My Favs

So far, my trip to the US has been great.  I’ve been busy catching up with family and friends, meeting with prayer and financial partners, and working to raise awareness and support for Ignite South Africa.  It’s been a great time, but definitely not a vacation!  I’m thinking I’ll need one when I get back to SA!!

One of the questions people frequently ask is what do I miss most about living in SA?  Of course my answer is family, friends and my home church – Kensington Community Church.  In this picture I’m at the zoo with my niece Paige and nephew Brandon.

But just for fun, here are some other things that I’ve been enjoying while I’m here – things that are different, or we can’t get, or are too expensive or far away to enjoy regularly…

Some of My Favorite Things (Easy, this isn’t the Oprah show)

Driving an automatic car!!  Thanks to a dear friend who loaned me his.

So many choices.  Everything from dozens of different cereals, sweets and sodas to being close to so many stores and malls.  Where we live in SA, a trip to the mall or movies is a day-long field trip.

Pizza.  My favorite food.  While here I’ve enjoyed Little Caesars, Jets, Buddy’s, Alibi, Mexican pizza, Mediterranean pizza, you name it!

Fast Food.  Drive-thru Arby’s eaten in the car just because I can (yeah for automatics!)  Also Burger King and Taco Bell. Yum!

Ethnic Food.  Mexican and Chinese (favs!) Arabic. Greek. Thai.  Indian.

Sales.  With my limited budget, I’m like a hunter on safari when it comes to finding great deals, discounts and year-end clearances.  I actually don’t buy much in SA, preferring to stock up when I’m back in the US.

Favorite TV shows.  This year my mom got Bones out of the public library and I’ve been catching up.  I have a crush on Seeley Booth.  And somehow I got addicted to Storage Wars.

Costco.  Cheap jeans, bulk coffee and other goodies.  Unfortunately, since most of my favorite things are food, I’m not sure if my new jeans will fit.  Shame!

Super-spiritual, huh?

But on a serious note, I’m so thankful to be able to visit on a yearly basis and grateful to those who help to make it happen.  Thank you!

Storage Wars

It seems only in America can an obsession with possession result in series of hit reality TV shows like Storage Wars.  I have to admit I find this show fun and fascinating to watch!

For those unfamiliar, when storage units are abandoned the contents are sold at public auction.   The show follows the pursuits of 2 auctioneers and 6 buyers in search of great deals. 

The storage unit is opened.  Buyers get a few minutes to peer inside but not go inside.  Then the auction begins – all or nothing.  It’s more like gambling than shopping which adds to the excitement.  Afterwards, we watch as the winner hunts for buried treasure, which sometimes turns out to be trash.  Fascinating!  Who doesn’t enjoy finding that great deal?

But what is even more fascinating to me is the fact that there are so many abandoned storage units that we can have an entire reality series with spin-offs.  Why did the owner leave behind so much stuff?  We can only speculate.

Did they die?  We all know we can’t take our stuff with us.

Did they get more stuff?  Better stuff?

Did they move away deciding to just get more stuff somewhere else?

Did the storage unit become a white elephant, too expensive to keep over time?

The show doesn’t tell anything about the owners.  All we know is that the units are abandoned and up for grabs.  People come from miles around like vultures, and those of us who don’t watch.  Fascinating!

I don’t want to read too much into this fun, light-hearted show…but… it does give me pause for reflection…

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

Yuuup!

Snow Day

While friends in Michigan are sweltering in 90-100 degree heat, we just had a freak snow storm in Harrismith, South Africa. Did you even know we had winters here? We sure do, and being near the mountains we even get the occasional snow. Winters average 20-30 in the evenings, and as high as 50-60 if we’re blessed with a sunny day. But people are saying this has been the coldest winter in a long time - many of our nights have been in the single digits.

