Every Turning

Remembering Beauty

2010-09-15T18:20:00.004-07:00

Granny Beauty was the matriarch of a loving, close-knit family who called me their sister and daughter during my time in South Africa. I celebrated birthdays and Christmas with the family, I attended coming-of-age ceremonies and funerals, we laughed and grieved and shared life together. I can't imagine my time in South Africa without Granny.

Celebrating Christmas with Granny's family

Granny had been sick for quite some time, and this year, her arthritis and diabetes and other health issues caused her to spend much of her time in bed. Her daughter, Christina, passed away in May. The family held a final mourning service for Christina in August, and two days later, Granny passed away in her sleep, on the morning of August 23rd.

I met Granny Beauty for the first time in 2006. I visited South Africa on a two-week Road Trip, and Granny and her family hosted our group for a meal. I sat in the dusty yard behind Granny's house and ate chicken and pap, and then Granny's grandkids and the neighbor kids teamed up with several of the white people to teach them to dance. There was a dance competition, and a lot of laughter. It was one of my favorite nights of the trip.

When I returned to South Africa for 10 months the following year, I spent my ministry time primarily in Soshanguve. I went to Granny's house twice a week with one of the NCSA staff. Sometimes I led a Bible study with Granny and some of her daughters, granddaughters and neighbors. Sometimes I joined in when Doug led worship or Bible study. And sometimes, I just shared life with the family. We visited friends who were suffering from HIV and other illnesses. We took food to neighbors in need. We visited friends who'd had a death in the family. As my friend Sarah once said, "You know how things are at Granny's--some form of life always takes over." It always did. And God was present.

One of my favorite memories of Granny is the song she wrote about eating pizza. The lyrics consisted of a repeated refrain: "Pizza imonati, pizza imonati..." which is Sotho for "delicious pizza." Granny spontaneously sang this song as her daughter Annah improvised a harmony, and the best part of all? Throughout the performance, Granny played air guitar.

Pizza imonati...

Toward the end of 2007, I went on a crazy road trip with Granny's family. We drove to a mountain village in KwaZulu-Natal to reunite Granny with her daughter Dumazile, who'd been kidnapped at the age of seven. We made our way up muddy, narrow, winding roads, our overloaded VW microbus clinging to the side of a mountain. The views were spectacular. Granny couldn't watch--it was too scary to look out at the dropoff. I kept exclaiming over how beautiful it was, and meanwhile Granny had a blanket over her head. At one point, we rounded a precarious corner and I said something about the view. Granny peered out from under the blanket, looked at me and shook her head, saying: "Ohhhh, Barbara!!" as she smiled in disbelief that I was still looking out the window.

Mother and Daughters:
Emily, Anna, Dumazile, Granny, and Christina

Later that same day, we said goodbyes to Dumazile and walked down zig-zagging pathways back to the microbus. Granny, walking beside me, said over and over: "Barbara, I am so blessed. So blessed by God." I was filled with thankfulness--not just to have been part of this reunion, but to hear Granny praising God for this blessing, to see her giving the glory to God for accomplishing this reunion with her long-lost daughter.

It's hard to be far away while Granny's family is grieving the loss of their wonderful mother and grandmother. Granny has left them (and me) a rich legacy of love and hospitality. I will miss Granny greatly, but am so thankful for the three and a half years I got to spend as an adopted member of the family. I have been blessed to see her grow in faith and her love for God, and look forward to the day when I will see her again...

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
--Jesus (John 16:22)

One joy expected, another given

2010-08-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

From C.S. Lewis' Perelandra:
"...it may be, one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of. One joy was expected and another is given. But this I had never noticed before--that the very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside. The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you. And if you wished--if it were possible to wish--you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other."

"And have you no fear... that it will ever be hard to turn your heart from the thing you wanted to the thing Maleldil sends?"
"...The wave you plunge into may be very swift and great. You may need all your force to swim into it. You mean, he might send me a good like that?"
"Yes--or like a wave so swift and great that all your force was too little."
"It often happens that way in swimming," said the Lady. "Is not that part of the delight?"

My friend Sally, swimming in Thailand

Take a photograph, 'cause this ain't gonna last...

2010-08-16T18:52:00.005-07:00

The last few weeks have felt largely surreal. I'm not in South Africa anymore, and it's still hard to take in the fact that I'm not returning. As I said goodbyes, person after person asked me when I'd be back. I reassured many friends that I'll visit, and I've left and returned enough times that it seems I'll be headed back before too long. But in my brain I know this is the end of an era (even if my heart hasn't absorbed it yet). I'm moving on. I don't know into what, and that may be part of why the leaving is still so surreal.

After leaving South Africa, I spent a week in Malaysia and then one in Thailand. My time in Malaysia was at first full of reunions--many friends I hadn't seen in months or years were gathered in one place as part of the CRM Worldwide Conference. As the week came to a close, the reality of saying goodbyes to those friends, as well as the reality that I was leaving CRM, began to sink in.

The day the conference ended, I took a taxi to a ferry to a taxi to a train... and on that overnight train across Malaysia, I had one of those moments where time and place and music and life converge. I was traveling at high speeds away from the ending of something good, and heading into new travels in another country. The lights were out in the train compartment, I was tucked into my little bunk listening to my iPod, and Andrew Osenga's song "Photograph" was playing:

"...so take a photograph
if you're wanting this to last
'cause you can try the best you can
but God knows, it's about to end."

For the last few months, I've been holding on to the idea of continuing in full-time international vocational ministry. I've wanted this season of my life to last. I've explored 9 teams in 6 different cities (some more thoroughly than others). None of these opportunities have worked out: I've been turned down, referred elsewhere, it's been the wrong time, it hasn't fit, or it just hasn't felt right.

Acts 16:6-10 was a passage I spent a lot of time with in October and November, when I decided God was leading me out of NieuCommunities and into something new. At the time, I was struck by the way Paul & the apostles tried to go several places, and the Holy Spirit prevented them--literally kept them from going where they thought they were supposed to go. There's been an element of that in my last 8 months. And so, I've been letting go. The CRM conference in many ways marked the end of an era, as well as a letting go of this form of ministry for the next season of my life. That night in the train--however belatedly--was a final acknowledgment that "it's about to end." But also: that it was good. And that the ending of it is also good.

The song ends with the repeated lines: "I don't know where I'm going / but I know that you'll be there." Sometimes I'm okay with the not knowing, and other times not so much. It comes and goes. But I'm confident that there is another era in store for me, and that God will be there, as he has been so profoundly all along.

Writings I've relatedly been reading:
Arriving Back in KC
When Endings Come

Malaysia

2010-08-09T17:29:00.004-07:00

Every four years, CRM missionaries from around the world gather for a Worldwide Conference, and this year we met in Langkawi, Malaysia. I left behind winter in South Africa and arrived in Malaysia to spend a week in humid, 90-degree weather on the beach (and in overly air-conditioned conference rooms). It was a great week spent with some pretty awesome people.

The best part of the conference was spending time with friends--reuniting with friends I hadn't seen in a while, renewing and deepening acquaintances, and getting in some last good talks with teammates from South Africa before we said goodbyes.

Since I've Been Gone

2010-08-09T17:06:00.004-07:00

In the rush of leaving, I didn't manage to post photos of last goodbyes in South Africa. Now these seem ages ago and continents away... the latter of which is true.

Dinner & movie night with Sarah, Busi, and Lizzy before Lizzy left for Limpopo where she's been teaching for the past 6 months.

Goodbye party in Pretoria North with lots of South African friends (too many names to list!)

A last visit to Soshanguve, at Emily's... with pap & vleis for lunch. Mmm.

Playing games outside while lunch was cooking--two kids held a long tied-together loop of pantyhose and everyone else took turns jumping into the middle, hooking one of the strings over a foot on the way in.

Tshepo shows his style here...

A last Soshanguve sunset

Catching up

2010-07-06T04:58:00.008-07:00

It's hard to believe the World Cup is nearly over... which means my time in South Africa is nearly over as well. Here are some pictures of what I've been up to over the past few weeks.

World Cup Opening Match
I went with some friends to a public viewing area at Giants Stadium in Soshanguve to take in the Opening Ceremonies and the opening game against Mexico.

It was amazing to be in the midst of tens of thousands of loyal fans to watch the first goal of the Cup scored by Bafana Bafana... even though the game ended up being a draw.

Paraguay vs. New Zealand
Sarah and I got tickets for one of the World Cup group matches and took several of our friends from Soshanguve on a road trip to see Paraguay play against New Zealand. It was a no-scoring draw, sadly, but we still had a blast watching World Cup soccer live and in person!

Me, Pretty, Lucky, Emily, Alex and Solomon

Kids' Photo Class Field Trip
Sarah took her photography class kids on a field trip to Joburg, to visit the Market Photo Workshop and the Joburg Art Gallery. She needed another driver, so I got to tag along for the day!

Sarah and me with the moms who came along for the day, and Sarah's translator for her photo class (also big sister to one of the kids). We took this picture with all the adults, and realized it doubles as a picture of our women's prayer/Bible study group. :)

Goodbye at Granny's
On Sunday, I had to say goodbye to many good friends in Soshanguve. Sarah and I had a goodbye party at Granny's home with the family as well as some other friends from Sosh. It was a great time of being together, sharing gifts and memories, and letting the family know how much they have meant to me during the past 3 1/2 years. I will miss all of them so much!

Me and Precious, Emily's middle daughter. Since I first met her in February 2007, Precious has been the little girl who singles me out whenever I'm in Sosh--to play ball, to dance, to do my hair. I'll really miss her.

Sarah and me with the women of Granny's family: Granny, her daughters, and granddaughters (and a great-grandson)

In between the above, I've been finishing up my weekly prayer & Bible study with women in Soshanguve and Art of Soul every couple weeks (we had a goodbye Monday night but I forgot to take pictures)... and now I'm in the midst of taking care of final details, thank you notes & goodbye gifts, and the packing will happen all too soon. I'm gonna miss this place.

World Cup Geography

2010-06-02T01:21:00.004-07:00

A friend forwarded this picture to me today, with the subject line: "Don't be surprised if no Americans make it to the World Cup..."

Learning instead of consuming

2010-05-31T06:57:00.002-07:00

The following passage, quoted in Gordon T. Smith's Courage & Calling, stuck out to me during a day of reading yesterday:

"Learning is perhaps the only pleasure that might replace increasing consumption as our chosen mode of enriching experience. Someday, the joy of recognizing a pattern in a leaf or the geological strata in a cliff face might replace the satisfactions of new carpeting or more horsepower in an engine, and the chance to learn in the workplace might seem more valuable than increased purchasing power or a move up the organizational chart."

Smith goes on to comment:
"But this will only come about, as Bateson implies, when we come to see knowledge as a source of delight rather than as a means of power. We enjoy learning because we enjoy discovery, the expansion of heart and mind, and growth in wisdom, not merely because it is a means by which we can accomplish something."

