message. I let a few minutes pass and called at 8:05. It finally rang and yes, I had to wait. About 10 minutes later, a lady answered, I explained the problem, and she says, "Unfortunately our system is down, please call back at 9:00am." By that time, Julia and I decided to head out since we had to do some shopping before heading to Ntshongweni.

We got back home around 5:00pm and I decided to try one last time to get internet access. I called the 800 number and was told that my wait time was going to be 20 minutes. Yikes!!! So I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally I get someone and he said that I can help you, but I have to give you a temporary username and password and then you have to reset the modem. At this point I said, sure and he walked me through the process. After all is said and done, I have internet access again. Oh, the "simple" pleasures of life.

The Body of Christ....

As I reflect on the events of today and try to find the words to share it with you, these words come to mind. "And they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love, Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love." (Jars of Clay) Those words sum up the awesome experience I had this morning. Julia and I accompanied Pastor Thwala, members of the Ntshongweni Lutheran church, the Roman Catholic church and the Ethopian Holy Church of Zion to visit 74 year old Gogo Ndlovu. She resides in Ntshongweni but due to illness she is currently living with her daughter in the rural community of KwaNyuswa. Pastor Thwala visited Gogo Ndlovu to give her Holy Communion.

As we arrived and began greeting Gogo Ndlovu, tears of joy ran down her face to see us there. It made my heart smile especially when Gogo Jali, Dube and Mhkize embraced her. We sat down and started singing. Even thought I am still struggling with learning Zulu, I was able to sing the songs. Pastor Thwala gave a wonderful sermon using John 4:10-15 as the text, then we all received Holy Communion. It was a wonderful feeling worshipping together as the Body of Christ. One of the most amazing things about being here in South Africa is getting to worship with Christians from different cultures.

After the service we spent some time in fellowship and Gogo Ndlovu was very happy. The other gogos sat with her and continued to talk while Julia and I spent time getting to know the ladies from the church in Ntshongweni a little better. It soon came time to leave and we all hugged Gogo Ndlovu and sang as we walked out. As we walked back to the taxi Gogo Jali said to me ngiyakuthando ( I love you in Zulu ). It amazing how your presence can touch the lives of others. It was a wonderful way to start my day.

"And they'll know we are Christians by our love by our love, Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love"

Sew, sew, sew....

This past Wednesday I taught the sewing class with help from Julia. On Monday we went to Gori's shop (she is the lady that usually teaches the class) for a lesson. She had to prepare for a craft show this week and so Julia and I were up for the challenge of teaching class. Our task was to sew small purses which included putting on a zipper. Yikes!!!! What was I thinking. Not the sort of thing I learned in home economics ages ago.

Wednesday arrived and we had the room set up with the machines and all the sewing notions. The ladies arrived and were very excited when I showed them what they would be making this lesson. They choose their patterns, pinned the zippers in place and were ready to sew, sew, sew. What a rocky start it was. My mind went blank and I could not remember how to get started. What side of the material was supposed to face up, was the zipper supposed to be face down? Help!!! So I picked up the phone and called Gori for a quick reminder. At this point I was so mad at myself for not being able to remember. I apologized to the ladies and asked for their patience. This was not going to defeat me. I reminded Constance (one of the ladies in the class) that she forgot to pray and so we stopped what we were doing and she led us in prayer. After that it all came back to me and we went full speed ahead. We had so much fun and the ladies were all pleased with their purses. Whew!!!! I'm glad that it all turned out well in the end.

Alone no more......

The new missionary Julia Wehrenberg arrived in South Africa on January 27th from Illinois. I had been looking forward to her arrival with joy. Finally, I would be alone no more. It will be great having someone to talk to rather than talking to myself (I really don't talk to myself). She spent part of February in Middleburg getting an introduction to the Zulu language and culture. I joined here in Midlleburg during her last week there getting to know a little about her. Julia will be here for 1 year so I have time to know her better. We had the opportunity to be on the radio where we were able to share about the work we will be doing in South Africa, why we felt called and shared our love for Christ. It was a good experience. We headed back to Pretoria where we stayed with the Rodewald family before heading down to Durban. I have spent the past few days helping to get Julia settled and showing her around Hillcrest and Pinetown. We attended church in Ntshongweni on Sunday and today she was able to meet some of the families. I am glad to have Julia here and look forward to serving with her.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!!!! Wow, I can't believe that I am celebrating my birthday in South Africa. Not something that I would have ever imagined. In the weeks leading up to my birthday I was a little sad because I didn't know how the day was going to be. Usually I celebrate with my friends. We go to dinner and have a grand time. A very good friend said to me, "how awesome it is to celebrate your birthday in the mission field by serving God." That gave me a new perspective on things. Even though my family and friends were not here, I knew that God would make my day special. It was a very happy birthday indeed. A very dear friend had a birthday breakfast in my honor and I was deeply touched by her kindness. In the afternoon I went for tea and cake with another friend. Thanks to Facebook and email, I received birthday wishes from family and friends. I was truly blessed today.