Now you Michiganders might be saying Boo-Hoo! That’s nothing! But we don’t have things like central heat, heavy boots and coats, snow shovels…and it’s as cold inside as it is outside, usually even colder. I have a new appreciation for warm weather States that basically shut down when it snows. You just wait it out…

As we hunkered down to endure the freezing temps, blustering winds, and several inches of snow next came a major power outage leaving the entire area dead in its tracks. Eish! Thankfully, our nearby truck/traveler stop (called the One-stop) had a generator so we hung out at Mugg&Bean for most of the day. Thank God for great food, hot filtered coffee, and free Wi-Fi.

As we drove through Harrismith we saw kids and adults alike enjoying their unexpected snow day. Snowmen were a bit hit given that it rarely snows enough to make one. Also interesting is that our small town became a parking lot for truck drivers stranded during the height of the storm. Trucks were parked everywhere – along the streets, in open fields, in empty lots. Wild!

Anyways, we survived and have some cool pictures to boot! But please, stop hogging all the warm weather and send some our way!!

Just Cute

I can’t believe how fast time here in Michigan is flying by. Some of the highlights have been spending time with family and friends, reconnecting with mission team members, and celebrating all the Lord has done through Ignite with personal and ministry partners. It’s been super-busy, but great fun as well!

Another highlight was visiting Brandon’s first grade and Paige’s third grade classes. The kids were excited to hear about living in South Africa. We found South Africa on the world map, and talked about differences in things like sports, money, and climate. We looked at pictures of animals and the kids loved the story of how an elephant actually stuck his trunk inside our safari vehicle to what-seemed-like sniff my friend’s head. (Scary at the time, hilarious after the fact).

We also learned about all the different people in South Africa including the Basothos. The kids enjoyed learning a few Sesotho words and then practicing the handshake with each other. At the end, they got to see some souvenirs with the drum being the biggest hit. (Get it? Hit?)

And the questions were great as well. Do they have ice cream in South Africa? Mc Donalds? Toilets? Cars? What are schools like? Are the animals endangered? Is everyone black? Is there enough water? Are there pirates? Is there buried treasure? Is it safe to live there? Do they have dogs and cats? Pigs? Is there tall grass? Is it always hot?...

The teacher asked about the greatest challenge to living there and one is that there are so many languages. We get by with English and have interpreters when needed, but most people who live there can speak multiple languages – Afrikaans, English, Sesotho, and other African languages and dialects. So I asked the kids in the class how many speak other languages in their homes, and many did. We went around the room sharing, and the kids thought it was a pretty cool thing to learn about their friends. I love that they appreciated the differences and thought they were cool!

The day was a total treat for me, topped off with these awesome thank you cards!

Holiday Vacation

Over Christmas and New Year’s June, Amanda and I took a much needed break. June had a relative in town so we enjoyed time in Cape Town and then on a safari. We’re thankful for friends who gave us a place to stay, helping to keep costs down.

Here are some of the vacation highlights:

- Walking along the beaches, marina, and shops in Simon’s Town
- Going to Boulder beach and swimming with the penguins
- Attending Christmas service at Hillsong Church
- Seeing Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain
- Sightseeing along the V&A Waterfront
- Seeing a bunch of rhinos and giraffes on our overnight safari

It was so nice to get away and to enjoy more of South Africa. Hope you enjoy the picture slideshow!

On a Mission

For the past 9 months or so we’ve been attending church at Freedom Ministries in Harrismith. Now that we’re living in town it’s easier to attend regularly and get involved in various activities.

Pastors Mark and Jess Horton are great! They love the Lord, have amazing testimonies, and are so committed to teaching God’s truth in a welcoming, nurturing environment. They’re also dedicated to helping people in the community, and challenging the body of Christ to do the same. I love that Freedom is a missional church – it’s also what I love about Kensington back at home.

This weekend was an example. We held a church “fete” (fair) to raise money to help families in need during the Christmas season. The planning team did an amazing job, and it was so much fun working alongside each other for a great cause.

We had a “braai” (barbecue) going that drew a hungry crowd. We sold handmade jewelry, cards, and treats, along with toys, clothing and books. There were also fun activities for the kids. June discovered her talent for face-painting, while I’m hoping the picture of me “testing out” the jumping castle doesn’t make it to facebook…Eish!

It was a great day for a great cause. What a blessing to serve with friends and meet new ones!