There's something revolutionary about the idea of replacing consumption with learning. We spend so much time acquiring stuff, much of it entertainment--pursued not for knowledge and discovery, but for mindless filling of time.

I fall into consumption even while ostensibly pursuing learning--way more often than I'd like to admit. I miss the nourishment of discovery when I binge instead of taking time to savor, to absorb and reflect on the stories I take in. How different would it be to pursue learning, "expansion of heart and mind, and growth in wisdom" instead of escape? I wish I could say I always read this way. Sometimes, but not enough.

Exploring Kruger

2010-05-27T05:03:00.004-07:00

Last week I went on a short trip to Kruger National Park, for a couple days of game drives--exploring the park and looking for animals. The nature of a game drive, which I always forget until I'm in the middle of one, is that there are long periods of time where you see nothing at all. You drive and look, and drive some more, you pass cars and ask other drivers if there are sightings ahead, and every so often you stumble upon something really cool. More often you stumble upon yet another group of impala. You start to get tired of the impala, while at the beginning of the drive they were beautiful and picture-worthy.

My game drives in Kruger were a lot like others I've been on. Lots of down time, in which I saw nothing but antelope. At the close of the first day, I was a little frustrated. It felt like someone had let all the interesting animals out of the Kruger Park. I felt like I was spending a lot of time looking for something that wasn't materializing--a perhaps too-apt metaphor for the current vocational exploration I'm in right now.

Mid-way through Day 2, my last day in the park, I found myself appreciating the little things. Things I wouldn't have appreciated or even noticed had I come across a pack of wild dogs or a pride of lions stalking a kill. Things like watching male impala challenge and charge and chase each other. The saddle-billed stork with an enormous wingspan that swooped right over my car and landed in a shallow riverbed just metres away. The gnarled bare trees scattered throughout the park, outlined against a brilliant blue sky. The Southern ground hornbill that casually circled my car before ambling off into the bush. With his beak open as if he was about to speak, he reminded me of Mortimer the Raven from a favorite childhood book (except the hornbill was 3 times the size of any raven I've ever seen). The magnificent male waterbuck on the opposite shore of a watering hole, who paused as he walked past, horns silhouetted perfectly against the sky, as if he were just waiting for me to take his picture before he moved on.

Of course, the lesson I reluctantly admitted to myself is not to overlook the small beauties and discoveries of the journey, while looking for the big impressive end goal. That perhaps the end goal you're looking for isn't really the goal after all. Looking back, you realize you've seen far more than you thought you did at the time. And that the long hours of exploring were indeed worthwhile--and probably more important than the leopards and rhinos you never saw.

Correspondence

2010-04-15T01:59:00.005-07:00

I've been going through lots of boxes, clearing stuff away in preparation for leaving South Africa in a few months. And yesterday I discovered that I've kept nearly every card, letter, or postcard sent to me here over the past couple years. It was so much fun to look through these and be reminded of how many people "back home" are praying for and encouraging me from afar. So thank you to everyone who's sent something to me via "real" mail!

Represented heavily in this picture are the Palmers, who regularly have their Sunday school class and Awana group draw pictures and write cards for me, and of course my best friend Heather, who (when she's not pregnant and forgetful) sends me scads of hilarious postcards. Another favorite pictured in this pile is a card I received just before coming here in 2008, from Kirsten Graham--age 9 at the time, if my math isn't off. The P.S. to her message says: "There is a scary frog on your desk!" This is a reference to something I had on my desk in the church office, which she used to comment on frequently, saying he looked mad. It was a turtle, but still. I can't believe she remembered (I haven't worked there since 2003) and I love that she commented on it in the card. :)

Kids with Cameras

2010-04-12T02:24:00.011-07:00

My good friend Sarah Woolley has been teaching an 8-week photography class for kids in Soshanguve for the past couple months. She's using her talent for photography to teach these kids to look a little differently at their world, and to capture it on film.

Most of these kids are daughters and sons of my good friends in Soshanguve. Over the past three years, I've played hide and seek with them, sat with them on my lap, let them do my hair, celebrated their birthdays, and they've pulled me out into African dance circles several times (usually against my will, but who can say no when Precious tells you to dance?!). A couple of them frequently ask to borrow my camera when I'm out in Sosh, and I get home to find all kinds of pictures of their friends and their neighborhood.

It's been exciting to see these kids have the opportunity to learn more about photography and get their own disposable cameras to experiment with. I love seeing the kids' excitement--most times I've gone out to Sosh in the past months, I've seen these kids using their fingers to frame potential shots.

Sarah wrote a post about the project here, and I encourage you to check it out! She gives a short bio on each kid, so you can get to know them a little bit. I would so appreciate your prayers and support as Sarah finishes up this class and the kids have the opportunity to display their work at an art show in Soshanguve.

If you'd like to make a donation of any amount toward this project, you can click here. This link will take you directly to the support section of CRM's website, where you can make a donation to the "Kids with Cameras" project.

Your financial support goes toward supplies for the class, including:

Disposable cameras for practice and assignments
Film developing: prints and digital copies on CD
Snacks for each class
Journals, pens, posterboard, and other supplies

The cost for the class in Soshanguve breaks down to $100 per child. If you'd like to make a $100 donation to sponsor a specific child, please email Sarah by clicking here to let her know which child you’d like to sponsor. Again, to make the donation, click here. Donations are tax-deductible and work just like any other CRM donation. Thank you!

Let Glasgow Flourish

2010-03-20T10:24:00.001-07:00

I came across the motto "Let Glasgow Flourish" as I walked into Glasgow's Botanic Gardens on Wednesday. I took the above picture, because I liked the image of the city flourishing like a garden... especially seeing the words as I walked into a garden.

Then yesterday I encountered the phrase again at the Kelvingrove Museum, and asked about it. It's the motto of Glasgow, and it used to continue with the words "...by the preaching of Thy Word and the praising of Thy Name." The words are attributed to St. Mungo, patron saint and founder of the city of Glasgow. This city has a rich spiritual foundation, one that has largely been set aside.

The image of Glasgow flourishing like a garden has stayed with me. It reminded me of Isaiah 58:11-12, and as I looked up the passage this afternoon, I realized the context. The following verses describe promises God gives to Israel if they will practice true fasting, genuine worship, and pursue justice for the poor and oppressed.

The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

These words describe the restoration of a city, a city again flourishing because of God's blessing, and because of His people's commitment to true worship and justice. Today, these words are on my heart for this city I've been visiting.

Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of Thy Word and the praising of Thy Name.

Glasgow in Spring

2010-03-20T10:15:00.004-07:00

I've been in Glasgow this week, meeting a bunch of people and exploring possibilities for ministry here. It's been a fantastic trip so far. And spring is here. New growth just beginning...

Crocuses (croci?) in the Botanic Gardens

...and the sun came out!

Some daffodils for my mother

I need poetry in my life

2010-03-17T10:51:00.003-07:00

I regularly follow The Writer's Almanac. Partly because I'm the nerdy sort who likes reading small bits of info and stories about writers, books, etc. But also because I need poetry in my life. Poems help me slow down and read carefully. They make me pay attention and look more closely. And often, poetry says something my soul needs to hear. This was today's poem:

Trust
Thomas R. Smith

It's like so many other things in life
to which you must say no or yes.
So you take your car to the new mechanic.
Sometimes the best thing to do is trust.

The package left with the disreputable-looking
clerk, the check gulped by the night deposit,
the envelope passed by dozens of strangers—
all show up at their intended destinations.

The theft that could have happened doesn't.
Wind finally gets where it was going
through the snowy trees, and the river, even
when frozen, arrives at the right place.

And sometimes you sense how faithfully your life
is delivered, even though you can't read the address.

Introducing Lesedi

2010-03-04T06:24:00.007-08:00

My friend Doris is the mother of two boys, and really wanted to have a little girl one day. Last year, she became pregnant with her third child. Doris is HIV-positive, and so her friends were very concerned about her health as well as the health of her baby. We've been praying steadily for Doris, and she gave birth to a healthy baby girl in early December 2009. Both Doris and baby Lesedi are doing well, and I finally got to meet Lesedi this week. Her name means "Light." She's beautiful.

Doris and me

Me holding Lesedi, who looks extremely startled in this picture

Melinda holding a sleeping Lesedi, with Doris and me

Group photo! Sarah, me, Lesedi, Doris, and Gopolang (Doris' younger son)

With the Girls at Emily's

2010-03-04T02:17:00.005-08:00

I've had a lot of fun the past couple of weeks hosting my good friend Melinda, who came to visit from California. Melinda and I were roommates the semester I studied in Italy, and are seasoned travel buddies... we added a few journeys to our repertoire, having previously only traveled together in Europe. It was great to introduce an old friend to my home and friends here in South Africa. Here are a few pictures from an afternoon we spent hanging out in Sosh with Emily and her daughters.

Me, Melinda, and Sarah with Emily and her girls: Precious, Lungile, and Pretty

Games with Lungile: "One day I go to Congo, to see the people of Congo..."

Melinda making faces with Lungile

Mel and the girls: Precious, Lungile, and Pretty, and their cousin Nthabiseng in the background

What I've been up to lately...

2010-02-27T05:31:00.008-08:00

It's been too long. I'm in the process of writing an email update, since I've been out of touch for several months! In the meantime, here is a handful of pictures illustrating the variety of places and climates I've been traveling through lately...

"Winter" in Southern California. Me with my sister and her kids just before I left for the airport.

Next stop: winter in Karlsruhe, Germany. I spent a little over 2 weeks in Germany, visiting a friend and exploring some ministry opportunities there.

Me with a frozen lake and the Karlsruhe Palace in the background

From freezing temperatures in Germany to summer in South Africa, here I am hanging out with Granny's family in Soshanguve. Lungile, while braiding my hair, told me that my hair is too soft.

My friend Melinda came to visit just a few days after I got back to South Africa, and we went on a short trip to Cape Town. Here we are at the Cape Point lighthouse, getting pelted in the face with rain as gale force winds threaten to blow us off the edge of the African continent.

A slightly more peaceful weather day on our Cape Town trip: here I am at a lookout point near Chapman's Peak.

I'm back in Pretoria now, getting some much-needed rest and planning the next "vision trip" to explore ministry in the UK. I've got a couple more weeks before I head out again...

A Dozen Favorites of 2009

2009-12-03T22:20:00.022-08:00

This is the time of year for myriads of year-end top 10 (or 25 or 100 or insert your favorite number here) lists. Melanie recently posted a list of her top ten favorite memories from her time in SA this year, and this in combination with Thanksgiving just after I got home inspired me to start working on a list of my own. So here are my top 12 favorite moments & memories I’m thankful for from this year. This is probably not comprehensive, but it's what emerged as I went through my photos. It's been a challenging year, and it was a good exercise for me to remember the positive things. And to discover that I couldn't narrow it down to just 10...

12. Jacarandas
Every year, I am thankful for the Jacaranda blossoms. They signal the arrival of spring and change and inevitably the drawing to a close of an apprenticeship year, which is always bittersweet. They’re gorgeous and they drop petals all over Pangani and all over Pretoria, but it’s a beautiful mess.

11. Schoenmakerskop
On a trip to Port Elizabeth in January, we visited a gorgeous beach called Schoenmakerskop. I explored the coastline, gathered shells, enjoyed lunch with friends and good conversation with Sarah and Dayna as we enjoyed a relaxing walk on the beach. And during a beautiful sunset, Bryan and Daleen exchanged wedding vows (again) on the rocks overlooking the ocean. It was my favorite day of the trip.

10. A Night of Spontaneous Theatre, Dance, Art, and Collective Poetry
One of the apprentices, Curtis, led this particular Friday night worship time focused on Acts 15, where Paul affirms “what God has made clean, you are not to call profane.” We explored the ways God might be found in various art forms. Curtis invited me to be part of the planning team, and I helped lead the “collective poetry” portion of the evening.

9. The night we threw Tony in the pool.
Tony incessantly antagonizes people. With the greatest affection. And everyone loves Tony, but sometimes retaliation is in order. One night a bunch of the girls plotted to throw Tony in the pool. I saw it happening and joined in. As he does, Tony drew a cartoon in protest of our actions. I was careful to lay low the next time we had a pool party and managed to avoid getting thrown in the pool myself. The other girls were not so lucky.

8. Mpumalanga Trip
When I was an apprentice, the five of us went to Mpumalanga, but it was to a different part of the province. I had heard from numerous people about God's Window and how beautiful it was, and decided to take a trip there on my own: part retreat, part "introvert time." The scenery was gorgeous and it was a refreshing, much-needed getaway.

7. Staff Appreciation Dinner
In June, the apprentices threw a dinner party for the staff team. It was phenomenal: the meal, the entertainment (thanks, Busi!), the time spent together, and the thoughtfulness and care that was expressed by the apprentices for us as a team. This was the only year I know of that a group of apprentices has done something like this for the staff. It was a pretty hard year for our staff team, and this dinner was a beautiful gift in the midst of some difficult stuff!

6. Inviting Retreat at St. Benedict’s
At the close of the Inviting Posture, the apprentices and several staff spent a weekend at a retreat center in Joburg. During this retreat, I read C. Baxter Kruger's The Great Dance. The weekend, for me, was a great combination of solitude, reading, and reflection, and having a couple of really powerful times of sharing together as a group what God was speaking to each of us.

5. Book Discussions
A pattern emerged early on in this year's weekly book discussions. We'd start with the discussion questions, veer wildly off topic, and find that by the end of the evening, we had still discussed everything the questions were getting at, and had done so from a very personal angle. Ultimately our book discussions were more about creating space for letting the Holy Spirit guide the conversation. And it's amazing to sit back and watch that happen.

4. Personal Retreat
I wrote about this a little more here. On this three-night stay at a bush camp, I did virtually nothing but read and lie by a very tiny pool. And eat. And sleep. And wander around looking at zebra and impala. And it was good for my soul.

3. Lucy
My roommate and I got our cat, Lucy, in March, from Granny’s family in Soshanguve. She was 4 weeks old. One of the many dramas of my last few weeks in Pretoria was finding someone to take care of her while both Sarah and I were away on furlough. After literally talking to every single person we knew in Pretoria, we still weren't able to find someone who could take her. My friend Salomé dedicated herself to the cause, and she called practically everyone she knew as well, to no avail. After dropping me off at the airport, Sarah made one last-ditch effort and asked yet another of our neighbors if they would take Lucy in. They said yes.

2. Art of Soul
One of my ministry goals/visions coming out of my apprenticeship year was to start a discussion group to explore spiritual questions through fiction & film. At the beginning of the year, Curtis told me he thought I should start a literature discussion group. Hmm. Curtis and Melanie partnered with me in starting up Art of Soul this year, offering the encouragement and support I needed to get it going.

My good friend Cori and her husband Kevin joined in, inviting their friends Jacomien and Salomé... and we were off! It was an amazing year, with some really really good discussions: covering topics from the nature of belief, to revenge and reconciliation. More than that, some great friendships formed and deepened, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with these friends next year.

1. HeArt Project
At the conclusion of each year, apprentices are given the assignment to create a "HeArt Project," an art project that encapsulates what God has done in their hearts throughout the year. I wasn't going to do a heart project this year. I don't really do art. But then there were some very powerful images that came to mind, things that God had been showing me and encouraging me in over the past year (and even the couple previous years). So I decided to do a project. But I wasn't going to talk about it in front of the group, because it was a little too fresh at the time. But then I decided to talk about it. And then I wasn't going to after all. But I did. After all the vacillation on my part, it ended up being a really important moment for me to acknowledge the difficulties this year has held, and the hope that I have coming out of those difficult times. As well as to have those things affirmed by my community.

Where to find God

2009-11-30T20:38:00.004-08:00

From an Advent devotional I've been reading this season:

A Hasidic story tells of a rabbi's son who used to wander in the woods. The rabbi asked his son, "I wonder why each day you walk in the woods?" The boy replied, "I go there to find God." "That's very good, son. But, don't you know that God is the same everywhere?" "Yes," the boy answered, "but I'm not."

A good reminder of my need to seek God in the ways that I can best meet Him this season. God is the same everywhere. But I am not, and I need to remember that. Especially during the transition and unsettledness of a furlough.

Staff year-end brunch

2009-11-23T11:33:00.002-08:00

I wanted to write a longer post of my thoughts and reflections at the end of the 2009 apprenticeship year, including a group photo, pictures of my heart project & a short description of the meaning behind it... but that will have to wait. The past few days have been full of packing and moving my belongings from my apartment to Pangani, where they will be stored until I return from furlough at the beginning of February. The 2009 apprenticeship has drawn to a close and I fly back to CA tomorrow. Stories will follow when I'm not in the midst of boxes and suitcases and the looking up of baggage requirements. In the meantime, here are a couple photos of our staff team, from our goodbye brunch this morning.

Prayer of blessing for Joe and Natalie. Joe will be taking on leadership of the team going forward.

Group shot...
Back row: Natalie, Daleen (and Keziah), Sarah, and me
Front row: Joe, Bryan, Doug

Performance Art

2009-10-22T07:23:00.003-07:00

Not content to only display visual art, we set aside a time during our Gala Gallery Opening for performance art. Lizzy's poems were read, Busi of course performed several lip synch numbers, Curtis showed off his disturbing ability to practically dislocate his arm, Colletta and Busi danced to a Congolese song (translation provided by Luc), and Dayna MC'd the evening hilariously in character as Will Ferrell's Harry Caray.

But there was a serious side, as blessings were read and prayers were said for the family as they head into a new season of life and ministry. The Wards have generously poured themselves out here, mentoring so many and enriching the lives and hearts they have touched. Their leadership and friendship will be greatly missed!

Busi performing "You Give Love a Bad Name" (no comment intended upon Bryan and Daleen and their ability to love)

Colletta joins Busi to close out "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" (again, no comment intended upon Bryan and Daleen)

Colletta and Busi invite Daleen to join them in a Congolese dance

Oupa joined in as well, and brought Bryan along with him. I love the expression on Bryan's face here...

Pangani Gallery

2009-10-22T07:16:00.002-07:00

Over the weekend, we threw a surprise thank you celebration for the Ward family. Bryan and Daleen were part of starting up NieuCommunities South Africa seven years ago, and this year will be their last apprenticeship year.

Given the Wards' passion for creativity and the ways they have encouraged art throughout our community especially this year, we decided to use that as a theme for the evening. While the staff took Bryan & Daleen out for dinner, the apprentices and other friends were hard at work transforming Pangani into an art gallery. We displayed the Wards' artwork as well as pieces created by many of our community. Here are a few shots of our very own Pangani Gallery.

The Bryan Ward and Daleen Ward Gallery: We renamed the sitting room for the evening to showcase art by Bryan & Daleen.

Interactive Photo Collage: photos were displayed from throughout the Wards' time with NCSA, and gallery guests were invited to add their own comments and memories sparked by the photography on display.

Local Artists: Throughout the gallery was displayed art by many from our community: here are several pieces by the Crawley girls.

Masterpieces in Mentoring: Hung from the ceiling in the Gallery Lobby (otherwise known as the dining room) were photos of many of those who have been mentored by Bryan and Daleen over the years, along with words of affirmation and thanks.

Where I work

2009-10-22T06:53:00.003-07:00

For the past few weeks, Pangani has been canopied above and carpeted below with purple blossoms. Abram, one of our gardeners, is constantly raking up the purple debris. By the time he's gathered a wheelbarrow-full, the lawn is scattered with blossoms again. It's a losing battle and it's beautiful. Abram might not think so, though.

Purple

2009-10-04T05:52:00.003-07:00

Spring has arrived in Pretoria, and with it the jacaranda blossoms. Driving home the other day, I spotted this purple Beetle... the exact shade as the jacarandas on the street where it was parked. Sarah took this quick shot out the window. Not the best picture, but I still like the concept!

Emily's garden

2009-10-04T05:45:00.003-07:00

Emily and the other employees at the bakery are growing vegetables in a community garden behind Emily's house. Emily has talked about getting this garden started since I was an apprentice in 2007, and it's exciting to see it growing at last!

Birthday Party

2009-09-19T08:38:00.003-07:00

Tuesday last week, Sarah and I took cakes & goodies out to Emily's to celebrate her daughter Precious' 10th birthday. Here are the girls with the cakes & snacks...

Nthabiseng (cousin), Precious, and Lungile (little sister)

A few pictures of doing nothing

2009-09-11T08:19:00.003-07:00

My own personal bushveld chalet

Tea and cookies on the veranda (breakfast my last day)

Three blesbok keeping their wary eyes on me

Sky and golden afternoon light filtered through dandelion-like fluffy seeds

The Immense Value of Doing (Almost) Nothing

2009-09-11T08:10:00.006-07:00

Last week was a week off for our apprentices (and sort of for staff, too). It came at the conclusion of Contending, the fourth learning posture of our year. Contending is usually pretty intense and for some reason both it and the posture before it seemed to go on forever. Just in August: our community said goodbye to the Stewart family, transitioned into some new leadership roles as a staff team, hosted a 2-week Road Trip, explored issues of spiritual warfare and injustice, and engaged a month-long practice of the discipline of Simplicity. The week off was very timely for me, and I suspect for most of our community as well.

I've never been much of one for taking vacations where I do nothing. I generally want to go somewhere that I can "see stuff." Whether it's art galleries in Paris, Napoleon’s villa on Elba, beautiful scenery in Cape Town, or Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth, I usually want to do stuff and see things, to experience whatever new place I'm in to the fullest... more than just hang out. But last week I knew that was the last thing I needed.

Instead of going somewhere to do something, I went to a small bush camp in a game reserve about 45 minutes away, with my sole goal being that of sitting by a pool and reading. I accomplished that goal. Swimmingly, one might say.

My three days away followed this general schedule:
Sleep in.
Sit on the veranda and eat breakfast while watching birds.
Change from pajamas to bathing suit.
Walk across the dirt road to the very small pool.
Apply sunscreen.
Lie on beach towel next to pool and read.
Get in pool.
Lie on beach towel next to pool and dry off in the sun.
Read some more.
Walk back across the road to the chalet.
Sit on veranda and eat lunch.
Shower.
Nap.
Sit by the pool and read.
Wander trails around the bush camp, looking at animals.
Sit on the veranda and eat dinner while watching the sunset.
Lie on bed and read.
Listen to music.
Journal.
Go to sleep.

One of the things I realized during this brief time away:
I spend too much time multi-tasking. Multi-tasking may feel productive, but it also makes me feel rushed and scattered. This creeps in even with a small thing I do all the time: listening to music and reading while making dinner. When doing three things at once, I'm not really experiencing any one of them fully. Perhaps none of those things require my full attention, but they definitely feel different when given my full attention. For the most part, I refrained from this kind of simultaneous activity while on my retreat, and I found my mind more present in each activity. I was able to more fully experience whatever I was doing—and find rest in it. I was also better able to think. Amazingly. =)

I now realize the great value of a vacation where you do nothing. I came back from these brief few days feeling far more rested than I have in a long time. We began the Imagining posture on Monday, and I have been thoroughly enjoying the week. Never mind the fact that this is my favorite posture of the apprenticeship... I think much of my energy and excitement and readiness to be fully present this past week is in part due to three days of doing nothing. I highly recommend it.

Keys

2009-08-27T01:38:00.003-07:00

Sarah commented to me the other day: "Do you ever find it strange that we use keys like this to unlock our house?" I don't, really. Not anymore. But my bundle of keys sure is heavy.

Visiting Voortrekker

2009-08-17T02:33:00.001-07:00

Last week, I took a group to visit the Voortrekker Monument and downtown Pretoria. I wrote a post about it here on our community blog. But here, for your reading enjoyment, I will offer a small side story...

I led the same trip to Voortrekker and downtown for last year's Road Trip, and somehow managed to get signed up to do it again this year, though I didn't really desire to do so. Last year, in a frantic attempt to not miss the turnoff for the monument, I cut across a couple lanes of traffic, with two cars following me who then were also forced to cut off several cars... I very nearly caused a rather major traffic accident. I refer to it as "the time I almost killed all the Road Trippers." (The daring driving maneuver did, however earn me the undying respect of several people and I was complimented on it for the rest of the day. Regardless, I am still a bit mortified by the memory.) You'll be happy to know we had no major mishaps of that sort this year as I took a different, less complicated route to get to the monument.

Now go read my more serious reflection on the monument visit...

Simplicity

2009-08-07T08:00:00.005-07:00

Don't interpret this post according to the image. It's just what came up on Google images when I searched for "simplicity," I've seen it before, and it makes me laugh. =)

During the month of August, our community is corporately practicing the discipline of simplicity. We've challenged ourselves to live on half our disposable income for the month. We're trying to spend half what we usually would for groceries, household supplies, entertainment...any expenses that aren't fixed (i.e. I'm not paying only half the rent just because it's simplicity month). At the end of the month, we plan to take the money saved and use it for several areas of need around us.

I went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time this month. I decided to go to the cheaper grocery store--the one I usually avoid. I don't regularly shop there because it's usually too busy, the produce isn't as good, and they don’t carry a lot of the brands/varieties that I prefer. But: cheaper.

While shopping, I realized how often I opt to buy something more expensive because "it's only a few rand more" and "I can afford this" and "I like it better." This month, I'm cutting all the corners I can, so I said no to the things I would usually buy a more expensive version of. It made me realize how often I rationalize a little higher grocery bill out of preference for unnecessary extras. What if I didn't have the option to buy the more expensive juice? I buy far too much LiquiFruit Cranberry Cooler!

I've always thought I'm fairly wise with my money. And honestly, that's pretty true. But I hadn't realized just how many times I spend money I don't need to spend, just for the sake of preference and desire. This month, I keep asking myself if I really need this thing. Usually, I don't. It's making me think. And that's good.

In addition to living on half my disposable income, I've also decided to limit my online time this month. Specifically, I'm not logging into Facebook for the month of August. I've found quite a few old friends on Facebook, people it's been really good to reconnect with. More than that, there are a lot of friends back home who I keep in better touch with on Facebook than I would over email. Even family: my brother & sister-in-law, my oldest niece, my sister...it's awesome to have a more consistent connection, even if it's just through minor things like status updates. But: when I check FB 3 or 4 times a day, to skim through mostly unimportant information about my 300+ friends and casual acquaintances...that's not exactly a wise use of my time. It's not really personally connecting at all. So, August: no Facebook. I've realized that checking Facebook every time I got online was far more automatic than I thought it was. Cutting it out has helped me be more conscientious about how I use my time online. This is also good.

One final observation: in the past week, far more people than usual have approached me asking for money (people I know, as well as random people I run into on the street). Maybe it just seems that way. I've been more conscious of responding to need, in any case. I keep being reminded of why I'm practicing simplicity...not just for the sake of the discipline itself, but so that I can share with others out of what is saved.

Goodbye Pictures

2009-08-06T07:57:00.001-07:00

The group gathered to send off the Stewarts to the airport

Arthur & Melissa and me

Goodbyes

2009-08-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

My dear friends and team members the Stewarts are leaving South Africa this afternoon, for a 10-month sabbatical in the States. There are so many things I will miss about Arthur and Melissa, but I am equally thankful for each of those things I will miss. They have given of themselves abundantly to our community and in ministry over the past 6 years, and it's my prayer that they themselves will be blessed just as abundantly during this time of sabbatical.

We had a goodbye dinner for them this past Friday night... here are some photos.

Mmm, bobotie.

Dinner in the sitting room

Arthur & Melissa

It wouldn't have been complete without entertainment from our resident rock star, Busi, performing both an original song and a lipsynch.

Reading Psalm 121 as a blessing for the family.

We will miss you, Stewarts!

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

"Right now, I come from Israel."

2009-07-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

I read a comment on a blog post today that used this sentence. I think I might just adopt the phrase as my own. It seems a good answer to the question that MKs and TCKs all struggle to answer: "Where are you from?"

Up until 1987, I came from England.
After that, I came from California.
Right now, I come from South Africa.

God's Invitation Part Two: Some Further Literary Details

2009-07-14T01:06:00.006-07:00

(Skip to the post below for context... or just a shorter version.)

Around the borders of the invitation I created, I wrote some lines from a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem that continues to resurface in relevance for me.

Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

What if what you’re called to do is simply to be who you are? This is a key part of my understanding of God’s invitation at this point in my life: God invites me to be myself. This is such a freeing thought: I am invited to be myself. My truest self, my self as I was created to be.

The poem goes on, and these lines also appear in the borders of my invitation:

I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is—
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.

Suggested reading for the weekend retreat was a book called The Great Dance. One part of the book in particular resonated quite deeply for me:

“[Jesus] continues to live out his sonship, today and forever, as a human being—he just does not do it alone, but in union with us, in and through us, in and through our work and play and gardening, in and through our relationships, our friendships, our marriages and romance…” (63)

It’s this idea that the last few lines of the poem address: that the life of Christ is lived out today in us, in our everyday lives as we live the fullness of the life God gives. As we live out our true identity. God invites us to live as who we were intended to be, and in so doing, we reflect Christ. And it's beautiful.

On a related note: I find that for me, God speaks loudest when multiple, seemingly unrelated sources converge at the same time with the same message. As I caught up on some blog reading yesterday, I found this post on one of my favorite blogs. These coincidences happen too often to me.

God's Invitation

2009-07-14T00:51:00.004-07:00

Peace of Christ
Gate and cross at St. Benedict’s House, Rosettenville, Joburg

This past weekend was our community reflection retreat, looking back on the Inviting Posture. The apprentices and a few of the staff (Bryan, Dayna, and me) went to a retreat center in Joburg for solitude and reflection, and sharing together what God had been doing in each of us during the posture and over the weekend.

As part of the posture, apprentices had been asked to write out their understanding of God’s invitation extended to all mankind. As part of the weekend, we were to finish writing (or start and finish writing!) these invitations.

Some created tangible physical invitations, others crafted words in journals; some were very personal and others more universal, but all of us attempted to convey a glimpse of what God is inviting us into. All 11 of us shared our invitations with each other on Sunday morning before we headed back to Pretoria. We went around the circle, each person sharing a little about the writing of their invitation, and then reading it aloud.

As Oupa read his invitation, I had one of those moments of resonance. It was such a beautiful picture to sit there with my community, hearing each person articulate God’s invitation in their own words: unique and yet so very universal pieces of the incomprehensible idea of God’s invitation to mankind.

Each one represented a different piece of God’s invitation; together they pointed to something so much larger. As the winter sunlight streamed through the windows over Oupa’s shoulders, I saw and heard a glimpse of God’s Kingdom in our midst. A glimpse of the Kingdom that is here, at hand, and to come. We are invited in.

Here’s my invitation.

Come to me.

Come and discover the home you long for, the place where you belong. Join the feast at my table; the family waits for your arrival. You are invited to live your life from within the family of God. Make your home here and find your identity as a child of this family.

Come and discover who you’re created to be—live out who you really are as a child in my house. I invite you into my life, that you may live Christ in your life.

Come, discover your deepest desires; live your truest identity, and you will find me there.

Home is waiting. It has been prepared for you.

You are invited in.

What do you want?

Do you want to be healed?

Come to me.

Retreat

2009-07-05T06:38:00.004-07:00

This past week, I took a 4-day trip to a neighboring province (Mpumalanga), and stayed in an area called the Panorama. It was great to have time away to read, journal, and reflect in an area of amazing natural beauty. One of the points of interest near where I was staying is a viewpoint called "God's Window." I found this an appropriate place for a retreat...

Updated to say: More pictures here.

Me looking out God's Window

Lisbon Falls (I spent an afternoon here reading)

Chocolate mousse-filled and fruit-covered pancakes in a little mining town called Pilgrim's Rest

Bourke's Luck Potholes, some amazing rock formations that occur where the Treur & Blyde Rivers connect

Me at my favorite lookout point, with a view of the Lowveld

The Three Rondavels, at Blyde River Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world)

Me reading at the Lowveld viewpoint

Staff Appreciation Dinner

2009-06-23T11:36:00.003-07:00

Last week, the apprentices put on an amazing dinner for the staff. We were escorted to our places at a candlelit table, where notes of encouragement and appreciation were waiting for each of us. The delicious 4-course meal was punctuated by the apprentices' own unique brand of entertainment. This included a trivia game with an opportunity for us to identify all of the disciples in da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper... with hilarious results, as Daleen tried to convince us that one of them was Moses and another Captain Ahab. (Our team got extra points for her creativity, I might add.)

Some photos from the evening...

Staff women: Dayna, Daleen, Sarah, me

Another of the evening's highlights: Busi as "Lady Glamour." She gave us a passionate rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," lip-synched into a hairbrush.

The music was so touching, Oupa, Tony, and Melanie were compelled to grab candles from the windowsill and just sway...

Amahoro

2009-06-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

This week I've been at a conference called Amahoro Africa, a 5-day gathering being held this year in South Africa. "Amahoro" is a word used across Africa. It means "peace," but much like the Hebrew "shalom," it also carries with it a depth of meaning beyond that word--conveying a desire and hope for wholeness.

It's been awesome to be here among leaders from across Africa (as well as around the world). One of the most amazing experiences I will carry with me from this conference happened at a workshop yesterday afternoon. Following a brief history of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there was a panel discussion which included a man named Adriaan Vlok. Mr. Vlok spent 10 years as minister of police for the apartheid government. Yesterday afternoon, he shared how God had moved his heart toward reconciliation. He told some amazing stories about the ways God has led him to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with people who suffered deeply as a result of his actions as minister of police. On several occasions, Mr. Vlok has washed the feet of those who've been wronged by apartheid, as a symbol of humility and service.

One of the other men on the panel began spontaneously to share his story as the discussion drew to a close. As a young man, Sean had served on the apartheid "death squads," hunting down those the government named as terrorists. He talked openly about how this had affected him and how for many years he had blamed Mr. Vlok specifically for the pain he'd gone through. Sean even mentioned that he'd used Mr. Vlok's name to curse, in the same way that many use the name of God. In front of the group gathered there to listen to the panel, Sean asked forgiveness from Mr. Vlok, and asked if he could wash his feet. Mr. Vlok asked if he could, in turn, wash Sean's feet. The two men, there on the stage, took the glasses of drinking water provided for the panel, and used the water to wash each other's feet.

This spontaneous act of reconciliation affirmed a quote mentioned on the first night of the conference: "Pain, if not transformed, will be transmitted." Suffering can either embitter, or ennoble, and if it is not redeemed in some way, those who have been wronged will in turn pass on their suffering to others. Claude Nikondeha, the director of Amahoro, made the point that most Westerners go to great lengths to avoid suffering--and that facing suffering together is the wiser course. Sean and Mr. Vlok courageously did just that yesterday. It's an image I won't forget.

Sunset at home

2009-05-28T01:40:00.003-07:00

Reflection in my bedroom window

Reflection, with crescent moon

Outside the front door

What God has made clean...

2009-05-16T03:04:00.003-07:00

Last night, Curtis led our Friday night Rhythm gathering (weekly dinner/worship/prayer together). I got to lend a hand in both the planning and the leading of an awesome evening exploring how God can move and work in unexpected places, based on the story of Cornelius' conversion in Acts 10. We included the kids in a spontaneous dramatic reading of the story, then explored dance, art, and poetry as places we might find God. The evening concluded with everyone collaborating to write a responsive sort of poem/prayer. Chris posted about it here on our community blog, so I'll link instead of re-posting the text. Go check it out... it was an awesome collaborative effort responding to God about our evening!

One of the things I'm most passionate about is finding glimpses of God in the arts, so last night's worship and subsequent conversations were awesome. Coming off a week where I got to lead a book discussion on Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible (finally incorporating some fiction into our NC book discussions!), and am looking ahead to more movie and book discussions with my "Art of Soul" group, I'm pretty fired up right now about the intersection of my love for the arts with ministry and worship. Good stuff.

Art is the lie that makes us realize the truth.
—Pablo Picasso

Grey day in Sosh

2009-05-10T11:15:00.002-07:00

Maxfield Parrish sky, Chesterton quotes

2009-05-10T10:55:00.004-07:00

A glorious sunset, as seen from the Checkers (local grocery store) parking lot on Thursday evening.

Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them.
--G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world round me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?
--G.K. Chesterton

The Road Home

2009-05-01T01:17:00.001-07:00

Sunset pictures on the way back from the beach trip

Reminder

2009-04-29T12:29:00.003-07:00

I've needed encouragement to persevere lately. As I've been in the middle of sustaining hurts and working at addressing the conflict that often comes when living in community, I've grown weary of the hard work it takes. During the recent women's trip, I was looking at some necklaces in a small shop. One in particular caught my eye, a rectangle with a small symmetrical cross symbol on it. The card it was attached to said it was an African symbol for endurance. I've been at a place of wanting to give up on several community issues lately, and found it significant that this particular necklace caught my eye.

Home from the women's trip, I've changed my desktop picture to the following image, taken in Florence a few years ago. These instructions appear on the plexiglass around the gallery inside the Duomo, about halfway through a climb to the top of the dome. I found the instructions amusing at the time. Right now, I need the reminder.

Beach trip

2009-04-29T12:21:00.003-07:00

Some pictures from the women's trip to Ballito (near Durban) this past weekend. This wasn't a good "people" trip for me, just to explain the lack of smiling beach photos...

Walking and exploring the beach on a drizzly day

Shell, seaweed, sand, sea

The beach, a rainbow, and some amazing clouds. I took this from the balcony of the flat where we stayed.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the rainbow, apparently. This is a different one later on in the day, a double rainbow this time.

And here's Sarah setting off to explore in the shadow of the rainbow.

More election photos

2009-04-29T11:56:00.003-07:00

The "Fight crime" poster I mentioned earlier

Signs on the fence surrounding the park where voting took place--these didn't go up until election day.

And a few more links with thoughts on the election:
Thoughts from Chris and Joe
From a newsletter I receive: "The voting experience of five ordinary South Africans"

Election 2009

2009-04-22T03:38:00.006-07:00

Today is the national election in South Africa. Over the past couple months, election posters for the many, many parties here have been plastered all over signposts, freeway overpasses, and billboards. Here's just a selection:

This one falls under the category of "would probably be prohibited in America." Loosely translated: "Too white to work?" Another poster from this same party features the simple slogan "Fight crime" under a picture of a white woman's face, fear in her eyes, with a black man's hand over her mouth.

The middle poster here is one of my favorites... because I find the horrible photo choice absolutely hilarious. I can't decide whether the man is angry, constipated, or just extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps all three.

A faded ANC poster of Jacob Zuma... these posters of Zuma are ALL over the place. The ANC victory is pretty much a foregone conclusion, whatever you might think of Zuma!

One of the local apprentices, Curtis, has posted some great thoughts leading up to the election if you're interested in learning more... check out this post especially, with links to info on the major political parties here. And I will conclude with this political cartoon that I totally stole from Curtis' blog:

Around Pangani

2009-04-16T05:40:00.004-07:00

On more than one occasion, the numbers from the "106" in front of Pangani have been stolen. Tired of replacing them, Bryan took them down and one of the gardeners painted a crooked number 106 in their place. That simply would not do. Daleen made this awesome mosaic to cover over the painted numbers, and give us a far-less-stealable number.

One of the community cars has been in the shop for... weeks now? Not sure. Sharing two cars among 7 apprentices is a challenge, even more so when one of the two is out of commission. This afternoon, I discovered the following small plea attached to the Corsa's mileage book, complete with flower and candles...

Sunset in Sosh

2009-04-14T12:58:00.002-07:00

New shoes on Solomon's bakkie

Emily's yard, Wholesome Bakery, Solomon's bakkie

Sunset through the fence

Sunset from the stoep

Holy Saturday

2009-04-14T12:53:00.003-07:00

Prayer walk at Pangani

Palm Sunday

2009-04-09T08:00:00.003-07:00

On Palm Sunday, Sarah and Colletta and I visited our friend Doris' church in Soshanguve. Church in Sosh is usually an all-morning (and into the afternoon) occasion, and this past Sunday was fairly usual. We arrived at 8:30 for prayers before the service, service started at 9:30, and we got home to Pretoria a little before 2:00pm. =)

Woman walking and praying before the service started (Sarah took this one on my camera)

Sarah sharing a little about herself & NieuCommunities

Giant bags of vegetables placed at the front of the church at the end of the service. The church encourages its members to bring food and other staple items each week. Anyone in need is free to take from what is brought, for themselves as well as others in their community.

Birthday

2009-04-09T07:42:00.004-07:00

Just a few pictures from my birthday last week...

Birthday cake with friends in Soshanguve on Monday

Balloons at community breakfast on Tuesday
(I ate the chocolate pancakes before I thought to take a picture)

One of two free passes from Tony, my next door neighbor, who sees all women's activities (and most card games) as conspiracies against him.

Care package from Heather, which arrived ON the birthday (not sure if this has ever happened before in South African history)

Flowers from my parents

Dinner with the staff women at Cafe 41 (31 at 41 on the 31st...)

Swinging

2009-03-25T06:46:00.003-07:00

On Monday afternoon, when I arrived at Emily's house with Sarah and Doris, we were greeted by Emily's daughter Lungile. She was hanging out in the front of the house, just playing on a swing with a friend... in the back of her dad's bakkie (truck). I love it.

Housekeeping

2009-03-16T22:52:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to point out a few updates to the blog. I've updated the links, specifically the ones to community blogs. In the "2009 community" section, you'll now find links to blogs from several of the 2009 apprentices & staff.

I've also added this year's reading list to the sidebar, if you're interested in checking out some of what we're reading and discussing together as a community. We're reading some amazing books this year, and I'm not just saying that because I'm coordinating the reading for the year! Actually, I think the books I'm most excited about are the ones I've already read for previous NC years.

Right now, we're most of the way through Henri Nouwen's book, Spiritual Direction. So far during the Listening posture, this book has dovetailed almost uncannily with each week's curriculum and other experiences. Nouwen has a ton of good stuff to say about how we hear God and are formed spiritually. Feel free to email me for our weekly discussion questions. =)

Kitten...

2009-03-16T03:06:00.004-07:00

Our cat Jasper ran away from home about a month ago--the day before Sarah and I moved house. He hasn't come back and after a month, it seems he's not going to. We've been talking about getting another cat, but haven't quite had the heart to do so just yet. But, on Thursday I got a phone call from Doug, who was out in Soshanguve with Granny's family. Their cat had a litter of three kittens about a month ago, and they wanted to know if we wanted one. Doug was willing to bring one back for us that night. We ended up saying yes. And so, by way of introduction, here is our new kitten, Lucy:

Apparently, she's interested in reading N.T. Wright. She's gonna fit right in...

Cultural History Museum

2009-03-10T00:52:00.003-07:00

I first visited the National Cultural History Museum in Pretoria at the beginning of my apprenticeship year. Last week, I got to take this year's apprentices to check out the museum. I was disappointed that the exhibit I'd enjoyed the most when I'd visited before was no longer there. It was sad, since at least for me, that exhibit was the main reason to go to the museum in the first place! We did have fun checking out the exhibits of local art, and taking some fun pictures... until my camera batteries died. Below is the sum total of the pictures I took that day.

The games we play

2009-02-18T02:06:00.006-08:00

One of the things I love about NieuCommunities is the creative way our curriculum seeks to engage different learning styles. This leads to doing some interesting things for "work." I led a conversation on Monday that began with a water balloon toss, and last week, Doug led the group in a game of Mao to illustrate rather tangibly what culture shock can feel like. Here are some photos from both activities, just a small taste of our learning conversations...

A peek at what's in Busi's hand

Wait, what?

I think Melanie received a penalty here for not saying "Have a nice day"

Nice catch, Busi

Tony shows off his throwing technique

Colletta and Johannes keep their tosses pretty close

Melanie takes a hit

Judging from the expression on my face, I think this one was taken just before I hit Chris with one of the leftover water balloons:

Cricket

2009-02-07T06:30:00.005-08:00

Last night, we introduced this year's apprentices to the game of cricket. We went to a local Pro20 match (Pro20 games are only about 3 hours long, as opposed to up to 5 days). Many Americans find the rules of cricket incomprehensible and therefore interminably boring (the length of the game no doubt has something to do with this as well). This was the second cricket match I've attended, the first being 2 years ago during orientation when I was an apprentice. So I'm not really one to comment on my extensive knowledge of the rules of cricket. (I'm not really one to comment on my extensive knowledge of the rules of any sport, to be perfectly honest.) But, I will say that I really don't mind an evening of cricket attended with friends. Last night, for example, I sat on the grass and enjoyed a picnic dinner, chatted with friends, ate cookies, wandered around in search of coffee and tea... and watched the exciting parts of the game. Like the end. =)

Here are some pictures from our outing:

Colletta in her free hat, enjoying a cookie

Mairin, wearing her "First Visit to Disneyland" pin

Enthusiastic fans

Apprenticeship 2009

2009-02-03T10:46:00.004-08:00

We officially began the 2009 apprenticeship on Sunday afternoon with a braai at Pangani. Sadly, I did not take any pictures on that day. But today I did! Dayna and I took the 8 apprentices (and our local friend Lizzy) on a tour around Pretoria city center. Here are a few pictures taken at the Union Buildings.

L to R: Me, Busi, Chris, Adrienne, Colletta, Dayna
Melanie, Johannes, Tony, Curtis

Our 2009 Apprentices!

And so we begin a new apprenticeship year. I'm looking forward to getting to know the new apprentices over the next ten months and seeing what God has in store during this time. It's good to be here from the beginning this time around, since I came about 1/3 through the year in 2008... somehow it's weird all over again to be staff and not an apprentice! I'm really excited about this year's group. We have three Africans and five Americans, and a huge diversity of background and experiences among them all. It's been fun to see the beginnings of everyone getting to know each other, and I'm excited for what's to come.

Belatedly, Christmas celebration #3

2009-01-02T05:57:00.004-08:00

I just got these from Lizzy. Now you can visualize the finale of the three Christmas celebrations.

Following our Christmas day in Soshanguve with Granny's family, Sarah and I rushed over to Lizzy's house, where she and her brother had prepared (another) Christmas dinner for us: roasted leg of lamb, roasted potatoes, potato salad, baby marrow, and an amazing marble cake for dessert. When Lizzy prayed for our meal, she thanked God for a celebration "with both fake family and real family." Sarah said much the same: that each of our Christmas celebrations took place with "friends who felt like family." Happy Christmas. :)

Table and food

Serving ourselves

Just the girls

Prayer for the New Year

2009-01-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve, Sarah led us in a responsive reading during our community check-in & prayer time. The reading ended with a prayer, which I thought I would share here:

Eternal Father, you have placed us in a world of space and time, and through the events of our lives, you bless us with your love. Grant that in this new year we may know your presence, see your love at work, and live in the light of the event that gives us joy forever--the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

How I spent my New Year's

2009-01-01T09:59:00.004-08:00

A little time in the pool

Lizzy decided to dye her hair pink for the new year:

Sarah and I joined her (in the dyeing, not in the pinkness)

Fireworks at the Wards'

Sparklers before the rain (instead of at midnight)

Christmas Day at Granny's

2008-12-27T05:38:00.002-08:00

Dayna, Tony, Sarah, and I all drove out to Soshanguve mid-day on Christmas to celebrate with Granny and the family. We hung out with Granny's family, ate chicken & pap, and exchanged small gifts white-elephant style. They loved the cookies the girls had decorated the night before! During the afternoon, we read the Christmas story from the Bible together, and then Dayna played guitar as we sang Christmas carols. The family loved learning "Little Drummer Boy," and after we sang the carol, Dayna talked about how Jesus gave himself to us at Christmas. The boy in the song brought the gift that he had—himself—to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus gave himself to us. As I sat in the midst of this family who has welcomed me in, who has given of themselves to me so richly, I saw a reflection of Christ's love in Granny's family. I am so thankful to minister both to and with this family… and to be ministered to by them.

Me and Tshegofatso

Tshegofatso and Lungile

Dayna, Pretty, Emily, Annah, and baby Douglas: singing carols together

Christmas dinner #1: chicken, pap, chakalaka, coleslaw... and gingerbread and sugar cookies

Me, Emily, Dayna, Granny, Annah, Alex, Pretty, and Sarah: wearing our hats from the Christmas crackers!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-27T05:34:00.001-08:00

The R15 Christmas tree in all its glory (please note the origami penguin in the middle)

We traded names and did Christmas stockings for each other. The Christmas stockings being cool socks into which we stuffed various gifts. Here's Busi with hers...

What I called the Magnificent and Wondrous Christmas Breakfast.

Eating breakfast in the living room

Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T05:33:00.002-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Sarah and I invited Lizzy and Busi to spend the night at our house for a Christmas Eve slumber party. Our party included cookie decorating, movie-watching, Christmas crackers... and even a power outage. The power did eventually come back on so we could watch the movie properly instead of on Sarah's laptop!

Lizzy, me, and Busi decorating cookies

Some of the finished masterpieces

Roommates in Christmas cracker hats (please note our R15 Christmas tree in the background)

All the girls

Christmas decorations

Pool party

2008-12-17T05:39:00.004-08:00

Granny's family (well, women and children under 10 was the rule!) came to Pangani yesterday for a pool party. Of course, it rained for three hours the night before and was therefore cool and cloudy most of the day... but that didn't stop the kids from getting in the pool!

Granny's the only one looking at the camera (clearly there is something going on beside me that I am unaware of), but I had to post this because she has such a great smile.

Precious, Laurence, Nthabiseng, and Tshegofatso

All the kids... and Doris

It rained all the way back to Sosh, and this made for an amazing sunset on the way home.

Traditional ceremony

2008-12-08T01:32:00.003-08:00

Champagne, one of Granny's granddaughters, invited a bunch of the NCSA gang to come to a traditional ceremony for her husband's cousin. Sarah and I headed out to Soshanguve on Saturday and had a great time with the family, just hanging out, and observing this celebration of Nosiwe's coming of age. Here are some pictures...

Champagne's baby boy, little Douglas

How the party ended...

Redecorating

2008-12-04T03:56:00.004-08:00

Those of us left behind in Pretoria (the Stewarts and Doug have headed back to the States on furlough until late January) are working hard around Pangani, getting things ready for next year. Yesterday, Daleen and Sarah and I got to work stripping all the wallpaper in Room 4... since half of it was falling off and the other half had mold behind it. Lovely. I lived in Room 4 during my apprenticeship year, and though I wasn't terribly attached to the wallpaper, it did feel a bit strange to be tearing it all off the walls...

Pangani Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T03:46:00.003-08:00

A belated Happy Thanksgiving from South Africa. These pictures were actually taken on Thanksgiving Day, I'm just slow posting them...

The meal all laid out...

Table set in the garden. Gotta love a summer Thanksgiving.

Doug carves the turkey while Moses fills his plate.

Daleen & Petro toasting a happy Thanksgiving to each other.

Melissa and me

And, finally... pie. Apple (thank you, Dayna), pumpkin (my own creation), and New York style cheesecake (thanks, Lizzy!).

Farewell Dinner

2008-11-18T10:39:00.003-08:00

The 2008 apprenticeship has concluded, the apprentices have headed home, and it's really quiet around here. Here are some pictures from our final dinner last week. I miss these people!

All the girls...

Sarah and Natalie and me... Sarah and I have been mentoring Natalie over the past couple months. And eating a lot of cookies together.

Melissa and Andrew

Me and Kellie

Addition to the household

2008-11-09T04:16:00.001-08:00

Daleen's 80s Birthday

2008-11-09T04:07:00.005-08:00

This is just a selection from the many amazing photos of Daleen's 80s birthday bash on Friday night.

Yes, even Richard Simmons joined the party.

Year-End Celebration

2008-11-02T11:02:00.004-08:00

It makes me sad to type the title of this post--this year's apprenticeship will end in two weeks! Saturday night was our big year-end celebration. We invited over 60 people--friends, ministry partners, community members--to Pangani for dinner. It was a bittersweet time. It was amazing to look back on the year and celebrate all that God's done over the past months. And it was sad to have yet another reminder that the 2008 apprenticeship is almost over. And, I might add that the apprentices did an amazing job of planning and pulling off the event. All I had to do was carve some chicken...

Halloween

2008-11-02T10:58:00.003-08:00

Daleen is wearing Mairin's princess skirt on her head. Mairin is not amused.

People are always confusing the three of us, so we decided to dress up as each other. But maybe you can tell the difference...

Drakensberg

2008-10-13T01:35:00.004-07:00

Last week, the women of our community headed to the Drakensberg for some time to relax, explore, and hang out together. Here are a few highlights of the trip:

Four of us traveled to Lesotho (a country completely landlocked by South Africa) to visit Amanda's World Vision sponsored child. Here we are with the gifts presented to us by the family:

Horseback riding through amazing scenery in the foothills:

An amazing sunset as seen from our youth hostel:

The Amphitheater, one of the most impressive features of the Drakensberg:

Thursday hike to Sunday Falls:

Bakery Opening

2008-10-06T01:52:00.006-07:00

On Saturday, Wholesome Bakery in Soshanguve had a grand opening celebration. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Doug with several of the bakery staff

Solomon with two of his daughters, Lungile and Precious

Lungile dancing: there were drawings for prizes, but you had to dance before you got your prize!

Busi dancing with her mom

Winnie and her daughter, Matseho

Spring in Pretoria

2008-09-30T03:10:00.004-07:00

The jacarandas aren't the only things in bloom right now. But they're still my favorites.

Vacuum

2008-09-19T04:47:00.007-07:00

These pictures deserve their very own post.

My best friend makes this amazing dessert she calls "Vacuum Cleaner Bars." I obtained her permission to bake them in South Africa, since here I would not be infringing upon her territory of baking prestige. I baked them several times last year, but their inaugural South African appearance in 2008 was at the housewarming party on September 6. Here is a small taste (heh, sorry) just for you.

Mmmm.

Roger enjoys his first vacuum cleaner bar... before going on to sneak about 4 more.

Serving some up to Laura

Joe and Ezra are very excited indeed

Keziah's a little worried about her mom...

Housewarming

2008-09-19T04:47:00.002-07:00

This is a bit belated... photos from the housewarming party Sarah and I had a couple weekends ago:

I'm not very fond of the color orange. However, I have a very orange kitchen, and, apparently, very orange friends. With carrots.

Bahati, just hanging out on top of the washing machine

Busi singing her "Two Months" song, commemorating the date she met the NC gang

Sarah is very excited that Lizzy bought us toilet paper as a housewarming gift

Andrew wrote us this benediction and taped it up on our front stoep (porch/patio)

Baking and ministry and life

2008-08-22T03:58:00.004-07:00

I headed out to Soshanguve yesterday to visit my friend Emily—one of Granny’s daughters. Emily has a very entrepreneurial spirit and has dreamed for a long time of starting her own business—to provide for her family and to bring jobs and opportunities to others in her community. For the past six weeks, Rob & Laura Sturgess (from London) have been staying at Pangani, while looking into many different business opportunities around Pretoria for Enterprise International. EI is another division of CRM—they start up and manage for-profit businesses that help fund ministries as well as offer job opportunities for people in the community. An opportunity that is now becoming a reality is the just-about-to-be-opened “Wholesome Bakery” in Soshanguve. This bakery is at Emily’s house. I can’t even express how exciting this is for her! Today, Emily and the other women will receive their certificates for completing their training as baking students. The bakery will officially open next week—in its own new tin shack at the front of Emily’s yard—but neighbors are already stopping by Emily’s house to buy bread, scones, Chelsea buns, and other yummy baked goods.

Yvonne, Christinah, Rob, me, Emily, and Laura

When I visited yesterday, the Sturgesses were finishing up a meeting with Victor, who’s been training Emily and several local women. They also held job interviews with several of the women while I hung out with the family. Emily talked through more details with Rob and Laura, and I watched a couple Olympic events with Christinah (Emily’s sister) and Pretty (Emily’s oldest daughter).

A little later, I gave Christinah a lift home to Granny’s house, with Pretty coming along so she could pick up her two younger sisters. I told Emily I’d be back to say goodbye and to buy some of her bread and cakes. I visited a bit with Granny and the family, before heading back to Emily’s to buy some baked goods. I said I was the bakery taxi, and in true taxi fashion, we crammed as many people into the car as possible. Annah, her niece Winnie, Winnie’s baby Matseho, and Pretty and her two sisters. Two of the kids looked at us forlornly as I turned the car around in the dirt road in front of Granny’s… so Annah called them over and in climbed Tshegofatso and Nthabiseng, bringing the total number of people in the car up to 9. Four adults, four kids, and one baby. I am constantly amazed at how many people can and will cram into my car when we’re driving across Sosh. It’s really kind of awesome.

Just one of the 50kg sacks of flour currently in Emily's living room

After dropping everyone off at their respective homes once again, I was off to my own home, carrying baked goods in the back seat and watching another amazing African sunset out my window.

Sometimes it’s hard to describe ministry here. Life and work and ministry are categories that blur together. Am I doing ministry when I visit Granny’s family and hang out? Or am I visiting friends? When I have a conversation with my roommate about our common struggles in our new roles as NC staff, is that ministry? Is it ministry when one of the apprentices comes over to my house for tea? Or am I just being a friend? I was thinking about this on my ride home last night, and was reminded of a quote from John Hayes’ book Submerge: “Your ministry is not your life; your life should be your ministry.” There’s more context to it, but that distinction has been very helpful. When I start seeing life as ministry, the categories may blur a bit more, but it helps me to stop analyzing whether what I’m doing is ministry or not—and instead let the ministry flow through all of life, through who I am.

Leading a conversation in Church Square during the recent Road Trip

Some exciting things that have been going on around here over the past couple months:
-We planned for and hosted a group of 8 for a 2-week Road Trip
-We attended the Institute for Urban Ministry’s conference on bringing hope in the city
-Throughout July, we practiced a “Simplicity Month” in which we were challenged to live on half our disposable income
-We’re in the process of discerning how to use the money we saved during July
-We’ve grown more connected to and burdened for the Zimbabwean refugees living in a local shelter, which is soon to be closed down (please pray for housing for our friends!)
-I’ve started helping to rework some of our curriculum & helping coordinate assignments for the Reeds, interns this year
-Sarah and I finally got a kitchen table & chairs, so when we have people over for a meal, we don’t have to sit on the floor (not that most people mind)
-Our community hosted many guests throughout July, from the Sturgess family with EI, to a Zimbabwean pastor named Xoli who’s on CRM Africa’s board. There was one Friday evening (our usual community dinner and worship night) where we had people visiting from four different divisions of CRM, as well as the Road Trip group, our local friends, and our core NC community. God is beginning and building all kinds of new work here in South Africa, and it’s exciting to be here in the midst of it!

Things coming up:
- We start our Imagining Posture on Monday, and these next seven weeks will be an exciting time for our apprentices as they dream and imagine with God about what might be next for them. The heart of the Imagining Posture is the Life Compass curriculum, which is a pretty intense three weeks of looking back at what has brought us to where we are, and made us who we are; looking more deeply at our values, talents, and gifts; and looking ahead to what all those things might add up to for our future vision. This was a very powerful time for me last year—I’m excited to see this year’s group of apprentices engage the material and begin to move into a deeper vision and calling. Please be in prayer for both apprentices and staff over the next few weeks during this exciting process!
-Next weekend, I’ll be attending a 2-day training and learning more about the teaching philosophy/method that NC uses in our curriculum
-I’ll be leading an evening book discussion group again this posture—please pray for those who will attend, that we’ll have good conversation and connection through reading Alan Hirsch’s book, The Forgotten Ways.

Pottery, Part Three

2008-08-17T07:32:00.003-07:00

This is the last pottery post, I promise. We got our finished pottery back a couple of weeks ago. It was like Christmas, opening up each piece that had been carefully wrapped in newspaper. Almost everything turned out differently than I had pictured... sometimes that was a good thing, and sometimes not.

Here you can follow one of my pieces through the whole process...

Fresh off the wheel. Kinda. Shaped and ready for the first firing:

After one round of firing, it's now been glazed and is ready for the final firing. It's supposed to come out blue on top and brown on the bottom, even though it looks grey and pink here. The middle has been painted with wax, to stop the glaze from running into the middle section.

Finished product. The brown was different than I'd pictured, but still. I'm kinda proud of it.

Two of my favorites. Sugar bowl...

...and milk jug.

Feast of the Clowns

2008-08-17T07:18:00.004-07:00

The Tshwane Leadership Foundation hosts a festival every year called "Feast of the Clowns." There are events throughout the week, from workshops on issues in and around the city, to arts workshops and performances of all kinds. (It was amazing to hear the Soweto Gospel Choir on Wednesday night!) The big event of the week is the street festival and march, which a bunch of us attended yesterday. It was a gorgeous day to march through the city.

Our marshals, ready to keep the crowds in line for the march

Laura with some of the girls from Lerato House, getting ready for the march

Dancing and marching through the streets of Pretoria

I took a picture of Sarah in Church Square, and one of the enthusiastic marchers joined in

Andrew and I cut across the square and took up positions on either side of this crosswalk... we watched the whole parade march between us before meeting up with the rest of our group

Covenant

2008-08-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

I shared this covenant with the NCSA staff team a couple weeks ago and wanted to share it here as well. Especially since Melanie asked what exactly I do as NCSA staff. =) The following is my personal covenant—what I am committing to pursue during 2008. I’ve structured it around the areas of Communion, Community, and Mission—these are the foundational practices that underlie all we do in NieuCommunities: communion with God, community with others, and mission to the world around us.

Communion

I covenant to pursue a conversational relationship with God through both daily practices and a weekly Sabbath. In these practices, I will seek to build my life around God first, letting other activities flow from that center. I will pursue the following practices this year to grow and nourish my communion with God:

-Daily:
Attentiveness in everyday: cultivating awareness of God in each moment
Prayer of examen
Journaling
-Weekly (Sabbath):
Set aside work for the day
Intercession: listing requests, prayer walking
Life-giving rest: poetry, fiction, music that feeds my soul
Engage in one of the following practices each Sabbath:
Exercises for one of: Sensate/Contemplative/Traditionalist/Intellectual
Formational reading (Bible, other)
Scripture meditation/lectio divina

-Community spiritual practices, prayer & worship
-Personal spiritual retreat (2 nights) 1x this year
-Meet with a spiritual director at least once a month
-Begin exploring Ignatian spirituality with a spiritual director

Community

I covenant to initiate and pursue intentional, deepening relationships within NCSA. I will invite others to participate in my spiritual formation, and will participate in the growth of others as God directs. I will serve my community in the following ways:

-Attending check-in, Bible discussions & at least 1 conversation/week
-Planning/facilitating NCSA book discussions
-Setting aside 2 evenings/week for relational time with individuals in our community
-Inviting others into my personal ministry as it starts and develops
-Helping plan reflection days & road trip
-Helping with writing/editing curriculum
-Helping Arthur with NC communication
-Coordinating assignments for Natalie & Joe Reed

Mission

I covenant to pursue mission by reaching out to connect with individuals outside NCSA—building relationships, and allowing God to use those as a starting point for spiritual formation and shepherding. I will deepen existing friendships and build new connections, integrating my passion for the arts into the relationships and ministry opportunities that develop.

I covenant to pursue mission in the following ways:
-Being proactive in my ministry vision (discussion groups to connect people with God through fiction and film) by building connections with people outside NC/outside faith communities—people who aren’t connecting with God, but might be open to exploring spiritual ideas through creative/arts-based means.
-An apprenticing/mentoring relationship with Lizzy
-Leading an evening book group for people outside NCSA to read the NC books along with us
-Continuing my writing project with Sarah, with a focus on writing/editing
-Visiting with Granny’s family every other week

I covenant to grow in coaching and leading by:
-Attending coaching training in Vancouver and putting these skills into practice in my relationships with Lizzy and informally with the apprentice women
-Responding to opportunities to lead worship, conversations, and other community activities when appropriate

Still more cultural context

2008-08-11T08:29:00.004-07:00

On transportation...
Most people in the suburbs drive, but most people in townships don't have cars. They'll ride taxis (minivans crammed as full as they can get) or the train into town (downtown Pretoria) or to the suburbs for work. It's really rare to see a white person riding the commuter trains or in taxis. I was first told that it wasn't safe for whites to ride the train or a taxi, but have since been told otherwise, and have now done both (although I haven't done either alone). I've found that people give you weird looks and ask where you are going, but are also really helpful, curious, and friendly.

On the city...
Downtown Pretoria is pretty crowded during the day, with tons of taxis everywhere (honking their horns at intersections to let people know they have extra room); people crossing the street at any opportunity; vendors hawking oranges, cell phone chargers, rugby shirts, and all kinds of random stuff at street corners; and guys with bottles full of soapy water who will squirt down your windshield and clean it before you can say no, asking for a couple of rand before the light turns green!

On times and seasons and hemispheric differences...
Right now, South Africa is 9 hours ahead of California. South Africa doesn't observe daylight savings time, so after the time change in October, we'll be 10 hours ahead. The seasons are opposite here, since we're in the Southern hemisphere... so right now I'm looking forward to the end of winter! And, finally--yes, the drains do swirl in the opposite direction here.

Scenes from the Best Talent Show Ever

2008-08-06T12:58:00.002-07:00

The Road Trip "Talent" Show this evening was quite possibly the most fun I've had in weeks. That sounds like I don't get out much, but just take a look:

Roger as the Motion Sensor Light:

Keziah the Elephant showing off her amazing balancing skills:

The Faces Trio:

The animals of the forest huddling inside a mitten (more specifically, the mouse snuggling up to the bear):

Busi mourning the loss of her beloved five-legged cow:

Potter's House

2008-08-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Potter's House is a women's shelter downtown, where I spent many Monday evenings last year. We took the Road Trippers there this week, to hang out with the women and their kids and share a meal with them.

More cultural context

2008-08-04T02:31:00.004-07:00

On townships...
There are several townships scattered around Pretoria, Soshanugve is the nearest one to where I live. Townships are where non-whites lived during apartheid (when the government enforced strict segregation)--some were moved there by the government (this is the case with Soshanguve), but more often these settlements sprang up spontaneously outside cities—where the jobs were. Though apartheid ended in 1992, townships are still almost always all-black. There's a lot of fear about visiting townships, but it's more perception than reality. I've had conversations with friends in town (downtown Pretoria) who ask why I would go out to Sosh, because it's not safe. Then I've had conversations with friends in Sosh who wonder why I would go into town at night, because it's not safe. I'm learning that fear and safety can be relative things.

There's a variety of housing types in Sosh--from tin shacks to cinder block houses to brick houses. Some blocks share one tap for all the families, some have a tap in each yard, some have no running water, and some have indoor plumbing. Most houses are on dirt roads, though the government is now starting to provide more services, gradually adding sewer systems and paved roads.

Townships are full of informal businesses--tuck shops on corners and tables set up in front of homes, selling cool drink (soda), sweeties (candy), peanuts, potato chips, fruit, Chappies (gum), and even bags of clayey rocks that people chew on. (I've tried it and determined that they taste like dirt.) Some tuck shops sell sphatlo--also known as a township hamburger, it's ¼ of a loaf of bread, hollowed out and filled with atchar (spicy pickled mango chutney), chips (fries), polony (like baloney, only a lot more processed... and bright pink), and sometimes fried eggs and a Vienna (hot dog) or Russian (sausage). And this description is making me hungry...

Road Trip in Sosh, part 2

2008-08-02T02:06:00.005-07:00

The kids prepared an African song to sing for us

And a bunch of the kids in the neighborhood gathered to watch

Then, it was on to Granny's for dinner. Pap and chicken... and everyone ate with their hands.

And then we danced. (That's pretty much how you can end any description of hanging out in Sosh!)

Road Trip in Sosh, part 1

2008-08-02T01:49:00.005-07:00

On Thursday, I headed to Soshanguve with our Road Trip group and several others from our community. We met up with Hope, who told the group a bit about Sosh and showed us around... and also showed us some moves...

Here's me with Aly, eating sphatlo, also called "township hamburgers." So good...

Group picture after lunch

After visiting a few more places in Sosh, we headed to Block R, where the Road Trippers helped lead an activity for Mariah's and Doris' support group (for kids affected by AIDS). They split up into small groups and drew pictures together of things they had in common. Here's Busi & Joe, with their small group.

Sharing pictures with everyone

Voortrekker with Road Trippers

2008-07-30T04:32:00.005-07:00

For the next couple of weeks, we have a group of 8 here at Pangani for a Road Trip. I took the group to the Voortrekker Monument yesterday, as well as Church Square, to hear some of the stories of South Africa and take time to hear what God might be saying to us about those stories. Here are some pictures of the group at the Voortrekker...

Some cultural context...

2008-07-28T02:27:00.002-07:00

I just responded to a message from a friend, answering several questions about my context here in South Africa. After I wrote a somewhat long response, it occurred to me that some of what I wrote might be interesting to post here. Though maybe I won't post all of it at once...

On cars and the price of gas...
My roommate Sarah hunted down and purchased a 1996 Hyundai Accent while I was away in Vancouver. We're sharing the car and so far it's working out well. The price of petrol has gone up a lot here--it's probably still a bit more expensive here than it is in the States, though it sounds like prices are climbing pretty fast there too. I haven't taken the time to figure out exactly how gas prices here compare to the prices in California right now--I have to convert the price from rand to dollars and then the quantity from liters to gallons, and for a former English major, that's far too much math. =)

On living in the suburbs...
I'm living in Pretoria North, a suburb of South Africa's capital city. It's similar to suburbs anywhere in a lot of ways... and then in other ways not. Some obvious differences off the top of my head...

At parking lots and when you park on the street, there are almost always parking guards, either employed by the store (like at grocery stores) or just guys trying to get by and earn a little money. It's usual to tip them a couple of rand (about a quarter) when you come back to your car-- they keep an eye on it while you shop. There are attendants at all the petrol stations who pump your gas for you, they'll usually wash your windshield and offer to check your oil & water, too.

Then there are guys at intersections who beg for change, or try to sell you everything from cell phone chargers to rugby shirts. There are several places at the side of the road where people sell furniture, beanbag chairs, beach towels, and even stuffed & mounted animal heads. Sarah and I have been looking for furniture for our new house, so last weekend, we went to "the side of the road" and checked out what they had, just as if we were visiting the local furniture store. We even checked out a couple of "side of the road" spots to compare prices. We didn't buy a stuffed and mounted animal head, though.

Harris Tweed

2008-07-24T02:19:00.000-07:00

Last year, I was introduced to local South African band Harris Tweed. They were playing in Pretoria last week and a group of us went to the show. They're recording a new album, and it was great to hear some new material. Looking forward to the album release...

Good friends

2008-07-23T14:09:00.002-07:00

Kevin, a friend from last year's apprenticeship, was in South Africa for the past 6 weeks, with a team from InnerChange. We were finally able to hang out last week before he flew back to the States. It was great fun to have our first group hangout at the house, reuniting with a lot of good friends from last year.

Awkward "candid" photo

Playing Apples to Apples

Sarah and Hazel

No one seems to even notice that I am attacking Lizzy, though Kevin shows mild interest

Group photo

Sarah's Birthday

2008-07-19T14:05:00.003-07:00

Concluding our day of glazing pottery, we had a birthday celebration for Sarah, with some amazing chocolate cake...

I absolutely love Ezra's expression in this photo, combined with Sarah's slightly chastising face...

Pottery, Part Two

2008-07-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Pottery ready for glazing

Lying in the sun, waiting to start glazing pottery... yeah, both me and the dog. I wasn't rolling aroung scratching my back on the grass, though.

Sarah, with paintbrush at the ready

A few of my pieces of pottery, ready for the last round of firing. The colors supposedly will be quite different after the firing... that pink will actually be brown, and the brown will be blue. Or so we're told.

Enjoying coffee together after all the pottery was finished. Now we just have to wait for the final product...

Settling in continues

2008-07-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Sarah and I combed through what must have been every pawn shop in Pretoria North, in search of furniture for our new house. I took pictures of the microbus crammed full of furniture, but as far as pictures of the newly-installed furniture, I only have this one slightly ridiculous picture of me eating a fajita, sitting at our coffee table in front of our new bookshelf. I'm still quite proud of the fact that we obtained a dresser, nightstand, bookshelf, coffee table, desk, and chair... for the equivalent of less than $200. (Oh, and don't be jealous of the stereo equipment you see behind me, part of the partial furnishings left in the house for us to use. We have discovered that the stereo lacks the necessary cords to connect the speakers to anything that might play music.)

San Diego

2008-06-29T12:46:00.005-07:00

I'm taking advantage of the free wireless at Lindbergh Field (Free wireless! At the airport!) to post a couple pictures from the past few days.

All my nieces & nephews at the park yesterday

Everybody except my brother, who was taking the picture

Me with David & Dianna and Daniel at church this morning, for Daniel's baby dedication

I'll be flying to LA in about 20 minutes, then on to Frankfurt and finally Jo'burg. I kinda feel like I'm headed home, though it was really hard to say goodbye to the kids yesterday!

Vancouver

2008-06-25T22:07:00.004-07:00

I've been in Vancouver the past few days, participating in a coaching workshop with other NC staff and apprentices. It's been an awesome time--the training has been really good and I've enjoyed connecting with the NCVC team as well as catching up with other NC staff who are here for the training. I've found it amusing that the temperatures here in VC in the summer are pretty much the same as back in South Africa, where it's winter. Sunset at 10:00pm has really been throwing me off, though!

I head down to San Diego tomorrow to spend a few days visiting with family before I fly back to South Africa on Sunday. I'm excited to meet my new nephew and be there for his baby dedication on Sunday morning!

Here are some pictures from my time here in Vancouver:

Laurie, Amy, Dayna and me--on our way to dinner tonight (yes, I realize that there are too many of us in the back seat...)

Granville Island

View of downtown from the house where I'm staying

Baby shower... sort of.

2008-06-19T03:14:00.005-07:00

Our friend Winnie in Soshanguve had a baby about three months ago. Melissa had been planning a baby shower, but Winnie ended up having the baby on the day they were to have the shower! Yesterday, Melissa, Sarah, and I finally made it out to Granny's house with a bunch of gifts for Winnie and her baby daughter, Maseho. Her English name is Sweetness. =)

Winnie opening gifts

Sarah and Maseho

Sarah, me, Winnie, and Melissa

Maseho napping with Granny